Quotes and Personal Thanks

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Friedrich Froebel

“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

Personal Thanks

I want to thank everyone in group two for your support and interesting discussion. I hope all of you have learned as much as I have from this class. Throughout this class I hoped that I have helped someone, in some small way. I wish everyone the best. May the Lord continue to bless each and everyone?

Testing for Intelligence

Most IQ tests are used by psychologists to measure what is generally considered intelligence. In schools today’s they are providing a strong foundation in reading, writing, and math is as important as ever. By testing the whole child, it is wise that each student is engaged in learning and is connected to the school. Each student is supported by qualified, caring adults. It is essential that we as teachers educate the whole child. All educators are consumed by the many different changes in our schools. There is both positive and negative feeling about these changes. I feel that children should be tested for intelligence purposes. When testing the whole child we should look for all learning disabilities, the ones that we can see and the ones that we cannot see. I feel that the whole child should be measured or assessed in order to measure a child’s social and emotional needs and to find out how much they know and what teachers need to do in order to help them be successful in school. Many children with learning difficulties are overlooked and end up suffering for years. Through, any type of assessment you may find out what that child is doing poorly in.

In Spain, children attend a state school within a certain distance from their own homes. Children living in rural areas may have little or no choice of schools, while those living in bigger cities have lots of possibilities. Primary education begins at the age of six.  There are three two-year cycles; the first cycle is for children from ages six to eight years of age. During these two years the children are assessed every term and parents are issued a report of their progress. The second cycle is for 10 to 12 years old. The third cycle is for 10 to 12 years old. If a child has not reached their education level needed, they will have to repeat that school year. Children are graded in the following: Insufficient, Sufficient, Good, Very good, and Outstanding.  To assess these children is to see how their physical, emotional, and social intellectual development has progress. The main type of test given to children in Spain is called the Certification.  Certification examinations are given on a limited basis. This test is given in three levels; elementary language usage, everyday language use, and advanced language use. These exams are given twice a year.

Reference:

Remesal, A. (2011). Primary and secondary teachers ‘conceptions of assessment: A qualitative 

    study. Teaching & Teacher Education, 27,(2), 472-482.

Stressor

Poverty is the lack of necessities required for human survival and welfare. Despite positive development, poverty in Kenya continued to be a huge problem. Half of the population in Kenya earns less than $1 US money each day. In 1992 half of all rural Kenyans were living below the poverty line. There are several factors contributing to the ongoing problems of poverty in Kenya. Some of these problems are; limited economic diversity, lack of opportunity, government corruption, and unfair walls by rich countries. The children’s of Kenya that lives in the rural areas has a 46% poverty level compared to 11% in the urban areas. One out of ten children that live in Kenya lives in poverty. When a child in Kenya grows up in poverty they are exposed to illness, they do not do well in school, and they have many health problems. A hand washing campaign was launched at the schools in Kenya; children were taught the best method of washing hands with water and soap and encourage them to share the information with families and friends.

By being an African American I have experienced some type of stressor in my life. Racism is very much alive. I can remember my family and I went into this restaurant and we were treated very nasty. We were the only people of color in the restaurant. We were the lasted to be seated and when our food final arrived it was very cold. There were people who came in after we did, they had eaten and were leaving and we still had not gotten our food. When asked if we could get some hot food, the waiter told us that the cook was gone for the night. We refused to pay for cold food, so we left and as we were leaving, that same waiter was bringing out food and we could see steam coming from the food. She just smiled at us. I know that this country has come a long way, but racism will never completely go away. There are so many different people in our country that society is riddled with so much hatred against people who beliefs and color is not the same. It is very sad that people’s can hate people for no apparent reasons. We as a society need to stop judging people before knowing who they really are. Racism can scar children for life. They have been showed how to hate or have lived in a family full of people who hates others. Infants as young as 6 months old recognize racial cues, even before they develop language skills (Burnette, 1997). It is very difficult for a small child to handle these types of situation. As parents it is our responsibility to teach our children what is right and what is wrong.

Reference:

Burnette, Erin. (1997), June). Talking openly about racism in children. APA Monitor, p.33.

