Professional Hopes and Goals

I hope that when I work with children and families, who come from diverse backgrounds, I utilize all the knowledge I learned in this course to address their needs, goals, expectations, as well as making them feel welcome. I hope to create an environment where they feel at home.  To do so, I will learn as much as I can about their culture and look beyond the surface. I will put all bias aside and look at them as individuals with a clear and open outlook.

The one goal I would like to set for the early childhood field in regards to diversity, equity, and social justice is: For all to incorporate cultural awareness into their classrooms to assure the best for the children in the classroom. The more aware the educator is, the more aware the children will be. M goal for me is to make it a point to teach my students about different cultures and to make them aware of others beyond just the surface.

Thank you to all my classmates and professor for all the support and guidance they have shown me throughout this course. All the comments and feedback I have received helped in my educational journey and my understanding of the topics.  I have learned so much from each and every one. Thank you sharing all your thoughts as well as allowing me to share mine without judgments. I am learning more about myself in this journey and I am becoming more open to sharing my thoughts with those around me, whereas before I would have been self-conscious. 

I wish you all the best on your journey and I hope to continue to have classes with you all. You all have made an impact on my journey.

 

 

 

Families Around the World

 

Families Around the World

My family’s country of origin is Australian.

 

 

                                            

 

I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family by first begin to research all that I can find on this origin. I know this will only give me surface information but that will begin my education process. The second thing that I would do is begin writing to this family and start a pen pal type of relationship before they even get here, in hopes of further understanding their origin.  The third thing I would do is invite the family to attend different functions to share their culture with others and learn from our culture too- maybe set up a night where everyone can set up a table of their nationality and share with others about it.  The fourth thing I would do is share information and books about their culture that I already know. This can build our relationship and help in starting conversations.  The last thing I would do is share common vocabulary to show the similarities between nationalities.  

I hope that my preparations will hopefully benefit not only myself but my family’s origin too.  My hope is to make my family feel at home and comfortable in their new setting.  My hope is to always show them that their county’s origin is important to us and that we will be incorporating their origin as well into the different things we do. Lastly, I hope to gain as much knowledge about their culture I can possibly obtain to better serve their needs and culture. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I remember a time when I was a witness to a biased/ prejudice situation.  There was a teacher who I use to work with who had a thing about girls. This particular teacher also picked a male when they needed help. Girls were never chosen to help because this teacher thought girls were not strong enough or capable to help.

This situation diminished equity because females are just as capable as males to help. I could understand if what this teacher was asking to do was too dangerous for a female or it really was a job for a male, but the things this teacher wanted help with were jobs for both males and females.  

This situation caused me to make a conscious effort to find things for females to help me with. The difference between what I did and what this teacher did was even though I was purposely trying to find things for students to help me with, I called upon males and females to help.  This allowed the females to have a sense of worth and felt welcomed in the classroom. Children do not understand at a young age what is going on, but they do know when things become unfair and when the same people are picked for everything. They then begin to ask questions, in which they never receive the proper answer for.  When things are not done fairly and children are not spoken to in a way they understand, I become frustrated. I become frustrated because I look at my students as humans and I talk to them as I would anyone else and in a way they understand what I say.

Looking at this situation, I feel the teacher would have to change in order to allow an opportunity for greater equity between males and females. I feel that I could change too by lending a few suggestions to this teacher and maybe making them aware of the situation that is being seen by other staff members as well as the students. It was also be nice if the males of the class maybe offered to the females to help instead, that way the teacher is hearing it from students and staff together.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

One example of a microaggression that I detected this week was at school between students in another grade. As I was walking down the hallway, I overheard a group of students talking with their teacher about an incident that occurred in gym class. The part of the incident that I heard was about the boys in the class making fun of a girl and calling her names due to her gender and weight. They were telling the girl that they did not want her on their team and that because of being a girl and overweight she was too slow and would cause their team to lose. The way I felt was indescribable. I wanted to believe this was not true.  I really did not believe we had students in our school of leadership who would do such a thing. I was glad there were adults who were intervening right away.  I then thought what our school could do to end violence / microaggression in hopes of our students growing up and wanting to continue to teach other young children the right way to act.

