MY SUPPORT

My biggest supporters in my daily life are: mom, dad, husband, children, and CSManager. However, these individuals plays a vital role in my daily. My mom and dad has been for support since day one. They are my ride or dies. They always provide me with daily lessons about life and how, what I need to handle things. Whenever I'm in need they are always there to lend a helping hand. They have pushed me so fare to continue my education, when I was about to give it up. My husband, he is the greatest. He is my motivator, provider, he's their for me both physically and mentally. I don't know what I would do without him. He has been my support through my whole education process. My chidlren has always been my support system and they are doing a great job at it. I remember when I was doing my undergraduate studies, my daughter would always ask me my days I have to go to school as if she was keeping up with me. So the day I graduated they were there to support me. So after a few days I started to prepare for graduate school, my daughter said, I thought you were finish with school. I told that I was and that I will continue but it will be in the comfoft of my own home and she was too tickled. My CSManager is the greatest. I tell her all the time what will I do with her. When I first started my preschool job, I was her assistant. We bonded so well, and by me just starting she was the only one that I knew by me working with her. That next school year she was placed at other site and it was like I lost my soul. I was so lost without her. No one to talk to..I would talk to her every morning prior to on our way to work. Eventually 5 months later she became my CSManager. She has been there for me like know other and I appreciate her daily for being a part of my life.

"MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY"

"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning"
                
                                                                     Fred Rogers


"Play is our brains favorite way of learning"

                                          Diane Ackerman




THREE ESSENTIALS OF PLAY

Riding bike with friends

Playing on the playground

                                                                   Playing with my toys



My childhood years was an amazing journey. I enjoyed my childhood to the fullest. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would want to be a kid again. My mom and grandparents were very  supportive of play. They allow me to play with my friends on a daily basis as well as my siblings. We would play in the yard and never have to worry about one another fighting. When I was growing up everyone was so nice and you never have to worry about kids being kidnapped, murdered, or molested. Growing up as a child with great grown ups to support play was loveable.

I feel that play is similar but yet different in which I was growing up. There are some much technology that hinder kids from getting more of outdoor play than when I was growing up. Even when I was growing up, I really didn't need a certain toy to play with I would play with my own imagination of things and enjoy myself to the fullest.

The role of play throughout my childhood is something that I will never forget. I enjoyed being a kid. I believe that was the most impotant part besides eating. lol!! As I look at the role of play during my adulthood. WOW!! I couldn't imagine if play didn't exist. Even though we are adults and we go on with our daily lives but there is always time for play because I enjoys it.

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

When it comes to Relationships/people that's important to me and plays a positive role in my life. Not only they are my support system, they are my biggest cheerleaders. They are always there to listen, share ideas when giving advice. The people that share most of my happines are my mom, dad, husband, my 2 best friends, children, and CS Manager/Friend. My mom has always play an important role in my life, but of course she raised me to be the woman I am today. She's always there for me when I'm in need. She always been my rock and supporter of all things I have accomplished. My dad has been there for me as well. He also taught me to believe in myself and to further my education. He stressed the importance of education and I soon to believe that education was the only word he knew. LOL! I Love him dearly!! the man of my life, my husband. He's just PHENOMENAL!!! My 2 best friends are my supporters in crime. Those two are truely a blessing in my life..that's one thing that I do is take friendship to heart. It's rarely that you find friends that are down with you like four flat tires.  We have been friends over decades and friendship is still strong. Anything that I need to talk about they always have an listening hear and always tell me things that puts a smile on my face. My children are my love bugs.. I didn't know you can love lil people this much when those two came into my life. They are my babies for LIFE... They are always there to provide help when I need them and they know that I will always be there for them..They are truely a ray of SUNSHINE!!! My CS managr is nice, sweet, and vibrant person. She has always been there for me since I have known her. We have only known each for a year and ten months, but it seems like a lifetime. I meet her in January 13, 2011. When I started working for Head Start, I was her assistant. We clicked after meeting for the first time. She has been a really great person. I can talk with her about anything and she's right there to provide me with the love and support. the individuals that I named has been there for me through it all and I love each and everyone of them until death do us part...

