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.

Childbirth In My Life

I have a reflection of myself for this reflection of childbirth. I can reflect back to June 13, 1996 from 2:05 pm until June 14, 1996 at 8:28 am. My son was born after over 21 hours of labor. I remember being in a small hospital room, without lights and resting on my left side for hours because my blood pressure was up. As I waited and waited finally the door opened and my mother raised up to see who was entering and there came a Arican American woman. She was a mid wife by title and she was so helpful to me. She was supportive and was able to talk me through every step of the way. She was there with me until I delivered. Africa is another country who uses mid wives and it was the country I thought of when she entered the room. It is also the reason I chose Africa. In some instances they are unfortunate to not be able to have doctors and midwives are helpful. Although they are not medical professionals they are there to deliver.

Thank you Thank you

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all of my classmates for the knowlege and support during these 8 weeks. I hope and pray for sincere success and your continue with your education and be the best you can be.

Examining Codes of Ethics

NAEYC I-1.1 To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and stay informed through continuing education and training. In my professional you can never learn too much when the world is forever changing. The world of early childhood is a continuous learning opportunity in order for us to teach we have to be taught through training and continuous education. I-1.3 To recognize and respect the uniquie qualities, abilities, and potential of each child. This idea I have great respect for in my profession. As we know through our learnings there is no one child who displays the exact same personality, or behavior. They all learn at their time and potential. Teaching children from where they are is important and is a belief I have. Respect and key is the foundation. I-1.8 To support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and disabilities. I believe all children can learn in an inclusive environment. We need to make our environements learning enviornments for the children being proactive in learning our children and their families helps us to understand the needs of the children with or without disabilities. This is a basis for me in my profession we can add to the environments to help build and encourage development. DEC We shall use individually appropriate assessment strategies including multiple sources of information such as observations, interviews with significant caregivers, formal and informal assessments to determine children's learning styles, strengths, and challenges. In my field I have learn there are many ways to determine how to assess a child everything does not work for everyone. Being creative and stepping outside of the box is where I am. Research and preparations through observations is important and much to be learned. We shall honor and respect the diverse of our colleagues including such diverse characteristics as sexual orientation, race national origin, religious beliefs, or other affiliations. It is not our responsibility to judge. In my profession I respect each and everyone a we are here to teach and be taught and this is my view with my colleagues we can all learn from each other with our diverse backgrounds. We shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and ethically based services. In our field we all had to start somewhere therefore we all must support each other and remember we all have one goal nurturing and educating in our field. Times are sometimes hard when you are new and learning and when you have a support system there are others we can turn to for sound advice along with experienced ideas. This class has involved me more in my field of study and in my profession it has broaden my horizons professionally and personally. To my colleagues thank you for all of your insights and thoughts. We are educating the future leaders.

Growing My Collection of Resources 2

From Wk5 Resources
Zero to Three:  National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010).  Infant toddler policy agenda.  Retrieved May 26, 2010 form http://main.zerotothree.

NAEYC. (2009) Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.  Retrieved May 26, 2010 from http://www.naeyc.org

The Division of Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org



    

Growing My Collection of Resources

Erik Erikson's Developmental Stages
He discussesthe developmentall stages we go through in life.  This is definitely a must read for all individuals to educate themselves on life.
www.support4change.com

Dr. Earlene Walker-Kelly, Sumter, SC
An instructor and Dean of the Early Childhood department of Williamsburg Technical College.  She is a winderful speaker and the angel of my eye.  She taught me the early childhood field and assisted me on my journey.

As adults we always have a thought or dream of what we could have done or should have done as a child.
Tom Robbins has this quote "It is never toolate to have a happy childhood."  If you want it achieve it.

A special thought for the days to come.  "We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."  Stacia Tauscher

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Lousie D. Sparks
She states her passion was to make a contribution to the world by making sure all children were taught to perofm at their fulliest potential.

Sandy Escobido
She states her passion is having a unique way or opportunity to shape a child's life.

Education is not a problem, Education is an opportunity."

President Lyndon B. Johnson


"Children benefit most from teachers who have the skills, knowledge, and judgment to make good decisions and are given the opportunity to use them."

Dr. Susan Bredekamp


May 26, 2012

Personal Childhood Web

All of my help throughout the time has been owed to God and my parents as wll as my extended family. My mother, father, my grandmothers and grandfather as well as my professor/advisor Dr. Maryilyn Izzard from my undergraduate studies were dominating factors in my life.

My life was influenced by my mother for her independency and teaching me to never give up and always plan to succeed. She instilled in me where there is a problem there is an solution. My father taught me faith is higher than any other, living life to the fulliest was his teaching to me. He showed me how step out on faith and believe all things are possible. Both of my paretns have always been there for me through the good and bad always offering guidance and love.
My grandmothers patenal and maternal, always shared treat others as you would like to be treated.

Dr. Izzard showed me the earlychildhood field was an important field of study it sets the foundation. She challenged my thoughts but also she believed in me as a student and a young leaners to hopefully someday teach others through my experiences.

Live life, and enjoy life to it's fulliest potential.

A Passion for the Field

This is not a job for me this is my career. I fueled by the smiles in the mornings, the hugs, the bright faces when they enter the building. I am blessed to be in this field and I would not change it for anything. I have a passion for my little ones to see them development from infants into toddlers, into preschoolers, and into kindergarten. It is a feeling like no other when a parent says "thank you."

I am sure we all get a tear when we hear the remarkable job we are doing as early childhood professionals, teachers, or volunteers. Let's keep providing remarkable experiences.

A Story....

My Little angel Ms. Tatiyana,

July 1996 I met a very special little girl who touched my life and will always be true to my heart.  She was two years old and full of energy.  She was diagnosed at birth with brittle bone syndrome.  This was a disease which affected all of the bones in her body and she will never be able to walk.

She never let this fact cause her from being a toddler.  She played with her friends and she could talk a mile a minute.  She used the back of her hand and buttocks to get around, so she would scoot.  She could scoot faster than the toddlers could walk.

Her bones could fracture at any time and it would cause her to be in a full body cast until she healed, it never stopped her from coming to school.  We made accomodations for her with one on one care.  I am proud to say she is now in the 7th grade and she cheers for the local parks and recreation department in my home town.
I saw her in October 2011 and she blew my mind with her sweet spirit and smile.