The observation experiences really put into perspective what microaggressions are.  Reading the specific experiences, made me think of how often and true they are. People do not even realize they are doing something to harm another person until it is too late. This week I really understood the importance of thinking hard before you speak or act. We need to be more aware of who we are as a person and what we are doing to be positive role models for others.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Definitions of Culture and Diversity

Cindy:

        Culture- is the way you live your life- your beliefs, values, background, the way you respond to things, the way you act

        Diversity- the difference among all people’s different cultures  

 

Alicia:

        Culture- is a person’s ethnicity and their beliefs, traditions, and morals they follow

        Diversity- is many different people and cultures. It’s what makes people and things different

 

Michelle:

        Culture- Culture is what brings us together. Culture is the characteristics and beliefs that are shared among a group of people.

        Diversity- is what makes individuals unique and different from one another. This could be race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, religious and political beliefs, etc.  

 

Reflection

The aspects of culture and diversity that were included are the obvious indicators.  The things the three people included were the same things I thought before entering this course.  Each person knew the basic idea of diversity and culture like things that make people different, their beliefs and cultures. I think it was interesting that only one mentioned specifically about gender.  No one mentioned anything about sexual orientation, or economic status just to name a few.  I also found it interesting that the one who went more into the diversity definition was the youngest person I asked the question to.  

Thinking about other people’s definitions of cultures and diversity has influenced my thinking.  While writing my reflection, I kept wondering why is it that the three people’s definitions were basically the same and left out the deeper meaning of the word. I thought well maybe we were all taught the same definition growing up and we never learned the deeper meaning of culture and diversity. People only notice what is on the surface. I did notice though the youngest person knew the most when it came to giving a deeper definition about diversity. She is also living and working in a different state where there is more diversity. So, I am thinking that plays a part in the a person’s life as well.

My Family Culture

If I were told I had to be evacuated to another country and could only bring 3 items, I would bring: the bible, my photo albums, and my camera.  I would explain to others that all three of these items mean the world to me. I would explain that the bible, symbolizing God, who guides me on my way and would never, put me in a situation he did not think I could handle. I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. Without the guidance and support of him, I would not know what to do.  My faith helps define me as a person.  I would then explain that my pictures mean the world to me. I have lost many pictures over the years and the ones I do have left are sacred to me. It is my memory of my past. It is my way of remembering special people and events which brings me to my last item, my camera. My camera will help document the next journey I will be taking, which is my journey in my new “home” and country. Without my camera, I won’t have my pictures to look back on.

If I were told I could only keep one personal item and had to give up the other two items, I would be upset. I would be devastated having to give up two of the only three things I was able to bring with me. Losing everything is not easy for someone and knowing how I am in situations like these, I would not handle it well. After becoming comfortable in my new situation, I would be excited to start my new journey, but it won’t happen right away.

I learn a lot about myself the past two weeks. I found it difficult to picture myself in a situation like this, because I hope it would never happen. I also gained knowledge about how family culture plays a major role in a person’s life; their personality, appearance, how they are perceived, language, etc.

I am anxious to see what else the course has to bring. I hope to continue to learn more about myself and different cultures.

 

 

When I think of Research

Through taking this course, I have learned a great deal about research. I came into the class not knowing much about research and I can say leaving this class, I feel confident in analyzing research and even being part of a research group. I enjoyed taking understanding research step by step and gaining an understanding of one topic before moving onto another topic. I was very overwhelmed at first at the thought of research because I have never had a good experience with it. My thoughts about research have changed and even though it still might seem overwhelming at first, taking each section at a time will help with understanding the entire research question.

I learned that planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood takes a lot of time. Research is not something that can happen overnight. I also learned that you can change different things throughout the research process if you notice it is not working. Research is like the scientific method.  There are steps that need to be followed and a lot of planning and designing that has to occur first before going out to gather data. The researcher first needs to know what they are focusing on, what is the goal, who will be involved, among many more important factors.

