6162- Final Post

• Consequences of learning about international early childhood
• 1. Being knowledgeable about the field as a whole which encompasses
•  international ECE not just what immediately impacts us 
• 2. The ability to bring about change when/if possible. 
• 3. Having the ability to share knowledge with others to make a 
• change on a larger scale. 

When it comes to my goals that relate to international early childhood education as of right now they are more knowledge focused. I am interested in learning more about the issues that international ECE face. I am not as knowledgeable about international issues as I could be, so my main goal as of right now is to gain the knowledge.

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New Insight>>> Equity

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/columnists/geoff-masters/what-is-equity-in-education

I decided to look more into this idea of equity or the lack thereof in education. I generally think about equity being/meaning equal, but in education that is just not the case. Equity means fairness and what is "fair" is not always equal.

Equity = Adding ramps for people in wheelchairs to get to the third floor. (Going to the third floor is much more attainable and realistic without having to exert extra unnecessary effort)
Equal = Stairs for people to get to the third floor. (In this case everyone can get to the third floor by the same means however some may just have a much more difficult time)

The article I read talks about moments when unequal treatment is fair:

Unequal treatment is fair when
Addressing unequal learning needs 
Addressing unequal student backgrounds

Racial Disparities! Resources...con't

In the video above Kandice Sumner discusses the racial and economic disparities in education that she experienced as a student and again as a teacher. She discusses having to travel a grave distance to have access to quality education and exposure to those things in which her neighborhood peers lacked access. She discusses a feeling of being undeserving. She expresses the disparity in tools and quality of tools and what that does and how that influences the achievement gap.

The Zero to Three article

Building Strong Foundations: Racial Inequity in Policies that Impact Infants, Toddlers, and Families

exactly states, "Children grow and develop more rapidly during the first three years than any other time in their lives. Their everyday experiences shape their development and lay a foundation for future learning. With the right supports, every child in every family can get a strong start.

But the odds are stacked against infants and toddlers of color. "

This disparity is due to the lack of resources and the limited access that these children have. This article piggybacks on Sumner's TED talk by reminding us that the history of American education is one that is not and was not created for those people of color. Disparities in education and limited equality within education/ academic access is that constant reminder of the history of American education. 

I selected this video because the latest ZeortoThree article discusses this matter and it is one that I am practically interested in.

New Insight

"Persistent gaps in education and health associated with socioeconomic disadvantage impose enormous burdens on individuals, communities, and societies worldwide."-Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative

I grow more and more convinced that there is no such thing as equality when considering things education more specifically education globally. The bold statement above speaks to my belief. 

New insight includes:

• Coordinated strategies to support child development can multiply the effects of investments in child survival, health, education, and economic development.
• We need to protect children from significant adversity, in addition to providing them with enriched learning opportunities.
• The early childhood years are critical building blocks for lifelong health, not just school readiness.

- -Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative

From this week I also gathered that when we focus so heavily on academics it is easy to get lost in academics and disregard or forget about the importance of social development.

 

International Poverty

According to NBB.BE, “Poverty remains a fact of life in Belgium despite the numerous, effective social assistance and family policies carried out by Belgian authorities at the federal, regional and local levels. Some 15 p.c. of the population, or one person in seven, belongs to a group at significant risk of poverty.”


“As part of its new 10-year strategic plan, published in February and entitled EU2020, Europe argues for sus- tainable growth based on education and innovation that benefits all of society. To guide the process, the Commission has proposed measurable targets in five areas: employment, research and innovation, energy and climate change, education, and fighting poverty. With respect to the last area, the goal is to significantly reduce the number of individuals living below the poverty line. A consensus has yet to be reached on the exact figure.”


Steps/Tools to combat poverty—-

-ensure equal opportunity, notably by allowing all of its citizens to develop their talents and by creating the incentives needed to ensure that they become productive members.
-identifying a single definition for poverty in order to best address the key needs to establish poverty prevention
- addressing the elements of poverty I.e., monetary poverty
-understanding the dynamics of poverty

“For households with working-age adults, employment offers good protection against poverty, provided enough hours are worked at a sufficient wage. Belgium’s mini- mum wage tends to limit the number of working poor. It is confined to situations in which individuals cannot find steady work and so oscillate between work, unemploy- ment and inactivity, or can only find part-time work that does not provide a necessary income.

