Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that I can form a meaningful, strong and lasting relationship with them. I believe that all families want the best for their child although they may not have the resources or strategies necessary to provide it. My goal is to be that for the families I work for.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field in relation to diversity is to require diversity training on a yearly basis. When I was in college, the idea of diversity was not addressed. Perhaps the thought was that in wasn’t important in relation to academics, curriculum or classroom management. However, I believe ALL teachers should have training on diversity and working with families from various backgrounds.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to my colleagues. I have sincerely enjoyed reading your posts and discussions on the board.  It has been eye opening reading your personal experiences and thoughts on the weekly topics. I have learned so much from all of you and I hope we have future classes together.

Amber

Welcoming Families Around the World

The family I am working with is from Israel.  In order to be culturally responsive towards this family I conducted research on Israel to learn about their values and customs. 

The people of Israel generally celebrate Jewish holidays; therefore, I will make sure to include these holidays in celebration. I will provide books, pictures, coloring pages, etc that are reflective of the Jewish holiday’s.  We will observe these holiday’s in the classroom with celebrations as well.

Clothing is reflective of religious or political views. This may include men wearing skullcaps and women keeping their heads covered. In order to respect the family, I will ask about the importance of this and if there is any other important information I need to be aware of. I will incorporate books and pictures of children and families wearing this type of clothing.  

Many families are considered nuclear; however, in some families women and men live separately.  In order to be culturally responsive towards this family, I will ask if the husband or wife is the person of contact when it comes to providing information about their child.  Grandparents are also included in this nuclear family so I will include them in interactions if necessary.

Families from Israel are information with their social interactions. In some instances, they may be considered rude.  Being aware of this will help manage my expectations of interactions when meeting for conferences or other school related activities. Please and thank you are not spoken often, therefore, children may not use these terms as comfortably as children from the United States. As a teacher, I need to be aware and respectful of this and realize it is not out of disrespect.

            Being culturally aware of this family and preparing for their needs will help interactions run smoothly. It allows me to be educated and respectful of their culture. My awareness and desire to learn more will show the family that I am interested in learning about their culture. My hope is that the relationship between family and school will be strong.

The personal side of bias, prejudice, and oppression

I live in an area where homelessness is very prevalent. The downtown area of my city has homeless people scattered on every street corner and in local parks. While they generally keep to themselves occasionally holding out a sign for help, many people are bothered by them. I am not sure if they are uncomfortable, fearful or ignorant, probably all of the above.  Most recently, our city voted to ban panhandling within the downtown area.  This bill was passed and in a few weeks these individuals will be arrested for holding a sign or asking for money.  I disagree with this bill because I think it infringes on their first amendment right, freedom of speech. I believe these individuals are being oppressed by our city council because they are concerned about the perception of our city. While these individuals may be homeless, on drugs or mentally ill they deserve the same rights as everyone else. Wealthy people are able to express their freedom of speech thorough advertisement. Local shop owners are able to advertise their stores on billboards or fliers in their window. However, the homeless are not able to ask for help. I believe this diminishes their equity as human beings.

I have been following this bill closely because I live in an old part of town. Many people are concerned that if this bill passes the homeless will migrate to our part of town. OUR PART OF TOWN! This thought process makes me angry that I am still living in a society where people feel entitlement to things that are not their own. I am disappointed in the city for trying to hide this group of people rather than provide more services and support. I am embarrassed that I live in an area where tolerance is not demonstrated and oppression is acceptable. I yearn for a society that embraces and helps the homeless rather ban them from public places.

In my opinion, in order to change this into an opportunity for equity the priority and the thought process of the city council members must change. Citizens of this city must stand up and advocate for people who don’t have a voice and challenge what is right.

Awareness of Microaggressions

Several years ago, I lost about 35 lbs. I worked hard. I watched what I ate and exercised regularly. It was a life changing experience for me.  I have a friend who constantly makes comments to me about being “thin and blonde”.  She is tall and dark haired and her body structure was bigger.  When we would go out together for dinner or drinks and were approached by men, she would always assume they were interested in me because I was “thin and blonde”.  She always made these comments in a joking manner but afterward I always felt uncomfortable and more self-conscious about myself. She was committing a microaggression about my physical appearance. She assumed that because I was “thin and blonde” that was “lucky in love”.  When the reality was that I had gone through several bad relationships and my appearance had nothing to do with it.  There were many times when she made comments to me and I didn’t say anything. Eventually, I had enough of feeling bad about myself and told her how her comments were making me feel.  She didn’t realize how her words were impacting me and she made an effort to stop. I think it is important to have an open dialogue with people about microaggressions and how to eliminate them.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked my husband, sister and co-worker their definition of culture and diversity. Each person had a different perspective.  My husband’s definition of culture is based around a person’s lifestyle.  It is the way they eat, live and their set of beliefs. Diversity is a melting pot of many different cultures to make unique populations of people.  My sister defined culture as a group of people who have similar values and beliefs.  She feels diversity is the opposite of culture. It is the different values and beliefs of people in the same place.  My co-worker defined culture as the encompassment of different groups including work place, ethnicities and religious groups. She believes that people behave differently based on which group they are with.  Diversity is the differences within a culture.  Diversity may connect individuals to their cultural group. 

