My Support..........

Support to me does not mean having others do for you; it is the comfort of knowing I am not alone.  My greatest supports are my daughters, son, husband, family, and friends.  My kids and husband were my biggest support while I was going to school and am still now while I am going through my master degree.  My family and friends would always encourage me to go forward and tell me it is never too late to change things.  I remember a time when me and my children where living at a friend’s house because we had no place to go and I did not have a job.  Without the support and love from friends and family I think I would have given up on the world. 

So many of us has faced some type of challenges during their life but I think the biggest challenge is poverty or financial.  My biggest challenge that I faced in the world was losing my business and having to live with friends for four years.  I had to close my child care center, I was getting divorce, and during that divorce I lost my car and my house.  I became a single mom with three children and no place live, no job, or transportation.  Me and my children lived with some family for about two years and then lived with my closest friend.  During this time I finished my degree in early childhood education and got a job as a teacher assistant.  My boyfriend at the time while I was going through this major financial issues, he encouraged me to continue on, then we got a place together and after eight years we got married. 

Other support that I received was during my financial issues was a state medical card for me and my children.  I also received food stamps to help bring food into my house for me and my children. After I started working my medical card was discontinued but my children continued to keep their medical cards until they were eighteen.  The area I live single mothers can get support from the state with medical cards, food stamps, and can even get child care assistants to help pay for their children to attend child care center so they can work.   

My Connection to Play

These quotes reminded me of play when I was little:

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning” –Fred Rogers

“Play is the beginning of knowledge” –George Dorsey

 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” –Plato

“Play is training for the enexpected” –Marc Bekoff

My dad was always gone due to his job but my mom and grandma always encouraged me and my sister to go outside and play.  We would stay outside for hours exploring but we never left the yard unless mom was with us. We would ride our bikes, go for walks, roller skate, jump rope and even go to the park or the beach.  I remembered when I was in the second grade, we had to do experiments for school and my mom and I created a color wheel and that is how I learned how to mix colors together to make another color.  We did not watch TV much, when I was little but in today’s world TV is the biggest baby sitter for some children. 

As I got older, I did not go outside as much because my mother became a single mom and had to work.  She would not let us go out unless she was home, but I still was learning while I was staying inside. I learned how to wash clothes, clean dishes, and even taught myself how to cook.  When I became a mom I continued to learn by taking care of my children, playing with them and watch them learn.  

 

 

Reflecting on Building Relationships

Building a successful relationship is a big part of life with family and with friends which in my eyes all starts with trust.  If can’t trust others than you will have a hard time believe what they have to say and cause some doubts. Another part of having a successful relationship is being able to understand one another regardless if you agree or disagree.  We all have difference of opinions and at times even misunderstand what someone else is trying to say.  I have not had the best supportive or positive relationships in my life.  The top supportive and positive relationships I have had have been my mother, children, and my husband.

 

My mother has been there when I needed a shoulder to cry on or just to have someone that will listen to me.  My mom has always listened to me and will give me her advice but she would always say, “I may give you advice but you are the one that can either take it or leave because you are the person in charge of how you run your life.”   

 

I am 39 years old and my son will be 21 next week, my daughter is 19, and my youngest daughter is 14.  Being a teenage mother and having to grow up fast, my children have taught me how to be patience, strong, and confident in everything I do in life.  I have become the person I am because of my children and with their support I have completed a BA in early childhood education.  Going back to school took some time away from my children but they encourage me to continue because this was something I have always wanted to do is teach young children.  This also showed my children that it is never too late to go to college and get the degree you have always wanted.

 My husband and I lived together for 8 years before I agree to get married again and now we have been married for 1 year.  In my previous marriages, they were not successful relationships because I could not trust which cause me to doubt them.  My husband was also previously married and has two children of his own.  With all the challenges we both have experience with our previous relationships; we decided to work on trust and learn to understand each other before we decided to make it final.  Bringing two families together brought some challenges in our relationship and as the years went on we both have become stronger, understanding, and even closer in our relationship. 

