Final Post

Well this is it!  I cannot believe that I am finishing my master’s degree.  It is always interesting where life takes you and the challenges that you can push through in order to achieve success.  I plan on continuing to advance my personal knowledge by beginning the doctorate program January 6^th! 

Week 6

Three international organizations that I was interested in looking into to investigate any available jobs were the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Save the Children as well as UNICEF.  All three of these organizations value the education of young children and truly make a difference in the early childhood field as a whole.  Three potential jobs I identified with these organizations were a research-analyst which was a program for international student assessments, Specialist Early Childhood Development as well as an Education Specialist.  Unfortunately all three of these jobs require that I speak more than one language.  Although I took three years of a Spanish and French I do not feel that I am fluent enough to efficiently perform the job.  All three of these occupations would be immensely educating and exciting. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

Three organizations that interest me and I would be so grateful for any job at would be NAEYC, National Head Start Association as well as National Association of Early Childhood Educators.  Although I would love the experience of working at these different organizations my true passion is to be in a college classroom directly assisting future early childhood educators.  The jobs I located on these sites would require me to have additional understanding of national standards and criteria.  As an owner and director of an early childcare facility I am knowledgeable when it comes to these different issues, but I feel that I would need a deeper more complex understanding to actually work at these organizations.   Three specific jobs I would be interested and currently have the education required to fulfill are Public Policy Associate, Program Coordinator, as well as a Human Resource. 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community:Local and State Levels

There are different varieties of communities of practice that appeal to me personally.  This is due to the fact that I have an intense desire to better the field of early childhood education for young children as well as educators.  With this said three communities of practice that appeal to me in my local area is the early learning coalition, episcopal children’s services as well as Putnam provider association.  These three communities of practice deal with implementing successful practices that will continue to improve the field of early childhood education.  The reason I began the educational journey I am currently on is to implement effective practices for future educators in the early childhood field.  My desire is to teach on the college level.  I have not had a lot of experience trying to get my foot in the door in this field however. I will continue my education when this journey is complete by beginning my doctorate degree in January.  I currently own a local preschool and have been successful in maintaining excellence in the preschool for our small rural community.  I feel it is essential to strive to educate professionals in the field and that it is a duty to continue to push for early childhood educators to be educated!  

Dear Classmates

Dear classmates….I look forward to getting to know all of you through the different 

activities that we will engage in during this last class.  I can’t believe that this is it!  

Good luck to all of you!

Brooke Downs Guy

Professional Hopes and Goals

My never ending hope when working with diverse families and children is to cherish their diversity, and use it as a resource to educate others.  The early childhood field is so often overlooked and underappreciated.  I will continue to strive to educate others on the importance of early childhood education as a whole.  Thank you all for your inspirational guidance throughout this course.  I wish you all the best in your educational journey. 

Week 8 EDUC 6165-6

To All My Dear Colleagues,

I wish you all success as you move forward with your educational journey.  It has been so interesting getting to know each individual.  We have learned and collaborated together to form new ideas and goals for the early learning environments that we work in.  Together we can make the necessary changes to continue to elevate the early childhood education field.  We can show the importance of early learning to law makers and citizens alike.  We have a responsibility to take the education we have received and spread it to other early childhood educators.  I wish you all the best in your future endeavors! 

Sincerely,

Brooke Downs Guy

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Families Country of Origin: American Samoa

American Samoa is a small archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean and is comprised of five volcanic islands (Tutuila, Ta'u, Ofu, Olosega, Aunu'u, Nu'utele) and two coral atolls (Swain's and Rose Islands). Tutuila contains about two thirds of the total area and is home to 95% of the 64 000 islanders.

In the time of 1000 B.C. Southeast Asian immmigrants arrived in the Samoan islands and from there they settled the rest of Polynesia.

First sparsely contacts with Europeans began in the early 1700s, intensified with the arrival of English missionaries and traders in the 1830s.

International rivalries had been settled by the Treaty of Berlin in 1899 in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion.

Despite of modern influences Samoan people still hold firmly to "Fa'asamoa", the traditional Samoan way, related to their language, dress, food, customs and even property (http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/american_samoa.htm#Culture).

