Final Blog Assignment

I have really enjoyed learning about early childhood education in other countries.  I was disappointed at not being able establish communication with one of the contacts because I was really looking forward to that aspect of the class; however, I still learned a lot through the readings.  The consequences of learning about the international early childhood field helped me in both my professional and personal development.  On the first assignment, I learned about the situation of poverty in Africa.  Those children will continue to live in those circumstances if they are not educated and taught how to rise out of poverty.  Some places such as Kenya and Tanzania are making improvements such as making education free which has opened the door to millions of children and more schools are opening up in Tanzania.  The situation of poverty is bad regardless of where it is but the children in Africa have it far worse than those in America.  Another interesting country was Bangkok.  I liked how they place more of an emphasis on the child learning about their culture, history, and to have respect and values.  These are more important for the citizens of Bangkok than the education.  It was also great reading about Zambia and how they are beginning to realize the importance of EC education and are taking the necessary steps to test the children for malaria which affects a lot of the children there and their development.  Zambia is known for their children being the furthest behind; malaria is a primary cause of it.  I love it when people take steps to help children in particular.  I am hoping that all international countries will realize the importance of EC and take the necessary steps to ensure that their children have a chance at the best future possible for them.

My reference for the last post:

Jo-Kim, G. (2013, 25 March).Vox Pop: What are some of the three most important skills a child should learn?  UNESCO.

International Contacts-Part 3

This week I chose to research UNESCO's "Early Childhood and Care and Education" webpage.  There was an interesting article by Jo-Kim of Bangkok about his opinion the the three important things that a child should learn.  “Firstly, they need to learn about culture – culture is a kind of glue, it keeps us together. It’s like tea with sugar – it creates flavor and the color we need. Secondly, values and respect. Do we respect our parents and elders enough? Are the gaps here increasing? We need to keep in mind that education comes from home – our families are the first “teachers” in our lives. They are crucial to us so respect and values are important. Thirdly, history – we should know our past so we can improve our future" (Jo-Kim, 2013).  Most of the opinions on the educators from Bangkok were similar.  They believe that character and respect are very important to being a good human being.  Basic educational skills and communication skills for working are also needed, but the child must understand their history so that they know where they fit in in the world.  I actually agree with them.  Every person should know their culture and understand who they really are and they need to know how to cope in the world in which they live .  Education is important, but it is also important to be a good person.  All of this ties into the battle that we are currently facing with our preschools.  Some think that education is everything, and forget that the child also needs to learn how to cope in the world.  It is primarily up to the parents to teach children that aspect of life, but it helps when teacher reinforce those rules from home.

Some of my professional goals are to open a preschool and hire quality teachers to work for me.  I believe that there has to be a balance of education, play time, and teaching children how to be good people who treats everyone with respect.  I volunteer at my church in the children's ministry and although we teach them about stories in the Bible, we also teach them things like sharing, apologizing when they have hurt someone or their feelings, and placing them in time out if needed.  They are learning how to get along with others which is important during the younger years as well as how to sit and listen, raise hands to speak, and so forth.  I think about every moment as if I were in my future classroom and handle each situation accordingly.

Sharing Web Resources- Part III

This week I chose an article from my organization NAEYC.  There was an interesting article in the Young Children (YC) magazine called, Supporting Peer Relationships and Social Competence in Inclusive Preschool Programs.  This article was so amazing because it described how teachers can use situations that arise in the classrooms among peers as teaching moments.  There were a couple of situations that occurred such as this 3 1/2 year old little boy with autism run into the block station excitedly and kicks the blocks in all directions.  One kid yelled, "you're stupid."  Another child with cerebral palsy issues was using a prism to draw a rainbow and got interrupted by another student by the prism getting snatched from her so that the other girl could draw it better.  These are the types of conflicts that take place in preschool settings.  In this inclusive preschool setting, the teachers helped them to iron out the situation. Situations that involve young children with special needs serve as windows into children's social-emotional skills and needs.  They also highlight teaching opportunities.  Teachers play an essential role in showing preschoolers how to manage peer relationships successfully.  Peer conflict is typical for young children but it still requires the assessment of a teacher (NAEYC, 2013).  The goal of inclusive programs are to create an atmosphere in which positive peer relationships can flourish.  In these programs, children with special needs have full access to all aspects of the learning environment, opportunities to actively participate and adequate supports for success.  The main thing of importance are the social skills and social competence of teaching and learning.  Children learn how to navigate a complex world of friendships and adult relationships in environments of new rules, routines, and expectations for such behaviors as waiting, conversing, sharing small and large group spaces, and taking turns.  All of these are important to a child's social abilities.  Inclusive preschools are great because the teachers are involved more with the students which is exactly how it should be when children are this young.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