I think each definition is reflective of the aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied within this course. I think each definition is individual to each person’s life experience.  It is difficult for me to evaluate their definitions of culture and diversity because I see how it is reflective of their own life. 

I think my husband and sister could have been more descriptive in their definition of culture. Within their definition I feel as though they were only describing “surface” culture and could have thought harder into “deep” culture. Obviously, my co-worker is a part of early childhood education and had a solid definition. 

As I said earlier, after listening and talking with each of individual about their definition of culture I could tie in their definition to their own life experiences.  For example, my sister lives in an area that is not very diverse and I believe her definition reflects that. It is important for me to respect individual definitions of culture and diversity and to remember there is no right or wrong answer.

My Family Culture

If a major catastrophe devastated the infrastructure of our country and I could only take three things I would bring a necklace, our family photo album and my journal. I would bring the necklace because my granny gave it to me on my 16^th birthday. It was a gift from my grandpa to her. She is my favorite person in the world and very important to me. I would bring our family photo album because it has pictures from both my husband and I’s childhood, pictures from our wedding, pregnancy and baby. The photo album represents our history and our future! Finally, I would bring my journal. This journal was written to me while my mom was pregnant with me. She talked about her feelings, thoughts, fears and excitement about being pregnancy and having a baby. She gave it to me at the beginning of my pregnancy and I wrote to my son while I was pregnancy. When he is old enough he will be able to read about his grandma being pregnant and his mom.

            If I was told that I could only keep one of these items I would be very emotional and torn between them all. They each represent a piece of who I am and having to decide which has the most meaning would be difficult.  I think what would help me make the decision would be thinking about my son’s future. I would want to choose the item that would give him a good representation of our family culture and history.

            In June, our city was devastated by a fire. Our city was on fire for days. Hundreds of houses burned and thousands of people were evacuated. Many of my friends’ had minutes to evacuate their home and gather important papers and keepsakes. Thankfully, we were not evacuated but we were on notice. During that time, I had to decide what to bring with me in case we were evacuated. These items were the ones I packed first. When I read this assignment I knew my choices right away. Those things can never be replaced and strongly represent what is important to me, my FAMILY!

             

When I think of Reserch...

Some of the insights I have gained about research from this course are the different types of research, quantitative vs. qualitative and the characteristics involved with each.  I have learned about different ethical concerns that may arise and how to address them.  Not only did I learn about research but I learned how to decipher research articles. At the beginning of this course, I was very intimidated by research and the articles I have had to read throughout my program. However, now I have a better understanding about what I am reading. I can read it once or twice vs. ten times! J  

Conducting research doesn’t seem as intimidating to me after this course. I have learned the pieces involved in conducting ethical research and methods I would like to eventually incorporate into my own career.  While I may never conduct an actual research study, I will take pieces from research including data collection and use it to help me understand patterns and trends. I have new ideas and strategies to incorporate this into my job.

The whole process of conducting research was relatively foreign to me. As I said, I have read research articles but honestly I tried to avoid them because I didn’t understand the process and had a difficult time understanding what they were saying.  I have learned the process starts with a topic, focuses on a question and forming a hypothesis. It is important to decide what kind of research design best suits the topic and to consider the ethical concerns that are involved in the study.  One of the biggest pieces is to ensure the results are valid.  I have learned that the whole process works together to formulate a study that will contribute to the field.

One of the biggest challenges for me came early in this class. I struggled with deciding on a topic and then narrowing down my subtopics and finally formulating a question that was specific. I have a tendency to think broadly about topics and want to incorporate to much.

Research Around the World

This week I looked at Australia’s early childhood research.  Some of the research being done focuses on service delivery for families living with children with disabilities, the challenges of teaching the arts and how teachers’ feel about this.  The website also offers a research in practice section. One of the topics caught my eye because it is similar to my research simulation. The topic is learning and teaching through play. The book is available for purchase and provides a lot of great information about play. There were also several articles that focused on play. Obviously, this is a hot topic in Australia at this time.