Five ways that I will prepare for this family’s arrival would be

*Educate myself

*Educate the other early childhood professionals that will also be assisting with this family.

*Prepare the students by discussing the family’s country of origin.  Discuss with the children how they may feel if they were moving to a new country as well as how we could make the child and their family feel welcomed.

*Display items in the classroom that would be familiar to the child.

*Locate music from the country of origin that they are relocating from and play it as background music in the classroom.

The preparations that I would take will help the child and family to feel welcome in their new environment.  It will help them know that I care about them and respect where they are coming from.  I would hope they would see that I was making an effort in understanding their background to assist their child in the relocation.  

Week 6

Groups are generally hard to leave behind when they are groups with passionate and respectful individuals that make up the overall group.  High performance groups are hardest for me to leave behind due to the over whelming amount of problems we tend to successfully solve together.  The more we work together to accomplish our goals the closer we get and the harder it is to say goodbye.  Rituals that are important to me at the close of a group is recapping the achievements the group has made and reviewing the time line of the accomplishments.  I have become close with a few individuals that attend Walden and I feel it will be very different to leave this group of individuals.  Anytime there is a group that only communicates and performs online it is bound to be different than groups that are created and function face to face.  Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it is critical to end on a positive note that will help the group members to successfully be a part of future groups.

The Personal SIde of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When I was in high school I distinctly remember a fellow cheerleader friend of mine being the target of prejudice behavior.  The entire cheerleading squad was white middle class girls except for one individual.  She was an African American individual who had a middle class family as well. We were having a squad sleep over.  The cheerleader who was hosting the sleep over did not want our fellow squad member to attend because she was “just different than us”.  I absolutely stood my ground and refused to go unless she was invited as well.  This was ridiculous behavior I felt and had a very hard time understanding it.  I decided no matter what the final decision would be on inviting this individual I would not attend the sleep over.  I did not want to associate with individuals that could be so hurtful.  When people stand up for what they believe in, it shows others the right thing to do.  We are all equals in this world.  We may have a different skin color, religion or sexual orientation but we are still equal. 

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

Stress and conflict are always present when working with many different individuals.  It is essential that we as early childhood educators are equipment to handle these situations in a professional manner.  For instance I have a child who just turned three years old in May (at the end of May as well).  Because I will not move this child to a pre-k class room and feel she would benefit from her time in a three year old classroom the parents were furious and took her out of the school.  During this time I feel many different emotions, however I must keep them in check and remember that I am not that child’s parent and whether I agree or not they are doing what they feel is best for her.  I dealt with this frustration by writing down my concerns and then speaking with the parents about them.  It is important for both sides of the conflict to be heard and respected.  As early childhood educators we will deal with situations such as these often and must be able to handle them by equipping ourselves with the knowledge needed.

Who Am I as a Communicator?

This week’s assessments shed valuable light on my personal areas of strength and weakness.  My colleagues basically rated me the same.  There was very little difference in the results that I received myself and the results that I scored when they did the assessment.  The one thing that truly surprised me was the verbal aggressiveness assessment.  I scored much more aggressive than I believed I would have.  This is a wonderful example of the world may see you differently than you view yourself.  I have set three reachable goals for my communication strategies and will continue to strive to achieve them.  I will strive to be a more active listener, this will directly assist me in my communication strategies with parents. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I was driving down the road with my friend today when she noticed a group of individuals on the side of the road.  She was talking about one person in the group yet referred to all of them as “those” people.  This was a microinsult due to the fact that she was indicating that because every individual in the group was acting a specific way the whole group of individuals would act that way.  These individuals were all the same race.  She was directly insulting the racial heritage of the group of individuals on the side of the road.  I felt ashamed that I would have a friend who would insult a group of individuals without knowing them personally.  This experience made me open my eyes and be aware that discrimination is just common behavior for many individuals. I feel that this is a learned behavior that must be altered immediately.  We have got to break the cycle somewhere. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

