Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

The steps I took in my effort to locating two professionals out of the United States were the following:

·         I ask my co-workers/other early childhood professionals that I know if they knew EC professionals outside of the U.S.

·         I contacted the University of Galway in Ireland to try to find an EC professional to come in contact with.

·         I emailed my friend who is an au pair in Spain. I asked her if the family she was an au pair for knew any EC professionals or knew how to speak English who wouldn’t mind sharing insights with me on their experiences.

As for now, I have not had any feedback in which made me believe I will be able to contact an individual outside the U.S. Unless I hear back in the near future, I believe I am going to have to choose the alternate assignment for Part 1.

The website I decided to study is the The Global Alliance of NAEYC. I chose this study because I know that NAEYC is a very important organization within the early childhood field. I want to learn as much as I can about it and I know it is important to do so. This is a perfect match for me for this assignment.

Daily Supports

SUPPORT. What a powerful word that means so much in many different ways. I never stop to think of how thankful I should be for all the support I have in my life. Sometimes, I do not stop to think -where I would be without all of my support? I would not be here  today if it weren’t for the support I have had throughout my life.

Emotional Support ~ My intermediate family as well as many of my extended family show their support and love for me. My intermediate family – my mom, dad, sister, and brother have supported me throughout my entire life. Each family member have supported me through what friends I chose to hang out with, what sports I chose to play, what schools I chose to go to, sending me to parochial school, giving me a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, etc. I feel like the list could go on forever but what is comes down to is my family showed that they cared for me. They let me know they loved me, not only through words, but through their actions.  My friends also have supported me. Many of the friends I have today are the friends I have had since grade school. I know that if I ever have a problem or need a friend to laugh with, I will have someone to call for support. My friends have showed me support in many different ways and that is what makes our friendship so special.

Practical Support/Physical Support ~ I have many forms of practical support throughout the day. I make “To-Do” lists daily and that is my support to get through the day. I am able to have reminders of what is important that  I accomplish each and every day. Also, a way for me to feel sane is keeping my room nice and tidy. My room is a support through helping me feel better at the end of the day. I have many co-workers who help answer my questions and explain scenarios to me so I better understand my job. With the support of my co-workers, I am able to build my skills to become a successful employee.

I have known many people who have struggled with the vicious disease of cancer. If I were to have cancer, it would definitely be a life-challenge each and every day. If I were a cancer patient, I would need emotional, practical, and physical support to fight the disease. If it hard to imagine what I would be like if I was in a situation equivalent to this, but I think that each day I would need the support of my loved ones. My family and friends would be supportive and would turn the negative into the positive. I am a very positive person so I feel as if I would want to do the same. I believe that I would physically not be as strong and I would maybe change my physical changes but my heart would still be where it is today. I believe in miracles and that things happen for a reason. No matter how horrible the situation, my support team would help me get through my struggle.

My Connections to Play

“In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.”

 –Ovid

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

–Kay Redfield Jamison

When I was younger my parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends supported me through my play. They encouraged me to go outside and play, gave me suggestions of what would be fun, or were my partner(s) in play. My brother, sister, and I had play dates almost every day with either my cousins or neighborhood friends. It was very beneficial that my mother was a stay-at-home mom which helped support my play as a child because we were able to do things that we may have no had the chance to do if it weren’t for my mom.

I believe that today I still take time to “play” whenever I have a free moment. If it is laughing with my family during a game of cards, playing tennis with my boyfriend, or playing a game with friends sitting around a campfire - I find time for play and I always will. It is essential for me to relax and take time for myself. As a child I learned the importance of taking time for myself through our homework routine every night. After I completed my homework and it was checked by my mother, I had “free-play” to do whatever I wanted to do. This set a balance in my life which I still have today. I know when it is time for work and when it is time for play.

Today’s play has similarities and differences to the play I experienced as a child. I am able to enjoy myself as I was as a young child but it is a different kind of enjoyment. I feel as if I appreciate the time I get as an adult for play more then I do as a child because I was able to play much more as a child. Now I am balancing my own life without the help from my parents. I am on my own so I have taken what I learned in the past about how if I balance my life, I will be successful. It took some down falls to realize how much I can put on my plate at once, but I truly believe that each day I learn a better way in balancing my play and work. I find time for both and I do it successfully. J

Relationship Reflection

"Human relationships, and the effects of relationships on relationships, are the building blocks of healthy development" (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000, p. 4).


Relationships are important to me because it is the people that I am surrounded by in my life who have made me into the person I am today. I lean on others as they lean on me for support through anything. I know that if I ever have a problem or need something to talk to, I have family and friends to turn to who are a phone call away. I consider myself very lucky to have the relationships that I do with the people that I love.

Rich and I ~ I have a very strong relationship with my boyfriend. We have been together for five years and I consider him one of my best friends. The relationship that we have continues to grow each and every day. I believe that our relationship is one of the strongest I have ever had with anyone and I would not change it for a thing in the world. We have trust in each other which is the most important factor in our relationship and is what makes it so strong.

My brother and sister ~ we have had a very close relationship ever since we were born. We have been through a lot together but have stuck by each other's side. We use eachother for support through the good and the bad. We know that if one of us was ever in trouble, the other would be there. I believe that our support as siblings that we have built over the years is what makes our relationship the way that it is.

My parents ~ I have such an amazing relationship with my parents. My parents have shown my brother, sister, and I how important is it to show the people in your life how much you care for them. I know that if it weren't for my parents, I would not have the opportunities that I have in my life. We have a close relationship where I can explain to my parents how I feel and they can explain to me what they think I should do but leave it up to me to make a decision. I am so incredibly lucky to have my mom and dad as my friends as well as my parents. Our relationship has continued to grow through the years. It just keeps getting better.

In order to keep relationships with people, you need to care. You need to show that you care through being there for them when they need someone to talk to. Relationships grow and strive when both you and the other person care for each other. Trust is another important factor of building a relationship. This is seen in the work place. In order to build relationships with other people in the work place, one must have trust. It is hard to give someone your trust or trust other people. It is important to always keep your guard until you feel comfortable with other people. It is easy to be fooled by people so you need to keep your grounds and the people you care about close to you.

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