Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources

Hello class, I hope you'll have been enjoying your weekend. As I stated on my previous post the website that I decided to research and study is http://www.dec-sped.org/. This website grabbed my interest because I felt like it would give me a lot of great information about the field of early childhood. This is yet another resource that I can refer to for my job, it is not only a great website for teachers but to me it is parent friendly also. The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children (0-8) who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities (http://www.dec-sped.org/). This is also an international membership organization for people who work on behalf of children 0-8 with disabilities (http://www.dec-sped.org/). The Division for Early Childhood was started in 1973 by a group of volunteers who cared deeply about the development of young children with special needs. DEC is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents (http://www.dec-sped.org/). This organization is governed by an executive board who help to makes policies for the early childhood field. They are always looking for volunteers to offer the expertise in the early childhood field.

There is a link on the website that allows you to go to two journals one is a journal for issues dealing with exceptional children. When I clicked on the link for the journal for exceptional children there were so many different journals to choose from.  The one that caught my eye is entitled Engaging Children with Autism in Shared Book Reading:  Strategies for Parents. I have had several children in my room with autism but this past year was one of the roughest years. There are so many different symptoms of autisms, I honestly feel that no case of autism is the same. Autism and ADHD are two things that I am always trying to read up on and get information on. This journal express how important it is for parents of children with Autism to engage them in literacy and books in an early age. It gives parents great tips on how to engage them in exploring and reading books. For instance one of the suggestions is that parents create and appropriate reading environment and routine for children. It also suggest things like choosing books on things that children are interested in and to provide choices. These are things that can not only be done at home but can be done at school. Overall this was a very great journal, this would be good to put in my classroom since we promote literacy as a part of school readiness. If you’ll would like to read the article here is the website that should take you directly to it via pdf file http://yec.sagepub.com/content/18/1/3.2.full.pdf+html. Also there were hundreds more of articles that give great information on children with disabilities feel free to visit the website to view them. Everything on this website in my opinion deals with diversity because when working with children with special needs there are certain things that have to be done in the classroom to meet their needs. What do you’ll think?

Reference

 http://www.dec-sped.org

 

 

 http://yec.sagepub.com/content/18/1/3.2.full.pdf+html 

(fox13now.com)

(theautismblog.seattlechildrens)

 

 

 

 

E stablishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

E stablishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

 

 

Hello class, this has been an exciting week in class thus far. I found our blog assignment to be very interesting and exciting. I often wonder how the early childhood field is in other countries, so of course to actually be able to correspond with an early childhood professional from a different country would be very rewarding to me. I visited Jamaica once and fell in love with the country. The beauty of nature there is literally breath taking, and their culture and way of living is definitely one of a kind. However while I was there vacationing I didn’t get to learn to much about their educational system. I have had family who lived in Japan twice, due to them being a military family. I have always wanted to go there, their culture is very interesting to me. I really like how they are very serious about education, so therefore I would love to correspond with an early childhood educator from there as well.

When I went to the NAEYC link that had the list of e-mails of early childhood professionals it said “Access Denied”, which was very disappointing. Did this happen to anyone else? Once this happened I proceeded to go to the UNICEF web site. I really how well organized it is, after exploring the site I found the e-mail addresses of personnel for Jamaica and Japan. I e-mailed them both, as of now no one has e-mailed me back yet but the representative from UNICEF of Japan. Unfortunately she stated that at this time no one in their office had time to assist me due to their heavy work load. I have not heard anything from UNICEF in Jamaica. “I think I may lean more towards the alternate assignment for part 1. Reason being I don’t want to be late on my assignments due to lack of communication between myself and the chosen early childhood professional. At least with the pod cast I know they are there and I can listen to them and turn my assignments in a timely manner.    I still plan on e-mailing other early childhood professionals from other countries I might have some luck!

The website that I choose to explore is http://www.dec-sped.org/. I choose to explore and study this website because since I have been an EHS teacher I have taught many students with disabilities. This website is an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children (0-8) with disabilities and other special needs and their families. ​I feel that I could learn to better serve children with disabilities from the information that is on this site. I look forward to researching this site further. When deciding which website to study I would say choose based on something that really interest you!

