Final Thoughts...

"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world."
- Maria Montessori

Children hold so much inside of each of them. It is our duty to find and help release all that a child is capable of doing, knowing, understanding, and providing.  If we make it a priority to help guide a child to reach their fullest potential, then we are helping to create a positive future.

“If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.”  - Marian Wright Edelman

Children hold the future. If we do not invest our greatest efforts, time, support, and guidance into children, then we only have ourselves to blame. If we take the time to acknowledge, understand, care for, and inspire children, then who knows where they can lead us!

Ugh. Standardized Testing...

 

We need to measure growth. We need to understand and be aware of the gains, or lack thereof, each child is making throughout their academic life. I understand and completely agree that what/how we currently measure a child’s academic growth is not a true and accurate picture of the whole child and we need to figure out how to make this different. Currently, with the No Child Left Behind Act, each child from third to twelfth grade are academically assessed each year in math, reading, writing, and science. Based on the results of these assessments, students, teachers, schools, and school districts are measured, and whether or not appropriate growth is made, is determined.  I cringe each year when my state’s standardized tests scores are posted.  The community sees just a single piece of a child through these scores, and through this limited view, judgments and decisions are made. Never are the combined accomplishments and growth recognized of an individual student’s academic, developmental, social, or physical achievements.  We need to shift our understanding and awareness and realize that how a child performs on their standardized math or reading tests does not indicate the true achievements of a child. We need to see and assess HOW a child gets from point A to point B.  We need to look at what they have accomplished and what they are successful in, while keeping a firm understanding that each child is absolutely different and should never be held to just one standardized test score.

In researching how other countries measure and assess their children, I was intrigued by Finland’s approach. Finland is one of the world’s highest performers in standardized academic testing, yet, students are not officially assessed until they are 16 years old and this assessment is used to determine whether or not a student chooses a vocation or university.  Finland does not have standardized tests. In Finland there is a strong emphasis on creativity and investigation, the schools “are rich in the arts, in play, and in activity”. (Strauss, 2012).  Teacher and students are encouraged to adapt and modify the curriculum to best support their current needs as Strauss explains, “teachers design their tests, so teachers know how their students are doing and what they need. There is a national curriculum — broad guidelines to assure that all students have a full education — but it is not prescriptive. Teachers have extensive responsibility for designing curriculum and pedagogy in their school. They have a large degree of autonomy, because they are professionals”. (Strauss, 2012). Teachers and education are looked upon with high regard.  Teachers are highly educated in best practices and current research. Children start school later, have longer recesses, and have more opportunities to explore and express interests and talents. We need to rethink and restructure what we are doing in the U.S.A. Countries with fewer resourced and funds are exceling, while we continue to fight to provide the best educations, keep children in school, and be competitive with the world. We need to step back and look at what other countries are doing and recognize that a standardize test does not truly measure all that a child is capable of, as Straus points out, “We claim to be preparing students for global competitiveness, and we reward mastery of basic skills. Our guiding principles: Competition, accountability, and choice. Finland has this singular goal: to develop the humanity of each child”. (Strauss, 2012).

References

26 Amazing Facts About Finland's Unorthodox Education System. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t930284/

No Child Left Behind. (2012). Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

 

Standardized Tests. (2012). Retrieved from http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

Strauss, Valerie. Why Finland’s schools are great (by doing what we don’t). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/ravitch-why-finlands-schools-are-great-by-doing-what-we-dont/2011/10/12/gIQAmTyLgL_blog.html

When I was five, my father passed away. I remember very little of my father and even less about the experience of losing him, yet I still feel a sadness and sense of loss. I am lucky to have 5 siblings who all help to reconstruct who my dad was (each with their own version of “dad”), ultimately helping to keep my father’s memory alive.

"Every day another innocent child is orphaned or sees terrible things children should never see. Who is taking care of the potentially enormous damage being done to a generation of children?"

