Friday, December 18, 2015

When I Think of Child Development

 
Quote about children
 


I can most definitely agree with this quote, although the author is anonymous. A child comes into the world with the vulnerability to have lasting affects on whatever and whomever they come in contact with. I often hear people say that children are like blank slates, which I beg to differ. children come into the world with basic instincts and the curiosity to discover the world around them. That is why I believe that it is necessary to be mindful of the type of people that enter the lives of children. A positive individual can leave a positive mark, but negative could also leave negative marks, leaving lasting effects on children.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Testing for Intelligence?

Viewing children Holistically, what should be assessed???
 
As we know, the intelligence of children is not truly defined from standardized testing. There are sometimes students who do well in the classroom, but poor on tests and students that perform not so well in the classroom and has high tests scores. there is more than just one method for assessing children. When committing to view young children holistically, I believe that it is necessary to take time to analyze the child and figuring them out on not only an educational level, but a personal level as well. Taking time to find out which learning style is more suitable for children can be very beneficial. concerning yourself with the health and well-being of children is necessary because this issue has a great impact on a child's performance in the classroom. Getting to know every aspect possible of the child, inside and outside of the classroom is a start in holistically viewing a child.
 
Standardized Exams in Russia
the "ediny gosudarstvenny ekzamen" known as the EGE, or the United State exam is a standardized test performed on 11th grade students in Russia, similar to the SAT. unfortunately, it has been said that this form of assessment does not fully measure the abilities of students in Russia. "The test's opponents say EGE is a poor measure of high school students' academic ability. As with most standardised tests, it is mainly composed of multiple choice questions and doesn't reflect such valuable qualities as creativity and ability to think out the box. According to those against the EGE, the most talented students will not benefit from the new testing system."  I believe the problem for this matter is that students are being tested for qualities that do not come at once. In my opinion, I do not fully condone in standardized testing myself
 
REFERENCE
(n.d.). The Russian education system today. Moscow Top News. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://www.moscowtopnews.com/?area=postView&id=1802
 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Natural Disaster
Hurricane Katrina- August 23, 2005

I can recall the time when Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans Louisiana, Killing over a thousand people and destroying buildings and homes. The people of New Orleans had to evacuate and find shelter. During this time, I was a freshman in college and had a good friend  by the name of Chelsey, who happened to be from New Orleans and had family who had to evacuate, which included her mother, three siblings and would have been her father as well, but unfortunately drown from the flood waters of the Hurricane. Chelsey's three siblings were age 5, 7 and 10 and seemed to be pretty distraught over the tragic event. I noticed how much of a toll the effects of Hurricane Katrina took on Chelsey's siblings, especially the five-year old girl, whose name was Cora. Cora was too young to understand how to cope with natural disasters and always asked questions as to why such a horrible thing had to happen to them when they didn't deserve it. It was hard for Cora to adjust to the changes of moving to another state, currently living in a hotel and starting over from nothing. Not to mention the loss of her father, Cora stayed devastated for many days. As being a friend of Chelsey, I visited as often as I could, helping her family to get donated shoes and clothes for her mother and siblings and helping them myself as much as I could. days and months went by and things gradually began to get better. Cora was still not her usual self, but she slowly began to adjust and cope better. I took Cora under my wing and had talks with her and took her and her other siblings for outings to make them feel a little better about their situation. Once the government began to issue FEMA checks to those involved in Hurricane Katrina and lost all of their valuable belongings, Chelsey's mother receive a check which allowed her to be able to put a down payment on a house, find a job and work to provide for Chelsey's siblings. Since Chelsey was old enough to assist as well, she help her mother in providing for the family. after a long process, Cora finally began to see the light in the dark tunnel she had been in. Cora is about 15 years old now and doing much better than ever.  I still talk to Cora and visit her every chance that I get.

PAKISTAN

I would like to learn more about the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in South Asia, which is supposed to be the 36th largest country in the world. I would like to learn more about the Ancient cultures in Pakistan and the challenges this country faces, such as terrorism, corruption, overpopulation, illiteracy, corruption and air pollution, which all can cause some kinds of issues in the developing child. Air Pollution is known to have bodily effect on children, especially ones that are still in the developmental stages of their lives.


