When I think of Research ...

As another course in my program on public policy and advocacy comes to a close I look back on the last eight weeks. What I have found is how unsure and hesitant I was about this course in the beginning. Research has not, in the past, been a topic or a task to complete that I felt strongly about or that I felt I could do on my own as a professional. However, after this course I feel that if I wanted to or needed to I could perform a research study now. Each week of this course the elements and steps of a research study were discussed and reviewed. Aong the way, understanding the different types of research studies that could be conducted gave me uncertainity at first but once broken down into steps, completed in the chart format as given, it gave me a clearer picture. So if I follow the steps and be sure to include all the necessary elements I could complete a research study that could impact the future of early childhood. Through this latest course and therefore gaining the knowledge of performing a research study, significant impact and changes could be made in early childhood if we all take the individual research study simulations we designed, put them in practice, and share the results.

International Early Childhood Issues

As we continue to learn about early childhood through this research class, as we have in previous courses I am always interested to learn if other states or even countries have the same or similar issues in relation to early childhood. So to see if this were true I used my long time interest in Australia as the source of comparison for early childhood issues.

Therefore, it was enlightening to learn that when I viewed the Early Childhood website in Australia, http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/, that the topics I found were the same. Current resources include sleeping, health and obesity, school readiness, climate change, and belonging. In the archives I found that quality standards, an early learning framework, literacy, and health are all issues related to early childhood affecting Australia just as the same issues affect early childhood here in the US.

What I also found interesting was the online catalog with the availability to purchase resources for children, families, and professionals. As with other early childhood sites here in the US there was also the option to join the mailing list or become a member. Connections between the US and Australia exist within the realm of early childhood if in no other aspects.

Research That Benefits

Wow. When I saw the topic for this week, I could not help but think how wonderful the research created in option two could achieve so much and help so many.

If I could research any topic it would be researching equitable access for all children to attend preschool programs. With this research I could find the issues affecting parents lack of ability or knowledge to send their children to preschool programs through various means. The following ideas would apply to private preschool programs or those children unable to attend public preschool programs due to small class sizes. Either coordinating pick up for children either through a transportation service or car pool or on the other hand I could create a program where children receive attention from a preschool teacher in the home setting where they are the most comfortable. This could happen one on one or with a few children from the local area in the neighborhood. This way both children of parents who wished for them to attend preschool and those who would prefer their children stay home and 'be little' for as long as possible could receive preschool learning services and thus equalize the readiness of students for Kindergarten.

 If there was money allocated and available to pay enough preschool teachers so that all preschool aged children could attend the public school, that would serve one purpose of preschool learning and the other purpose of better preparing students for Kindergarten. However, with budgets and space available within a public school, having all children attend preschool in a public setting or having the finances to pay teachers may not be feasible.

I would love to see the day where regardless of outside factors all children receive a preschool education and start their educational careers 'ahead' instead of behind for lack of preschool attendance.

Personal Research Journey

As I thought about a topic for this research simulation, I reflected back on EDUC 6162. The topic in that course that struck me the most was equity in early childhood. How can children not attend a preschool program based on where they live or the socioeconomic status of the family? How can a teacher with the same qualifications teaching in a private setting not make the same as a teacher in a public school setting? What are the differences and why do the differences cause such inequalities?

This topic is important to me because it could affect the profession from an educators’ standpoint and how prepared a child is for Kindergarten can affect the rest of a child’s education. As I research the topic, I find that there are more articles about studies outside of the US than within the US. Additionally, there is very little I have found on the issue in relation to the teachers, so as my desire was to research the equity issue for teacher salary I may simply have to just focus on the children.

 Whichever becomes my final result, I hope that through this research simulation I can find more information to use in an effort to eliminate the inequities found.

Final Blog for EDUC 6162

As I reflect back on the last eight (seven as I write this) weeks of this course, I first want to say to all of my colleagues in this course Thank you. Thank you for responding and sharing with me both in blogging and in discussions. I hope that each of you has learned something from me as I have taken away something from each of you. As we each continue on our individual journeys in case we don't meet again in another course, I hope that we all reach our goals and achieve our dreams making a difference in the lives of the children we meet along the way.