Child Development and Public Health

Immunization is said to have had “a greater impact on human mortality reduction and population growth than any other public health intervention besides clean water” (J.P. Baker, 2000). Immunization is a shot given to protect children from diseases. I believe that child immunization is important for the child’s safety. Children who have not been immunized are at risk of getting sick. The whole concept of immunization is to give the body a specific vaccination in order to keep the child’s body healthy. This topic is very meaningful to me because many children’s are dying daily because they have not been properly immunized. Parents should be made aware of the different immunization shots that a child need. There are many diseases and many kinds of vaccinations that a child must have in order to remain in perfect health. It is the responsibility of the parents, to see that these vaccinations are given to their children.

Not all children of Kenya have had the benefit of being vaccinated, but there is an urgent need to help these children n survive. The reason why is because one-fifth of the children in Kenya, who start the vaccination shot never complete them. Many children in the country of Kenya are at risks of contacting measles. The children of Kenya need their first dose of the measles vaccine before their first birthday. In the capital city of Nairobi, 16 children have died of measles since April of 2006. The hospital has receives about 250 cases of measles every week. Without proper food, water, immunization, and living conditions in Kenya, about 10 percent of the children will die before reaching the age of 5. In Kenya there is an organization called The Kenya Expanded Programmed on Immunization (KEPI). It was established to help prevent diseases among children.

I do not know how learning about immunization could impact my future work. The only thing that I could do is try to educate my parents on the importance of immunization. Children who are healthy will do far better in school, than children who are not healthy. All parents should make sure their children are vaccinated on schedule in order to keep them from getting ill.

Reference:

Baker, Jeffery P. (2000). Immunization and the American way: 4 childhood vaccines. American

     Journal of Public Health, 90, 199-207.

Personal Birthing Experiences

I have never experience childbirth because I do not have any children. The only thing that I know about childbirth is what I have seen on TV or what I have read in a book. After what I saw I don’t think I want to be there in person. Childbirth is sometimes called labor is the period of birth of one or more infants from a women uterus. I believe that childbirth can be very hard and painful. My thoughts regarding childbirth are that it should be planned and wanted. By during so women should take all the necessary precaution in order to have a healthy baby.

Kenya is located in Africa, on the East, just below Somalia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean. Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, located in the south-central part of the country. When children’s are born in Kenya it is more of a traditional ritual. The women are given a special food to help give them strength, in order to have their babies. The husband lives in a separate house and cannot come near the wife until the child is big enough to take a bowl of porridge to the husband. This will not allow the couple to have another child until the baby is big enough. Before the baby is born the mother is given a special herbs, these herbs are meant to help the woman give birth in a shorter time frame. The women mother-in-law will move in to help for about two weeks. The mother is not supposed to work at all. In Kenya, only 46% of deliveries in the country are done by skilled doctors and nurses. Poor women are seven time more likely to give birth at home than the rich, with little or no post-natal care. Kenya has one of the highest deaths of women during childbirth, 21 women daily from childbirth complications. More than 4 millions babies are born in the United States each year. The childbirth in the United States are s little different than childbirth in Kenya. In both places the mothers are given medication to help ease their pain. The current death rate in the United States is 7 per 1000. In the United States most births occur in hospital, with doctors attending.

I have gained a great deal of knowledge about the birthing of babies in the Unites States and in Kenya. I have told by many mothers that giving birth is the most precious moment a mother can have. I have learned how giving birth in one part of the world can be very different in another part of the world.

Thank-You

I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks, to each and every for your kindness and support during the past 8 weeks. GOOD LUCK!

Examining Codes of Ethics

I-1.3-To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

This is meaningful to me because it is important for teachers to provide all children with the opportunities to discover the qualities, abilities, and potential of each child. Each child’s has their very own abilities and qualities.

I-2.3-To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program.

This is meaningful to me because parents are our children first teacher. When a child sees their parents and teacher getting along, the child will do better in school. Family involvement means that families work together with teachers to create an atmosphere that strengthens learning both at home and at school.

I-3A.2- To share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided.