I found the week on variables to be the most challenging for me because I could not understand the difference between them in my simulation. I understood the definition of them but when it came to applying when I learned through reading to my simulation I was confused. I was able to ask people for help as well as look at the feedback from the instructor on what I was doing wrong and how to clarify my understanding of the topic.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified because of the research I did on scaffolding. I learned that it is not an easy task to teach children such a specific skill. Early childhood professionals need to have a lot of patience and consistency.  In addition, early childhood professionals need to look at each child individually.  Lastly, although something may not be equal it is always fair for the children.

Research Around the World

The site I chose to explore was about early childhood in Australia. The site is: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

 

What are some of the current international research topics?

 

The Early Childhood Australia has a few research themes available on their site. The themes they have available are:

1.    Belonging, Being, and Becoming

2.    School Readiness and Children’s Transitions

3.    Sustainability, global warming and climate change

4.    Baby and Toddler Sleeping

5.    Child Health and Childhood Obesity

 

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

 

-       The mission of the Early Childhood Australia is to advocate to ensure quality, social justice, and equality in all issues relating to the education and care from birth to eight years.

-       The values of this organization are: the rights of children, leadership, excellence, and respect, courage, honesty, and openness, collaboration and diversity, justice, and social inclusion of children.

-       This is their 75^th Anniversary of their organization.

 

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

I found this site to be very informative. The mission, code of ethics, liscence, are among all the information this site has to offer. I really enjoyed the fact that this organization has a way for people to have a voice and to share their thoughts with everyone. This organization has a newsletter that is called Early Childhood Australia’s Voice Newsletter. In addition, this organization also has a journal that gets published along with a magazine. I love the enthusiasm this organization has for advocating.

When I have more time, I would love to continue to look and discover all the new things this site has to offer.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

 

If I had the opportunity to conduct a research experiment, I would choose to explore the topic of parent-teacher relationships. Building positive relationships has many benefits to helping a child. I would choose this topic because I have seen and experiences positive relationships as well as parents who have not wanted to make any relationship at all. For the parents involved, their child was well behaved and focused on their work. For the parents who were uninvolved, their child normally did not a successful year in the classroom. This would benefit children and their families by working together to help the parents be involved in their child’s development and the child be able to feel supported in their life development.

My Personal Research Journey

 My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose to research is: What is the best technique to teach my child how to place the correct shape or number into the matching slot on the toy. I chose this topic because I personally feel that my son should be learning and developing fine motor skills and this is one way I could help his learn this skill.  I have been in the education field for many years and know the importance of developing skills like this. I have never conducted an experiment like this, so I am very interested in seeing the outcome and how the data collecting goes. The ways I have planned to teach this skill are: modeling the activity while saying what I am doing, hand over hand guiding him through the entire activity without saying words, hand over hand guiding his hand throughout the entire activity while saying words and telling him what we are doing.  

I feel that the past two weeks have been very beneficial to me personally and professionally.  Before entering this class, I was very nervous about doing well.  I did not know much about research and research has never been an interest of mine because I have never been good at it. I feel that I am finally being taught the proper way to conduct research as well as the proper way of finding credible articles and resources. The chart we filled out helped me in building my vocabulary and knowledge of new terms as well as learning about the research process. I particularly liked the section I wrote about which was learning how to find literature on your topic. The reflection was nice because I was able to identify a challenge I see myself having with hopes that I can receive help in that area before the challenges even appear.  The discussion question from this week gave me an opportunity to assure myself I am conducting my research correctly and being able to identify a source that is credible and a source not credible.

The challenge I saw myself having was designing the actual research and assuring that the way I plan to conduct my research is correct and will in the end give me results.  I do not want this research to be a waste of time like the example in the book because of the girl changing the way she was conducting her research in the middle of the observations. Because I am conducting my experiments based on three different techniques I am nervous this is going to be what happens to me, unless I conduct my experiment on a few children the exact same way instead of just using my son. Does anyone have suggestions on how I can design my research in a way that is accurate and not a waste of time?  

