My Supports

When I think about the support I need on a daily basis, emotional support comes to mind right away. At home, the people around me have an understanding of my feelings and thoughts, they can provide the support I need whether I am able to verbalize or not. For example, my husband will take care of our son’s transportation needs and shopping when I am backed up in my work. Even though the help provided can be put in the “practical and physical” categories, they cater to my emotional well-being by reducing my stress level and giving me the means to continue being positive and productive for everyone’s benefit. At work for example, sharing with my colleagues the preoccupations I have about a class that did not work well proves very helpful and healthy. First, it helps process my feelings and puts them in the perspective of my students’ feelings; secondly, my colleagues’ input helps me strategize a new approach for the next class and move forward instead of staying stuck on a bad experience.
Another important factor in my daily support is trust. When family members trust each other, their feelings and potential requests for help are taken seriously. If I could go back in time, I would change the way I listened to my daughter’s feelings and words, giving them credence and validate them. As trust is the building block of any relationship, trust is also an essential element in supporting someone. Concretely, in my relationship with my husband, trust helps us live freely, carry out our passions such as for my husband being very involved in the community and for me being involved in school, children, and travels. Perhaps, not second guessing the other brings truthfulness to the relationship and promotes support.
Without support from my family and colleagues, I would have to find the resource within myself to sort out life challenges. That process could take a very long time and the lack of perspective may bring other difficulties. For instance, if I am not in a good space to ask my family for help and if they do not recognize the rut I am in, I could probably undertake something I shouldn’t such as moving something too heavy and hurt myself. Taking care of each other requires being aware of the others’ needs.
Clearly, not being able to communicate is terrifying as exemplified in the movie “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”. Caught in a total physical paralysis, the protagonist of this true story goes through the agony of seeing and hearing a world with whom no communication is possible. Discovering that their patient’s left eye moves, the hospital speech therapist creates a system that enables communicating with Jean Bauby. The end product of the communication with Jean is a book published in 1997 The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly where Jean Bauby documents the drama of a brain, a soul, of self, captive in a body that has become the most impenetrable fortress ever built. However, Bauby’s agony was somehow relieved by his support team made up of family members, loving friends, and caring hospital staff. Without such support and people trying to understand how to alleviate Bauby’s physical and mental/spiritual pain, one can imagine that his body may have continued to be sustained without any consideration of whether his brain was active.

Children and aging people are the most susceptible to suffer from communication challenges and to benefit from a good support system. For instance, hospices are filled with people who haven’t yet told their stories. Since speaking has become difficult, the care team assumes that the elderly have little to share or don’t have time to listen, forgetting the person in front of them may be prisoner of their own body’s disability. When our hospice care and medical teams and families fail to empathize with their elders, these elders are left quasi abandoned as if not worthy of their humanity.
Equally, an infant born with deficient hearing is bound to feel stuck in a body with no possible communication with the outside world. I was struck to learn in the previous class that sign language allowed communicating with babies who are keen at recognizing facial expressions and hand gestures. For a while, our foster son would throw tantrums when he misinterpreted what was said, and still now his main challenge is his inability to communicate his feelings and thoughts which at times translates in erratic behaviors. Supporting him, there is a large team of professionals who try to decipher and meet his needs which at this point are mainly emotional since getting food is no longer an issue. Also very important is the community based support he gets such as the school and the sports program he has been able to participate in despite of the competitive aspect of high school sports (Seneca).
Of course, there are many other ways to provide support and in my close community, emotional support comes first. From emotional support derives how we can take care of each other takng many different forms. Without support, life becomes lonely and incomprehensible.
Resources
The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly.May 2007.Dir.Julian Schnabel.Production:Pathé Renn Productions,France 3 Cinéma (co-production),Kennedy/Marshall Company, The(in association with)C.R.R.A.V. Nord Pas de Calais(support),Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais (support), Canal+ (participation),CinéCinéma (participation), Banque Populaire Images 7(in association with)64. Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401383/
Seneca.Family of Agencies.Retrieved from: http://www.senecacenter.org/community/fostercare.December 8,2012

Childhood Connections to Play

First, a few quotes about the importance of play

In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.
Ovid
Roman poet
43 BC–17 or 18 AD
http://www.thestrong.org/about-play/play-quotes


“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
George Bernard Shaw
http://planningwithkids.com/2009/04/14/10-quotes-on-the-importance-of-play/

When we stop playing, we stop experiencing life. Playing is practicing life.


