My Connections to Play

"Whoever wants to understand much must play much." Gottfried Benn
"If I get to pick what I do, then it's play...if someone else tells me that I have to do it, then it's work." Patricia Nourot






My parents and grandparents always encouraged me to play. My dad was a teacher and basketball coach so he taught how to read when I was 3 years old. He also played sports with me. My mother was so loving and nurturing that I played with dolls because I wanted to be just like her. Play was a very important part of my childhood. I learned so many things from engaging in fun activities. As an adult, I still like to play games with my family and friends.

As a child, we engaged in many outdoor activities. We even created games to play. This is something that has certainly changed. I rarely see children playing outside anymore. Modern technology has taken over. children are more interested in the new age technological devices. I desire for our young children to become more active in outside activities. I would also like to see our young children reading more books instead of being on the computer, video games, and electronic tablets.

Play was an essential part of my childhood. Some of my my fondest memories come from times when I was engaging in fun activities with my brother, other family members, and friends. I was able to learn so much from playing with others. It taught me how to follow directions, share, and get along with others. As an adult, I am still using those valuable life lessons that I learned as a child.

Relationship Refelection

Relationships are important to me because they are at the foundation of my development. I have become the person I am today because of the relationships that I have experienced throughout my life. Relationships help us any so many ways. I honestly do not know where I would be or what I would be doing without the relationships that I have been blessed to form. Unfortunately, not all relationships are positive, but I have learned valuable life lessons from the negative and positive relationships. I guess that's the good thing about relationships. We definitely learn from them.

My husband, Adam, and I have been married for 4 1/2 years. We have been together since we were 11 years old (puppy love). That makes 16 years together. I like to think that God created him just for me. We have a partnership because we work together to make sure that our family is cared for. He is not only my husband and father of our children, but he is my friend. We share similar interests like history, politics, and sports. I think that we make the perfect team. We make each other laugh. Not everyday is perfect. We have been through many trials and tribulations, but God has blessed us to come out on top together. He supports me in everything that I do, and I do the same for him. I know that he has my back, and I am grateful to have him in my life.
The relationship that I have with my husband is a positive one because we love each other, and we want the best for each other. We are better people because of how we have influenced one another. We developed our relationship by spending time together and getting to know one another. We continue to develop and work on our partnership everyday. We have to remember to continue to focus on our marriage despite how hectic our lives can sometimes get.

The relationship that I have with my children is a very special one to me. They need me, and I need them. I have always wanted to be a mother. My children are my greatest blessings. Motherhood is challenging. I never know what each day will bring. I'm usually exhausted at the end of the day, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. They are my motivation. I strive to be a better person because of them. I desire to teach them valuable life lessons like my parents taught me. I want them to be able to achieve their goals and reach their full potential whatever that may be.

The relationship that I have with my children is positive because they bring out the best in me. I decided to stay home with them just so that I could work on building a positive relationship with them. This is something that very important to me. I spend quality time with each one of my children everyday. I always want them to know that I am here for them when they need me. A mother's love for her children is truly unconditional.

My mother is my best friend. She has taught me everything that I need to know about being a wife, mother, and productive member of society. My mother often tells me that she admires me because she feels that I am a great mother. I always tell her that I learned from the best. She has always supported me in everything that I've done. She has been there for me when it seemed that everyone else had turned their backs on me. My mom has made many sacrifices to make sure that I had everything that I needed. I am blessed to be able to call her Mom. God could have chosen anyone to be my mom, but he blessed me with her. Most people say that their mom is the best, but mine really is!! :)

My relationship with my  mother is positive because she gave me life. She has always been in my corner. Although I am an adult with my own family now, my mother continues to love and support me just as she did when I was a child. She continues to give me advice, and she doesn't hesitate to let me know when I am doing something that isn't right. We continue to develop our relationship by spending time together every chance that we get. I absolutely love her.