I still have not heard from my international contacts and have not had any luck with new ones.  I have chosen to focus on the Early childhood systems around the globe; particularly Zambia.  The global program focuses on three strategic areas;
- Reframing the discourse around child health and development
-Supporting innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects, and
- Building leadership capacity in child development research and policy

The three strategic areas listed above has led to the Global Children's Initiative beginning to build a portfolio of activities in three domains;
- Early childhood development, child mental health, and children in crisis and conflict situations

Zambia has very little evidence available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa.  The Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) was developed in 2009 as a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children's development in Zambia.  A new comprehensive tool for assessing children's physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development was created before the children began school and throughout their careers in school.  This was actually one of their first assessment tools.  In May of 2010 they came up with a test called the Zambian Child Assessment Test (ZamCAT).  This test combines their old knowledge with new knowledge to see their development of preschool aged children according to the Zambian context.  Countries overseas are beginning to realize the importance of early childhood development and the effects of poor health on development as well.

Reference:
Center on the Developing Child Harvard University Global Children's Initiative. (2013). Zambian early childhood development project. Retrieved from: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiaive/global_initiative

Technology and Young Children- Effective Classroom Practice: Infants and Toddlers

I chose this article from my NAEYC website because my children absolutely love technology.  I was also interested in this article because with technology being so prominent, I wanted to see how technology would play a role in early childhood settings.  Just recently my 17 1/2 month old loves to watch the Mickey Mouse app on my iPad.  He doesn't really pay attention to it, but every time he sees my iPad, he says, "mouse" and begins to cry if I do not give it to him!  I know it is not good for young children to really engage in technology before the age of 2, so I try to be strict.  However, he wants to do what my four year old and 13 year old does.

According to NAEYC, during the earliest years children should interact with primarily with people.  They need to freely explore, manipulate, and test everything (NAEYC, n.d.).  If infants and toddlers use technology it should be safe, sturdy, and not easily damaged.  If used, it must be in the context of conversation and interaction with an adult.  Also an adult should act as a mediator and co-player.  Passive screen time is not good for them and should be avoided.  In the future, if more technological programs are created for schools and maybe in a variety of languages, this could help teachers incorporate creative play and incorporate culture into their programs especially when more than one language is represented in the classroom.

Poverty in Africa

Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world. In much of Africa south of the Sahara, harsh environmental conditions exacerbate the conditions of poverty. Dry and barren land covers large expanses of this region. As the poor try to eke out livings through farming and other subsistence practices, they exhaust the land, using up the soil nutrients needed to grow crops. Over time this has led to desertification, a process in which once fertile land turns to desert. During the late 20th century, desertification contributed to famines in a number of African nations, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Mali. Political instability and wars in many sub-Saharan countries have also contributed to poverty. As a result of such factors, the number of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa grew from 217 million in 1987 to more than 300 million in 1998.