A child loves his play, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.
Benjamin Spock
American pediatrician
1903–1998
http://www.thestrong.org/about-play/play-quotes

Especially at a young age, it’s hard not to have your feelings hurt when playing with others. Playing is hard because it involves the discovery of unknown; discovering who one is through feelings that emerge from playing with others. Children seek the company of others because they instinctively know that it is through others’ eyes they will see a reflection of who they are. Conversely, Chomsky’s theory on language development in children proposes children’s innate ability to learn a language.


Human beings need pleasure the way they need vitamins.
Lionel Tiger
Contemporary Canadian anthropologist
http://www.thestrong.org/about-play/play-quotes

A society where pleasure only retains its sexual application, forgets that pleasure is the result of the communion of body and soul. This communion creates a sense of belonging to the universe and gives purpose to life.

I believe that those boys who take part in rough, hard play outside of school will not find any need for horse-play in school.
Theodore Roosevelt
American president
1858–1919
http://www.thestrong.org/about-play/play-quotes

A hush society where children are expected to behave like adults at home and at school like grown-ups, forgets that one must explore all aspects of the personality. Since Theodore Roosevelt’s time, children’s life changed a lot. Cities and society need to provide recreational spaces for children to play, more parks with jungle gyms, more gyms for kids, more sports opportunities, more affordable after school high quality day care centers, etc.


Three essential play items for my younger self

Imagination/Enjoying being with oneself

This cube puzzle is a must because I spent hours dreaming on each picture of each cube and making my own stories of the movies that I had never seen.


Freedom/Feeling independent and in control

This is freedom on the move!


Self-Taught Hunter! Learning about and respecting nature

Food is bountiful in the yard and in nature.
Parks, gardens, and yards are places where children can experience Mother Nature, and learn how resilient, interesting and yummy life can be.


People who supported me
At about 4 years of age, I enjoyed imitating old people. There is one photo where I am walking half bent over a stick, wearing a scarf, and glowing from the enjoyment of making people laugh. In fact, my mother also on the photo is watching me and someone else was taking the picture. My mother is the one who supported me throughout my childhood in play as well as academics. She also was playful and I learned from her to take joy out of anything that life brought. I remember one very special evening where my mother desperately tried every strategy to make me understand some calculation. As I started seeing the humor and feeling the embarrassment of being so stubborn in the instant, laughter got hold of me and enraged my mom. The more she became enraged, the more I laughed. We both remembered the absurdity of the situation and had a good laugh whenever we reminisced about it. I think we were able to change a potential confrontation in play time where both of us understood that the time spent together, bonding, was the gift of the moment.
In high school, my mother also supported my joining the after school drama program. Dealing with his own preconceived ideas, my father could not encourage me at first. Through theater plays, I explored personalities that contributed shaping the woman I became.
Allowing life to express itself through play is showing unconditional love.

Is play different today than it was before?
When I remember the hours spent with my cube puzzle and how this supposedly idle time developed my imagination, I wish I had been more skilled at communicating this feeling to my high school students who had difficulty creating an imaginary scene. Of course, times have changed, entertainment is readily available, and pretending that this temptation does not exist would be foolish. However, creating time and space (don’t they go together?) where children can figure out what to do is an amazing gift to them. Surely, the famous phrase “I’m bored” will be uttered, but soon enough children will be engaged in an activity of their own creation. Because they will have tapped into their own resources, children will have strengthened their self-esteem, feel proud, and have gained a sense of autonomy.

Role of play through childhood and adulthood
Play is an integral part of my day. Playing brings me laughter and harmony with my surroundings. A day without laughing or playing is a day lost to feeling in sync with the universe. Customarily, light hearted people are seen as shallow yet I am wondering if there is any truth to the other popular thought that clowns are deep thinkers .

Relationship Reflection

"Human relationships, and the effects of relationships on relationships, are the building blocks of healthy development" (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000, p. 4)

