Relationship Reflection

There is nothing like having that close relative or friend that you can trust 

- to keep your secrects

-to confide in

-to lend a helping hand when your in need and don't expect anything in return

-or to simply lend an ear when you need someone to listen

My Bestie:

I share all of the characteristics with my best friend Kisha with whom I have been friends with for 17 years and counting. I met Kisha and her sister Khima when she was in the 9 th grade, I was in the 10th grade, and her sister in the 11 grade. The moment we met, we instantly became a trio. After graduating from high school and college Khima moved away. Kisha went into the military and eventually returned home. Throughout all of our transitions, we never lost contact but instead formed stronger relationships. Kisha is more of a sister to me than a friend. She is the person that encourages me through all of my wacky ideas, ups and downs. She will also let me know when I am wrong. He sense of humor always puts a smile on my face. 

My Aunt Emma:

Although I live with my mother throughout my childhood years, I feel like it was my aunt who raised me. I remember as a young girl spending most weekends at my Aunt Emma's house. I loved going to my aunt's house because of the structure that she provided. My aunt is the person that guides me in any decision making process. I admire her work ethic and wisdom. She is there of us (my bother, uncle, cousins, and myself) anytime we need her.

My Dad:

At 32 years of age, I am still a daddy's girl. In my eyes, my dad can't do any wrong (maybe that's because I am his only child and he spoiled me rotten as a child :-). I admire him for always being in my life and how he adores his grandchildren. My dad will do anything for me or my children that he possibly can. 

What Our Children Means to Me!

"An aware parent loves all children he or she interacts with - for you are a caretaker for those moments in time."

by: Doc Childre, founder of HeartMath, a research and education organization

Assessments

In the city where I reside, our children take their very first assessment during kindergarten registration. This assessment is simply to find out what the child already knows. Their next assessment takes place in the 3rd and 4th grade in math and science and 5th grade in math, science, and reading. As a parent, I am still not sure of the purpose of these tests. As a parent, I assumed the purpose of the assessment was to see what lessons the students grasped or didn't grasp. However, teacher's give me the assumption that they are only teaching in order for students to get good scores on this test.

In Jamaica, many schools are run by churches and private organizations and others received subsidies from the government. The National Assessment Programme uses assessments to monitor academic achievement among students at the primary level. During the first grade students are assessed on readiness inventory; during the third grade they take a diagnostic test; a literacy test is given during the fourth grade; and a achievement test is given during the sixth grade.

Information retrieved from http://www.britishcouncil.org/jamaica-education-parents-jamaican-education-system.htm

Racism as a Stressor

Racism is defined as a "belief that inherent differences among various human races  determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others" (Dictionary,2013). Although I have never experienced any racism being used against me, doesn't mean that I have never wondered if the color of my skin prevented me from being offered specifically a career opportunity. 

Because my oldest has displayed an interest in history, we recently read a book title "Going Someplace Special" by Patricia C Mckissack and Jerry Pinkney. Although this setting was fictionalized, the events were taken from the authors own childhood (Mckissack, P.C., 2001). This book takes place during a time were Jim Crow Laws enforced segregation. This meant that African American and Caucasians weren't allowed to drink from the same water fountain or sit together on the bus. After reading this book with my children, they were shocked. My oldest son said, "Ma does that mean I wouldn't have been able to talk to my friend John because he's another race?"  I said, "Yes." My son then says, "Well I'm glad I wasn't born back then." 

It is my hope that none of our children will be judged by the color of there skin. I can read all the books their is concerning this issue, but actually experiencing racism will never prepare anyone for the hurt they may feel if ever on the receiving end of such treatment. 

Mckissack, P.C. & Pinkney, J. (2001). Goin' someplace special. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division.

Dictionary. (2013). Racism. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism 

Why are vaccines important?

·         Newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, this immunity goes away during the first year of life. Also, young children do not have this "maternal immunity" against some diseases, such as whooping cough.

·         If an unvaccinated child is exposed to a disease germ, the child's body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but because babies are now protected by vaccines, we do not see these diseases nearly as often.

·         Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community, especially those people who cannot be immunized. These include children who are too young to be vaccinated (for example, children less than a year old cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus), those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (for example, children with leukemia), and those who cannot make an adequate response to vaccination.

Preventable Diseases in the U.S when vaccinated!

Anthrax

Cervical Cancer (Human Papillomavirus)

Diphtheria

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Influenza (Flu)

Japanese encephalitis (JE)

Lyme disease

Lyme disease vaccine no longer available in the United States.

