THANK YOU !

Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water. Through an active, reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen learning how to learn.

Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994)

Standardized testing

I was taught that standardized tests fail to reflect adequately what children learn.  Indeed children know so much more than they are taught and what is tested may not be the important learning that the children have done.  I always believed that children do not function well in common test situations, nor do the test results necessarily reflect children’s true knowledge or skills.  The implications of such testing further erode the curriculum when teachers, wanting their classes to do well on the test, alter activities to conform to what will be tested.   We should begin teaching children to learn “right” answers rather than to engage in active, critical thinking.  Also, rather than making teachers more accountable, the misuse of standardized testing has led to the adoption of inappropriate teaching practices as well as admission and retention policies that are not in the best interest of individual children or the nation as a whole (Gordon & Browne, 2008).

As leaders work in China to move the country away from its notoriously rigorous focus on standardized testing, Americans seem to be heading in the opposite direction. In China, all students must prepare for the country's massive, multi-day test known as the "gaokao".  The student's score on the test determines whether or not they will go on to college. Unlike the American college application process, where each applicant's SAT score is considered amidst several other factors, the "gaokao" is the only factor that determines a young person's future.  Chinese students spend their entire young lives preparing for the tests. Yet, as China continues to develop at an astounding pace, many wonder if the inflexible education system is able to produce the sort of innovators the country will need to succeed in the future. Question was asked, at a time when many are pushing the United States toward an education system focused on test scores, what lessons can be learned from China's system, its shortcomings and the changes that are being made (China v. America, 2000)?

Reference

Education In China v. America: The Question Of Standardized Tests. (2000). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/education-in-china-testing-diane-sawyer_n_785016.html

Gordon, A.M. & Browne, K.W. (2008). Beginnings and Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education. (7^th ed.). Thomson: Delmar Learning.

                    Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

Poverty is the single greatest threat to the well being of children and families.  It can affect every area of a child’s development-social, educational, and personal.  The children who are at risk for academic failure are likely those who live in poverty.  An American child is born into poverty every 43 seconds, one in five children is poor during the first three years of life, the time of greatest brain development (Gordon & Brown, 2008).

When I was a young child, my best friend, Rita and her four siblings was raised by their grandmother.  She was a homemaker and had to rely on her Social Security to make ends meet. I could remember her grandmother going to the Welfare office applying and receiving food stamps. Although they were living in low-income housing, they still had to search out for clothes for school and other items.  The good part about it, me and Rita wore the same size, I would sometimes let her wear my clothes and sometimes my shoes. There was still guidance and love in this household, but I could tell some of the things other children had, they couldn’t afford them. 

Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world and in south of Sahara, harsh environmental conditions exacerbate the conditions of poverty.  The land is dry and barren and covers large expanses of this region.  While the poor try to eke out livings through farming and other subsistence practices, they exhaust the land, using up the soil nutrients needed to grow crops. 

There has been a recent major shift in African effort to address the continents problems.  The New Partnership for Africa’s development (NEPAD) aims to tackle HIV/AIDS, reduce poverty and sustain long-term economic growth.  A number of countries within Africa have made real progress, poverty has been reduced, free primary education and new schools built (Fight Poverty, 2006)

To overcome the issues of poverty in Africa, it was stated that governments should step in.  They should finance and provide primary education and basic health care; and subsidize water and electricity so poor people can afford these services. 

References

Fight Poverty. (2006). Retrieved on July 18, 2012 from  
http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/facts/africa/html.

Gordon, A.M. & Browne, K.W. (2008). Beginnings and Beyond: Foundations in Early

            Childhood Education. (7^th ed.). Thomson: Delmar Learning.

Sudden Death Syndrome (SIDS)

I never knew, until I had a baby, the fear one would get as a new mother whenever they laid their newborn down to sleep in their crib.  Of course we all learn about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but it really doesn’t click until you find yourself getting up throughout the night to ensure your baby is still breathing.  Because of how important that one should know about SIDS, I chose to delve deeper into this deadly Syndrome.

