Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Colleagues,

     I was really excited about this assignment.  In our Foundations course, we studied how people in other countries address topics, like poverty, divorce, breast-feeding, water, etc.  I learned so much! This assignment reminds me of having a pin pal in another country.  I composed a letter and e-mailed it to ten contacts because I wanted to make sure I had a minimum contact list after I get responses.  Alright, I haven’t received any responses yet but I am hopeful that I will get at least 3 solid contacts.  One thing I was worried about was the contact language.  Even though I speak English, I wonder if my contact will need to translate my letter or do they speak English?  I guess I will have to wait for that.

    In order to establish contacts, I utilized the Blog Assignment Resource provided by our instructor. I opened this site :The Global Alliance of NAEYC has e-mail addresses for early childhood professionals worldwide: http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance.  Once I was there, I chose a country and used the e-mail addresses listed.  Now I am anxiously awaiting responses. I have e-mailed so many contacts that I am hopeful that I will not have to use an alternative assignment. 

      I also chose Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=31672(Newsletter: http://www.preknow.org/signupform.cfm) to study in this course.  I chose this site from the Early Childhood Websites listed in the Blog Resources. 

 

 

FYI:

Dear Colleague,

I am a graduate student in the United States of America who is studying Early Childhood Education. I am studying via an online education at Walden University.   I am interested in current trends in the field of educating youth in your country.   If it is possible, I will be contacting you once a week for the next 8 weeks concerning your country’s education system. I am a primary school teacher who studies children with disabilities. I have been teaching for 17 years and am very interested in how other countries educate.   I realize what we do is important to the economic structure of  both of our countries because after all, “Our Children are our Future.” 

Can you please help me to get to know your education system for youths from birth to 8 years old?  I can be reached via school e-mail: yolonda.honore@waldenu.edu. Thanks for your time and cooperation.  

Thank you,

Yolonda Honore'

My Supports

    

     When it comes to my supports, I think of this little jingle…I don’t know what I would do without you! How I would survive, I cannot say, I will ever trust and never doubt you, Lord don’t take your spirit away from me. This speaks the sentiments of my heart.  I love the relationship and support I have with having God in my life.  I have been through some major obstacles in my life, like abuse, bereavement, divorce, and loneliness.  Just imagine existing in a world and not feeling like you can’t relate to anyone. You see and hear people but yet you feel as though you exist alone.  Loneliness is no laughing matter!  I have endured that, but I couldn’t have, without the support I receive from an all knowing ever-present God.  As a youth, I contemplated suicide from the effects of loneliness but somehow I could hear a still small voice saying to me “I am your Father and I am here to comfort you.” I’ve need the presence of God in my life.   

     Secondly, I have an amazing family.  Some related to me through blood and others were just sent to help me through this journey.  My younger brother, Commander Brock A. Miller is a jewel.  He’s a calm talker and thinker and I love that about him.  He oversees our family estate and no one can get anything over on him.  At work, he is so militant and fierce but at home he’s a cut off jean, torn tee-shirt kind of guy.  We need him to keep us in order because I am too persuaded by tears.  Also, my sister in the lord, Ivy has been a great support to me.  I moved to Louisiana after a divorce.  She welcomed me into her home and was a great listener.   She didn’t make judgments or treat me differently because of things I shared with her.  She is that friend who listens more than she speaks.  I need that.

     My twin boys are a great support to me.  As a matter of fact, I will be adopting them this summer.  My older son always has a kind word to share with everyone.  He looks into my eyes and says, “Mommy you are so beautiful and you take good care of us!” Okay, I can’t see anything wrong with that! In his own little way, he supports me.  His twin brother is Autistic and any accomplishment he makes is fantastic.  I was blessed with these boys after I endured some significant losses in my life.  I just existed until they came along. I felt like I needed to be  at my best because they needed me more than I needed to be selfish considering only me.  In that, I mean they were abandoned and needed love.  I was abandoned and needed someone to  love, take care of and support.  We needed each other!  I also need the babysitter, Anita.  She  goes beyond her call of duty with my kids.  She knows that I need to study for school and she volunteers to take the kids additional time so that I can study—no charge.   She is a real support! 

     I need my academic advisor.  Mrs. K. Jones has been a great support to me since I have been in this program.  I wanted to quit because I had difficulty adjusting to this course.  She talked me through it and reminded me of what I initially told her my goal was.  I told her I wanted to complete this degree because it was important that I make a better life for my family. 

     Finally, I need some physical supports.  I have been diagnosed with ADHD and I need medication.  I cannot settle myself down in most instances because I feel as though I have a million thoughts running through my head.  Also, I have type 2 diabetes and need a medication regiment.  I was diagnosed a few years ago and was in shock. Why? Because I felt I was too young to have the disease that all of my family members have.  When I told my aunt, she said, “So why did you think you were exempt?” That was a reality check for me so I just comply to the directions of my physician.  I need my glasses or contacts too because I can’t see elbows length without it.   