Just in time to prevent a marriage disaster, I attended a workshop focusing on childhood and relationships. One of the assignments required calling three people who had positively impacted my life and three people whose relationships had been negative and painful. Of these three painful relationships, I had to identify the hurt and understand the reason I allowed the hurt to occur because somewhere in the relationship would lie some medicine that could bring growth to my life. In addition, the mentor also requested that I thank these people with whom I had entertained these unkind relationships, or when it came to my brother in law I had to say “I love you”. Firmly decided to carry through with this assignment, I came back home for lunch one day to have a chance to catch my brother in law who lived in Cameroun at the time. Unexpectedly, he picked up the phone in turn surprised to hear my voice. I briefly informed him of the workshop and that I had something to tell him about our relationship. Interrupting me before I could explain exactly the purpose of my phone call, he said with his usual sarcastic demonstrations of love, or so it feels to me, “I love you too, silly”. In disbelief but alleviated from the burden of having to scorch my lips with the words I LOVE YOU to my brother in law, I considered that the universe had come to my rescue and that it was alright to vicariously complete my assignment through his words.
In the relationship described above, I learned that the pain and discomfort endured since the age of ten years old came from my inability and lack of help to sort out my feelings and emotions. Still to this day, it takes tremendous efforts to rise above feelings and emotions. Although now, feelings and emotions are consciously explored and redirected to positively affect my life. Chiefly, the scar left by this open wound pointed out that adults, parents, caregivers and teachers need to pay close attention to children’s feelings, encourage them to express their feelings, and together explore them.
On the other hand, some parents think that sheltering their children from any negative outcomes will promote self-esteem and strong personalities. In this case, it is teachers’ duty to tactfully teach both parents and children that feelings are a person’s building blocks that need examination and comprehension much like construction workers make sure that the material they use will withstand inclement weather conditions (Shonkoff & Phillips, 200).
Thanks to feedback provided by others, one can understand who they are and shape their personality. Through play, children express their understanding of how society works, experiment with personas, and little by little shape the person that they want to become. Through relationships, they learn to trust themselves and trust others.
Similarly, books offer myriads of possible relationships and connections that can bring lifelong support and/or transformative. Everyone remembers the fox in The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry who gave the young boy the recipe on how to develop friendship.
Most importantly, I am deeply engaged in relationships with my husband and my daughter. Even though these relationships have been built over a long period of time, they require “Tender Loving Care” because they have become rich and we all hope that we have learned from past mistakes.
When our daughter entered her teenage years, my husband and I differently perceived how we could help her. Tensions started to build between the two of us and divorce was looming in the horizon. Our relationship was saved because we both decided to work on our very relationship as its own entity. Since then, we have supported each other in fulfilling our lives. In other terms, we outgrew our childhood and started to relate as respectful adults. This relationship brings me trust, support, love and care.

Thank You Dr. Myers

Dear Dr. Myers,
The class on early childhood development has changed my assumptions on language acquisition and communication. I am very grateful for these insights on development, in disbelief on how narrow minded I was before taking this course!
Thank you for your class and words of encouragements!
MarieFrance

Thank You!

Dear Colleagues,
Reflecting with you on childhood’s sensitive issues has been comforting and, thanks to your shared expertise, I feel a lot closer to early childhood needs.
Reading your posts and responding to your questions has been a growing experience. Studying for the master in early childhood has somehow propelled me on a therapeutic introspection. I greatly appreciated the support you offered in sharing your personal life events.
As my daughter is getting married in October, I postponed the next class to November and I will probably join another group.
To All, A Big Thank You, A Big Hug
Good Luck!
Marie

Child development - Looking for ways to communicate and play

Professionals in the field of education must keep in mind that all children are different and that it is every educator’s challenge to celebrate their differences. Too often, educators and caregivers are caught in convenient generalizations, labeling children’s behavior and progress with scientific words instead of first describing the situation and later offering a diagnostic.

“I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream”. Temple Grandin
Educators and caregivers must remember that anger and “bad” behavior indicate issues that have not been verbalized. Would signing the language a palliative to inhibited verbal expression?
I have become a big fan of sign language since I learned that non hearing infants can communicate their feelings through signing the language much earlier than their speaking peers.

“Men should learn to live with the same seriousness with which children play.” Nietzsche
I love Nietzsche’s approach to life because it feels like abstract art: the artist decomposes and offers the individual’s mind to make sense of the painting by putting pieces together in their own way. Each one must find the answer or own interpretation of the writing or the painting.

“Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein
Dr. Gopnik emphasized the importance of play and offered to explore computer programs, saying that good programs provide an exploration time and also an exploitation time such as those found in play. Adults are competent in exploitation but no longer in exploration. Einstein compounds these two ideas with the term research where the scientist explores a hypothesis until they can exploit one experiment and turn it into a theory.

References
http://www.great-quotes.com/quotes/author/Temple/Grandin?full_site=0
http://www.childsplaymagazine.com/Quotes/index.htm
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/286612-play-is-the-highest-form-of-research

Assessing Children in Schools

At first, it would seem logical to assess “the whole child”. But, wait! What exactly does “whole child” mean”? Does it imply that the body protecting our vital organs and our brain should be assessed? Or, does it mean that only the head containing the brain should be assessed? And then, should the left brain be assessed first and then the right brain, or should they be assessed at the same time? So many questions for one obvious answer: Yes! The whole child should be assessed because what really matters is to know that children are on track regarding their own development. Since educators cannot promote maturity, they only can teach and recycle the information taught so that everyone eventually internalizes it. In that light, assessing students through keeping a running record of their achievements seems logical.

