My Supports

My Support comes from God, and my Mom. These two are always available to support me whenever I need them. I have been through some rough times but I have always made it through. One of my challenges were do I accept a job that requires me to move or do I stay where I am at. My mom prayed and encouraged me to evaluate all options. It became clear as day what choice was best for me. I have been working in my new job for awhile now and I am positive that I made the right choice, thanks to my support system.

My Connection to Play

                                                    "My Connections to Play."

The 2 quotes that I feel summarize my feelings of childhood play are :

1.       For a small child there is no division between playing and learning; between the things he or she does ‘just for fun’ and things that are ‘educational.’ The child learns while living and any part of living that is enjoyable is also play. ~ Penelope Leach (psychologist and author).

2.      Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry).

When I was growing up, my family could not afford video games, cable and internet. My childhood play consist of going outside and finding something to play with and returning home before the street light came on. This type of play exposed me to different types of animals, insects, plants, trees, how to climb trees etc. I was given hours and hours of exploration time with simple rules: Do not leave the neighborhood and be back inside before the street lights come on. I believe that in today’s play time, play is somewhat scripted and it does not allow the child to maximize the gains of explorations.  Not only does play allow the child to loosen up and release some energy; most importantly the child will learn and develop socially and emotionally through exploring on their own terms.  It is very critical for both parents and educators to understand that play is much more than a recreational pastime for children. The importance of play in child development and learning is vitally significant. It is through a child’s active play that they acquire and refine many of the prerequisite skills that contribute to successful learning.

 The two things I chose were a ball and a stick. I feel these two things provide unlimited exploration ideas.

1.                          
2. 

                                                                                                                     

Healthy relationships

A relationship are sometimes very difficult to figure out. Sometimes that are stressful, controversial, confrontational and very difficult. Other times they can be refreshing, stress free, delightful and inspirational. Our ability to build healthy patterns early on in our relationship often establishes a solid foundation. People often need different things from their relationship. I do not have any family or not many friends in the area where I live so must of my relationships in person are work related in some capacity. At work I have many different type of relationships, some positive and some negative. I especially treasure my relationship with the players on my Girls basketball team. Each young lady is different with their totally different personalities and characteristics. Although I have a relationship with all of them, our relationship differs in the aspect of what they need. For some that do not have a strong family support at home I have the relationship of a parent. To others that does have a strong parental support, we have the relationship of their coach and mentor. All of the relationships I have with my team is very important to me. One thing that I have to remind myself is that I can not be judgmental in order to keep our communication bridge open and to continue to have a healthy relationship with my players and their family.It brings me joy that my team, listen, understands and communicates without hesitation.

Child quotes

"Children are the world's most valuable resource."

Whole Child assessment

Today’s demands have changed so I believe that our assessments should change as well. Students should be required and measured on student’s mastery of higher-order thinking skills and that they are able to see the relationships among seemingly diverse concepts (Chang, 1999). Also on their ability to recall, analysis, comparison, inference, and evaluation. We do not have any test in place to measure these skills. I also believe that students should be required and measured on their teamwork, collaboration and creativity skills. We currently assess our students according to the FCAT. The FCAT is an annual test given to students in grades 3-11 that measures their skills in the areas of reading, math, science and writing according to Florida’s Sunshine State Standards. The FCAT is given to students each year in February (writing) and in March (reading, math, and science). The areas of reading and math are tested each year in grades 3 through 10. The area of writing, in addition to reading and math, is tested in grades 4, 8, 10. The area of science is tested in grade 5, 8, 11. In grade 5 and 8, science is tested in addition to reading and math. In grade 11, only science is tested.

In England, Silvermail (1996) found that schools provide multiple measures of performance that serve multiple purposes. Schools assess student progress through both a national examination and teacher-made tests when students reach the ages of seven, eleven, fourteen, and sixteen. These exams are primarily used to measure the effectiveness of the schools in delivering the national curriculum. All schools must follow nationally prescribed content and pedagogic methods and set targets for individual pupil learning (Whetton, Twist, and Sainsbury, 2000). Gipps, Clarke, and McCallum (1998) assert that this system places too little emphasis on assessment of learning and too much on assessment for learning.

Reference:

Cheng, L. 1999. Changing assessment: Wash back on teacher perceptions and actions. Teaching and Teacher

                Education, 15(3), 253-271.

Gipps, C., Clarke, S., & McCallum, B. 1998, April. The role of teachers in national assessment in England. Paper

                presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, California

                (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 419 836).

Silvernail, D. 1996. The impact of England's national curriculum and assessmentsystem onclassroom practice:

                Potential lessonsfor American reformers. Educational Policy, 10(1),46-62.

Whetton,C., Twist, E., & Sainsbury, M. 2000. National tests and targetsetting: Maintainingconsistentstandards.

                Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans,

                Louisiana (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 441 849).

stressors

Hunger is a meaningful topic for me because of an article I read a few weeks ago. Children that have no access to food not only harm their body but it also affects their mental state.  There have been researchers that have revealed that poor diet during early development (0-3yrs) leads to learning and memory deficits, lower IQ and school achievement, and behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence (Mcgregor, (1995). Hunger has also been linked to conditions such as Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia.  In UK, they are battling with hunger and a lack of resources to obtain food. Children are suffering extreme neglect and malnutrition. At an alarming rate, children are dying from hunger in the UK. The government is currently exploring solutions to this problem but not fast enough.

Reference:

Grantham-Mcgregor, S. (1995). A Review of Studies of the Effect of Severe

Malnutrition on Mental Development. The Journal of Nutrition. 125:

2233S-2238S

Child Development and Public Health

Nutrition/Malnutrition is a meaningful topic for me because of a story I came across a few weeks ago. Children that are not having the correct nutrition not only harm their body but it also affects their mental state.  There have been researchers that have revealed that poor diet during early development (0-3yrs) leads to learning and memory deficits, lower IQ and school achievement, and behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence (Mcgregor, (1995).Malnutrition has often also been linked to conditions such as ADHD, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia.  

I remember reading a story about children in the UK and how they were battling with malnutrition. Over in the UK, the children are suffering extreme neglect and malnutrition. Although very alarming, children are still dying from severe malnutrition. I remember they specifically mentioned a 7 year old boy named Khyra Ishaq who should not have lost his life due to food.  The latest figures calculated in the UK reveal that 4 million children in the UK are living in poverty.  It’s also been found that 16% were

severely stunted, 14% wasted and 20% at risk of severe malnutrition. This world must find ways to reach out and make sure no one is dying because they are experiencing malnutrition, hunger or food insecurity. I do my best making sure all of my students can at least have food for nourishment while on campus.

Reference:

Grantham-Mcgregor, S. (1995). A Review of Studies of the Effect of Severe

Malnutrition on Mental Development. The Journal of Nutrition. 125:

2233S-2238S