When I think of Research....

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

From this course I have gain the knowledge and confidence to conduct a research the correct way from the beginning to end.   When I first began this course I looked at the word “research” and was very afraid and nervous that I would have to conduct this long drawn out  process without any assistance, just on my own, but once I started reading the resources, participating in group discussions, gaining positive/critical feedback from the professor, Dr. Bird-Lisset, and fellow classmates along with independent practices I think I am now ready to tackle my very own study. I have learned many insightful lessons such as when planning make sure that you research and find all resources related to your topic before you began, and during designing the study, be certain to us all of the sections listen in the text (2010, p.13-32) as a guideline so you will not miss anything.  When conducting the research you need to keep a positive attitude, even when the unexpected occurs.  Keeping a quick and open mind to modify things that are not planned to meet the needs of the interviewee, is another thing I found to be of importance while designing the research.  Some to issues I encountered were that parents/guardians show their interested in the research but did not return consent forms, participants did not complete all of their research session, and dealing with participants that had language barriers.  I also tried to provide reminders by hanging posters around the facility reminding parents to complete consent forms; and set up a table during arrival and departure times, everyday for one week to inform those parents who were interested.   I tried to reschedule all session during times that would be great for parents, children, and educators that would best meet their needs, but again all did not complete all sessions.  I tried to find a translator in the community that would help participants feel more comfortable and in which they could relate to for non-English speaking participants.  Early childhood educators/advocators/professionals play a major role in the lives of younger children.  Without them there would not be modifications to bettering the curriculums, and well-being of younger children to best meet their individual needs.  I would like to thank God, my two children, my family, my professor, Dr. Bird-Lisset, and my fellow colleagues for providing me with the words of encouragement, new knowledge, thoughts, ideas as well as positive/ critical feedback that allowed me to become a more confident person throughout this course.  I wish you all the best throughout your future endeavors.  Good Luck to you all! Have faith and trust in yourself to be and do the best for our little ones who are our future!

References:

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A, & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010).Doing early childhood research:

            International perspectives on theory and practices. 2^nd ed. New York, NY

Research Around the World

 Research Around the World

This website provided many researches and reports explaining early childhood development in the past, present, and future from ages 3-5.  The country I chose focus on is Kenya.  I began by explaining the country and its geography, and historical report.  The 1999 census reported that the population was 28,686,605 but the family sized as decreased due to the modification of polygamous to monogamous marriages, and the high and increasing number of adults dying due to AIDS/HIV virus.  It also focused on the child expectancy rate as well as well-being considering off prenatal care and immunizations.  The government has created a plan to assist with adequate nutrition, and quality and affordable basic health services. The country of Kenya defines any human being under the age of 18.  The social status depends on the socio-economic and the gender of a child.    There has been a drastic drop of students dropping out of school due to social issues.  In the pre-primary years (ages 3-5 years) there are more boys attending learning institutes than girls.  The ECE is supported by the World Bank and is geared from children ages 0-8.  With the assistance of the World Bank and the government, they have been able to create various types of childcare for the countries young children and their parents such as: Institutionalized academic oriented care normally referred to by several names such as nurseries, kindergartens, pre-unit, pre-school and day care; home based care by child minders (Ayahs); ECD services (integrated, either institutional or non institutionalized) and community organized home care. This also provided a chance for more girls as well as trained educators to teach and assist children with everyday care giving skills.  I was also capable of learning that similar to the United States, Kenya too is trying to improve the early education arena with the support of local firms and private entrepreneurs.  Included with these topics are healthy child, health, nurture, nutrition, schooling/EDC, Stimulation, and protection to aid with the improvement of   all children/families in the country of Kenya. 

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

 Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Option 1-

While working in the current childcare facility as a 3 year old early childcare educator, the students and parents in my class were asked to participate in a study lead by the Psychology the Early Childhood Development Studies Departments of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  These professors and students were interested in the ways young children were affected by the influences of adults both in and out of the home and in places they were not familiar with.  Researcher found that children used their parents’ reactions when trying something new.  For example if a parent looked worried or nervous then the child would hesitate and not want to participate in the activity or the game for the day, but if the parent was happy and encouraged the child to do their best, then it made it a little easier for the child wanting to participate in the activity.  Many of times the child would look at the adult’ facial expressions when making an important decision, to determine their own choice during an experiment, or game lead by the researcher.    Parents benefited from the research by learning how to react to all situations in a calmly manner.  They were also taught how to act and stay calm in most situations, as well as how not to impose or jump into and comment on a child’s reaction until they ask for assistance.  These studies provided parents an opportunity to teach their children how to become independent and to begin with making choices/decisions on their own. 

