Before taking this course about building research competencies, I received  all research information as fact, with no questions. Having explored the many factors that can influence a study from beginning to end, I have many questions. My view when reading new information has changed. Instead of generalizing and accepting the question and the resulting analysis, I look for the researcher's reasons for the study, the context of the research question, the methods used and validity of the study.
     I have learned there are so many ways to approach finding out new information. Researcher's individuality can affect how the question or hypothesis is worded, the design that is followed, and the analysis of the data.  I found the many new terms and ideas difficult to understand at first as this is a subject I was totally unfamiliar with.  By supplementing the required and supplemental resources with explanations from the web, and by reading the information multiple times, I was able to gain an understanding of the material.
    Early childhood professionals must have a difficult time evaluating what new information uncovered is valid, and to what extent. As this field is gaining recognition for its importance in the development of our future generations, more studies are being done. Professionals have a large amount of information to sift through and judge its usefulness.
    I would like to thank all my colleagues for their thoughts, interpretations and real life examples. They have helped me to learn and understand an entire new subject area. Understanding how research is conducted and the many factors that influence it is not only interesting but very useful in discerning which new facts presented will be believed and which will not.

This website had to be bookmarked for future reference!  I was very impressed by the success it has enjoyed wholly on it's own, with no outside financial support. Being a self-sustaining non-profit organization, they avoid the risk of influence by special interest groups on the information it compiles and distributes.
    When exploring current research, I found it helpful that Journal submissions are categorized by most read, current, latest, and most cited. Browsing most read, many of the articles listed were about incorporating children into the research process, as we studied in this course. Articles such as:

•      Research with children: three challenges for participatory research in early childhood by Tim Waller & Angeliki Bitou
•      Introducing children's perspectives and participation in research by Deborah Harcourt & Johana Einarsdottir
•     Listening to young citizens: the struggle to make real a participatory paradigm in research with young children by Christine Pascal & Tony Bertram

spanning from 2009 to 2011. Latest articles held a mixed listing of topics dating as recently as November 17, 2014. Current articles and most cited articles gave me an idea of what is the current trend in the early childhood field. Reading these article titles and observing the dates written, it is obvious and exciting that around the world as well as in the U.S., the importance of a strong supportive experience in the earliest years  of humans is becoming accepted fact. Our professional field is gaining respect for the expertise that it requires and the major influence it can have on a child's trajectory.  Children, with the help of the UNCRC, are becoming visible and are more involved in their own development through pedagogy of guidance rather than authoritarianism. I feel like I am getting in on the ground floor of a maturing professional field!

Reference:

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)  Retrieved from: http://www.eecera.org/

Exciting concept of mixed age child care settings

     By comparing the work I do now in center-based care, where classes are grouped rigidly by age, with the home day care I operated for 12 years, I feel strongly that mixed age group care is more beneficial,  not only for the children, but for caregivers as well.

     In reading scholarly articles to determine if any experts had conducted research on this idea, information was limited. A study whose purpose was directed more toward teacher's ability to rate children based on postdevelopmental perspectives as opposed to developmental approaches gave many examples of benefits to the mixed age group setting. Scaffolded learning resulted in older children taking the lead, the younger children rising to challenges, empathy for the babies, and less stress for the caregivers. These are some quotes from the article:

   With regard to ELL's:

"This form of learning was perceived as particularly important to Gina, who worked in a centre with a large number of families whose first language was not English. She believed the multiage classroom contained a variety of skill levels in respect of language development which provided a framework for supporting

the children’s acquisition of English. A chronological classroom containing second-language learners would not necessarily have provided the younger children with the same level of exposure to the older children (Edwards, Blaise & Hammer, 2009)."

 

   With regard to teacher stress and social development:    

"The teachers discussed how, in multiage settings, older children were more likely to intervene when they saw a child upset, providing comfort and reassurance and creating a sense of community and caring within the group. They argued that this level of engagement was not normally possible in situations where all the children are of a similar age, and that having older children to spread the ‘developmental load’ reduced teacher stress associated with toddler tantrums, sharing, turn-taking, and the need to provide scaffolded support for appropriate peer interactions (Edwards, Blaise & Hammer, 2009)."
 

     With regard to cognitive development:

"Although these examples were expressed developmentally, they provided examples of children, particularly babies, working beyond their supposed ‘ages and stages’ of developmental progress. Thus two-year-olds confidently handling hammers and older children competently nurturing babies were reported as examples of how multiage grouping works to support children’s learning in ways not seen in traditional chronologically–based classrooms (Edwards, Blaise, & Hammer)."

  

     I loved all the observations made by the teachers in this article and wish I could post 75% of them to this blog. They overcame parent's worries about older children harming babies, shocked staff who were not teachers with the calmness and happiness of the classrooms, and provided positive social development to all the participants. I wish I could find more about this subject; if any of my colleagues has heard of research done on this I would appreciate the tip.

