My Supports

First and foremost my boyfriend has always supported my educational endeavors. Deciding to go back to school and take my master’s degree while working full-time was both a huge financial decision and one that has also limited my time at home. After work, I usually have a laptop on my knees either tending to my responsibilities and planning as a classroom kindergarten teacher or completing weekly tasks for my courses at Walden. I love what I do and my boyfriend truly understands and support this passion. I couldn’t be with someone who didn’t not only understand this about me but also love and appreciate my passion as part of my character and who I am.

My parents have always cheered me on with regards to my academic career. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum and they have supported this as well. I am very stubborn and driven, together these two traits combined usually end with me getting an idea in my head and pursuing it in its entirety. After my undergraduate degree, I decided to continue my education by obtaining my educational diploma. When I told my parents I was going to move to Australia with a friend to travel and study, my parents weren’t too excited about the idea. They trust my decisions and support me in all of my choices. I am so grateful to have such great parents.

As supportive as my family and boyfriend are, I am very lucky to have close friends in the field who truly understand my role and responsibilities as an educator. We can share concerns, discuss strategies and just be there for one another to talk, laugh and let’s face it some days cry. I honestly do not know what I would do without these people as my support system. I would truly be lost.

This task was very difficult and to be honest quite emotional. I thought about what it would be like to lose my sense of sight because someone close to me is currently experiencing this. First, I would need tons of emotional support from my family and friends because this would be devastating. Also, I believe I would need an outside source to talk to as well to grieve my loss and to help support me in ways that my family and friends couldn’t. I know that there are social workers and psychologists who are dedicated to helping people deal with sickness and injury and the repercussions it has on one’s life. I would need support to learn how to complete everyday tasks that I once completed independently with ease. I would need support in learning how to live my life again essentially because I use my eyes for everything. I know that my family and friends would be there for me no matter and would stand by and support me no matter how difficult it would be. It would be so hard to lose the independence I have now, I am used to driving myself everywhere I need to go, cooking, cleaning, dressing myself, reading, using my computer… and these things would all now require some form of support (people-to drive me, technology and assistance). Even things that once brought me joy would need to be rethought- for example watching my favorite TV programs, now I would need to listen with video description. My entire life as I know it would change, I couldn’t cope without the people I love and I couldn’t function without various forms of external support.

My Connections to Play

“Play is the highest form of research.” – Albert Einstein

How great is this quote? I truly believe this to be true. If you allow a child to find answers for him or herself rather than just spoon feed the answers the learning is so much greater. Furthermore, if it is the child who asks the questions and you empower him or her with resources to find the answers and draw their own conclusions the learning is even better! When I was a child I was so blessed to have two great parents who allowed me to explore and learn with their aid. I remember conducting experiments in our kitchen, making messes while mixing ingredients but always excited about the outcome. They not only allowed me to do this but they indulged in it and prompted me to explore certain things to see what happened. Play is learning, and it really is the deepest and richest form of growth.

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” 

– O. Fred Donaldson

I feel that this quote is deeply connected to the quote I referenced above. Play is both social and academic. Children learn to solve conflicts during play and are therefore learning a great skill that will be essential for their entire lifetime. Children will make mistakes and will learn from them and will often find out what didn’t work to fix it for the next time. When making a tower a child may learn that, “oops it was really tipsy because the bigger blocks are on the top” next time when making a tower they will remember to use the bigger blocks as the base. Children often ask questions while playing and want to figure things out to make their play even grander. If they are engaged and calling the shots they are so driven to learn and grow because it is their interests.

I grew up on the lake in the country. My parents ensured (sometimes forced) us to go outside at least once a day. We loved it and lived out there. 

I of course had a well-stocked collection of trolls and Barbies. 

I was always doing art and craft projects. Some of my favorites were the shrinkable sun catchers, beading, making bracelets or jewellery or making cards and crafts using paper, sparkles etc. 

My brother and I got a Creepy Crawlers bug maker oven for Christmas one year and it is still something we talk about. We would make goop bugs with my dad for hours. 

As I mentioned above I was very lucky that I had two parents who played with me often. They also let me take charge in the play, using my imagination, making up scenarios or choosing my interests to learn about, construct or create. My mother is very artistic so she indulged this part of who I am today while my father is a big kid himself he would often role play or construct things with or for me. One time he made an entire table top play area for my doll homes (Precious Moments) it took him forever and I quickly changed my mind about things. I will never forget how great it was and how much effort he put in just for me!

