A Note of Thanks

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.
Virginia Satir

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.
Stacia Tauscher
Thank you to all of my colleagues and a special thanks to Dr. Longo for the words of encouragement, support and the wonderful professional dialoguing throughout this course.  Good luck to all of you on your future endeavors! :)

Assessing Young Children

 As an educator, I am required to administer benchmark assessments that measure academic growth throughout the school year. These assessments are not developmentally appropriate and do not measure the whole child.  In an attempt to assess a child holistically, growth in all domains should be measured.  Standardized testing results can be misleading.  A child that has mastered the skills being assessed might be having a rough day (IE. tired, sick,) or may experience test anxiety and "fail" the test. In my particular classroom, where the students are native Spanish speakers, the children don't understand the directions and would benefit and be better able to show their knowledge if the directions were administered in their native language.  I use informal assessment through observation and this gives me a better idea of where my children are at academically, socially and emotionally.
  In Canada, a multi dimensional assessment of children in the state welfare system has begun.  Children are measured in the areas of  health, education, family and social relationships, identity, social presentation skills and emotional and behavioral development.  I found this to be very interesting.  Agencies, teachers and schools work together to assess the WHOLE child in order to gain information and provide programs that can best meet the individual needs.  I think this initiative is a model that should be used not only for children in the welfare system but for all school age children.  It is a multidimensional measure that I feel can provide a wealth of information about the whole child. As a teacher, the information collected from all of the above mentioned areas would be of great assistance in getting to know my students and enabling me to better meet his/her needs. 
Resources:
childindicators.org/docs/61.ppt

Stressors and Impacts

As I was thinking about this particular blog assignment, my own Kinder students came to mind.  Poverty and hunger are daily stressors for them.  Sometimes my neediest will begin stealing food from the cafeteria or from the daily breakfast that is provided for all students. Right or wrong,  I turn a blind eye as I know that they do not have enough food at home.  One specific example of poverty and the effects on children would be one from just last week.  A child in my room has been tardy or absent every day for the past 3 weeks.  He has been extremely lethargic and he is exhibiting aggressive behavior towards his peers. I was discussing my concern about his behavior with my colleagues and explained that I suspected something had changed at home.  Come to find out, it indeed had.  There is currently no electricity or water in their home.  It is chilly and the child has not been able to sleep, therefore making him tired and cranky.  His stress level is so high and he is expressing this through his aggressive behaviors in and outside of the classroom.  I immediately made some calls to try and connect the family with resources that my help them through this difficult time. 
 I decided to look at the effect of stressors on children in Mexico since that is where a large majority of my students come from.  I found that 61% children have seen or been victims of political or domestic violence.  This seemed like an alarmingly high percentage.  When these children are exposed to the violence, it has been found that they are likely to experience post traumatic stress syndrome and at a higher risk for an increased amount of  physical ailments. This is the part of the program and research that is not fun. :(  Having to inform and keep myself informed on the negative aspects of child development is heart wrenching but necessary.
Resources:

McCloskey, L. A., Fernández-Esquer, M. E., Southwick, K. and Locke, C. (1995), The psychological effects of political and domestic violence on Central American and Mexican immigrant mothers and children. Journal of Community Psychology, 23: 95–115.

Child Development and Public Health

 I chose breastfeeding as my topic of focus. As I looked at the list, it immediately sparked my interest.  I have a friend who is a huge advocate for breastfeeding and it's benefits. Until recently, I did not give breastfeeding much thought and did not realize the controversy and the need for advocacy for this topic. I knew it was "good" for babies and brain development and that it helped mom burn extra calories but couldn't tell you  much beyond that.  Through my research, I was able to explore many resources and take an in depth look at the host of  breastfeeding benefits.  For example, immediately after birth, breastfeeding provides infants with colostrum or "pre- milk" that contains  antibodies and  all necessary essential nutrients for baby. Breastfeeding exclusively for the first three months can reduce babies chances of  childhood diseases,  respiratory illness and gastrointestinal illness. It also has a positive economic impact in that with less illness, comes less money paid out by families for medical bills. Psychologically and emotionally, the skin to skin contact fosters secure attachment of infant and caregiver. 
  As I looked over the breastfeeding statics both at a national and global level, I was surprised to learn that despite the research on benefits, the United States ranked in the bottom 5 countries for babies that are breastfed at 3 or more months old. 74% of mom's attempt to breastfeed at birth, 33% are still breastfeeding infant at 3 months old and only 14% of infants are breastfeed exclusively at the age of 6 months.  The decrease seen from birth to 6 months is attributed to lack of support, cultural views , and lack of policies regarding breastfeeding. Unfortunately, controversy of breastfeeding in public and at the work place discourage many women from doing so. 
   I found that Southeast Asia has the highest rates of breastfed infants at 45% at 6 months of age. This sounds high in comparison to the other countries statics but is actually a  decline from 61%  of breastfed babies over the past 10 years.
  This topic is important to me as it is connected to other childhood public health issues such as malnutrition,  immunizations and clean water. Working in the early childhood field, it is up to me to become and remain informed so that I may share my knowledge and provide a support system as I advocate for children to ensure their healthy development and overall well being. 
References and good resources!
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/breastfeeding/breastfeeding_benefits.html
http://www.prb.org/Search.aspx?q=Breastfeeding%20Patterns%20in%20the%20Developing%20World
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/30/56/43136964.pdf
http://www.unicef.org/

