When I Think of Child Development...

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
-Frederick Douglass

I think this quote sums up our learning in this course.  We have learned in great detail about child development.  We have learned how to foster healthy development and ways to help children who may not have been raised under optimal conditions.  If we can spread our knowledge, then we can build strong children. 

I would like to thank Jennifer Coggin for giving me new insights and pushing my knowledge in this class.  She always had an additional viewpoint for me to consider and think about.  I was able to gain a lot from her.  I know she will do well in her endeavors in our field.  I wish her the best of luck!

I would also like to thank Dantaya Smith for her resources and knowledge that she brought to the class.  I enjoyed her views and thoughts on her blogs.  I also learned a lot from her through our journey looking at early childhood in different parts of the world.  I enjoyed reading her blogs and the knowledge she had gained.  Dantaya will continue to do great things in our field.  I know children and families are lucky to have such a dedicated individual working for them and on behalf of them.  I wish you continued success. 

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/children.html#hybq42eWdk4lLqOT.99

t is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
Frederick Douglass
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/children.html#hybq42eWdk4lLqOT.99

t is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
Frederick Douglass
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/children.html#hybq42eWdk4lLqOT.99

Testing for Intelligence?

            In an effort to assess and measure young children more holistically I believe that there are areas that should be assessed and given more emphasis than results of a standardized test.  The most important thing that should be measured is the child’s individual academic growth by means of appropriate learning style testing.

            Not all children are entering school with the same base level of academic experience.  Some children are coming from some form of pre-school where they have learned shapes, numbers, and letters.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, some children enter school having no experience with academic concepts and may not even know the English language.  These two groups of children are clearly at different beginning points in school.  With standardized tests, the second group of children is at a distinct disadvantage when compared with the first group.  If the teacher devotes the necessary time to catch these students up to the level of the first group, the first group is being deprived of opportunities to advance their knowledge.  With standardized tests, there is no differentiation among what is taught to the students.  If instead, individual academic growth is measured, all students can excel.  One is not held to perhaps unattainable expectations and the other is not held back from learning new things.

            The same way that not all students enter each school year on the same academic level, not all students learn and communicate what they have learned in the same manner (Berger, 2012, p. 346).  When assessment tests are given, they should be adjusted to meet the learning styles of each student.  This way, the student is able to best relay the information they have learned over the testing period.  For example if a child is a visual learner, assessments should be done in a visual manner and auditory learners should have assessments that reflect the auditory learning style. 

            The country I chose to look at was Germany and see how their assessment system compared to ours.  Children in Germany are not given any grades their first two years of primary education (EADSNE, 2009).  Instead, the student’s progress and achievement levels are recorded in a written report by the teacher (EADSNE, 2009).  For the remainder of their primary education, the students are “graded” based upon a six point objective scale ranging from very good to very poor (EADSNE, 2009).  While the United States borrowed the concept of kindergarten from the German education system, kindergarten in Germany is very different than the modern US version.  While the US treats kindergarten as the first year of structured classes, performance is not assessed at all in kindergarten in Germany.  Instead, the year of kindergarten is used to develop language and linguistic skills in preparation for upcoming school years (EADSNE, 2009).  The German primary education structure had been unchanged for centuries.  It was established as a performance requirement system, much like the US system, as far back as 1798 (EADSNE, 2009).  In recent years however, a movement has been occurring throughout much of Europe, including Germany to change how children are assessed, spearheaded by research of the Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA.  Germany’s performance based education system had placed them near the bottom of Europe’s educational systems (Pearson Foundation, 2011).  Germany is in the process of reforming the assessment systems to increase their students’ competitiveness with the rest of Europe’s top school systems (Pearson Foundation, 2011).

            As for standardized tests, I think my cartoon posting and quote by Albert Einstein regarding making a fish climb a tree speaks volumes as to the results of these tests.

References

Berger, K. S. (2012).  The developing person through childhood (6^th ed.).  New York,

           

            NY:  Worth Publishers.

