When I Think of Child Development

A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer. ~Author Unknown

While we try to teach our children all about life,

Our children teach us what life is all about.

~Angela Schwindt

Which way is the school bus going? Left or right?

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/02/24/exercise-your-brains-visual-logic-brain-teaser/

This was given to me a few years back in an email chain, and I always think about it when I think of a child's mind. Children see things completely differently then what many adults do. We need to remember that and open our minds as we teach. We can learn so much from our students and they in return will learn from us.

I want to say thanks to all my colleagues. I have learned so much from each and every one of you. You all have opened my eyes to new ideas and encouraged me to think outside the box. Special thanks to Dr. Darragh for the continuing support that you have given me throughout this course. I will take the knowledge that I have gained from everyone and put it to great use where ever I go.

I wish everyone the best of luck in their adventure in finishing this program and I hope to see many of you in the next set of classes!

Testing for Intelligence?

I have mixed opinions on whether children should be assessed and what skills should be measured. To assess a child I believe that it should be something besides a test on paper with a time limit. There are so many variables that can lower a test score that is not the child’s fault. Scores can be low and children can be left behind due to a simple times test that might not even assess information that they have been taught. I believe that children should be assessed in math and writing, so that we are able to help them learn what needs to be learned. To do this, I believe that children should be assessed on an individual basis with no pressure of being done during a specific amount of time. I was a horrible test taker and would have anxiety attacks when I knew that I was going to be assessed. The teachers were stressed, trying to cram everything in and that would rub off on me, and I would get stressed out. When test time came, I would freak, and would have a hard time concentrating. In fourth grade, we were told that if we didn’t pass the test, we would not move on to the next grade. That kind of pressure should not be put on a child. Not only do they get pressure like that, but they also get the pressure to do well on their ACT and SAT scores so that they can go to a good college. I don’t understand why these scores would determine my ability to take classes at a university.

In Ireland children take standardized test, but it seems that the information taken is just for the teachers. They use that information to make individual plans for their students and can have some students opt out of the test if they are not capable of taking the test. During primary school they only have to take a standardized test twice. The test seems to show achievements and pick out students with higher learning then children with lower learning.

Stressors

My husband grew up in poverty where they moved around a lot and had very little to eat. His mom was a single parent just trying to get by. His dad was an alcoholic, who lived on unemployment and paid the lowest of lows of child support. He said that his coping measure was to be a child who could help out as much as possible. He learned how to fix cars and how to make that car last way longer than anyone would think of doing. Another coping measure he used quietness. He went from being the boy who wanted to make everyone laugh to a boy who became very quiet and didn’t make any new friends. He knew that he probably wouldn’t see the people again after school was over, and his thoughts were that it wasn’t worth it to get attached to something just to have it taken away. The support system that he had was his family. His grandparents would watch him and his sister during the summer and they would go to their other grandparent’s house to be watched in the early mornings so that their mom could go to work.

The county that I wanted to know more about in this area was Ireland. I am part Irish and have always been curious about my heritage. Some of the stressors that children face are; political violence, illness, isolation, and poverty. The political violence that is going on in Northern Ireland is due to the fighting of the Protestants and the Roman Catholics.

Ireland came up with the Convention on the Rights of the Child which is the most popular human rights treaty. It involves civil rights, family environment, health and welfare, education, and much more. Ireland also has Children Protective Services to help and provide support for the children in need.

Immunizations

I chose this topic for one specific reason. While growing up, I received all of my immunizations and my parents made sure that everything was kept up to date. When I was a teenager, I met a family who got to see the side effects of those immunizations. Their first son received all his immunizations at birth and when it came time to receive the few shots for starting school, things went wrong. At five years old he became paralyzed from the waste down and lost most function in his hands and arms. Daily tasks could no longer be performed on his own. His speech was impaired and most times it was hard for me to understand what he was saying. His mother spoke passionately about how she no longer believed that the vaccines, that the government was requiring, were safe and her youngest son never received a single vaccine. I know that immunizations are important to make sure that we do not have any more outbreaks of certain diseases and illnesses, but do we really know the long term affects of these shots? There are always side effects to every drug and shot, but could these side effects be stopped if more testing was done, and more time was spent on making these drugs and vaccines safer?