- Sherif Karachatani, Psychology Professor, University of Sulaymaniya

 

Each day, around the world, children are losing significant loved ones due to war and violence. I was fortunate enough, that in my loss, I was surrounded by caring and supportive adults who were able to answer my questions and provide comfort. This is not always the case in war-torn countries. More often than they should, children are left to make sense of their loss of a significant loved-one and their grief on their own. In Iraq, thousands of children have witnessed extreme violence and death.  In a report from World Vision International, “43% of children have witnessed acts of violence and 39% have had someone close die due to violence.” (World Vision, 2007). The prolonged stress, such as grief and/or loss, may impair the cognitive development of young children.  While also impacting a young child’s biosocial development as significant caretakers, role models, and/or providers are no longer alive. A child may suffer feelings of isolation, depression, and have more difficulty with their emotional regulation. Many organizations are working in great effort to support and educate Iraqi children as Iraqi parents, teachers, and doctors express great concern over the “distress signals sent out by young people in their care - from nightmares and bedwetting to withdrawal, muteness, panic attacks and violence towards other children, sometimes even to their own parents.” (The Guardian, 2007).  These young children are witnessing and experiencing loss and are unable to fully accept or cope with their grief and fear.  Many groups believe that through educational programs and reestablishing of schools, Iraqi children will have the opportunity to rebuild and be provided the help and support they need to begin to recover.

The grief and sense of loss that l feel for my father is still present today. I am so thankful that I was provided with the support I needed to understand and cope. My hope is that the children of Iraq, and their families, will also find the help and support that they so desperately need.  

 

References

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

The Guardian. Children of war: The generation traumatised by violence in Iraq. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/06/iraq.topstories3

World Vision. Trapped! The Disappearing Hopes of Iraqi Refugee Children. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.worldvision.org/resources.nsf/main/iraqi_refugees_disappear_200706.pdf/$file/iraqi_refugees_disappear_200706.pdf?open&lid=CP_trapped

Immunization – my thoughts

We want to be healthy and safe.  We make sure to wash our hands, cough into our elbows, and use tissues (hopefully).  If/when we do fall sick; we take care to stay away from others, visit a doctor, and take any needed medications.  We also have immunizations to help prevent harmful and deadly diseases. Immunizations have helped to eradicate many diseases in many places in the world. Because of immunizations, millions of people do not need to worry about what seem like long-forgotten diseases such as polio or measles.  Many diseases have now become preventable and treatable.  Unfortunately, many countries of the world still do not have access to immunizations and vaccinations.  Organizations like UNICEF and WHO are working every day to help bring immunization programs and education to countries that still struggle with eradicating these “long-forgotten” diseases.  According to the WHO, “Every year more than 10 million children in low- and middle-income countries die before they reach their fifth birthdays. Most die because they do not access effective interventions that would combat common and preventable childhood illnesses” (WHO, 2012).  In Africa, goals have been established, between the WHO, governments, and religious leaders, to reach 80% coverage in 48 countries for immunizations. Millions of children’s’ lives in Africa are being saved do to this global outreach.  During the years of 2001 - 2005 an outbreak of Polio throughout Africa and Asia occurred due to a suspension of immunizations in Nigeria. With the help of major efforts from WHO, funding and distribution for vaccinations were reestablished and Polio, once again, became a preventable and controllable disease.

I feel strongly about the need for immunizations because of the crisis that happened in Nigeria.  Although, it was the country’s leader’s choice to stop immunizations, it ultimately impacted the health of millions beyond the borders of Nigeria. On a much, much smaller scale, I am aware that parents can make the choice to not immunize their child, but that decision could lead to their own child, or other children, falling ill to a preventable disease.   It is unsettling to know that parents would make this choice without thinking about the full implications behind it…there are significant reasons why these vaccinations were created and are required.  I am thankful to know that schools in the United States require proof of immunizations before a child can enter school.  This does not only keep the child safe, but also supports the safety for all the children and adults who that child will come into contact with throughout their schooling experience.  I understand that there are families who still make the choice to not vaccinate their child and go through the proper paperwork and procedures, I just hope that because of their choice, the health and safety of their own child, or that of another child, is not compromised.  

An evaluation of infant immunization in Africa: is a transformation in progress? (2012).  Retrieved from http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/6/06-031526/en/

Starting at the beginning

Starting at the beginning (almost)

As my mom so sweetly reminisced, “You came squawking into the world.”  

This is my birth story.

