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

" The soul is healed by being with children." - English Proverb

" If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." -Ghandi

" Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them." -Lady Bird Johnson


I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to my following colleagues; Lynette Paliani, Ivelisse Luque, and Katherine Smith. It was a great pleasure working with you this semester, and you have given me much knowledge. I wish you success in your continued educational journey!!

Assessing the Whole Child

      As an educator, I don’t necessarily agree with standardized tests that our students take to measure academic performance. A lot of factors go into the education and intelligence of the whole child, and any deviation can affect the child’s performance. Tests can only be given on the assigned day, and we have no idea what that child has already experienced before coming to school that may affect their performance on the test in a negative way. Some children may have come to school without breakfast, not gotten enough sleep the night before, may be feeling sick or nervous, or may be experiencing family or personal troubles at the time of the test. If they do poorly on said test, is it because they don’t have the necessary skills and intelligence, or because of the factors I mentioned earlier?

      I believe our children should be tested in a qualitative way. Assessments should be in depth, but unstructured. Academic history, observation, interaction, and interviews should be used to get an overall picture of academic progress, strengths, and needs. By assessing in this way, we can gather information over a period of time instead of just on one particular day in which the child may or may not be experiencing negative outside factors.

Assessment in Ghana

The Ghana BECAS project focused on the development of a new comprehensive National Education Assessment (NEA) and School Education Assessment (SEA). The Ghana BECAS project was a three-year project funded by USAID whose objectives were to:

• Design and implement a comprehensive educational assessment system to ensure that various measures of learning and achievement used at different levels and times in the basic education system are systematized. The new system allows assessment information to be clear, non-contradictory, easily interpreted, and used for diagnosis at the level intended-national, district, and school.
• Establish realistic expectations in the setting of examination standards, both in terms of content and difficulty, while at the same time reflecting the essential understandings that underlie the designated curriculum specified by the Ghana Education Service (GES).
• Provide information in an accurate and timely fashion that is less subject to local adjustments and interpretations, using modern scanning equipment and secure environments for test scoring at the National and Regional offices.
• Encourage the use of examination results for program and school improvement through the GES and consultative processes.
• Build capacity in the GES to manage the new comprehensive educational assessment system through training, counterpart development, and creation of a functioning Assessment Unit.

Ghana BECAS focused on supporting the development of tests that relate to grades one through six in the basic education system. The emphasis throughout test development was on the educational relevance and appropriateness of the tests. Every effort was made to develop a comprehensive framework for the various tests, based upon the essential understanding that underlies the curriculum (www.equip123.net).

http://www.equip123.net/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=344

Children Coping with Stressors

    I was very fortunate to grow up surrounded by people who loved and wanted the best for me. I have always been close to all of my family members, especially my maternal grandmother. I loved visiting her and spending time with her. She would always greet us with a big hug, smile, and homemade treats. I remember the first thing I would do after saying hi to grandpa and her was to run to the laundry room and start snacking on her delicious treats! She meant the world to me, and was the best grandmother anyone could ask for. We had a very special bond. When she passed away, it felt as though I also lost a part of myself that I could never get back. I couldn’t imagine going into that house and not seeing her beautiful smiling face. I couldn’t imagine going into that laundry room and seeing it empty of the food she put her heart and soul into for us. I couldn’t believe she was gone. Being a young child and losing someone that means so much to you is unfathomable. My parents did as best they could helping me through the grief, but they were also grieving the loss of a parent. I became introverted for a while, trying to sift through my thoughts and emotions. That’s when I leaned to writing poetry. We had been learning poetry in school, and I found that this was the perfect outlet to get what I was feeling out of my body. I would sit and write poems about my grandmother and the times we shared, and found that this would help me to feel better about the grief. I saved all of these poems, and sometimes go back and read them to this day. The day I turned eighteen, I got a special tattoo to commemorate my grandmother, I’m not sure how she would feel about that J but it’s a way for me to keep a part of her with me forever. Although I only got a short time with her here on this Earth, I believe that she has been with me since that fateful day watching over me as my guardian angel, and for that I am eternally grateful.

    Grief can be very hard for children to cope with, not only in the United States, but also around the world. In turn, everyone copes with grief in different ways and what works for one person might not work for another. While teaching in Ghana, I came across many students coping with some form of grief. I taught at the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School, and 10% of our students were actually orphans who lived on school property. They became orphans for many different reasons. These children lived ten or fifteen to a home, with only one house mother to take care of all of them. Like many schools in the U.S., there were no counselors at the school, and no opportunity for the school children to travel to get outside help. The other teachers and I would often invite our students to our sun hut after school to talk, play, and ultimately just listen. The stories we heard could range from happy to sad, but mainly we just wanted the students to know that we were there for them to talk to need be. With so many kids in one house, it was nearly impossible for the house mother to give each child uninterrupted individual attention, and we didn’t blame them. We became very close to the children that lived at the school, and it was very hard for me to leave them knowing that they would go back to having no one to talk their grief or problems out with. I had brought some pictures of my house, family, pets, and the beach with me to Africa and decided to leave them, along with a handwritten note, with the children I had become so close to. I wanted them to know that even though I was millions of miles away, I would never forget them and would think of them often. My hope is that I gave them enough strategies and tools to use to cope with their grief after I had left.

