My Connections to Play

     "Play is our brain's favorite way of learning"-Unknown-               

 

 

"Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs" -James L. Hymes Jr.-

 

When I grew up in the 70's play was something we did on a regular basis. I learned so much by simply playing. I became a little creative child drawing things I saw outside, I loved riding my big wheel pretending it was a car. I can recall me and some of my cousins riding them to the park down the street from where we lived to race around the track. Sometimes I would take my doll, and pack up my tea set with some water in a mason jar to have a tea party at the park. We pretended to be at fancy places where rich people went to have tea. Those days were so special and the difference in play then and play now is that we could actually go without an adult because everyone knew each other and if we did anything wrong the neighbors would tell our parents or spanked us themselves. My parents and grandparents encouraged us to go outside while they cleaned the house and cooked; we wasn't allowed in the kitchen while food was being prepared. The other difference is that now so many children stay inside instead of playing because technology has taken over with video games coming out with new games monthly, facebook, instagram, snapchat is like the gossip channel. Children at a young age have set up all these accounts to see what their friends are talking about and posting all sorts of pictures often. Technology also has to be monitored because there are some predators out there who will send messages to children girl or boy to see if they can get a response. Throughout my life play has made me who I am today, I've learned so much from playing, I know how to pretend by changing my voice to be someone else; I taught myself how to ride a big wheel and bicycle. While playing with dolls I learned how to change clothes and comb hair. On the sketch pad I learned how to spell because I would practice writing sentences and spell different words. Jacks was how I started counting fast, adding, subtracting all from throwing a ball up in the air while grabbing one then to jacks at a time and so on until I picked up all the jacks without touching another one. Play has been a try it out, do it yourself part of my entire life. In order to learn to do something we try it out first and then soon it can be done by yourself without anyone's assistance. Play lets you be free to build, grow, develop and learn all those wonderful things that will be essential in your day to day life. 

 

Relationship Reflection

We define relationships as the way in which two or more concepts, objects or people are connected; or the state of being connected. Relationships are very important to me because they have helped me become the person that I am today. In life we come across so many people who bring something to our lives some positive and some may be negative. We take life experiences and learn from them all good or bad. The relationship I have with my daughters are like no other one, I have not only taught them but I've shown them how a woman is suppose to carry herself. I talk to them about life issues that could possibly have an affect on them. I want them to always know that I'm there for them through everything life throws at them. We pray together and that's how I raised them and I'm sure they will do the same when they have children. Communication is very important in relationships, how can someone know what you are dealing with and feeling if you don't tell them. Challenges come in relationships when there is a disagreement or difference of opinion on a particular subject. In order to maintain a healthy relationship we should be respectful of other peoples opinions and feelings on a certain subject matter.

 The relationship I have with my cousin is awesome. Whenever I call her without any hesitation she come. If anything happen in the family she is always there and she doesn't complain about being there. She always ask if I need her to do anything for me. I talk to her everyday about something that may be going one and she calls me to ask my personal opinion or what I think about something. Our relationship has stood the test of time.

 I've known my friend for over 20 years and she's so compassionate and caring. This lady will give you  her absolute last. Over the years I never asked her for anything but somehow she knew if I needed something. This is true definition of sisterhood, she has held my hand through so much in my life including my marriage and divorce.

 Last but definitely not least my bff Guadalupe Hilliard has been the true definition of the word friend. Our relationship started when we both started working for Head Start. We ended up going to the same center location and have been friends every since. She has been my reason for staying at Head Start because she has helped me when no one else would. She's shown me things I never knew how to do because she has many years of experience in working with children. I can recall a day when I was told my room wasn't kid friendly, this was my first year teaching and they wasn't trying to show me how to get it kid friendly. Well Ms. Hilliard stayed after she was already off the clock and helped me move furniture around. I was so frustrated I wanted to go back to working at the bank she talked me into staying. I thank God for allowing us to cross paths because we have a great relationship.

                                                        A Child without education,
                                                        is like a bird without wings.
                                                          ~~~ Tibetan Proverb~~~

Testing

I have no problem with testing but I believe that so many test make children stressed and nervous. I feel if the child is passing all of their classes that’s measurement enough because they are retaining information and using that information. There are so many different test that are required for assessing and measuring children. I can remember my oldest daughter would be sweating bullets before she went to school on test day. I would try everything to calm her down and nothing worked, she got butterflies and would feel nauseous. I think the test measures the child’s mind but the whole child has to be looked at. All children are different and should be treated as such. A child can be a straight A student but clam up on test day and does not do well on the test at all. Does this mean the child is a failure because they did poorly on standardized test? Most schools use standardized test to see what the child has learned academically.