In Belgium, as in many other European countries, the pro- portion of retirees living under the poverty line is higher than among the working-age population.

Education is a key factor with respect to employment. A high level of education goes hand in hand with a reduced likelihood of becoming poor or staying poor for long periods of time.”


“Longitudinal data show that at any given moment, a large number of individuals are falling into or getting out of poverty. By comparison with other European countries, Belgium has a very low poverty entry rate, but it also has a fairly low poverty exit rate. Thus, poverty in Belgium is more persistent than the European average”

https://www.nbb.be/doc/ts/publications/economicreview/2010/revecoi2010e_h5.pdf

Web Resources--- Zero to Three

Zero to Three is an online resource for professionals, parents, and EC advocates that provides current information on early development and well-being, early learning, parenting, as well as policy and advocacy.

Per the website Zero to Three'shistory & mission :

ZERO TO THREE has a significant track record in turning the science of early development into helpful resources, practical tools and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals, and policymakers.

Our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE, we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential.

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/5-how-to-help-your-child-develop-empathy?fbclid=IwAR2VKjl-SlkqLo76mbS_Gz8YyHvssOp9ReVHtirB1EV5uVDUNrMDJARCjb4

Above is the link to the trend that caught my attention. This piece was intended for parents and it hones in one helping parents help their children develop empathy. This caught my attention as it targets the here and now, but essentially is the building block for later needed life skills.

Expanding Horizons and Expanding Resources

https://www.savethechildren.org/
https://www.savethechildren.net/








I have seen this logo a number of times as I was leaving the grocery store, I have even donated to the cause and not known exactly what my money was going to. For this reason, I figured it was a good idea to research the Save the Children website to learn more information.

Save the children provides health (meals and medical care), education, protection, and emergency relief for children.

The website directly states, "Millions of children in the U.S. and around the world still aren't getting what they deserve. We're talking about children in need. Dying, when the world knows how to save them. Vulnerable children in poverty. Denied an education. Forced to flee violence. Orphaned, abused, abandoned. Children with no reason to smile. No hope for the future." 

"The world's children deserve better."

My Support

My greatest support comes from my husband and my mother. I can rely on them in my moments of weakness and during my times of strength. My husband ensures that I do not go crazy though out of a somewhat chaotic life (military life, raising four children, and trying to keep it all together). He doesn't put too much pressure on me to be perfect as he knows I do enough of that myself. He is understanding and compromising which I think are two very important qualities to have. My mother is my rock. I can always count on her to be there for me even when I don't realize I need someone in my corner. (I suppose that's just what mothers do.)

My Connections to Play

Play Quotes

Play Items

How was play supported?

My mother ensured that I had plenty of items to play with. However, growing up as an only child play was hard to come across. Although I had plenty of toys to play with and opportunities to go outside and play, the amount of time spent playing was somewhat limited as no child wants to play alone. Play took place at school for me. My kindergarten teacher supported play for us by ensuring that there was a time in our day to have free play/ not including recess.

The differences in play.

Play looks very different today than it did when I was a child. Growing up we played outside until the street lights came on, we spent hours setting up barbie mansions and acting out life as our dolls. We pretended to be moms with our baby dolls. We really got deep in our imaginations and played whatever was worth playing. I believe that now it is all about technology. Rather than playing barbies, children sit for hours and watch other children play. It's quite interesting. Rather than getting dirty and playing in the sandbox children watch other children play in the sandbox. Rather than getting involved in the play they seek entertainment through a spectators point of view. 

Play and my adult life.

Honestly, I don't think I played enough as a child and as a result, as an adult, I take life too seriously. I can be very uptight and rigid. I stick to a schedule and only in down times do I let myself play. That is very similar to my childhood. As a child, I had to be very responsible and although I had to tools I didn't necessarily have anyone to play with I only played when I had someone to play with. I wish play groups had been a big thing when I was growing up. I think I would now be able to let my hair down and relax a bit if they had. 

Relationship Reflection

These are but a few images of myself and people whose relationships mean the most to me. Each and every relationship is important for a myriad of reasons. The relationship that I have with my husband is the most important relationship in my life. In addition to being my spouse, he is my absolute best friend. He challenges me to be the best me, questions me when I am wrong or need some self-evaluation and supports even my wildest dreams. Second, to that comes to my relationships with my children. Followed by the relationships that I have with my girlfriends and sorority sisters. Each of these relationships brings positivity, joy, companionship, love, peace, and tranquility to my life.