One thing I noticed as I explored the website is that many of the research going on internationally are also being researched in the United States. Internationally a lot of the topics including bullying, children with developmental disabilities and at risk and play based learning.  I think it would be interesting to see if the results of the research are the same as in the United States.

This website offered a lot of great information about research as well as policies. There was also a lot of access to other resources including magazines and journals. I thought the website was user friendly which is really important when doing research (in my opinion).  I enjoyed exploring this organization and website.

Reference:

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Research that Benefits Children and Families

I have enjoyed thinking about this blog topic throughout the week. I have recently switched professions from a classroom teacher (kindergarten autism) to a developmental interventionist working with toddlers’ ages 0-3 on the spectrum.  I go into homes or other social settings (daycares or preschools) and work with families. I show them strategies to work on building communication, play skills, social skills and behavior.  One of the pieces within this field is a peer program.  A child with autism participates in a peer program with a developmental interventionist 1:1.  The program is in a preschool setting, twice a week for two hours. During this time appropriate play and social skills are the focus.  Knowing that background, if I could conduct research on any area in early childhood it would be the benefits of using typical peers to model appropriate behavior, provide appropriate social interaction and play skills to children with autism. I would create my own peer program that goes beyond the classroom and into the community as well. I believe the benefits of this would impact both children with autism and typical peers.  It would provide the children with autism appropriate models leading to future independence and inclusion while teaching typical peers patience and tolerance for children different than them. It would benefit families as well.  Parents’ would have support as well.  I strongly believe children with special needs should be integrated into general education and community settings. By providing a program that teaches these essential skills while allowing access to typical peers equals success for everyone.   

Personal Research Journey

My topic is academic expectations for early childhood learners.  I was a special education teacher for the last 5 years.  As a special education teacher, I was constantly being asked to observe behavior and strategies to help improve academic growth in the kindergarten setting.  As I began observing these students’ I realized the expectations may be developmentally inappropriate for their age, therefore, causing behavior due to frustration and less academic growth because the concepts were too difficult.  Over the last five years I have watched a shift in education. Teachers are now pressured to show an increase in academic growth and data. Therefore, less time is spent teaching children based on their need and development and more time spent teaching to “the test”.   I wanted to research the benefits/implications in considering development in academic expectations.  My three subtopics are what is academically appropriate for early childhood learners, the impact of developmentally appropriate/inappropriate expectations have on behavior and the benefits incorporating play can have on academic growth. 

As I posted in my discussion in week 1, I have been intimidated by research because it is not an area of strength for me.  I struggle with reading and understanding research articles and studies.  So far this class has provided good tips on what actually needs to be read and what can be skimmed over.  It has been a long time since I have taken a class on research.  The review of terms and what to look for when researching credible sources has been helpful. I am also thankful that learning the research process has been gradual and slow up to this point.

From my peers if you have any experiences, resources or thoughts on my topic I would appreciate any feedback.  Many of the students’ I have taught were behind grade level so any information on what is appropriate for general education students’ would be beneficial. 

Final Blog Assignment

I have genuinely enjoyed learning about organizations on the international level.  When I hear the word “consequences” I immediately think of negative.  For me, most of the consequences are positive.  I have enjoyed learning about the structure of international organizations and where they are allotting their resources.  On some level, it is comforting to know that other nations are struggling with the same trends as the United States.  Since we are struggling with the same trends it is important to bridge our resources together.  I enjoyed learning about different perspectives from the organizations and what they view as priorities within the field.  The only negative consequence I found with trying to learn about early childhood at the international level was contacting individuals working in the field or for organizations. I believe this would have helped me gain a more personal understanding and different perspective of the trends within the field; however, I was unable to make contact with anyone.

One goal related to international awareness within the field of early childhood education is for the United States to not separate from other countries.  If we are struggling with the same concerns and issues, I believe we should combine our resources to make the biggest difference in early childhood.  Communicating and collaborating about what is working and what is not working will help maximize change.

Getting to know international contacts, pt. 3

Although I have been disappointed because none of my attempts to communicate with early childhood professionals around the world have been answered I have enjoyed learning about different organizations that are working to improve early childhood education. 

I explored the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization website this week.  This organization is working to support early childhood education by forming a foundation through policy development. One way this organization works to accomplish this is through two planning strategies.  The first is phasing.  In this strategy the organization is working to respond to the needs of young children in relation to early childhood.  The second strategy is the one that I was impressed by.  It is called partnership.  In this strategy the organization wants to work together to partner with other sectors.  For example, social and health sectors working together.  By partnering together care and education can be addressed within early childhood and for older children.