TESTING FOR INTELLIGENCE

In my personal opinion, I do not like to test, especially in the intelligence test. Human Intelligence facets many areas of a person's ability, as God grants a different gift to each human being. In the bible, Paul had mentioned the gifts of message of wisdom, message of knowledge, healing, prophecy, distinguishing, speaking different tongues, and interpretation of tongues. How do a person know which gift (s)he might have? Once upon a time, in a group study, the leader gave the group member a test, where each one fills a form by answering questions. the results would tell if you have the gift of teaching, caring, passion, or etc. Most member laughed after got the result. In the same way, when a school wants to know if a student is capable of accomplishing school work, it will require the student do some test. The popularly tests are the academic intelligence tests such as the SAT/ACT for admission into college, and the GRE/GMAT for administration of college students into graduate school. Some company designed test to measure a person's intelligence, such as IQ and the EQ test. These tests might help recognizing what the students had learned, but not the student's ability to learn.

The results of the tests might be affected by how many times a person practices; the more someone practiced and the more familiar (s)he is with the test, the higher the score (s)he will have. Someone with a PH.D degree told me that she took the IQ test, and in the beginning, her IQ was about 120, after took it several times, she got the score of about 140. She said that if she practiced more, she would have scored higher. so this test means nothing. Stephen Hawking said about IQ: "People who boast about their IQ are losers."

People do have intelligence or gift as God granted. A person might have a gift area and might have another disability area. for example, "Jacob, who has been diagnosed with mild autism, now 12 years old, mildly autistic and with an IQ of 170 – higher than Stephen Hawkings and Albert Einstein." Dr. Hawkings "was small and slow to learn to read" (Journey throught the galaxy) and has physical disability, He was assumed an extreme high IQ.((it was funny that Dr. Hawkings hisself said he did not know what his IQ was.) Albert Einstein, who had difficulty time to learn how to talk. "His elementary school teachers thought that he was a foolish dreamer, and one teacher had even asked him to drop out of his class." was assumed that he had extreme high IQ too. Another factor is "human can be modeled (like plastic), a child who need special education in an early grade might later be above average, or even gifted."(Berger K. S. 2009). A person's IQ might change in the life span. Testing intelligence migh have its limit.

CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS ON CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT

It isn’t till we are a little older that we identify the stressors in our own lives from childhood. Until we realize what is actually going on in our lives as children I think it is just survival. As resilient as children are many of the stressors they are exposed to as children have a lasting affect on who they become as adults. At least that was the case for me. Racism is a kind of abuse that can be both mental and physical. According to Cynthia Garcia Coll and Laura A. Szalacha in the article The Multiple Contexts of Middle Childhood, racism, is a pervasive and systemic reality in modern American society, inextricably linked to processes of social, political, and economic domination and marginalization (2004). It can be an innocent misunderstanding or it can be very directed and cruel. Whatever the case I believe that racism is taught, learned, or not corrected till it becomes belief. Often times racism is passed on through cultures and subcultures and I am amazed that it continues to thrive despite all the historical outcomes we have seen on its behalf.

Many years ago I was tending to my baby and pushing the grocery cart at a local grocery store. As we scooted into the checkout line we were passed by another mom with daughter in a shopping cart, a quite common event in a grocery store. As they strolled by her daughter with little blond curls bouncing up and down and sheer excitement on her face let out, “MOM, look it’s a chocolate baby.” Her mother quite embarrassed strolled away as quickly as possible. This is an example of the innocence of children. The little girl had obviously not been exposed much if at all to other races different from her own. However, I would have loved to hear the continuing conversation and explanation between mother and daughter from that point on. Children will naturally grow up to be non-racist adults when they live in a non racist society, until then, adults must guide children's anti- racist development (Derman-Sparks, Higa, and Sparks).