I think play is very different today because of the amount of screen time children are exposed to. While outside on recess duty, I often notice that some of my kindergarteners haven’t learned to occupy themselves and play outside because no one has shown them how. It is evident that a lot of children do not spend enough time outside. Gadgets, and electronics are great but their use needs to be limited. Children are missing out on social interaction with their peers and are also at risk for health concerns because they are not getting enough daily exercise. They are not learning how to cooperate or play with other children which is a skill that they need even as adults. I hope that parents realize how essential play is not only for their physical health but their social interaction as well.

While playing I learned how to use my imagination, how to bring something from beginning to end (playing out a scenario, creating a plan etc.) and how to co-operate and work with others. I also learned how to take my turn but also affirm my feelings and emotions. As a child I was often taken advantage of because I didn’t speak up for myself, I learned quickly ways to state my needs and wants in a way that was positive to the group. Children can discover who they are and who they want to be during play. These lessons take children well into adulthood. 

Relationship Reflection

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

My personal relationships are extremely important to me because they are the people in my life that I lean on for comfort, support and encouragement when things get tough, and they are the people in my life that I turn to, to share triumphs and joys. I am so truly blessed to have so many people that I love and depend on and who love me back unconditionally.

My Parents

My mom and dad have made me who I am today. I am a grown woman and I have been living on my own for over ten years and yet I rely on them for so much. I call up my mom regularly for advice and my dad is my voice of reason when things get tough. My parents have always supported me and yet allowed me to take chances and have commended me for my successes and have offered me support when I needed them the most. My parents taught me and instilled in me through their example the values, morals and beliefs that I live by today. I think one reason my parents and I have such a healthy relationship is because my parents allow me to live my life without interfering. For that reason I want to share my life with them because they trust and respect my judgement.

My Boyfriend

I am in a committed relationship with my boyfriend. We share a life and a home together. Our relationship is truly a partnership because we make decisions and work things out as a team. He supports me and my decisions and I support him as well. We have many common interests and truly enjoy spending time together. He is honestly my best friend and we show each other unconditional love and respect. Even when times get a little rocky we both know that we are committed to one another and that there is love at the root at every dispute.

My Siblings

I am lucky to be very close to both my brother and my sister even though there are huge gaps in age between us. My brother is five years younger and lives quite far away. We make it a point to speak to one another on a weekly basis to catch up and keep in touch. He often calls me for advice and while he was in University he often called me to edit his work lol! My little sister is only 17 years old and she and I are best friends. She lives about four hours away but we talk and visit often.

My Friends

Although my boyfriend and I have many friends together, I think it is important to have friends that I can spend time with on my own and vice versa. I am lucky to have a small tight knit circle of girlfriends who work in the same profession. They therefore understand work frustrations better than anyone else in my life. We offer each other support, an ear to listen and at times even a shoulder to cry on. We have many common interests and enjoy spending time together.

I think a huge challenge for me in maintaining relationships often relates to friendships. I have many friends who I still hold dear who have moved away or are beginning new chapters in their lives (having children etc.) These distances or responsibilities often make maintaining relationships difficult. Relationships often change and when huge changes impact someone’s individual life their needs and wants may change as well. I think that although I have grown apart from some friendships I am very fortunate that I and most of the people in my life are able to communicate their feelings and needs openly.

I found the last question for this week very difficult to answer. It did, however, make me think of attachment and the children in my classroom. I am lucky to have formulated a very close bond with the people closest in my life but I do see children who have not yet formulated these bonds with their parents and caregivers.

When I think of child development…

    

"Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace which is right for each individual child"

 - Unknown

-       

“  "If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn"

-    - Ignacio Estrada

I really liked these two quotes because I see a correlation between the two of them. I have discussed the importance of differentiated instruction several times throughout the duration of this course. I truly believe that a system involving standardized testing benefits no one. The quote above explains the pressure put upon children and families to perform a set of tasks rather than demonstrate real learning. Children learn when they enjoy what they are doing, that is why play-based learning driven by student questions, wonderings and motivation often takes learning to a place that wasn't even imaginable. When students are pressured into performing when they are not yet ready they often feel resentment, stress and a dislike for school. We want our students to love learning and to feel empowered when they surpass challenges and find success. The second quote made me think about the many teachers who are stuck in their ways and find it difficult to change their teaching style to meet the needs of all of the children in their lives. It is our job as educator’s to find strategies to motivate and reach our students, it is not their responsibility to bend to our teaching style. 

Testing for Intelligence?

Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to "the whole child"), what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed? Explain your reasoning.