The first thing that was really enlightening for me in this course was how some countries that I previously had thought (for example, China) were very well educated, have their struggles just as we do here in America. Quality programs are a big deal both here in America and abroad as the strive to find and keep well educated, well prepared staff is different based on location of job. If a certified teacher can become employed in a school district for a salaried position, that same certified teacher is going to be less likely to take an hourly position at a private preschool.

In addition to quality, I also reflected as I explored the various websites, on how access to early childhood education in some of the underdeveloped countries may not be as frequent as in better developed countries due to cost or barriers in the understanding of the importance of early childhood. I cannot imagine, because I have not lived it, how difficult it is in another country to educate children, even when the desire is in place. This is an even more revealing revelation for me in how fortunate we have it here in America. Yes, we have our own issues to face in early childhood but we do have programs in place and are striving to improve upon them.

Along with the quality of programs, I was also pleased through the websites to learn that with the gain in awareness for early childhood that the United States is working with other countries to develop, implement, and improve the education for early childhood. I know from the news that on a political standpoint we have such things as the United Nations where we work together, but to know that our collaborative efforts extend into the education of the children is fantastic.

What I learned about myself is that the different nationalities moving into this country are requiring a little more from the educators. I need to most definitely pursue the learning of Spanish for the area in which I live and in doing so I hope to learn more to make all children of all nationalities that I may encounter or that may enter my classroom comfortable enough, even if there is a language barrier, to learn successfully.

Part 3 Getting to Know International Contacts

As someone who did not succeed through email or podcast in establishing connection to another early childhood professional, I have again completed the alternate assignment for this week.

Although I have completed the alternate assignments, I can say that each week through exploring websites I have not previously known existed, I am learning new information and gaining in my knowledge of early childhood both here in America and abroad.

The website this week, from UNESCO's early childhood care and education page proved to be yet another site to find new information.

What I found first was the topics we have discussed during this course, 1. access and equity 2. quality 3. investment and financing 4. coordination and integration. I browsed through each of these tabs and the one thing I found was that there was a box on the right hand side with 'related inforamtion' containing articles related to each topic and involving different countries around the world. It still amazes me the number of countries that are just recently learning how valued early childhood is for the future. For example, the proposal of mandatory funding for preschool education in Brazil, was one article I found.

Secondly, I found the coordination and integration tab to be a bit confusing, maybe it was just me, but I do not fully understand what it means to split early childhood up as they were referring to. I will need to research this some more unless there is someone else who did this alternate assignment that could help better explain why? Thanks

Finally, what I did enjoy in the other two sections under the early childhood theme was that the other two areas, quality and access, stated what we have learned throughout this course. We need to insure that all of the children, even those in poor areas, have access to education and that a quality program makes the difference.

What an affirmation this week to the material we have studied, the papers written, and the collaborations we have had with each other in discussions and blogging.

More from Shared Web Resources

As I have viewed the www.nieer.org website more through the last few weeks, and received the newsletter via email, I have gained new information about not just the state of New Jersey (where the website is based out of) but other states as well. Through the access tab, I found articles related to the access of preschool to children in other states. I found an interesting link to an article published in Mississippi about how preschool is a key to economic development. How interesting that we were just discussing the role economics plays on early childhood or that early childhood plays on economics? Another link under the research in quality through nieer.org was an article on increasing the certifications of pre-K teachers in West Virginia. The links I found led to more information either by nieer.org itself or through other resources from other states. I am finding it interesting to explore the website and learn how similar and different the circumstances and curriculum in other states. This brings up the point of establishing standards for all states in regards to preschool. If one state is teaching math, and another is only teaching letters as a hypothetical example, how can we call that equity in programs? We can't, so I would support national standards for preschool so all states provide a more equitable preschool experience. There are additional articles in the newsletter I received a week ago about how preschool will affect economics and social development, thus affecting equity.

The website, www.nieer.org, I chose in the beginning is still proving to be a good choice for me as it is constantly updating (almost daily) what's new, links research to articles in other publications that are recent, and thus far I have been able to locate at least one article pertaining to our current topic at hand.