 

Reference:

 

Edwards, S., Blaise, M., & Hammer, M. (2009). Beyond developmentalism? Early childhood teachers' understandings of multiage grouping in early childhood education and care. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 34(4), 55-63. Retrieved Nov. 15, 2014 from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=157c4832-337c-4316-9030-cf0e876695be%40sessionmgr4001&vid=11&hid=4109 

 

My Personal Research Journey

     My assignment is to attempt a simulated research on a subject that interests me. Throughout my life I have been fascinated by what drives a person to hurt defenseless children or animals. I have always been a gentle, caring person who loves to love and be loved, and I am so at a loss to understand what is going through people's minds who act in a hostile manner toward anyone. My child rearing did not involve any spanking, yelling, or manipulation. The three children I raised and the many children I cared for in my home day care are happy, successful people at different stages of their lives. My goal in working with children and families is to teach people how to raise their children with my methods, and proving that corporal punishment is not necessary will work toward that goal.
     My research subject will be "Is inappropriate student behavior displayed more or less by children who experience corporal punishment at home?"
     My first general search on the web led me to a blog called "Kidjacked", which although was not a quality source for data, did provide links to every state for the most updated laws regarding corporal punishment. The copyright for Kidjacked was 2014, but the notation on updates stated the last one was November 19, 2012. Many of the links led to current information, such as National Child Abuse Defense and Resource Center, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and InnocentDads.org.(http://kidjacked.com/, N.A., 2012)
     I plan on reading whatever updated information I can find on the Pearls, a couple who wrote a book about the proper use of corporal punishment. Their philosophy came to my attention when reading a news article about the arrest of parents who caused the death of their child from following the Pearl's methods (Eckhold, 2011).

References:

Eckhold, E. (2011). Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate. NY Times, Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/us/deaths-put-focus-on-pastors-advocacy-of-spanking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Kidjacked, Retreived from: http://kidjacked.com/

THE RESEARCH CHART
     I am having difficulty with the terms in the chapter for this week, and ultimately with the chart. I want to hear from my classmates--is anyone else finding this hard to understand? I am reading it over and over, but I think I need examples to understand it.
     What are some paradigms? Are there a specific set of "beliefs?" or are they infinite? Because ontology and epistemology's definitions rely on sets of beliefs, I don't really understand them fully either. Methodology is clearer to me because it is more concrete.
     Any laymans terms out there would be greatly appreciated.

Not a Villain in the Bunch

   

 This Friday at my Child Development Center we celebrated "Fall Festival". The children were encouraged to dress as superheroes, princesses, or a person from a storybook. No pirates, no skeletons, no Captain Hooks, and we were not allowed to mention Halloween. Like as if the kids didn't know it was Halloween.
     How can we have all good guys and no bad guys? Can children fully understand what not to be like? All children's folktales have bad guys, usually a wolf, and sometimes it's stepparents. I put this question out for opinions of my classmates--is it wrong to let children dress up as the big, bad wolf, or the wicked witch?

Learning on an International Level

     Before beginning my studies of Early Education at Walden University, I did not think beyond the scope of the world I was familiar with. From the first assignment in The Developing Child in the 21st Century by Sandra Smidt I was introduced to global issues children face that are much different than the ones the children I had taught and cared for face.
     This awareness was enlightening. To think about improving the lives and experiences of children around the world, not just here in America, was exciting. Currently going through NAEYC accreditation at my center, I find myself constantly wondering if other countries are aware of the standards we strive for.
     A consequence I have experienced is a constant comparing of America to other countries. I can get lost for immeasurable amounts of time following links from one article to the next, trying to decide: are doing better by our children or are we falling behind? As with most things, there is no exact answer when many factors come into play.
     I have developed a new appreciation for the amount of work being done in advocating for young children. Researching the many websites devoted to causes and backed by scientific research has given me hope that the future of our profession will be taken more seriously. I must do my part but am still working on how to be more effective than 8 families at a time.
     A goal of mine would be to take part in and possible even head a committee at one of the organizations introduced to me over these courses, many of which have offices in Washington, DC, such as:

Association for Childhood International
NAEYC
ZEROTOTHREE
Children's Defense Fund
Stand for Children
Save the Children

Early Childhood Deveopment in Mpumlanga, South Africa

   

      Through my chats with Lindiwe, it seems high turnover and low education of providers is a problem there as well as in America. Not only are those new to the field undercompensated, most are volunteers! Most become volunteers through word of mouth and relative referrals, then become paid contracted teachers after years of experience and further education, which is costly. There are home providers, private centers, and government run centers. Trainings are all provided by government departments of education, social services, and health.
     Lindiwe is satisfied with her position and does not intend to pursue further educations other than the recurrent trainings she receives from the school and the government. She has been teaching preschool for 12 years, and is happy. I did not receive any response when I asked her about her hopes and dreams.
     I did a bit of further research because the conversations intrigued me to learn more, but I did not hear back from her as often as I had questions. Training of "child minders" and ECD practitioners through workshops has been done on curriculum knowledge, skills development and assessment of children's knowledge and skills. They received certificates of different levels, the highest without university studies being a 4 (N.I.H.E., 2011)
     Major issues for educators are overcrowding of schools (in the province of Gert Sibande, the rural school studied had 390 children and 3 practitioners), educators who hold certificates in ECD are paid the same as those who don't, salaries are often paid late, and many "educators" are not qualified to teach (N.I.H.E, 2011).