European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education. (2009). Mainstream

            Assessment Systems – Germany. Retrieved from https://www.european-

            agency.org/agency-projects/assessment-in-inclusive-settings/assessment-           

            database-of-key-topics/germany/

Pearson Foundation. (2011). Germany: Once Weak International Standing Prompts

            Strong Nationwide Reforms for Rapid Improvement. Retrieved from            

            http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/oecd/downloads/Germany_strong_perf           

            ormers_US.pdf

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

            When reflecting on stressors, poverty and my two little cousins came to mind.  To make a long story short, my aunt met their dad while she was in her first semester of college in which she had a scholarship.  She dropped out of college and got pregnant.  Their dad disappeared for a while when my cousin Josh was born.  My mom and grandparents raised Josh the first couple of years.  During this time, my aunt met up with the dad and got pregnant again.  This time after having my little cousin, Talesha, my aunt took them and went to live with the dad.  During this time, neither parent had a steady job, both were drinking and into drugs, and lived in an unsafe shack.  In fact they had to move out because the building was condemned.  The more my family tried to reach out and help, the further they pushed us away.  Other stressors kicked in such as exposure to alcohol, drugs, and violence.  The dad was always in trouble with the law and had a violent temper.  My aunt tried to separate from him.  My aunt and cousins had to go into hiding until law enforcement found and arrested him on unrelated charges.  He has spent numerous years in jail, the majority of the children’s lives.  He is out now but they do not communicate with him.  As of right now, my cousins are both in their 20s.  Josh just obtained his GED and was accepted into the local community college.  Talesha just received financial aid to attend the community college.

            Josh and Talesha had to overcome a lot in their childhood, especially poverty.  Poverty hindered their development.  For example, they did not always receive the necessary nutrition, which affects their cognitive and physical development.  They did not live in the safest of environments, which affected their psychology.  They did not development proper secure attachments to either parent.  They are closest with their mother.  In fact, they are both living at home.  Granted this has not always been the case.  Both moved out at 18 thinking they knew it all.  They started following in their parents’ footsteps and realized this was not the path they should take.  They realized in order to get anywhere in life, they need a decent education.  Thankfully they are both in community college working on obtaining their 2-year degree.  Maybe they can break the poverty cycle.  My family has always tried to help them.  Sometimes it was accepted, but most of the time it was not.  We were always, and still are, there for them and thankfully they know that.  I am just glad they are turning their lives around.

            When thinking of a country that has a special affinity, I immediately thought of Aruba.  This is where my husband and I honeymooned in 2005.  We fell in love with the island and cannot wait to go back.  When reflecting on our trip, the children on this Caribbean island do not have the same stressors as one would think.  Aruba lies outside of the where hurricanes hit so children do not have to suffer through that natural disaster.  Due to tourism, it is one of the more well off countries in the Caribbean.  I kept looking to find the percentage of families at or below the poverty line, however, I could not find a statistic.  I remember when we were there and exploring driving on a lot of dirt roads and seeing hut type houses.  Since they are part of the Dutch Antilles, they are under Dutch government and have an education system based of the Netherland system.  I think the biggest stressor these children see is drug smuggling activity.  They are exposed to drugs and put in the danger of being kidnapped and/or killed if something goes wrong.  However, you do not hear of the drug violence in Aruba like you do in nearby Venezuela so they must be doing something right to protect their citizens.  Their motto is “One Happy Island” and that it is.  Everyone is very friendly and willing to help.  I do like how the island has set itself up for tourism.  Part of the island, the “west coast” is where all the resorts and hotels are located.  The rest of the island is for the people of Aruba.  They do have an oil refinery and I can speak from first hand experience you would never know it existed.  The water and air around it are clear and you cannot hear a lot of noise from it either.  They have safe drinking water.  Since they do not have access to fresh water on the island, they have to desalinate the seawater.  In 2005, it was the 2^nd purest water in the world behind Kuwait.  The water was amazing.  I learned a lot on our trip.  Also, Arubans observe siestas everyday.  The island shuts down from 12-2 and everyone goes home to take a nap and spend time with his or her family.  I love this and can see why this would make it “one happy island.”  I believe this has the greatest impact to reduce the stressors on children’s development.  Everyone is rested and spends time together.  I think our country could take a page out of their book and observe siestas too.  What a difference a nap and family time would make!