When interviewing three different individuals concerning what culture and diversity are, I received a variety of answers. Interview 1 stated: It just means valuing that there are a multiple opinions in the universe, and that not everybody has the same beliefs, religion or customs. Interview 2 stated:  People from different countries or a different race.  Interview 3 stated: People that are different in their ethnic background, race and religion.  All of these answers when put together do fit into what culture and diversity mean.  Whereas we could add a lot to these three definitions, these individuals are not currently studying perspectives on diversity and culture.  These three individuals were however early childhood educators.  This shows me directly the importance of continuing education.  It is essential as early childhood educators that we have a real sense of what diversity and culture involve and how to facilitate the vast differences in families and children in our programs.   All of the aspects of culture and diversity discussed have been studied in this course, but we have taken the information and dug deeper and looked closer at diverse meanings of diversity and culture.  None of these aspects have necessarily been omitted however we look deeper into such things such as race or ethnic background.  By evaluating how other individuals think of diversity and culture it has made my feelings strengthen in the importance of education on these topics.  We must open our minds and hearts to the multiple meaning of both of these words and to understand that we are each and every one different and diverse. 

Communication and Culture

Communicating with individuals who are dissimilar to me can sometimes be difficult if we do not see eye to eye.  However, through my journey at Walden University I have learned how to incorporate each other’s difference to grow and learn rather than close myself off.  I often feel very isolated and alone because I do not think there are many people that see the world the way that I do.  I live in a small rural town and as Miranda Lambert’s song indicates there are the bar fly’s and the Baptist.  That may sound judgmental however that is the general makeup of our community and I do not fit into either one of those categories.  I find that I do communicate differently with individuals that are dissimilar to me.  This is because I strategize how to effectively communicate with them without offending them.  If I am not careful, things can come out of my mouth in a way that I did not intend for them to come out.  I communicate on a more cautious level.  There are strategies that could potentially help me to communicate more effectively with people that are different than me.  These strategies include

1. Research –the more an individual knows about diverse groups the less stereotypical they will be concerning those individuals or groups of people.

2. Practice- Practice makes perfect.  The more you open yourself up and communicate with people the easier the task at hand gets.

3. Acceptance- acceptance is a vital component in effectively communicating with people that are dissimilar to me. 

 

Communication Skills-Week 2

The TV show that I chose was Good Luck Charlie.  My children love this show so I sat in with them today and watched it with no volume (they loved that)!  The family seemed to be really close.  The middle aged boy always got a frustrated look from the parents and an older lady that came over and knocked on the door.  The older children looked irritated much of the time.  But the family seemed to come together at the end of the show and looked like a compassionate family.  When I turned the volume on I heard what I had thought originally.  The middle age boy tended to stay in trouble with his parents and the older lady was the neighbor next door that he constantly aggravated.  The older children had a lot of responsibility.  By the end of the show everyone was one big happy family.   

My Family Culture

If a major catastrophe forced myself and my family out of our home country and into a diverse situation; that was going to be completely dissimilar to the environment and society make up that we were currently accustomed to I would take three items that I hold dear.  One of these most precious to me would be a necklace with an engraved tree on it.  One reason I would pick this necklace is because it shows strength.  As a tree grows and changes so will we as a family.  Also we would have strong roots like the tree.  Regardless of where we planted our family we would remain strong together.  When other people would ask why this item was so important to me I would explain that it is a symbol of strength.  I would probably also explain that with such a long journey it was essential to be able to wear what I brought to keep my hands free for the extent of the journey ahead.  I would also take a note from my father that I hold close to my heart as well as a pair of earrings from my mother.  If forced to choose only one I would pick the necklace because that is a symbol of the strength I find in our family.  Our family could overcome anything, this would serve as a daily reminder.  Through this assignment I thought deeply about what I value and hold dear.  Things are not important at all, it is the individuals who make up our family that are important. 

Competent Communication

Throughout my life I have had many wonderful role models that effectively communicate.  My sister is an incredible communicator.  She seems to never get flustered and her facial expression does not alter to show her feelings throughout the individual’s conversation.  She does not interrupt.  She waits till the person communicating has finished what they have to say good, bad or in between and then she comments with ease and comfort.  I have strived to learn her ways of competent communication throughout the years.  I have improved in my tactics but I have a long way to go.