Your Personal Research Journey

The purpose of my research is to learn/become more knowledgeable of the role teachers, and parents/guardians play with assisting their child (ren) with developing and improving cognitive skills.   I chose this topic because I have a great interest in younger children and how they learn and adapt cognitively in various settings.  I have been working in the early childcare arena for 10 years.  I have seen and experienced many children progress and improve their cognitive development, but has always been curious about what influences them both positive and negative.   Two weeks ago one of my colleagues and I were communicating and discussing how do children learn.  She made the comment that young children learn at home only if the parent(s)/guardian(s) allot time for involvement and engagement.  I agree to a certain extent but I also thought that children learn from their surroundings (older siblings, cousins, family members, neighbors etc.)  So I am a little confused on how to word the purpose.  I am always open for insight and suggestions on how to improve my research as well as assistance with this course.  

This week’s research chart has provided me with an explanation of how to design, conduct and complete a research from beginning to end.  Even though it seems very time consuming I think I would benefit from it in the long run, and hopeful add on to the early childhood education resources for those to utilize.  I too am fairly new with researching, but I am willing to assist anyone that I can. Please don’t hesitate to ask, if I don’t know I will try and find the answer for you.  Good Luck to you all during the process!   Remember to maintain a positive attitude no matter what, and to expect the unexpected!   I believe you all will have great researches! 

Your Personal Research Journey

The purpose of my research is to learn/become more knowledgeable of the role teachers, and parents/guardians play with assisting their child (ren) with developing and improving cognitive skills.   I chose this topic because I have a great interest in younger children and how they learn and adapt cognitively in various settings.  I have been working in the early childcare arena for 10 years.  I have seen and experienced many children progress and improve their cognitive development, but has always been curious about what influences them both positive and negative.   Two weeks ago one of my colleagues and I were communicating and discussing how do children learn.  She made the comment that young children learn at home only if the parent(s)/guardian(s) allot time for involvement and engagement.  I agree to a certain extent but I also thought that children learn from their surroundings (older siblings, cousins, family members, neighbors etc.)  So I am a little confused on how to word the purpose.  I am always open for insight and suggestions on how to improve my research as well as assistance with this course.  

This week’s research chart has provided me with an explanation of how to design, conduct and complete a research from beginning to end.  Even though it seems very time consuming I think I would benefit from it in the long run, and hopeful add on to the early childhood education resources for those to utilize.  I too am fairly new with researching, but I am willing to assist anyone that I can. Please don’t hesitate to ask, if I don’t know I will try and find the answer for you.  Good Luck to you all during the process!   Remember to maintain a positive attitude no matter what, and to expect the unexpected!   I believe you all will have great researches! 

Final Blog Assignment

Final Blog Assignment

This course, my fellow colleagues, researching international/and other early childcare websites has provided me with a great deal of knowledge and information that I would take into consideration and use when discussing early childcare education with my fellow colleagues and co-workers.  I have learned that in many countries they have similar views as the US regarding the Early Childcare arena.  They too think that their government or others should focus more and provide more funding to researching and assisting younger children beginning at birth.  There are also some countries where community organizations are providing parents/guardians with helpful insight and information with how to better their lives and the lives of their children.  Even though I did not get a chance to communicate with any international early childcare professional, I still think I have gain a lot of knowledge from reading some of my peers’ blog sites.  I plan to continue to research and stay inform with international websites, in order to gain assistance and provide assistance to see if I can aid younger children/families in any way possible.  International awareness is very important and I think more people need to get and stay involved, as well as assist with early childhood/diversity and see how it relates to their own community and the surrounding communities.  

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Eventually, I still have not heard nor received a news letter from the National Black Child Development Institute, so I completed the alternative assignment.  While reviewing the “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage I thought the article, “What are the three most important skills a child should learn?” to be interesting.  I became knowledgeable of one of the greatest challenges for education systems today is keeping pace with a changing world of work and equipping youth with the skills they will need in an increasingly knowledge-based economy.  Many researchers’ thinks that children need to be/have creative mind set, inventive thinking, critically and how the world relates around them, culture, values, respect, and life skills. Out of all of these aspects different scholars view various ones to be of importance to them.   I thought it was appealing to see that different people  living in various parts of the world have unusual qualities in which they think children should learn.