Child Development and Immunizations

        I chose to research and talk further about child immunizations.  This topic is important to me both personally and professionally.  When I had my son, I knew without a doubt that I wanted him to receive his immunizations.  My cousin had a boy four months later and did not want her son vaccinated.  Her mother and her were against the vaccines because they heard that they did more harm than good.  Meaning they had heard the rumor that the MMR caused autism.  I reassured them that research proved time and time again that MMR did not cause autism.  I also informed her that him not receiving his vaccines would do more harm than good.  My cousin did decide afterwards to have her son receive his immunizations.  I also had a co-worker who was adamant that her three children were not going to receive immunizations because of them causing autism.  They range from seven to four years old and none of them have received their immunizations.  The irony is that one is autistic and the other two show tendencies.  On a professional level, my job works closely with the NC Pre K program in our county.  One of the program requirements is that children be current on their immunizations for health and safety reasons.  This year we encountered a child who has all their immunizations but the MMR.  They have a signed doctor's note saying that the parents refused for their child to receive this shot and have been counseled on the risks.  We did admit that child into the program because of having the medical note.  I am just glad that everyone else around this child at school has been immunized and can hopefully protect the child through the idea of herd immunity (Berger, 2012, p. 150).
        Although our texts this week referred to the immunizations in other parts of the world, I chose to concentrate on the immunization practice in Japan.  I was surprised by what I learned from the website Japan Healthcare Info.  In Japan, there are two types of immunizations:  routine and voluntary.   Routine vaccines are required by law and include pollo, measles, rubella, and HPV.  However due to side effects and infant deaths, the administration of the HPV vaccine has been suspended.  These vaccines are free to everyone and can be given at the local health center or by appointment with a designated pediatrician.  Voluntary vaccines are not required by law and include the flu, chicken pox, mumps, and hepatitis A and B.  The cost of these shots vary depending on the shot the child is receiving.  In order to have them administered, the parents have to contact a pediatrician or a private clinic (japanhealthinfo.com).  I think it is interesting that some shots are required by law and others are not.  In Japan they have split up the MMR shot into different categories.  Whether or not parents are scared of their child becoming autistic, by law the children have to receive the measles and rubella portion.  I need to do further research about autistic children in Japan.  If the rates are equal to or lower than America's, it will be further proof for me to use with parents that the MMR does not cause autism. 
       This new research and knowledge can help me educate parents that the MMR does not cause autism.  If the parents are still scared, I can talk with them like I did my cousin and show them how the benefits greatly outweighs the risk.  I would also like to do further research into different countries that require the MMR or parts of it and compare it to their autistic rate.  The more evidence I have, the more credible I can be when talking to parents. 
       Advocacy is a big part of what I want to with my professional life.  I can use this new information and advocate for immunizations to be available to every child no matter where in the world he/she lives.  I know that immunizations are spreading around the world but small and rural towns still do not have access to them.  I want to help advocate to get the immunizations everywhere because it is so important that children have them to protect them from potential life threatening diseases.


                                                                     References
Berger, K. S. (2012).  The developing person through childhood (6th ed.).  New York, NY: Worth
    
         Publishers

Japan Healthcare Info. (n.d.)  Vaccination.  Retrieved from http://japanhealthinfo.com/child-health-