I found out that not only is SIDS the leading cause of death in infants under one year of age, but our tendency to protect our baby by over-wrapping them leads to thermal stress.  Thermal stress is a risk factor for SIDS.  In the United States, we are unaware that over-wrapping when combined with infections and placing the child in unsafe sleep positions is a recipe for a tragedy.  For instance, the country of China has very cold and severe winter months, so over-wrapping infants when the flu and other infections are at their peak increases the risk of SIDS immensely. 

            Placing newborns on their backs to sleep is thought to be the safest position. Even though this technique is advertised and taught in newborn classes, an alarming amount of parents and caregivers still lay babies in facedown or in side-sleep positions.  New parents are advised to take these precautions to aid in the prevention of SIDS:

• Place babies face up in the crib.

• Put babies' feet closer to the foot of the bed to stop them from rolling down.

• Tuck in blankets at babies' feet, but never higher than the armpit.

• Never cover a baby's face or head, because this is where the majority of baby heat is released.

• Never fall asleep with a baby on the couch or in the bed besides you, since you could roll over on or drop the baby.

• Don't rely on baby apnea monitors, because they cannot pick up on drops in oxygen levels and other subtle changes leading up to SIDS.

• Keep in mind that premature babies are at higher risk for SIDS (McCoy, 2012).

Infants can appear healthy and while gaining weight, learning to shake a rattle, rolling over, and smiling to their parents they can still die unexpectedly in their sleep.  Whenever an autopsy cannot prove a reasonable cause of death, the diagnosis is SIDS.  In the United States during the 1990s, about 5,000 babies died of SIDS; this averages to about 1 infant in 800.  Individuals in lower socioeconomic conditions have an increase in the rate of SIDS, but poverty did not explain these important ethnic differences. 

Some doctors are beginning to recommend to parents that their newborns should be placed to sleep on their backs, not their stomachs, in the hopes that this reduces the likelihood of SIDS.  Doctors are also including the new techniques of breast feeding and giving the baby a pacifier, which may help by strengthening infants’ breathing reflexes (Berger, 2009).

To be honest, the cause of SIDS is still unknown, but there are many doctors and researchers who now believe that SIDS is caused by a couple of different factors, such as:

·         Problems with the baby’s ability to wake up (sleep arousal)
·        The baby’s body inability to detect a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood

The emotional support of others is especially important when a child is loss to SIDS.  Some parents find it comforting to talk to other parents who have experience the same type of loss.  Since it is unexplainable to a parent on why they woke up, but their baby did not, many parents have guilty feelings.  The baby’s death must be resolved, which means the parents guilty feelings will be further aggravated by investigations of police or others.  

Understanding that others may not know how to approach you because you really are experiencing a devastating loss. You should try and maintain an open line of communication with friends and family about how you are feeling and understand that  healing from an unimaginative grief takes time (SIDS, 2011)

                                                                    Reference

Berger, K.S. (2009). The developing person through childhood. (5^th ed.). Worth  Publishers.  

McCoy, K. (2007). SIDS in China---Don’t overwrap your baby. Retrieved from
http://www.beijing-kids.com/forum/2007/03/06/SIDS-IN-CHINA-DONT-OVERWRAP-YOUR-BABY

Sudden infant death syndrome. (2011). Retrieved on July 2, 2012 from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002533/

                            Childbirth in my Life

My only child, a son, is my birthing experience and I am proud to say that he is now twenty years old and an excellent student in a university. My son decided to come into this world on Friday the 13^th and in the United States this is known to be a day for bad luck, but for me that date happens to be the best day of my life.  An hour after arriving home, my water broke and I was driven to the nearest hospital, which was over 45 minutes away.  

As soon as I was admitted into the hospital, I starting experiencing the worst pain of my life, for over six hours; refusing any type of pain medication and delivered a 9 lb and 2 ounces baby boy.  My mother cut the umbilical cord and we all welcomed him into the world.  Although the pain was terrible, my memories of my son have eclipsed the pain and I can truly say having him was a beautiful experience.