               The next article “Quality” informs the audience of the importance of a high quality early childhood program.  It states that it promotes motivation, self-confidence, good cognitive and linguistic skills and school readiness for children from disadvantage backgrounds.  It also provides learning activities that are developmentally, and culturally age appropriate, and child –center interaction.  With the assistance of parents, the community and stakeholders they can continue to advocate and work to keep early childhood of the main focus for school readiness, and preparing children for kindergarten. 

               The last article, “Access and Equity” shows how other countries also need to focus heavily on early childcare education  especially for disadvantage children/families and how important it is to begin with studying children at birth and working their way up. “Central governments must ensure an equitable distribution of resources among different populations and especially those who live in the most disadvantaged regions. “  I agree with the article and think it is sad that poor/disadvantage children always are lacking in early childhood skills due to the government and policymakers.  Hopefully this will change so that all children get a chance to a great early childcare learn experience and an excellent preparation for kindergarten. 

(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

National Black Child Development Institute http://nbcdi.org/ The National Black Child Development Institute is an organization that provides assistance, education, training, and programs promoting/advocating the well being of children/families of color throughout various states of the United States. There are many links that are connected to the website. One of the websites that caught my eye was the Black Child Development of Greensboro, Inc, is one of the organizations affiliated with NBCD, BCD is located in Greensboro, a placed I used to live in for the past 15 years, and worked in Childcare for 10 years. I have never heard of the organization until now. This association is funded through Ameri Corps, State Farm, privately and public donations to enhance the lives of younger children. Some of the programs the BCD offers are Back-to-School-Extravaganza, Black History Quiz Bowl (share the rich history, and culture of African Americans with youth and families), and Freedom School (a summer program that engages children of color with the love or literacy and reading, parent involvement, nutrition and well being). This organization also provides training to new/young mothers and fathers assisting with raising their children. The NBCD also is liked to what we do Family Engagement with the help of WK Kellogg Foundation that engages, educates and empowers parents of color to become and stay involved with their child’s life. “ NBCDI believes in prioritizing conversations about race, culture, class and gender in the context of family engagement; not to say that these things must, or should, be at the forefront of all of our conversations, but rather to say that those of us who provide services and solutions should learn as much as we can about the context of race and culture bias in which our children and families are embedded.” As a mother of 2 children I think it is important for all families to stay engaged, involved, and spend time with their children. Staying involved with a child’s education, community involvement really means a lot to children. Eventhough the economy is not in a great shape there are always little things you can do with your children like get a movie from Red box, enjoy and pop a bag of microwave popcorn. We sometimes play a board game and order pizza for the night, or do a cooking project. It is always the little things that matter to kids. The NBCD is aware and is trying to improve early childcare programs by making them more effective and high quality. They want to provide educators with the correct training and courses needed in order to design a curriculum that would best meet each child’s individual needs. There focus is to make sure that every child is “kindergarten readiness” and prepared for school. “In both the early education and K-12 systems, we know that effective teaching and high-quality instruction is a central component of children’s achievement, and, further, that consistent access to effective teachers and leaders can narrow the achievement gap and provide particularly strong benefits for children from low-income communities.” The Black Child Development of Greensboro, Inc. http://www.blackchilddevelopment.org/ What we do family engagement http://www.nbcdi.org/what-we-do/family-engagement