Secondly if schools continue to merely test students on their intelligent quotient (IQ), they would benefit from adding social-emotional learning (SEL) classes to their curriculum. Studies indicate that students who had high emotional quotient (EQ) were more likely to be successful in school than those with lower scores (Goleman, 1995). Students who are emotionally mature are more able to design bright and happier futures. SEL classes coach students how to evaluate and manage their emotions, strengths, and limitations in achieving their goals; to make positive choices and relationships; to work in teams and resolve conflict (CASEL). In the US, both affluent and inner city schools have been at the forefront of developing and implementing SEL programs. Also, John Pelliteri demonstrates in his article, "Emotionally Intelligent Interventions for Students with Reading Disabilities", that emotional intelligence helps regulate emotions by being able to interpret them, facilitating the thinking process and the acquisition of academic knowledge. Pelliteri explains that students with reading disabilities are more susceptible to being affected by adverse emotions, such as low self-esteem leading to bullying or aggressive behaviors. Pelliteri affirms that SEL classes have greatly helped his students gain confidence, and succeed both in their academic and personal lives. According to the National Bureau of Education (IBE), an autonomous part of UNESCO:

“Academic and social-emotional learning is becoming the new standard for what is considered the basics that children should acquire during their schooling. Each student deserves the opportunity to have his potential developed.The combination of academic and social-emotional is the most promising way to accomplish this goal. In so doing, educators are also preparing students for the tests of life, for the responsibilities of citizenship, and for adopting a lifestyle that is literate, responsible, non-violent, drug-free, and caring” (Elias).

While searching information on how the Netherlands assess their students, I came upon a UNICEF document where child’s well-being in the wealthy countries of the OECD, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. On page 4, the document indicates “no obvious relationship between levels of child well-being and GDP per capita”, and places the Netherlands in first place for child well-being. Surprisingly, the Netherlands also uses standardized tests to assess their students but formal school starts at 6 when children seem to be most ready for sitting and learning in a school environment. In disadvantaged areas, schools receive subsidies to create smaller classes and support their students with the use of technology. There is a huge effort to create inclusive schools and to broaden the cooperation of schools and their environment “connecting schools with real life” (Snoek M. and Douwe Wielenga D., 2001). According to Snoek and Douwe “The curriculum of teacher education should foster initiative, creativity, pride and responsibility by the learner, must be practice based, product driven and demand driven, must be holistic and competence driven, and should accommodate assessment methods accordingly.”



References
Goleman D.Emotional Intelligence.The 10th Anniversary.New York:Bantam Dell,1995.Print.
CASEL:Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. Social and Emotional Learning for School and Life Success.Retrieved from:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:IAnLHyO1tH4J:casel.org/wp-content/uploads/ParentPowerPoint.ppt+CASEL+power+point+social+emotional+learning&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Pelliteri J. et al."Emotionaly Intelligent Interventions for Students with Reading Disabilities." Reading & Writing Quarterly 22.2(2006):155-71.Web.Apr.2006.
Elias M.J. "Academic and social-emotional learning." Education Practices Series 11 (2003).Web.2011.
UNICEF. A comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in the economically advanced nations.Innocenti Research Centre.Report Card 7.Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/ChildPovertyReport.pdf
Snoek M. and Wielenga D. Teacher Education in The Netherlands.Change of gear.June 2001.Retrieved from: http://www.seeeducoop.net/education_in/pdf/workshop/tesee/dokumenti/COUNTRIES_NEDERLANDS.pdf

Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

War Stories

                At the beginning of WWII, a German boy was born in a military family.  His father climbs up the ladder of Nazi ranks and takes charge of constructing bunkers on the European coasts.  Of age to attend the Hitler Youth, the boy’s brother is enlisted.  Strangely, this young boy was insensitive to Nazi ideology, would not let himself be indoctrinated, devised a stratagem, and successfully obtained his release from the training camp. At the end of the war, father is interned in a camp where he dies from starvation; mother dies from tuberculosis and children integrate an orphanage.  Although relentlessly promoting peace and tolerance, the youngest boy bears the shame and guilt that his parents’ generation has left for legacy, never being able to apply the principles of peace and tolerance to himself.  All his life, the youngest boy deals with conflicting and irresolvable feelings of love for his father as well as intense hatred for having adhered either by choice or by cowardice to Hitler’s mandates.  End result: unmanageable post traumatic stress disorder and a sacrificed life seemingly offering his life in repayment for his parents’ mistakes.  Forged in a time of intense emotional crisis, the young boy’s identity is unable to shift.