In the country of South Africa, children face many of the stressors children face in most parts of the world, Poverty and racism still remaining at the top of the list despite the end of Apartheid. The problem remains in majority populations of “Whites” where most Africans of color simply do not go out of habit or cannot afford to go or live due to socioeconomic status. According to a the South African Ambassador to Vienna, most Africans do not consider color as a definition of race, but rather whether or not you accept and participate in the culture . If you speak the language you are African. In the last ten years, many new laws and programs have been initiated in order to protect young children in South Africa regardless of skin tone. However, there is no recent evidence or studies I could find that South African children are any less affected by the countries racial problems and socioeconomic division of classes even with the end of Apartheid.

 

 

References

Coll, C. and Szalacha, L. (2004). The multiple contexts of middle childhood. Children of Immigrant Families, 14(2)

 

Derman-Sparks, L., Higa, C., and Sparks, B. (n.d.). Children, race, and racism: How race awareness develops . Retrieved from http://www.teachingforchange.org/files/027-a.pdf on September 30

 

BREASTFEEDING

"Breastfeeding... more than just Nutrition"

I’ve been an advocate for breastfeeding for several years. I’ve became an advocate when I had an experience with a breastfeeding mom while volunteering at WIC Nutritionist. I learned that breastfeeding is the best you can give your baby, it has all the nutrients, babies are less likely to suffer from colds, flu, ear infections, and may help the mom return to normal weight. Also, I had a client that was physically disabled and obese to breastfed her baby for 12 months without formula supplement and lost 30lbs. I was so inspired to encourage all of the moms to breastfeed. 
Infants are breastfeed for at least 6 months for their life. Working mothers nevertheless continue to breastfeed even though they are still working. This is a challenge that the US continue to make places breastfeeding friendly. I will continue to volunteer services in this field where I will promote breastfeeding because of the tremendous benefits. My motto is, “Breastfeeding...more than just good nutrition.”

CHILDBIRTH IN YOUR LIFE AND AROUND THE WORLD

I decided to share the experience of my niece when she gave birth to her daughter. On June 8, 2012, I had the opportunity to witness the birth of my great niece. My niece experience was exciting yet a pleasant experience. In the birth and delivery room was my mom, my niece mom, myself and my niece two aunts. I can remember like yesterday she had all of us working. She had one of us fanning her with paper, rubbing her legs and arms, and massaging her stomach everytime she feel a labor pain. The room was full of jokes and laughter while waiting on the arrival of our new edition to the family. However, the doctor came in to induce her around 8 o'clock that morning and from then on we were waiting patiently. It seem like it was taking her forever to dialate, so everytime she felt a labor pain she would do some breathing techniques to get through the pain. So the nurses came in and checked her for the last time and said she had dialate to 10 centimeters. One of the nurses called the doctor to let her know that she was ready to deliver. The baby start coming so fast, they told her to don't push but the baby was pushing her way out. All of a sudden the baby just dived out. It was so funny, the nurses didn't have to help pull her out. That lil girl was ready for this world. The doctor arrived after everything was over with. The doctor cut the umbilical cord, and cleaned up the baby so my niece could hold her. She weighed 7 lbs 3oz! What a precious jewel!!! The reason why I choice this birth experience was because she was my brothers first born and this is his first grand child as well as my first great niece and he didn't have the opportunity to see her being born. He was killed in an accident 10 years ago. This was a heartfelt moment for all of us.