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I have yet to receive any information from my international contact person or from the national contact person so again I had to complete the alternative assignment. The ultimate mission of The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child Council is to close the gap between what we know and what we do to promote successful learning, adaptive behavior, and sound physical and mental health for all young children. Central to this concept is the ongoing generation, analysis, and integration of knowledge and the critical task of educating policymakers, civic leaders, and the general public about the rapidly growing science of early childhood development and its underlying neurobiology. The four goals and strategies include: Bringing credible and accurate knowledge to bear on public decision-making that affects children’s learning, behavior, and health. Rethinking the challenge of knowledge translation in order to strengthen its impact on the lives of children. Building broad-based and informed leadership to represent the interests of young children in the public and private sectors. Promoting a new national dialogue focused on rethinking the meaning of both shared responsibility for children and strategic investment in their future. I thought it was interesting when I viewed the article, “Early Childhood Program Evaluations: A Decision Makers Guide”, because it correlated with this week’s resources with what and how we can improve the early childhood education arena for both parents and policymakers. Similar to Kagan’s article this piece also made aware of the measurements the accountability of the programs and way in which all states could obtain a common core standard for early childhood programs throughout the US. The first article also explains how to use this tool if you wanted to conduct a study of families in the early childhood program, and how to access an overall program. This website also provided the research of the brain and how it works in younger children. It also shows how the brain works during hearing, vision, talking of early language skills as well as cognitive skills. I also thought it was interesting in another article where it expresses how young children are affected by stress and other traumatic situations during the first years of life. “From pregnancy through early childhood, all of the environments in which children live and learn, and the quality of their relationships with adults and caregivers, have a significant impact on their cognitive, emotional, and social development. A wide range of policies, including those directed toward early care and education, child protective services, adult mental health, family economic supports, and many other areas, can promote the safe, supportive environments and stable, caring relationships that children need.”(2013, p. 1) “Early Childhood Programs Evaluations a Decision Markers Guide” http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/multimedia/interactive_features/decision-guide-interactive/ Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/),

Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources I requested a newsletter from the National Black Child Development Institute during week one but I have yet to receive any information. While reviewing the website, there was a link to Alliance for early Success and under its umbrella was a link to Birth to Five Policy Alliance. This link supports and hopes to strengthen black children and families in Jackson MS, Detroit, MI, and Milwaukee, WI. I also signed up to receive NBCDI’s policy alerts. While observing some of their policy/trend issues there were a couple that caught my eye. The article, “Growing Number Ask for Higher Spending in Early Childhood Education” included both politicians, and neuroscientist collaborating thoughts and ideas wanting to assist children of Nebraska to better themselves as well as the economy. During the meeting Senator John Harms and other politicians discussed his bill: “Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff and others who supported his bill (LB190) are asking the committee to set aside $20 million in the next two-year budget -- $10 million a year -- to help more at-risk Nebraska kids and their parents through the Early Childhood Education Endowment Cash Fund. The first three years of children's lives affects their education, employment and interaction with the community and society, Harms said. In those years, they need three critical tools: a solid relationship with adults they can constantly count on, activities that promote healthy brain development and a good and safe place to live, learn, play and create."We're short of that in over 30,000 children," he said. "I don't know how you feel, but it makes my heart really heavy."(2013 P.1) Dr. Laura Jana, an Omaha pediatrician who studied in cellular and molecular biology explained to the committee the poverty was a neurotoxin, right to the level of neurons in the brain responsible for learning. She also stated, “seven hundred neurons per second are developed, pruned, made more efficient and connected in the very early years of life. Social-emotional learning happens in preschool play.” Dr. Jana also explained, “I don’t want anybody to ever listen to the world ‘play’ again and not start thinking executive function skills, the ability to work in the workforce, to organize thoughts, to change your course based on new information. That is what pre-school is.”(2013, p.1) I think this quote summarizes it all. This is an issue I can highly related, not only do I have a 3 year old daughter, but I also am a childcare provider wanting all children to have an opportunity to receive great and high quality learning experiences. I rather for politicians to spend more funding in the beginning than when it is too late during intervention. Let’s not waste wonderful innocent minds, instead let’s help to engage, and encourage young children and get them ready for school. In the article “Pre-k, paying off experts says” was a topic in a forum focused on Georgia’s lottery Pre-K program after 20 years and provided positive feedback from parents and educators on how the program has aided 4-year olds with school readiness. The program started in 1992; about 1.2 million students have received services which cost $4.5 billion. This year 84,000 students attend 3,800 public and private pre-k classes across Georgia, but they were trying to decided what they were going to do during the budget cut for the next school year. This seems to be an issue in many early childhood programs and schools. They are being challenged to do extreme cuts due to the decline in the economy. I also thought it was interesting that investors such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation were a few that invest in early childhood education/studies. Through research they also take a look at the whole child and his/her well being. Unknown. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Pre-K Paying off Experts Say. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from http://birthtofivepolicy.org/ Young, JoANNE.(2013)Growing number ask for higher spending in early childhood education. Lincoln Journal Star. p.1 Retrieved from http://birthtofivepolicy.org/ National Black Child Development Institute http://nbcdi.org/ (Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/ ) Birth to five policy alliance http://birthtofivepolicy.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1 I have been trying to contact the Mrs. Michelle Campbell who is the contact/communication person of Early Childhood Education in Jamaica. So I completed the alternative of this assignment. I read three of the case studies and found that all of them had something very informational to offer. Nan Nan: life in a poor migrant family is tough This case study is about a 14 year old little girl who used to live and go to school in the rural are of China, but her parents wanted to move off the farm in order to better the lives for their children. Nan Nan’s mother told them that the schools there would be better and they would receive more than at the rural schools. Nan Nan expresses that she does not like it because her classmates mock her because of her accent and she was two years older than the children in her class. Nan Nan had a difficult transition for a while she stayed with her grandparents. They would let her play with her friends as long as she wanted, and didn’t ask about her grades. She stated when her parents would come to visit her during Chinese New Year they would give her money and have to hurry back to their jobs. At the new home the mom gets up at 6 and usually doesn’t return until 8 from work, which is too late to help Nan Nan with her homework. She made the statement, “I Sometimes wonder why we came” Poverty and ill health pushed Banwari out of school and into work. In India Banwari is a 17 year old who lives in a poor village with his 6 brothers. The family of 10 depends on agriculture to meet their needs. Banwari did not get a chance to finish school because he was forced to drop out due to lack of funding. Banwari followed his brother’s footsteps and began to weaving to help the family with money. He is forced to work long and tiresome hours with little pay. Banwari wished he could have finished school and received a better job, but his parents are happy that they are capable of making ends meet. Eventhough he sometimes think of migrating for better opportunities, he says he would rather stay there to help his family. Zarina:migrant child worker dreams of becoming a teacher In Krygystan, Zarian is a 13 year old who, which in the 7th grade was forced to move by her parents to the suburbs to better their lives and live with their relatives. She helps to take care of the 8 month old baby. In the new suburbs there is no school, so children have to take a shuttle to schools in the city. She is not able to play with the surrounding children nor go to school because she has to take care of the baby, cook 3 meals and wash clothes while here uncle and aunt works the market. This is something she dreads because she likes school, used to make good grades and read a lot of books. Zarina hopes that she will be able to go back home and continue school, even though she would be 1 year behind her peers, she wants to finish school and enroll in a teacher’s college. She wants to teach history because he admires her history teacher and loves to learn history. Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/), Con