AIR POLLUTION IN PAKISTAN



Majority of children in Pakistan suffer from indoor air pollution from Biomass: a fuel used for cooking and heating. Biomass comes from wood, crop and animal dung and burned from three-stone stoves, causing a great deal of concentration and smoke. According to the (W.H.O) World Health organization,
“More than 21% of infants born in Pakistan have a birth weight less than 2500g, defined as low birth weight (LBW). In the postnatal period, LBW is associated with increased risk of mortality, morbidity, micronutrient deficiencies, and impaired psychomotor development” (W.H.O. P10) 
The World Health Organization created a workshop to devise a plan on reduce the issues of child mortality die to the air pollution.
“A proposal development workshop was organised by the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health after the seminar in which interested groups/agencies were invited to develop proposals of health interventions to reduce indoor air pollution.” (W.H.O p18)



REFERENCE



 W.H.O. (2006). Indoor Air Pollution and Child Health in Pakistan. Report of a seminar, Karachi, Pakistan,     29 September 2005 , , 32.

















Sunday, November 8, 2015

Child Development and Public Health

Access to Healthy Water in India
 
... collects <b>drinking</b> <b>water</b> from a dirty public faucet in Bawana, <b>India</b>
 
Having access to healthy water is meaningful to me because it is very important for individuals to consume clean water, if not, then this not only affects 1 one of the public health areas of concern, but also affects the nutrition/malnutrition of a child and their development.
Children in India are not supplied with healthy water. due to the scarce amounts of toilets, most Indian people urinate and defecate outside, causing contamination of the water and making the people sick after drinking the water. "Children who are exposed to open defecation or who don't have a clean water supply may ingest bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that cause intestinal infection; chronic inflammation in a child's gastrointestinal track is linked to stunting and anemia, and puts children at risk for poor early childhood development"(Worley para6). Children in India are placed at a greater risk of dying before the age of five, due to lack of healthy water supply, and also effecting their cognitive and physical development.
After learning how complicated it is for children to have healthy water in other countries and the effects of development and mortality rates that are placed upon them, gives me a great idea to be an advocate to ensure that children are supplied with healthy clean water that they need. Holding seminar's or passing out flyers is also an idea I think could be a way to share the importance of healthy water.
 
 
REFERENCE
 
Worley , Heidi. "Population Reference Bureau." Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Malnutrition in India. Sep 2014. Web. 8 Nov 2015. http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2014/india-sanitation-malnutrition.aspx.
 
 


Saturday, October 31, 2015

Children In Your Life and Around The World

A personal experience of my child's birth:
On the morning of February 3, 2014, as I woke up to prepare for work I felt a small leakage. As I ran to the bathroom, I began to lose more fluids. after being quite frightened, because of the fact that my due date wasn't until March 14th, I called my OB and was instructed to report to the clinic immediately. After checking with my OB, I was informed that my water had broken due to the poking of my son's foot... He was breech. I was instructed to go directly to the hospital; I was scheduled for an emergency C-section. this news was pretty shocking for me fiancĂ© and I due to the fact that we had not done much shopping for the new baby and his premature arrival at only 34 weeks had us very concerned about his health. the procedure was safely done and Khalil was quickly sent to the NICU unit. Khalil was brought at 12:14p.m. weighing 4 pounds and 4 ounces, which later dropped to 3 pounds and 5 ounces after birth. doctors placed an oxygen strip over his nose to help him breathe and a feeding tube down his throat to assist with his feeding to help gain weight. I was unable to see Khalil the first day, but the second day I was allowed to visit him. Khalil was kept in an isolette incubator after taken off oxygen and all machines, but still could not come home until he reached 5 pounds. Khalil stayed in the NIC unit 3 weeks after I was discharged from the hospital, but we made frequent visits. Once Khalil made it home, my fiancĂ© and I realized he was still very tiny and had much more progress to go to get to a healthy start. I sometimes worried, feeling like it would take forever for Khalil to recover and become a regular healthy baby. As time went by, we nursed Khalil with the best of our efforts and he is now a healthy, smart, active and handsome one year old. I shared this story because there are many mothers in the world just like me, who gave birth to premature babies and worry about their health and recovery. The picture on the left shows the beginning of a journey, which may seem like a long and never ending road, but; the picture on the right shows the transition to another beautiful beginning, a strong finish. Stay Strong and have faith..
 
