Moving Forward

As another class comes to a close and we move forward on our journey of learning and self discovery I would like to to say thank you so much.  I have really enjoyed the help and input from my colleagues and instructors.  This class has been very informational and meaningful for me. I have learned a lot about myself and my own children, plus things that will help me to become a more successful parent and educator.  I am looking forward to moving ahead to a new challenge with this next class.  Thanks again.

Assessment Oh, Assessment

I think that it is important for us to understand first what assessment means.  Assessment is typically defined as evaluating the quality or ability of an event or a person’s knowledge.  I think that in many cases we are very focused on assessing a child’s academic knowledge.  We often forget that our students are more than test scores.  I think that if we are going to assess our students’ academic knowledge then we need to think also about their psychosocial and biosocial development as well.  I feel that many times our expectations for what we want our students to do academically are misguided.  Our nation is very focused on making sure that we aren’t falling behind other countries in the race for knowledge; however are we paying a price with the development of our students as a whole?  Our students need to be educated and our assessment needs to be used to improve their learning not just for the sake of assessing and receive funding. 

A recent article in Educational Leadership stated that assessment around the world does vary but many of the concerns are still the same.  In the U.S. the biggest complaint is that teachers are teaching to the test. Many feel that we aren’t holding our students to the right standards and thus we can meet their goals. “ In most other countries, however, including the Czech Republic, England, Canada, Japan, and Australia, teaching to the test means teaching the curriculum, because the same agency that develops the test also develops the curriculum. In fact, the test is often seen as a mechanism to promote the curriculum,” (Levinson, 2000, p. 60). If only there was a way to assess students for the benefit of instruction and not for the monetary punishment of failing schools. 

The idea of assessment is a very tricky one for me as an educator.  I think that assessing our students is a very important part of our job; however I also think that many times we are just testing for monetary gain and not for the true purpose of guiding our instruction.  If instead of making our testing high stakes maybe we should make them more like high learning and fund the time that it takes educators to evaluate an educational attack plan to aide struggling students. 

References:

http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el200002_levinson.pdf

Stressor

This week we were asked to write about a stressor that had affected either us or someone we know.  I chose to write about the stressor of poverty and how it affected a friend of mine.  I will call him “A”. Before I begin I would like to define what poverty is just to give us some perspective.  Dictionary.com defines poverty as “the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor” or “deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities”.

My friend “A” grew up in poverty.  When my friend’s his father lost his job because the company moved to Mexico where they could make their products cheaper; it through his family for a loop.  His mother was mentally ill and unable to get disability and unable to work, so his father was the sole bread winner.  They were barely getting by while he was working and loosing his job did not help the situation at all.  They struggled with knowing where their next meal would come from and working whatever jobs they could get to make enough to eat.  Many times their only meals came from school.  Sadly this affected my friend in many ways but the ways that it has affected him the most have been biosocially and pychosocially. 

Due to the fact that they ate what was cheap and easy to make he formed poor eating habits.  Also having very little to eat he would over eat when there was food.  This later in life has caused “A” many problems.  He is very over weight and has a difficult time knowing when to stop eating, even though his situation has improved.  Also due to his extreme poverty he was never able really to learn how to interact with other correctly. This also still causes him many problems because it is difficult to know what is appropriate for different professional and social situations. 

I think that he used laughter and education as a means to help him cope with their poverty.  He read a lot and learned how to use his hands.  Through that he was able to maintain some form of spirit until things got a little bit better. 

I found this stressor of poverty something that is so widespread throughout the entire world.  Even, here at home, in the United States we are struggling with high amounts of poverty.  Our numbers are not that of countries like African; however they are just not acceptable for a developed country like America.  The U.S. Census Bureau reported for 2010 the national rate of poverty was 15.1% and has been on an increase for the last four years. http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb11-157.html

There are many reasons for the rise in poverty. Loss of jobs due to the economic downfall, resulting in a lack of income, segregation due to race and lack of income and many others.  Being in poverty typically will mean that you are then going to have a lack of food.  This would then speak to the problem of hunger in America.  Thousands of adults and children are going hungry every day in America. 