In conclusion, I have supports in my life that has made this journey for me less difficult.  I have God for strength comfort and support.  I have my brother and sister who provide support and confidence.  Both of them have earned Master’s Degrees.   I have my sons who provide love and happiness.  I have my counselor who encourages me to continue and do my best.  Lastly, I have medication and visual supports to help me get through the day.  I cannot image living without any of my supports because they have become so apart of me that I would not know how to replace them if they became obsolete.

My Connection to Play!

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury.

Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” ~ Anonymous

“Raggedy Ann” 

    

     Raggedy Ann was my favorite doll.  I was an only child for nine years.  She served as my sister and playmate.  I can remember being in a car accident where I had to be pried out of the car and I insisted that she come to the hospital with me.  I must have a great doctor because as he checked me, he checked Raggedy Ann too.  Raggedy Ann and I had to go to counseling after the car accident because we would not sit in the front seat again.  Counseling didn’t work for us.  It was not until I visited my grandparents and my cousins would argue to sit in the front seat.  While observing that, I decided to sit in the front seat again with Raggedy Ann. 

“Telephone”

     For my 4^th birthday, I was given a big red telephone as a gift.  I was so happy because I was able to imitate my mama when she spoke with my grandma.  I would often pretend to call my cousins from Louisiana. That was a toy that I did not stop playing with until it broke.  I can’t even remember how it broke. 

“Bouncing Ball”

     This was the best outdoor toy that I remember having.  I was the envy of the neighborhood because no one else owned one.   All of the kids wanted to bounce on it so we always had fun taking turns.  It was a gift from my dad who told me he bought it from China for me.  I thought that was special but I didn’t know what China was. 

     For me, play was sometimes used as a means of escape.  For a short time in my life, I lived with an abusive widowed mother.  I was able to talk to my doll and treat her extra nice because that was the way mamas were supposed to treat their children. Play was also used for me to pretend to be “grown up.” I wanted badly to be like the pretty lady across the street.  She was my role model because she would take time to play games with the children in the neighborhood.

      My parents attempted to give me a small amount of toys and always supported me playing with bed sheets and making tents throughout the house.  My grandparents were an integral part of play for me.  They would allow me to go to their barn and run up the corn stacks and slide down like I was on a mountain. 

     Today, I am disappointed in the way most children engage in play.  Hand electronic games  and computer games can be played without sharing and ignoring the child’s surroundings.  Sure those games teach hand eye coordination and some skills but it omits socialization.  I notice when my 10 year old son is permitted to play with a gaming system, he ignores everything around him.  He won’t even stop to eat or use the restroom.  I am convinced that the use of so many electronic games have taken away kid’s ability to use their imagination. I think a good imagination makes a great writer.

      I have been encouraged to engage in some type of play since I can remember.  I enjoy the competition.  As an adult, I play  with my children. Each night,  I pretend to drink lemonade made from my son’s bath water.  It’s gross but it’s true.  He squeezes pretend lemons and hands me a cup, so I pretend to drink it.  Apart from my children, I  enjoy playing word  games with friends.  I think it keeps me mentally sharp.

Relationship Reflection

Twins at 1 year old

Twins at 3 years old

"Mama"

     Imagine being forty-three years old and two precious children address you as mama words never heard referencing me? It's a pretty amazing feeling. I was blessed to forster two pre-mature infants who were abondoned in our local hospital. I had been battling depression after the loss of my mother and great-grandmother who died six months apart from each other. I had a pool of emotions rolling thru me.   I wanted to be happy because my only brother had just married his friend, my sister-in-law  but every now and then sadnesss crept upon me.  About two weeks before Christmas, I received a phone call inquiring if I wanted to foster a set of twin infants who needed a lot of medical attention. I didn't know if I was up for the challenge but I was willing to givet it a try.  With lots of help and prayers from friends, family and God, the boys are healthy, happy and thriving.  By the end of this summer, I will have adopted them. I can't imagine being without them because they have brought me so much happiness.  I smile just to  know I am able to give love, support and direction to them. I recieve love and blessing just knowing that they are what pushes me to make a better life for us all. 

"Brock"

     Brock is my only brother and I love him dearly.  He is such a loving person to all of out family members.  He is nine years younger than I am but I look up to him as if he were older.  He is enlisted in our coutry's finest military--U.S.Navy.  As a kid, he was wild, defiant and unruly but my grandmother's prayers worked a miracle on him.  He recently earned a Master's Degree.  Brock is a brilliant math wiz and thinker, he always has ideas that help his love ones. His goal is to keep family members close to each other, iron out their differences and make relationships work because he says that "WE ARE All WE HAVE!" How could a young man have so much wisdom?  He also helps keep my finances in order.  He says thing to me like, "Are you saving? Have you thought about college for the boys? Just get it,I'll pay for it. Now that's a good brother! It is very imiportant that we keep good relationship beccause he gives me the emotional support and family connection that I need.