International comparisons as well as disparities within the United States led to passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, a federal law promoting high national standards for public schools (Berger, 2016). On December 10, 2015 the NCLB Act was replaced with Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) this was to help reduce the amount of standardized testing. Earlier  this year my daughters school had a parent meeting for parents of 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade students. In the past when my oldest daughter was in 4^th grade students had to pass the test with a certain percentage as well as pass all classes or they would not be promoted to 5^th grade. Fast forward to now in the meeting we were told that the test is not a pass or fail test anymore so as long as your child pass their classes they will not be required to pass test in order to be promoted to the next grade. This took the stress level down for so many parents and I was one of those parents. The standardized test children are taking now in 4the grade is to assess the student, and the teacher who is teaching the student. They want to know what is the child learning by being taught by that particular teacher and the school receives a score as well. Before we got out for summer break my center manager told the staff that now for the upcoming school year when the classroom is being observed instead of receiving a number grade we will get a letter grade from A to F and the center will receive a grade instead of stars.  

In Germany they don’t penalize children for poor performance and they do not make school level test scores public like the United States does. Germany’s reform efforts included the creation of national standards and standard based test for students in grades 3-8, which sounds like the U.S. approach (www.theatlantic). Germany have test called OECD and since 2000 the test scores have increased dramatically. Germany ranks 20^th for math proficiency, the U.S. ranks 49^th behind Turkey. Are these test really needed if the child pass all classes and the teachers knows the child understands all information that was discussed in class the entire school year? If a teacher knows the child can do the work, and can actually do it with little or no help then why test children on standardized test.

 

References

Berger, K.S. (2016). The Developing Person through Childhood (7^th ed.) New York, NY: Worth Publishers

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/11/great-german-scool-turnaround/413806/

 

 

Consequences Of Stress on Children's Development

 

RACISM

 

 

               Growing up in a all black community I was always faced with this stressor and so was my other relatives. When I grew up in the 70's my dad had been in the Military, went to college and taught school. What I remember like it was yesterday is something he told all of us regularly "Always go above and beyond because people will only see your skin color nothing else, because you were born with people thinking you are less than because of the color of your skin." When I went to middle school for the 6th grade we couldn't go to the school that we thought we would go to because that year they started a program to bring minorities to a then all white school. A bus came to get us and I was stressed out to the point I couldn't focus or do my work. After all I had always been with only one race since starting school. The children wasn't so friendly, they looked at us and frowned on us and called some names. I hated it and I never wanted to go  to school. My grades went down to a C average and I had never received a C on anything. This is just something I had to deal with. After I made friends my grades went by up because these kids was just like us and I stopped stressing.

                The United States is at the top of the list as the most racist country in the world. Minorities are always targeted for racism. No child regardless of race should be forced to deal with so many issues dealing with racism before he or she graduates from high school. Black parents have to teach their children how to deal with police officers. I know me personally I have taught my children what to do when stopped by a police and what not to do. It's very important now because everyday a young black boy or girl is killed by the police. This can cause not only stress but depression because black children are much more likely than white children to be suspended and expelled from school. Even as young as 5 years old black children are suspended. The U.S. Department of Education report in 2014 that blacks make up around 18% of preschoolers throughout the nation and nearly half of them receive out of school suspensions (www.alternet.org). Stress will cause children to have many developmental issues in life and racism causes stress. Extreme stress can cause cortisol to flood the brain and destroy the hippocampus; too much of that hormone early in life may lead to permanent deficits in learning, health, causing major depression, post traumatic stress disorder and attentions deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood and adolescence (Berger, 2016). Since racism is a serious stressor in a young child's life it can cause all of these along with developmental delays. We think because we are adults that children can't get stressed as well. Racism exist and regardless of how we deal with it, things may never fully change. My daughter has always been the only African American child in the many activities she does such as her ballet class, swim class and strings class in school. I have always talked to her about the color of her skin, I've told her it doesn't define who she is and no one is better because of skin color. Everyone bleeds the same color, we all want what's best for our children. This is a problem and will always be one so their are many work shops, educational books, videos and seminars about racism that can help some people understand it better.

