My Supports

Support has many different components. Without support on a daily bases I would never be able to do what I need to do to succeed in school, career, and maintaining my family.  I have support from the people closest to me such as the person who works as a co-teacher with me in the classroom. She supports me by taking on extra projects and going over and beyond as a teacher. This makes my job easier and supports me by freeing up some of my time and focus. At home my supports come from my family. I have a mother who helps me by sometimes watching the kids after school and helping them with their homework when needed. She is also a support when the schedules become crazy and everyone needs to be in different places at the same time. I would not be able to do the job I do at work or school without these supports. I hate taking time away from my children but know that it is important to accomplish my goals in life in order to support my children in the future. 

If I were to take on the challenge of selling our house, I would need support from not only my family but support from my coworkers.  Physically I would need help going through and pack items after living in a home for fifteen years. The task seems overwhelming.   Working full time and going to school on top of having middle school age children with schedules I would also need support by the family to work together to emotionally let go of items that they no longer need and understanding to move forward in life. I have thought of moving and this task seems overwhelming.  My coworkers support of understanding why I may not be able to do extra would also be needed if this task became a reality.   Without my family, friends, and coworkers I would not be able to succeed in what I do on a daily bases.

"My Connections to Play."

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
― Plato

“This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
― Alan Wilson Watts

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As a young child, my sister and I would take our dogs out to a nearby trail and one of us would stay with the dogs at the trail head and the other would run through the trails and stop deep in the woods to call for the dogs to find us.  This was one of our favorite games to play.  Not only were we out of the sight of our parents and felt extremely independent, we were free to make up the rules of our play.  There was no one to tell us how and what to do.  We loved having the thrill of the adventure and chase.

When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity.
Linda Naiman

The adults in my life supported my play through giving me opportunities to have free time at home.  My mom worked full time and my grandmother was able to be with me throughout the day.  This gave me the opportunity to be creative and play games with my sister and friends that lived close by.  My mother and grandmother also supported me in my play by assisting when we needed her.  She would make paper dolls that we would play with for hours and tell stories that I still remember today.  Having loving adults in my life gave me a secure feeling that allowed me to grow with confidence.

When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.
Fred Rogers

In some ways I feel play is similar today because children are still using their imagination and making rules to their own games.  However, today play may look a little different because of how busy families have become.  Many parents work and have children in childcare centers during the day and then have busy schedules at night.  Childcare centers have less freedom to allow children to go out of sight of adults and explore.  I do feel that families today have less time to allow children to become creative.  Play played a large role in my life and my development.  I was able to play teacher and pretend to be a mother.  These role play schemes gave me opportunities to try out roles that came naturally to me.  The adults in my life were supported and gave me the support and love I needed to mature and develop.

Current Relationships

Current relationships and their value!

One current relationship that I will be focusing on is the relationship I have with my children.  The reason I chose this relationship to discuss is because not only is it one of the most important relationships in my life but it is one relationship that affects my early childhood profession.  As a teacher I feel that the respect I give the children in my class comes from me feeling that I treat every student like I would want a teacher to treat my own child.  Being a parent has also helped me to identify with the families that I enroll at our Preschool.  I am able to relate to them as parents and can hopefully impact their life in a positive way. 

                When I think of meaningful relationships, I think of characteristics such as respect, time spent together, and the fun of building memories.  Before becoming a parent my relationships between my students and the families I thought were meaningful however, I feel they are extremely important to me and are part of my job that I enjoy.

Meeting knew people and building new relationships is what life is all about. I enjoy knowing I will be building new professional relationships with new families and building a network of professional relationships in my professional life.  The joy and life lessons my own children have brought me and will continue to bring me will forever enrich my life. 

               

As I have grown and begin to understand my own learning style, I have realized i am a visual learner. So, I decided to use videos to represent my understanding of child development and a way to represent what I feel is important in the early childhood field. The following three videos are important to me and I wanted to share. Enjoy!

This TED talk by Alison Gopnik is one of the most amazing TED talks I have listened to.  This talk has shaped my way of thinking about child development. Thanks to my course this semester I was introduced to Alison Gopnik and feel her research and knowledge can help educators interact with children on a daily bases.

 http://www.early-childhood-education-degrees.com/11-amazing-ted-talks-about-children-and-early-childhood-education/

I found this video on you tube and decided to post this to my blog because this represents my commitment to getting children outside and the importance of outdoor play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvYDT2u1Cfg

     I have also posted this video on the importance of play in early childhood.  This video gives my perspective a voice and I feel as a professional in the early childhood field that I can help parents and families to understand the importance of play and how this coincides with their development.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR5pO_85fMk

Assessment - What does that look like?

Here is a look at what some countries are doing!

German students take the Abitur. The Arbitur sounds similar to what we call the ACT or SAT.  This test asks open ended questions and decides whether or not they are admitted into a University.

The Eric Digest states that, “England and Wales have adopted what amounts to a national curriculum and a comprehensive assessment program. These new tests include open-ended exercises, oral exams, and realistic scenarios. England's long-standing Cities and Guilds vocational assessment program exemplifies what the United States now calls "authentic assessment."  The oral exams and realistic scenarios is where I feel that the United States seems to fall short when assessing the whole child.  These two portions of the exam that England’s and Whales have would be part of the holistic approach that we are trying to accomplish here in the US.  British schools seem to be in the same situation as the US.  The schools are arguing for a change because the schools are failing. http://www.ericdigests.org/1993/japan.htm 

 Singapore seems to have it going on with their schools -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePNs6Hy2sk

The United States and the change!

This social studies teacher has a great way of assessing the whole child in his ninth grade classroom. Wow what an inspiration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePNs6Hy2sk

Stress children may face...

Children are resilient; however circumstances can change a person’s outlook on life.  Twelve years ago a good friend of mine had a son in the first grade.  He was a positive, sweet, fun child who was in advanced classes at his school.  After many tests, they received the news that the cause for his headaches was a diagnosis of a peanut brain tumor that had reached his spinal cord.  This meant that Chemotherapy was needed, and his life changed.  He remained in school but struggled from then on.  His appearance was affected, stunted growth, and some facial muscles were affected.  As the years continued, he began to develop a negative look on the world around him.   I recently ran into his mom and she discussed how his emotional state has never been so negative.  He is getting help but I think his journey has definitely changed who he may have been before this happened.  As human beings every one of us walks a different path in this life with different events happening.  I am a firm believer that we truly cannot understand what someone is going through unless you are that person.

            I have always been interested in studying the play of children.  I would love to learn more about children in a country where they are in the midst of war.  I wonder how their play reflects the events around them.  I found this image on the web page http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/06/iraq.topstories3

Children of war: the generation traumatized by violence in Iraq

Growing up in a war zone takes its toll as young play games of murder and mayhem

 

This website talks about the biological affects that the war has been having on these children.  From night tares to muteness are just a few of the biological effects that may occur in children from war zones. 

            This study of war and children has been very disturbing and eye opening.  I feel extremely lucky to be living where I do.  The stress that these families and children are facing seem overwhelming.  I cannot imagine trying to raise my children in a war environment.