                 

                In another country, a Jewish girl born well after WWII continues to nurture hatred for anything German, perpetuating her parents’ victim syndrome.   Forged in a time of intense emotional crisis, the Jewish girl’s identity is permanently impaired.

                Perhaps affected by her cultural environment and the media, a non-Jewish girl identifies with the Jewish culture at a young age.  Curiously, her behaviors exhibits stresses expected from people having lived through a war. Are people like her the necessary links to extend memories and feelings when actual witnesses are gone?

About Poverty, Hunger, and Violence Here and There

                Having to fare for himself, a very young boy was accustomed to roam the neighboring streets scavenging for food.  Alarmed by the condition of this very young boy’s teeth appearance, a teacher alerts CPS, Child Protective Services, who remove the child from his unsafe home where he also was subjected to random acts of violence and abuse.   Neglect, hunger, and violence since birth prevent the child from thriving emotionally and linguistically.  Thanks to recent science discoveries, we know that the brain continues to grow until the age of 25 giving caregivers hope that their children have a chance to catch up with development.  Unfortunately, from his emotionally non-available caregivers’ situation, the young boy has developed reactive attachment disorder which prevents him from healing his early childhood scars.  Only caregivers’ patience and unwavering trust in life’s marvels may give the child enough time to catch up with expected childhood’s growths such as a disposition for trust, respect for authority and abandon of controlling issues, and empathy.     

 

Brazil

A UNICEF Look at Childhood Poverty in Brazil

Retrieved from: http://www.google.com/search?q=child+poverty+in+brazil&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SKPT_enUS428

                Not surprisingly, the last slide confirms that black children from rural origin cared for by a very young mother (20) with no specific professional skills because she only attended school for 7 years, 3 brothers, and no father fit the profile for poverty stricken children.  

Nutrition and Malnutrition

                                  Nutrition and Malnutrition

                                          West and East 

                                         North and South

                                          Every continent

                                           Every country

                                              Dissension

            Food and water are quintessential for life sustenance.  In the western world, water is so cheap that it has been stripped off its value, and people have difficulties fathoming the devastating effects of lack of water and safe drinking water. On the other hand, food is also a problem in western societies due to their inherent inequalities.  For the majority, westerners have access to water but may encounter hardships buying food and having access to nutritious food.   

            While pregnant, women know how being well fed matters for the child they are bearing, and having access to enough calories coming from a variety of sources must be a priority.  When food is lacking, the fetus will use the available amount of food to optimally continue to develop the brain to the detriment of other body parts of lesser survival significance such as legs and arms.  Expecting mothers who receive adequate nutrition have a better chance to give birth to healthy babies and to be able to breastfeed their babies.  In the first few months of infants’ lives, breast milk shields them from nasty infections and diarrhea; hence, the importance of breastfeeding in general and particularly in developing countries. In Mali, infants’ mortality from diseases had decreased 30% from 1987 to 1996 because for at least the first 4 months of their lives mothers breastfed them. Also, infants started to eat solid food at 6 months which allowed them to fight diarrhea (PubMed, 1997).  It is fascinating that food and water, two trivial elements in the western world, are the causes for such catastrophes in developing countries.

            According to the Pediatrics (1997), there has been an increase in obesity among American children 4 to 5 years old and it is suggested that measures preventing obesity be taken as early as preschool. Surely, young children have also become more sedentary but something needs to be done in the quality of food that children ingest.  At Parklawn Elementary School Alexandria, Virginia, First Lady Michelle Obama (The White House) made clear the benefits of launching school lunch standards; nutritious food to support children’s academic efforts and also to support children for whom lunch might be the only meal of the day.

            With this information in mind and with much respect for parents’ cultural values, it is necessary that (my school) schools develop and practice healthy food habits.  Networking with the community might bring solutions to raise funds toward nutritious lunch meals and snacks.  I am looking forward to work on the school and community project that will look for creative answers to resolve diet and health issues. Food for thought!   

                                                 References

 Alisha Wilson. Why Breastfeeding is a Natural Shield Against Illness for Your Baby. Feb.3, 2007.   Retrieved from: http://voices.yahoo.com/why-breastfeeding-natural-shield-against-illness-184582.html

PubMed. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Malnutrition in Mali: a major   concern for child health.News/Macro/Syst/Inst/Resour/Dev/Demogr/Health/Surv.1997;9(1):3-4. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12292676

Pediatrics. Prevalence of Overweight Among Preschool Children in the United States, 1971         Through 1994”. Vol. 99 No. 4 April 1, 1997. pp. e1 (doi: 10.1542/peds.99.4.e1)

The White House. Remarks by the First Lady in School Lunch Standards Announcement. Office of the Press Secretary. January 25, 2012

Childbirth

            It is now common place that optimal birthing environments and fulfilled mothers benefit babies about to take their first breath.  With compassionate care and understanding, mothers’ limited stress and pain welcome their progenies to this world; holding hopes they will be the most intelligent and the strongest. Understandably, this was my disposition. However, the feature documentary “Babies” left no doubt in my mind that babies anywhere in the world show the same intelligence regardless of what parents do to boost their babies’ brain development  (Babies, Thomas Balmès, 2010).