America isn’t even the worst of it though; places like Africa have situations that are even worse than ours.  According to worldpoverty.org many places are experiencing absolute poverty, “Absolute poverty involves people and their children having extreme difficulty in merely surviving. Such poverty at its worst can involve hunger amounting to starvation, often combined with inadequate shelter or housing and clothing. Absolute poverty has been common in more primitive societies, and is still common in many Third World countries in Africa, Asia and South America especially where it can afflict the majority of the population.”

Just as mentioned above hunger in these places usually ends in starvation.  Children in this type of stressor have little means of coping.  Their brains will cease to develop once the starvation has progressed far enough.  Our bodies will steal all the nourishment that it can for our brains to continue to develop until it can steal no longer and then our bodies start to break down.  If a child is starving their biosocial development will cease and the child physical and mental growth will stunt.  This will also begin to affect their cognitive development and well as psychosocial development. 

There are many things that are being tried to help stop these issues of poverty and hunger.  However, with the economical down spirals of so many countries aide is becoming scarcer.  There is one organization that is trying a new approach in hopes that it will have more permanent results.  The Hunger Project (THP) is a global, non-profit, strategic organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger. They have recently started trying to teach the people how to take care of themselves more and provided them with the resource but are making the people responsible for making something out of them.  I think that this approach is one of the best ways to begin to combat hunger and poverty.  I would encourage you to check out their website. http://www.thp.org/

Breastfeeding in Public

This week I chose a topic that is both important for our future children but also very close to my heart; Breastfeeding. I breastfed both my children, and I was very lucky because I had enough milk and minimal problems.  I think that to breastfeed is one of the most wonderful gifts of nature ever, however not everyone is as lucky as I.  I researched a lot before I had my children and I also had planned out that I was going to nurse my children so I was ready when the time came.  I took classes at my hospital and spoke with their lactation department.  I think that part of my success was having so much information at the tip of my fingers. 

My family was supportive, but they were supportive in an apprehensive way.  I made it clear that I was going to nurse and they didn’t have a choice in it and that I wasn’t going to be ashamed either.  I think that in the US we are encouraged to do what is best for our babies, but you better not let anyone see it.  I think the biggest thing in the US is that people don’t think of breasts like they should… Mammary glands.  They are more of a sex symbol and you can’t have that just flashing everyone.  Sadly I think that is why so many of our young women just give up or don’t even try.  I can say that over the last five years things have improved.  When I started nursing my son you couldn’t find a nursing station anywhere.  You were just supposed to go to the bathroom, sit on the toilet, and figure it out from there.  When I had my daughter there seemed to be more popping up all over the place.  I think that as a society we are starting to change. It is slow and steady.  My hope is that in the next few years it will be taboo to feed our children formula unless you medically can’t or there isn’t enough milk in your system. 

In other countries it is vastly different from here.  Many women nurse as long as their baby wants to, which is sometimes even to the age of 4 or 5.  In many countries it is expected and frowned upon if you are not able.  In several countries England, Scotland, and Ireland to name a few, it is illegal to ask a nursing mother to stop nursing in public.  That is completely different than here, because if you aren’t covered completely in some parts of the US, the law will allow you to be arrested for indecent exposure.  It isn't illegal to breastfeed in public however it is illegal to expose yourself in public.  Women have been charged with this; however many times the charges are dropped.  The point is that we shouldn't even bee bothered with this silliness because it is what is best for children.  I personally think that whoever thought up that law was just one sex starved person because there is nothing sexual or indecent about breastfeeding. 

I try whenever possible to influence others that I know to nurse.  I will continue to do this but I will also have more reason to help others understand its importance and acceptance around the world.  

I have included a link about breastfeeding in other countries.

http://www.007b.com/public-breastfeeding-world.php

Personal Birthing Experiences

When thinking about birthing experiences I think that the ones that come to mind first are my own children.  What could be more amazing than bringing a new life into this world?  I can say that the part that I wasn’t prepared for was how hard I would have to work just to have natural birth.  It seems that the trend in the U.S. is that all women should be strapped to a table and doped as much as possible as soon as possible and we will need to cut the baby out as soon as we can.  In some cases the doctors just let the women schedule the birth when they come for their first appointment.  I found it difficult to even reason with the nurses about what I wanted.  When my son was born it was very difficult to get them to listen at all because I was a first timer and my water had already broken.  With my daughter I was induced but I was able to convince them not to give me Pitocin and I did get to use a birthing ball.  I was very excited about that.  I think that my favorite part of giving birth was being able to hear my children cry and to know that they were ok.  I can honestly say that holding them for the first time was the most amazing think I have ever experienced. 