I also read about quality, access and equity within this organization.  While reading about this I kept seeing the 1990 Jomiten Declaration on Education for All (EFA) and the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action. I wanted to learn more about these policies since it was obviously important to the organization.  The EFA believes that all learning begins at birth and early childhood education and care is an important and basic part of education. The 2000 Dakar Framework for Action is based on improving early childhood education as part of its six main goals.

The UNESCO is working hard to improve early childhood education.  The website offers several resources including publications, evaluation reports, statistics, etc.  There is a lot of great information on this website.   

Sharing Web Resources

As I navigated throughout the website I found a link that had many different publications on it, however, the article I was drawn to the report for the 2011 fiscal year and the impact it has had on children. 

In 2011, child hunger was one area Save the Children stepped up their fiscal donations.  Nearly 10.5 millions children/adults were impacted by this organization.  Not only did Save the Children help worldwide but they noticed that children within the US needed help as well.  According to Save the Children 1 in 4 children go hungry and in addition have no access to early childhood programs. This leaves a four year old living in poverty is 18 months behind developmentally than children not living in poverty.  With the money they have received this year Save the Children has created literacy and education programs within 17 states.  This has helped 185,000 children learn and grow.  Save the Children recognizes how poverty affects education and has made a difference within the field of early childhood education.

 I wanted to know more details about how Save the Children was impacting early childhood.  I found information on their program, Early Steps to School Success.  This program begins with expectant mothers’ and continues through the early education years. This program offers educational services through age 5, support for families and caregivers, and ongoing training for community educators. The goal of this program is to build a strong home-school connection as well as provide parents’ with the skills and knowledge to help support academic growth while providing children with a program that meets their cognitive, social and emotional needs.

Through exploring the website further I realized that this organization recognizes that children in other countries as well as the US are not receiving adequate access to high quality programs.  They recognize the importance of providing families and children with these programs and do so through donations to literacy and education programs as well as creating their own model for school success.

Getting to know international contacts, pt 2

This week I researched the Global Children’s Initiative. The initiative is built on three foundations: early childhood development, mental health and children in crisis and conflict situations. Within the area of early childhood development the goal is to educate, research and communicate effectively to policymakers the importance of investing in early childhood education within the United States and around the world (Center on the Developing Child, 2012).  The second area I learned about was mental health. This area of child development needs to be in the spotlight more.  In order to do that the Global Children’s Initiative has launched three projects around the world.  They are addressing the mental health system in China, developing family based strategies to prevent mental health concerns within families dealing with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and addressing mental health concerns and child maltreatment in the Caribbean (Center on the Developing Child, 2012).  Finally, the Global Children’s Initiative is addressing children within crisis and conflict situations. The goal of this is to work collaboratively with other organizations which bring together a science based and developmental approach to assessing and managing children in man made or natural conflicts (Center on the Developing Child, 2012). 

Within the website I also came across an article, “Targeting Toxic Stress in Children”, that discusses the impact that toxic stress can have on children. Several of the questions mention the importance of having a stable environment. This stable environment helps children feel a sense of security and learn to cope with the stress (Weintraub, 2012).

I believe the Global Children’s Initiative and the article address the issues relating to equity and excellence within the early childhood field.  First, the Global Children’s Initiative is striving to provide equal and excellent programs for children across the globe.  They are educating, researching and communicating to policymakers the importance of investing in early childhood programs and the benefits that can come from the investments.  Second, the article discusses the importance of having a stable environment for children.  If children aren’t receiving this within their home generally the school setting is where children feel the most stable and secure.  Therefore, it is essential that funding and policies be in place that support children developmentally rather than focus on a monetary gain.

References:

Global children's initiative. (2012). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

 Weintraub, K. (2012, February 27). Targeting toxic stress in children. Boston Globe. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2012/02/27/targeting_toxic_stress_in_children/

Sharing Web Resources

I have explored the purpose and the principals of Save the Children. However, this week I dug deeper into the taking action section of the website which focuses on advocating for children through legislation. This section defined advocacy, gave tips on effective advocacy. It also discusses aid effectiveness and ways to structure finances to make the biggest impact. This section also provides information on current legislation on specific topics.

Within the aid effectiveness tab there is a link that provides a brief about Save the Children’s thoughts and recommendations to the Obama Administration in regard to providing aid to other counties.  I know the importance of advocacy; however, writing letters to the Presidents’ Administration is out of my own personal comfort zone, therefore, I find it to be a bit controversial.