            Whenever the conversation drifted to pregnancy, I told my friends loud and clear that getting an epidural was the only way I could give birth because women did not need to give birth proving right the Bible, Genesis 3:16 “To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children."  In college, I became close friends with a woman pregnant with her second child who confided that giving birth was more likely to inflict pain but the kind of pain you would feel when you exert yourself physically.  As the idea of physical challenge grew and I wanted to welcome my baby in a peaceful and friendly environment, I decided to give birth in a pool with the epidural backup plan.  At the beginning of my seventh month of pregnancy, the clinic with the pool closed down.  At this point, I was ready for the natural birth still having my backup plan as an option in case of excruciating pain.  Fortunately, the clinic where obstetricians shared this philosophy had a spot for me. I took yoga classes to help with the process and was determined to use the traditional Native American way of giving birth, standing up and squatting (Holmes Pearson E., 2012).  The midwife told me that I could choose any position that would make me feel more comfortable and explained how I should carry through with standing up and squatting.  I understood what my friend meant with intense physical effort.   When my body accompanied the contractions’ downward movement, it was comparable to pushing my already exhausted and achy body to run to an invisible finish line. My husband helped me in every contraction pulling me back up and holding me so that I could rest a moment. To better monitor the dilation, the midwife asked me to lie down on the table for the last twenty minutes.  Unfortunately too late for the epidural, I understood the unconditional choice for the epidural.  

            In each circumstance concerning their bodies, women should have the possibility to choose the way they want to give birth.  My mother in law only had a vague recollection of her two birthing experiences and with the regret of having oxygen widely dispensed to her as was widely practiced at the time.  Also, it makes sense that mothers should enjoy the beautiful moments that lead to giving life, therefore requiring some kind of pain management.

            More importantly and even if to this day I encourage women to start labor the way Native American women used to, at least some of them, with the idea to avoid unnecessary pain, good nutrition and knowledgeable midwives should provide mothers a physical and emotional safe environment to give birth.  Thanks to an experienced midwife who delivered my sister at home, my mother survived a breached birth because the midwife succeeded in turning around the baby at the last minute, safely extracting her.  Moreover, the baby turning blue was saved by the same midwife who, understanding the situation, took the necessary steps to relieve the baby.

            Curious about Africa’s practices, I came upon two websites concerning Mali.  Nicole Warren (2009) “Empowering Birth Blog” explains Malian midwives’ difficulties in responding to 60% of births that require formal training.  Malian midwives “Matrones” need training in order to successfully respond to challenging deliveries (Warren, 2009).   A horrific example of difficult childbirth can be found on Canadian International Development Agency page “Mali - Dignity, Compassion, and a Trade, 2011).  The Malian organization “Delta Survie” sponsored by the Canadian Agency works to rehabilitate women suffering from fistulae, an incredible one in three women (Canadian International Development Agency).  Clearly, trained people need to accompany women in childbirth.           

                                                            References

Babies, Thomas Balmès, Amandine Billot, Christine Rouxel, Alain Chabat , May 7, 2010 (USA), Retrieved             from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vupEpNjCuY

Holmes Pearson E., Ph.D., 2012, retrieved from Center for History and New Media at George Mason      University, http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24097

Nicole Warren, PhD, Empowering Birth Blog, October 03, 2008

            http://empoweredbirth.typepad.com/empowering_birth_blog/2008/10/mali-midwives.html

Canada International Development Agency, Mali – Dignity, Compassion, and a Trade. 2011, Retrieved   from: http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/acdi-cida.nsf/eng/ANN-1223115410-MTW

           

With Gratitude

Dear Professor Morgan

Thank you for your attentive presence, your caring guidance,

And your thoughtful words

With Gratitude

Dear Colleagues,

As this class comes to an end, I would like to express my gratitude for your sharing professional ideas and thoughts. I have learned a lot about the early childhood field with your expertise.

I hope we can stay connected through blogging, email, or phone.

¡Buena suerte a todos!

Good luck!