Getting to Know International Contacts - part 2

While I was hoping by now to have reached someone through a podcast or email, I have to no avail received contact back from anyone outside of my current class. However, through the alternate websites made available I am gaining in my knowledge of happenings in early childhood. When I looked at the 'Global Children's Initiative' by Harvard I was interested to find that there is a push to connect the United States with the rest of the world in the knowledge we have of early childhood. For example, the Global Children's Initiative is working in Brazil to enlighten them on child health and development in hopes to increase policies and investments for children. The initiative is working in Rwanda with the mental health of children affected by HIV/AIDS in some way. I cannot believe the amount of work we here in America are doing to work with other countries to insure that children in early childhood are valued and cared for more, not just here in the US but all over. Finally the initiative is looking into the effects of a crisis on children. For example, children in post-earthquake Haiti or children who are malnourished. I truly enjoyed this site, because while I value our own children here in the US, I understand that other countries may not have the tools or knowledge to place the same value on children and through the help of the Global Initiative, I believe we are helping to achieve a greater understanding and increase the value children have throughout the world.

Continuing to share information from Web resources

As I continue through this course, I gain new knowledge or insight each week. This week as we talked bout other fields that can have an influence on early childhood. I took another look at the www.nieer.org site and found that they conduct research in the areas we talked about this week. There is a whole tab section on economics and finance at the same time there is an additional tab on governance and accountability. It's not that I can say I never knew, but I guess I never paid much attention until this week to the other fields that play a role and have an impact on early childhood education. What I like about the NIEER site is that even though it is based here in my home state of New Jersey the information on the site is about all states. While my local state would be my primary focus, it is interesting to take a look at what other states are doing. If a state is working a plan successfully then maybe in some ways we could try it here. The site does include other information pertaining to quality, assessment, access, teachers, state programs as well as more. This site touches on all aspects and topics I believe have an impact on the early childhood field in one way or another. This week for me really tied together how other fields and early childhood work together, or should work together, for the betterment of our children and thus the betterment of our country in the future.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

My attempts to contact someone in another country for this assignment did not work out. I received no responses back other than one to tell me the address was incorrect. So I chose the podcast option, however I seem to be having difficulties getting in contact with members from the podcasts.

 

On the other hand, I looked into the childhood poverty website as suggested since I am awaiting a response from the podcast. The information gained through this site is amazing. I chose to read about China and the poverty level there. According to the site the overall poverty rate is 4 to 8 percent of the urban population. On the other hand, what I read about the children in China was alarming. I had a misconception that China’s education for children and healthcare was greater than it is. The western and eastern sections of China differ. There are 80 percent of children in Western China, according to www.childhoodpoverty.org, while it is 15 percent higher in Eastern China and the percentage in Western China is lower than the national average by 9 percent. The reason for the differences lies in the cost of education, some can afford it while others cannot. Additionally there are families without health insurance living in China, just as there are here in America. The reason in China I feel is the same as the reason here in the United States, as I am sure is the reason everywhere, health insurance is not affordable.

 

I hope that not only on in international level, but a local and national level here in the United States that we can better educate our children and families to reduce the amount of people living in poverty.

Sharing Web Resources

The website I subscribed to the newsletter for is the National Institute for Early Education Research, www.nieer.org. This website works with state and national policy holders, as well as other organizations to work to achieve effective, high quality preschool programs. I am looking forward to receiving newsletters and browsing the website to gain more information and knowledge of what is happening in early childhood education. With a more in depth up to date knowledge of the research taking place I will become a more effective educator for my students and a more informative colleague for my fellow educators.

Expanding Knowledge and Research

For part one of this assignment, I have emailed a few different people in hopes of establishing a collaboration to learn from educators outside of the United States. However, I have not received contact back, so I may have to pursue the alternative for this course if I do not hear back from anyone.

For part two of this assignment, I subscribed to the national institute of early education research website. This website will give me information on current issues involving early education. As a preschool teacher of four year olds, this website will be insightful to give me information involving new insights into what is taking place before children get to my classroom, while they are in my classroom, and therefore what will happen upon entrance to Kindergarten and public school. Another plus to this website is it is created by Rutgers University here in New Jersey where I live.

My Supports

When I think about the supports I have on a daily basis compared to those supports a child in my classroom may need, I come up with two different answers.

The supports of a child in my classroom could mean something as similar as pictures with words cards for my ESL learners to an open classroom layout to the child who may have a physical disability and everything in between or beyond. Supports in the classroom include partnerships with families, the back up of administration, and relationships with colleagues. These supports help insure a child is and feels successful each day when they are at school.