No relationship is perfect though, in each relationship there are challenges. We don't always see eye to eye. Sometimes my children don't always understand why I make the choices I make as their mother, my husband and I don't always agree, having separate lives and experiences makes it difficult for me and my girlfriends to keep in touch as regularly as we would like to, however, through effective communication and understanding it all works out.

My ideas and perspectives regarding my personal relationships help me in my profession to be understanding and recognize the most important qualities of relationships.

EDUC 6106 Shutouts / Thank you notes

LaJasha,

Thank you for your constant insightful discussion boards and blog posts. Thank you for being organized and always being clear and concise in your shared thoughts. I wish you the best of luck throughout the remainder of your program. As long as the children are your motivation you will never fail. 

Marlisa,

Thank you for your openness and honesty throughout the course, as expressed in your blogs. I hope that you continue to succeed in whatever you do and wherever life takes you. Best of luck throughout the remainder of your program.

Child Development in a Nutshell

This visual tells you everything you should know about child development in under two minutes. Watch and enjoy.

Testing for Intelligence

If we, in fact, are committed to the whole child we are committed to each aspect of that child. The trick here is that each child is unique and special in their own way. Assessing/ analyzing a child's intelligence based on a standardized test should not and cannot be a valid resource of intelligence information. Why? Because, again each and every child is unique. When assessing a child and taking a holistic approach we should assess each part of the child. We should consider their ability to read, comprehend, compute, and recall facts. However, we should also look at their creative abilities, hidden talents and skills that cannot be assessed on a standardized test. A child can be a struggling math student but a musical genius. Does that mean the student lacks in intelligence, absolutely not! In addition, intelligence can be demonstrated in a variety of ways. 

In Africa, a new tool is being tested to assess primary students. This tool will be used to answer the following questions:

• What do children in the Western Cape know and what can they do when they start school?
• How does this vary by gender, language and affluence?
• How do children’s abilities and progress during the first year of primary school compare with similar children in other regions and countries?
• What implications do these analyses have for policies in the Western Cape?
• How much can differences in later international surveys be explained by differences in the early years?

So here the focus is on the progress of the child in comparison to self and others. I think the most important piece is the child's progress is monitored and compared to the previous performance. I think this a true indicator of intelligence--- PROGRESS MADE! That is the key.

http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/assessing-and-monitoring-primary-school-children-south-africa

I think there are advantages and disadvantages to all types of assessment, but I think the best assessment is one that allows for children to show ALL of what they know, not just the ability to answer a question correctly. 

Stress on Child Development - Poverty

A lot of my student teaching and practicum practice took place in low-income areas with at-risk youth. It was not uncommon for me to encounter children who lived in shelters, pay as you stay hotels, or in cars. I think children are very strong and resilient. I think that the children that I worked with coped/survived because they had to, it was second nature, and they were surrounded by people in similar situations. Although the survived, there were plenty of behavioral infractions, fights, and young children feeling the need to be strong and tough at all times. I think the ramifications of these children having to protect themselves, and be tough impacted their ability to experience childhood to its fullest.

Bullying is a major issue in German schools, as is the drop out rate. Although it is not explained in the resource below, I think that the drop out rate has plenty to do with the level f bullying that takes place. Specific organizations have been put in place in order to combat the dropout rate in addition to decreasing the level of violence and bullying in schools.

I think it is a major key that children feel like school is a safe place. Not feeling a sense of safety impacts a child's willingness and desire to attend school.

https://germanyglobalissues.weebly.com/major-social-issues.html

Breast Is Best

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When new moms ask me for advice or when I simply feel the need to share I almost always express that God gives us children, therefore, he ALWAYS gives us the necessary skills, wisdom, and patience to care for them.

However, the is one issue where I hold a strong position. Nursing is a topic that I support wholeheartedly for the first year of the child's life.
Why? Because, of its nutritional value, as well as the bonding aspect. I personally nursed my daughter up until her first birthday. When I went back to work./school I did both, but when I was with her I was her food source, as well as her security object.

Below you will find excerpts from Breastfeeding. Salem Press Encyclopedia Of Science.
These excerpts were specifically selected as they reflect the reasons why I decided to breastfeed and the reasons why I think and believe that if the body and circumstances allow it all mothers should. 

"The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life with continued breastfeeding following the introduction of solid foods up to at least one year of age and beyond."