• 200,000 child slaves are sold every year in Africa. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone. (sources: BBC 5 October, 2001 & Anti-Slavery Society)
• About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: Africa Children’s Charter)
• Children account for half of all civilian casualties in wars in Africa.(source: Africa 2015)
• One in six African children dies before the age of five. Most of these deaths could be prevented. (source: Africa 2015)
• Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight.(source: UNICEF)
• In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: UNICEF)
• Between 12 and 14 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. (source: World Bank/UNICEF)
• Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive. (source: UNICEF)
• 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF)
• 64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation.(source: UNICEF)
• Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (source: Africa 2015)
• For every 100 boys there are only 83 girls enrolled at primary school.(source: World Bank/UNICEF)
  A number of countries within Africa have made real progress:
  • In the last five years, Mozambique has reduced poverty from 70% to 55% and has doubled the number of children in school; 
  • Kenya has introduced free primary education, which has brought 1.2 million children back into school; 
  • In Tanzania, 1000 new schools have been built and 18,000 teachers recruited.  This will enable Tanzania to achieve the goal of primary education for all in 2006 – 9 years before the target date of 2015;
  • Uganda has reduced HIV from 20% in 1991 to around 6.5% in 2001.  The experience of Uganda in relation to HIV/AIDS shows that with political will the tide of an epidemic can be turned;
  These are just a few examples of what can be done.
  
  Countries in the north are recognizing that partnerships with countries based on a commitment by both sides brings real benefits in the long term.  High and predictable levels of resources to countries that have a credible Poverty Reduction Strategy and the political will and capacity to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals can reduce poverty (this is the case in Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Rwanda).

Sharing Web Resources

The "Foundations" course really opened my eyes to all of the early childhood resources that are available.  If a person wants to be the best that they can be at their craft, there are many resources available to assist them.  After researching just about all of the early childhood resources out there, I decided to become a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  The focus of the NAEYC is to educate people on how to be the best at teaching young children.  The website also provides information on accredited programs in your state and updated policy information is also available.  This organization is awesome because I receive the magazines or journals; Young Children (YC) and Teaching Young Children (TYC).  The articles are quite interesting and offer lots of crafty teaching ideas especially for someone like myself who has not one creative bone!  NAEYC also offers conferences yearly, and I subscribe to a newsletter.  The newsletters pretty much stick to things regarding children.  I'll admit that I do not read the articles as much as I do the magazines.  The magazines do offer information on diversity and I remember reading an article that offered suggestions to teaching in a diverse classroom.  I also subscribe to several blog conversations or newsletters through Linkedin such as; Early Childhood Education, and Teaching Infants and Young Children.  I receive ongoing conversations from these sites almost daily.

My links are;
http://www.naeyc.org/
https://www.linkedin.com
The forums in Linkedin are entitled- Early Childhood Education, Child Care, and CCR&R Professionals Forum Group Members and Teaching Infants and Toddlers Group Members

Establishing Contacts

I have not established contact with anyone as of yet.  I have sent out several emails to people in Haiti and Lebanon.  I am not going to give into the second option because I believe that someone will write me back.  I will email a few others from the list and if I do not hear from anyone by Wednesday, I will have to resort to the other option.  I am really looking forward to this assignment and corresponding with someone from another country to learn about their early childhood programs.

My Supports

I have several support systems, but on a daily basis my family provides the support that I need.  Lately I have been so busy trying to juggle family responsibilities, school, extra curricular activities, social functions, and most important take care of myself (i.e. exercising).  It is easy to get stressed out with my current lifestyle, but my family helps me to find balance and calm me down when I get a little overwhelmed.  My husband is a football coach outside of his normal job as an officer in the Navy.  He typically comes home Monday-Thursday evenings, changes and heads back out for practice along with my 13 year old son.  The games are on Wednesday nights which I attend because I have to be out there cheering loudly for my son and hubby.  Then, every Monday night I have another class that I am taking at the University of Oregon from 6-9, so the babysitter comes over for a couple of hours until my husband comes home.  She is amazing and I am so grateful that I have found someone that is reliable and who I can trust.  Usually, I do not get to do my school work until 8:30 p.m. and I'm exhausted by 11.  Most times I can read while my youngest son is napping and get my discussion question answered.  I have learned how to maximize my time and find what works best for me.  My husband is amazing at taking the kids off of my hands and letting me lock myself in the bedroom to work uninterrupted on the weekends.  My oldest son loads the dishwasher and does a lot to help out also.  Although, I am busy, I know that this is only a temporary situation.  I chose to attend school at this present time because my husband will not be deployed for 2 1/2 years.  I have to do what is best for me and utilize my resources and time.  It is hard and I feel tired all the time, but this is what has to be done so that I can start my career when my husband has to deploy again and all of my children will be in school.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful support system.  I could not imagine my life without my family because they are my everything.  When I complain, I have to remember that some people have it far worse than I do.