(Jamaican early childhood students and teacher)

(Japanese early childhood students)

 

 

Reference

pngncee.org

digiceljamaicafoundation.org 

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ 

 

 

Daily Supports

My Supports

As I have gotten older I have begun realize how important it is to have support. I don’t care how old you are or where you are in life you will always need some type of support in life. I am very thankful for my support system, I don’t know where I would be without them. My mom supports me daily by taking and picking my daughter up from school. She helps her with her homework before I get off of work and also feeds her. So by the time I get home all I have to do is hear all about her day and tell her about mine. My mom is heaven sent, I work out of town so my mom also handles things for me that I can’t because of my work schedule. It’s like wherever there is a loose end my mom is there to mend it back together for me and I appreciate her for that. My next support sad to say is my cell phone, my cell phone is a life saver. It allows me to get messages at work when the lines are tied up and also to take to family members who live miles away. I can check my e-mails from it, video chat, text, etc. My cell phone allows me to do a lot in the absence of my lap top, not to mention it gives me comfort while I am riding the dangerous highways by myself. A lot of us would be lost without our phones and I know I would be one of them. Lastly my family and my friends are my biggest support. They keep me motivated to keep going and not to let anything get in my way. Whenever I need help or fall short they are always there to help me. Every now and then I need a little extra push to keep myself afloat of things and they are right there to give it to me.

If I did not have the supports that I have I would honestly be lost in life. I could survive without my cellphone but without my mom and the rest of my family and friends I would be nothing. If it wasn’t for my mom I know getting my daughter to and from school would be a hard task even though it would get done. I wouldn’t be able to get a lot of things done while I am at work, because I don’t get a break or that much free time while I am there. It makes a world of difference when you know you are loved and supported. My mom and family have helped me to become the woman that I am today. I haven’t always made the best decisions in life but through it all they have been there for and I am forever grateful for their daily support.

It was very hard for me to think of myself with a specific challenge, but then I thought about it things happen at the blink of an eye you can be up today and down tomorrow. So the challenge that I choose was if I was blind. I choose this challenge because I have a classmate that was trying to help a young lady who getting raped and beat. In the process the men who were attacking the young lady jumped on my classmate and beat him so badly he lost his vision in both eyes. I am friends with him on face book and I see the daily struggles that he goes though. As odd as it might sound I admire him for trying to take care of himself and his elderly mother. He even still tries to enjoy some of his favorite past times like fishing with the assistance of friends. I often think to myself how would I handle being blind? Would I give up on life and become totally dependent on others? Or would I be brave and try to be as independent my classmate? I feel that I would definitely needs the support of my family and friends. I would also learn brail and use my others senses to move around in my home and maybe even the outside environment. I would maybe even consider having a service animal to help me be more independent. I would look forward to learning a lot from maybe even a school for people who are blind.

If I didn’t have the support have the support of my family and friends I would be ok but things would be a little harder to do, if I were blind. My mom is very resourceful so I know she would help me to find public transportation to help me get around, which is something that I might have trouble setting up myself. My family could help take care of me also so without them like I stated before I could make it but it would just be a little harder to get things done. I couldn’t imagine not being able to see my daughters face or the beautiful morning and evening skies. I would hope that I could still work in the field of education. But if it ever was the lords willing for me to be this way I would just have to pray and hope that my support system would remain strong.

 

My Connections to Play

My connections to Play

It is a happy talent to know how to play.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
American writer
1803–1882 (http://www.museumofplay.org/education/education-and-play-resources/play-quotes)

Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.

Abraham Maslow
American psychologist
1908–1970 (http://www.museumofplay.org/education/education-and-play-resources/play-quotes)

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.

Fred Rogers
American television personality
1928–2003(http://www.museumofplay.org/education/education-and-play-resources/play-quotes)

My Connections to Play 

When I was younger my family didn’t really promote play, although we played often. I spent a lot of time at my grandmother’s house. Most of the time she was showing my cousins and me how to work in the garden and cook. We did a lot of outside play which was running, jumping, and riding bikes. No one ever voiced how playing was healthy for our overall development. I think they were happy that we played so that we could tire ourselves out, and go to sleep when it was time to go in the house. I don’t think the importance of play was stressed within my family when I was growing up because my family was busy trying to take care of us. However play was stressed a school, I remember my teachers saying play helped us to burn calories so we didn’t become over weight. There was never a direct correlation between play and healthy development mentioned to us. My parents provided me with lots of toys as a child, however I never really had an imagination honestly I was into what it was like to be an adult. At school when I was in pre-k through kindergarten there was plenty opportunities for play. We had various centers to go through daily and spent most of the day in those centers learning different skills.

Today play is much more complex and backed up by research and studies. There are facts proven by professionals on how play is very important to the healthy development of children. The importance of play is stressed to educators so they can use it to teach children based on their interest.  There have been studies on the different types of play and how each of them have a significance in regard to healthy child development. The goals and standards of early childhood are somewhat based on the importance of play. Teachers now are taught how it is ok to guide play by setting up different activities in centers. I actually hope that the importance of play keeps being encouraged until the end of time. So that children can continue having fun while learning and gaining skills that they will need through their life. Even though I am an early educator I have to admit I am still not a huge fan of playing, like I mentioned earlier this stemmed from my childhood. However when a child approached me in and wants to engage in play I am right there and ready to make their wildest dream come true and bring everything from their imagination to life. One of my favorite center is dramatic play every day my students and I bring something new alive in the classroom. My imagination might not be big like others, but I do know that through imagination anything is possible, imagination to me is sometimes like music it’s an universal language that we all understand.