References:

N.I.H.E, National Institute for Higher Education. (2011). Early childhood development in Mpumalanga: A review of the integrated ECD provision and implementation, Mpumalanga Department of Education, pp 79-89 Retrieved from: http://www.nihemp.ac.za/images/Report%20on%
  

 The website I have been following has this link along the right side of the page, toward the middle. Each of the categories leads to articles written by the various sponsors who are experts in the headed fields. While all the links have pertinent, current information, the E-Learning category led me to an article that relates to
my discussion post suggestion this week


.

An article entitled Bringing World Language Education to Everyone describes a tablet program issued to 100 students in a small rural town in Vermont. It enables students beginning in kindergarten to learn Spanish, French, Chinese or German through interactive activities. The tablets go home with the children, where they can practice and easily involve parents. The following paragraph is from the paper, which does not designate an author but is more of an advertisement with validation.

                                      The result has been a different view of world

                                      languages, one that recognizes its importance in

                                      putting students on a path to academic achievement

                                      and cultural empathy. “The language program has

                                      grown from being perceived as an enrichment activity

                                      to a core subject area that is increasingly integrated

                                      with and central to the rest of the school curricula,”

                                      said Principal Johnston. “Middlebury Interactive’s

                                      courses have been transformative to our school and

                                      is unique in my 40 years of experience as an educator.”

To read the whole presentation, click on the link:https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/WP-Middlebury_BringingWorldLanguageEducation.pdf

An area I found by a tiny link in the upper right corner of the screen was the Education Week Digital access. It displayed an interactive version set up like a paper hardcopy. In the "inside cover" was a listing of their supporters, which I was unable to find on the regular webpage. A short list of the many foundations includes:

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supports college and career ready reporting and standards
Hope Foundation-supports educational equity and school reform
Joyce Foundation-supports improvements of the teaching profession
NOYCE Foundation-supports the institution of STEM in public schools
School climate and student behavior are supported by a number of different foundations, including but limited to Atlantic Philanthropies, Raikes Foundation, and California Endowment
The Ford Foundation supports visionary leaders and organizations on the frontline of social change, the strengthening of democratic values, the reduction of poverty and injustice, the promotion of international cooperation and advancement of human achievement.

There are so many more, all with FANTASTIC GOALS AND PURPOSES!! I love this website.

My e-newsletter alerted me to a free webinar High Quality Early Education: Policy and Practice with guests Laura Bornfreund, deputy director, Early Childhood Initiative, New America Foundation
and Debi Mathias, director, QRIS National Learning Network. They discuss current early-childhood policy, efforts underway to bolster preschool quality, and suggestions for improvements at the local, state, and federal levels.  Although I was not available to attend the webinar on October 6th, it will be available to me through the archives for 4 months.

This website is so full of information on current issues that it is impossible to read it all every issue. I have found it extremely resourceful every time I have gone to it regarding the subject at hand. By searching "excellence and equity", I accessed the following article:

Excellence and Equity: Policy Lessons From Around the World by Anthony Jackson. It was a summary of the ideas discussed at the 4th  International Summit on the Teaching Profession  held in Wellington, New Zealand.  this past April and attended by countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The result of their discussions of what works to reduce the achievement gaps seen in lower socio-economic students was a combination of solutions, including bonus incentives, increased technology as additional teaching tools, training of skills and data to identify problems early, along with mentoring and coaching, forming collaborative cultures among teachers for support (Jackson, 2014).

Reference:

Jackson,A. (2014). Excellence and equity: Policy lessons from around the world. Education Week. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2014/04/excellence_and_equity_policy_lessons_from_around_the_world.html?qs=equity+and+excellence

 

More conversation with Lindiwe

My attempts to communicate with my new friend in South Africa are strained, even though she knows English. Some of my questions are not understood, and answers I have received are very vague.
I understand she teaches grade R (for reception), which is similar to pre-K in the United States. It is available to everyone but not mandatory to attend, and most children transition to full time school settings straight from home. The children who do attend grade R typically perform better in their primary grades than children who come straight from home.
The teachers in her school have been told that kindergarten readiness testing will be in place in the near future. Some teachers are so worried that they make the children repeat over and over what they are needed to know for the test. She said school is no fun anymore. Playtime was limited anyway because it is so hot, and they have no money for outdoor equipment or shaded coverings. Indoor play becomes too wild, so it is mostly eliminated.
The children who go to school straight from home score low on the tests, but are required to begin school anyway. Many are orphans living with relatives, so they start behind and get no help along the way. Feeling defeated early on, they often quit school and work low paying jobs. Because they are poorly educated, when they start their families the children are already behind. It is a cycle that is difficult to break.

