MY SUPPORT

The definition of support to me mean giving moral or psychological support and giving a word of encouragement. I have a very good support team behind me. First and foremost I get my support from God; I spend much needed mediation time with him in the morning before I get my day started.  My mom taught me early to give God some of my time. Secondly I have my family who encouraged me to go back to school to get my bachelors and after receiving my bachelors that still encouraged me to go after my Master’s Degree. Without the support of them and the man upstairs I wouldn’t have come this far. I have a small network of friends but with the little friends that I do have they’re always supportive. A challenge I chose is Autism, the reason I chose Autism is because I have a nephew who suffers from the disease and I know first-hand without the support of his mom and family it would be a strain on him.  I know having this dreadful disease doesn't mean you can't do anything but having a support system around that are willing to help you is definitely needed.  Without a good support system life would be very hard.





My Connections to Play

"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison

  “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~ Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)

As a child, I enjoyed dressing up in my older sisters' clothes and shoes!




Loved to run around in an open area playing softball and kickball

Loved to pretend to be a famous singer using things around the house for a microphone and other musical instruments

Support for Play as Child:

As a child, my parents would encourage us to play.  They would encourage us to go outside and play different games with other children in the neighborhood such as Hide-and-Seek, racing, kick ball, softball, and basketball. When we were tired of our usual games, we would be creative to create new games.  The people I played with were like my extended family because we played frequently with one another.

The Difference of Play Today

Today, children have a lot of distractions that will limit their particpation in play.  Television, gaming systems, and other technologies.  These gadgets have limited children's play and interaction with one another.  When I was child, all my friends and I had were each other.  This led us to be creative and active, because we did not have the things children have today.  Today, children have the choice of fancy toys and video games.  Technology has changed so much that children can sit in the house all day without any social/physical interaction.

Play has taught me to "think outside the box" when faced with certain challenges in my life. 

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

In my reading on the subject of SIDS, I found that SIDS deaths are not related to any kind of diseases or there is no kind of warning signs to prevent this from happening to infants in the United States or in other countries. I was so amazed how the researchers said to lay a baby on their backs instead of their stomachs. When I was having children laying a baby on their stomachs were the appropriate way. I have learned that in order to prevent SIDS, you should not smoke during pregnancy or around the baby, limited caffeine intake, don’t put blankets on babies. Do not sleep with baby in the same bed as others. Put babies to bed with a pacifier. You should breast feed babies instead of bottle feeding them. Researchers say boys are more likely to die from SIDS than girls. I found out that babies in Japan and the Netherlands have the lowest SIDS cases. Statistics show that Sudden infant death syndrome have a decrease in the death of infants in the United States and other countries, like Japan have a 30% decline and the Netherlands and Norway have an 82% decline in death rates We can teach new parents-to-be about the facts and statistics about the danger in smoking and drinking alcohol while pregnant to help them know more about SIDS, and to help them to protect their babies.

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."-Anonymous

I like this quote because it shows how parents and caregivers impact the lives of children on a daily basis.  If a child sees love and compassion shown on a regular basis, he or she will show it to others throughout life.  If a child witnessess anger and aggression, he or she will show some of the same emotions to others.  It is up to us as educators and parents to be a positive role model to out children.

Testing for Intelligence?

When attempting to assess a child’s intelligence, there are several areas one must look at because there are several factors that may play a role in the learning process and development of the child.  When testing a child’s abilities, we must make sure assessment methods that are developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, and tied to children’s daily activities.  When administering a test, there is not a guarantee that the child was exposed to a particular test item he or she was asked to perform.  I feel that every child is unique and learn differently.  Therefore, every child will not respond the same way. In order to get an overall picture, educators must look into the child’s medical history, environmental background, intelligence, achievement, and social-emotional background.

I researched South Korea’s educational system and how the students are assessed.  Recently, its system has reformed to align the curriculum with the ‘knowledge based society’ of the 21 st century.  Most South Korean children spend their entire high school life preparing for the college entrance examination. Pre school education is not included in the formal school system. Kindergarten is the main facility for preschool educationin South Korea.  The first ten years of school education from primary first grade to high school grade are set as a national common basic education period. During this period, students learn from a national curriculum. In revising the national curriculum, the MOEHRD judged that a flexible level differentiated curriculum would address each student’s different ability, interest aptitude and career direction; and also promote gifted and talented education while satisfying the requirements of a common basic education.  Teachers at the start of the year are given a clear, succinct and easy to follow syllabus of what should be taught. School text books and teacher training support such syllabuses and there is regular testing to ensure that all students are at or above the required standard. There is also a very clear expectation that all students by the end of each year level will have reached the required level of ability.