Sharing Web Resources

National Black Child Development Institute http://nbcdi.org/ (Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/ ) The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCD) website does offer a newsletter but it is not electronic, the website stated that it would be sent through the mail. I am not for sure how often they are mailed. I also checked the box to subscribe for the Child Health Talk, which is a quarterly publication, generously funded by State Farm Insurance. It provides a wide range of information for families with young children on topics related to health and well being. “Each issue typically includes the following issues, indentified by parents and caregivers as important to helping them with the overall growth and development of their children: Child development and education, healthy home environment, nutrition, and health and fitness”(National Black Child Development Institute). I have learned that the NBCD provides opportunities to improve the lives of children/parents and communities of color. Some of their major focuses are the health/ well-being, the early years and parenting (making parents aware of the importance of early reading to children, and making sure that kids and ready to enter into school, and the schools are ready for them), The Middle Years (assuring middle schoolers the readiness for college), and the Community Mobilization (ensures that information resources to all of those who work directly with children). UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html Jamiaca http://www.unicef.org/jamaica/index.html I also choose to research the country Jamaica as a link under the UNICEF website. This site did not have a place to subscribe for a newsletter. This site also focused on health/ well being, education and community as its main topics. The website did not have a specific issue or trend that caught my eye, but I was amazed at one program under the umbrella was the “Bashy Bus”, which is a colorful bus that would stop at adolescent hangouts to counselor and discussion sexual behavior and the danger of sharing partners through music and drama. This issue caught me off guard because in this group sometimes counselors have to communicate with young children and try to prevent teenage pregnancy. Most children born to teenage mothers are usually born under weight/preterm and do not receive adequate health care. Demographics played a major role because most of the communities that UNICEF are assisting are low-income/poor areas of the country and some of the people who are providing assistance are those in a higher social or economic class.

