Thank You!!

I would like to thank each and every one of my group members for sharing their thoughts on my blog and on the blogs of their own. It was truly an experience that I have enjoyed over the past 8 weeks. I pray for the best in all of our futures!

Quotes about Children and Education

“Indeed, education without research or innovation is education without interest.”-Malaguzzi

This quote means a lot to me. It says to me, no matter how many years that I teach that I should always be researching and looking for new, innovative ways to teach. If I don’t do this, I’m just going through the motions.

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.”-Nelson Mandela

This quote explains that a society is only as much as it treats and raises its children. The way we view children is the way we expect our nation to grow. Our nation won’t better itself unless we better our children.

Testing for Intelligence?

I believe that children should be assessed in all of the areas that affect learning. Howard Gardner described multiple intelligences as linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic (movement), interpersonal (social understanding), intrapersonal (self-understanding), naturalistic (understanding nature), and existential (life and death). Once children are assessed, educators can receive a general idea of how to teach them due to what they are skilled in. The question still remains, “What is the best way to assess children?”

In Australia, children are given standardized tests to assess their intellectual abilities. This has known to be problematic because the results seem to never give a true result of the child’s IQ. Children are referred to as having an intellectual disability in Australia, instead of mental retardation. These intellectual disabled children have a 70 or below IQ score. Children that are below 70 are categorized into four groups: mildly (score of 55-70), moderately (score of 40-55), severely (score of 25-40), and profoundly (score of 25 and below) disabled. None of the formal testing is completed independently of other skills. The tests require children to already possess language or motor skills. Because of this, these tests are considered biased therefore inaccurate for the children who don’t have these skills or struggle in these areas.

Resource

Colmar, S., Maxwell, A., Miller, L. (2006). Assessing intellectual disability in children: are IQ measures sufficient, or even necessary. Australian Journal of Guidance & Counseling. 16(2), 177-188.

The Stressors of Children

A stressor from my childhood that I want to talk about is racism. I attended a school system in which very few African Americans went to. The ratio from black students to white students was around 1:50, about one per grade level in elementary school. I was very athletic and active, so at recess time I could be found on the basketball court or soccer field. I remember a time in third grade wanting to play soccer and a child approaching me saying, “You can’t play because you are darker than us.” I felt crushed and went crying to my sister. She was just a year older than me so we shared the same recess time. Her protective older sister instincts kicked in and she “handled” that situation. I’ll let you use your imagination and fill in the rest! I told my teacher when we went inside and she talked to the both of us about the situation. Anyways, that was just one of a few instances that I experienced growing up.

In South Africa, there are many stressors for children. Poverty, disease, environmental factors, and hunger are issues that affect children and their growth. The strategies used are described as erosive. This means that it solves the problem now, but in the future it doesn’t because more problems occur. To ensure that enough work is done at home in preparation for meals and warmth, young boys and girls are forced to stay at home. They stay at home and help their parents so the family can be fed, therefore they become uneducated adults in the long run. Mother’s with a deathly disease, such as AIDS, don’t plan for their children’s future. They assume that another member of the family will take care of their children or they will be admitted into an orphanage. In either case, either one doesn't guarantee proper eating habits or education. This is a result of having no access to appropriate support and services. Parents don’t know where or who to turn to when hunger, poverty, or disease becomes too overwhelming. Efforts are being made to make assistance available for families who are in dire need of food, shelter, or medical attention.

Resource

Drimie, S., Cassale, M. 2009. Multiple stressors in Southern Africa: the link between HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, poverty, and children’s vulnerability now and in the future. AIDS Care, 1(21), 28-33.

Breastfeeding Around the World

My mother started breastfeeding me when I was born. For weeks I was a healthy baby girl. She and my doctor’s noticed a yellowing of my skin. A blood test showed that I was jaundice, a yellowing of the skin due to a recycling of old blood cells. Mom had to stop breastfeeding because the doctor’s thought I was getting this disease from her milk. She remembers hating taking me to the doctor every week to get my blood drawn because I would scream every time they pricked my foot!

I find breastfeeding to be important, not only for the infant, but for the mother too. I researched breastfeeding in South Africa. At one time, it was very common. As the years progressed, breastfeeding rates digressed. This was partially because of HIV being passed through the mother’s milk. Now it is being stressed that infants be breastfed for the first 6 months until some sort of food is introduced. The studies that have been conducted on breastmilk substitutes shows that it unsanitary because 30% of people don’t have access to clean water and 40 % don’t have access to any form of sanitation (Meyer, 2007). Infants that are being breastfed are not only more protected from diseases due to the immunities transmitted through the mother’s milk, but they recover quicker after an illness. As a result, a lower infant mortality rate is common.

Resources

Meyer, A. Van der Spuy, D., du Plessis, L. (2007). The rationale for adopting current international breastfeeding guidelines in South Africa. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 3(4), 271-280

Birthing Experiences

The only personal birthing experience that I could expand upon is my own because I haven’t experienced any other’s birth. I don’t remember anything about my own birth. I was born on January 10 at Adena Hospital, which was my projected due date. According to my mother, right when I was born my newborn reflexes of grasping caused me to grab the doctor’s utensils to cut the umbilical cord that he had in his hands. I found this very amusing! Mom said that she knew she was in trouble!