        and-childcare/vaccination/

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

        I chose to write about the birth of my amazing son.  It started out I was two weeks past my due date.  I was due June 4 but I had told everyone they had my due date wrong and he would be born in the middle of June.  I told my midwife that I did not want to be induced when I went past my due date.  She honored my wishes.  On June 14, I had an ultrasound done and it was decided it would be best to induce the following morning because I was losing fluid, which was dangerous for my son.  Well that afternoon, my son decided he was going to come on his own.  My husband was golfing with my cousin when I went into labor at 2:10.  We called him and they came straight home.  I swear my husband took the longest shower ever.  My labor came quickly and the contractions started at 5 minutes apart.  I thought before hand that I wanted to have a natural childbirth and go without drugs.  I admit I quickly changed my mind and asked for the epidural as soon as I got to the hospital.  Sadly the practice I had been seeing has several midwifes and doctors that work on rotations.  The midwife that I had seen the majority of my pregnancy was unable to attend my birth because she was not due to work until the next day.  I had a midwife that I had seen only once and a nurse.  To me, the nurse was useless and sat around writing stuff down instead of helping me.  My mom and husband were in the delivery room with me and they had to do all the work such as getting me ice and cold cloths.  While I was pushing, his head was stuck in the birth canal because he decided he wanted to greet the world face up instead of face down.  We were literally stuck until the doctor could come and vacuum him out.  At the time she was delivering twins via c-section.  I was nervous because every time I tried to push, his heart rate would go down.  Thankfully she arrived and he was born.  They put him on me and it was the best feeling in the world.  Then they cleaned him up, did his measurements, Apgar test, footprints, etc.  I was in labor a total of 10 hours and 10 minutes with 2 hours and 10 minutes spent pushing.  It was worth it because I have this incredible boy who is my whole world.  He was born June 15, the middle of June as I predicted.  I entered the hospital on Thursday, he was born after midnight on Friday, and we went home on Saturday.
         I picked this example because it is the only birthing experience I really know.  I've heard stories about other birthing experiences but I do not know what is fact and what was embellishment.  So I chose to use my own experience with my child.  It also took place 6 years ago and for me, that is the latest birthing experience I know.  I am sure a lot has changed since then.
         I think in ways childbirth can impact child development.  If I had to keep waiting on the doctor to help deliver my son, some complications could have risen.  His heart beat was dropping every time I pushed.  If this had continued his heart would have continued to slow down and I shutter to think what could have happened.  If complications arise during childbirth, development can be affected.  For example if the baby cannot get enough oxygen, cognitive development can be impaired.  Physical development can also be affected.  For example my husband's hip was dislocated during his birth.  To this day, he still has trouble with it.  Childbirth can also have a positive impact on development.  I remember the elated feeling I had when my son was born and how we quickly bonded as a family.  I do believe the positive feelings and bonding that we shared impacted my son.  My son had a secure attachment and was a happy baby. 
         I looked at the child-birthing experience in India.  There are still a lot of home births with an increase of births taking place in a public hospital.  Private hospitals are available but are for the wealthy and healthy babies.  Most of them do not have the equipment to handle a difficult birth or birth defect.  Women who are in labor are isolated away from any pollutants and usually do not have access to pain medication.  After the birth, the mother and baby are kept isolated up to 40-60 days.  The length depends on how big the family is that can take of her and the baby.  This is known as confinement and it is done due to beliefs related to the birthing process.  Other woman take care of the mother and baby including what they eat, how they bathe, etc. 
         There are a few similarities between my experience and the experiences I read about in India. More births are taking place in public hospitals like I had my son.  The mother and baby are both taken care of after the birth.  My mom helped me after I delivered.  There are several differences.  It seems a lot of birth rituals still take place based on a belief system such as the long isolation of the mother and baby.  I was discharged from the hospital about a day after giving birth.  Women in India are kept for longer.  If they deliver in a hospital, they usually stay at least 3 days if not longer. 
         No matter where you are, women go through similar yet slightly different birthing experiences.  I believe that no matter where or how you give birth, if there are complications, odds are a child's development will be negatively impacted.  But whether positive or negative, childbirth has an impact on a child's development.


                                                                           Reference
 Indian ethnicity and background.  Retrieved October 31, 2013, from
 
                   http://www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural/health_workers/indian-preg-prof.pdf


                                                    

A Note of Support and Thanks

         First of all, I just want to send out a huge thank you to all my fellow classmates.  I could not do this without your continued support and encouragement.  I have learned from each and every one of you in this class.  I wish you all continued success in both your professional and personally lives.  I know with hard work and determination, you will achieve your goals.

Lah Lah,
    I just wanted to say thank you for your support through your responses.  Through your responses, you gave me needed encouragement.  I admit I had days I wanted to give up and your kind words kept me going.  Thank you.  I also loved how you challenged my thinking when you asked me questions or posed your own thoughts.  I love growing and expanding my mind.  I also wanted to send another thank you for sharing your resources with me.  I am very interested in learning more about Ron Clark and his academy.  Thank you for everything that you have done to support me, I hope I have returned the favor.  Best of luck to you and your future endeavors.  I know you will succeed.
Myra


Jo,
    Thank you for your encouragement and support in this class.  It has help me tremendously in my professional growth in our field.  I have enjoyed reading your experiences and can relate to many of them.  I feel like we have special connection since we are both from North Carolina and not too far away from each other.  It has been refreshing to hear your ideas and successes within your facility.  I wish more of my providers could be like you.  I love how you embrace Conscious Discipline and use it.  We are working hard to get it in more of our child care facilities.  I just hate we missed each other at the NCaeyc Conference this year.  Have fun at your Leadership Conference.  I am interested in learning more about it.  Keep up the wonderful work you are doing for the children.  Thank you for doing what you do.  I know you will continue to accomplish great things in your life.
Myra

