MY SUPPORTS

MY SUPPORTS

1.  Children

I believe my children have been my number one supporter prior to my returning back to school especially when I was between a rock and a hard place and I needed direction.  Without them being there I don't believe my achievements in life would have been as successful as they have been.

2.  Family

Having a close net family has always been a positive characteristic in my family for as long as I can remember.  If I mention something I want to do and ask for my family's support (as long as it's within reason) I can depend on their support.

3.  Staff

My staff has been awesome in supporting my decision to open a day care center.  This is so important because having a supportive staff allows less time for challenges to enter into the plan and you can allocate work and know that it's going to be completed with excellency.  Without their support my work days would be very long and I probably would feel most days like giving up.

4.  Church Family

My decisions are based on answers and directions I receive from prayers.  In the past I have "went out on a limb" in other words, on my own will and I have not had the backing (prayers and financial support) from my church family.  Those attempts were failures.  I believe because I did not seek direction first was the cause of those failures.

5.  Friends

I only keep a small circle of close friends.  We are there for each other regardless of any situation, or any time of the day or night.  Our conversations stay within our circle but at the same time we can accomplish great things once we put our thoughts and actions together.  Without their support my sense of direction and hope would be lost.

I believe it is so important to have a good support system that unselfish and that looks out not only for themselves but others first.  Many challenges we face today not only can have impact on our lives but also the others we are connected to.  Without having that support from our family, colleagues/staff, or friends we face issues by ourselves.  Eventually I will add more individuals to my support system but for right now it's just what I need to make through each day.

My Connections to play

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning ~ 

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

 

A child who does not play is not a child, 
but the man who does not play has lost forever the child who lived in him.

Pablo Neruda - Chilean poet
1904–1973

SUPPORT:

Encouraged

Adults Active Participants

Recess Twice A Day

Start Day with A Big Hug& Smile

After-School Activities

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's Not The Same..........

Nowadays, play is so serious it's almost like it's another core subject.  

It is very different from when I was a child.  Everyone participated 

including the Teachers!  Everyone enjoyed getting out of the classroom 

and going out for recess.  It was a punishment to stay inside. Now kids 

make up every excuse not to go outside.   

The joy of being a kid again!

The role of play throughout my life has been the same concept.  Life is not that serious.  I often quote that saying, “Work all day with no play, makes a boring day.”  The simple things in life are the things we overlook or let slip out from under us. 

 

Add a little play, add a little life!

 

 

 

Relationship reflection

Why relationships/partnerships important……

1. Trust
2. Support
3. Understanding
4. Encouragement

People in my life positive relationships…….

1.      Mom

2.      Siblings

3.      Children

4.      Day Care Parents

5.      Teachers & Principal

6.      Pastor

Ways each are positive……

1. Trust and Support
1. Dealing w/personal issues & growing up being there
2. Encouragement
1. Being the youngest of 6 siblings sometimes parents are worn out and siblings step in to help.  Their help was encouraging me to reach the next level of accomplishments;
3. Trust, Support, Understanding, Encouragement
1. Knowing whatever obstacle they faced I would somehow work things out for their benefit; being supportive & understanding of my decision to return to school knowing this time would take away from the time we spent together; Even when I face failure children were there to push me over that hurdle;
4. Trust and Understanding
1. They trusted me with their child’s life while understanding I’m not perfect, I make mistakes too;
5. Support and Encouragement
1. As a single parent I needed to know I wasn’t alone in the task of raising my children.  There were others who also cared about their well-being and accomplishments.  They also supported my career choice and referred parents to my day care;
6. Trust, Support, and Encouragement
1. Many times when things don’t turn out as planned I would second-guess my choices.  It was words from my Pastor who supported me and encouraged me to trust my decisions.

Insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships

First, relationships must begin with trust.  If I don’t trust you more than likely I will doubt everything it is that you are trying to say to me.  In maintaining relationships you have to form a relationship on a strong foundation.  If one thinks the relationship is formed just to see what they can get out of a person the relationship will not stand against the test of time. Second, you have to remember everyone is not going to always agree with everything you say.  There are times when differences of opinions will destroy relationship or misunderstanding what a person is saying and interpreting them to say something totally different.  Third, which I think is very important, is that relationships just don’t happen over night.  They take time to establish.  Just like all marriages don’t work all relationships don’t work.  But then there are those that instantly happen.

Relationships turned Partnerships

There is a great possibility relationships can turn into partnership when everyone involved have the same mindset and goals.  The relationship is between two individuals or more but the partnership is on what commonly brought them together.  Neither person is greater then the other; they are very mutual and have similar interest and goals.  Relationships must be lively and partnerships should show so creativity.  No need to be stingy or withhold ideas, partnerships are in a relationship together and they share the knowledge they have with others in order for it to be a benefit to others they come in contact with.