However, for myself my supports come in different means. My job brings a paycheck which brings money to pay bills, keep my car running, keep food in my house, and allows me to provide for my needs and sometimes my wants. Without my job bringing a paycheck, I would end up without money to pay my bills which means I could end up homeless. However, I have a supportive family of those members I am close to. They have provided me with a place to stay and food to eat as well as loans of money when the need has arose. Without my family as my baseline of support through everything I have encountered I would be lost. I then have my friends. I can say that I have those I talk to about anything, those that I pick and choose what to say, and those that are casual acquitances. I can also say that I have had friends come and go, but the lessons learned in this relationships have helped make me the person that I am today. While I could tell my family anything, I am glad that I have my friends for support because there are topics I do not want to talk with my family about becasue since they are my family, they have their biases and sometimes don't look at the whole picture. My friends provide a different level of love and encouragement to keep me moving on even when life has thrown out the lemons.

I do not believe without my family and friends that I could survive. I have had the unfortunate occurence of being without a job, without a cell phone, without a car and through the help of family and friends made it through. It is nice to know that I have a support system when life throws me lemons, they help me make lemonade.

My Connections to Play

As I thought about this week’s blog, I spoke to my mom. I had different toys I liked at different times so I needed to narrow down my list to when I was four or five. Once I spoke to my mom, I confirmed what I had thought and that is the toys I enjoyed at the age of four and five were my Cabbage Patch dolls and my Smurfs. My sister was 2 at the time and I enjoyed ‘playing house’ with her as well. A quote I found in an article I read by Rollins (2012) that comes to mind in reference to my play as a child, was one by Maria Montessori that states, “play is a child’s work.” Although I cannot recall the author or the whole poem right now, there is something I read once that discusses what takes place in the different learning areas in the room and how when a child says he played all day, he truly was in his mindset working and learning.

When I think about play now versus play when I was younger, I realize how much has changed. Today children are on computers, playing video games, or watching television. I have often heard people make reference to these things as babysitters for children instead of parents interacting with their children. When I was a child my television time was limited and I did not have a computer in my home until later. My sister and I played in our play room or outside in the yard as did the friends we had. The adults in my life would perform one of two tasks during play, participate along with me or watch. This tells me that my play was self-initiated and I directed the play experience (Berger, 2009). I would like to hope that in collaboration with the parents of the children I teach that my students would go back to play and spend less time with technologies. I would also like to hope that my classroom is child-centered and play is the most important element in my classroom. There are too many skills developed through play to go without play experiences. Children develop problem solving skills, fine motor and gross motor skills, social skills, and emotional skills just to name some (Almon, 2002). This summary of play leads me to the second quote among a list of quotes on play I found (Jeanneweier, 2012), it states “play is the beginning of knowledge (Dorsey, 2012).”

As I reflect on my own play experiences as a child and what I have come to the unfortunate realization of play today, my hope is to help advocate for more play opportunities both in the classroom and at home. The quotes that I used here represent what play should be now as much as it represents play for now.

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/GW43almon.pdf

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York

Publishers.

Jeanneweier (2012). 25 quotes about the importance of play. Retrieved from

http://move-with-me.com/blog/25-quotes-about-the-importance-of-play

Rollins, S. (2012). Theories About Play in Early Childhood Education | eHow.com retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5444159_theories-play-early-childhood-education.html#ixzz211FMFNFR

Relationship Reflection

As I read the resources for this week and thought about this blog assignment, I had to stop and recall my own childhood as well as relationships I have in my life currently. I am still amazed at how revealing true reflection can be and how much more effective I am in my professional and personal life when I take time to reflect.