Birth Traditions in Northern Ghana

When the female relatives of a woman notice she is pregnant they greet her one morning just outside her bedroom door and blow ash in her face. It is to assure a safe birth. If the pregnant woman had a difficult pregnancy then the traditional birth attendant will be called. Women often give birth just squatting down and pushing out the baby. After birth only very near relatives and very good friends can visit for 2 weeks. The visit must be short. After birth only very near relatives and very good friends can visit for 2 weeks. The visit must be short. They believe if a woman talks too much after birth it is not good for her. The new mother does not leave the room except to take care of her bodily functions. Her mother remains in the bed with her and at night. In the night after the new mother feeds the baby the grandmother takes the baby and cares for it and gets it back to sleep. Thus the new mother gets the rest she needs. The baby is not name until 3 months, however, the baby will be called a stranger until it is named. While pregnancy and childbirth tend to be joyous times for families in developed countries, both are dangerous and even fatal in developing countries. UNICEF calls the gap between maternal health care for women in rich and poor nations “the greatest health divide in the world.”
                                                                   BABY OSZY!!!

A NOTE OF THANKS AND SUPPORT

Dear Colleagues,

This course provided me with my first blogging experience; thankfully, it wasn’t as difficult as I had expected. I wanted to thank all of you for supporting me through your comments, questions, and insights that were posted to my blog. This was a great learning experience and I wish all of you luck in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Antowah Jackson

EXAMINING CODES OF ETHICS

 NAEYC's Code of Ethics


ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CHILDREN

 I-1.1- To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training. This ideal is significant to me because I am a firm believer when it comes to furthering my education and expanding my knowledge in the early childhood field. I am working on my third degree, (Associate, Bachelor's, and now Master's) so continuing my education is a given!

I-1.3-To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child. This particular ideal is significant to me because I believe firmly that each child is unique and learns at his/her own pace. I believe that each child has a key that we as early childhood educators have to take the time to dig deep and find. Children are not robots, they are little people that depend on "big people" to understand and help them indentify with themselves

 DEC's Codes of Ethics:

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATION is critical to providing the most effective services for young children with disabilities and their families. Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice. Professionals acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work with a variety of young children with disabilities and their families within natural and inclusive environments promoting children’s overall growth, development and learning, and enhancing family quality of life. Finally, professionals continually should seek and interpret evidence based information for planning and implementing individually appropriate learning environments linked to ongoing assessment and collaboration with parents and professional team members.

Just as the professionals from this weeks media segment stated it is important that early childhood professionals are life long learners. Being a life long learner through the use of professional development will allow early childhood professionals to stay up to date with new findings that occur and they will be able to use these findings to improve the care that is provided to the children.

 

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Quote:

"Statistically most kids don't have a passion, and most adults don't either."

                                                             Howard Gardner

Book titles:

Beginnings and Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education

                             Ann Miles & Kathryn Williams Browne


Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education Building a Founcation

                                               Sue Bredekamp

COURSE RESOURCES

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/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
 

Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
  
• Websites:
  
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
  
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
  
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
  
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
  
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
  
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
  
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
  
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find this search interface.)

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Quotes from TWO Significant Contributors to Early Childhood Field

"You can really change the world if you care enough.."

"It is the responsibility of every adult...to make sure that children hear what we have learned from the lessons of life and to hear over and over that we love them and that they are not alone."


                              MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN



"People are more impressed by the power of our example rather than the example of our power."

"We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more. "


                               William J. Clinton

PASSION, MOTIVATION, & WISDOM

"Alot of work is equity work."

                           Renatta M. Cooper

"What keeps me engaged is that we're not there yet."
               
                           Renatta M. Cooper


"My Passion has been evolving through the years, it's an ongoing process, it's like a ripple."

                           Leticia Lara LCSW


"My Passion comes from wanting to make a difference."

                            Raymond Hernandez MS Ed


I'm not here to savethe world, I'm here just to make a difference."

                             Raymond Hernandez MS Ed

MY PERSONAL CHILDHOOD WEB

Witness the American ideal: the Self-Made Man. But there is no such person. If we can stand on our own two feet, it is because others have raised us up. If, as adults, we can lay claim to competence and compassion, it only means that other human beings have been willing and enabled to commit their competence and compassion to us—through infancy, childhood, and adolescence, right up to this very moment.

Urie Bronfenbrenner (20th century), psychologist, specialist in human development. "Who Needs Parent Education?"