Examining Codes of Ethics

         When reading through the Codes of Ethics for NAEYC and DEC, it was hard for me to narrow down to just three ideals that are meaningful to me.  In some way, they are are all meaningful to me because of my love and passion for children.  The first ideal that has meaning to me is the highest principle in the NAEYC Code of Ethics.  It states, "Above all, we shall not harm children" (NAEYC, 2005, p. 3).  This includes all types of harm including physical and emotional.  In early childhood, it is our duty to take care of children and to ensure their safety all in a healthy learning environment.  Through my love and passion for children, it is my duty to ensure that children are safe in our schools.  Within my job responsibilities I am to ensure that schools have the proper learning environments and children have access to quality care.  As a professional in early childhood, I take this principle very seriously because children should never be subjected to harm in any form.
         The second ideal is from the DEC Code of Ethics.  It states, "We shall be responsible for maintaining the appropriate national, state, or other credential or licensure requirements for the services we provide while maintaining our competence in practice and research by ongoing participation in professional development and education activities" (DEC, 2000).  I think it is very important that people in our field understand and follow all the guidelines that pertain to our field.  It relates back to my first ideal in which we should not harm children.  By following the appropriate guidelines and requirements, we can provide a safe and healthy learning environment.  The other part of the ideal includes professionals in the field staying up to date on the latest research and requirements in the field.  This can be done through trainings, taking classes, frequently visiting resources, etc.  I am a part of that because I go to trainings and take classes but I also deliver trainings to our county's providers.  I consider our field to be active since there is always new research being conducted as we continue to learn more about child development.  We need to keep abreast of these new findings to better teach and take care of young children and their families.
       For the third ideal, I combined two ideals from DEC and NAEYC.  DEC states, "We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those of whom we work" (DEC, 2000).  NAEYC states, "To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers" (NAEYC, 2005, p. 5).  Both ideals speak of building a relationship with others in the field.  I chose this because this is important to me both personally and professionally.  I can relate to this personally since I have a child still in the early childhood system.  It is important that as a parent I have a relationship with the people that take care of my child.  I want to be able to trust that they will watch and take of my son while he is in their care.  If I did not have that relationship and trust, I would be looking at another center.  In my professional life, this relationship building skill is important.  Providers and I have to be able to trust each other and build a relationship in order for my technical assistance be effective.  If I just came into their classroom and pointed out all the things there were doing wrong and did not work with them to create appropriate learning environments, then they would resist me and make my job harder.  I view each classroom that I go into as another person's home.  You have to go in with respect and build a relationship so you will be invited back.  I remember being a teacher and having others come into my classroom.  I did not take kindly to those that just ordered me around and did not build a relationship with me.  However, I did build relationships and liked the people that came in and treated me with respect.  I also think it is important that we treat each other with respect and build relationships.  We are a field that needs to have resources and rely on each other.  We all bring different experiences and expertise to the field.  We can learn from each other.  If we do not trust or respect each other, then we will not learn and not be able to effectively take care of and teach children. 

References

The Division for Early Childhood.  (2000, August).  Code of ethics.  Retrieved October 14, 2013,

   

          from  http://www.dec-sped.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children.  (2005, April).  Code of ethical

        conduct and statement of commitment.  Retrieved October 14, 2013, from

         http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Growing My Collection of Resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• 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://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
• 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.

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• 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
  
• Websites:
  
• • 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 media segment 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/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• 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/
  
• 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/
  
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
  
• 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.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
  
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

 Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• 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

Additional Resources:
My favorite person in Early Childhood is Dr. Becky Bailey.  She is wonderful and the founder of Conscious Discipline.  She has written several books.  The information found on consciousdiscipline.com is for teachers in the early childhood field and for parents.  She has a wonderful book for parents that I am currently reading.  It is called Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline.  But whether you are in the field or a parent, it is a great resource to check out.

Another resource I like to use to help with behavior problems can be found at http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/.  The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)  is a great site for teachers and parents as well.  CSEFEL helps parents and teachers deal with challenging behaviors.  The website contains training modules for both parents and teachers.  My favorite aspect of this website is it contains a lot of free printable materials for teachers and parents to use with children.  In this field, free is wonderful.