This was the extent of the information I received from Lindiwe. I could not get her to give me her view or opinion on any of this. I did some research for some additional information on the state of Early Childhood in South Africa, and found: Although Grade R is available to everyone, currently 64% of children attend. In 1995, South Africa signed the Conventions of the Rights of a Child, pregnant women and children from birth to six receive free health care, and the government provides grants-in-aid for anyone to attend Grade R(Atmore, 2013) The situation for children in South Africa is improving since Apartheid, but slowly.

Reference:

Atmore, E. (2013). Early childhood development in South Africa – progress since the end of apartheid. International Journal Of Early Years Education, 21(2/3), 152-162. doi:10.1080/09669760.2013.832941

ParentPost -- web based software for enhancing family/school involvement

 ParentPost              www.parentpost.com

                                 CHECK THIS OUT!!
Do you need to increase family involvement? Do you want to see a great way to get information out in an organized, convenient, consistent manner? Consider this site with affordable pricing based on the size of your care facility.

This fantastic, easy to use software program is a great way to keep parents in the loop.  Any center, home based day care, or even group homes for mentally challenged adults can show off all the great ways their loved ones are enjoying their days and making developmental progress. 
Teachers and directors can send messages to all parents or just select ones with a few clicks, attaching necessary forms and requests.  Attached photos of kids doing activities is a fun way to make parents feel included! Take a look and watch the short videos to get a better idea of how this program would work for your facility. I was impressed!

Sharing Web Resources--www.edweek.org

   
 The huge amount of information put out each week did not touch upon the importance of early education in this issue, but a reference was made in an article dated Sept 22, 2014 entitled, Historic Summit Fueled Push for K-12 Standards. On the 25th anniversary of President George W. Bush's historic summit, during which teacher accountability and standards based education reform were introduced, the goals set forth have not been met and there is discord as to who is responsible.  Should schools be held accountable for poor student achievement if policy makers did not provide the proper supports through preschool and early education?  The 1st Goal of the No Child Left Behind Initiative was to have all --ALL children ready to start school by 2000, yet at that time still only 28% attended state run preschools.(Klein, 2014) Everyone agrees it needs to be done, but no one agrees on who should provide it.

An article about iPads in the classroom by Justin Reich, Towards a Pedagogy for Tablets: From consumption to Curation and Creation, describes a useful tool in the classroom, giving students the ability to record science experiments, take and share notes, and create. Many believe this new technology does not belong in the classroom, but teachers can creatively put it to efficient uses. I agree that it can be a useful tool, used properly, and can even see the benefit in early childhood classes. Children can acquire hand-eye coordination, increase math skills, listen to stories or music, and even 'face time' with people in other cultures.

Many articles detail support of early childhood education by policy makers (State Offers Early Childhood Grants, March 2013) neuroscientists (Music Training Sharpens Brain Pathways, Studies Say, Nov 2013) and economists (John Thompson: Michelle Rhee's DC IMPACT Value Added System Drives Teachers Out- Living in Dialogue, Sept 2014).

Listening to the news, I have only heard negative results of Obama in office. I was happy to find Obama has put education on his "short list" of priorities, and includes early childhood education as a top issue on that list. There is so much to read about the Race to the Top for Education Equity, the Tribes to Take Over Schools initiative, the High School Redesign Contest, and his interest in making college affordable, that I only chipped the tip of the iceburg. This president has his priorities straight when it comes to our children and this nation's future.

Lindiwe in Mpumalanga

My original attempts at communicating with international sources went unanswered, but I was able to find a teacher in South Africa through a friend of my daughter's who is in the Peace Corp there. Although she is attending to the subject of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, her work involves many families with young children.

She provided me with the information and method (What's App messaging) to contact Lindiwe, a teacher of grade R (reception) at Matjeni Primary School in Komatipoort, which is in the region of Mpumalanga. R grade is not mandatory, and the children are about 4 or 5.

The school has a fee which can be waived or reduced if a parent applies for this, but most parents don't even bother to send their children to school in the area she is from.  Schools are overcrowded, with more than 30 students per teacher, and most don't make it past 9th grade.

She sees may orphans due to AIDS and HIV, as well as many absences from school.

I will be texting more with her throughout this course, but so far this the most I have gotten due to the time change and communication difficulties, both technological and cultural.

Education Week: American Education News Site of Record

                     www.edweek.org -- GO TO IT!

But make sure you have plenty of time to spend there at Education Week....

Prepare to be completely sucked in for a great length of time
because of the tremendous amount of interesting information to be read.

Major headings list Teacher, Digital Directions, Industry and Innovations, Top School Jobs, along with shopping and advertising.
Current issues in the education field are addressed in each heading, making it easy to find and follow trends, research the latest happenings in Washington, along with opinions and blogs regarding the subjects. Written in newspaper format and updated (loosely) every week, I try to read more than just the headlines but find myself going from one article to the next.

Today I enjoyed reading about the Common Core's Image Problem, and the blog responses from the teaching community.
On this same title page was a link to a School Kindness Project, describing one person's response to a fellow student who showed a simple act of concern which then led to an entire attitude adjustment for a school. It was such an inspiring article; I hope everyone reads it.

