My Connection to Play

"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world."
- Maria Montessori

"All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and think, 'This is when I became myself.'"
- Rita Dove

 “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

When I was a young child I remember plenty of times being at home by myself with my mother while my siblings was off at school. I was play alone or sometimes with my neighbor daughter. I remember my mother saying “go play.” Although at that age I did not understand the growth I was experiencing. My mother encouraged play unknowingly how beneficial play would be to my future education. In the present I view play as regulated by parents and professionals. The word play has a board definition unrelated to education.  Varies research studies shows how play impacts emotional, physical and cognitive development.   

Relationship Reflection

The relationships I have are important to me because they have grown and developed over years of building. The closest relationship I have is my mother, she is my biggest supporter. I am the true definition of a “momma’s girl” I go to my mother for everything just to hear her opinion. My best friend Ember is another relationship that is important to me she is the true definition of a friend. She is also my spiritual sister. I am a very protective person. I am also honest, some may say I am mean but I believe I am direct. When developing relationships it is important for my friends to understand me as a person as well as me understanding them. I Know Ember calls me and ask for my advise only when she needs me to be direct with her, if she does not ask for my opinion I do not give it to her because she is sensitive. The fact I know this about Ember gives our friendship longevity. The greatest challenge I have maintaining the wonderful relationship I have with my mother, she tends to be narrow minded. Since I know she is a narrow minded person I can just allow her to be herself without allowing her to affect me with her words. I also have a great relationship with my daughter’s teacher. My daughter attends a Montessori she has had the same teacher for two years. I communicate with her teacher weekly regarding Da’Nijah learning development, behavior and social interactions. She understands my involvement in Da’Nijah education; I understand her passion as a teacher. All these relationships have a great impact on my life and my success thus far. At this point only relationship I am interested in developing is the ones with mentors to enhance and guide my career as a early childhood professional. 

Me and Ember

 

Me and My mother during the birth of my son

 

Special Thanks Cont....

"Now, today, some children are enrolled in excellent programs. Some children are enrolled in mediocre programs. And some are wasting away their most formative years in bad programs....That's why I'm issuing a challenge to our states: Develop a cutting-edge plan to raise the quality of your early learning programs; show us how you'll work to ensure that children are better prepared for success by the time they enter kindergarten. If you do, we will support you with an Early Learning Challenge Grant that I call on Congress to enact."
- President Barack Obama, speaking to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, March 10, 2009

"A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils."
- Ever Garrison

Special Thanks

Alicia Phillips and Latisha Overton

This is the second course I have taken with both of you and hopefully in the future we will take many more together. I want to thank you for you view on the early childhood education field. Your feedback in discussion, your blog posts, your discussion post all have challenged my thinking and enlighten me to the perspective of others. Knowledge is power. I found a joy in learning, I wish you both the greatest success.

Assesment or Not?

       An general assessment to measure if a child is developing physically, emotionally, and cognitively would be an appropriate test for school aged children as far as an IQ assessment although voluntary is an highly publicized test. Majority of assessment test in the United States are standardized test challenging a child's intelligence not their development. In order to improved education we need to focus more on measuring  children cognitive, physical and emotional development not solely their cognitive intelligence. 

 Europe education system is constructed of compulsory education. Recently implemented in Europe was The National Testing of Pupils an assessment  that's  required to measure students

development progression along with any developmental issues that may arises. Based on the facts presented on The national testing of pupils, I would approve this assessment in the United States for school aged children. This assessment assists instructors in formulating lessons plans. It also proves if the current curriculum is efficient

 

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/109EN.pdf

Disease is defined as a disorder or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infections, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment. I personally was never affected by any diseases as a child nor anyone close to me. The children in Africa are suffering tremendously by HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is an deadly non curable disease. With more than 2/3 of the Continent being affected, the disease is steadily spreading officials are slowly responding and numerous people are dying. This is a major stressor for children. Children are affected biosocial, psychosocially, and cognitively. Children are dropping out of school, forced to be adults and hold responsibility. Children are being forced to control emotions and mature faster than normal.