"Auntie Do Bee"

     I am known to many kids in the neighborhood as "Auntie DoBee." I have one blood niece who refers to me this way and everyone just caught on.  I was once cast in a child's television program called,"Romoper Room." My character followed the rules and was described as a  "Good Do Bee;" therefore all my friends and neighbors refer to me as such. I got the name when I was about five years old and am still known as Do Bee.  This name carries an image of a person who wants to help and believe in everyone.  I am not perfect but I do love people and enjoy being used as a vessel for positve change. Carrying this image helps me to be a better person and find the good in people even when the unloveable are unlovely.  Being myself is so important to my emotional well-being and my identity lies in simply with expressing who I am.  

     These are a few relationship that I have utilized as an adult.  It has given me a strong foundation of trust, love and support.  I couldn't be me without having these relationships.  As an early childhood educator, I savor all of these relationships and more.  I've learned how to treat all people with respect and dignity and am always willing to share what I know.  This is a good start for me in this field, having knowlegdge without a delivery method is not good for children or their families; therefore,I welcome all relationships that enrich me.   

When I Think of Child Development.....

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
- Frederick Douglass

When does the building start? Where does the building start? Who does the building start with? How much does it cost to build?  When I read this quote, I was taken to the memory of my dear uncle.  My grandparents did the best they could with their youngest child but it wasn’t good enough.  Uncle Allen was the youngest of 10 children. He was spoiled by each of his sibling and parents –eventually, he was cultivated into a young tyrant.  In middle childhood, he did what he wanted when he wanted to. (He didn’t live by any of the values shared by his siblings.)   By this time, he had become a juvenile delinquent and a menace to society.  So when and where didn’t the building start? Unfortunately, Uncle Allen never had a chance a youngster.  I’d like to evaluate his beginning.  As a Kindergartener, he was at the top of his class.  Our fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Allen once told me that I should have been as smart as my uncle.  I assume he was at the top of his class then.  By the time he was in 5^th grade, he started to skip school.  He was given too many chances by the hometown judge and spent only one month in the detention center.  By 6^th grade, he avoided school altogether, ran away and became a drug addict.  Uncle Allen was not built correctly.  Why do I say this? He learned from a youth to take what you want and it is alright.  He was given his hearts desires without one requirement, he didn’t have to work for anything.  He didn’t so much as take out the garbage or clean the bath tub after he finished using it. All meals were served on the table and his dirty dishes were left for someone else to remove.  Who did the building? No one instilled a work ethic in him. The cost of the building was time.  No one cared enough to give him time.  Consequently, he was incarcerated most of his adult life and died with a drug needle in his arm.  I am grieved that he was built wrong and was never able to be repaired.  To all my classmates, as early childhood interventionists let’s make knowledge and the thirst thereof the core of our professional goal.  For we have the power to change a life and touch hearts by what we impart to our students today. 

Testing for Intelligence?

Assessment or not?

Wechsler Intelligence Tests is administered by school psychologist when given permission for  children to be “tested” for special services in our school district.  The test is administered as part of a battery of intellectual, academic, behavioral, and social-emotional measures and  can be useful in differential diagnosis (e.g., mild mental retardation versus low average functioning) and in understanding a child's academic weaknesses (e.g., a problem in reading comprehension may be, in part, the result of low verbal reasoning skills).

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children is a flexible and unique measure of cognitive ability.  It determines insights into how a child receives and processes information.  These are two tests given to only those children who may have special needs in our school district.  It is not used for any other students in our district.  So, why is it so important if all students are not given these tests?

http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/Kaufman-Assessment-Battery-Children-2.html  

Does it really matter if a child is formally assessed? I think assessment should be used for  check points.  In my state, we have a statewide assessment called the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (L.E.A.P.) which is only given in the public school.  It is used as a measure in  4^th and 8^th grade students’ basic skills and knowledge in English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science.   Also, this test is used to determine promotion .  If  the student passes certain parts of the test, they will be promoted along with passing class room grades.  On the other hand, if a student does not achieve a passing score on the L.E.A.P. and passes their coursework, the child will not be promoted to the next grade.  Concurrently, if the student does not pass either the L.E.A.P. and the coursework,  the student will remain in the present grade level.  Finally, if the students go  to summer school and pass certain parts of the test, they can be promoted if their coursework is passing.  One would not imagine the amount of stress put on the kids.  I teach in public school,  the children hear L.E.A.P., L.E.A.P., L.EA.P. all year long.   By the time the testing time arrives in March and April, the students are all leaped out.  Do we need to put that much pressure on teachers and students? I don’t think so.  Why can’t we use the results of the test to restructure or reteach the curriculum?  To top this off, the  governor of the state of  Louisiana would like to use the test to determine teacher pay and promotion.  This is not considering the school in which the students come  from poor homes that do not stress academics.  Those students enter school not even knowing the legal name.  If you ask them their name, they say “Pookie.” Has anyone ever considered that these kids come to school at a disadvantage and have to be taught basics  pre-kindergarten skills in Kindergarten and 1^st grades? How do we expect them to be on the same level as advantaged students?  I am not in favor of assessment for promotional purposes.   This doesn’t make sense to me.  Assessment or not, what is it proving? I don’t really think we need to access younger children but we do need to have some kind of standardized test scores to use as a reference point for gauging our student’s learning.