Getting Ready-Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources Before getting started with this assignment, I reviewed the various websites and countries I was given the opportunity to choose from. Next I typed a general letter, explaining who I was and I would like to learn about early childhood in their country. I asked if we could communicate over the next 8 weeks on trends and issues concerning early childhood education in their country. There were a lot of countries that interest me; it was hard to only choose two. I chose professionals from 6/7 countries; Germany, Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Then I emailed the letter to each individual country, and address it personally to the communication contact. I have yet to hear from any of the countries. I am looking forward to hearing from them all. I am eager to become aware, compare and contrast early childhood education from the U.S. to each of the 6 countries. For selecting a childhood education website I was stuck on two of them that I need to narrow my research. Those 2 websites were National Black Child Development Institute and The National Association for the Education of Young Children. In researching them both I have became aware of a lot of helpful and insightful information. I will probably go with the National Black Child Development since I was able to subscribe for a free electronic news letter. I am not an expert but I am always willing to assist each of you in any way possible. Don’t hesitate, feel free to ask and if I don’t know then I will do my best to research and find out for you. I wish you all good luck with discovering about other countries outside of the U.S.

My Support

When I first wake up in the morning I say a prayer and try to read or recite a bible verse each day, which is like my jump start and gets me in the mood of having a great day. I usually repeat to myself I will have a good day, I will be patient, loving, kind, understand, and will have a safe and blessed day. I usually wake my son up and see him smiling followed by hugs and kisses when often to school. My daughter when she wakes up and says good morning to both my son and followed by a smile or two. Once I get to work either I call my mom or she calls me just so we can hear each others voices, and wish each other a great and safe day. I usually talk to my dad after the work day is done, because not only does he want to speak to me but to my kids as well. That will be missed because my father passed last Saturday. Eventhough I know that he is no longer suffering and is in a better place, I don’t think I will never get over it. My sister and I both talk each daily and we express our feelings and thoughts as well as provide each other with words of encouragement for each other. It would be very hard and difficult if one of these significant people’s routine changes each day. As I stated before I am still trying to cope with the passing of my father and not being able to hear his voice each day. I would want and need each of these aspect of support each day. I also try to listen to the religious radio station, throughout the day, which also provides me words of comfort and encouragement.

My Childhood Connections to Play

“My Connections to Play” It was hard for me to only choose 2 so I posted 5. Childhood Play Quotes: “Play is not only our creative drive; it’s a fundamental mode of learning.” ~ David Elkind (psychologist, author) “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Friedrich Froebel (founder of the concept of kindergarten) “Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.” ~ Abraham Maslow (psychologist) “Men should learn to live with the same seriousness with which children play.” ~ Nietzsche (philosopher, writer) “Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry) I can always remember my mom, dad and grandmother telling me to go outside, because I was a little girl and needed to be outside playing instead of sitting in the house. Back then I was considered lazy and did not like to be outside in the hot sun that much, only if I was doing something that interested me such as picking something out of the garden that I wanted to eat, and drive the tractor. Around the ages of 4 or 5 I used to love to play house with my dolls and role play my teachers All of my little cousins were made by bossy little me to be students, and I was the teacher. I used to pass out old text books and extra worksheets that I had gotten from teachers and I used to pass I would check them and everything. My mom encouraged me to continue and become a teacher. She would fix lunch and dinner and tell us its lunch time. She would also let us go through the cafeteria line and would serve us as we went through. My dad was a farmer so he would take me out in the fields and together we would plant things such as strawberries, watermelons, corn, apple trees etc. Then we would go back when it was time to harvest the crops and we would dig and pick the fruits and vegetables. When I would get tired he would let me sit on the tractor and pretend as though I was farming by myself. My father wanted me to get dirty, he stated that is what the washer machine and dryer is for whereas my mom wanted me to stay clean, and neat just as a little girl should be. When I was younger we played using our creativity and imagination. We were capable of making things to play such as hopscotch, or we would swing on the swing set, jump on the trampoline, play basketball out in the back yard, pretending to play school or house with dolls and etc. The only time most of today’s children are outside is when they are coming out of the house getting into the car to go somewhere. Instead of creativity, imagination, they would rather live in the technology world, video games, phones, Ipads etc. When growing up I did not really realize the importance of play. Once I became an adult it was like no time for play just work, work, work, until I had my first child, and I revisit the enjoyable and fun times I missed when I was younger. Now with a 8 yr old who usually plays with the neighborhood kids, and my 2 year old in which I find myself playing all the time. Most of the time I don’t realized that I am playing until after it was all over. I have came to realize that no matter how young or old you. This is me at the age of 5 or 6 getting ready to take my new doll I got for Christmas along with my other dolls and we are getting ready to begin our school day (pretend school). I don’t have many childhood pictures that show me playing and interacting with other peers so I decided to post this picture of my son Savion, and my daughter Lailah, and we are enjoying the snow. My daughter was very excited to explore the snow since this is her 1st time ever. Sorry having some computer issues with trying to upload these pictures.