Momsrising.org is a resource I learned about this year. This organization encompasses a lot about families and works to advocate for early childhood.  They are also working to make America a more family friendly country.  This spring, Moms Rising helped advocate for early childhood in North Carolina.  In front of our Legislative Building, they set up a huge Chutes and Ladders game that represented the ups and downs that the field of early childhood experiences.  It was a lot of fun to play and a great educational tool for our state's representatives to see and be a part of.  

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

One of my favorite Marcy Whitebook quotes comes from an interview where she is asked what are some of the biggest challenges in preparing the workforce.  The following quote is her response to what she considers is the biggest challenge.

"Deep down in their bones, most people don't really understand what this work is, what it takes to do it, and why people in early childhood development need to be better compensated."

This quote brings out my motivation.  The majority of people outside of early childhood do not understand what early childhood is, its importance, and what it entails to be an early childhood professional.  I am constantly motivated in educating people on the field of early childhood so their understanding starts to develop.

W.  Clement & Jessie Stone Foundation (Interviewer) & Whitebook, M.  (Interviewee).  (2012).  An Interview
      with Marcy Whitebook of UC Berkeley's Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (Interview
      Transcript). Retrieved from W. Clement & Jessie Stone Foundation Web site:  
       http://www.wcstonefnd.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/04/spotlight_whitebook.pdf
 
Sylvia Chard said: Project work can provide a view of a child that most clearly reveals to the teacher what the child is capable of."
From my experiences, I see teachers all the time teaching the same stuff to all the children.  Some children get it and others are lost, confused, or bored.  We forget that children have different abilities and in order to truly see what a child can or cannot do, they need to be in their own element.  We cannot judge their abilities based on a test.  We need to watch them in their natural environment, where they are having fun and investigating.  This is where we see the child for who they really are.

Chard, S. C. (1999).  From themes to projects.  Early Childhood Research and Practice.  1(1).  Retrieved from
      http://ecrp.uius.edu/v1n1/chard/html
 
She also said:  "They are young scientists.  They are curious.  They like to investigate things, feel them, observe them closely, take them apart, and generally make things happen!"
Children do not learn by sitting all day.  They learn best through hands on experiences.  I wish the public and the public school system realized this concept and learn this quote.
  
Chard, S. (2012, January 22)  Edutopia interview [Blog post].  Retrieved from http://www.projectapproach.
      org/blog.php  

From the video, two quotes stood out to me.  The first shows my passion that all children deserve the best regardless of the background that they come from.  The second quote shows my thinking each day I wake up and go to work.  I do not work for myself, but for the children.  I always have and always will.

Louise Derman-Sparks:
"The passion to make sure all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability." 

Raymond Hernandez:
"Everyday I go to work I look forward to it because I know the services I'm providing for the children, its to their benefit.  It's not anything that's going to benefit me, it's going to benefit them."

Laureate Education, Inc.  (2010)  The passion for early childhood.  (Video Webcast).  In Foundations:  Early
   Childhood Studies.  Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com 

Personal Childhood Web

When looking back on my childhood, I was blessed to have several people that took care of me and nurtured me.  I did not have a father but everyone in my family stepped in and took care of me and I never missed having him in my life.  My mom was, and will always be, my biggest supporter, fan, and the person that takes care of me.  It was just her and me growing up.  She was separated from my father when I was born and the divorce followed the next year.  Yes, she provided me with the basic needs of food, shelter, etc.  But most importantly she instilled hope, faith, and values in me.  She was and is always there when I need her.  We had our ups and downs, especially in my teenage years.  But now she is my best friend and I do not know what I would do without her.  I am who I am because of her.  My mom showed me how to be strong even when she was weak, she taught me I could be anything I wanted to be, and most importantly she showed me how to be a mother myself.  Now that I am a mom, I realize all the sacrifices she made for me to give me what I needed.  Even though I am married, I am still a strong and independent woman thanks to my mother.

My grandfather, Papaw, was everything to me.  He played duel roles in my childhood-grandfather and father figure.  His love was unconditional and always made me feel important.  Although he had other grandchildren, I always felt I was his favorite.  I felt this way because of how he treated me and looked out for me.  There are stories where he insisted that he had to be the one to bring me home from the hospital when I was born.  I could always run to him when I was in trouble with my mom.  He helped Mom raise me.  I learned a lot from him.  I learned my work ethic from him-he never missed work and he always worked hard.   Some of my favorite memories are sitting on the porch eating sandwiches.  He didn't like the crust and would pull it off and throw it into the yard to feed the birds.  I don't like the crust either and still pull it off.  I apologize but it is hard to talk about him.  He died in 2001 and it still hurts to talk about him.  He was a strong man and I miss him terribly.  I was the only person to get to tell him goodbye.  Even up until death, we had a special bond.  He had cancer and slipped into a coma before he died.  I try to live everyday to honor him and make him proud of me.  My son is named after him.