When I thought about the relationships I have, I could not help but thinking about relationships I have had in the past. While relationships today are reflective of the here and now, I believe relationships from the past can have an impact on the person we are today. There were quite a few people who were friends at the time that I would not even know now. On the other hand, I have people I was friends with in high school and youth group as a teen and young adult that I keep in contact with through facebook. In addition, what I found as I reflected is I had teachers I loved and hated to leave as well as teachers I had that I was not sure if I would survive their course. The teachers I loved were the ones who took the time to get to know me, not just as a student but personally. This was especially important when I was a junior in high school and lost my grandfather. A couple of my teachers were more concerned with my make up work than with how I was managing. While the ones I often think of still today were concerned about me and how I was coping with the loss. Prior to that I remember my fourth grade teacher who was used to teaching sixth grade and taught us on such a level, he often made me feel defeated with the work I could not seem to accurately complete; work given to fourth graders on a sixth grade level was not appropriate. These interactions are important reflections for me today as an educator. I want to be a teacher my students and their families remember for not only teaching their children but for taking the time to get to know the child as an individual person (likes, dislikes, family dynamic). I want my students to know that yes I am their teacher, they are with me to follow directions and learn new things, but what they did over the weekend or on a vacation interests me because it is important to them.

This brings me to my current relationships. My family has and always will have an important role in my life. They have helped make me who I am. They are there to offer guidance, support, advice, love, and care no matter what. Growing up my parents provided my needs and told me what to do, now they are in more of a supportive role since I am grown and no longer living at home. My sister and I growing up would often fight and argue, now we talk and spend time hanging out. One of my cousins is actually one of my best friends and her daughter will grow up to call me 'aunt.' Each member of my family in one way or another has had an impact on my life, some more positive than others.

After my family, would be the relationships with my co-workers. To have a positive working environment the relationships one has with his/her co-workers needs to be positive. What I have found with previous co-workers is that even if you do not care for the person, if you can be cordial the environment is more positive and conducive to learning. Additionally, I do have previous co-workers that I am still friends with, although not close we do keep in touch with each other. Presently, I have a couple of co-workers that I have closely bonded with and we share life happenings. This is important for me because sometimes there are things that happen at home that I do not always want to share with my family, but need someone to 'vent to' about it and those I am connected to at work have become friends to me because of it.

Finally, I would have to say my relationship with my boyfriend is one of importance in my life. We began as a long distance relationship for the first 3 months prior to my moving to NJ, then we hung out and spent actual time together for 8 months, then due to finances on both parts became roommates in addition to being a couple. Living with someone else is not easy. I have left and come back once. There are times when we do not agree, see eye to eye, have the same interests or desires, and sometimes fight. I have learned, and am still learning a lot about myself through this relationship. I am learning how to compromise on some issues, stand my ground on others, all the while sticking to who I am. This relationship is truly teaching me how to fight for those things that are important.

Relationships are important for all of us and different relationships have different impacts and meanings depending on the person. As educators, we need to understand that just as the students we teach are different so are their relationships and how they form them with others.

Looking back on EDUC 6160

As I look back on what I have learned this week from my fellow colleagues and the resources read I think of a quote I use often and that is at place atop my resume.

One hundred years from now it will not matter what the size of my bank account was, the type of house I lived in, or the kind of car that I drove but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

I want to take a moment to thank all of my colleagues for all you have taught me and hopefully continue to teach me as we progress through our journeys together in future courses or simply as blog followers. I wish each of you the best in your endeavors and all that life may have to offer you.

Testing for Intelligence

When I think about standardized tests and a child being 'tested' it kind of makes me cringe. Kottler, Zehm, Kottler (2005) state that to be an effective educator one must use varied groupings and lesson formats to reach all the children in the classroom. So, if we are teaching and children are learning in multiple ways, why are we testing with only paper and pencil? This issue truly bothers me from a personal standpoint as well, I have members of my family who do not test well; it doesn't mean they are not competent in the areas being tested. I have strong beliefs against standardized testing being used as the only means of measurement for achievement. I am in support more of measuring the 'whole child' and using multiple areas of assessment to determine the 'academic level' of a child. Additionally, I feel a more wholistic approach should be used to assess the effectiveness of teachers too; I have heard that the scores on standardized tests, in some places, determine an educator's job. So that means if a teacher has a classroom full of children or even a quarter full of children who are not test takers, he or she will lose her job? That's wrong on some many levels.

There is so much more to a child than a score on a test!!! Anyone who has stepped foot into a classroom for even a short period of time should be able to tell you that and it's time that we take the stress off of standardized tests and find new ways to assess the children in our classrooms.