The article right above it was titled, "We Need Teachers of Color", directly related to this weeks's discussion of demographic shifting.

 

My e-newsletters come daily and always pull me in. Today's headline was "Education looms large in pivotal U.S. Senate races" addressing the large differences in democratic and republican stands on teacher pay, common core curriculum, and higher education student loans.

After reading this article, I noticed the one below it about "distortions" and "bias" in new Texas textbooks. Here is the trailer:

 

"New social studies textbooks under consideration by the Texas board of education include "serious distortions of history and contemporary issues," according to a watchdog group's recent review. Among other problems cited by the group are that the textbooks exaggerate religion's role in the founding of the country, include negative stereotypes about Islam, gloss over civil rights efforts for gay and lesbian citizens, and are critical of affirmative action" (Ujifusa, 2014).

I had to read that one.

 

There are subject headings leading to information on legislative policy shifts, and a listing of upcoming webinars for enhancing your professional development. A section of job postings is also in this area.

 

Because I work with infants and toddlers, my main go-to website is Zerotothree. It is a well known, popular site that is very up to date and resourceful when helping families with a particular problem. By discovering and subscribing to Education Week, it is providing me with a larger picture, where I need to be informed of what is happening in the world I am sending my babies toward. It is enriching my knowledge, strengthening my opinions, and opening up my curiosity.

 

Reference:

 http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2014/09/wash_st_court_holds_legislature_in_contempt.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

I am going to be exploring issues and trends in the Early Childhood Field for the next few weeks. I am excited and a little frightened to learn what life is like for children in far corners of the world. Excited because I love to open my mind and world, frightened because the small peek I've taken recently tells me there are going to be some sad situations I am not able to fix.

My efforts to find an international Early Childhood professional to communicate with include emails to

• The director of MCCS Child Development Center in Okinawa, Japan
• Professor Tashiko Kimura, correspondent for International Association of Early Childhood Education
• Ali Hassan, managing director of ILM.com.pk, described as Pakistan's Biggest Education Port

Education Week   
is a newsletter I have been subscribing to for a few weeks already, having come across it while searching for information in a former class. It has a quick, easy to read format, with many interesting articles about current issues in American education.  However, my favorite website has been 

for many years. Although my time is limited for casual reading, I refer to it whenever I have a few minutes and often cite it if I need to help a parent with advice. I plan on exploring more of the websites suggested in the resource list. If only there were time to read them all!

MY SUPPORTS:

sup-port: 1.to undergo or endure, especially with patience or submission; tolerate. 2.to bear or hold up; serve as a foundation for. 3. to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction.(Merriam-Webster's, 1993)

 MY HUSBAND JOHN

is my daily support--he takes care of all the day-to-day details so I can focus on pursuing my career. He supports me with love and his confidence in me. I love when I overhear him praising me to someone, the best compliment ever. If he were not around, the bed would stay unmade, the laundry never done, no beautifully cooked dinner on the table when I got home, and I would be very, very lonely.

 MY PARENTS 

have been there for me my entire life. Through some major challenges, I have never felt alone, never judged, always loved. Because of the way they make me feel valued, I strive to make them proud of me. It hurts my heart when I see other people who do not receive this love from their parents. My mom and dad are getting older quickly and their friends are dying or becoming seriously ill all around them, putting the inevitable straight in my face every day.  I dread the day I will lose either one of them. I read somewhere that parents prepare us for everything in life except how to get by without them, and this is all too real.
MY BOSS
always makes time for me. I have gone to her with requests, complaints, and suggestions,  she listens and explains, or takes action.  I could not continue to enjoy my job(which is my life) if it weren't for her. I go out of my way to make her job easier, and she in turn goes out of her way to help me when I ask for it. I could not be successful in school without her flexibility and genuine support.
A CHALLENGE
imagined and feared is disease. Many friends and family are experiencing breast or some other cancer, Parkinson's and MS. I see them struggling and worry that my husband, myself or my children will be next to be stricken. It all seems so random, not brought on by neglect or abuse to themselves, that the possibility of avoiding these illnesses is uncontrollable. With the supports I currently have, my life would be difficult but manageable. If I did not have these people in my life, I don't know how I would stay employed, get to doctor's appointments, eat properly, or stay positive.
Reference:

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.).(1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster

We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing--George Bernard Shaw

 

Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for

children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood--Fred Rogers

 

 

 

If I were now a young child of 4 or 5 I would choose to play exactly as I did when I was actually that age. Not playing with objects, but exploring the world around me in solitude. I loved fishing off the dock at Lake St. Catherine; even as young as 4 I could bait a hook.  Hours were enjoyed freely climbing the mountain side the house was built on and swinging forever on a long roped tire swing. I was allowed and encouraged to spend my day from breakfast to bedtime as I pleased. The innocence (or ignorance?) of the times allowed for unaccompanied hiking on unmarked trails, looking for box turtles and blackberry bushes.