Public Health Topics

 

As part of my student teaching experience in my undergraduate studies, I was given the amazing opportunity to teach abroad in the country of Ghana, Africa. I experienced many different things and learned a lot from the country, people, and culture.

This week, we were given the assignment to choose a public health topic to research. We also were to find research about this topic in another part of the world. Because I experienced the lack of healthy drinking water in Ghana firsthand, I wanted this to be my topic. What I found amazed me.

I knew that the water in Ghana was unsafe for me to drink, coming from the United States, but it is also extremely unsafe for the inhabitants of Ghana as well. Take a look at the picture above. The girl on the left is holding a glass of clean, sanitary water like we would find here in the U.S. The girl on the right is holding a glass of what the majority of Ghanaians experience on a daily basis. Out of the 24 million people living in Ghana, 9.5 million lack clean water and 22 million have no sanitation services. The lack of clean water is obviously more prevalent in rural areas, but these numbers are astounding.

Due to drinking unsanitary water, diarrheal disease is the third most commonly reported illness at health centers across the country and 25% of all deaths in children under the age of five are attributed to diarrhea. In a country with such a strong infant mortality rate, these deaths are sad because they can be prevented.

Ghana is a country close to my heart and I hope this information opened your eyes as well. If you would like to get involved or donate to the cause of providing Ghana’s citizens with better access to safe water and sanitation, I urge you to visit the following websites. Every bit helps!

www.water.org/country/ghana

www.wateraidamerica.org/ghana

Childbirth in my life and around the World

            The first part of this assignment was kind of tough for me. Considering I have no children of my own, and I have not taken part in any other births, I had to choose my own to write about. You can see how this can be difficult as I do not remember anything about it, but instead go on how my Mom and Dad have always described it to be. I am the first born in my family, and my Mom had a great pregnancy. She never had morning sickness or any difficulties, and only gained 27 pounds! The day she went into labor was also the night my Dad bowled in a bowling league, and he just happened to be bowling really great that night. Mom had to call up to the bowling alley and tell him to come home; of course all of his teammates were pretty upset. J Labor started around 10 pm and I was born at 4:23 am weighing 7lbs 5 oz. My Mom was tough and had a natural childbirth with no drugs or no epidural, but my Dad almost passed out in the delivery room, LOL. The coolest thing about my birth is that I was born on my Dad’s birthday, so we will always celebrate together.

            I believe that birth can impact a child’s development in many different ways. The birthing process is a very stressful thing for a child to go through, and it is their first experience into the World. Obviously, I think it is important for expectant Mother’s to take care of their bodies and to not put harmful things into it that may affect their unborn children. It is also important for them to do the same after the child is born. Proper prenatal care is also very important to ensure that your child is born healthy.

            I chose to research birth in Ghana, because it holds a special place in my heart. I lived and taught there for 2 months and actually taught with a teacher who was pregnant with her second child. I left before the baby was born, but would be interested in what types of birthing experiences Mother’s in Ghana have in relation to births here in the Unites States. In Ghana, women must often choose between modern, traditional, and religious caregivers when pregnant. The type of care they choose depends on what cultural and religious beliefs they hold. Pregnant women can receive prenatal care at a hospital, maternity house, or church, and all have different practices in how they treat the mother. Ghana is a very superstitious place as well, and infertility is looked at as witchcraft that is taking place. Having children is a social status, and the more children you have, the higher your social status is.

            Birth in Ghana is nothing like my birth experience. My Mother regularly went to the hospital for check ups, and I was born in a hospital setting. Most births in Ghana are at home or in a village common place because of the far distance to the nearest hospital. Poverty in Ghana is also high and their diet mainly consists of carbohydrates. Proper health care and nutrition are not as readily available to Ghanaian women as they are to women in the U.S. This can have major impacts on child development.

