My Supports

The supports I have in my evironment and life are God and my family. God is first and fare most important factor in my life. My family is second because they are here no matter what the plan is. My son is patient and he loves me unconditionally, my mother despite my flaws and negative actions she is always there with the truth as it is not how I want it to be. My sister who has been my motivation to enrolling back into school for my 2nd Master, she is inspiring as she works on her Doctoral degree. A years younger than I am she a positive role model for me and my son about our education and its importance in life. My father who has unbelievable strength and faith, his love is great and above description. Without these individuals I am not sure my strength would be as strong. Their impact if they were gone would be devestating but their memory would be great. A husband is my only wish for oneday to have someone in my life who could complete me as a friend, a companion, and a lover. I have decided however not to look as God will send me my husband when he feels it time.

My Connections to Play

A quote from a great man, a man I always knew and admire growing up. "Children make you want to start life over"...Muhammad Ali I often do we reflect on our prechool life through our classes. "The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four-of secondary importance is to prepare for being five"... Jim Trelease, The Read_Alod Handbook, 1985 I saved the best for last what an awesome quote, one I will continue to live by with the children's lives I touch. "Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity"...Kay Redfield Jamisom In the picture below it is a representation of me because I grew up in day care and preschool settings while my mother and father worked. I knew of child-center curriculum before we changed to the fancy term. As we all know time changes things, what we see now in centers we created in my time. Creative play we often look at it as a thing of the past, no it is still alive and growing.

Barbie, Barbie I remember as if it were yesterday I thought I was the best little girl around. I had everything Barbie could offer cars, bikes, a million dolls, barbie houses and the list goes on. Barbie showed me fashion when I was little I thought every doll Barbie put out was the best and I wanted to be just like her.

Play is a world of imagination and learning. I learned a tremendous amount about life growing up through play. We were always encouraged through my childhood to explore the outdoors and create our play enviornment. Now society has placed play structures and gross motor equipment for children and it does not allow them time to be creative through play with nature. My grandmother use to always say "you can always find something to do outide." As we continue to teach our children through play my hope is we create environments for them to learn while having fun. I hope we encourage more nature in play for children allowing them to explore the outdoors while bringing the classroom outside. Play is essential it teaches social interaction for children with their peers. The role play offers is opportunities of a life time for children. Play helps children in longivity and encourages them to explore in their minds. This was a great topic for this week's blog. I am looking forward to reading the blogs published from my peers and I hope they enjoy my post.

Relationship Reflection

Relationship and partnerships for me are separate within themselves. I have many relationships and very few relationships with partnerships. My immediate family members I have a realtionship and partnership and we a very close to each other. We take care of each other through repect and love. Our family spends alot of time together and we come together through the good and bad. My father and mother divorced when I was very young however were able to maintain a very comfortable relationship due to their only child. My father was always a very important part of my life as a child and not as an adult. He provided me with direction and the will and determaination to succeed. My mother, as a single mother provided me with all of my womanhood today. She was able to set foundations and directions in my life while showing me the real life. The realtionships and partnerships I have learned with familly is strength we are able to use what we all know to gain more knowledge to succeed. I have a dog, her name is Noel and she is not just a pet to me she is my daughter and we have a relationship as such. Dogs have feelings as well and they feed off of your responses. She knows when I am upset or angry, and know the same about her. She keeps me safe and comfortable and I have to provide for her as I do for my son. My relations and partnership with my son is on entire different level from any other. I am single mom who has for the past 16 years have done most of rearing for my son. I believe we are close and bonded. Our minds and thoughts are closely related however as a teenager they always think they know everything so at times I let learn on his own to develop responsibility. He is my reason for continuing with everything I do I want him to be well rounded in all areas and development.

I am so Thankful........

I would like to say thank you to my colleagues and professor for a wonderful experience and a wealth of information. I want to send out a specail thanks to Jakaila, Towanda, and Vivian for their time an efforts during this class. I appreciated the feedback and the information in your blogs and discussions. I wish everyone high blessing and continue to stay encouraged in this wonderful field of study. As we all know we are all just a blog away.