Last week the topic of poverty struck a personal cord with me. This week I have enjoyed reading about the different ways to advocate, fundraise and make a difference in children’s lives. I realize in order to make an impact on my community I need to step out of my comfort zone. It has been inspiring to read about how others’ are making a difference and the ways I can too.

Childhood Poverty

Unfortunately, I was unable to make contact with any early childhood professionals outside of the United States, therefore, I was forced to do the alternative blog assignment.  I was able to listen to the most recent pod cast from the World Forum Radio.

I listened to Susan Lyon talk about her progression from being intrigued to how children think and perceive things to creating the Innovate Teacher Project in California.  Susan Lyon brought the “100 Languages of Children” exhibit to San Francisco  after being intrigued by a small child’s perception of the word “city”.  During this process she was interested in seeing how children viewed things around them. She visited several schools in her area.  Once the exhibit came to San Francisco she worked with Italian education and created several professional development trainings.  She wanted to advocate by listening to children and using/creating a environment that children thrive in.

After bringing the “100 Languages of Children” exhibit to San Francisco she created the Innovative Teacher Project in 1994.  This project encompassed a net of works.  Each month teachers’ were able to attend a round table and present there school and walk the environment.  She wanted to show that qualify work can happen in public schools.  Susan is now working to create the first full immersion Italian preschool program.

I also explored the website http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/.  This website offered a lot information about childhood poverty. One thing I learned is that poverty is cyclical.  Children living in poverty today have a higher chance of living in poverty as adults.  It is often passed down from generation to generation.  When thinking of poverty this is in the back of my mind, however, reading the facts makes it more true to me.  However, attempting to eliminate childhood poverty is one way to stop this cycle.  An international community has developed the Millennium Development Goals which aims to cut poverty in half, cut 2/3 of deaths of children under age 5 and provide all children with at least a primary education by 2015 (CHIP: Knowledge for tackling childhood poverty).

References:

Lyon, S. (Performer) (2011, April/May). World forum radio. World Forum Radio. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

Chip: Knowledge for tackling childhood poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Save the Children

The organization I decided to learn more about is Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org).  Save the Children is an organization that works both inside the United States and around the world to help save the lives of children when there is a disaster. They provide food, medical attention and education to help rebuild communities. Currently, they are serving over 120 nations. Save the Children is founded on 5 core values: accountability, ambition, collaboration, creativity and integrity.  Their website provides a lot of opportunities for involvement including volunteer opportunities, sponsoring a child or simply signing up for their newsletter in order to be more informed.

I signed up for their newsletter, however, I haven't received one yet. I can't find it their newsletter is weekly or monthly.  But I did find some information in their "spotlight" section which is honoring Mother's. :-) Please check out the website! It has a lot of great information.

Professional Contacts

I spent a lot of time this week looking at different websites and learning about different organizations. I finally decided to contact partners' from the Global Alliance in Spain and South Africa. I am still waiting to here back from these contacts. I also have some friends who are in the military and live in other countries and may reach out to those people if I don't hear back.

I also spent some time looking at the different organizations to learn about each week. I decided on organization Save the Children. As I read about what they do and stand for their mission really stood out to me and I wanted to learn more about them. They have a newsletters and free email updates which I will subscribe to.

I look forward learning about early childhood outside of the United States throughout the course of this class.

My Supports

One of my biggest support systems is my husband.  He has always been willing to help me follow through with my dreams and goals for the future.  I love my job but it has very stressful days. He is always there to listen to me vent about my day. When I decided I wanted to go back to school and get my Master's he supported me 100%.  He even suggested trying to figure a way for me to not go back to work next year after the baby is born in order to have more focus on school.  His willingness to sacrifice and work hard so that I can complete my goals is amazing to me.

Another support system I have are the people I work with.  I have a great team of teachers' and professionals.  They are there to help me become a better educator.  We feed off each of ours strengths and support each other when times are stressful. Without the help of these people I wouldn't be the teacher I am today or the person.

Finally, one of my biggest supports is my exercise and running routine. I LOVE running. I have trained for many distance races and genuinely love the sport. It is an enormous stress reliever. I haven't raced in a couple years and now that I am pregnant I haven't been able to run like I used too. It has been difficult but I know that in a few months I will be back at it.

The challenge I choose is having a child with special needs. I love teaching children with special needs it is my heart and passion. However, I fear that if I had a child with special needs I would have to give up my job in order to be what my child needs. I know my support system would help me through the grief process and my colleagues would support me and I would be able to implement strategies into my home life as well. I know that running would allow the stress relieving outlet I would need.