My mom spent a lot of time with me teaching me to play rummy, casino, and gin. She also taught me to play solitaire at a very young age, and I built houses with cards also. I was not the type to play with dolls

 

It is a shame this can't exist in modern times.  The media has made us aware and (overly?) cautious of the things that can happen to innocent children walking alone in the woods. I don't know the percentages of these dangers, or if they always existed and we just weren't aware of them or does the media give bad people new ideas? Does the prevalence of violent video games or exposure to news, movies and tv shows create callous people who might otherwise not act on their impulses? The newest generation of parents are electronic gamers. From the parents I encounter, I find it unlikely any of them spend quiet time with their children and a deck of cards. A huge connection was made during those moments with my mom, learning inadvertently about matching, patterns, adding, and competition.

 

Role of play throughout life changes constantly. When it slows and stops, we die. If our body does not die, our temperament, attitude and spirit dies. The strategy for regaining play as an adult if you have let it go has three steps: 1)change your attitude 2)change your thought process and 3)gain experience (Summers, 2009) We go from running, jumping and exploring to organized games and to video games, ultimately to watching games and playing more sedate ways like verbal bantering. The book Play for Sick Children, by Catherine Hubbock, describes the benefits of play for very sick children and the importance of play therapists, who can restore hope and a sense of control through play in what is normally a frightening, out of control experience. This link is to purchase the book and provides a brief overview :

http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book/9781843106548

 Reference:

Summers, Carl. (2009).Sustaining play throughout life, U.S.Play Coalition, Value of Play conference Retreived from: connections.greenvillesc.gov/forms/USPlayCoalition.pdf

 

Education of parents to supply the security and love that children need more than anything is going to be my goal in life. People that create or adopt a child need to be more aware that their lives are to now be prioritized to guide this child. Then in the early years they and we can focus on empathy and doing the right thing instead of selfishness. We will be creating a strong happy child who will learn all those important subjects in school more readily, not having to be distracted by the stressors of neglect, emotional or physical abuse, even in the smallest doses.

I spent the entire day reading quotes. I had a hard time picking just one that reflects my feelings but I did at least narrow it down to three! Obviously, the African proverb is one I feel connected to--it is my blog name and will be the name of my venture some day. Every person that comes in contact with a child has the ability to have a positive effect, even if it is just a genuine smile given and returned.

"The world needs garbage men, too" This is what I told my son when he didn't want to go to school. He took it as nasty critical sarcasm,  but I meant that I would love him no matter what he did. If school made him so unhappy, maybe he should not go.  Not everyone can be rocket scientists, or wants to be. I wanted him to be happy.  Why did he hate school so much? He did well in all his subjects. Maybe he found it difficult and he was tired of the struggle. Maybe he was bored because it was too easy.  Should he have been assessed? What kind of message would that have sent him?

My friend Jaclyn has been assessed over and over to judge her abilities, her growth, and her difficulties. At the age of 20, she knows she is not like most people, and sometimes refuses to try something because she believes what assessment tests tell her she can and can't do. But because of her strong family and friend support, she will eventually try and succeed at some tasks, proving the assessments wrong. Yet without these assessments, she may have struggled and failed in mainstream schooling. Instead she received high quality services that helped her in the areas she needed help most.

What is the ultimate goal of assessments? How accurate or misleading can they be? A child who is self-conscious will score differently than a self-assured child, and evaluations might be different done by different people. There is no way to test concretely, but that doesn't render assessments useless. They can be a valuable guide try to figure out what can't be explained by the children themselves, as well as a ruler to measure improvements.

Assessment of children's abilities, disabilities, strengths and weaknesses must be done carefully. Early childhood is such a vulnerable time for building self-esteem, and the way children receive and process comments made and events that take place in their various systems is very individualistic.
Concerns voiced to parents, tests given and assessment meetings that take place send a message to a child that they have something wrong with them.  They could either try to prove it wrong or succumb to the idea that they can do less because they are not as good as anyone else.

Ability assessments are necessary to determine what help, if any, is needed for a person to feel happy and comfortable in their world.  Life is granted to us by God, not to have riches or be powerful,  but to love and be loved. Part of this is pride in oneself; if you can provide for yourself and not be dependent on others except for companionship, you will be happy and comfortable.

In Mpumalanga, an area in South Africa, children are only assessed if they have completed a grade twice, or are repeatedly in trouble with the  law. Even in these instances, no help is offered until the child reaches 13 years old. (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education/default.asp?nav=specialeducation They are then taught a trade such as building, hairdressing, office work, agriculture, or domestic service.
This is a benefit of living in a developed area. In the instance of a remote zone with the address of area "B", my Peace Corps acquaintance tells me of the experience within her village and host family. Children are only assessed at the end of each year by an exam which will let them progress to the next grade or be held back. They can repeat grades an indefinite number of times, until they eventually pass or just quit school. There is no known ADD/ADHD, autism, or evaluated learning disabilities.