Assessments

In today's society there are assessments being produced as standardized tests in many countries to test different levels; mathmatics, reading, and language. In Korea through past research children they are being tested at the same level as our children but on a different process. I am not advocate of standardized testing due to my experiences growning I believe a child can provide you with the knowledge of what know by demonstration. All children are not the same level to be in situation to take the same tests. We teach children develop at their own rate or development but we test them at the same level. I have a friend who's a Korean and the teaching English language in Korea is a task for her but a even more task to test at the national level to intergrate within the United States. My questions is how can a Korean speaking native teach the English language without a English speaking teacher. The resources are vast with the computer and technology provided to dual teach and assess.

Stresses, My thoughts, My outcomes

It was not until much later I realized my childhood bestfriend was a victim to maltreatment. The days were long but we always enjoyed each other we laughed, played, rode our bikes, and had thoughts of our teenage life. She was the best friend I thought I would ever have. Pamela,Pam, or Pammie I would call her, she lived next door to my dad and step mother. I use to go stay with my dad every summer. When I met her I was a little sad oneday because this summer my dad moved away from the suburb of Rochester, NY into the city limits. I was sitting on the steps and this little girl walked up with curly sandy brown hair from next door and asked if I wanted to play, naturally my first thought was "yippy." I ran inside asked my dad and we were the best friends ever. We enjoyed be at each other's house all of the time everyday. I probably stayed over house more than she stayed with me because she had more things because I only came for the summer. As we became close, and time went on I realized a change in her mom but only in the evenings. Sandy was her name she drank alot and was a different person when she did. We would always go to Pammie's room when she would start drinking. I would always wonder why and one day the darkest clod appeared when my friend came out to play after I did not see her for the weekend because I was at my god parents house. She came outside with a black eye but she acted as if nothing was wrong. I knew then our lives changed. I asked her about it and she responded "you left." I was devastated and confused and I blamed myself for a long time, after a long conversation with my friend it came out that if I left her she would get a spanken or hit or even could not eat when Sandy was drinking. As a child I was scared to tell or talk about it until oneday I heard her and my dad did to, he ran next door and I followed we heard Pammie crying for help. My dad went into the house got her straight from her mother's arms and our lives changed he secret was out. My dad not believing what he saw talked with us and asked alot of questions and he found out more than I would ever know. I could go on and on about Pam's life bit it would take more than a blog. Everyday was a testimony and now as an adult I pay very close attention to the body language and thoughts of young children today I do not take things lightly. Maltreatment happens every hour of every day we just do not know it or do not want to believe it. Pam was able to seek assistance and had family (siblings) who removed her from the situation but they were aware as well because it happened to them. I missed her so but I knew she was better off. We lost touch over the years and as I am writing I remember so many times but I do not even remember her last name it has been so many years. Africa is my country of choice because I have seen so many instances of hunger and struggles of poverty, lack of education ornot being able toprovide education not to even think about the sicknesses especialy in the young children. I admire our rappers, artists, and those of interest who take the time to go to these countries. Alicia Keys, WyClef, and even Jay-Z and Curtis Jackson (50cents)all who we consider to be wealthy individuals. In the counrty t hey also experience not having clean water to drink or wash with, they struggle to get medication toheal the sick. I am thankful everyday for circumstances but I have started my own venture to give back to the homeless in the community. It has changed my thought process and how I see every individual as just that and individual with any judgements every one deserves someone. I encourage everyone to reach back into your community with our children and their families it is our duty to help all children to succeed in life.

SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

SIDS The death of a seemingly healthy baby 12 months of age or younger. In the state of North Carolina this is a law in the licensing regulations for all licensed facilities. Infants are placed on their backs to sleep by law in the state of North Carolina which is not a law in the state of South Carolina. Some of the factors of high risk in SIDS are infants sleeping on their stomachs rather than their backs, bed sharing, mothers who smoke during pregnancy, or premature/low birth weight infants. All individuals who work with infants should be trained in SIDS. Although all states do not acknowledge this rule. It is important and accurate information for all parents and caregivers to know. The training is being provided to staff every three years to keep certification up to date and infomation current for any all staff and caregivers of infants under twleve months. My focus on SIDS is for every state to acknowledge it is important and positive information for all caregivers to know. I believe it is important for all early childhood professionals to understand the importance of SIDS.