I do not want to imagine myself with a specific challenge, but battling a major disease such as cancer would require lots of emotional and physical support.  I admire people who have overcome illnesses and live to be a support system for others who are going through the same struggle.  Without my family, I probably would not survive such a disease because I tend to feel sorry for myself and with a major illness, self motivation is the first step; family support is equally important.  I know the spirit of my husband and I feel so safe and secure with him because I know that he will be there for me and my children through better or worse and I for him.

My Connections to Play

“The very existence of youth is due in part to the necessity for play; the animal does not play because he is young, he has a period of youth because he must play.” Karl Groos (German evolutionary biologist)

 

“The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” ~ Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)

 

My parents were very supportive of play.  I grew up in a rural area with my five siblings, lots of nieces and nephews, and cousins that lived next door.  Several of my school friends also lived nearby.  The neighborhoods were safe to the point where we never locked our door.  We were allowed to play all day and we actually enjoyed it.  My parents would come out with us at times and play kickball or basketball or watch us ride the bicycle and so forth.  Overall, they probably got lots of alone time because we were outside all day which gave them a break as well.  Play today is definitely different!  My oldest son will sit inside all day and play video games and watch TV if I allowed him to do so.  I make it a point to take my younger children outside daily to allow them to get a sense of how I grew up.  They love to play outside and go to the park.  I even allow them to go in the backyard and play alone with one another so that they can use their imaginations or figure things out without me there to step in.  Play is still the same in that children love only need a few items to enjoy themselves.  They are happy are long as they are loved and shown attention.  My children love it more when I chase them around the yard than they do playing with some toy. 

 

I am thankful to have grown up in the era that I did.  We were a generation that respected and feared adults.  We were honest and communicated with one another by calling them on the phone or going to their door and asking their parents if they could come out and play.  However, I do appreciate  the convenience of technology and make it a point to learn about these things because my children are growing up in a technological era.  With that being said, I still teach them the importance of respect and allow them to have play dates with their friends at a park or some type of physical play. 

 

 

My 3 favorite items as a child: a bicycle, kickball, and a tree.  As a child I rode my bike everyday.  On the weekends my siblings and cousins would play outside all day.  We played kickball all the time which was a blast because there were enough of us to have teams and we used the telephone poles (which were in the perfect locations) for bases; and  the yard was huge, so plenty of exercise.  I was a tomboy, so climbing trees was a must. 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

The relationship in my life that is of the most importance is my higher power, then my husband.  It took a lot for me to reach a point where I could trust a relationship again, because I dealt with a lot in my previous marriage.  Once I began to converse with my husband over nine years ago, I knew that he was a good man who would one day be my husband; but most importantly I could tell that he was a man who loved the Lord.  Having a positive, loving, and trusting relationship is very important to me.  I love being in a relationship because I have a lifetime companion with whom I can discuss my deepest fears, concerns, and dreams.  I can also be myself with him like no one else.  My husband/partner constantly challenges me to be the best that I can be even when I want to give up and keeps me in check when I get whiny and start to feel sorry for myself.  He also helps me to see things from a different point of view without being condescending or aggressive when I am so "passionate" about certain issues.  It is important to me that I have someone that I am still very much in love with and with whom I can be silly, have an intellectual conversation, or just sit in silence comfortably.  We have always had the chemistry, but reaching the point of understanding and fully respecting one another took communication, discussing common goals, and working towards them together.  Now we have three beautiful children that we can raise in a happy and loving home while teaching them to be respectful and kind to others and productive members of society.

