"My Supports"

Imagine I am a person who has just come down with an

Infectious disease that had attacked by spinal cord, and I’m

unable t o walk. I need assistance with bathing, clothing myself

and preparing my meals. These are just a few of the necessities

needed to live comfortably within our society.

                                   < My husband and myself:

My first support staff would include family members such as my husband, and children.  additional support would include, physical therapist, doctors, minister and church family, co-workers and administrators and ADA which is the disabilities act that protects people who have a disability from being discriminated against in the work place. If further states “that people with disabilities are entitled to equal rights in employment, state and local public services, public accommodations” (Chandler, 1994).

I chose family first, because they are the ones who will have direct contact with me on a daily basis, and will provide most of my physical support. They will be cooking for me, bathing me, and helping me to dress.  They will also be encouraging me to continue and strive

For independence and providing the necessary support that is needed.

 Our daughters (Family Support Team)

The therapist will be providing therapy, trying to help me gain strength

to my back and other body parts. Family members are also the ones who

transport me to the doctor and work place.

The therapist and doctors are there providing medical support and care.

The minister is there to provide spiritual support and encouragement.

He is there to keep me grounded in the word and doctrine and is

Accompanied by church members who also provide emotional support,

and offer their services in any way. My coworkers are there to

Assistance and support my endeavors in the workplace.

As I consider the impact that my support staff would have on my life, I

Believe that my life’s situations may become more complex, and stressful

In my support staff were removed, but I truly believe that someone else will

Be placed into my life to be of assistance to me. The whole idea is to help

Me become self sufficient in my living conditions.  It may cause me to

Apply for home health care through an agency, but I believe I will try

To continue to survive and live from home as long as I possibly could

on my own.

"My Connections to Play"

Quotes:           

“In childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking gout. In memories of childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking in.”                     Robert Brault

  “In play it is as though the child were trying to jump above the head of his normal behavior.”

                                                                                    Lev Vygotsky

 

During my childhood, I remember getting things that my older siblings were tired of playing with. I was the nineth of ten children and we had to share. I did get a few things for myself. But those things were gottin during the christmas holiday. It wasn’t like now, where children are getting toys all year long. One child got a ball and the hole block playing football. My favorite pastime was watching my older brother do his math homework. I wanted to be smart like him. The pictures above represent a few of the toys I had as a child. As a child, my mother would tell us that all we had was each other. And as a child my life was centered around my older siblings. My grandmother took extra pain with me, she would make sure that I got things that I needed, not so much of what I wanted. My older sister had the gift of making sure everyone new how to spell their names. She would sing it to us in the form of a game, and that’s how I learned to spell my name. In the old days children played with children and stayed out of grown folks business. Now, children repeat everything they see and hear.

The role of play is very important to me as a parent and grandparent. I understand how children learn through play, and I can see how parents and teachers are merely facilitators. As I watch my grandchildren play, building houses with cover,  having tea and cookies, playing with each other with nintendo (connecting) the games so that they can compete, I can see learning taking place, and how even the youger one desires to win. They have a competetive spirit. I can see how they love to play on the computer, looking for games. Even though they can’t read word for word, they learn how to picture read, and navagate the computer. As an educator, I feel that play is a vital part of the young child’s like and that policy makes, politicians, and child advocates should fight for the right to keep play alive.

I agree with Piaget in his stating that “children don’t acquire knowledge by taking in information, but though a slow continuous process of construction”(Gestwicki, C. 2007, pg 40).

I also read that children are like engineers, they love to build things up and tear them down again, and that process is through play. I believe that children should continue to be given opportunities to be creative and express their thoughts, emotions, and desires through play.

Allowing children to explore the environment and develop a feel of what right and wrong, helps them develop a sense of self. I feel that children need play to develop and understand emotions, socialization, language, physical development, as well as cogntive growth.