 

 

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts:

Looking back I thought connecting with an international professional was going to be challenging, however, I found it to be very exciting and interesting. I learned so much from the information these professionals provided to me.  Below are three outcomes I have while learning about the international early childhood field:

1.       It was interesting to see the issues on funding did not just exist in our country but it is a continuous issue all over the world.

2.       The impact of health is life threatening and is causing many children to die from poor health and disease.

3.       I loved seeing that people are fighting for children’s rights all over the world

One goal that I have for the early childhood field related to international awareness is finding and way and time to allow collaboration time to occur. Collaborating with other professionals and educators about progress being made in creating a way to make education affordable for all families all over the world can bring about great opportunities. Relationship building and collaboration allows for great minds and ideas to work together and in return see great results. Working together allows professionals to share ideas, insights, and challenges.  Lastly, collaboration allows professionals to grow and succeed in all they do. 

Getting to Know International Contacts - Quality

I did not hear back from anyone this week, therefore I had to go the alternate route. I found the website to be very informational.

One of my goals is to open up an early childhood center so I thought looking into quality on their site would be helpful to me. I learned that high quality childcare, particularly coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness. There are no universally agreed criteria for qualifying ECCE quality but they do give some useful factors to consider: pedagogy materials, personnel training, service setting and parental education and involvement.  When it comes to the actual service setting and infrastructure, one will notice in pictures that are going to vary within countries.

                                 

The greatest difficulty faced by countries in their efforts to expand and improve quality care and education is the mobilization of resources. Developing countries have the hardest time.  This may be because early childhood is overlooked by other priorities.  The 1990 Jomtien Declaration on Education for All (EFA), stated that countries should view early childhood as part of basic education.  Once countries see the positive value of state investment the next challenge will be mobilizing the funds. Right now, government funding for early childhood care is very small.

The last piece of information I would like to share is about access and equity.  Governments were urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services underscoring the importance of instituting a policy for the poor. Countries then had to promote services for the poor children with limited or no access to mainstream early childhood services which can be cost-effective. Concerns were made about sustainability and quality. In places where resources are scarce, the government has no option other than to redistribute resources by reducing state support for the more privileged.  It is the governments job to ensure an equitable distribution of resources among different populations and especially the disadvantaged regions.

Sharing Web Resources - Zero To Three

Depending on what you are looking at, some links lead to other pages on the Zero to Three sites, while others lead to journal articles that back up the topic they are reporting on. Either way, Zero to Three provides a lot of research on any one particular topic.

This week I searched Family, Friend, & Neighbor Care. After clicking on that I clicked on a link for encouraging school readiness skills. I then had to choose and age group. I chose Birth to 12 months.  It then navigated me to a page called “What you can do to support school readiness skills: birth to 12 months. On this page I learned that there are four categories: Language & Literacy Skills, Thinking Skills, Self-Control, and Self-Confidence. Language & Literacy Skills is talking together. This is the time to copy baby’s sounds and encourage them to imitate you. Babies are beginning to put sounds together.  Thinking skills is allowing and encouraging children to explore objects and toys in different ways. Touching, banging, and rolling help babies learn how things work.  Talk with babies about what they are doing. Self- Control is helping babies learn to soothe themselves. The calmer babies feel that more in control they will be.  Babies have different ways of calming themselves. Some need lots of rocking or hugging; others prefer to be swaddled or put down for a minute. You teach babies to calm when you stay calm. Lastly, self-confidence establishes routines with children. Most children feel safe, confident, and in control of their world when events are predictable. Routines are a way to help children make sense of the world.  Children need lots of practice to succeed in a skill.

I did receive a newsletter and the topic I chose to learn more about is Let’s play: Activities that nurture bonding and learning. Once clicking on the link, it took me to a chart that showed a babies development between the months of 9 and 12.  On one side of the chart showed what a baby can do while on the other side of the chart showed what you can do to connect with the baby. For example: A baby can understand more words than they can say.  A baby at this age can follow simple directions. A baby at this age can also tell someone what they want by their sounds and body movements. An educator, parent, or anyone who comes in contact with a child at this age can: tell the baby what is happening and what you will do next, put baby’s sounds and actions into words, name things the baby points at or looks at, and respond to babies babbles and facial expressions.