My grandmother, Mamaw, also helped raised me.  My mom was a teacher so Mamaw took care of me during the day.  She taught me how to cook, how to harvest a garden, and how to cross-stitch.  Some of my favorite memories are sitting on the front porch working beans, as we call it.  We would talk about the day, share stories, learn about my ancestors.  Those are good memories.  I also got my love of puzzles from her.  During the winter months, we would sit and work puzzles while Mom was at work.  I still love a good puzzle and find them relaxing.  Also, the harder they are, the more I love them.  Since Mom was not married, I learned how to be a wife from Mamaw.  She showed me how to take care of my husband and family and how they should always be first. 

I grew up next to my oldest cousin, Brian.  We are a few years apart and played together everyday.  In fact, I call him my "brother" and my son refers to him as "Uncle Brian."  Brian and I are only children so we only had each other as playmates growing up.  Since he was older, I thought the sun rose and set with him.  I thought he was cool and wanted to grow up to be like him.  He influenced me by having another child to be around in a world full of adults.  We played games such as Checkers and Sorry.  I am still learning that some of the rules he taught me, he made up just so he could win.  He did treat me like a little sister, was mean to me but at the same time he was the only one that could be mean to me.  Everyone else had to treat me right, especially the boys as I got older.  He took my marriage hard and it was one of the few times I ever saw him cry.  The night before I got married, he wrote me a letter.  I still have that letter and read it from time to time.  We aren't as close anymore due to where we live and we both have families.  But we still look after each other and have that sibling bond.

My Uncle Eddie also took care of me as I was growing up.  He is my mom's only brother.  He is younger than her and worked with my grandfather.  We had a fun relationship growing up.  He would teach me things such how to fish, ride a horse, etc.  I loved working in the garden with him.  After a day's work he would go inside, take off his shirt, and drink Mountain Dew.  I would imitate him and do the same.  I remember the day Mom informed me I couldn't take off my shirt and I couldn't understand why.  I was his girl.  He eventually got married and had children of his own.  But I was always his girl.  We are also not as close due to where we live and families.  But he loves my son and teaches him things like he did me.  Now that I am a mom, I am not as thrilled about the things he teaches a child.  But that is what uncles are for.

I have attached a couple of pictures.  The first one is my mom and me.  The second one is Brian and me on my wedding day.  The last is a picture of my favorite picture of Papaw.  I had it displayed at my wedding.

My fuel for my passion for the Early Childhood Field

Obviously children and my love for children are the drive and reason why I am passionate about early childhood.  However, there are two other things that I consider my fuel for early childhood.  The first one is when I see a teacher "get it."  It is that moment they realize what they are doing and the impact they are having on the children.  It could be as simple as teaching a child a calm down technique or helping a child master a new concept.  The other is when I hear remarks against early childhood.  I see it as needing to step up my advocacy and educating the world on early childhood.  I am not discouraged by it, but fueled by it.  I am amazed by the work that has been done thus far, but know that we still have a long road ahead to advocate for children and educate the public (parents, legislatures, and other teachers) on the importance and impact of early childhood. 

By the way, I just attended the NCaeyc Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.  I have left feeling empowered and the fuel from it has my car going 100 miles an hour.  It was an incredible experience and I'm on a high from it.  I also had the distinct honor of hearing Dr. Becky Bailey speak several times and personally meet her.  If you have not heard of her and Conscious Discipline, I encourage you to look into it, especially if you are a teacher and/or parent.  I am very excited to take what I have learned from her into the classrooms that I work with. 

Quote

"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think."-Margaret Mead

I adore this quote because I think society forgets this.  We get caught up in testing and assessing, that children are just taught what to think and what to know.  The true way that children learn is by finding out the information for themselves, through play and other hands on experiences.  Play in early childhood is a topic I will save for another day because I could go on forever about it.  But we need to take a step back and guide children in their thinking especially in this society.  By teaching children how to think, we are giving them higher order thinking skills that will lead to huge future successes!

This is my and my handsome son who is my world. :)

I am new at this and hoping this works!