When I Think of Research......

I have gained so many valuable insights from taking this research course.  I have learned the value of quality research and how to find quality research when searching on the internet.  My ideas have remained somewhat the same when it comes to the nature of doing research.  Research is not my area of specialty, however I have enjoyed the insight I have gained from the course.  I learned how to plan, design and successfully conduct research through the research simulation project.  I encountered plenty of challenges in the course do to the fact that research is not my passion; however it is necessary in effectively learning to solve issues related to young children and the early childhood field as a whole. My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course because I truly understand the need for high quality early childhood professionals.  There is a significant lack of high qualified early childhood educators and through research and understanding this can be improved in the future of early childhood education. 

Final Blog for EDUC 6162-1

Learning about early childhood in the international realm of things is significant to all educators.  This is due in fact to the overwhelming diverse families that are entering the United States on a daily basis.  Educators must be highly aware of how to appropriately educate and communicate with families that are diverse.  Learning about the early childhood education field from an international standpoint is essential for educators to be more effective with their teaching and to understand the families and children that are in their care.  A continuing goal of mine is to continue learning and communicating with individuals internationally to continue enhancing my knowledge. 

Week 7

There are countless articles and a significant amount of essential information on this website that would directly relate to my professional goal.  The mere fact that this organizations strives to obtain high quality education for all children and to inform as many educators as possible of the vital information they can obtain by using this website as a valuable resource is a tool for my professional goal.  When obtaining my goal I will be influencing future educators to fully engage in learning and understanding about the broad spectrum of early childhood education from an international standpoint. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the First International Day of the Girl Child.  What a positive change for the world to recognize!

Sharing Web Resources

The outside sources on the NAEYC website offer exclusive information for childcare providers, parents and any individual looking to gain knowledge about the early childhood education field.  NAEYC is dedicated to providing up to date information on their website as well as provide other available resources.  I loved the article Five Essentials to Meaningful Play by Marcia L. Nell and Walter F. Drew.  This article assists parents in understanding the importance of play and the benefits that it brings to children and their development.  The NAEYC website offers a variety of information that adds to my personal understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education.  Everything on their website strengthens early childcare providers and programs through research and resources available.  Generally this website strengthens my knowledge through reading the different articles and research conducted.  I don’t know a time I have not learned something from viewing this website. 

Research Around the World

While reviewing the website http://www.eecera.org/ I reviewed a journal titled Societalisation of early childhood education and services.  This was a current journal that concentrated its focus on the change in the overall early childhood field over the last decade.  This journal showed how we have progressed into what is known today and the importance early childhood plays in society as a whole.  This journal along with many others was packed full of valuable information that can grow the individual knowledge of the early childhood professional. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

While reviewing the website Center on the Developing Child Harvard University I found it interesting that the center’s unfailing pledge to early childhood field as well as professionals is felt around the world.  The center appreciates the responsibility they have taken on by meeting the needs of all children and investing in quality education in the global world.  They work diligently to achieve the goals set forth.  The extensive program focuses on educating decision makers on the learning, health and behavior of children during their earliest years. 

 

 

Sharing Web Resources

On the NAEYC website there is a section devoted to professional development.  I use this section almost on a daily basis when needing to look up essential information, facts or resources concerning students in my class or the overall program in general.  I have a great interest in this section of the NAEYC website.  This section also delivers what I think to be some controversial reports on research that has been conducted in the early childhood field.  This often brings new issues to mind or further research concerning the specific topic.  NAEYC is influential in many different ways.  Given that NAEYC is one of the largest organizations in the early childhood field it is often looked at by economist as well as politicians.  NAEYC stands strong for young children, and have many position statements that clearly support their thinking.  There are many different articles that are solely devoted to what neuroscientist, economists and politicians think and hold true.  These articles can be found on their professional development section.  There are updates constantly on this website.  I feel that any information I get from the NAEYC website is accurate.     

Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre

In China over four million children live in poverty and almost 9 million live in less than ideal conditions.  Poverty conditions have improved since the 90’s.  China has a better education and health system than many other countries.  Beijing is China’s richest city.  China continues to make strides to reduce poverty in the country. In the early two thousand’s China had only 5% of its population living below the national poverty line. 


http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Option 2

The Early Childhood Education field is a field that will never lose importance. Research in the field brings light to some of the best parenting ideas and styles as well as significance to other key issues in the field of children. It gives us an indication of how children see the world around them and how to put this new information to use for the well-being of children, families and society as a whole. If I could research anything in the early childhood field without restriction or budget I would research the effects of educated early childhood teachers (minimum of a bachelor degree) in the classroom from infant through pre-k. vs. early childhood educators with the basic 40 hours of training Florida requires.  I believe that this would contribute to the field as a whole because I believe the findings would direct us to demanding and expecting educators who are educated to teach in the field of early childhood education.

Educating the Educator

Early childhood educators have an essential job in establishing an academic foundation that is strong for their students.  Early childhood educators give direction during a vital part of a young child’s education when their social skills are developing.  Educators have a direct influence on children and how they think of school. Although many early childhood educators are not highly educated it is becoming more understood daily the importance of early childhood educators who obtain higher education.  I have owned and operated Green Gables Day School in Palatka Florida for 10 years.  It is almost impossible to find a teacher who even has an associate degree. Forty hours training is what is required of early childhood educators in Florida.  Going above and beyond that is almost unheard of.  The passion you must have to continue your education when a teacher in the early childhood field makes barely above minimum wage takes a dedicated professional. 

 

Sharing Web Resources

The website that I chose last week was http://www.NAEYC.org .  This website offers a large variety of resources for educators as well as parents.  NAEYC covers just about every early childhood education topic, issue and trend.  It is a highly informative site that offers a variety of research articles and journals.  NAEYC’s mission is to be a voice for children and lead educators in insuring all children have a high quality early childhood education experience.  A current issue that caught my attention on the NAEYC website was teaching your passion.  Teachers teach better when they are interested in what they are teaching.  This is a new way to approach teaching young children.  Children often take a direct interest in what makes their teacher happy.  This in return allows the child to have deep discoveries and experiences that is of interest to their teacher as well as themselves.  Teachers share their passions which in return helps children discover and be excited about their own passions. 

 

 

 

 

Establishing Professional Contracts and Expanding Resources

I had no choice but to go with the alternative assignment this week.  I had no luck finding an international early childhood professional.  I am sure I will learn a lot by exploring all of my classmate’s blogs that were lucky enough to find an international professional in the early childhood field.  I have chosen the NAEYC website to expand my knowledge on issue and trends in the early childhood field.  I am very excited about exploring this site.  This has to be one of my favorite organizations.

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
― Margaret Mead

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors.”
― Khaled Hosseini

 

To all my classmates,

 I want to thank you for reading my blog and commenting on it.  I hope that you all go far on your educational journey.

               Brooke Downs Guy

Testing for Intelligence?

I strongly believe as an educator we should assess the child as a whole.  I believe that the child should be assessed and their skill level measured by looking outside high stakes standardized testing. Social and emotional skills as well as critical thinking skills should be assessed when measuring the child’s abilities and examining the child.  I believe this is essential to children because standardized test do not assess all of the important aspects of a child.  Standardized test prevent teachers and administrators from viewing a full picture of the child’s development.  In England, school age children are assessed by standardized testing as well, however a group of teachers recently refused to administer the high stakes test. “British newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, are reporting that as many as half of the estimated 600,000 primary school students due to sit for tests will not take them because their teachers have decided to take a stand against them” (Strauss, 2010).  Teachers should actively be involved with designing and developing an appropriate assessing tool. I believe standardized test fail to give teachers and administrators a full picture of the whole child.   “Teachers in England have some support from a part of the government. A House of Commons school committee recently said in a report that the system of high-stakes tests “reduced teachers’ scope” to be creative. The legislators called for more informal assessment by teachers in the classroom, combined with a system of sampling to keep a check on national standards” (Strauss, 2010). There are many different ways to assess children.  A few suggestions of this would be to have teachers actively involved in the development and the design of an appropriate assessment tool and assess children throughout the school year keeping documented evidence of their continuing improvement and growth.  Some concerns related to assessing young children are the stress level that the children are put under often gives false test results, because children may not score as high as possible because of the fear of high stakes standardized test and the impact it has on their future.