Reference

http://www.museumofplay.org/education/education-and-play-resources/play-quotes

Relationship Reflection

Relationship Reflection

The blog assignments have been my favorite assignments since I started classes. When I saw what we had to do for this assignment I immediately began to think about all the relationships that I have had in my life. I even began to analyze a few of my friendships, which stirred up a lot of emotions. In life we come in contact with a lot of people for many different reasons. Some of those people are made to stay in our life a lifetime and other are only meant to stay in our lives for a season. I feel that there is a lesson that comes out of every relationship that we have in life whether it be with a person or a pet.

Relationships are important to me because they give me a sense of security and belonging. They make me feel like somebody actually understands me and accepts me in spite of my flaws and other imperfections. Relationships are also important to me because they help me to see things from just my point of view, which is something that I am still currently on. Relationships somewhat better me as a person because I learn so much from other people. Relationships make me feel as if I have support team that believes in me and is always there to pick me up when I am down. No one wants to be alone even if they say it, that’s just human nature we were meant to interact and have relationships with one another.

My mom is my, everything and she means the world to me and more. I value our relationship and have the upmost respect for it. She tells me when I am wrong and she tells me when I am right, and I love that about her. She is always there when I need her and has tried her best to prepare for the time in life when we might not be together. I can talk to her about anything I value her opinion even if I disagree with it. Like other relationships in my life we have had our ups and downs but our love and mother daughter bond has helped us to conquer all. I know a lot of people who don’t even speak to their moms and it is so foreign to me because I could never imagine not having a relationship with my mom. Because when the smoke clears and everything is said and done I know my mom is always going to be the one that is right there beside me supporting me in everything that I do.

My daughter is the love of my, apple of my eye. Our relationship is very special to me also, if only she knew the influence that she has on me. Everything I do is so she has better life than I did and a better chance at succeeding in life. My daughter is only six but she is just as supportive of me as I am to her. I make sure that I am open with her to a certain level, so that she can see me for who I am and others to. I make sure our relationship is positive so that when gets older she doesn’t go seeking love in all the right places. I constantly tell her how wonderful she is and how she can do anything that she puts her mind to. She knows if she doesn’t have anyone she has “Mommy”.

I spend the majority of time at work like most working people. I feel that it is very important to not only be professional in the work place, but to build professional relationship as well. In early head start there are no teacher assistance there are all teachers. My co-teacher is simply amazing, her name is Marlene. We have been working together for five years now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our relationship means the world to me, she is always so positive. There are some days that I come in and I am just feeling down. She knows exactly what to say to give me that boost I need to carry on with my day. She’s very gifted when it comes to art and decorating. You should see our classroom, it is beautiful thanks to her. Out of the five years we have been working together I can count on my hand how many times we have had a disagreement and even then it was nothing major. I am so thankful for the patience that she has with me because I can be a little head strong at times. I am so blessed to have this work-friendship with her because sometimes it’s hard to deal with the same people every day.  She is truly heaven sent!

My cousin Carla is simply an angel who choose to give up her wings and come to live on earth. Our relationship began when I was a little girl. She is older than me but always took up time with me, even though she had her own children. I value our relationship because like my mom she doesn’t mind telling me when I am wrong and what I need to do to fix things. She is always right there when I need her and also helps me with my daughter, who simply adores her. I don’t think she has a negative bone in her body, she is always so positive, loving, and understanding. She helps me to be more in tune to my spiritual side, prayer is her specialty. Not only is she my cousin but she is one of my best friends and has always been, I couldn’t be any luckier. She helps me to think with reason in my darkest hour, and encourages me to take everything I do to the next level and not to worry about what anyone thinks or says. I am grateful to have her in my life.

 

The biggest challenge that I have ran into when over my years of maintaining relationships is communication. A lot of times the lines of communication break down and there is either no communication at all or things that are being said seem to get misinterpreted. Often times when this happens one or both parties shut down, which doesn’t help things at all. You have to keep the lines of communication open so you can talk things out and see what’s going on with each other. All of the characteristics that I named about the relationships that I have are special characteristics in my opinion, they are all special to my love and I. They are definitely partnerships because we both learn from one another and bring something to the relationship.