 
Child birth in Ethiopia, Africa
 
Women in Ethiopia, Africa consider home birth deliveries over hospital deliveries. Cultural beliefs and lack of knowledge of the importance of choosing skilled doctors for hospital deliveries are a key factor of this decision the Ethiopian women make. Due to Ethiopia women choosing home deliveries, a greater percentage of birth fatalities occur. “The maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia is 676 for every 100,000 births. This compares with an average of 290 per 100,000 births in developing countries, and 14 per 100,000 in developed countries, according to the UN World Health Organisation.”(IRANpara5) I have learned that Ethiopian women value their cultures and beliefs so much that they run the risk of childbirth instead of seeking medical assistance to give a healthy birth. I noticed that this is the total opposite of women in the U.S. because most women in America would rather give birth in a Hospital. -Above is a youtube video giving information on dangers of Ethiopian women and childbirth.
REFERENCE
, IRAN. "The Guardian ." Ethiopia: too many deaths in childbirth as women opt out of healthcare .  5 May 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/may/05/ethiopia-deaths-childbirth-women-healthcare.

 
 
 



Sunday, October 18, 2015

Examining Code of Ethics


National Association for the Education of Young Children, Code of Ethics:

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children,

including those with special needs, have access to the

support services needed to be successful.

I-1.10—To ensure that each child’s culture, language,

ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and

valued in the program.

I-1.11—To provide all children with experiences in a

language that they know, as well as support children

in maintaining the use of their home language and in

learning English.
 
These three ideals of the NAEYC Code of Ethics happen to be meaningful to me because I have always had a passion for children and the support of diversity and the support of exceptional children. I believe in ensuring that these children with special needs of any kind receive the rights, respect and tools to provide a normal education for them as well as others. These ideals are significant to my professional life from working at a middle school and being a witness to children who experience the negative impacts of being a student with special needs has gave me an interest in supporting the issue. I just want to e one to be able to lend a helping hand and give children the support they need while growing up in such a critical time in their life.
 

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Course Resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices
Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being
Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week's Application assignment.
Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations
Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

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
     
    American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Family_Resources/Home.aspx
     
    international association for intercultural education
     
     
    Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
     
     

    Thursday, September 24, 2015

    Words of Inspiration and Motivation

    LYNDON B. JOHNSON


    Here is a small clip of President Lyndon B. Johnson's State of the Union address declaring War on Poverty. Here Johnson explains the execution of plan to diminish poverty rates in America and methods to provide education and funding for families. I chose this particular clip because it perfectly exemplifies the procedures taken in the beginning of the Headstart program, one of Johnson's several programs in the War on Poverty.






    T. BERRY BRAZELTON, M.D.
     
    -Pediatrician who worked in the Health and Well-being sector of the early childhood field.


     "All adults who care about a baby will naturally be in competition for that baby.... Each adult wishes that he or she could do each job a bit more skillfully for the infant or small child than the other."-T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.




      "It was a joyful experience where I felt that everything in me was being called on to teach- and also, it was very rewarding, it just made me feel whole. It made me feel whole, it made me feel creative and so, it became my lifelong work, with early childhood education. and to make sure that all children were taught in enviornments and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability"-Louise Derman-Sparks
    Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oak College, CA
     
     
     
     
     
    REFERENCES
     
    Video: Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The passion for early childhood. Baltimore: Author.









    Friday, September 18, 2015

    PERSONAL CHILDHOOD WEB

     My mother, Joann Applewhite, of course was the first person to show me love and care. Throughout the years of my life, my mother has clothed me, fed me, given me shelter and shared very memorable moments with me in life such as how to ride a bike without the training wheels and losing my first tooth.  I remember time when I were afraid of certain things such asthunderstorms, being alone in the dark or the “boogeyman” my mother would comfort me and reassure me that I did not have to be afraid because she would always be there for me. Growing up in my Teenage years, my Mother taught me valuable life lessons that I could take throughout the course of my life: how to be respectful and use manners, to have a great sense of honesty and integrity and to always strive to be the best that I can be. My mother always made me feel special mostly because even in the midst of my downfalls, disappointments or failures, she always gave me unconditional love and I greatly appreciate her for that.



    Second is my Father, Eugene Palmer. My father is like my best friend, I can talk to him about almost anything. He always supports my decisions and backs me up whenever needed. Growing up, my father would always take me to the park and feed the ducks. This was a special activity for me because I loved going to the duck pond, It was a way to gain peace and turned into our special outing together that we did at least once every month. My father always found time to spend with me and be there for me whenever I needed. He was always the one who I would confide in when needing advice on how to handle certain situations. He would inform me when I am wrong and give alternatives to turn negative situations into positive. My father brought out my personality and is partly responsible for the kind person that I am today.