My Connections to Play

“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.” Leo F. Buscagli

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” Joseph Chilton Pearce

As a young child my parents supported my play in many ways. They encouraged me to be creative and to think outside the box. I wasn't able to sit inside and watch tv or play video games. I had to use my imagination and be outside. I remember playing a lot outside and using the things around me as props. As a child, some of my favorite toys were books. I would sit and pretend that I was reading. I would ask my mom and dad to read to me. And I had books memorized and would know if they weren't reading them correctly or skipped a page. Musical instruments and toys were also really important to me as a child. I started playing the piano at a young age and practicing made my heart happy.  Not only did I play music but I listened to music as well. Some of my favorites were New Kids on the Block and Beach Boys! :-)

I feel play has changed throughout the years. I know that when I was a child I had toys and used my imagination. Today, I feel like kids have a lot of access to video games, electronics and television. I know the times have changed but I also feel the electronics have taken away some of the value that toys can bring.

Relationship Reflection

Throughout the week I have reflected on my past and how many of my relationships have changed and evolved over time. I have changed and grown over the past few years and with that I have grown away from people I thought I would be friends with forever and stayed connected with others'.  I have met new friends and said goodbye to old friends. The most important relationships in my life at the moment are with people I know will be a part of my life forever, they are a balance between the old and new. 

My husband:

Donnie and I met in October 2011. We went on a great first date but I wasn't sure about it.  Donnie on the other hand had other thoughts! He says he knew I was "the one" from the moment he saw me and was persistent on seeing me in again.  I took two months of us growing a friendship before I would agree to go on another date. Once I did, I saw what he saw and we were inseperable.  We got engaged just a short 2 months later and our wedding was in August of 2012.  Our relationship is strong because he is my best friend! We do almost everything together! And he supports me with everything. I have learned to believe in my self and trust that he will always have my back.  Our ability to communicate and talk about everything is what I appreciate the most! 

My puppies:

Yes, you counted correctly there are FOUR! These four dogs have been a big part of our family.  I had two when I met Donnie.  He had one and then we got one together! You could say we are a Brady Bunch sort of family! Bentley and Jagger my original two have seen me through some dark days. I had a really tough year in 2011 and without them I don't know if I would have made it through! They brought me sunshine when my days were dark! I learned what the saying "dogs are a man's best friend" really means! 

My granny:

This woman is the most strong and inspirational woman I have ever met. She is genuinely my favorite person in the world! Our relationship is more than just a granny and granddaughter! She is a piece of my heart.  She has loved and supported me when no one else would.. She has taught me what it means to love and be loved! She has shown me what unconditional love and acceptance is.  Without our relationship I wouldn't be who I am today. Without her I wouldn't be striving to be half the woman she is!

Nick:

Nick and I have been best friends since our sophomore year in high school! He is someone who I have grown up with. He is a part of my past I am lucky to still have in the present! Our friendship has given me a sense of security.  He is the friend I know I can call in the middle of the night. He is the person that will be there for me in the event that my husband can't be. He has taught me how to be a friend and what true friendship is. Our friendship hasn't changed even as our lives I have.

Each of these relationships has taught me different things. I am the person I am today because of the people I  just shared with you.  There have been challenges along the way with each relationship.  However, it is a reflection of how strong our relationship is that we were able to work through those challenges and come out victorious. The challenges we have faced has only made our relationship stronger! I am thankful each day these people are in my life!

Thanks to all...

Children are one third of our population and all of our future.  ~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher

Dear Colleagues,

I am always reflective at the end of a class.  I think back to the beginning and how I was nervous; would I remember the days assignments are due?, Would anyone comment on my blog or discussion board? Will I be able to do the course work and work full time?.  Now that we are at the end of the class, I am thankful for all of you who made it easy and comfortable.  I am thankful that I was able to communicate with a group of professionals who bring a diversity and love to a field I am passionate about.  I have learned and grown from each one of you.  Thank you for all of the comments, tips and personal stories.  I have applied many of the strategies and ideas that we have discussed throughout the 8 weeks to my own classroom and seen some wonderful results.  I wish you all the best in your future classes and hope to have a class with you again.

Thank you,

Amber

Testing for Intelligence

I have thought a lot about this topic throughout the week.  While I believe that children should be assessed and progress should be monitored I don't agree with the idea of standardized tests.  As a special education teacher, I measure progress differently than my general education co-workers.  What their students may learn in a week may take my students months.  Because I teach special education many of my students are not required to take standardized tests.  With that said, I don't believe general education students should be required either. 