The next relationships of importance are my children.  The reason why I have them listed in this order is because I was taught that the husband is to be placed before the children.  Eventually your children will grow up and leave your nest; therefore it is important that I maintain my strong connection with my husband.    Many couples end up divorcing after the children leave the nest because they no longer have anything in common.  Even though the children will receive most of your attention (because they need it), it is still vital to stay close with your spouse.  I love my children dearly and one of the very important things that I have learned is patience.  Before having children, I was intolerant of misbehavior from children and pretty much thought they were just snot nosed little brats.  If I was in a store and saw a child screaming over a toy or yelling at their parents...the list goes on, I would always say that the child could not be mine.  Now that I am a mother, I have respect for all mothers!  Children will be children and the important thing is to love them unconditionally, teach them right from wrong and to follow through by remaining accountable to your word.  I have many friendships and relationships that are positive, but the ones of my family are the most important.

In my opinion, when the relationships in the home are secure, everything else falls into place.  The fact that I am a mother of three little boys ages 12, 3, and 15 months, helped to raise many of my nieces and nephews, and a volunteer at my church with the infants through fifth graders provides me with the abilities to be an effective early childhood professional.  I have to deal with the parents constantly when checking the children in and out at church.  That type of communication with the parents is definitely not like some of the professionals in my classes but I am gaining the experience while traveling as a military spouse and a full-time mother.

Childhood Quotes

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

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Testing for Intelligence?

There have been many debates regarding assessment tests and whether or not they are an accurate measure of  child's intelligence.  I feel that the assessment tests are necessary in determining if a child is ready to take certain classes.  It also helps at narrowing down which teachers are doing their job.  I feel the test are usually based on the knowledge that a child should have up to the point of testing (such as grade level).  There are some instances where some children do not test well and in that case the situation is not fair, but overall the tests are usually a good indicator of the child's intelligence of the subjects on the test.  The sad thing is that the standardized test that is given to children in their 10th grade year of high school is on an 8th grade level and a huge percentage fail the test on their first try.  Something is definitely wrong with our school system if children can pass a basic test that determines whether or not they will graduate.  Recent psychologists such as Gardner developed the eight emotional or personality intelligences which I feel is great because a test is taken to determine a person's strengths such as music or mathematics etc.  I love this approach because it helps people to realize that they are intelligent in many ways besides the typical stereotype that if you are good at math, you are intelligence.

China places a high value on education.  The children attend school on weekdays from 7 am to 4 pm and are required to attend half days on Saturdays.  They only have one month off for summer break and a couple of week long breaks.  They start preparing the children for college early on.  Before the curriculum reform, it was the case that, for almost all teachers, principals and government officers throughout China, student evaluation or assessment was simply viewed as examinations and tests.  Students needed to pass numerous after-class-tests, module tests, mid-term tests, term tests, year tests, graduation tests and two important public examinations: the senior secondary entrance exams and university entrance exams during his/her school years (Lingbiao, 2007).  All the mid-term tests, term tests and year tests were organized externally and students were ranked according to their scores in these tests beginning in their first year of elementary schooling.  Students’ scores in these tests also affected their teachers’ income – in almost all schools, the distribution of a bonus (a part of teachers’ incomes in China) among teachers was based on their students’ achievement in tests and examinations.  Recently, the new national curriculum changed the objectives of school curriculum from focusing only on knowledge delivery to a wider perspective of student development in three dimensions: knowledge and skills, process and methods, and, emotion, attitude and value.  In my opinion, this is a good change because they are still children and should be allowed to let loose sometimes.  The importance of traditional subject knowledge was still taken into account in the new curriculum; however, more attentions were placed to student real life knowledge and capacities in solving practical problems.  Teachers were encouraged to make their class more interactive and problem solving related to promote student learning in a more active and enquiry way.  The concept of evaluation changed from valuing only student achievement of learning into valuing both the results as well as process of learning. Educators and teachers were invited to develop new approaches and techniques for assessment to liberate students from the heavy pressure of examination.  I feel that this is a change in a positive direction, but they still have work to do.