New Jersey Baby Dies in Recalled Nap Nanny Chair

Sunday, Jun 1, 2014  |  Updated 2:27 PM EDT

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This undated image provided by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) shows a Nap Nanny baby recliner. month-old baby girl in New Jersey is the latest child to die in the recalled infant recliner known as the Nap Nanny. 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the Hopatcong baby was secured into the chair by a belt but was found hanging over its side, trapped between the chair and a crib bumper.

The agency is warning parents, again, not to use the chairs. Several children have died in them, the CPSC says.

The Nap Nanny was designed to mimic the curves of a baby car seat, elevating an infant slightly to help reduce reflux, gas, stuffiness or other problems.

The commission says the chairs are not being sold in stores any longer but are still a popular product at yard sales, online auctions or as hand-me-down gifts.

"The products are hazardous and it is illegal to sell or resell them," CPSC says.

The agency did not say when the New Jersey girl died.

How Stress Can Effect Children's Development

     Looking over the list, I feel blessed that I was struggling to make some kind of connection. I have never experienced any of these stressors,  and had a difficult time thinking of anyone I knew that had. There was a family that lived across the street from us as my kids were growing up that lived in a world of chaos, which occasionally resulted in violence. My kids played with their kids because of their similar ages and close proximity. As time went by, they all drifted apart and  we moved out of state, but through Facebook I do have some information on where their lives took them.
     This family had five children within a 7 year span, all "accidents" by the mother's account. The mom and dad were always yelling at each other, slamming doors, and pulling away in their cars in haste. Mom did not work outside the home, Dad jumped from job to job, and relied quite a bit on financial help from his parents. Mom liked her beer and a clean home, to the point of neglecting her children, or yelling at them for making a mess. Meals were never prepared formally; the kids ate cereal, junk food or ate at my house. The parents never made it to any school events, claiming the kids didn't bring home notices. Any after school activities or sports events the children were involved in would require them to ask for rides all the time because no one would remember to pick them up. Before they were old enough to take care of themselves, they were always dirty, with crusted noses and matted hair.
     When the kids were young (my son was 7, daughter 4, their two were 6 and 4,  the youngest ones not born yet) , they were all pretty nice but had severe eczema and asthma. They would constantly scratch, sometimes to bleeding, and cry. I always felt these conditions were exacerbated by stress, because they worsened when Dad disappeared for days at a time, or lost yet another job and the fighting at home increased. As the years went on, they became rude and demanding, as well as disrespectful.  My oldest daughter recently recalled a time she got in trouble with me because she took on some of these characteristics when she returned home after a full day at their house. The youngest child, who started playing with my daughter when they were toddlers, was the worst of all. She ran around bouncing off the walls and being very aggressive to my daughter. My daughter, also naturally aggressive, fought back, which initially caused a lot of tension in my house when they were together. I started only letting them play at my home and tried to monitor the behavior. The girl learned what was acceptable behavior when she was with us, but reverted right back to disrespectful and violent when home with her siblings. They were always punching, kicking and scratching each other.
     Every one of those five children struggled in school.  Only two of the five have graduated and gone on to college, both of them due to their sports abilities. Two others' psychosocial development was marked by drug and alcohol use, piercings, shoplifting, truancy from school, and obesity. The last girl is graduating high school this year, but I have not heard any news about college.In my opinion, the stressors they all experienced were not compensated for; they all received what was happening in different ways and reacted
individually.
. Mpumalanga is just above Swaziland, below Kruger National Park

   The issue of disease in South Africa interested me because of my personal connection to a member of the Peace Corps who is working for the prevention of HIV/AIDS through education and action. She has been telling me what life is like for children in Mpumalanga, a region that has the second highest rate of the disease in South Africa. Many children are orphaned, and cared for by grandparents or other family members.
An extensive study on the effects of education and possible solutions in this particular area of South Africa was done in 2007 by Sonto Tryphina Dlamini. The following table lists common situations and their effects which are obvious detriments to children's normal development. The study I read also included complications of educators themselves missing work due to illness, causing classrooms to be as full as 50 to 100 children (DLAMINI, 2007), thereby making an real education of these children close to impossible.

Table 2.4: HIV/AIDS: Consequences for education (Boler & Carroll, 2003:5)
CONSEQUENCES FOR EDUCATION ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE
CHILDREN: ISSUES
Poverty
• Drop out of education due to unaffordable school fees;
• Stigmatised because of inadequate uniform and learning materials; and
• Low attention span due to hunger.
Stigma
• Social exclusion: marginalisation of children affected by HIV/AIDS;
• Negative learning environment;
• Barriers to participation.
Trauma
• Special educational needs; and
• Difficulty to concentrate and learn
• Low motivation for learning due to depression and anxiety
Bereavement
• Silence surrounding death in many countries may lead to emotional
problems, which in turn are likely to impact on learning.
Lack of family support
• Low educational expectations of orphans;
• Lower prioritisation of orphans’education over other children within the household
• Lack of homework support or household encouragement of education.
 Working children
• Tiredness during classes;
• Erratic school attendance; and
• Lower learning achievement.
 Adult roles
• Increased responsibilities at home reduce the amount of time available for education;
• Education becomes less relevant; and
• Problems with respect and discipline in the classroom as young people become adults prematurely
 and consequently, expect to be treated as such.