Code of Ethics

                                                             Code of Ethics      

                                                Most beautiful and powerful

                                                       Uplifting and nurturing             

                                                                    Gifts

                I feel so lucky to have turned my focus to the field of early childhood.  It has rekindled my confidence in education because early years professionals think in terms of the big picture, and work from their passion for children.  Research drives the field and practitioners do their best to apply the results and as quickly as possible.  Contributing to this progressive group of educators is inspiring and re-energizing.

                Starting with a preamble perhaps alluding to the U.S. constitution and the fundamental importance of the text, the National Association for the Education of Young Children revised their Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment in April 2005. 

                NAEYC’s principle 1.2, section on “Ethical Responsibilities to Children (p.3), reads:

                                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.

This principle encapsulates what anyone working with children must answer for.   It is up to the administrative leadership to provide regular trainings for all staff, in order to ensure best practices.

                In section II “Ethical Responsibilities to Families”, ideals I-2.4, I-2.5, and I-2.8 caught my attention because too often families, and not only from different cultural background, are criticized, judged, and belittled in schools. These ideals stipulate:

                                To listen to families, acknowledge and build upon their strengths and competencies, and learn from families as we support them in their task of nurturing children.

                                To respect the dignity and preferences of each family and make an effort to learn about its structure, culture, language, customs, and beliefs.

                                To help family members enhance their understanding of their children and support the continuing development of their skills as parents.

As children spend a great deal of their life in school, it is obvious that schools need to work in partnership with parents so that both teachers and parents learn from each other and best serve, educate and nurture children.  

                 

                 In August 2009, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children wrote their Code of Ethics, the backbone of the organization (DEC, 2009). As my understanding of family participation has deepened, I find necessary to have the following points as mantra (DEC, III):

                                We shall respect, value, promote, and encourage the active participation of ALL families by engaging families in meaningful ways in the assessment and intervention processes.

                                We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children.

                                We shall collaborate with families and colleagues in setting meaningful and relevant goals and priorities throughout the intervention process including the full disclosure of the nature, risk, and potential outcomes of any interventions.

There is an urgent need to recognize, accept, and approve all facets of a human being starting at age zero. It will take local, regional, and federal policies to change obsolete outlooks on differences, physical or mental. Surely, these policies will bring about a more peaceful world.

I am in!

                                                               References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from

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

DEC. The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from

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



Good Bye Mr. Bradbury!

Good bye Ray Bradbury, “the visionary”!

Here are two quotes attesting of Bradbury’s humanity and sensitivity:

“The best scientist is open to experience and begins with romance - the idea that anything is possible. “

“Touch a scientist and you touch a child.”

Retrieved from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/ray_bradbury.html#MMfDumI0to5Axp1h.99

I am sure he would have liked this Plato's quote:

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

Retrieved from: National Institute for Play http://www.nifplay.org/index.html

Precious Colleagues’ Resources

Melanie’s

The Children’s Cabinet    http://www.childrenscabinet.org/main.asp?pID=1

Special Quest                     http://www.specialquest.org/

Jill’s

The National Women’s Law Center          http://www.nwlc.org/

Child Care Aware of America                      http://www.naccrra.org/

A Plunder of Resources

Apart from expected resources such as books, magazines, journals and articles, movies and documentaries, I intend to use Louise Derman-Sparks’ suggestion to “listen to everyone in the environment to avoid being blinded by just one aspect of the spectrum” (Course Media). My concept of resources has expanded to include paying close attention to my surroundings where I might find clues and information on how to solve certain issues.

Three New Resource Ideas:

Children develop better and learn better if they are nutritiously fed. I want to keep an eye on:

Healthy Hunger Free Kids Meals Act 2010 http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/legislation/cnr_2010.htm

Australia is very present in education and takes a pioneer role:

Early Childhood Australia

Subscription to ECA Web Watch - webwatch@earlychildhood.org.au

An offshoot blog of “Parenting” magazine: The Parenting Post

http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/parenting-post?source=ignitionfork#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2Fparenting-post

A Plunder of Resources

Five Professionals

Below is a list of some of the resources used by five professionals in the field of early childhood. It was enlightening and refreshing to hear that these professionals dig everywhere to find information and stay current in their job. They gather information from scholarly papers to simply what they hear in their environment because it might be indicative of societal changes (Renatta M. Cooper Program Specialist Office of Child Care LA County Chief Administrative Office – Raymond Hernandez MS Ed Executive Director School of Early Childhood Education University of Southern California – Leticia Lara LCSW Regional Manager Outreach and Professional Development ZERO TO THREE – Sandy Escobido Deputy Director Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative California Foundation – Louise Derman-Sparks Professor Emeritus Pacific Oak College, CA)

Books, magazines, articles, partnerships with neighborhood organizations, state organizations, network of organizations that might be interested in a project, the community