Measles

Meningococcal

Monkeypox

There is NO monkeypox vaccine. The smallpox vaccine is used for this disease.

Mumps

Pertussis

Pneumococcal

Polio

Rabies

Rotavirus

Rubella

Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

Smallpox

Tetanus

Typhoid

Tuberculosis (TB)

Varicella (Chickenpox)

Yellow Fever (CDC, 2013)

Vaccination in South Korea

In South Korea, there are eight recommended vaccinations for children from birth until they are 12 years old. These vaccinations are free at public health centers, participating pediatric practices and hospitals. For other vaccinations, parents may contact a private pediatrician practice.

The eight recommended vaccinations are:

Tuberculosis

Hepatitis B

Diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough

Polio

Measles, mumps, rubella

Chickenpox

Japanese encephalitis

Influenza (AngoInfo, 2013).

References

AngoIngo. (2013). Bringing up toddlers: Vaccinations. Retrieved from http://southkorea.angloinfo.com/family/toddlers/

Center for Disease Control and Preventiion. (2013). Why are vaccines so important? Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/howvpd.htm#why

My Personal Birthing Experiences

With all three of my children, I look forward to my prenatal care doctor visits. With the birth of my first son, it seemed as if I was in labor for what felt like forever. I went to the hospital 3 times over the course of 2 days and was sent home each time because the nurse said I wasn't in enough pain. Her exact words were “Oh honey you are smiling too much to be in true labor.”

The birth of my second child (another boy) was very easy going. The lesson that I learned from having my first child was to do lots of walking. Because I was so active throughout my pregnancy, I gave birth the same night that I went into labor.

Now the birth of my third child, my daughter, was very interesting because I was at work leaking fluid and didn’t even realize it. During my lunch hour, I even went home to change my clothes and then returned to work. It was 1:00 p.m. when I decided to call my doctor and was told to come in right away. My doctor was tickled with me because she felt like I should've known that my water had broken. To make a long story short, I was told to go to the hospital right away and after given an epidural, I delivered my little girl.

What makes each of them even more memorable is that my first son was born weighing 9 lbs. The birth of my second son was very easy because after 1 push he was here. The birth of my daughter was special to me because she is my first daughter also known as my pretty little lady.

Vietnamese

While in the U.S, the father is encourage to be a part of the birthing experience, in Vietnam this is not the case. The husbands are encouraged to wait in the lobby until after the birth while to doctor and/or nurse assists the mother. In the U.S a baby’s first cry is for the purpose of getting oxygen into the infant’s lungs. In Vietnam, an infant’s first cry signifies that the infant has a soul (LaBorde, 2010).

Reference

Laborde, P. (2010). Vietnamese cultural profile. Retrieved from http://ethnomed.org/culture/vietnamese/vietnamese-cultural-profile

Examining Code of nEthics

11.       We shall provide services and supports to children and families in a fair and equitable manner while respecting families’ culture, race, language, socioeconomic status, marital status, and sexual orientation.

22.      We shall respect, value, promote, and encourage the active participation of ALL families by engaging families in meaningful ways in the assessment and intervention processes.

Ideals

I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

1-4.1—To provide the community with high-quality early childhood care and education programs and services

These statements are important to me because I simply believe in them. It is my responsibility to provide the best service to my community that I possibly can. I will be able to do that my encouraging my parents to support their children and my program, by continuing my education, and by commanding respect among staff members, students, and parents.

References

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

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Course 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://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

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

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

Websites:

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

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

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

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/

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/

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 Research Quarterly

Developmental Psychology

Social Studies

Maternal & Child Health Journal

International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional Resources

National Head Start Association

http://www.nhsa.org/

Smart Start & North Carolina Partnership for Children

http://www.smartstart.org/

Students First

"America's schools are failing our kids. On this point, the data is clear. While some people blame the kids, or simply want to throw more money at the problem, we know that real change requires a better system — one that puts students' needs before those of special interests or wasteful bureaucracies.

To succeed in our mission, we're working with parents, teachers, administrators, and citizens across the country to ensure great teachers, access to great schools, and effective use of public dollars. Together, we'll demand that legislators, courts, district administrators, and school boards create and enforce policies that put students first. We'll make sure politicians and administrators recognize and reward excellent teachers, give novice teachers the training they need, and quickly improve or remove ineffective educators. We'll work to ensure that every family has a number of options for excellent schools to attend, so that getting into a great school becomes a matter of fact, not luck.  And we'll make sure all Americans understand that our schools are not only an anchor for our communities, but an absolute gateway to our national prosperity and competitive standing in the world economy."

http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/our-mission

In the mind of Dr, Edward Zigler, Ph.D

Q: Why do you get annoyed at efforts to link better I.Q. scores with better child care?