 http://www.doe.state.la.us/topics/leap.html

During my research, I read that  the Arabs use the  TIMMS scores to provide a valuable tool to reform educational reform. And that’s what testing should do, assist in reforming where the curriculum is in need of modification. The TIMMS for April 2007, concluded that there should be a shift from rote memorization to  a greater emphasis on critical thinking which is in line with international trends in math and science.  This  results in this report should lead to educational reform in teaching methodologies.   What do you think about this for our state? Should Louisiana use one test to determine if our children should be promoted or retained?

http://www.undp-jordan.org/index.php?page_type=news&press_id=316&cat=News&page_id=0

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Hunger and Poverty

     I have a friend who has confided in me about her childhood.  She has said that she doesn’t mind me sharing with the class. For the purpose of the assignment, I will call her Amira.  Amira was raised by her mother who had become a single parent because her father left home to live with another woman and her family.  Amira could remember many days not eating at home or eating soup from the local soup kitchen.  She loved school  days and hated weekends, holidays and summer break.  At least at school she could get at least two meals at school.  The weekends were especially difficult because her mother had become a drug addict.  Her mom frequently used illegal drugs in her presence and neglected her motherly duties.  Amira was the youngest of three girls. Her mom did not work and relied on government assistance.   Her older sisters tried as best they could to take care of her.  It was their responsibility to get ready for school early and make sure Amira was also ready.  Sometimes, if they overslept and missed the bus, they were did not go to school.  Amira said those were the worst days because they were very hungry all day long.  Until this day, Amira still cannot understand why her mother wasn’t reported to the child protection agency.  She said they lived in the housing projects sometimes with no water or utilities and always borrowing from a different neighbor. Amira says that she only had new clothes when it was given to them by someone.  Other than that, they wore used clothing that they begged for at the Thrift store.  Amira said they didn’t receive any support from family for academics.  All of the children of her household had poor self-esteem, poor grades and were significantly small that their peers. Chilton said, “Even the slightest forms of food insecurity can affect a young child’s development and learning potential.” (Chilton, 2007)  Today, my uneducated friend, Amira is still living below poverty in America.  I would say this is due to her rough start and no support system. Analyzing Amira’s situation, I think her food insecurities affected  her motivation to learn.  According to Winicki, “Children in households  with any signs of food insecurity score lower and learn less during the school year.” (Winicki, 2003)

     The international area I chose to study was the Philippines.  I’ve read that so many children are required because of necessity to quit school and work.  I read a story about a mother of two, named Winnie.  She is a seasonal worker expected to rear a family.  Her 14 year old son quit school so that he could help provide for his family.  His 12 year old sister attends school and cooks for her mother and brother because they have to work.  Their father died of liver cancer.  Jainy and Alponso’s diet consists mainly of vegetables and rice.  They cannot ever remember tasting meat.  Despite of the wage of 100 pesos earned by Alponso and Winnie, they are still required to pay school fees for Jainy.   The government identifies malnourished children once a year and provides a single meal to those children.  After 7 years of age, one is no longer considered malnourished but simply small and thin.  In the article that I read,  the government provided one glass of milk to a family with 2 young children but the contents of the glass was to be divided.  As Americans, we really don’t realize how blessed we are to partake in at least three meals and at least two snacks a day.  Rice is a staple in the Filipino diet.   I read that the poorest Filipinos have created “milk” for their children by utilizing the foam that forms on the top of the rice.   The call this “am.”  How many of us can say that we drink milk that doesn’t come from a mammal?

   

Chilton, M., Chyatte, M., & Breaux, J. (2007). The negative effects of poverty & food insecurity on child development. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 126(4), 262-72. Retrieved from  

 http://search.proquest.com/docview/195974257?accountid=14872

Winicki, J., & Jemison, K. (2003). Food insecurity and hunger in the kindergarten classroom: Its effect on learning and growth. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21(2), 145-157. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/274259896?accountid=14872

http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/journals-magazines/eia/eiav4n4/child-labour-hunger-and-child-malnutrition-invisible-in-the-philippines  

http://wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/phil-o20.shtml