    Third is my uncle, Cleaster Applewhite, my mother’s brother. My uncle has played a major role in my life as well because he served as a second father to me. For a period of time in my life, my uncle lived in the same household as me. Out of my mother’s three brothers, he was the “fun” uncle that everyone loved. I remember times when he would always give me money and help me catch the ice cream truck when it came through our neighborhood for the summer. We would sit on the front pork and talk, he would share memories about the times when he was growing up along with my mother and two uncles. My uncle was a fire-fighter when I was around nine years old. He would sometimes take me to the fire station and give me a tour. loved looking inside the firetrucks and especially riding in them. My uncle was also a lifeguard at a local pool and he would sometimes take my siblings and I and open the pool during closing hours specifically for us so we could go swimming. My uncle was also the one who taught me how to drive a car.


    Next is my Older Brother, Dietrich Neal, We have an incredible Bond. Although my brother is five years older than me, I feel as if we are the same age sometimes. Growing up I would always follow behind my brother when he would leave the house or play video games, he would never get angry at the fact of me tagging along with him, instead he would let me know that it was okay to hang with him and he enjoys my company. My brother has also taught me many things and speaks on past experiences and mistakes and helps me to dodge them before I run into them. In our younger years I can recall breaking one of my mother’s expensive vases and my brother took the blame because I was afraid of getting into trouble. My brother always made me feel safe and would always protect me when needed. I love the fact that I have siblings that I can always count on. Until today my brother and I still keep a close relationship, despite the fact that we live in different towns and have responsibilities of our own. Our bond will never be broken.



    Last is my cousin Dr. Lakeisha Richardson. Dr. Richardson is considered as a big sister to me, she is also one I can talk to when dealing with certain issues especially school related. Dr. Richardson was the one who gave me vital information on the situations that come with entering womanhood, gave me books and pamphlets on avoiding different illnesses and how to stay Healthy. My senior year in high school, Dr. Richardson prepped & tutored three days a week prior to taking my ACT which was a great Help. Dr. Richardson is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. During my undergraduate years at MVSU, Dr. Richardson assisted me in gathering proper material in order to pledge. Thanks to the help of Dr. Richardson. I now wear the same Greek letters as her with Dignity and pride.



    Friday, September 11, 2015

    My 1-year old son is the top priority that fuels my passion for the early childhood field. The fact that I look at him everyday and pray for nothing but the best for him is enough. I try to teach him what's right and how to be respectful. His education and well being mean the most to me. Therefore, I hope to play a vital role in children's education just as I want for my son.



    A Child who touched my heart is a 9-year old boy by the name of Cameron Douglas. Cameron lived in a one bedroom apartment with his mother who served as a single parent. the neighborhood that Cameron lived in was filled with poverty and had a very high crime rate. Every morning Cameron would catch the bus and go to school. Cameron was very quiet child and never spoke much, but was very intelligent for his age and made very good grades. One day Cameron came to school with the same clothes he had worn the pervious day. Teachers took notice but did not question his appearance until he reported to school wearing the same attire three days in a row. When asked about his clothes, Cameron stated that his mother had been sick and could not care for him and he had to dress himself.  Authorities were sent to his home only to find that Cameron's mother had recently died in their home the day before. I was truly touched by the fact that Cameron, a 9-year old had taken responsibility of himself at such a young age. He reported to school everyday and still did his best while unknowingly losing his mother at the same time. Cameron is now in custody of his grandparents and still excelling is his studies. Cameron is now a 7th grader at his school and I am extremely proud of him.

    Thursday, September 10, 2015

    I happen to love the book "The Little Engine that could" This book is very encouraging for children who feel that they can not succeed in a certain task. All it takes is a little "I THINK I CAN" and to keep trying and you can succeed. this book teaches children to believe in themselves and to never give up
    Here is a photo of a drawing by Ms. Cailey B. Williams a first grader. When asked what was in her drawing, she stated that there is two cats and a dog and the figure above is her teacher, Mrs. Ammons, who is tending to her garden. I thought this drawing was very interesting because the child thought enough to draw a picture of her teacher. I assumed that with a gesture such as this, Cailey looks up to her teacher very much and the fact that she tends to a garden could symbolize that Mrs. Ammons nourishes her students as well so that they my grow up to be successful beings, just as she manages to grow beautiful flowers.