The region I chose to discuss where childbirth is different than the United States is Ghana. I chose to further research this region because it is mentioned in our course resource The Developing Person Through Childhood. Here, giving birth is looked at as being “natural” and not an “illness” (Janse, 2006) so there isn’t a need for a hospital unless complications occur. These complications could mean harm to the mother or to the infant. Due to this belief, most childbirth occurs at home. When this happens, usually older female relatives are there to see the process through. These women are experienced at childbirth because they have gone through it themselves. Females are expected to have children, otherwise they aren’t considered women. The mother to be seeks most of her advice during pregnancy and after from these experienced women. If she doesn’t, it is viewed as disrespectful. Fathers play the role of supplying the financial needs for the child and mother.

Viewing these similarities and differences between birthing experiences in the U.S. and Ghana broadens my views on how things operate around the world. We all have different beliefs. When we have these strong beliefs it has a rippling effect to our decisions in life.

Resources

Berger, K.S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5^th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Janse, I. (2006). Decision making in  childbirth: the influence of traditional structures in Ghanian village. International Nursing Review, 53(1), 41-46

My Appreciation

I want to say thank you to everyone that participated in the discussion and blog posts throughout the past 8 weeks in EDUC 6005. I really appreciate the time everyone spent providing feedback. I’ve learned so much from you all. I wish everyone the best of luck in future courses and with their professional goals!

Codes of Ethics

The NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct and DEC’s Code of Ethics has many responsibilities for any individual that deals with children. Here are a few that are meaningful to me:

NAEYC

Ethical Responsibilities to Children

Ø  To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

Ø  To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

Ethical Responsibilities to Families

Ø  To be familiar with the knowledge base related to working effectively with families and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

Ø  To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve.

Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues

Ø  To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers.

DEC

Professional Practice

Ø  We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based on information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others.

Professional Development and Preparation

Ø  We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the purpose of continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children with disabilities and their families.

Responsive Family Centered Practices

Ø  We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture

Ethical and Evidence Based Practices

Ø  We shall use every resource, including referral when appropriate, to ensure high quality services are accessible and are provided to children and families.

These ideals and principles are significant to my professional life. To be a professional educator, I have to respect and keep my students’ and their families’ best interest in mind. I am willing to do this by keeping an abundance of resources and keeping up on the latest research pertaining to children and families. Every child is unique, so what leads to a positive academic experience with one child may not be the same with another. Staying flexible and open minded will assist in me doing so. Every child derives from a different background because families are unique also. Communicating with these families on a consistent basis will help form a close relationship. Every educator should keep these at heart!

Resources

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH 05.pdf

The Division of Early Childhood. (2004, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Course Resources

I have come across many educational resources. This information informs me about the educational field. Among the ones from our Week 5 Resources list, I added three magazines that I subscribe to now or have once subscribed to. They are Ohio Schools (http://www.ohea.org/ohio-schools), NEA Today (http://www.nea.org/home/1814.htm), and EL Educational Leadership (http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership.aspx). They are filled with useful information about education from all aspects.

Words of Inspiration

"A nation that does not stand up for its children does not stand for anything and will not stand strong in the twenty-first century."-- Marian Wright Edelman

"With the right approach, a plain white hat and a plate full of yarn spaghetti can contribute to a young child's cognitive development."--Deborah Leong, Ph.D.

“Using an anti-biased approach has an impact, not just on the children, but on the teachers who have to kind of figure out who they are and understand themselves and uncover their own discomforts and misinformation.” –Louise Dermon Sparks, Professor Emeritus at Pacific Oak College, CA

“I’m not here to save the world. I’m here to just make a difference in the community that I’m working in.”—Raymond Hernandez, Executive Director at the School of Early Childhood Education

Personal Childhood Web

You will find my personal childhood web on the bottom of this page. I also posted the pictures of the four family members who love and supported me the most. These individuals helped mold me to be the person I am today!

I will always remember...

My last year's class was very bright and very quiet. I had one little girl who would barely even speak when I was around. Even when working one on one she was extremely timid. She was a 'B/C' average student. Now she is in the 4th grade. During recess a few weeks ago, she walks up to me and says, "Here Miss Harris. This is for you." She gave me a white envelope that said "MISS HARRIS" on the front. I opened it up. She had typed a letter to me over the weekend saying how she loved being in my class and she would always remember me. The letter touched my heart so much that I gave her a hug and said, "Thank you!" I talked to her father about it a few days later and he elaborated on how much of an influence I was on her last year. I didn't expect this at all!

One of my Favorite Quotes

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it"~Proverbs 22:6. This quote from the Bible is especially meaningful to me because I can personally relate to it. My father became a preacher when I was 4 years old. So, from then until I was 18 years old I was in church just about every Sunday and Wednesday. When I attended college I diverted from the way I was raised and chose to do what I wanted to do. That path led to many mistakes. Now, here I am 7 years later, living my life the way I was taught to years ago.