This is meaningful to me because being able to communicate with co-worker is critical to our work. One of the most successful tools knows how to get along with people. You and your co-worker should be willing to share ideas and information in order to help each other.

Resources

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53036/CRS-CW-4603357/educ6005_readings/naeyc_dap_position_statement.pdf
  
• 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://www.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/~images/pdfs/snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
• 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.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• 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:
  • World Forum Foundation
    http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/about_OMEP/
    Read about OMEP’s mission. 
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/about/
    Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• 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/main/about.cfm
  
• 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/index.cfm
  
• 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.preknow.org/
  
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.)

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood

       Additional Resources:

       Malone, D. M., (2008). Inquiry-based early childhood teacher preparation: The learning method
         
              10.1007/5 10643-008-237-4

     Nikiforidou, Z., & Pange, J. (2010). The notons of Chance and Probabilities in Preschoolers.

              Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(4), 305-311. dol: 10.1007/5 10642-010-0417-z.

     Swick, K. (2005). Promoting caring in children and families as prevention of violence 

             strategy. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(5), 341-346.           

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Words of Inspiration and Motivation:

These quotes are from President William J. Clinton.

“We must teach our children to resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons.”

“When we make college more affordable, we make the American dream more achievable.”

This excerpt is from a book written by Janet G. Mena, The Developing Child a Guide to Study.

“As choices for early child care and education increase so does the concerns for quality programs for young children. Whether a half-day program in a nursery school or head start or family day care home, we are concerned that the child receives the kind of care that best achieves growth and learning at his level of development.”

“The moment I decided to follow instead to lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child’s world.”

Passion Quotes:

Louise D. Sparks:

“My passion is to create a safer and more just world for all children.”

Sandy Escobido:

“My passion is the in early childhood education we have the opportunity to shape a child’s life for the better.”

“Motivation is seeing parents trying to help their children by learning themselves.”

Raymond Hernander:

“My passion come with the work that I do by giving services that benefit all children.”

Renatta Cooper:

“My passion is working with small children and their families.”

Leticia Lara:

“Passion is my values, ideas, and belief.

Personal Childhood Web

Personal Childhood Web

There are many in my life that has helped me get to where I am today. Here are the five people who have influenced my life the most.

My mother

My mother has been the joy of my life. She has always been there for me when I have needed her the most. She always encouraged my sisters and me to stay in school.  My mother passed away a year ago in May and I truly thought that I was not going to make it, but by the grace of God I did. I do know if it had not been for her strength and encouragement I would have stop a long time ago. My mother was like glue, she held us together.

My grandmother (Rosie)

My granny was the best granny in the world. I can remember going to her when I was sad and she would make me feel better. She was the first person who tries to teach me how to cook. When I needed her advice she was always willing to help me. Granny was an amazing person.

My neighbor (Ms. Betty Davis)

Ms. Betty’s has lived in our neighborhood every since I can remember. Everybody knew her and she knew everybody. My sisters and I would stay with Ms. Betty’s after school until our mother came home from work. She would always say,” be the best that you can be.” I can remember her telling us stories from her pass. She is still living in her same home today.

My sisters

I have two older sisters and one younger sister. We have always been very close to each other; I guess you can say that we were raised that way. My two older sisters are teachers and my younger sister will be completing her teaching degree this coming May. I can always go to my sister for advice when needed. When they would try something new in their classroom, whether it worked or not, they will (still do) share it with me.

My history teacher (Mrs. Annie Williams)

Mrs. Williams’ was my seven grade history teacher. She was the best teacher that a person could ask for. She always had a smile on her face and share always spoke to you in a loving caring voice. I wish in schools today’s that we had more teachers like her.

I feel that these five people words of wisdom will continue to impact my life every day. They have showed me how much they have wanted me to be successful in life.

Personalizing

1. A quote about children: "When we do our jobs, our kids, have no limits to their potential."

2. Miss Nelson is Missing, I like this book because this is how I felt when I first started teaching. I still do when I'm having a bad day.

3. The Starfish Poem fuels my passion, because if I can reach or touch the life of one child it would make a difference.