Reference:
Lingbiao, G. (2007). Assessment reform in China: A respond to the international trend in the new century. Retrieved from: http://xypj.cersp.com/GLB/LUNWEN/200701/3223.html

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I chose to talk about violence in the home and its affects on children.  My best friend throughout middle and high school is a product of a violent home.  She had authoritarian parents who were not only mentally abusive but physical as well.  I used to feel so bad for her because she could never go anywhere with the rest of her friends and she along with her siblings were spanked or "whipped" as we from the south say, on a constant basis.  This abuse caused her to be afraid of a lot of things such as speaking in public or having a decent conversation.  It was as if she could not make decisions for herself and she was very angry although she was good at covering it up.  It was not until her adult years and she had children of her own that she realized she was angry and was following in the same pattern as her parents were to her.  I admire her because she realized this early on and decided to become a person who was not angry.  Her children are very sweet and well-rounded individuals.

Each child has the right to be protected from violence, exploitation, and abuse.  With this being said, millions of children all over the world, from all socio-economic backgrounds, from all ages, religions, and cultures suffer from violence, exploitation, and abuse on a daily basis (Unicef, 2013).

Some young boys and girls are particularly vulnerable because of gender, race, ethnic origin, or socio-economic status.  These levels rise when the children are disabled, orphans, indigenous, from ethnic minorities, or other marginalized groups (Unicef, 2013).  Other children who are at risk are those living and working on the streets, in institutions and detentions, and live where inequality, unemployment, and poverty are highly concentrated (Unicef, 2013).  Other populations of concern are migrants that are unaccompanied and child refugees.

Most of the time, violence, exploitation, and abuse are someone that the child knows including parents and other members of the person's family (Unicef, 2013).  Others include teachers, caretakers, employers, law enforcement authorities, state and non-state actors and other children.  The sad thing is that only a few of these people are held accountable for their actions.

There is a significant amount of evidence showing that violence, exploitation, and abuse can affect the child's physical and mental health in the short and long term by impairing their ability to learn and socialize.  This can also have an adverse affect on adults later in life (Unicef, 2013).

Early Childhood and Public Health- Immunizations

I chose to talk about the vaccination issue in the country of Afghanistan.  This country caught my interest because of the statistical chart (Table 5.1) in the text on p. 149.  All of the countries listed on the chart showed improvements in the death rate for children under the age of five since 1990, except for Afghanistan (Berger, 2012).  Although this is because of the war, I was curious about the fact of why so many deaths occur because of vaccinations.  Vaccinations are usually one of the things that people can get for free or fairly cheap.

Through further research, I found that in the year of 2012, about 2,600 children in Afghanistan were diagnosed with measles (Madhok, 2013).  This virus could have been fought if they were vaccinated (Madhok, 2013).  Several obstacles make it difficult for children to get vaccinated such as; a health infrastructure that is fragile, difficult geographical terrain, and the constant conflict (Madhok, 2013). Another reason for this problem is the lack of understanding the importance and safety of getting immunized.

Each day in Afghanistan, children are at risk for diseases that are preventable such as tuberculosis, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, hepatitis B, hemophilus influenza type B and pertussis (whooping cough).  Most of these children are under one years old (Madhok, 2013)    

The Unicef organization along with the ministry of Public Health and other partners have made strong efforts to ensure that routine vaccinations are provided.  These efforts have helped tremendously in improving vaccination programs against diseases that are preventable, including polio (Madhok, 2013).  Since implementing these programs, the number children who contracted measles went from 1,117 cases that were confirmed in 2012 to 123 in 2013, the drop is pretty significant (Madhok, 2013).

References:

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Madhok, R. (2013). In Afghanistan, reaching the hardest to reach with vaccines. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org.
        