My ability to maintain relationships will help me as an early childhood professional, by giving me the tools to learn to have and maintain professional relationships. When working in the education there will always be times when it will be good to have friends in other professionals that can help you in your time of need. Whether it be a relationship with someone in the community that parents can be referred to so they can receive assistance, or another professional in education. Who can come maybe do workshops for parents or staff development trainings. My ability to maintain relationships will also help me as an early childhood professional by enabling me to have healthy relationships with my parents and students, even the ones that are difficult. I am great for all the many lesson that my relationships have taught me and I am still learning. t be ur time of need. wme of need.vWheere will always be times when it will be good to have friends in other profession

When I Think Of Child Development

I have known I have wanted to work in the field of education every since I was a little girl. As I got older I was able to do tutoring and work in summer programs which allowed me to gain experience. I learned so much from the teachers that I worked with, I admired them for their knowledge and wisdom. Since I have been an EHS teacher I have learned just as much from the children as they have learned from me. It amazing to see them develop from the time you get them. I feel like before my career is over I will end up working with middle or high school students. Early Childhood education will forever be in my heart. Below you will find some quotes about children that I like, I hope you enjoy!

Free the child's potential and you will transform them into the world-Maria Montessori (Bird 2012)

For children play is as natural as breathing, and as necessary- MIMI Brodsky Chenfeld (Bird 2012)

It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men- Frederick Douglas (Bird 2012)

“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.” – Stacia Tauscher - See more at: (http://www.positivemotivation.net/early-childhood-education-quotes/#sthash.QCH22O5g.dpuf)

“In early childhood you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry of idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe.” – Lydia Sigourney - See more at: (http://www.positivemotivation.net/early-childhood-education-quotes/#sthash.QCH22O5g.dpuf )

“Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression. – Dr. Hiam Ginnot - See more at: (http://www.positivemotivation.net/early-childhood-education-quotes/#sthash.QCH22O5g.dpuf )

Children must be taught how to think not what to thing-Margaret Mead (My favorite quote of all).

I also want to give an professional thanks to my colleagues Melody and Nicole. You two were both very inspirational to me in your blogs and discussion boards. Each week I looked forward to what new bright idea's and aspects you both were going to share. I want to also thank both of you'll for being professional at all times and always offering a kind word. You both are going to be master educators in whatever field of education that you choose to work in. Keep your heads held high and don't let any one or anything distract you off of your path to success. I wish you both the best and I also hope to see in our next class.

I look forward to continuing my studies, and I wish all of my classmates nothing but the best!









References

Bird, Kendell (2012) 12 Motivational Education Quotes to Inspire You http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/12-motivational-education-quotes-to-inspire-you/

http://www.positivemotivation.net/early-childhood-education-quotes/#sthash.QCH22O5g.dpuf

Childhood Assesments

                                                                          Childhood Assessments

I am not one that’s big on assessments and test, and this is for personal reasons. When I was in school it’s like my life revolved around preparing for EOG’s. However as an early childhood teacher I do recognize the need to assessed children, so that we can see where they are developmentally. Children are always growing and changing so of course I feel that we should assess and measure their physical growth over time. So that if they are not developing normally there can be some type of intervention or treatment sought. I have to be honest I feel that assessing children in school to see what skills they have mastered is necessary only to see if they are performing at grade level. If results show otherwise they should not be used to hold children back or to label children. Instead they should be used for personalized educational plans that map out how children are going to get to the level that they should be on. If they are already on grade level their plan should state how they will be challenged. I am whole hearty against regular standardized testing in schools because I feel like they cheat teachers and students. Because some children are not good test takers and secondly teachers cannot literally place information in the head of a child. This week in our text we learned about IQ test which produces a score that measures the overall intelligence of a person (Berger 2016). This is a test that I feel that could be done for fun, but not for valid results. Because over the years the results of IQ test have been questioned.

I love to travel and one of the places that I would like to travel to is China. Chinese parents are very avid about their children’s education.  Student engagement in the classroom is prized. Students are expected to be full participants in the lessons, which often include problem solving individually or in groups. This emphasis on student engagement is common in Chinese schools, but Shanghai schools have been leaders in focusing on understanding and application rather than memorization and have even instituted a limit on the number of hours of homework a student may be assigned per day (http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/shanghai-china/shanghai-china-instructional-systems/). Chinese children go through a formative amount of assessments throughout their time in school. At the end of their lower and secondary year of school they have to take a graduation examination. They even take tests that will help to determine if they will be accepted into college when they finish high school. All tests are given locally put differ depending on what part of China the child lives in. In 1985, the Ministry of Education granted Shanghai the right to create its own higher education entrance examination. This privilege has been granted to an increasing number of regions since then.  Since 2001, the Shanghai examination has been based on the principle of testing what students can do, rather than what they can memorize, and includes “integrated papers” – essay questions in which students must demonstrate knowledge from multiple disciplines in order to respond (http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/shanghai-china/shanghai-china-instructional-systems/). China’s education system is very rigorous especially for the older children because they expect them to further their education, so that they can be productive members of society. I feel like all countries have their youths best interest at heart as far as education, they just have different was about do it.

                    

Reference

Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/shanghai-china/shanghai-china-instructional-systems/)