Best practices show that differentation within teaching and learning is a key to success for students'.  Why then are we requiring students to take the same test without any regard for differentiation? Unique learning styles is another concept that is important to consider when assessing.  I don't believe standardized tests measure how much students know rather how well they can memorize information and convert it to bubbled answer sheets.  Application of concepts is just as important as memorization.  How do we know that students can take the concept of addition/subtraction skills on a test and convert them to balancing a checkbook or making change at the grocery store? 

Many teachers are now pressured to "teach to the test" which limits the creativity of teachers and stiffles engagement of students.  Would it not be better to teach addition/subtraction or money skills to students through real life application? Isn't that the ultimate goal?

Personally, I am not a good test taker. I would study hard but it never reflected on my test scores. When I got my MEAP scores (Michigan tests) or ACT scores back my heart sank at the score.  What that score told me was that I was "stupid" and wouldn't be successful in college or in life.  It brought my self-esteem down which probably caused me to do worse the second time around. And followed me through to college and the teacher prep tests that had to be taken. But the the truth is it didn't measure my ability to be successful or how smart I was, it measured how well I could take a test. I am living proof that standardized tests don't accurately reflect how much a child knows but how well it can be transferred.  I believe teachers' should be given back the creativity to teach students' content and students' should be tested on how well they can apply concepts they have learned to everyday situations.

I chose to research education in China. I did this because I often hear how China has the strongest education system, how some believe it is surpassing the United States in education and I wanted to learn more about it. Here are some facts:

- There are four levels of education in China: primary, junior middle, senior middle and higher education.

- All students have 9 years of education. Students are required to complete primary and junior middle education but may go on to senior middle and higher education by passing exams.

- The exam focuses on core subjects but also physical and sports education, moral and political education. How well the students do on this exam determines the quality of their senior and vocational schools.

- In order to be accepted into a University students' must take the National College Entrance Exam. Admission is determined mainly on the results of the exam but investigation into the students' moral and social character may also be considered.


References:

Living in china: The education system in chinga. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.liuzhou.co.uk/china/educationinfo.htm

Stressors and Development

The story I am sharing is two-fold. It highlights the issue of poverty and also disaster. The school district I worked for in Michigan was the biggest and poorest in the Western Michigan area. Most of the kids at the school I worked for were living in poverty. They didn't have adequate coats, shoes or food. It was nearly impossible to reach parents' because phones had been shut off or they didn't own one. The children were constantly moving to different apartments because they got evicted and couldn't pay.  Many families lived with relatives to save money because of this many of the children slept on the floor, shared a bed with siblings or cousins or didn't have a bed at all. Over 90% of our school recieved free lunch because of their families income.  My classroom was no exception. All of my 6 students recieved a free lunch.

Antwaine came into my classroom half way through my first year teaching. He was a big, bright eyed child who had a love for music and drawing. He instantly made a place in my heart and we became close. I remember the first time I met him.  He came with him mom and baby sister to sign up for school. I showed him the classroom and where he would be sitting. They were in a hurry though because they had to catch the bus back home. See, Antwaine's family didn't have a car and it was an hour bus ride to get to school. His mom had taken two young kids on the bus to get there. I was in shock! A few months later, Antwaine had missed a couple days of school. I called to see if everything was okay and couldn't get through. The secretary had been trying as well. She finally got a hold of someone in his family and had learned that there had been a fire at Antwaine's apartment. Everyone was okay but they had lost everything. They were staying with some friends out of the distirct but because they didn't have a car Antwaine couldn't get to school.  As a school, we donated and pooled resources to help his family as much as we could. He was able to come back to school a couple weeks later but he was more reserved, quiet and didn't want to talk about what had happened. I respected his choice but encouraged him to talk to me if he didn't it. I did the only thing I knew to do: give him something familiar, establish normalcy.

He moved the following year but I have never forgotten him or his story.  Poverty is an issue that is global and we all know someone who has been effected by poverty... It was hard for me to choose one region that is being effected by poverty because EVERY region is effected. So, I gathered some facts about poverty in America and throughout the world.

Poverty in America:

Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions (wikipedia.org, 2012). The american poverty rate is increasing. In 2010 the nations poverty rate was 15.1% or 46.2 million people. This is the highest it has been since 1993. The poverty level for 2011 is 22,350 for a family of four. And nearly 60% of American's will spend at least one year in poverty between the ages of 25-75 (Poverty in the united states, 2012).

Poverty throughout the world: (Shah, 2010).