 

 

Reference

Strauss, Valerie (2010, May). Teachers refuse to give standardized tests to kids. Washington Post.  Retrieved from Retrieved from: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/standardized-tests/teachers-in-england-boycott-st.html

 

 

 

My Supports II

Sorry I totally left this out of my original post!

The challenge I hope never to have to endure is to be blind.  I think it would be so difficult to not see the world around me.  My children, the sky, the flowers, you name it I can’t imagine.  I would need my supports to rally beside me and help me understand the positives that still existed in my life.  My daily supports I believe would hold my hand and help me through any challenge I may have to overcome.  If I did not have my daily supports my life would point blank be incomplete. 

My Supports

My Supports

I am so very fortunate to have a wonderful best friend who I love more than life itself!  In October my husband and I separated and my best friend moved in with my children and myself.  My husband had never been an active father or husband.  He was in law enforcement and for anyone who has ever been married to someone in law enforcement understands that that is really all I have to say.  Law enforcement officers have a tendency to be so engulfed in their work they often forget they have a family and when they do have an opportunity to be with the family they just do not know how to fit in.  Therefore self-medicating often happens.  Between drinking and sleeping he didn’t have time to bother with us.  (This of course is not true for every law enforcement officer).  Through this difficult transition she took a very hand on role with my children and for the first time in their seven years of living they had two parents to turn to.  I would never hand that role to just anyone or too lightly.  That is a very special role that in my opinion if it did not occur naturally it must be earned.   Marian has been there for myself and my children for the past six months and she is my daily support.  She helps me to remember to be thankful for all that I have and the fact that I do not have to raise my two children alone anymore. My children are the love of my life, and without their daily support I would drowned in guilt.  My children are proud of me for going back to school, therefore, every time I say sorry guys mommy has a paper to write they say “okay well maybe we can play after”.  Without Marian my best friend and my two children I would be one despondent person.  I could achieve my personal goals; continue working hard at my business and going to school.  But what would it matter?   These three people are not just my daily support, but my life support!

My COnnections to Play

My Connections to Play

Quotes

It’s better to play than do anything.

 

Play is the beginning of knowledge.

 

 

Three essential play items

1. Shovel

 

2. Tennis Shoes

 

3. Bike

 

Life was not as busy when I was young and children were not involved in so many different activities.  Play was supported by adults probably because children could go outside and play with little to no supervision.  This kept children out of their parent’s way and tired the children out before bedtime.  We now know there is much more to play time than just keeping children busy.  Children learn to do many different skills through uninterrupted play time.  Children do not have the luxury any longer to go out and play without adult supervision.  The world has turned so violent and parents can just not take the chance of letting their child out of their sight due to unspeakable crimes that could happen to them.    Therefore it is vital for parents and caregivers alike to provide children safe supervised uninterrupted play. When I was young my favorite thing to do was role play.  Children need the opportunity to explore role play and engage in hands on experimenting on a daily basis. 

 

Stressors in Children

Hunger affects children and adults alike, regardless of nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation.  I have experienced teaching children who have come to school hungry.  There last meal was the 2:00pm snack they had a school the day before.  When children are hungry it makes it difficult for them to concentrate and learn necessary material.  We are very lucky to have the governments support in this day and time to help assist in feeding these children.  Children walk through my school doors and are presented with a hot breakfast.  This is a luxury that has not always existed; children would be hungry and be required to function in the classroom setting.  The very thought of a child lying in bed not being able to sleep because their stomach is empty is a thought that does not set well with me.  Hunger directly affects children and their biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development because every thought and action is consumed by the need for food and how to get it.  Hunger is the same in every country. The difference being how the their particular government deals with hunger issues. If you’re hungry you hungry, and as Americans we must strive to continue to push the government to take care of our children and families right here in the United States.  No child should go to bed hungry.  There are resources available to families.  Early childhood professionals should make every effort to assist families with knowing which resources are available and where to get the assistance needed. 