The work of the Peace Corps is to reduce HIV infection, stigma and discrimination, and gender-based violence.  They address prevention and care, especially that of women, orphans, and vulnerable children.

References:

Dlamini, Sonto Triphina. Study on the Impact of HIV/AIDS  on the Didatic Situation at Schools in Mpumalanga,  Retreived from:http://libserv5.tut.ac.za:7780/pls/eres/wpg_docload.download_file?p_filename=F1982178366/DlaminiST.pdf

BOLER, T. & CARROLL, K. 2003. HIV AIDS & education: Addressing the educational needs of orphans and vulnerable children. London: Action Aid International and Save the children Fund. 

           

SIDS is so horribly mysterious to date that it enters my mind every day at work. I care for 8 infants at a facility run by a government agency.  They have many rules in place to reduce the risk of SIDS.  We are sent to recurrent training, monitored on camera, observed by trainers, and occasionally scolded for bringing in an item to benefit the babies  that was not pre-approved.  I find myself annoyed at some practices; the babies don't sleep well without blankets, the lights are always on, and they have to be put in the crib if they fall asleep while playing on the floor (which of course wakes them when they are moved). Our boppies and  receiving blankets were confiscated, and we are not allowed to have a cloth barrier between babies faces and the carpet (unsanitary!) Where do you draw the line between risks and infants need for rest?

Well, the findings from researching SIDS statistics had me convinced that all these precautions are valid. New Zealand had highest rates as of SIDS since the 1950's. (Franklin)  An amazing theory by Barry Richardson, an expert in materials degradation from Britain,  makes so much sense, and there have been some early research and statistics to validate his claims. This research was conducted by Dr. T. James Sprott from New Zealand, a forensic scientist and chemist. This is the basic idea:

Common household fungus, S. Brevicaulis, is harmless by itself but when it feeds on certain chemicals used as flame retardants the byproducts produced are dangerous nerve gasses. They don't make the baby ill, they shut down the nervous system, stopping the heart function and breathing.(Quinn, 2002). Babies who are put "back to sleep" and with little bedding have better ventilation, so the campaign for having babies sleep on their backs was successful in saving lives.  There was a great deal of justification on the following websites by comparing statistics of countries that did not have chemicals in their mattresses, or had wrapped them to prevent vapors from escaping. I was very excited about all this news and ready to approach my annoying regulations at work with a better attitude. I also wondered why this wasn't big news, and I had never heard of it considering the attention SIDS prevention gets at the Marine Corp Child Development Center.

Unfortunately, an editor's note at the bottom of one website(Quinn, 2002) directed me to a further study stating that research into this theory has declared it unfounded.(Sids-network.org) So the mystery remains, and the fear is ever-present.

http://www.johnleemd.com/store/art_sids.html

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/bedding.asp

http://sids-network.org/images/limer1.pdf

    "No one looks panicky so I guess I'm not dying. . .but how can I survive this?"  were my exact thoughts when I was at the end of my advanced labor. I had been in labor for 19 hours with my first child and was about to give birth, starting to feel the urgency to push and I was very scared. I was also exhausted and irritable, snapping at my husband who was trying everything to be of some kind of help. I had come to the hospital after feeling the first contraction broke my water, and had been lying half on my back, half on my side, with a fetal monitor wire run up inside me attached to my son's scalp, IV's, other monitors strapped across my belly (which I had been scolded for knocking it out of place while trying to adjust my miserable self) and wanted it all to be over. The romantic moment I had envisioned during my pregnancy was totally gone; I would not look dreamily into my husband's eyes while holding our beautiful son on my chest--I just wanted to go in a corner somewhere and be left alone to sleep.
     How do women I read about during this assignment go it alone? I was proud of myself for having no pain medication, but my son's birth had no complications, and I had a huge support system of family, friends, and doctors. In underdeveloped countries, many women (or young girls) give birth alone, or with just a midwife and no medical support. But throughout history, we have populated this planet since cavemen times, and many manage to survive. I feel the amount of emotion experienced by the mother during pregnancy and childbirth has an effect on her interaction with her children, which of course effects their development.
     In Turkey, as current as 2004, they had experienced a very high infant mortality rate. They were shifting from mid-wife births to hospital/doctor assisted births. The number of anesthesiologists who were familiar with epidural procedures was very low, resulting in general anesthesia C-sections at a rate of about 90% (Schalken 2004).
     Besides the risk of general anesthesia on the baby, I  would expect that early bonding could not occur as well as if Mom was awake. But the fear of pain had women choosing this option. I certainly could not be judgmental, remembering my own thoughts.
     Thankfully, a U.S. nonprofit organization called Kybele is assisting doctors with learning this procedure. A new textbook instructing on epidural analgesic procedures, the only one of its kind in Turkey, has been published and goals have been set to reduce general anesthesia C-sections to 30%.

Reference:
www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=6