I honestly found this question really hard to answer. To begin, I know that I do not believe in standardized testing for many reasons. First, I believe that one method of assessment is not a true testament of a child’s abilities. I was always very fortunate in that I perform very well on examinations. My younger sister is probably brighter than me and in high school was always more driven and motivated however, she for one reason or another cannot perform well on exams. Her marks would be stellar all year and then would plummet after writing a final examination. How fair is that? She always did well in school so this didn’t affect her very much but for others it could have a huge impact. As a teacher I am always looking for ways to make my students successful. I get to know my group of learners and then plan activities and lessons accordingly. Assessments are also done this way. My students get ample opportunities to show what they know and what they can do in ways that suit their needs and their learning style. So now if I teach grade 3 and this is the way my students have worked and found success the entire year, now they all have to sit down and show what they know in a rote paper pencil examination? How backwards is this? Students should be seen holistically and in order for this to occur they need to be able to express themselves and what they know in many different ways. In as many ways as it takes so that all can be successful. When I work with others on a task I am thankful that my co-workers all have different skills and talents to offer up. My weaknesses are often times someone else’s strengths and vice versa. I believe that as teacher’s it is our job to help our children learn and to make learning fun and enjoyable so that they are eager and engaged to continue bettering themselves. I have seen with my own eyes the pride they have in their achievements when someone is genuinely rooting them on. They want to impress and please someone they know truly cares about their success. Therefore, I believe it is important to measure how far a student has grown. To take where they are at, celebrate successes and give encouraging next steps. In a perfect world this is what the educational system should be based on- success for all!

In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world? (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)

This week I looked at Japan and the way in which school aged children are assessed in school. The first thing I noted is that in Japan students have standardized testing in Literacy, Numeracy and also in Science. This differs from the Ontario system in that only Literacy and Numeracy are tested in our system. The second difference is that testing is the bulk of education when students reach junior high level at 12 years of age. An article from Japan Today states that: “Unfortunately, this all ends at age 12. Those are the years that exam hell starts and from which students never really recover. The standardized test-based education system of Japan that starts in the junior high school years kills any kind of initiative, creativity and especially thinking outside of the box” (Moderator, 2010). The article explains that it is not only the students of Japan that have a difficult time with this educational system.  It states that the teachers are too. “Many have to take time off work due to stress, while others create a life of drudgery for their pupils. Many Japanese seem to have lost their love for education and learning once they enroll in junior high school” (Moderator, 2010). The Japanese are often deemed as pioneers and even masters when it comes to education. It was really an eye opener to read an article that depicts their system as full of faults and archaic.

What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?

In Ontario Canada, our students face provincial testing in both literacy and numeracy in Grades 3, 6, and 9. This testing is completed by paper and pencil examinations where only students who have individualized education plans indicating a need for assistive technology can use alternative methods to complete the exams. This infuriates me because students who do not learn in such a way are unsuccessful. We talk about differentiated instruction all year round as teachers. We give our students multi-modal learning tasks and then all of a sudden the students are all given one form of assessment and are expected to succeed. We have established years ago that students learn in different ways, our Ministry of Education funds and mandates teaching to multiple intelligences and then our government makes us assess everyone in a rote, one answer, black and white, archaic testing method. Furthermore, teachers and school boards have begun to “teach to the test” meaning that they now know a formula of what types of questions are asked and they spend all year beating it into their students’ heads. How wrong is this? Is this truly an indication of what our children can do or is just skewed data and a very backwards system?

 

References:

Moderator, June 16, 2010. Japan and its standardized test-based education system. Japan Today. Retrieved from; http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/japan-and-its-standardized-test-based-education-system

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor that I am going to discuss this week is violence. In particular, I am going to discuss sexual abuse, as I have seen the destruction, damage and suffering sexual abuse can have on a child. I once taught a little girl who came from a First Nations Reserve close to my home town. When she was found and taken from her home she was badly beaten, starved, unable to speak any language and was sexually mutilated. Her family members passed her around and used her little innocent body for their pleasure. When I first met her she was violent, unruly, untrusting and terrified. She knew nothing of “our world” because she hadn’t been exposed to anything in her 5 years of living. I couldn’t and still can’t imagine the hell that this little girl had been exposed to and endured in her short years. When she first came to our school we worked closely with the special education team and a local psychiatrist to give her the support and help that she needed. We also had discussions with the other students to prepare them for our new student and gently explained some of her difficulties. It wasn’t long before she was also diagnosed with FAS and began taking medication to help her control her emotions. Her new foster family also worked very closely with the school community to assist us and because they were also in need of support. These two parents are truly saints. It takes very special and loving people to take in a child in need of as much support as this little girl. Towards the end of the year she began to settle in and was beginning to use language in simple sentences. She still needs support and will likely need support for the rest of her life because of the trauma and neglect she had faced.