While thinking about immunization in the US I decided to look into a few other countries to see if they had the same immunizations or if they thought differently about it. First country that I looked into was China. I found that China basically immunized their babies just the same as the US does. I decided to try to find a country that was different from my own. India was actually the country that caught my attention. Starting in 1975 India started the Expanded Programme on Immunization which provided immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, typhoid and childhood tuberculosis. In 1985 they renamed their program to the Universal Immunization Programme where the measles vaccine was added and the typhoid vaccine was taken out. “India’s Immunization Program is one of the largest in the world in terms of quantities of vaccines used, numbers of beneficiaries, and the numbers of immunization sessions organized, the geographical spread and diversity of areas covered” (http://www.whoindia.org/en/Section6/Section284/Section286_506.htm).

Ways this information will impact my future work is quite simple. I now will understand when a child is not immunized and just as always will respect the choices that a parent makes. It takes reading and thinking about certain areas that bring back memories of something you would not think about. I really liked this assignment because it reminded me of the importance of knowing the facts and considering all of your options even when it comes to basic things as “required” immunizations.

A Birth That I Saw

It all started with a phone call that said, “We are going to be induced at 8PM tomorrow and you should bring clothes to stay the night.”

This was my cousin calling to let me know that his wife would be heading to the hospital and that my godson will be born soon. I had promised to be there for everything so that I could take any pictures that they wanted.

I went to the hospital and they induced my cousin and we waited and waited. It took 3 inducements and 2 nights later my cousin was starting to get harder contractions. By the next morning, my cousin was ready to have the baby, but the baby was still not ready to come out! Since I knew that the baby loved hearing his dad’s voice, I talked my cousin into going to the foot of the bed and reading to the baby. The baby starting kicking and moving and it was about an hour later that we were in the process of delivering a baby.

I chose this example because the lead up and the process it took for my godson to come out was amazing. He was and is a determined little boy and the long hours of sitting at the hospital, was well worth it all.

My thoughts on birth are very simple; it’s a natural part of life. My godson came into a warm, inviting hospital room with his mother, father, and godmother there to support him. I believe that because of the process of talking to the baby in the womb and playing with him, my godson will grow up to have a connection with his parents that some may not have.

In America there are doctors and nurses that are there to take care of a mother and baby. In Africa, there are not only doctors and nurses but there are midwives and doulas. The midwife goes into their homes or the hospital and is there to deliver the baby. Doulas are coaches for the mothers and there to relax the mother by reducing stress. It seemed that many women only went to the hospital if things started to turn for the worse. In America birth outside a hospital is mainly unheard of. Both countries are the same though in the thought of having a stress free birth so that the baby comes into the world without the extra stresses that will come later in life.

Thank You!

I just want to thank everyone for coming here and reading my post and giving me helpful feedback. This course has opened my eyes to things in the ECE field that I never knew before. It's been a pleasure working with you all, and I hope to see you in further classes!

Code of Ethics

"We shall use individually appropriate assessment strategies including multiple sources of information such as observations, interviews with significant caregivers, formal and informal assessments to determine children’s learning styles, strengths, and challenges" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2000).

            Assessment is key to any program that involves children. I use assessment and observation in everything that I do so that I know my students are learning at the level they are at.

"We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and services for young children with disabilities and their families" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2000).

            There are so many laws out there, that I honestly did not know existed. I want to become aware of all of these laws, regulations, and policies so that I can become a better teacher for my students.

"We shall use every resource, including referral when appropriate, to ensure high quality services are accessible and are provided to children and families" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2000).

            There are resources everywhere and it is important to read as much as one can. I am an open minded person, and will listen to what anyone has to say, and then use what I know to make the best decision.

"To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training" (NAEYC, 2005).

            I always want to be informed and I think a good way of doing this is through continuing my education. I like that my state requires teachers to take so many classes to renew your license.

"To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions" (NAEYC, 2005).

            This is very important to me and I plan to do this in any classroom that I am in.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved June 14, 2011, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved June 14, 2011, from http://www.dec-sped.org/