I have been hearing a lot of birth stories recently (it’s that time in my life when all my girlfriends are starting families), but, I have only my own story to share.   I am the fourth of six children.  My mom always tells us that all our births blend together. I interpret this as: each of us was born with little complication…she went into labor, we came out, there was a brief stay in the hospital, and then we all went home.  That’s pretty fantastic – 6 kids and nothing major to note about.  But, as I pressed my mom further to, please, think of my birth, to find something unique about me coming into the world, she came up with this quick memory.

I was an easy pregnancy.  Being the fourth, my mom knew what to expect.  The day I was born, she had contractions all day, yet still managed to teach a class that evening at the church. After relenting to the fact that she was, yes, actually in labor, my mom and dad went to the hospital.  She recalls that the labor was pretty short (no epidural) and…. Tada! I was born!  My mom remembers that I started squawking and carrying on with my first breath and didn’t stop until I left for college. The two of us, me, busy crying, and my mom, calmly resting, stayed in the hospital, while my very overwhelmed dad tried to manage the other 3 kids at home.  Five days later we left the hospital and so began my life…

My birth experience sounds pretty typical for a mother and her baby born within the United States. There was a hospital, trained professionals, infant and mother care and consulting, and all modern medicine had to offer. It is interesting to explore the world and see the differences and similarities birthing mothers experience based on their cultures, traditions, locations, etc.  In the Pacific Islands, depending on if a pregnant woman lives in a rural or urban region, her prenatal care and birth experience can be very different.  Many countries in this region provide free care for birthing mothers, but the accessibility pregnant women have to this care can be limited.  Many women do have a skilled birth attendant, but the definition of who constitutes as a skilled birth attendant, remains inconsistent.  Many women in the Pacific Islands have still are having home births, and because of this, many health and educational programs are being established to help support women and their babies.  Culturally, in the Pacific Islands, family is very much involved with the birth, before and after, while the mother rests and recovers.  In contrast, for my birth, my mom and dad were on their own. We did not have family to help support – my mom had to (and did) make it work.  I feel that although there are many differences between my birth story/experience and that of the birth experiences for women of the Pacific Islands, the strongest similarity is that each woman does what she feels and knows is best, based on her cultural norms and awareness, for her and her baby.

References

Maternal Health in the Pacific. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2452

Philippines: Maternal Mortality Rates Not Making Sufficient Progress to Meet MDGs. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2452

3 Significant Ideas from the ECE Field

The field of early childhood upholds a strong and secure code of ethics.  The NAEYC and the Division for Early Childhood both provide detailed explanations of their code of ethics and core values.  The following are three ideas that are meaningful to me.

Professional Development and Preparation is critical to providing the most effective services for young children with disabilities and their families. Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice.

- The Code of Ethics of the Division for Early Childhood (2010)

As a teacher, I value and honor professional development.  I need to be a lifelong learner in order to give the very best to my students each and every day – especially those students with disabilities. The more information and awareness I have, the more opportunities I can provide for a child’s success in school and in life.

Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle.

-NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (2005)

Children need to be respected and celebrated.  I work hard to make sure that each child feels valued and full of purpose in and out of my classroom.

Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleague)         -NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (2005)

Being a teacher, it is my job/duty to understand and be aware of who each of my students, their families, and my colleagues are. I can only be as successful in connecting, understanding, and guiding as I allow myself to be.

The greatest sign of success for a teacher 

is to be able to say, "The children are now

 working as if I did not exist." 

                                   - Maria Montessori

I love this quote from Maria Montessori - it is so very true! I also added other quotes that inspire, make me think, or reinforce my beliefs on my Food for thought page.

 

Childhood Web

The Spruce Family!

Check out the new page I added, "Personal Childhood Web" under my blog title. 

Food for thought

To teach is to learn twice over. 
                                                                   -Joseph Joubert

I think I know, but I have no idea. I have so much to learn from my students and they make sure to let me know that!  I'm always learning right along with my students...that's what makes it so exciting.

Two children's books that I adore

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

This is a wonderful story about the whispered moments between a father and his daughter as they hunt for hooting owls. It reminds me how easily a parent or an adult can create a magical moment for a child.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems.

This book can get any reader to give out a big belly laugh. I love how such simple writing and pictures can illicit such a big response. That pigeon has dreams you know!

Welcome to my first ever blog post. We'll see how this goes.