                As I was reading things about racism I came across Germany. Although it's regarded as one of the best tourism destinations. It is known for it's racism and how they treat people whose not from Germany. Black people are treated the worst of all races who visit. Germany is the best example of the saying "If you sow hate, you will only reap hate, " even today Germans has a hatred feeling toward foreigners who visit their country for work and living (www.msn.com). Just imagine children having to deal with racism and how it is on us if we have ever faced it so imagine how they feel. Children are innocent and to be faced with racism will cause a great deal of stress and issues they will have when they're older. I can't imagine my daughter having to deal with this and she's only 10 years old. She suppose to be living a worry and stress free childhood. A 10 year old boy doesn't have the right to a childhood as a white boy that age does, in the eyes of many people according to a study published in the American Psychological Association Journal of Personality & Social Psychology: In fact a 10 year old black boy is not even considered to be a child (www.alternet.org). When I read this I could have cried because a 10 year old is a child and it shouldn't matter what color his skin is to anyone. Racism happens when it's taught because children have no clue but then when it's taught they join in as well and generation after generation this problem still exist.

 

 

 

***I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.... Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.***

 

 

                                                                     References

 

Berger, K.S. (2016). The Developing Person Through Childhood (7th ed.) New York, NY: Worth Publishers

 

Retrieved from: www.alternet.org/civil-liberties

 

Retrieved from: www. msn.com/en-za/lifestyles/experiences

 

                 



Child Development and Public Health

 The reason I chose Immunization because I always wondered do we really need all of those vaccines. The textbook tells us that immunization primes the body immune system to resist particular diseases while the definition said it is the process a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease by giving a vaccine. Immunizations can protect us from short term sickness and complications. I’ve always noticed when I took my daughters for their vaccinations they would have a fever after some of them. Studies show that in the United States of America infants and children are recommended to receive 14 different vaccines which is 49 doses by age six. In Japan children receive 6 vaccines in twelve doses by age 5, what a big difference is what I thought. Japan has two categories for vaccines, one is routine vaccination designated by a vaccination law and the other is voluntary. For the routine vaccinations, they are all free if you get a coupon mailed to you from Municipal Health Center. Once you receive coupons you make an appointment. The other in Japan is voluntary which is not free, the cost depends on what type of shot your getting.

 It had been researched that some vaccines such as Hepatitis B which is given hours after birth is primarily transmitted through sexual contact or by using dirty needles. So ask yourself if this is given to a baby and obviously a healthy mother, why? During prenatal care a mother get all kinds of test ran to make sure she and the baby are alright. When babies are 2 months they receive Diphtheria and Tetanus which is a problem in developing countries. One case for every one million people had Diphtheria in the United States. While having a tetanus vaccine for lockjaw which isn’t contagious was a waste of time. Normally when an object is contaminated that’s when a tetanus vaccine is needed. There is a vaccine for chicken pox and now shingles for those people over 60 who has had chicken pox before. Chicken pox use to be very common, Center for Disease Control says that there is only 2 doses needed and is 90% effective and prevents people from getting chicken pox. What happens to the other 10% of people?  Fast forward to now, daily I see commercials about shingles on television. In 2006 is when they started vaccinating for people with shingles, the United States only have one vaccine called Zostavax that has been approved by the food and drug administration. It’s also been approved that people over 50 can get the vaccine.

Autism is something that is on the rise now. There have been many movie stars speaking out about it because they have children who has been diagnosed with Autism. Some people think that having your children vaccinated is the reason children develop Autism. Studies show that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing Autism. There is an ingredient called thimerosal which is mercury based that people feel is the cause of Autism. Nine studies were done in 2003 and those studies found no links with Autism and thimerosal containing vaccines.

 This information I feel will make an impact on my future work because I work with children and immunizations are important in this day and age. There are so many diseases out and it is truly better to be safe than sorry. I work in a Head Start center and all children have to be vaccinated before they can start school. Different viruses are on the rise from people going to foreign countries and not knowing they have contracted anything, they carry it back to the United States.

 

My Personal Birthing Experience (Part 2 Pictures)

                                               
                                                          December 30, 2015                                           
                                          

 

December 30, 2005