Kottler, J., Zehm, S., & Kottler, E. (2005). On Being a Teacher The Human Dimension. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Haitian children face what sounds to me as a much harsher outlook. On a 10 point scale a child must average 5 points to pass a class given three "trimestrial exams a year with a final in July, families must purchase textbooks (and most do not have the money to do so) and if they do have a textbook it may not be in alignment with the Haitian material, children are in school from Oct to July with a vacation at Christmas and Easter. This information came from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/598/Haiti-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html but every article I looked in for information discussed how the Haitian education system needs to be redone. Some even mentioned how the earthquake in 2010 seriously impacted an already struggling educational system through the loss of teachers, children, and buildings that housed the schools.

So the 'testing' to assess not only occurs here in the USA but in other countries as well. But again, I cannot stress enough how important I feel it is to find an alternative to assessment than a test.

Stressors on Children

To be an effective educator, we must take the time to get to know our students and the backgrounds of the families they come from (Kottler, Zehm, Kottler, 2005). Therefore, when we encounter a family that has had a stressor altering the life of that family, we can be better prepared.

One such stressor in Haiti if you visit the World Vision website, worldvision.org, is hunger. Child in Haiti suffer from hunger and are therefore malnourished, under developed, and often sick. Some children in Haiti will die from hunger or complications associated with hunger. It is so sad to think of children and families dying from a lack of food.

On the other hand, growing up although I never viewed it as a stressor at the time, I had the stress of not knowing if I would have a home in the morning. I lived in Florida for most of my life and hurricanes were a frequent happening in Florida. We lived in a trailer so when a hurricane was coming, we took important and necessary items and went to my grandparents' house. Not only did I leave not knowing if my home would be there when we returned, but my dad was a part of a team to move people from the beaches so he was never home the night the hurricanes would hit. I never realized it then, as I said, because I knew I was well taken care of, but looking back now that had to have created tremendous stress not just for myself, but the rest of my family and others who lived around us.

A stressor for a child can be something as simple as not getting to wear a certain shirt to those stressors that are more complex as learned about through the resources this week. How we as educators help our students handle these situations as well as assisting the families sometimes can be beneficial in changing what could be the outcome(s) for the student.

Nutrition and Education

This week I reflected on the topics and while some, as you will see in this post intertwine, I felt nutrition was an important topic. So many children, not just around the world, but here in America are suffering from malnutrition. I remember as a child, my mother teaching and her and my father taking Happy Meals on the weekend to a family whose child was in her classroom. When I asked her about it, she said that the only time he got to eat was for breakfast and lunch at school during the week and that while McDonald's all the time was not good for you, he got something to eat over the weekend. I do sponsor and support a child in Haiti, as I mentioned last week and I am grateful for the opportunity. But sometimes I wonder why all the ads you see on television are to support children in other countries and not here at home in the USA?

Nutrition is important for all, from the prenatal infant to the grown adult. At different stages in life, people will need different amounts of the nutrients required for good nutrition. In infancy, most will say that breast feeding is best for a child to receive the necessary nutrients she needs to develop successfully. However, for some who do not get breast feed, as long as nourishment is meant with the necessary nutrients that child will develop successfully as well. What I have learned over the years, through watching and listening to my mom as a teacher and being a teacher now myself is that if a child is hungry he will not learn. A child who is hungry is distracted, unable to focus, and his mind is only on one thing 'I want to eat.' Additionally, as I learned through the Foundations course and then again in the Berger text, if a child does not receive proper nourishment he is more likely to become sick and if a child is sick he will not even be present at school (and if he is, he won't be focused either). So nutrition does affect development, but nutrition also plays in impact in a child's ability to stay focused while at school to learn.

What I found interesting while researching nutrition in other countries is that through World Vision educational services are provided to women on nutrition and these women then go out into their communities and educate others on the value of nutrition. The article I found, specifically dealt with a woman in Peru who said, 'nutrition is not so much about money as it is about education.' I love that! Too often I believe people chalk up their inability to eat right to the amount of money they have available and that isn't it. If you have adequate knowledge on and about nutrition you can receive good nutrition no matter the budget.

http://www.worldvision.org/news/peru-child-malnutrition-hunger

The more I am re-learning about child development as well as the new things I am learning, the more excited I am to learn more. The more I learn the greater the difference I can make with the children I teach.