Birthing Experience

When reading about this assignment, the birth of my first son.  He was born at 2:35 p.m. on March 24, 1997. This was quite an experience.  When I arrived at the hospital on Friday with contractions 3 minutes apart, I had no idea I would not deliver for another 4 days!  Long story short, I failed to progress,pushed for 6 hours and  eventually  the baby and I went into distress and I had an emergency c-section. My son was 9.12 oz 24 3/4 inches long and jaundice, he was the "freak of nature" in the nursery. My father said he looked like he had the hell beat out of him. He had a huge cone for a head. :(  After all that I have been learning about child development, I can't help but think this must have been a traumatic experience for him.
    At any rate, for the second part of this assignment I chose to research birth in the Netherlands.  In the Netherlands, a woman visits her doctor to confirm her pregnancy and upon confirmation, chooses a midwife.  Unless there are worries of complications, most women prepare for an at home natural birth. This is not at all like my experience as I saw an OB and planned a hospital birth the entire pregnancy.  I received an epidural and pain meds.  In the Netherlands, mothers must "sign-up" for a hospital birth and make their intentions of using pain meds known in writing. When  a woman enters labor, the midwife visits and soon a nurse to aid with the birth and check the child out after birth.  If a birth occurs in a hospital, mothers are sent home within hours of birth.  In my experience, had I had a vaginal birth I would have to stay only 24-48 hours, but since I had a C-section I stayed for 4 days.  In the Netherlands, there is a post natal program that all mothers are entitled to.  A nurse visits for a week to help with the baby and even house chores!  I wish that would have been the case for me!  Being a young mother I was "clueless" and felt overwhelmed.  Another interesting thing I learned about birth in the Netherlands was that Maternity leave must be taken for 10 weeks and it is paid!  If the mother is sick after the leave is up, she is entitled to 100% of her daily pay while she is home.  Unfortunately, I had to return to work, even after an infection, after 8 weeks or I would not be paid. :(

Reference:www.expatica.com/nl/family/kids/Maternity-matters-What-to-expect-in-the-Netherlands

Much Thanks! :)

Here I am at the end of my very first graduate course.  What a learning experience this has been!  Thank you to all of my classmates for the wonderful attitudes, resources and rich discussions that each of you brought to our foundations course.   I look forward to working with each of you again as we move another step forward in our ECS journey! Congratulations and best of luck to you as you continue your studies! :)

Examining Codes of Ethics

Every piece of these two documents is of great value and applicable to my profession! Although it was difficult to choose a few , below are three ideals that are particularly meaningful to me. 

1.To be familiar with the knowledge base of early

childhood care and education and to stay informed

through continuing education and training.
Teachers must be life-long learners.  It is crucial to remain current on best practices in order to continually meet the needs of all children in our classrooms.  The teaching profession is ever changing and the paradigm shifts often.  I MUST make it a priority to  remain up to date on current  research in order to implement best teaching practices in my classroom.    

2.To ensure that each child’s culture, language,

ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and

valued in the program.
  Diversity should be celebrated!  U.S. classrooms are the most diverse in the world.  As a teacher of Enlish Language Developmet,  I must foster safe and inviting learning environments in which students can feel comfortable actively engaging. so that they can learn.   In order to do so,  I must  lead by example to teach patience, tolerence and respect towards all. 

3.To establish and maintain relationships of

respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and

cooperation with co-workers.
  As Hillary Rodham Clinton said "It takes a village to raise a child."  Through collaboration with collegues,  we learn from each other and grow in professional knowledge as we work together towards a common goal of doing what is best for all studentss.  I know that if we do not trust and respect one another, we will not be able to effectively collaborate.

References:
Article: 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.pdfArticle: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/