Zero to Three had an interesting article on their site this week applauding President Obama for making early learning a priority in his 2014 budget proposal.  We have been learning and discussing how the funding for programs is an issue, so to hear that early learning is a priority is a big step in the right direction. Obama emphasized how important it is as a nation for us to begin where learning begins- at birth.  The budget includes $1.4 billion to expand the comprehensive supports offered to the most vulnerable families through Early Head Start.  The plan would provide $200 million in 2014 specifically to create more high quality child care options for babies and toddlers with working parents, using Early Head Start’s quality benchmark’s, expertise, and resources. This ensures young children and families will have access to high-quality child care.  In addition his plan extends and expands home visiting which has been warmly embraced to reach more families where they live, with information, guidance, and encouragement.

I found it interesting to read about a baby’s point of view from the newsletter I received. I thought it was fascinating because often I wonder what my son is thinking on a daily basis. I always say I want to be in his head to hear what he has to say or what he is thinking about. I did like reading about the things a baby is learning between 9 and 12 months of age. Their confidence to feed themselves is higher, relationship building and relying on mother to read their signals, security to know they know how to express difficult emotions, managing strong feelings, they can effectively communicate using sound and actions, and how to pick up small objects with their thumb and pointer as well as hand eye coordination.

International Contacts- Part 2

The past few weeks I have learned more about my partners and their countries. In South Africa, I have learned that their poverty has a devastating effect on the children which in turn deprives them of their socio-economic rights. I also learned that people who grow up in extreme poverty face many consequences. Some immediate consequences are: tendency for illness, stunted growth, delayed cognitive development, poor nutrition, and general lethargy. One initiative they have over there to help overcome some of the effects of poverty is the good quality early childhood development programs for young children which also supplies families with support.

In addition to what I learned about South Africa, I learned some new information about the Step By Step Benevolent Foundation too. The Step By Step Benevolent Foundation the early childhood age group uses a thematic or project-based approach.  Classrooms are organized around developmentally appropriate learning and activity centers. There is a high priority on peer learning which ensures children have the opportunity to make decisions for them. The activity centers are geared to the interests and learning levels of each age group. This program is different from others is that it only reaches those children who are in the most need. There are only a small percentage of children who really benefit from this program.

I hope to continue to learn more and more about these two organizations and the wonderful things they are doing for children and their families.

 

Impact of Zero to Three

As I explored the website, Zero to Three, I noticed there were many different categories that were relevant to my current professional development. Some of those were: Early Language and Literacy, Promoting Social Emotional Development, and Early Development.

I did not find anything controversial when reading, however, I found the issue on sleep to be very interesting especially since my son did not sleep very well last night. He normally sleeps through the night but last night was a struggle for him and I. We were up every couple of hours, so learning different tips and reasons why he might not sleep well was interesting to me. When I was reading though, I kept saying to myself “I do the opposite of that.” For example, last I tried the “cry it out” strategy but instead of him soothing himself, he cried harder and louder so of course I went in and picked him up, which this website said to just go in but not pick the child up. I also have a bad habit of bringing him to bed with me when I am exhausted but as soon as he is asleep he goes back into his room in the crib. So for me, this topic was food for thought and different ways that I am going to try the next time we have a challenging night.  

Zero to Three has a page for all the policies and ways to give money as well as the programs that they fund. I feel that in order to do what this website does and the fact that the podcasts for donations are funded by MetLife that this site is very into having the support of businesses. In this case, MetLife is probably seeing a gain from the amount of donations they receive. In addition to that, similar to Dr. Grace’s view, Zero to Three has a positive outlook on play and the importance of children playing.  Play helps children develop in so many ways.  

Introductions of Partnerships

I am proud to introduce the two partners I chose to build a relationship with. Although they may have directed me to different websites or articles, to help with my understanding of their situation in their country, I am beyond grateful.