"Breast milk best meets the infant’s needs and is the standard by which infant formulas are judged. Several nutrient characteristics make it the ideal infant food. Lactose, the carbohydrate content of breast milk, is the same simple sugar found in any milk, but the protein content of breast milk is uniquely tailored to meet infant needs."

"Breastfeeding also encourages infant bonding, a process in which the mother and baby form an attachment."

"There is an association between reduced breast cancer rates and breastfeeding, although the reason is not known. In addition, the hormonal influences caused by suckling the infant help to contract the uterus, returning it to prepregnancy size and controlling postpartum blood loss. Breastfeeding also helps to reduce the mother’s weight"


According to https://www.romper.com/p/what-is-breastfeeding-like-in-asia-you-may-be-surprised-64389 
"the rates of breastfeeding have declined over the past few decades, according to the Asia Pacific Population Journal."
"The reasons for the decline are as varied as the countries they're occurring in — everything from cultural practices, which may lead to the decreased ability to breastfeed, to demand placed on mothers to return to work quickly after having a baby. A noted few exceptions like Japan, South Korea, and Bangladesh, have all seen a rise in breastfeeding rates in the past 10 years."

Moving forward the information that I found will not change anything that I am already doing. When asked I will continue to promote breastfeeding for at minimum the first 6 months of an infants life.


Resources:

Stuhldreher, W. P. (2013). Breastfeeding. Salem Press Encyclopedia Of Science,

Below are some links to articles regarding breastfeeding if you would like more information or are seeking to expand your knowledge concerning the topic.

https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/Pages/default.aspx

Giving Birth to Christyn

During my pregnancy with my first born, I attended all of the cute little parenting, nursing, and new parent classes offered at my hospital. So on September 6th, 2014 when my water broke in the mall I felt that I was prepared for my big day. 

I remember leaving the mall, going home, taking a shower, grabbing my over packed hospital bag, and heading to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital I went right into the room where I would give birth to the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen. The contractions started off tolerable, however, I was having a hard time dilating so I was given pitocin.  On September 7th after the pitocin the contractions kicked up and I needed medicine. Within a few hours later my beautiful baby was here healthy and wide-eyed. 

I remember the hospital was clean and sanitary. Everyone wore gloves and seemed pretty sterile. They took my baby after about 3-5 minutes of skin to skin to clean her and check her vitals. The umbilical cord was cut pretty quickly. And nurses were coming in around the clock.

Now I live in Belgium. I am 22 weeks pregnant and so far EVERYTHING has been different, yet quite similar. First things first my doctor is not fluent in English. The language here is French. Also, they do not use gloves when collecting blood. In the hospital where I will give birth there is only 4 birthing rooms total. They are strongly against pain medicine and believe that everything should be done naturally. They do not wash the baby right away and after birth, they leave the mom alone to bond with the baby. They strongly encourage nursing, and they encourage parents to keep things as natural as possible. This time around I plan to have a water birth, no meds, and to document this experience. 

If I had to compare my experiences, so far my Belgium one takes the cake. Although it is nothing like America I know that I am in good hands and so is my baby.

Stephanie D and Laretha T. Thank you for always having a blog for me to respond to. I appreciate the way in which you helped me to grow as a professional and opened my eyes to other perspectives. Stephanie, I really appreciate how organized and comprehensive your blog was. You taught me a thing or two about organization and order. Thank you for that. I hope that you women have much success in the remainder of your program and that the remainder of your Walden experience is worth wild. I also hope that all of your professional goals come true. Again, thank you.

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Three ideals contained int he NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics that are meaningful for me:

Ethical Responsibilities to Children

I-1.8—To support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities. 

             Principles

P-1.2—We shall care for and educate children in positive emotional and social environments that are cognitively stimulating and that support each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure.

Ethical Responsibilities to Families

I-2.3—To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program, including involvement in shared decision making.  

Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues

I-3A.1—To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers

Ethical Responsibilities to Community and Society

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 families and other individuals and groups in these efforts.

Their significance to me:

These ideals revolve around inclusion. I think inclusion is the key to education. So much can be learned when we work with, attempt to understand, and learn from those that are different than ourselves.All of the ideals that are significant to because they promote an environment that supports inclusion, respect, trust, confidentiality, high participation, and more. I think that these ideals are at the heart beat of the field.