Relationships Reflections

There are many people who have influenced, encouraged and we have built positive, relationships. If I name all of them I think I would be writing a book. With that said I will only name a few: My father- My father is the man I always looked up to and always said when I grow up I want to find a husband that have the same qualities as him. I think we build a relationship when I was a baby. We have incorporated a real father-daughter relationship. Not only is he very protective of my sister and I but he taught us how to respect ourselves, how to be patience, and that we could do anything we wanted as long as we put our mind to it. He is a people person, everyone in town knows him, and he doesn’t meet a stranger. He is my inspiration, and is always there to give me encouraging words even if they are words that I don’t want to hear, but I know it is best for me. I love my father and will talk to him if I have an issue way before I would talk to my mom. Although he was a farmer, he made sure that he provided for our family and when the crops didn’t do well he did all kinds of odd jobs in order for my mom, sister and I had everything we needed for school etc. He grew up on a farm and they didn’t have a lot so each Christmas his grandmother would give them a shoe box with fruit, nuts, and candy and they were very appreciated to get it. This is also a tradition that he still does today in remembrance of his grandmother and to show us that it is the little things that count. We can maintain our relationship by listening to each others issues, words of encouragement and telling each other that we love them. My mother-My mother is a humble and very religious lady that taught us how to become a lady, as well as the principle that women can do anything that men can do. She taught us how to become independent, how to make it for ourselves, and never to depend on anyone for anything. She took us to Sunday school and Church each Sunday, which aided us with a positive up bringing. Eventhough we have many disagreements, about what she thinks is best for me, I still love her, and we have a very close and tight bond. She is very family oriented; she is the type that thinks we should all be together for every holiday, and if we decided to go elsewhere she will let us know that she isn’t happy about the situation. We can maintain our relationship my communicating and telling each other we love them. My sister-My sister is 9 years older than me, and when I hit the teenage years it was more like she was my mom instead of my sister. I love her and we have a very tight bond. We communicate everyday sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, providing and receiving advice on certain situations. Like my mom, she is also very family oriented and stays busy and on the go. She is a single mother of 2 teenager girls, a high school assistant principal, a wedding planner, a beautician, the president of the family reunion both my mom’s and dad’s, is an active member in her sorority AKA, etc. I could go on and on. She is my motivation, when I don’t think I can’t do it anymore I call or look at her situation and say if she can do it so can I. We can maintain our relationship with each other by staying honest and keeping the line of communication open. My Children-My 8 year old son, and my 2 year old daughter, are my inspiration. Many people say that my kids have been here before or they have the souls of older people, which means some of the things they say and do are things that elderly people world do or say, positive things and words of encouragement. I wouldn’t give anything for those 2. They are both friendly and never meet strangers like my dad. They both have great hearts and have learned to appreciate the little things, and never to take anything for granted. I love those 2 and when I feel like giving up I just look at them and say I have to do it so I can better myself for my children. I maintain this positive, healthy relationship with my older son, by providing him with words of encouragement before and after school along with hugs and letting him know that it is ok to make mistakes, I also support him in school as well as outside activities, basketball/baseball practices as well as games. For my 2 year old we spend time together, reading, drawing, writing, play games etc. We also visits libraries, science centers, fairs, and have many family outings. I hope to keep an open line of communication open between my students, and their families. I want to learn more about both the students and family in order to best meet the needs of each. I would also have diversity nights or days were students and parents are capable of showing or putting on display their traditions and the things that are important to their families. This way students and families will be capable of learning about each other and their thoughts and beliefs.