The first partner I would like to introduce Eric Atmore. Mr. Atmore is an associate professor in the Department of Social Development at the University of Cape Town. Mr. Atmore is one of three authors who wrote the South African Journal of Childhood Education for the University of Johannesburg.  Lastly, Mr. Atmore is part of the National Early Childhood Development Alliance  and the OMEP South African National Committee.

I have learned so much just from the first article Mr. Atmore sent me from the journal he wrote. In his journal I learned all about the challenges facing the early childhood development sector in South Africa.  One major challenge in South Africa is that the young children are being negatively impacted by a range of social and economic inequalities. These young children have inadequate access to health care, education, social services, and quality nutrition. South Africa has a section of their constitution that makes provisions for children’s rights, including the right to basic education and protection from neglect, abuse, and exploitation. However, they have a long way to go to effectively meet the needs of all children.     

The second partner I would like to introduce is Ms. Ruzanna Tsarukyan. Ms. Tsarukyan works with the Step By Step Benevolent Foundation.  She resides in Armenia, Asia. The International Step by Step Association in Armenia was initiated in 1998. This Association was opened in order to support early childhood education in the face of difficulties due to the economic crisis in their country. At the time this opened there were many Kindergarten and primary grades ready to close because of the economic crisis they faced. The children are directly faced with poverty issues, majority being social. China also has an issue with the job market. Children are impacted by poor nutrition, inadequate sanitation and exposure to abuse and neglect that often leads to unique and irreversible deficits in child development.

Reading and learning about the situations in both South Africa and China, has helped make me aware of what we have here in America that allows the children here to have a better life. I have also stepped back and am trying to be more aware of what others do for me and to not take anything for granted because there are people who are not able to have what I have. I thank god every day for my son and what I am able to give him and when the time comes, I will have a good school to send him to. Lastly, hearing and reading about these children who are struggling and who are not able to have what I have has opened my eyes to poverty issues and has made me want to take part in helping to stop/ fix the poverty issues present around me.

Zero To Three

I chose to explore and learn more about the Zero To Three site (http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/). I did subscribe to receive the newsletters, however, their newsletter only comes out the first of the month and therefore I have not received the newsletter yet. So, for this assignment I went exploring and learned as much as I could from their site.

Zero To Three is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development (Zero To Three, 2012).  It is their mission to encourage the health and development of infants and toddlers. One thing that stuck out to me the most is the number of children who are maltreated. There are a greater number of younger children abused and neglected than that of older children. Younger children also spend a longer period of time in foster care than older children do. The quicker support and intervention is given to the child, the quicker it is for the healthy development to be restored. Before learning from Zero To Three, I thought older children were abused and neglected more.

Lastly, I did not see anything geared to just one culture.  All information I read was about children in general no matter what their race gender, disability, etc. I did notice though that this site did have different categories for all different types of kids and they did mention that no two kids are alike so if you were looking to learn more about child behaviors, to look at each child as their own.  

Establishing Professional Contacts

I began my search for two professionals in another part of the world on Monday morning. I first chose the two people, from the list given, that I wanted to build a relationship with and communicate on a daily basis with. However, the first two people I emailed, the email address was incorrect and the emails sent where returned back to me. I then chose another professional and that too was returned to me. I was becoming very discouraged because I was not having any success in reaching any professional I was emailing. I then emailed two more professionals and have yet to hear from them. After not hearing back from anyone, I them looked up a group that I could come in contact with. I finally heard back from one group, The National Early Childhood Development Alliance located in South Africa.  However, I am still trying to get in contact with a second professional at this time. I do not feel I am going to have to use the alternate route for Part 1. I am going to continue to look and find my second professional.

I chose The National Early Childhood Development Alliance because I am interested in the Education in Africa, so that was one thing I look at when choosing one of my professionals. I have always had an interest in visiting or teaching abroad in Africa when I was in college so that is why I went with this group located in South Africa.  

The website I am interested in learning more about is Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. I chose this site because I love working with young children and their families. I am interested in learning more about their behavior, development, care, education, and maltreatment. This site sparked an interest in me so I chose to use this for our assignment.