UNICEF reports that over 22,000 die each day due to poverty. Most of these children die quietly in remote villages.

27-28% of children in developing countries are considered to be malnourished, underweight or stunted. The two areas that make of the bulk of this are South Asia and sub-Sahran Africa.

The number of children living in the world is 2.2 billon. The number of children living in poverty is 1 billion which means every other child is living in poverty.

References:

Poverty in the united states. (2012). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_poverty_guidelines

Shah, A. (2010). Poverty facts and stats. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

Child Development and Public Health

The public health topic that interested me the most was immunizations. This topic is very relevant to me in my teaching career because I teach children with autism. There have been many claims by parents that once their child received the MMR vaccination their child started showing signs of regression and autism.  I have worked with several parents who believe this and who have decided NOT to vaccinate their children.  There are conflicting reports some researchers say vaccinations do not cause autism while others believe they do. Recently, a study stating that autism was not caused by vaccinations has been called into question. 

The area of the world I researched was Africa. I choose this region because I know there is a lack of vaccinations and I wanted to learn more about what is being done to help this problem. For many years, vaccinations in Africa have been subpar.  Vaccination rates have dropped over the last 10 years in low income countries including Sub-Saharan Africa.  Vaccination rates peaked in 1990 with 55%, however, that rate has dropped to 33% in 2000.  This decline has left many children with a lack of immunizations and at an increased chance of catching a disease.  The lack of immunizations can be attributed to many different things including weak health service delivery systems, civil unrest and a lack of commitment by governments. There are now programs to help with vaccinations. The goal of these programs is to administer three doses of DPI to 80% of a determined population.  The programs also want to increase funding, strengthen government health systems and implement new technology and vaccinations Miller, Sentz, 2006).

References:

 Miller, M., & Sentz, J. (2006). Vaccine-preventable disease. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2284/

Birth!

When I originally read the blog assignment for this week I was very unsure what to write. You see, I have never given birth or experienced someone giving birth. All of my girlfriends are single or had children before I met them. I was too young to remember my siblings birth and I certainly don't remember my own.   I contimplated for a long time what story I would write for this blog. 

The only birthing experience I have any personal knowledge of is my own. This is not because I remember anything about my own birth, however, I was home in Michigan for the holiday's and my mom shared with me a journal she had written about being pregnant with me, the story of my birth and a few stories throughout my first year. She gave this journal to me because I am 11 weeks pregnant with my first child and she wanted me to be able to read her thoughts and feelings about being pregnant and encouraged me to share my own feelings about it.

So, let me share with you the story of how I was born. :-)

My birth didn't go according to plan.  My parents went into the hospital on a Wednesday at 8 pm. My mom had been feeling contractions all day on Tuesday but they were not regular or intense, however, all day Wednesday they became increasingly tense and more regular. They admitted my mom an hour after monitoring her.  They broke her water and hooked her up to an IV and attached a fetal monitor to my scalp (good thing I have no memory of this).  She had difficulty relaxing and concentrating because there was a problem with my heartbeat. My heart rate kept dropping and they doctors were watching it closely.  The doctors decided it was time to go into delivery. They discussed a C-section but then I stabilized and my mom began pushing.  When she started pushing I went into distress and they rushed her into an emergency C-section. My mom was put under anestisia and my dad couldn't be in the room. It turned out the cord was wrapped around my neck and was causing the falling heart rate.  I was fine once I had been delievered. My mom woke up later in recovery and saw me for the first time in my dad's arms.

I had been told this story before, however, reading it in my mom's words really impacted me.  I don't remember any of this and I am now a healthy 28 year old, married with my own child on the way.


Birth on other areas of the world:

When researching different birthing practices around the world I came across an interesting article on parents.com that talked about several different regions. One of the regions I found most interesting was Japan. I know nothing about Asian culture and figured this would be a good learning experience for me.

In Japan, a majority of women give birth without painkillers. Doing this relates to a Buddhist practice of suffering. The labor and pains of delivery act as a test for women in preparation for the role of motherhood.
Most women give birth in a hospital which is similiar to the US and my own story.  Father's can only be present if they have taken prenatal course and if a c-section is performed they may not be in the room. The hospital stay in Japan is longer than in the US. Women who give birth vaginally may stay up to 5 days and those who have a c-section may stay up to 10.  Another interesting custom is that the mother and child stay at the mother's parents house for a month after giving birth. It is also tradition that mother and baby stay in bed for 21 days and at that time friends can stop by to visit.


References:

Schalken, L. (2012). Birth customs around the world. Parents Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=4