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

I'm choosing the birth of my youngest son Aiden as a personal birthing experience.  I chose this story because it is a miracle that we are both alive.  The birth of my baby was a scheduled c-section because the laws in Monterey, California states a c-section must be performed if you have had one done in the past.  This worked out for me because I could schedule the date around our impending military transfer.  Everything went according as planned, and then all of a sudden, my doctor said "Oh crap, her uterus is ruptured."  I'm on the table awake of course, but could not move because of the epidural.  So I'm lying there in a frenzy wondering what the heck was going on...am I going to die? They had already stated that the baby had the cord wrapped around his neck twice......I'm asking my husband is everything okay with the baby?  As the doctors are working quickly to repair the ruptured uterus, they began to tell a story about a doctor whose wife had a uterine rupure.  They stated that the baby died, but the wife was lucky to be alive.  Needless to say, they fixed everything and I feel great now!  Afterwards, the doctor told me that I was lucky to be alive because in those situations the mother and baby usually die.  I was in so much shock that I just said, "yeah, we are lucky."  As I think back on that experience, it is funny as well as scary.  However, the staff at the hospital were phoenomenal.  They brought the baby to me fairly quickly so that I could breast feed and begin the bond through skin to skin contact. 

Another country's birthing experience besides the U.S. that caught my interest is Africa.  The birthing experience in South Africa is absolutely horrendous.  The medical staff at the hospitals are extremely rude and abusive to the pregnant women.  Patients or previous patients at the hospitals in South Africa discussed their birthing experience as follows:

Women experience verbal and physical abuse. HIV-positive women are commonly taunted by nurses about enjoying sex and blaming them for getting pregnant if they knew about their HIV-status. Many were told they should receive no care because they were migrants. Being shouted at for "messing up" when they bled on the bed during labor, they were ordered to clean it up.

They were pinched, slapped, and handled roughly during labor.

Nurses continuously ignored calls for help.

Serious treatment delays.

Facilities denied referral letters for pregnancy or childbirth related problems.

After delivery, the mother and baby are left unattended for very long periods.

Women are discharged inappropriately.

Women sent home with no antibiotics or pain medication.

Women in labor women were refused admission, they were not even examined.

Women sent home after Cesarean section with no medications, painkillers, antibiotics, etc.

One witness described a woman who had life-threatening obstructed labor. She was refused entry into a community health center two times. Fortunately, she eventually had a C-section when another hospital accepted her.

Migrants commonly undergo C-sections without informed consent.

Staff asking for bribes and gifts.

Families never told why the pregnant mother or newborn died during childbirth.

This type of behavior should not be tolerated and no human being should have to suffer that type of pain especially after giving birth.

Also this type of behavior goes on in 87% of the hospitals in South Africa.

Reference:
The shocking truth about giving birth in South Africa. Retrieved from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232413.php

 

Examining Codes of Ethics

The three ideals from the code of ethics that stood out to me from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) are;

From the NAEYC:

  To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults;
 
  To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child;
 
  To ensure that each child's culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.

  To acknowledge families' child-rearing values and their right to make decisions for their children

These stood out to me because it is important to understand that children are children and that their brains are not developed enough to understand that some of the things that they do are wrong.  It is important not to get frustrated when dealing with children especially when it seems as if they are not listening or are too active etc.  Just remember they are only children.  Recognizing the uniqueness of a child is a given.  I like this ideal because this shows that you really know each child and care about their strengths and weaknesses.  Respect is also important regardless of the age of the child or their cultures and beliefs.  Child-rearing is similar to respecting different cultures and their beliefs.  Recognizing that each family has a right to raise their child the way they see fit is essential.  It is important to recognize this and know that each child is different and may require different parenting styles.

From the DEC

  We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives.

Children with disabilities are already at a disadvantage with most things in life so they need an advocate to speak up for them and protect their rights as human beings.  It is sad that people with disabilities tend to get taken advantage of.  However, advocates on their behalf help to make things so much better for them.


 

Additional Resources

http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/early_childhood_1467.html

http://web.worldbank.org/

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/eecd

Course Resources for early childhood development

• 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/

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"Parents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply"
  -T. Berry Brazelton
Retrieved from: http://www.quotes.dictionary.com


...the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity, as often happens in old-time discipline...
     A room in which all children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without committing any rough or rude act, would seem to me a classroom very well disciplined indeed
  -Maria Montessori
Retrieved from: http://www.amshq.org


"I had a built in passion that is was important to make a real contribution to the world and fix all the injustices, and to do that through teaching."
  -Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oak College, CA
Retrieved from: http://www.waldenu.edu/coursemedia

Personal Childhood Web

My childhood was pretty interesting, but there have been a few people than helped to shape me into the person I am today.

My mother was a great woman.  I went to live with her as a foster child when I was five years old and she adopted me at the age of eight.  I was taken away from my biological mother when I was around three or four because of neglect.  I have read that children do not remember anything from their childhood prior to the age of four, but I am proof that this is not true.  Throughout my entire life, I could not remember how my biological mother looked, but I do remember being on a porch and clinging to her legs, screaming hysterically for her to not the "bad people" take me away.  However, being taken away from her was a blessing.  My mother who raised me was very strict, did not tolerate disrespect, and kept us sheltered.  With that being said we did a lot of things as a family such as traveling, game nights, bible study, and lots of outdoor activities.  For a long time, I use to wonder why my parents adopted my siblings and I because they were so strict and it appeared that they did not love us.  After reading the assignments for this week, I realize that they raised us based on how they were raised and because of how people raised their children at that particular place in history.  I do know that it takes a strong person to have raised three of their biological children and then adopt five more that were from different backgrounds and families.  Some type of order had to be in place or I imagine they would have gone crazy.  I am forever grateful to my mother for making me a strong woman and a person who treats others with respect.  Without her I do not know where I would be today.  One of the events that makes me smile when I think of my mother was when I passed my driver's licence test.  She gave me the biggest hug ever and I could tell that she was genuinely proud of me.  These types of moments did not happen to often in my house, so this is one that I cherish.

My aunt Lily was a very sweet woman and my neighbor while growing up.  She was the woman that gave us snacks after school and was there to listen and give us sound advice.  Her house was like my escape from life and she was loved by everyone who came into contact with her.

My sister Sharon is one of my best friends.  In our household with so many children at times, we stuck together through it all.  Although, we are not biological sisters, we are adopted sisters.  We have been through so much together and it is great that we have are still one another's confidants and can be ourselves with one another.  My military lifestyle keeps me away from family most of the time, sometimes in two year stretches.  When we see one another after so much time, it is as if we've seen each other everyday.  I love her and am thankful for her.

My sister-in-law Audrey is truly a God-send.  I was in the sixth grade when she married my brother Carl.  She and I became very close.  I could not talk to my mother about anything personal, so Audrey was that life line for me.  She became that mother-like figure to me.  I would spend many nights with her because my brother worked nights.  She showed me things like how to wear makeup properly, fashion, and gave me advice about boys and drama with friends....the list goes on.  She is no longer married to my brother, but we still keep in touch and I am her children's favorite auntie.    

Childhood picture of me in the 1st grade

" Children are great imitators.  So give them something great to imitate."

-Anonymous

A couple of my favorite children's books

There are several children's books that I love, but Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss and I Love You, Good Night by Jon Buller and Susan Schade are just phoenomenal! My sons love these books.  Dr. Seuss's book is a fun one to read because you can be dramatic with the animal sounds and so forth.  The children also learn animal sounds and rhyming.   I used to read the book by Buller and Schade when my first son was in the womb so that he would learn the sound of my voice.  This book is short and sweet.  After a while we all remembered the book verbatim which makes it all the more sweet and memorable.  My son is three and he still loves that book as well as my 11 1/2 month old.   

I'm excited about becoming a blogger.  I have often thought about it; now I have a slight push because it is a requirement for my graduate program in Early Childhood Studies.  I will start with a small introduction.  I am 37 years old, born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina.  I am a military spouse with three little boys; ages   11 1/2 months, 3, and 12.  I love my family dearly and am blessed in that I am able to be a stay-at-home mom.  My vision for owning a daycare came to me about two years ago while I was holding my sleeping son.  I figured I stayed at home with the children, so why not make a career out of something that I absolutely loved.  I decided to attend school so that I would have the proper training to teach and understand the minds of such precious gifts.  My undergraduate degree in psychology has helped tremendously in understanding why people do what they do.  The furtherance of my education in early childhood will hopefully help me to gain all the tools necessary to run a daycare where parents will feel great about sending their children.