We all know that about the only thing a child can do at birth is eat, cry, eliminate waste, and sleep, but by the age of three, the child is showing self-control, can talk and understand.  At the age of twelve the child is capable of athletic accomplishments and his or her intellectual ability is now more adult-like than child-like.  I think the child's attitude, beliefs, and desires that are being formed will affect him or her for the rest of their life.  In this respect, understanding children and the way they grow is important, because the study of child development is significant in understanding the behavior of adults, whose characteristics are primarily formed during childhood.

 

Childbirth around the world

CHINA

According to Chinese custom, a husband should carry his bride over a pan of burning coals when entering his home for the first time to ensure she will pass through labor successfully.  Once pregnant, a woman guards her thoughts. It is believed everything she does and sees will influence her unborn child and sex is absolutely forbidden during pregnancy.

During my pregnancy, I was told not to raise my arms over my head, because it could result in the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby’s neck.  I was also warned not to buy anything for the baby, until after the seventh month, because it would bring bad luck.  Although, now I think the latter warning was meant to ease heartache in case the child was born prematurely and died, leaving the mother with things for the baby and reminding her of her loss.  Even in China many believe it is unlucky to throw a baby shower for an unborn baby and the parties come after the little one arrives.

Chinese women will often drink a strong herbal potion to ease the strain of labor. I was advised that drinking mineral oil would hasten delivery, as well as driving down a bumpy road. 

After delivery, Chinese women "sit the month." The first month is considered an intense healing time for new mother. She is freed from household duties and sits in her bed alone to look after her new infant. In strict households, even the husband stays away. I was given six weeks off and now even fathers have time off from their job to help out at home with the newborn. 

Although there are differences, as well as similarities, it does not seem to matter how far apart mothers are in miles and/or traditions, they all possess the same goal: to be the best parent possible.

Reference:

Birth and baby in China. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.4panda.com/chinatips/culture/baby.htm

Examining Codes of Ethics

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 ideal is significant to me because I think it will be my responsibility to create and maintain safe and healthy settings.  It is my responsible for the setting to be safe, clean, and well maintained with a positive climate and culture.  This should require the involvement of everyone in the school, from the students, administrators, teachers, counselors, and so on.  The school environment should be able to promote expectations that all students can succeed.  There should be policies and programs to meet the needs of students and the staff must support these environments.  Every child’s social-emotional development relate to the change that occur in a person’s feeling, ability to handle feelings and situations, and moral ideas; cognitive development is associated with the changes in a person’s reasoning and physical development is characterized by patterns of physical growth and maturation.

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 am obligated to this ideal,  because if both the family and the teacher feel there is a potential problem, the task is to help identify it and secure the services needed.  A teacher’s role is to observe the child and provide the necessary current information, to support the family through their concern, to help them find appropriate resources (social services agencies, public health office and private & public schools) to assist with future placement for child care, and to be available for consultation with others who are working in the best interest of the child.  We all should be effective in helping families with special kid’s secure proper referrals and treatment.  American with Disabilities Act which was passed in 1990 made it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities and requires that people with disabilities have equal access to public and private services, and also reasonable accommodations.

I-2.3—To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program. 

It is my responsibility for families to have a unique contribution to make in the child’s schooling.  A family has different knowledge about the child from what the teacher has.  They know the child’s history:  physical, medical, social, and intellectual.  The family should know the child as a member of a family and the role that child plays in the total family group, the extended family, and the community.  For example: the family already knows what makes their children happy or sad or how they react to changes in routines, but as a teacher, we have to learn these things.  We are only just beginning to discover what the families already know.  Teachers can support families in their roles as teachers of their children by: (1) keeping them informed about each stage of the child’s development (2) showing them how to encourage language and thinking skills and (3) educating them to children’s social needs at any give age.  Let’s remember that a family-centered approach to school relationships supports the growth of the family as well as the child.

Reference

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. Retrieved on June 10, 2012 from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf