Why is Bonding with Baby Important?

One of the first concepts we discussed in this class was the importance of parent and child relationships. Within this, I learned that as a caregiver, I have the ability to help shape a child's life by making him or her feel more comfortable learning new concepts and providing the support necessary to learn and grow.

I would like to thank all of my classmates in Early Childhood Development for their insights in the development of children, posting comments on my blog and responding to various discussion postings within Blackboard. It has really helped me to learn and grow as an educaor.

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

During an informal interview with a close friend, she mentioned that she had an experience with racism as a young child. As a third grader, she experienced being called a “nigger” by a young white boy in her class. This affected her emotionally and mentally. When this situation happened, she felt helpless. Although others were around, no one came to her defense and no one comforted or consoled her. Though this happened in the Third Grade, she was unable to vocalize how she felt and deal with the issue until her sixth grade year.

Because of this incident, she began to ignore conflict that dealt directly with her. She avoided confrontation and often ran in the other direction. Being called such an inappropriate name at such a young age, left a lasting impression. She began to realize that she was different and she felt as though she had to work harder in life to prove that she was just like or possessed an even better skill set than her counterparts.

As a result of this incident, she developed a dislike for white people, males and females alike. She became less receptive and open to befriending them and often may have made prejudgments about them, based on the color of their skin.

Children all across America will probably feel the sting of racism at some point throughout their lifetime. Racism and it’s crippling effects are felt throughout each race, ethnicity, and culture in the world. Mindsets can often be passed from parents to children to grandchildren without proper acknowledgement.

According to Marilyn Elias, racism has a mental effect on children far beyond their early childhood years. The most common mental health issue related to racism is depression. Hispanics who report racism are more than three times as likely as other children to have symptoms of depression and blacks are more than twice as likely to experience depression.

“It is well established that both Indigenous Australians and Māori have a state of health and wellbeing far below other groups in their respective nations. The estimated half a million Indigenous Australians comprise 2.4 per cent of the Australian population and are the most disadvantaged group in Australian society. They suffer from high rates of unemployment and incarceration, low income, substandard housing, and a high burden of ill health and mortality, including a life expectancy that is seventeen years less than other Australians.”

These disadvantages among the people of Australia are highly attributed to racism. Indigenous Australians are seen as less than by non-indigenous Australians. They believe that they are dependent upon welfare as well as more likely to receive government handouts.  Children are effected in all three aspects of their development: biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial. For more information, click on the link below.

http://www.lowitja.org.au/files/crcah_docs/Racism-Report.pdf

Sources:

USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-05-05-race-depression_N.htm

http://www.lowitja.org.au/files/crcah_docs/Racism-Report.pdf

Child Development and Public Health

Several years ago, when I started my first Master’s program, I found myself extremely tired from being constantly on-the-go. After contemplating what I could do to feel better and increase my daily stamina and endurance, I was sure that eating out each day was not helping. After careful thought, I began to change my diet. I began to cook more and eat out less. I began choosing healthy snacks and researching which foods I needed daily for my body to last through a full day of teaching and full night of lectures.

Though I’ve always been an athlete, three years later, I’ve found a healthy balance of eating right and exercising that keeps me energized and ready for whatever comes my way. After developing and reaching my personal goals, I became more interested in teaching others, especially children, how to live a healthy lifestyle. Afterall, how many times do we really have the opportunity to teach Health within our classrooms?

After reading about public health measures in The Developing Person Through Childhood by Kathleen Stassen Berger, I gained curiosity about the state of public health in Africa. I specifically took interest in the state of the nutrition in Africa.

In the United States, we are fortunate to have a MyPyramid that provides detailed information of the types of foods that we give our bodies maximum nutrition. We are also fortunate to have a plethora of resources that provide affordable options for us. When researching nutrition in Africa, I found that they encourage one not to teach about the three different food groups (energy building foods, body-building foods, and protective foods) because some foods belong to more than one group and can provide more minerals, nutrients, and vitamins. Though there is a plethora of information that provides education about nutrition in Africa, there is no organized “pyramid” or similar structure to go by to help the people of Africa develop and maintain healthy nutrition.

In Africa, there are also many factors that affect healthy nutrition in Africa that most people may not experience in the United States. These factors include but are not limited to the fact that Africa is still developing. The economy, agriculture, and the environment are all factors that may affect one’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle. Households are also affected by population growth and the widespread epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

In addition to the focus I have started placing on our health standards, I plan to incorporate the health condition of places like Africa into our lessons. Hopefully, this will help students understand the importance of proper nutrition and encourage them to make healthy choices.

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

I haven’t had any children and I don’t quite remember the experience my mother had when I was born or the experience I had when I so eloquently presented myself to the world. I’ve always been curious about pregnancy as I watch many women go about their day with another being inside their uterus. How does it feel? What is it like?

Three years ago, a co-worker of mine was hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy. She was always on the go, a very busy woman. Another first grade teacher and I went to visit her. Though she was hospitalized, she was constantly on her laptop, which the nurses finally took away, determined to finish her dissertation. In the midst of our visit, she began experiencing contractions. As she clinched the bed rails and moaned in pain, I became scared. This was my first time seeing someone experience the pain of childbirth and it changed my perspective on what it would be like. Though she was a woman of strength while her husband was away, I knew that this was something that I did not want to go through alone.

Though I don’t know a lot about pregnancy, I am familiar with some traditions related to childbirth within my family. The elders of my family encourage us not to do certain things, not to listen  to certain music, and to be careful what we do or say around the baby. I once asked a parent of a student I taught how her children became so smart and intellectual. She mentioned that she believed it had a lot to do with what she was doing while she was pregnant with each of them . She further mentioned that when she was pregnant with her middle child, she was finishing her master’s degree. She did a lot of reading which might explain why her daughter always has a book and thinks outside the box.

When comparing my childbirth experiences, or the experiences of others, with childbirth experiences in China, I realize that there are some similarities and some differences. Of course, in China, they are encouraged to have just one child. In some families and cultures in America and other places around the world, the more children the merrier.  In both China and in some families, parents of unborn children are encouraged to read stories to their fetus. Contrary to the views in China, many women that have been pregnant consider it okay to have sex during their pregnancy. In China, sex is strictly forbidden.

In the United States, many new parents opt to have an ultrasound in order to determine the gender of the unborn fetus, but in China, the government has strictly prohibited it. Women in China give birth without their husbands present.

Source:
http://mqhrg.mcgill.ca/i/kartchner_Callister.pdf

Thank You

This semester, I have had the privilege of sharing with and learning from wonderful professionals in the early childhood field. It has been a pleasure reading your thoughts and perspectives about early childhood learners and their families. I hope we can keep in contact with each other through continued posts and interactions online!

Ethically Sound Practices

This week I had the opportunity to read the Code of Ethics from both the National Associaltion for the Education of Young Children as well as for the Division of Early Childhood. While reading, several of the ideals and principles, mainly from the NAEYC Code of Ethics resonated with me the most and they are as follows.

Section 1
Ethical Responsibilities to Children
Ideal 1-1.1: To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

Education is always evolving, new research is constantly being revealed, and the pendulum is always swinging in the opposite direction.Though it may seem overwhelming, staying informed will not only increase our ability to effectively ensure the positive development and growth of young children, but it will also help us to advocate with purpose.

Section 1
Ethical Responsibilities to Children
Ideal 1-1.11: To provide all children with experiences in a language that they know, as well as support children in maintaining the use of their home language and in learning English.

Before reading this article and after making the commitment to reimmerse myself in the Spanish language, I had a discussion with my Hispanic students. I read a few sentences from an instruction manual to them and asked them what it said. They smiled, because I was speaking Spanish, but only knew a few of the words. When I asked them why they didn't know, they mentioned that they haven't learned them yet. As I remembered that they were only in the Third Grade, I asked them how they learned to speak Spanish and both girls stated that their mothers taught them. From this conversation, I realized that these girls were first generation Americans, meaning that they were the first of their family to be born in the United States. They were the first in their families to be raised in the United States, attend American, English speaking schools, and be immersed in the English language. To me, this also meant that they would not hear or learn as much Spanish as their parents did in Mexico because they are constantly immersed in English and their parents speak little to no English at all, often requiring a translator or interpreter for every contact. Much like Standard English and Language is being taught to children all across our nation, would it not be ideal to give our Hispanic students the opportunity to connect with their culture and learn their own language as in-depth as we make them learn ours? These opportunities are provided to them through Spanish Speaking schools, but are they able to take advantage of them? Isn't it our responsibility to ensure that they don't lose touch of who they are?

Section 1
Ethical Responsibilities to Children
Principle P-1.6: We shall strive to ensure that decisions such as those related to enrollment, retention, or assignment to special education services, will be based on multiple sources of information and will never be based on a single assessment, such as a test score or a single observation.

In my opinion, this principle is much needed in today's classrooms and schools. As an EIP Self-Contained Teacher, I am supposed to receive students who are "middle of the road" and who could benefit from a smaller classroom. You know, those students who just need an extra boost. Unfortunately, especially since the state no longer formally tests first and second graders, students\' second grade mock test scores (which are not equivalent to the state test) are used when placing students. Students who appear to be average on paper, are not "average" in concept of skill or content knowledge. These students lack basic skills to attempt new grade level material in addition to an understanding and internalization of previously taught concepts.

When submitting paperwork for a student's RTI (Response to Intervention), classroom performance is taken into consideration, but when students pass the Special Educaton screening or the yearly state mandated test, it seems as though every piece of data goes flying out the window.

Students who do not pass the CRCT, Georgia's Criterion Referenced Competency Test, are automatically considered for retention. However, students who may have been lucky on the 100% multiple choice test, but struggle to maintain a C or D average within the classroom are promoted and placed in the next grade. As a classroom teacher, it is very hard to see how these placements are helping the student achieve, given that many concepts build on each other and require not just knowledge, but understanding.

With many states adopting the Common Core standards, hopefully things will change. Hopefully, standardized testing will give students the opportunity to show what they've internalized and require them to apply their understanding without being prompted by well though out answer choices. Then will we be able to effectively determine a student's progress and make better decisions about placement, retention, and Special Education services.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf.



The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of Ethics. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Forever Spoken

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." - Dr. Haim Ginott

This quote reminds me that the children I teach are not only human, but are sponges. Anything that they I say or do makes a lasting impression on them.