Internal resources – family, friends, inspirational people, foster collaborative skills, critical thinking skills, education, our own growing and learning to be used as the starting for a reflection

External resources - universities, parents, hearing children experience as a resource in the classroom, media, childcare resource centers, medical professionals, libraries, ecosystem what we draw from, people from all over the world

References

Course Media. Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources. Walden University

Organizations Specialized in the Field of Early Childhood

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://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

•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

•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/

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/main/about.cfm

•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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

•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.preknow.org/

•Voices for America's Children

http://www.voices.org/

•The Erikson Institute

http://www.erikson.edu/

Selected Professional Journals

•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

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

When I taught at Carden Heights elementary school, teachers were encouraged to write weekly quotes on the blackboard to engage children in reflection and discussion. Periodically throughout the year, a student in the classroom would refer to a particular quote, giving life to the powerful words.

Here are two quotes from two major contributors to the field of early childhood.

First, thoughts from Marian Wright Edelman, president of Children’s Defense Fund:

"The outside world told black kids when I was growing up that we weren't worth anything. But   our parents said it wasn't so, and our churches and our schoolteachers said it wasn't so. They believed in us, and we, therefore, believed in ourselves."

Keywords: “Parents, churches, schoolteachers believed in us” Believing in a child is the first brick to build their foundation.

"You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation."

Keywords: “enough committed fleas” As one expects to be a superhero; one misses the point and ends up doing nothing. Marian Wright Edelman’s words emphasize that there is no small effort and that, in fact, any change starts at the individual level.

References:

African American Quotes. http://africanamericanquotes.org/index.html)

Second, quotes from President Clinton, major contributor to Head Start:

"I've been struck by the upside-down priorities of the juvenile justice system. We are willing to spend the least amount of money to keep a kid at home, more to put him in a foster home and the most to institutionalize him."

An incredible amount of money is spent on fixing society: it makes more sense to extend a hand when it is needed, and multiply preventive programs that help youth grow with dignity.

The following is a short compilation of President Clinton’s thoughts:

"The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of the people."

"Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all."

"There is nothing more precious to a parent than a child, and nothing more important to our future than the safety of all our children."

"Everybody counts, everybody deserves a chance, everybody has a responsible role to play and we all do better when we work together."

"By lifting the weakest, poorest among us, we lift the rest of us as well."

"The inability to get health care because people lack insurance, kills, less traumatically, and less   visibly than terrorism, but the result is the same. And poor housing and poor education and low wages kills the spirit and the capacity and the quality of life that all of us deserve."

I chose these quotes because they address concerns and goals set by organizations that help children and families. Presidents’ words weigh a lot and may have more impact in the resolution of childhood and families’ issues. I am thankful for Presidents who believe they are part of the whole and who think that “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

References:

http://thinkexist.com/quotation/mental_illness_is_nothing_to_be_ashamed_of-but/337019.html

Finally, here is an excerpt from a conversation between interviewer David Boulton, “co-producer and creator of Children of the Code, a learning-activist and technologist”, and Arthur Rolnick, “senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and an associate economist with the Federal Open Market Committee” (Children of the Code), and major contributor for Public Early Childhood Education and advocate for universal preschool movement (Walden):

               

 David Boulton: Excellent. Do you have any sense of what we're investing in birth to five?

 Arthur Rolnick: In pre-K, I don't. You know, the big investment, of course, is Head Start and Head Start averages about $8,000, per kid, per year. There is no funding for about forty percent of the kids who are eligible for Head Start. Eight thousand dollars per kid, we estimate, based on the studies of high-quality early education is about twenty-five to fifty percent below what it should be to get the kind of quality we need on average. So, it's way underfunded from a research perspective. It's focused on at-risk children, and there are some very good Head Start programs. But on average, Head Start is not getting the returns because the Head Start program is not well funded and it is not embedded in the type of market environment that we're suggesting with scholarships and mentors for at-risk parents.

                …

 Your original question was: How did I get involved in the economics of ECD? The answer is through the back door, looking at economic development and realizing that most of the economic development that is publicly funded in this country is counterproductive, that is, it is over funded. However, there is an area in which we're under funding, and it's ECD birth to five. And ECD should be viewed not just as education, but as economic development.

Thanks to this week’s assignment, I discovered “Children of the Code” whose mission is to make progress in the understanding of the whole child:

"The Children of the Code is an entertaining educational journey into the challenges our children's brains face when learning to read. The series weaves together archeology, history, linguistics, developmental neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, information theory, reading theory, learning theory, and the personal and social dimensions of illiteracy. "

References:

Arthur Rolnick. The Best Investment We Can Make.ChildrenCode

http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/rolnick.htm