Childbirth here in the US and in Hati

As I thought about this assignment and researching an area other than the US for how childbirth takes place, I thought about Hati. The reason I thought about Hati is because I currently sponsor a child from Hati. What I found in my research was alarming. Through an article on msnbc, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29706995/ns/health-pregnancy/t/giving-birth-fraught-danger-haiti/, I learned that health care for most in Hati is not affordable or not accessible. Therefore women in Hati are giving birth at home with 'the highest maternal death rate in the western hemisphere - 670 women out of 100,000 live births die from pregnancy related causes.' With lack of health care, regardless of the reason, these women lose their children to death, die themselves, and do not receive adequate care prior to or during their pregnancy. While this article makes me feel for these people, it makes me grateful that my birth turned out differently because my mom had access to good quality medical care here in the US.

The only birth story I can communicate since I do not have children of my own, although I have had several cousins born during my lifetime, is my own and my sister's as a comparison. My mom and dad told me years ago that I kept my mom (I was her first) in labor for 36 hours. My mom said that is why I have what they call a strawberry on the top of my head because she was so tired that the doctor had to go in with forceps to finish pulling me out because my mom could no longer push. On the other hand, when they called the doctor to say my sister was on the way, 2 1/2 years later, the doctor jokingly said (as I have been told the story goes) have dinner, take a shower, go to bed and I will see you in the morning. My parents headed to the hospital immediately anyway and from what I have been told over the years, the doctor almost missed my sister because she was coming before he entered the room. I think about the birth story of myself and my sister and how my mom had access to care before and during her pregnancy as well as during my birth and my pediatric care after my birth, and can't help but think how differently the stories could have been if we lived in Hati.

All women, whether planned or not, should be able to have some type of access to medical care to insure themselves and their unborn child receive adequate care. Without adequate care or knowledge, women may intake elements that are harmful to their unborn child, illnesses the woman may have will affect the unborn child, and the environmental elements the woman lives in will affect the unborn child. There are too many factors that affect the development of a child even before birth.

We as educators need to go back (as I have this week), sometimes to the initial development of a child, which starts before birth to find the source or cause of children we teach being as they are.

Note of Thanks

As the EDUC 6005 course comes to a close I wanted to extend a note of thanks to all of my classmates for visiting my blog, sharing your comments, and posting your own responses on your blogs to the prompts we were given. I hope to work with you all again in another course but if not I wish you all the best on your journey.

Code of Ethics

As I read the code of ethics as outlined by the NAEYC I wanted to sign my name on a dotted line accepting the statement of commitment at the end. I then compared the NAEYC code of ethics to the DEC code of ethics and although different in wording I do believe the basis of each is the same. The DEC recognizes the need for evidence based practices which I believe is outlined in the ethical responsibilities we have to children as outlined by the NAEYC. These are important because as educators we already assume responsibility for children and by following evidence based practices we are giving the children we teach the most effective means of learning. Responsive family centered practices, as outlined by the DEC and in connection with the ethical responsibilities to families as outlined by the NAEYC is the second code that struck a cord with me. I have always said that the more we can work together in a partnership with families, the more successful a child will be in school. Therefore having both the DEC and NAEYC outline this fact as an important core code proves my feelings were correct. Finally, there is an ethical responsibility to colleagues thus allowing for collaboration to take place. I have learned a lot through EDUC 6005 and have found that collaboration with colleagues can benefit all involved. Whether it is a lesson, particular behavior, opinion, or second look colleagues can provide that and I need to remember that the more I collaborate with a child's family and fellow colleagues the more effective I will be in the classroom.

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/

Useful Resources

As I have taken different programs here at Walden I have come across several different useful resources.

Some of those include from EDUC 6005

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title
• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

• World Forum Foundation
  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
  Read about OMEP’s mission. 
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/
  Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Journals

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Resources from other courses I have taken include
Kottler, J., Zehm, S., & Kottler, E. (2005). On Being a Teacher The Human Dimension
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that
works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement.

Nieto, Sonia. (2003). What Keeps Teachers Going? New York, NY: Teachers College.

People in the Early Childhood Field

As I reviewed the resources from this week, one piece of the article I read on an interview conducted with Dr. Marilyn Friend stuck out to me. She said "In this day and age there is simply too much for any one educator to know in order to effectively meet the needs of all his or her students. If in schools we would act in the understanding that some professionals should be experts in instructional strategies, some in the use of cooperative learning approaches, some in responding to troubling student behavior, some in assessment practices, and some in building students' self-esteem and social skills, we could draw on each others' knowledge and skills and collectively create more effective schools for our students." I can not help but read this over and over again and reflect on how true it is!! If we all contributed within a role we were confident in how much more successfully could we utilize our time and teach our students?