Zigler: This nation has always had this love affair with I.Q. and we don't understand its limitations. And that's why I'm having this fight with the Bush people right now with Head Start. They say it's a social program. They want a literacy program. If you go to school you better have the social skills. You better not grab that other little boy's blocks. You better do what the teacher says. So it's what I call the whole-child approach: A kid's emotions and personality are just as important as I.Q. But there's something about this country that we like numbers that summarize things. All of us know high-I.Q. people with whom we don't want to be in the same room.

So there's much more to life than one's intelligence score. To be a decent human being. To have some character.

This interview can be found at http://progressive.org/node/1546

In the Mind of Dr. Sylvia Chard, Ph.D

Sylvia Chard is a Professor Emeritus of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta and coauthor of Engaging Children's Minds: The Project Approach, a popular book for teachers of young children on learning through projects.

One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life. In real life, we don't spend several hours at a time listening to authorities who know more than we do and who tell us exactly what to do and how to do it. We need to be able to ask questions of a person we're learning from. We need to be able to link what the person is telling us with what we already know. And we need to be able to bring what we already know and experiences we've had that are relevant to the topic to the front of our minds and say something about them.

You see this with a young class of learners who've not yet learned classroom behavior. Little kindergarten children all raise their hands at once, and you're lucky if they raise their hands. Usually they just break out and say something when the teacher tells a story about her experience because they want to share their experiences. This is how life is much of the time. And it's not that when children are doing that they're not learning. They want to be able to apply their natural tendencies to the learning process. And I think by giving children project work, we open up areas during the school day when children can speak about what they already know, when they can ask questions, they can express interests that are different from [those of] other children. And, I believe, where they can work on their strengths.

More information can be found at http://www.edutopia.org/chard.html#graph1

Personal Childhood Web

My Aunt Emma
For as long as I can remember my Aunt Emma has always been a workaholic who loves children. During my childhood years, it was always my Aunt Emma's house that us children (my brother, my uncle, and myself) begged to go to for the weekend (any weekend that she was off that is). My aunt had one son (her only child) and she raised my cousin from the time she was an infant. I loved spending weekends at my aunt's house because she set boundaries for us. It was were I felt safe, loved, and nurtured. There we had rules, chores, and routines and I loved it. Watching my aunt go to work, take care of us children, and run a household has always made me believe that she is superwoman. She is who I want to be when I grow up :-).

My Dad
I was and still am daddy's little girl. I am my daddy's only child so you can probably guess that he spoiled me rotten. Because of the location of my dad's career, he would stay with my elderly grandmother during the week, but every Friday at 5:00 I could expect him to be walking through the door. He would always have some sort of activities planned for us (my mom, older brother, and myself) throughout the weekend. I admire my dad mainly because although he wasn't my brother's father, he took care of him as if he was his own. Now at that time, this was not cool with me because I wanted my dad all to myself and he thought it was so cute. Now that I am an adult, my dad spoils my children the same as he did me and my brother when we were younger. Now I can't wait until my 7 month old daughter is able to walk and talk because I know she's going to have my dad (her grandfather) wrapped around her little finger.

My Mom
Because my mom had her first 3 children at a young age, she wasn't ready to be a mother. There is a 2 year age different between my sister and I and a 4 year age different between my older brother and I. Ten years later, my mom gave birth to my younger brother. It was once I became an adult that a relationship was formed between my mother and I. It has bloomed into the relationship that I would like to have with my daughter. My mom will do another to help lighten my load and will do anything for my children. She loves spoiling them rotten. 

My Favorite Children's Book

I love to read children’s books mainly because my children enjoy having me read to them. One of my favorite books to read is “We Are All Different.” I love this book because it tells us although we may be different in many ways; we are alike in many ways. For example, my sister is short and I am tall; although we are different in height, we love each other the same.

I also love “The Little Red Hen” and “Not Now Said the Cow.” I love these books because I am able to get the children to participate. Each one of us plays a character as we act out the story. We enjoy the each other’s company as well as the smiles that each character put on our faces. 

10 Things My Mom Taught Me About Being A Mom