Fischer, Michelle, “Childbearing in Ghana: How beliefs affect care.” (2002). African Diaspora ISPs. Paper 76. Retrieved November 2, 2012, from http:www.digitalcollections.sit.edu/African_diaspora_isp/76

Code of Ethics

This week, our assignment was to review the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Code of Ethics Policies. I am a member of NAEYC, so it was good for me to see their code of ethics and how it matched up with my own. The three ideals that stood out the most for me were:

- Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each child. (NAEYC)

- Recognize that children achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are basedon trust and respect. (NAEYC)

- We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families. (DEC)

These three ideals stood out to me because, as an educator of young children, it is important for me to create a safe and caring learning environment that respects each of my students as an individual. By doing this, I can ensure that my students feel good about coming to school and can be motivated to do their best. Throughout my career, I have also worked with a few students who had disabilities. It is very important to me to make sure that I am doing everything in my power to help these students achieve just like all of my other students. They are just as capable, and need a voice to advocate for them.

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved October 17, 2012, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 17, 2012, fromhttp://www.dec-sped.org/



Resources on Early Cildhood Education



NAEYC. (2009). Where We Stand on Child Abuse Prevention. Retrieved October 3, 2012, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

  

UNICEF (n.d). Fact Sheet: A Summary of the Rights Under the Convention on Rights of the Child. Retrieved October 3, 2012, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Children's Defense Fund. (2011, June 14). Full Day Kindergarten: Why Does it Matter? Retrieved October 6, 2012, from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/full-day-kindergarten-why-does-it-matter.html

Funk, J. (2012, September 19). Literacy in the Sand Table. [Blog message]. Retrieved October 6, 2012, from http://eceducation.blogspot.com/

Tang, S., Coley, R., Votruba-Drzal, E. (2012). Low-Income Families Selection of Child Care for their Young Children. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 2002-2011.

There are many, many resources available to people working with young children. These are just a few I have looked at this week to further my education. I chose to read these articles because they presented information on topics that I am interested in or are experiencing in my career. Enjoy!

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much."

- Marian Wright Edelman

"No person has the right to rain on your dreams."

-Marian Wright Edelman

"My son's best social secutiry was not from the government. It was people. Friends. Community."

-Ann Turnbull, Ed. D

"My mother used to tell me that instead of playing house, I would play school."

-Louise Derman-Sparks

This week, our assignment was to research two significant contributors to the Early Childhood Education field. I chose to learn more about Marian Wright Edelman and Ann Turnbull, Ed. D. Marian Wright Edelman represents the Health and Well Being sector of ECE. She is the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, which ensures every child has a safe, health, fair, and moral start. Its aim is to bring the needs of children to public attention and to encourage preventive efforts in areas like health care and teen-age pregnancy (Lawson, 1992). Mrs. Edelman works to put children and families first, especially those who are poor or needy. Ann Turnbull, Ed. D. represents the Research and Academia sector of ECE. She is a Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas, and an advocate for persons with disabilities. In 1999, she was awarded as one of only 36 people who have made the most significant contribution to enhancing the life for persons with intellectual disabilities. Ann and her husband Rutherford had a son with severe disabilities and in 1988 they founded the Beach Center on Disability. Their center’s focus was to improve the quality of life for families and individuals affected by disability through excellence in research, teaching, and technical assistance (Jess, 2011).

Personal Childhood Web:

A dedication to those who nurtured and cared about me when I was a child

Two of the most important people to me growing up, and today, are my parents. They have always been involved and shown me unending love and support no matter what. They allowed me to make my own decisions and to learn from my mistakes and they were always there for me if the end result turned out badly. From a young age, they told me I could be anything I wanted to be, and supported me wholeheartedly in my decision to become an educator. They love coming in to my classroom and helping out! :) If I can be half of the parent they are someday, my kids will be lucky.

My sister and I are the only children my parents had, and even though she is 4 years younger than me, she has been a big part of making me who I am today. We were extremely close when we were younger, and if one of us got in trouble, we would stick up for each other. I remember yelling at my mom one time because she was going to wash Erika’s mouth out with soap for something she did. She ended up not doing it, LOL. She lives in NC now, but we continue to support each other. 

Both sets of Grandparents have been an extremely important part of my life from the time I was born. They always greet(ed) me with a smile, hug, and “I love you.” I could get away with anything while with them; all I had to do was smile.  I remember my Maternal Grandmother would always sneak me dessert, even if I didn’t eat any of my dinner, and she would always have special treats waiting for us when we came to visit. My paternal Grandfather is always happy, and a joy to everyone who knows him. I don’t remember a time being at his house when he wasn’t either singing or whistling. They continue to support me and wish the best for me.

 

Here is a picture of me reading my FAVORITE book to my kindergarteners. SkippyJon Jones is about a very mischievous cat, who thinks like a Chihuahua, and goes on adventures in his closet! I love reading this book to my students because it is so entertaining and they just can't get enough of Skippy! Many stories about crazy pets follow the reading. :) Check it out!

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."
- Chinese proverb

This Chinese proverb speaks volumes to me as an Early Childhood Educator. What is it saying to you?

Welcome!

I am very excited to be starting classes formy Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education! I look forward to blogging with you!