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are always a complex subject.  I have relationships with many people.  I have a working relationship with the parents that are at my school, teachers, as well as the children.  Then I have personal relationships such as my children, parents, siblings, and best friend.  Relationships are important part of life and can make an individual be perceived in a certain way.  To have a positive relationship it is vital to keep these different forms of relationships such as working and personal in there correct box, and not to intermingle the two.  I feel that partnerships with team mates at work and parents are vital to have a healthy relationship in the work and school environment. 

Breastfeeding around the world

Breastfeeding is beneficial for a variety of reasons.  “Known as liquid gold, colostrum (coh-LOSS-trum) is the thick yellow first breast milk that you make during pregnancy and just after birth. This milk is very rich in nutrients and antibodies to protect your baby. Colostrum changes into what is called mature milk. By the third to fifth day after birth, this mature breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein to help your baby continue to grow. Formula-fed babies also have higher risks of: Necrotizing, Lower respiratory infections, asthma, obesity, type 2 diabetes Breastfeeding is linked to a lower risk of these health problems in women: Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and Ovarian cancer” (Women’s Health). 

Brazil –Highly supported

Mongolia-Their universal practice of breast feeding anywhere, anytime, and the close quarters in which most Mongolians live, mean that everyone is pretty familiar with the sight of a working boob.

France-.Breastfeeding isn't encouraged and many people find the sight of it disturbing. Locals feel that breastfeeding still has a peasant image..

 

Women’s Health.gov.Retrieved from http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/index.html

 

Birthing Experiences

Child birth is an exciting and special time in a women’s life.  I could not wait for the birth of my son, but at the same time I just couldn’t imagine the pain I was about to endure.  I decided that in reality the pain could only be so bad.  I mean women have children every day.  Well of course I would have the birthing experience from hell with two full days of laboring and then the baby getting stuck in the birth canal.  I began running a very high fever and off we went for an emergency C-section at 7:30 p.m. and had a new baby boy at 7:47.  Within twenty four hours it was evident that the baby was not a 100%.  The baby ended up with an infection and we spent 10 days in the NICU.  Not so fun for your birthing experience.  However birth is life and you certainly cannot predict life.  Child development is a process that we will never quit researching we will continually gain more knowledge and use the knowledge to improve the birthing experience.

       

In France things are different than in the US.  There is much better insurance for pregnant mothers therefore they have more of a say so of how they would like there birthing experience to be.  The norm in France seems to be whatever the mother prefers which is vital for a stress free birthing experience.  Many other countries have a majority of births taking place anywhere but in a controlled environment, whereas the US has the majority of their births in a controlled environment. 

Classes come to an end

It is hard to believe this first class is over.  It is a sad but happy day, and we should all celebrate this accomplishment! 

*To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be success.
* To participate in building support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.
*To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs.

These three ideals were important for me.  I think that every early childhood professional should be concerened with these three ideals at all times.  We must make all children feel included at all times.  We must build support systems for our families in our care and provide professional services when needed.  All young children should have access to high quality education. 

Early Childhood Resources

       NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

        

       NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

       NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

        

       NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

        

       NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

        

       NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

        

       Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

        

       FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.

       Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

       Websites:

        

o    World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us

o    World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/.

o    Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/

       National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

       The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/

       Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/

       WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

       Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

       FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/

       Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/

       HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/

       Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/

       Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/

       Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

       Institute for Women's Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/

       National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/

       National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/

       National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/

       Pre[K]Now
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

       Voices for America's Children
http://www.voices.org/

       The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/

 

Additional Resources

 

1. Aram, D. (2005). Continuity in children’s literacy achievements: A longitudinal perspective from kindergarten to school. First Language,25, 259–289.CrossRef
2. Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2008). Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
3. Bialystok, E. (1995). Making concepts of print symbolic: Understanding how writing represents language. First Language, 15, 317–338.CrossRef
4. Blair, R., & Savage, R. (2006). Name writing but not environmental print recognition is related to letter-sound knowledge and phonological awareness in 308 pre-readers. Reading and Writing, 19, 991–1016.CrossRef