I was asked to name and describe five people who has influenced my life as child :



Jacqueline Terrell (mom)

A beautiful woman, smart and nice..very independent!!! She loves me, took care of me. She's my greatest love and strength. She's the source of happiness to me and my family. She made sure we were up and ready for school on time. She is a joy to be around. I love her dearly.


Sammy White ( dad)

Talkative, Patient, Brillant and Outgoing. He has a great sense of humor and loves to smile. He has a passion for singing. He loves his children and grand children. He was the motivation for my career path. He always told me that the sky was the limit, but go beyond.

Leonard Jackson (grandfather)

He was a great provider for my entire family, great businessman, and hard worker. He was charming and very smart. He was a great husband to my grandmother. "Continuing your education was something he always instilled in me." The memories will always live within me.

Deloris Jackson (grandmother)

She was a great Head Start Teacher. She loves her family. Beautiful! She has such an astonishing personality. She was a great wife to my grandfather. She always wanted what's best for me. "You can be whatever and accomplish whatever your heart desire." Those were her favorite words of encouragement.


Donna Gooch (Best Friend)

This young lady has been my best friend forever. She has been an amazing friend. We grew up like two peas in a pot. She has a caring personality, alway been there for me through any difficult time in my life. I can depend on her for anything. As in our adult life, there's not a day goes by that we don't talk on the phone to one another. We were roommates when we first went off to college. It's has been a journey for the both of us. You don't find many true friends, and when you do. Be true to them as well as yourself.

PHOTOGRAPH OF ME!!!

Hello All!! Look to the left.

 It's Antowah!!!

Favorite Quotes!!

Only to name a few. These are some of the meaningful quotes concerning Children and Early Childhood Education that has an everlasting impression on me.


"Experts tells us that 90% of all brain development occurs by the age of five. If we don't begin thinking about eduation in the early years, our children are at the risk of falling behind by the time they start Kindergarten."
                                            -Robert L. Ehrlich-


"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression."

                                             -Dr. Hiam Ginnot-


"Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve."

                                              -Roger Lewin-

My Favorite Children's Book!!

One of the stories that I love so dearly is "Leo the Late Bloomer" by Robert Kraus & Joe Aruego. What I love about this book is that we as educators can't expect all kids to learn at the same time or be on the same level as others. Most kids learn on their own time. So don't be impatience when they can't get it the first time. "Patience is a Virtue"

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

Behind every school and every teacher is a set of related beliefs-a philosphy of education-that influences what and how students are taught. A philosophy of education represents answers to questions about the purpose of schooling, a teacher's role and what should be taught by what methods. In looking forward to furture experiences as a teacher I search myself for my philosophy of education. Above all, my beliefs about education, is that all students can learn regardless of race, or ethnic background. As a future teacher, I look forward to running a classroom where discipline, neatness and achievements are in the forefront. Most children of today lack all of these things in many instances. I feel that it is the job of all educators to help fill the emptiness that is left by the parents. In a perfect word, education is a fifty-fifty partnership between parents and teachers. I'm sorry to say that we live nowhere near perfect, so teachers must continue to role play as our students mother, father, directors, and mentor. Although it seems to be increasing harder to juggle all the balls without dropping any. However, it would be my responsibility to help each student to better understand their process of learning. I will make it comfortable for each student to be able to utilize their mental skills to interpret what is presented to them. It is possible for me to show and teach each student the importance of getting the required knowledge needed to succeed in life. In other word, my knowledge and the love for children will give me the opportunity to achieve high expectations of teaching. However, I am prepared to do whatever it takes to have a positive impact on all the young minds I encounter, it is my belief that in my furture experiences as an educator, not only should my students learn from me, but from them as well. I believe that in order to be an effective teacher my curriculum would contain the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also contain character, morals, values, and ethnics. All these things must be taught to create well rounded students and individuals. Otherwise, the product I represent to the world would be an "educated fool."