My Breastfeeding Experience

I have two children my daughter is eight years old I had her when I was seventeen years old I breastfeed my daughter for two weeks along with giving her formula. My son is eight months old I solely feed him breast milk for 6 months. I have a great bond with both of my children but our bonds are different. The age difference in when I had my children had a strong impact on my determination to breastfeed them. I look back now wishing I would have breastfeed my daughter longer. She is healthy, she was not a sickly child but as a teenage mother I was not knowledgeable to the benefits of breastfeeding. I do believe breastfeeding leads to secure attachment 

 

I researched the Chinese prospective on breastfeeding. In China breastfeeding is highly promoted, the Chinese population recognizes breastfeeding as the normal method of nutrition for infants birth to six months. When the percent of mothers breastfeeding their infants in China decreased studies were conducted as to why this decreased occurred.

 

As I become an early childhood professional I will encourage young mothers to breastfeed their children at least until six months of age. When I was a teenage mother if I had someone advocating for me to breastfeed my daughter I truly believe I would have been more focused and determined. There are many benefits to breastfeeding but the connection created between you and your child is the greatest benefit of them all.

Childbirth In Your Life and Around The World

January 29th, 2005 I gave birth to my daughter, my first time experiencing birth I was relaxed and calm. I had my family and friends there for support. The doctors decided to break my water when I dilated 5 centimeters, when I was ready to deliver fifteen doctors and 5 nurses came into the room. I started panicking because there was so many doctors I was concerned about my daughter. The nurses on my right and the doctor delivering my daughter kept trying to calm me down, I tried to be calm but I knew something was wrong. After delivering my daughter all the doctors rushed over took my daughter to the nursery. My nurse and doctor than explained when they broke my water my daughter had a bowel movement, there was a high possibility she may has ingested it. This experience was traumatizing to know there is a problem but not know what the problem is.


In South Africa the birth of a baby is extremely traumatizing for women. They are ill treated and do not receive proper care for while recovering from child birth. These women lack the knowledge necessary for a healthy recovery. Nurses and doctors lack compassion for these women. Higher up medical professionals does not address the care provide to women will birthing their child.

To learn how the women in South Africa are  treated during a precious time of your life which should be filled with joy and excitement, it hurts my heart. There is no comparing child birth in South Africa to my personal experience.

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment

I-1.5—To create and maintain safe and healthy settings

that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and

physical development and that respect their dignity

and their contributions.

THIS IS MEANINGFUL TO ME BECAUSE THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS THE WAY A CHILD LEARNS.

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children,

including those with special needs, have access to the

support services needed to be successful.

I ORIGINALLY WANTED TO WORK SPECIFICALLY WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES I GREW TO LOVE WORKING WITH THIS SPECIFIC POPULATION, NOT ALL PROFESSIONALS WHO WORKS WITH CHILDREN HAVE THAT SPECIAL LOVE TO WORK WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.

The Code of Ethics of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC)

6. We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula

and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning.

THE FAMILY PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THEIR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT WHEN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILY YOU HAVE THAT RAPPORT TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE AND TRUST IN YOU AS A PROFESSIONALS. EVERYONE IS A TEAM STRIVING FOR THE SAME GOAL AND BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS ARE VITAL. 

“THE PASSION TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL CHILDREN WERE TAUGHT IN ENVIRONMENTS AND WAY TO NURTURE AND DEVELOPE TO THEIR FULLEST ABILITY.” Louise Derman-Spark

“THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE A CHILDS LIFE FOR THE BETTER.” Sandy Escobido

“Nobody quite put it that way before. Let’s look at it as an economic return and compare investing in at-risk kids, scholarships, and job training to building sports stadiums and auto factories. It convinced a lot of business people. Companies have to worry about the quality of the workforce, crime in their communities, the quality of life when they recruit employees from their base.” Art Rolnick

"The future which we hold in trust for our own children will be shaped by our fairness to other people's children." Marian Wright Edelman

 

"Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter."Marian Wright Edelman

My daughter drew this picture when I worked with developmentally challenged kids! This is her at the park with one of my favorite kids! She loved her just as much as me! I always knew my daughter had a good heart.

"The Little Engine That Could" this books is an example of everything I believe. I truly believe in life we are always faced with an obstacle to derail us from achieving goals we set for ourselves. Sometimes these obstacles we can battle by our self and other times we need a little push from someone else but ultimately we overcome the obstacle because we never gave up!

Early Childhood Education is the beginning to the educational JOURNEY! I would like to start an educational child care center. I would like to rise above and beyond the normal standards!

“We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

This is the start of a new journey in my life. I am ready to grow, learn and experience what is ahead of me. This blog will represent my growth throughout the next two years of my life. I am in the process of staring a daycare center but my mission is slightly different from most.