It truly disgusts me that people would treat and abuse such young and innocent children in such a way. This little girl is at least fortunate that she lives in a country where child sexual abuse is considered an outrage. Many others are not so lucky. Four years ago I attended a conference in which the key note speaker was Dr. Samantha Nutt, the founder of War Child Canada. She talked about rape with extreme violence in areas of the Congo at war because of the mining extraction of coltan. Coltan is a conflict mineral used in many of our technological devices and is mined unethically for luxuries we use everyday. Dr. Nutt pleaded her audience to make responsible decisions when purchasing electronics and ensuring that we are recycling because people are dying and our choices make a difference. Some people change their cell phone each time the new Iphone model comes out. Coltan is essentially the new “blood diamond” and very few people are even aware of it or what it is. The most troubling thing for me is that I was ignorant to coltan and what my electronics were doing to the Congolese people. Boys as young as ten are taken from their families and forced to work in the mines or as soldiers to fight in the civil war. As part of the initiative these young boys need to rape young girls. Dr. Nutt discussed a young girl she met while visiting the Congo, she was brutally abused several times by many different boys and the soles of her feet were cut off to keep her from trying to run away. The rape and abuse of young girls and women in general happens everyday in the Congo. “Congo has been called "the rape capital of the world. One study estimates that nearly 2 million Congolese women have been raped” (Sauer, 2013). There has been an ongoing civil war in the Congo which has caused millions of deaths and instability in the country. In a country where women are already considered second class and children are used for soldiers and tokens of war rape and sexual abuse is reported but rarely dealt with. I believe the best hope the Congolese people have is from organizations like War Child spreading awareness and helping the children who have survived the war. 

Sauer, Maddy, 2013. 'When we rape we feel free': Congo soldiers' shocking stories Retrieved from: http://news.msn.com/world/when-we-rape-we-feel-free-congo-soldiers-shocking-stories

War Child. Retrieved from: http://www.warchild.ca/

Child Development and Public Health

Over the past few years the subject of mental health has definitely become more prevalent in the media, news and in general conversation. Due to the recent pattern of horrific media violence and public shootings the discussion surrounding mental health awareness has skyrocketed. Recently the media has showcased numerous commercials for help and support as well as many films featuring the “hero” struggling and conquering his or her mental health issues. All I can say is-it’s about time!

This public health topic speaks to me because one of my closest friends suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter. Before realizing she was in fact a victim of depression she tried bottling up her emotions because she was embarrassed and “felt like a failure”. She said that she had a hard time connecting with her daughter and therefore felt like a terrible mother and a terrible person. To make matters worse her older sister had been trying to conceive for years without any success and had begun seeing a fertility specialist when her younger sister became pregnant. You can imagine how awful my friend felt. She just gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl and her older sister was still trying to conceive. Pair this with her feelings of unhappiness towards her situation and towards this beautiful baby girl and you could just imagine the emotional turmoil she was facing. She battled with postpartum silently for nearly three months when finally her husband spoke up about how she just seemed “off”. My friend didn’t think it was postpartum depression because she wasn’t crying all the time and she was “functioning” in her day to day life. We are so lucky that we have access to publicly funded support programs for mental health. In fact we are lucky that there is a National awareness about postpartum depression so that my friend could get the help she needed for her and her family.

While researching this topic I discovered that most countries in North America and Europe offer publicly funded support programs for mental health. In places like Ghana, however, there are significant challenges to providing adequate mental health care for new moms. These issues include a lack of trained staff, funding barriers, lack of affordable medications, and social stigma."Postpartum depression is well known in the United States, and we recognize that pregnancy and the postpartum period are vulnerable times for maternal mental health," says Gold. "But in low income nations, many people view symptoms of depression as spiritual or personal issues rather than a psychiatric condition which could be treated" (Science Daily, 2013).

I commend women like Brooke Shields for sharing their experiences with the world.

I think that it is crucial that we spread awareness about mental disorders and the support that is available to parents, children and families. More and more we are hearing about cases where mental illness affects and takes the lives of its victims needlessly. Until recently there has been a stigma about mental illness even in Canada and the United States. It has been linked with shame and embarrassment and a stereotype that someone is “crazy” or “unstable” if they need support. We need to be advocates for the children and families in our care to speak out against these misconceptions so that people get the care they need and deserve.

References

Science Daily, (January 8, 2013). Postpartum Depression Prevalent in Under-Developed

Countries, Could Impact Baby Health and Mortality. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130108122447.htm