One of the challenges that exists in developing and maintaining positive relationships is distance. I think that it is difficult to work on developing and maintaining healthy and positive relationships when two people live in different places. I have had relationships with people that were destroyed because of distance. Another challenge is distrust. When you don't trust someone, it is hard to develop a positive relationship with that person. It's like you're always looking over your shoulder. Trust is a major factor in forming positive relationships. Reciprocity is also another factor in developing positive relationships. Both people have to willing to give just as much to the relationship as the other person. You can't have one person giving while the other person is simply taking.

I like to think of the relationship that I have with my husband as a partnership because we are definitely partners. We work together to make sure that our family's needs are met. He works outside of the home while I work inside. We have the same goal, and that is to make sure that our children are properly cared for. We are a team.

I think that my experiences in relationships/partnerships will help me to one day be an effective early childhood professional. My partnership with my husband has taught me how to work with others while trying to accomplish a goal. This will help me to be able to work with my future colleagues. My relationship with my mother has taught me how to deal with constructive criticism because I know that she always has my best interest at heart. I think that this will help me to be able to work with my boss. My relationship with my children has taught me how to love and care for someone other than myself. I know that they are totally dependent on me. This will help me in caring for the children that I will one day be blessed to work with. Lastly, being an advocate for my son who has autism is helping me to be able to be an advocate for other children with special needs.

Quote



"I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!" David Vitter

Assessment

Assessment is something that needs to be done in our schools, but I think that the way it is done needs to be changed. Not all children learn the same way. Likewise, not all children come from the same kind of family environments. As a result, children are different emotionally. Assessments should look at the whole child instead of just certain parts.

In China, assessments are done differently than they are done her in the United States. China assessments focus on the whole child, including academic growth, student learning styles, emotional health, values, fine arts, and confidence. In the United States, accountability assessments focus on the academic areas of reading, mathematics, writing, and science. China uses both formative and summative assessment. The US focuses mainly on summative. China uses an approach in which the child evaluates self, the teacher evaluates the child, and the teacher evaluates self.

References

Retrieved from http://www.pearsonassessment.com

Racism

This week I have chosen to blog about racism. Growing up in the Deep South, I have always known that racism existed. I grew up in a relatively small town in Mississippi that is predominantly African American. There was a "Black" side of town and a "White" side. The school district was and still is mostly Black with the exception of a small Latino population that has moved to the town. The White in my people who live in my hometown go to a private school. I often wondered why this was the case when I was a child. I would always hear people say that the White children didn't want to go to school with us. I was always taught that everybody was created equal. Therefore, I just couldn't understand why they didn't want to go to school with us or why we weren't welcome to go to school with them. My first real encounter with racism was when I was in the 9th grade. I was sitting in the car waiting on my brother to get done playing football. An elderly White lady walked through the parking lot with her husband. She said, "The niggers have taken over." I was so shocked because I had never heard anyone use that word except for on television. My parents had always taught me about the history behind that word. I sat in the car and began to cry. When my mom came to the car, she wanted to know what was wrong with me. I sobbed as I told her what had just happened. I wanted to know why that lady hated me when she didn't even know who I was. I took her comment very personally. It was something that haunted for me for a very long time. I still think about it although that it happened almost 15 years ago. That lady changed my life that night without even knowing it. I was determined to prove that I belonged here just like anybody else. I shouldn't have had to do that. I learned to always be mindful of what I say. Words are more powerful than we may think. I long for the day when we can treat each other with dignity and respect because we are all apart of the human race.

A few weeks ago there was a riot that broke out at the University of Mississippi(Ole Miss). This riot occurred after the election of President Obama. Students burned signs of the president and acted in a very disrespectful manner. I found this to be heartbreaking. When I watched the news, it looked like a scene from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. I found it hard to believe that this kind of hatred still exists in 2012. This happened on the campus of an institution of higher learning. It is sad that people feel like this, but it is especially sad to see young people behaving in such a manner. I can't but think that they had to be taught this racism and hatred towards other human beings. A few years ago, the Ku Klux Klan marched in my hometown. I feel that Mississippi is a place that has changed some, but we have a long way to go. Racism definitely still exists here. I know that children are affected by racism everyday. One way that children are affected by racism is in the schools here in Mississippi. The districts with the most money are predominantly White. The poorest districts are predominantly Black. My husband teaches in one of the poorest school districts in our states. He often tells me about how his students feel inferior to the children who live and go to school in better districts because their facilities are nowhere near as good. In this situation, racism and poverty go hand in hand. My husband says that he goes in everyday trying to inspire his students and let them know that they are just as good as anyone else. Racism can definitely have an impact on the cognitive, biosocial, and psychosocial development.