Tips: I found this assignment to be challenging and I was becoming discouraged and questioning what I was doing, so my tip to others would be to never give up and even when things become hard or challenging take a step back to evaluate everything you are doing and come back to your work after you took a break. I worked on this assignment every day and I still do not feel like I have fully completed this assignment.

Question: Did anyone have an success in finding two professionals and if so can someone recommend another person/ organization to me with an email address that works?

Thank you for any help or tips you can give me. 

My Supports

Family/ Friends: My family and friends mean the world to me without them my life would not be complete. My boyfriend and father of my son is amazing and extremely helpful. When I leave for work in the morning he takes our son to the sitters and then picks him up. He watches him and allows me the time I need to complete all my school work. My mom, dad, and sisters I am so thankful for. They help me with my son. My parents have allowed my boyfriend and I to raise our son in their home until we save up enough money to move out on our own. They also take turns babysitting giving me some time to myself. My friends have been there through it all. They have listened to me vent and have given me some of the best advice. I have the best friends in the world and could not live without them by my side. If I did not have them I would not have anyone to talk to or go to when I need someone to listen.

Coworkers: The staff I work with could not be any more supportive.  We all work together and share ideas and thoughts about everything. It would be very difficult to work with people who you could not talk to and share ideas with. Part of teaching is being able to collaborate with the other teachers. Teachers who do not get along are not being as effective as they could be and are not allowing the students the opportunities to see collaboration and teachers working together.

Phone/ Money: These supports help me get through each and every day. You need money because you need that to survive in today’s society. Everything costs money and in order to buy food, clothes, water, etc. you need that money. My phone is important and a support to me because it is not only my alarm clock but it is my way of staying connecting with those around me. One important person is my son’s babysitter. I check in on him each day to make sure everything is going well or if someone different will be picking him up. I also use my phone as a support to stay in contact with my family who do not live around me. If I did not have this support, it would be difficult to stay connected to those around me. It would also cause me to be a nervous worrying wreck everyday not knowing what my son is doing.

Living with these supports for so long, I would imagine my life would be in shambles if I did not have these supports each and every day. I would imagine my life would be lonely and not put together. My life would be completely different because I would have to find a new way of living without these supports.

My Connections to Play

“For a small child there is no division between playing and learning; between the things he or she does ‘just for fun’ and things that are ‘educational.’ The child learns while living and any part of living that is enjoyable is also play.

 ~ Penelope Leach (psychologist and author)

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

~Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

 I had many toys growing up. Here are three that I use to play a lot with my sister.

                   

When I was a young child, my parents were all about us being outside and active at all times unless it was a rainy day. We were never really allowed to watch television unless it was after our baths right before bedtime. My parents along with everyone around me had the same feeling and understanding that children needed to play and use their imagination instead of sitting doing nothing like watching television. My sisters and I along with all the children around us would all play together. Some things we would do are: swing, ride bikes, hula hoop, jump rope, play tag, hide and go seek, or cops and robbers, any much more. We were always being encouraged and motivated by the adults.

I feel that play when I was growing up is completely different than play today. As a child, we had video games, television, radio, etc. just like children today have. The difference is, children today start out young just sitting in front of the television or playing games on the tv or computer just to stay busy and occupied as to not bother their parents or siblings. The motivation to use their imagination is not there like it was when I was a child. The parenting ethics are different because children today do not have their parents forcing them outside to run and be creative in play. I hope that children learn enough from their teachers that it makes them want to go out and play and run wild. I hope that one day the attitude of play and video games changes back to the way things were when life did not revolve around electronics.

Play is part of what made me the way I am today. I was able to learn how to play in a structured or unstructured setting. Play has helped children including myself develop socially, cognitively, physically, and intellectually. Play stays with you throughout your childhood and into adulthood. I feel as though learning to play as a young child has helped me when I work in groups or with colleagues. It has also played a role in helping me to be flexible and patient. Play helps children learn qualities and skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. One will not realize this though until they are older.