References:

Gestwicki, C., (2007). Developmentally Appropriate Practice (3rd Edition).Thomson Delmar Learning, New York

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they help complete who I am. Relationships are bonds that depend and become valuable and more stable over time. As I remember over the years, I have made many friends, not all of them were lasting friendships, but the bonds that are most memorable are the relationships that still continue.

There are several people that I have positive relationships with, and that partnership/relationships that I hold dear.
My first partnership is with my husband, three daughters, three sisters and one brother. I also have a special bond with two play sisters. As I list my relatives, I realize that those bonds are for life. But as I grow older and I am able to share information, joys and sorrows, I have come to understand and grow even closer to my sisters. Family is there no matter what. They are their to comfort you and support you in your endeavors. The two play sisters, could have been blood because they are their for every problem, success, and they don't pass judgement, they just lend a listening ear. Relationships don't always bring joy, sometimes sorrow comes, but a true friend will be their no matter what the problem or situation.
Relationships have to be worked at, if you want them to work for you. I realize that I'm not always right nor always wrong, but these relationships that I've formed are with people who understand that it is o.k. to be different.

During the years past, trouble has tested my relationships with my friends, and we have come through those storms. I've learned that sometimes it's best to just listen and lend a listening ear. Then their are times when I have to work the relationship in order for it to work for me. Over time, I realize that love is an action word, as well as commitment.  Some characteristics are love, empathy, stability, perseverence, and a willing personality are all characteristics that I see within the group of people I've identified as relationships. The only partnership that I have is with my husband because that is an oath that I took before God and family. It was a partnership that I did not enter into lightly. That is why I consider my marriage a partnership and it is what makes it special and set apart from the others.

The relationships and partnership that I'm discussing has had positive impact on my career choice as well as my desire to continue my education in the early childhood field. This has a great impact on me as a person and as a professional, because they value my opinion and outlook as a professional. We all realize that I don't know everything, but as a learner practitioner, I'm willing to seek out the knowledge that I need in order to make informed decisions within my area of professionalism. I was raised in a family network that supported family as the most important thing in one life, and I still believe that to be true.

A Special note of Thanks to my fellow learner practitioners at Walden University!!

I would like to thank each of my colleagues for your support, pleasant personalities, dialog and commitment during our educational endeavor at Walden. You have made this journey a memoriable one. Like the old African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child". I believe it was through the caring learning community I've encountered at Walden that I has made it possible for me to have made it this far. I wish all of you much continued success. I'll see you in the next year, and in the next course.  Happy Holidays! Stay safe!

"Laurence Houseman once said, 'A saint is one who makes goodness attractive.' Surely, a great teacher does the same thing for education."
- John Trimble

Holistic approach and Assessment

The holistic approach to Early Childhood Development focuses on a child’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. The term holistic simple stated sees a child’s development as a whole and seeks to expand and improve those areas through early childhood educational programs and education. In the United States, the federal government along with advocates for children has realized the importance of the early years on the developing child, and has set in motion programs designed to enhance learning and achievement in children.

Students being educated in Kenya follow a somewhat different educational journey. They began formal schooling at the age of seven through thirteen. During this period, it is considered elementary (primary) educational period. During my research, I found that Kenya has an international school whose curriculum is American based. They also have a magnet school. Education is extremely valued in Kenya, and parents realize that it is means of bettering their economic and family situations. Assessments are teacher prepared criterion reference test. I couldn’t find any other known assessment tools that were being used. Although at the end of the elementary period, those students who perform well are tested for future educational opportunities. Only those who could afford future schooling were allowed to continue.

Assessing children’s knowledge of material is necessary to gain information about recall, memory, and recognition of material. So much emphasis is being placed on assessments and achievement that the number of high school graduates in our area has dropped tremendously.  Students have begun buying diplomas online from schools that have no accreditation from the state. Those diplomas look good on paper, but they are not accepted by some colleges.