Brownell, M. T., & Walther-Thomas, C. (2002). Dr. Marilyn Friend. Intervention In School & Clinic, 37(4), 223.
While not specifically quoted, the article I read about Marcy Whitebook's work on wages for child care workers was quite interesting. She discussed the average wage based on the area where the study conducted took place, the reasons for such high turnover in child care, and where those that left went when they left. I could not believe it! I knew long ago that my rewards in education would not be monetary, however if those of us in the child care setting are also teaching should there not be more of a push to compensate us more equally?

Again, please do not misunderstand me, my rewards are often and priceless. The look on a child's face when they understand is what I am in this profession for.

Schumann, R. (2011). Employee Retention in the Day Care Industry. Monthly Labor Review, 134(2), 50-51.
A couple of weeks ago, I listened to Louise Derman

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Foundations: Early childhood.
learning. Baltimore: Author.

Personal Childhood Web

The first two people I would say fit in this description are my mom and dad. They always gave me love, cared for me, and nurtured me throughout life. My dad works in the transportation area of education, with the school buses, and my mom is a special education teacher. While I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, part of the reason I became a teacher is because of my parents. No matter the choices I have made in life my parents have always been there to support and guide me and give me love unconditionally.

My sister who is 2 1/2 years younger than me would be the third person I would say is a part of my web. She is the first one who I remember sharing and playing with, although my mom remembers others. She would probably be the first person I taught since every time I did something she wanted to do it too. I remember my sister getting discouraged one day because she did not feel successful in school because she did not make the same grades I did, but I told her that if she had done her best and given it her all that was all that mattered. I reminded her often that her and I were different and therefore that would be reflected in school, but I always made sure to tell her it was okay. Although we have our moments, my sister and I are close today and often talk about times when we were little. She also honestly gives her opinion of the choices I make.

All of my grandparents, collectively as one, influenced my life. Each always wanting me to be happy, do the best I could, and have fun. My mom's dad who has passed away always used to take pride in how well I did in school. One time I told him, I was doing pretty good and he asked me how good is pretty? I said I don't know so then he asked why I said pretty good. I always remember this and often stop myself as I speak to make sure I am speaking correctly. I did not know this until after he was gone, but he was like my hero and I never told him. So I take his passing as a lesson and tell everyone I know to express how you feel about those that matter to you while you have the opportunity because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

I could go on with others that made a difference in my life, but the list would be longer.

Thoughts and Questions

 I do not have pictures to post, but I have a question to pose. How many of you use "cookie cutter" art and how many of you let children use free expression? There are times when I will admit I use "cookie cutter" art but recently I have supplied similar materials (ex: green paper, black circles for a tractor) and told my students to make it using the materials given. The results they come up with are as individual as they are and so much more fun to hang on the wall for all to see than the "cookie cutter" art. Let me know what you think.

Literacy and Early Childhood

I love to use books that tell a story, but not just books for the story but books that I can also use to integrate curriculum. If I can make an art project to go along with the book, incorporate math with counting or shapes along with the book or simply connecting a book to a color and theme for the month. There are several different books that fit this criteria that I love to read and share but one such book that I enjoy is The Very Hungry Catepillar. It includes food, colors, shapes, counting, and even the life cycle of a butterfly The lessons that could be incorporated along with this book are endless and throughly engaging for my preschool children.        

Educational Quotes

A quote I heard while still in my Bachelor's degree program that I use to guide me in this profession is:

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the size of the house I lived in, or the type of car I drove but the world may be different because I made a difference in the life of a child.

This is not quoted exactly but the quote is my constant reminder that I am teaching to make a difference and have an influence on the lives of children I come in contact with every day. It also gives me that additional boost to remind me that in teaching my rewards are not always monetary, the "light bulb" look is quite exciting.

Welcome All

Hello and welcome to my blog. I hope that as you read through my posts you will find the information insightful. As you visit my hope is that you take away something you can use. Please feel free to leave any comments you like or information you think I may find useful as well.

Thanks so much and have a great day.