My Connections to Play

One of my favorite things to do when I was a child was build a fort with sheets and pillows across a sofa or table or even on our bunk beds.  My sisters and I had limited opportunities to play outside, so we did majority of our playing indoors. I think that play was essential to my development in that it allowed me to interact with others, make friends, learn how to be a team player, learn how to win/lose, learn how to share and be patient.  All these things have been embedded into me as I grew older.  I think play is vital in teaching children some fundamental traits that will help in adulthood.





As a child, I enjoyed playing with my sisters and cousins, and other kids.  I did enjoy playing games such as:  tag, red light-green light, simon says, etc.  Those types of games that involved playing with others were a major type of play that I enjoyed.  I enjoyed playing with dolls, coloring/drawing/painting and jump roping a lot as a child.  Those are some things I would say were essential play items for my younger self.





Two Quotes That Represent Play During My Childhood



I think its important to know that play isn't necessarily meant to be organized and neat.  Sometimes it involves messing things up an being chaotic.  I really enjoyed arts as a child, which I continue to do as an adult.  Anything involving drawing, painting, creative expressions were always things I enjoyed doing.





Any chance I got, I wanted to play.  My parents were quite strict and things had to be kept a certain way, so horseplay was limited to certain times and places.  I remember not always having as much time to play, but when given the chance, I made it my job to have fun.  I think to look at play as a "job" for kids is very valid, because children have no real control over much, but when it comes to their imagination and interacting with other kids, playing games, etc. it their job; their work.







I think play is still a major component of young childrens' lives, however I the age in which children decrease the amount of play is happening earlier. Technology, I feel is a major cause in the shift of the type of play that children are engaged.  Tablets, and cell phones have kinda replaced the more active forms of play that I was accustomed to.  I think that using technology is great for our young kids, but in moderation. Children nowadays should get out and engage in the type of play that involves being active more frequently.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to my overall health and well-being.  I believe that relationships, whether it be relationships that I have at home, work, the public, and globally are all essential in my growth as a human being. 

Relationships that fall within my home life to include: family members and close friends are my number one priority.  My children, significant other and family members/close friends are the people who impact my life the most and to which I make decisions.  Besides my children, two positive relationships that I have are with long-time friends, one that I met in high school and the other that I met in college.  They both impact my life in a positive way. We share common likes/dislikes, they are easy to talk to and bounce ideas off of, and they have shown consistency with regards being there for me. I think some reasons why these relationships are successful are because of several characteristics to include:  trust, spending time interacting with each other, and reciprocity in all aspects of the word.

Like all relationships, there are rough times, but we always seem to be there for each other, and not hold grudges or betray one another. 

I think on challenge to any relationship is being able to deal with the differences that each individual brings to the table.  Even though my two close friends and I have similar likes/dislikes, traits, etc., we still are individuals and don’t agree on everything. 

I believe that being able to recognize that every person has the right to have their own opinion and that you may have to agree to disagree on certain things will make relationships more successful.  I also, believe that the foundation of positive relationships begin with effective communication.  All relationships have to encompass effective communication skills from both parties.   Without communication, you will not be able to develop a relationship at all. 

Effective communication skills along with being an equal contributor can in turn help with being an effective early childhood professional in that we must build strong and positive relationships with the young children and their families that we serve.  

Dear Fellow Classmates of EDUC 6160,

Thank you for all positive feedback that was given throughout this course.  I appreciate the time that you all made in sharing your thoughts and ideas through discussions and postings.  I wish continued success in your remaining courses.  

Denise

When I reflect on my studies so far, I think about the different milestones of development that we study in order to understand the whole child.  We look at what is typical for different stages and ages and we use that information to help guide instruction, to help inform parents and to simply provide support for young children and their families.  The above quote signifies that no matter what is typical for an infant, or child to do by a certain age, one should understand that children are unique and in their own way they will make gains.

Testing for Intellignece

Reliability of assessments used to measure what students learn isn't reliable and therefore very limited.  There are many factors including, a student having testing anxiety, and language or cultural factors.  Using this as a means to scale students doesn't provide a full profile of the entire student.   It doesn't measure what children have actually learned nor does it bring into account the progress a student has made throughout the school year.  Real-world challenges and knowing how to preserve, work with others cooperatively and apply other skills cannot be measured from a test.  

There is so much pressure not only on the students taking the test, but also the teachers.  With the change in teacher accountability, more pressure is placed on teachers to work miracles or they job security is at risk.



Despite are practices to differentiate instruction to students we still asses them the same way as their non-disabled  peers.  As a special educator, I work with students with a variety of disabilities and learning styles, yet when it comes to standardized testing they are still expected to take.  This has always been somewhat of a challenge for me to comprehend.

“Finland--which is one of the top performers on international tests--has gone in the opposite direction”.  They don’t use standardized tests as often as the U.S.  Students there take more low states tests rather than high-stakes tests.  Students aren’t over-tested.  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/standardized-testing-a-fo_n_2145623.html

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I know of many people who had to deal with socioeconomic issues growing up.  Poverty has and continues to be a serious issue in our country and around the world.  Those families that receive help through government assistance funds and programs are getting enough just to get by.  The people that I know who experienced poverty as children all said that at the time they were just kids and could only remember enjoying life as kid, the adults in the home made it so that they didn't worry about not having enough money, they made a way.  I think that sometimes especially nowadays we bombard our children with adult problems and put too much emphasis on them knowing that they aren't as well off as the next family.  I think that parents need to shelter their children as much as possible from knowing the details of how much they have or don't have and try to get as much resources that are available to them as possible.

I chose Syria as the country that I would like to know about, because of the war that is going on right now there.  I think that one stressor that was not on the list specifically but of course can fall under the category of Violence is war.  A child living through war is something that is indeed hard for me to believe, but it is definitely a reality for many children around the world and not just in Syria.  I think that.  Refugee camps for children and families are one of the ways in which people who are being affected by civil war in the countries are being supported.  Organizations like UNICEF are helping by raising donations.  I think that supporting when you can whether it monetary or through prayer and voice is a way that one can start to help.  

http://www.supportunicef.org/site/c.dvKUI9OWInJ6H/b.8298561/k.555F/Donate_to_help_the_children_of_Syria.htm

Public Health Announcement

Mental health is a major public health concern, especially with the dark stigma that surrounds it.  With the statistic of 1 in 5 American suffering from depression at some point in their lives, we must not ignore the importance of mental health awareness.

Because relationships are how we as individuals interact with each other, we must recognize the effect of mental health on families and young children in general.  I chose this public health concern because of my experience working with students with emotional disturbances in the special education community.  These children face challenges within them selves involving self-control and anger management.  Often then not, these children have family members with mental health issues.   I think as professionals working with children and families that we help to increase the awareness of mental health in efforts to decrease the negative stigma that is associated while providing support to those children and families that are dealing with circumstances that may increase their risk of having mental health issues.

The stigma doesn't only hold true in the U.S., around the world individuals are remaining silent when it comes to mental health.  People fear reject, judgement and shame in disclosing that they have a mental illness.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/mental-health-stigma-and-prejudice-strong-around-the-world-8505.aspx