When comparing the U.S. and China in their birthing practices I found it interesting that they don’t allow men to have any part of the process. Sex during pregnancy is forbidden and women must be cautious of everything they see and do because they believe it will affect the disposition of the child.  According to an article on BabyZone.com “Chinese women will often drink a strong herbal potion to ease the strain of labor. Custom dictates that women not fear the laboring process, since birth is considered a women's career to the ancient Chinese. Chinese women traditionally labor in an armchair or futon.”  It seems to me that in other cultures the birthing process is much more a spiritual process than in Western society.  I also think that we don’t value our bodies own ability to work through the difficulties of child birth, we immediately turn to medicines.  I wonder at what cost do we chose comfort over nature. I do understand that there are certain circumstances that don’t allow us any other choice; however I think that we must also be cautious about how we intervene in the ways of nature. 

I also think that it is a fine line that we have walk in order to make sure that we aren't harming more than we are helping.  Medicine can do some mighty powerful things but it is very important that we are careful with something so powerful. 

I am also including a link to the article where I found the information about China.

http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor_birth/birthing_traditions/article/childbirth-traditions-china

Class Closing

I have to say that I have always avoided blogging because it just wasn't for me, but I have enjoyed this form of communication.  Thank you to all of my colleagues that read my thoughts and commented.  I have really enjoyed learning from all of you and also reading your thoughts.  As this first class closes I am sad that the class is ending, however excited to continue down this road of discovery and learning.  Hoping to continue my learning further in my next class. 

Code of Ethics

This week as I read about the code of ethics from two agencies, first the National Association for the Education of Young Children and second the Division of Early Childhood there was one that just topped the list...

P-1.1—Above all, we shall not harm children. We shall not participate in practices that are emotionally damaging, physically harmful, disrespectful, degrading, dangerous, exploitative, or intimidating to children. This principle has precedence over all others in this Code.

• This is so important.  Children are almost always trusting and we are in a position of trust.  Harming a child is fracturing that trust. Parents and our community look to us for protection and guidance if we damage that balance it makes our work harder and it creates a chasm of doubt around our field. We have been given a great responsibility, the future of our world rests in our hands every day. 

I also found that in the last few weeks I have really begun to understand and gain a new respect for what it means to be an advocate.  In doing so that brought me to another ideal that I felt was also equally important in this code.

 

I-4.7—To support policies and laws that promote the well-being of children and families, and to work to change those that impair their well-being. To participate in developing policies and laws that are needed, and to cooperate with other individuals and groups in these efforts.

• In the field of Early Childhood it is so important to really stay on top of the policies and laws that our government is putting into place.  Sometime the laws are good and we need to stay up and support them.  We need to help others understand why they are a good thing.  Other times those who make the laws are poorly informed and they create laws that have a negative effect on our children and families.  We as educators have to be informed advocates for children and families.  We are privileged to be so knowledgeable it is our responsibility to share that knowledge and to use it to fight the tough battles. 

1-2.9-We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others. 

• It is so important to maintain a healthy balance between our own personal and professional knowledge and experiences.  We also have to be open to criticism and understand that we must use new practice an research.  We must maintain the highest level of performance in our field.  

I think that the entire code of ethics is really very important.  These just stuck out to me.  I think it is very important for us to demonstrate these commitments each and every day. 

 

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved Oct 18, 2011, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Mrs. Wishy Washy

When asked about my favorite children's book.  It is a very difficult decision.  I love so many books, but I have one author that I just adore for the age group of students that I teach.  Her name is Joy Cowley.  She is an amazing author.  I chose to post a picture of one my favorites to read to the students this time of year.  Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm.  The students just love this book.  They think it is hilarious that the animals run away and then come back ready to take their baths.  I love the language in this book as well.  I allows for lots of teachable moments in the area of vocabulary.  I find it leads to good discussions.  I hope that if you have never heard of Joy Cowley that you will check in your library and see if you can get your hands on some Joy Cowley and let your students and yourself enjoy the great literature she has to offer our students.