BREASTFEEDING

I have chosen to do some research on breastfeeding. I chose this particular topic because it is something that I wish that I had done. After the birth of my son, I was in so much pain from the c-section. I couldn't even stand, and the thought of walking made me cry. As a result of the pain, my son was cared for by my husband and other family members. I thought that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. It was something that I had always wanted to do because of the benefits to both my son and myself. My son was bottle fed during our stay at the hospital. When we came home, I decided to give it a try. He wouldn't latch on, and I eventually gave up. After the birth of my daughter, I was determined to breastfeed. I kept asking the nurses for help, but no one ever came. My doctor arrived the next day, and demanded that someone help me. We tried over the next three days, but my daughter just wouldn't latch on. I suffered from severe postpartum depression, and everything just seemed to get the best of me. Not breastfeeding either of my kids has turned out to be one of my biggest regrets. I often wonder if my son would have Autism if I had breast fed him. I guess I'll never know. I'm just not sure that I had the proper support system needed for breastfeeding.

According to the World Health Organization, breastfeeding is absolutely crucial in the first six months of life and should be continued until age two. Most of the women in India start weaning their babies between four and six months. Malnutrition kills one out of three infants in India. sixty-six percent of these deaths occur within the first year of life. Breast milk contains nutrients that are vital during the first few months of life. Experts believe that breast milk promotes sensory and cognitive development in children. It prevents the chances of chronic diseases as well infections. In India, very few infants are breastfed within the first hour after giving birth.

My Personal Birthing Experience

    On April 18, 2010, I was able to experience the birth of my son via a cesarean section. The surgery was not scheduled. After many hours of screaming and hollering, my doctor came in the the room and informed me that I would have a C-section because I had developed an infection. I became extremely nervous. I had wanted to experience a vaginal birth so badly. I was immediately prepared for the surgery. Thankfully, I barely felt the needle being inserted into my spine for the anesthesia. However, within a few minutes, I was shaking uncontrollably. The anesthesiologist told me that I was having "epidural shakes." Everything seemed to happen so quickly. I heard my doctor say that the procedure was beginning.I couldn't see what was going on. Fortunately, I couldn't feel much of anything either. In a few minutes, I heard the sweetest voice that I have ever heard in my entire life. I had previously had a miscarriage, so this was like music to my ears. The nurse brought my son around so that I could see him. He was beautiful. My husband stood beside me. He was so proud. They took my baby across the OR to be weighed, and they said that he was 8 pounds even. Yes, he was a big one. I remember thinking how blessed we were to have him in our lives.

    I chose this particular birthing event because it was my first birthing experience. I was so afraid because I really didn't know what to expect. I guess it was just the fear of the unknown. Things were a lot more calm the second time around. I feel that the birthing process is so important when it comes to child development. So many things can go wrong that can affect a child then or later in life. I am thankful that I had two good experiences with child birth. I realize that this is not the case for everybody.

Birthing Experience in Ghana 

    In Ghana, I found that things are somewhat similar to the birthing process in the US, but some things are different. Most of the women remain quiet during their time in labor. I found this to be interesting because I was screaming from the time that I felt the first contraction. A Ghanaian midwife is present during most deliveries. In Ghana, women can be found lying on their left sides because it is believed that any other position will cause harm to the baby. I found this to be interesting. I don't think I was on my sides at all during my entire labor. I just stayed on my back.The women are given pitocin to speed up the delivery process. I was also given pitocin during labor. I enjoyed learning about the birthing experience in Ghana.