Thank you. Thank you, Thank you!

THANK YOU!

Thank you to all my fellow classmates for sharing their stories, thoughts, comments, and ideas throughout our course together! I have realized here at Walden how much you can learn from one another. I have learned important information about the Earfly Childhood field as well as the development of young children within different age groups. Each of you have been very insightful. I am a young educator beginning my career within the Early Childhood field so it was very helpful reading postings from those of you who have been in the field for quite some time.

I wish each of you the best of luck as you continue your education at Walden University. I hope that I am able to work with many of you in our future classes together.


Here are some quotes that remind me of the important of Early Childhood Education ~

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." - Marva Collins

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."
- Chinese proverb

"In early childhood you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry of idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe.”
- Lydia Sigourney

"Experts tell us that 90% of all brain development occurs by the age of five. If we don't begin thinking about education in the early years, our children are at risk of falling behind by the time they start Kindergarten."
- Robert. L. Ehrlich

Testing for Intelligence ~ Blog Assignment

When measuring a young whole-self/holistically, I believe that it is important to measure the child’s ability to socialize with others, their cognitive ability, and their physical ability. Throughout life, a child needs the ability to socialize on a regular basis. If the child seems to need help with socializing with others, there are ways to help the child at a young age. Through assessing a child’s cognitive skills, we are able to see a child’s reading development. We are able to determine the pace at which the child’s information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, and language learning skills are developing. Assessing a child’s physical ability determines many things, such as walking, running, jumping, catching a ball and many other physical activities in everyday life.

I found an article while searching the web which focuses on the similarities and differences in schools in Mexico and the U.S. Each country has their own specific differences in education based on the country’s government. Mexico and the U.S. have similarities in that there are so many children that come from Mexico to go to school in the U.S.

I believe that when assessing young children it is important to add humor to the assessment. I assess children to determine where they will be placed within the Phonics Enrichment course that I teach. The children are able to stay focused for a specific amount of time. By breaking up the assessment and making the assessment interesting and engaging for the child, I am able to get a real assessment of the child’s cognitive ability.

http://www.piton.org/Documents/term6.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/002244059390050S

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I had a friend growing up who experienced family violence within her home. As a young child, it was hard to help a friend who was in horrible place in her life and being so young, I did not know how to help. Since I have a close relationship with my parents, I was able to turn to my parents for help. Thankfully, our school was aware already because my friend had spoken with the school counselor. Eventually, my friend’s father “went away” for some time and everything at her home became a much healthier environment for her. Throughout life, the effect of the family violence has affected my friend tremendously. To this day, she continues to see a therapist for her personal problems.

I found a resource online, which supports individuals/families that have experienced family violence. “The Alabama Coalition against Domestic Violence is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working toward a peaceful society where domestic violence no longer exists.” This is a fantastic resource for people to turn to if they are in need of help for how to overcome domestic violence.

http://www.acadv.org/

As I was thinking of a specific part of the country where I have a special affinity, I did not go far from home – Philadelphia. There are children in Philadelphia that go to bed every night hungry. I realize that there are many families on food stamps, receiving free meals at school, etc. The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger is an organization which supports feeding the children in our area. Philabundance is the region's largest hunger-relief agency, which supports the families in Philadelphia. These are oppurtunies for familes to make sure their children receieve food, but at times it seems as if parents are giving up the meals they have so that their children do not starve. But how long will they last?

http://www.philabundance.org/

http://www.hungercoalition.org/news

http://www.hungercoalition.org/news/phillycom-how-hunger-affects-children-philadelphia-area

Why to appreciate the small things in life...

The topic that I chose to focus on is access to healthy water. This topic is important to me because I feel as if I take the healthy water that I have to drink for granted. I should be more appreciative for the water that I have to bath, drink, cook, swim, etc. Many parts of the world do not have access to healthy water as we do in the United States.  For example, Uganda is an area in our world where there are major health issues. In the small villages, many people, including children, are at risk each day with the areas of water that are close by which contain bilharzia, which is a parasite that can cause life-threatening illnesses. (UNIVEF, 2012)  Nearly 9 million children died before their fifth birthday, mostly from preventable causes. (UNIVEF, 2012)  An estimated 4,000 children die every day from diarrhea caused by poor sanitation and dirty water. (UNIVEF, 2012) To think that 4,000 children die from poor sanitation and dirty water is heart-breaking to me. This helps me learn to appreciate my upbringing and access to clean, healthy water tremendously.

http://www.unicef.org.uk/UNICEFs-Work/Our-mission/Childrens-rights/Health/

EDUC - 6160 ~ Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

I have never had a child or took part in any birth of a child. Many times my parents have discussed with me the story of my birth. Discussing the moment my mother’s water broke, to the moment I was born. I know that from the moment I was born, I had the support team of my parents, sister, and grandparents. As I grew older, my support team was the same but grew bigger as an additional sibling was born. I believe that the birth of a human impacts a child’s development. If something were to harm me at my birth, it could have impacted what type of physical, cognitive, or emotional person I am today.

As I did some research on child birth, I was amazed to know how dangerous having a child in Africa is. 1 in 16 women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in Africa compared to 1 in 4,000 in industrialized countries. (AMREF, 2012) The reasons that maternal death is so high in Africa is because of the lack of skilled midwives, obstructed labor, unsafe abortions, anemia, and malaria. (AMREF, 2012) In Africa up to %40 of girls give birth before they are 14. (AMREF, 2012) There is not enough trained staff available to the amount of pregnant women in Africa. It is hard for me to fathom what it must be like to be pregnant and having to travel miles by foot or bike to find a midwife who could help you deliver your baby.  Many women die or lose their baby along the way. In America, many families are eager to have their child and go on regular check-ups a car ride away. In Africa, being pregnant is almost a burden but something that has to be done. This shows how a child born into a family who’s SES (location, economic status, etc) is extremely higher than an individual who is born into a family of a low SES can affect it’s development. There may be no support team, no clothes, no food, no shelter – compared to a child who has all of this and more. The children are going to grow up, each beginning their individual adventure of development at birth.

http://www.amrefusa.org/what-we-do/create-healthy-communities-/women-/

BIG thanks to all my fellow classmates!

I want to thank each member of the Foundations to Early Childhood Studies course. I have had an amazing experience with my first online course. I believe that each week reading each of your discussion postings, providing/receiving feedback, and reading each of your blogs -- I have learned more then I would have if it weren't for each of you. Learning about the experiences that each of you had has really taught me a lot that I will take with me as I continue at Walden. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Best of luck in your future classes at Walden University!

NAEYC and DEC codes that are meaningful to me:

I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

This code is meaningful to me because I believe it is crucial to stay informed with your profession. Especially when one is in a profession such as Early Childhood Education, you need to stay informed. Changes happen very often and it is extremely important as an administrator or a teacher to stay “in the loop”. Missing out on one important topic could result in a major consequence, such as losing your job.  

I-1.4—To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults.

A child at an early age is dependent on adults because adults are the figure they look up to. Children at an early stage are sensitive and as adult figures, we need to appreciate their vulnerability. Each day I experience children’s sensitivity. At times, it is hard for me to understand why a child feels so upset. Instead of getting angry at the child, I try to comfort the child and have them explain to me the situation. I think on their level and what it was like when we were their age. It is important to remember we were all there.

I-1.8—To support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities.

It is essential as a teacher and/or administrator to make sure the needs of each child are met within the classroom. Every child learns differently so it is important for the teacher to realize this and make accommodations to each of the students.