Stressors

Hunger is something I thought only existed in other countries. I’ve found that millions of children die daily due to hunger all over the world. It is a devastating fact of life, one that you think will never happen in your own family.  I never thought my own niece would have to still food to live. She actually had to still from stores, home and any wear she could get a bite to eat. She began stealing about the age of eight. She actually started at home. Her mother had married a man who was evil and won right low down. They lived in Laurel, MS. Hunger was not due to the lack of food, but because the husband kept locks on the cabinets, and only gave food out in portions. Whenever we went to visit, the children were sitting outside on the steps and they were always hungry. What type of person could deny children food when there is food in their home. The children would wait until night and sneak into the pantry when he forgot and left it open and stole food. Whenever they got caught, he would beat the bloody.

I couldn’t understand why my niece stayed in such a situation. I later found out that she was afraid to leave him. He beat her as well. When they became school age in an area where people knew the family, they would keep the grandmother informed of any abuse. Once the schools got involved, he moved the family away. Finally, one day the mother got tired, and decided to leave. She left, but did not take the children. The oldest girl, which was the outside child, is doing well. She has a job, and is currently working on her master’s degree. The other two are not in contact with the mother. This is a story of hunger, abuse, neglect, chaos, and an absolute mess, all wrapped together into one scenario.

We see advertisements asking for donations because of children dying from hunger. Ethiopia is the country that comes to mind. Children are dying from lack of nutrition, hunger, drought, and disease. The World Food Program, raises money to aid the children and people in that country. YouTube posted an article about the drought of May 2008 that caused hunger issues to rise in that country.  Health issues and rising prices are other stressors that affect that community. The government fighting in wars with neighboring towns that have do direct affect on their own town could also be considered a stressor. Abraham Maslow talks about the hierarchy of needs and how they must be met before one could move on to other issues. The basic of those necessities is food and shelter. This weeks readings dicussed stressors and how they affect child development in the areas ob biosocial, psychosocial and cognitive. As we know hunger will affect the body, brain, emotions

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS)

SIDS is a term used when a baby’s death cannot be explained even after thorough medical examination. Some refer to it as (Crib Death) or “cot death” because the majority of infants affected die in their cribs. Others refer to it as sudden unexplainable infant death syndrome (SUIDS).   SIDS is strongly associated with sleep. Although infants who die do not show any signs of pain or suffering, and the victims appear to be healthy before their death. SIDS occurs without any warning, and is the leading cause of death in children below the age of one year.

The exact causes of SIDS are not known, but it is suggested that suffocation, choking, and infection are not the cause. SIDS is also not contagious. Although I thought my daughter could catch something or would die if I went over to my friend’s house after the death of her baby. This was years ago, but the stigma of not knowing and not understanding death and SIDS still exist today.

I tried to find something about Uganda or Somalia that would reflect on living conditions or lack of adequate health care in some areas as a possible cause. The only thing that I found was that HIV was a major concern in some areas where I researched. SIDS is something that affects all nations, nationalities, and people. The risk of SIDS is higher in males. The age range is believe to be between age two three months, although babies up to a year have been diagnosed with SIDS. Other risk factors are low weight, premature babies, sleeping on the stomach, sleeping on soft bedding, smoking or abusing drugs during pregnancy and according to the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development some ethnic groups such as African American are at greater risk.

Prevention of SIDS cannot be guaranteed since the cause is unknown, but some things that have been suggested that we do to help reduce the risk of SIDS are:

o   Always place baby on back when sleeping

o   Avoid smoking near baby

o   Keep a comfortable room temperature

o   Keep soft objects and loose bedding away from area 

o   Provide firm sleeping surface

 As I read and learn about different parts of the world, I understand that certain diseases can affect you regardless of you race or cultural preferences. Although it is suggested that SIDS is a area of concern, that seems to target males and African American children the most. It is not limited to them only. SIDS is no respecter of persons and it can affect anyone including my children born under the age of one year.