Building successful relationships

I’m a firm believer that experience is the best teacher!  I believe past relationships will only help me to build better relationships.  Some things I’ve tried that worked others haven’t quite had the positive impact I wanted so I’ve tossed them.  As an early childhood professional I believe building strong effective relationships are the keys that unlock the door for parents to become more active and involved in their child’s education.  I believe when parents see the teacher or the caregiver is interested in more than just a paycheck they want to show not only their support but also become involved.  Reflecting back on my experiences with relationships I will know which ones are instant and which ones need a little more convincing.

WHEN I THINK OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

"In early childhood you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry of idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe.”
- Lydia Sigourney  

Testing for Intelligence

Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to “the whole child”) what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed?  Explain your reasoning.

Every child born into this world has the potential to succeed in whatever they do and certainly with great expectations from his/her parents.  But there is a fine line between what they are capable to do physically as well as academically.  Every child learns at different pace, some faster than others.  But if we can get a good understanding how each child learns and at rate each child develops we can understand the whole child.  I believe a child’s ability should be measured individually.  Once each child is individually measured then at that point a comparison can be done with the whole group to see where improvements are needed. 

In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world?  (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)

Standardized testing of school-age children is used across Canada to measure the performance of students from province to province.  They are concern that students are performing on basic things like reading, writing, and math (Global News, 2012).

What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?

I don’t feel standardized testing should be totally done away with.  I believe we have to monitor a child’s progress in order to make sure children are developing on point.  I also believe in order to see a child’s full potential we must move outside the classroom into a more kid-friendly environment.  It is important to evaluate the whole child and not only look for and report back on the areas that don’t meet certain levels but look for those areas that exceed beyond the norm.  I think other ways for monies being granted from the results of testing should be sought.  Overall, concentration should be on the whole child if standardized testing is going to continue.

References

Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2012.

Read it on Global News: Global News | Canadians worried about kids’ grasp of math, literacy: poll

Coping with Death of Toddler

The stressor I chose was the tragic death of my four-year old cousin.  Many times we don’t understand how a child feels because they are unable to express themselves or their feelings in full detail and a way we can clearly understand them.  They don’t voluntarily share that information because being unable to connect with the person they’re trying to explain their emotions to makes them more frustrated then anything else.

Seeing a sibling fighting to be rescued helplessly from a fire, which in a matter of seconds, faces life then death and then trying to come to grips with the fact and finally realizing she didn’t make it out alive is very traumatic for anyone.  Death is never easy no matter how old an individual is.  Though it is a little more understandable when the deceased person has lived a full life, has seen all but the moon and finally has been called from labor to rest for whatever reason (illness, aging, etc.).  Questions arise when it’s a toddler, questions where answers aren’t always available, questions as to what could have been done to prevent such a tragic event.  Furthermore, why did such a thing happen?

            Death changes every aspect life once had.  Later in life that same toddler who witness that death is still affected and questions what this person possibly would of become in their life.  A child’s coping method is totally different than an adult and whereas we have learned different coping methods and still struggle when it comes to the actual test.  We must learn ways to assist children when expressing themselves.  Toddlers have emotions which we sometimes label as unhappy times especially when those times are uncertain or seem impossible. 

The coping I can remember that was used during this tragedy was just being around loving family and being comforted.  We were told my cousin was in Heaven and that we would see her again.  Day after day the conversation about the event grew fewer and fewer and within two to three months very little was being said returning life back to normal. 

Similar incidents such as this one have happened in Africa where the young children have lost their lives due to a fire.  I would like to research how the death from a fire is compared to children dying from living in poverty or being diseased stricken and see what coping methods are used and if it is different for each incident. 

Good nutrition is so important in a child’s life.  Cognitive development is a term that covers human perception, thinking, and learning.  Nutrition, genes, and environment are three major factors impacting cognitive development (www.nfsmi.org).  As a caregiver for children it is our role to provide and encourage children to eat nutritious food.  We also can introduce them to new foods, food out of the ordinary.  Children are more likely to eat what they see their caregiver eating which is a way to encourage variety and those new foods.  Children love raisins and marshmallows.  Unfortunately, celery is not a well-liked food.  But by making “Ant on a Log” and allowing the children to decorate it with the marshmallows or raisins children usually will eat their creativity.

The effect of nutrition on the brain begins before birth – with the nutrition of the mother.  Undernutrition and the resulting negative effects on brain development during pregnancy and the first two years of life may be permanent and irreversible (www.nfsmi.org).  Children who lack good nutrition have low levels of energy.  They have no interest in playing for long periods of time or interacting with other children who are energetic.  Poor nutrition provides the energy and nutrients people need to meet their physical and mental potential.  Proper nutrition fuels the body, which gives children the energy they need to play and exercise. (www.livestrong.com). 

The reason good nutrition is meaningful to me is believe it or not there are children suffer from poor nutrition.  I know for certain the children I provide care for do at least receive one nutritious meal while in my care.  Depending on the time frame they’re in my care they may receive two or three nutritious meals.  As a future director of my day care facility my goal is to push nutrition knowing the lasting impact it has on the child as a whole.

References

www.livestrong.com

www.nfsmi.org