References
South Korea
Retrieved from: www.det.wa.edu.au/education/accountability/docs/south%20korea.pdf

Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

I chose to do my Blog on poverty I haven’t been affected by this personal but it’s something that been going on in our cultural for generations after generations.    In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on American soil: the War on Domestic Poverty. Since then, hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed from the U.S. government to large and small towns across America. Our government has provided free food, repaired dilapidated homes and furnished jobs to those in need.  Government agencies have indeed provided millions of Americans with much needed aid. Nevertheless, our country has not won the War on Poverty. In 1996, millions more Americans lived in poverty than in 1964. A 1996 Fordham University report says that the country's social well-being has reached its lowest point in a quarter century, with children and young people suffering the most.

Unfortunately, not all of America's poor have been so fortunate. According to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau in September 1996, 13.8% of Americans live in poverty. Many more are on the borderline. Poverty affects all ages, but an astonishing 48% percent of its victims are children:

·         About 15 million children -- one out of every four -- live below the official poverty line.

·         22% of Americans under the age of 18 -- and 25% under age 12 -- are hungry or at the risk of being hungry.

·         Everyday 2,660 children are born into poverty; 27 die because of it.

·         Children and families are the fastest growing group in the homeless population, representing 40%.

Even a small amount of your time can make a big difference for a child. And society benefits, too. Crime rates decline; youngsters become better educated and then see their futures with more optimistic eyes.

How Poverty Affect Children in Africa

Poverty in Africa means more than not being able to pay the bills on time. It means lack of education and jobs, poor or nonexistent health care and sanitation, vulnerability to disease, hunger and often, death. It is impossible to describe the effects of the widespread poverty in Africa without also discussing the causes to some degree, because one of the main effects of poverty is to perpetuate the problems that cause it. The statistics are chilling. One in three Africans do not have enough food to eat, and for the majority of these people, chronic malnutrition is a life-threatening fact of everyday life. Lack of food for pregnant mothers leads to low birth weights and high infant mortality. In the Sudan, 90 of every 1000 children die by age 5. In Ethiopia the figure is 164 per 1000, compared with a norm of 4-6 per thousand in industrialized nations. For adults, lack of food and money means lack of health care, made even more dangerous by living conditions marked by lack of clean water and adequate sanitation. The effects of poverty are not limited to hunger and disease; these are only the most obvious consequences. For most children in Africa, education is limited if they receive any schooling at all. On average, 62 percent of children in Africa do not complete primary school, and in 19 nations the figure is under 50 %. Literacy rates are low. For example, Kenya at 77% and Zimbabwe at 85 % are among a handful of nations with fairly good literacy rates. More common are literacy rates well under 50%, including Ethiopia at 33%, Gambia (39%), Mali (32%, and Niger (13%). As each generation grows up, the lack of education means another opportunity to break the cycle of poverty is lost. Those who do get good educations tend to leave Africa altogether, frustrated by the lack of opportunity to use their skills.

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME
In my reading on the subject of SIDS, I found that SIDS deaths are not related to any kind of diseases or there is no kind of warning signs to prevent this from happening to infants in the United States or in other countries. I was so amazed how the researchers said to lay a baby on their backs instead of their stomachs. When I was having children laying a baby on their stomachs were the appropriate way. I have learned that in order to prevent SIDS, you should not smoke during pregnancy or around the baby, limited caffeine intake, don’t put blankets on babies. Do not sleep with baby in the same bed as others. Put babies to bed with a pacifier. You should breast feed babies instead of bottle feeding them. Researchers say boys are more likely to die from SIDS than girls. I found out that babies in Japan and the Netherlands have the lowest SIDS cases. Statistics show that Sudden infant death syndrome have a decrease in the death of infants in the United States and other countries, like Japan have a 30% decline and the Netherlands and Norway have an 82% decline in death rates We can teach new parents-to-be about the facts and statistics about the danger in smoking and drinking alcohol while pregnant to help them know more about SIDS, and to help them to protect their babies.