I believe that the best practice is the experience we all go through in life.  Our experiences or past relationships will only help us to build a better relationship with others.  As an early childhood professional I firmly believe building a strong effective relationship is the key to unlock opportunities for parents to become more involved with their child development and education. 

~During the earliest stages the child perceives things like a solipsist who is unaware of himself as subject and is familiar only with his own actions.~ Jean Piaget 



 




A special thanks to all classmates that have posted comments of encouraging words on my blogs. A special thanks to Dr. Cara Wicks-Ortega for providing feedback to improve my thinking on child development.


Assessments and Learning

Assessing all children’s educational progress is great if we are assessing what the students have learned and how we can help them to go above and beyond their learning ability.  The only problem with the standardize test that are given to our children is that our teachers will only teach what is on that standardize test just to make sure the students get a higher score.  Our education system uses these tests as a basis of accountability for teachers and students.  Early childhood students are assessed by using the creative curriculum program which assessing each student in social, emotional, cognitive, and physical domains.  The creative curriculum program is an assessment that shows where a child is lacking in developments and is used as a key to early intervention for each student. Not only does this help teacher provide early intervention it allows the teacher to also help a child go above and beyond their learning ability.  As an early childhood professional we all have learned that all developmental domains overlap each other which focuses on the whole child.  But as children get older the assessments that are done on younger children are not the same for the older children.  Some test out their will show what a student had learned but does it really show how a child is learning.  Test like SAT/ACT shows academic intelligence for student who want to go to college but the problem with this test is the stress level of the students.  Without a 21 or higher most students will not make it into a college of their choice, which put stress on a student.

After reading this news broadcast I was shocked to find out that, “the U.S. scored 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math, slightly higher than the last time the tests were given. The really stunning news comes from China, and the province of Shanghai, where students scored better than anyone else in the world after taking the test for the first time.”  I continued to read this news broadcast and found out that the students and teachers all have a high standard in education.  These teachers went above and beyond of what the students needed to learn and what else can they learn by having the students go outside of their box.  I was shocked that China and the province of Shanghai had never taken standardize test that our children take every year in school and scored the highest.  That should show our education system that they need to stop looking at just reading, science, and math in order to see basic progress of our children.  We as teachers need to stop teaching what the students needs to know for the end of the year testing and challenge these students to go outside of their box. 

Resource:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40544897/ns/us_news-life/t/wake-up-call-us-students-trail-global-leaders/

All over the world has some type of stressors rather it is violence, disease, hungry, or war. We all learn how to deal with these types of issues in our lives. As a young child I would wish that someone would take me away due to the violence I experienced growing up. The violence I experienced was the physical abuse from my father. My father was an alcoholic and if I did not follow rules or do the chores they asked I was beaten with whatever my father found.  I remembered a time when my parents were called into school for a parent teacher conference and they explained to my parents that I need extra help in my comprehension.  My father stated that “my children are not going to be dumb children and he will fix it” and this started to be the worse childhood experience I would ever face.  I would have to sit on the edge of my parent’s bed and read to my dad a book that was above my age level.  Once I started reading this book if I ever said a word wrong, my father would take the belt buckle across my back until I pronounce the word correctly.  When I would go to bed every night I would wish that someone who take me away.  Once I became an adult and starting having children I thought I would never treat my children how I was treated as a child; but what I found myself in was a relationship of an abusive husband that never remembered anything.  After five years I decided I had enough of this and I was finally going to get help and did.  Just like many other places around us all suffer from sometime of abuse.  In the US one woman is abused every 15 seconds.  India has 40% of woman report physical assaults. One of every six murder committed in Sweden was done by a man murdering his wife.  So many place experiences this same time of abuse and we still today can find ways to help prevent this from happening.  We all try to change how we are from a child but some seem to find the same pathway just as if they were still living in violence.  Some can change their path but so many of them feel that can’t break free but I did break free.  It may have taken two marriages and three kids later but I no longer live in fear and wonder if I’m going to wake up with a black eye.  I hope that someday we all will be able to notice abuse before it gets out of hand and be able to help those in need. 

WK 2 "Breastfeeding"

For many years we all have read or have been told that breastfeeding is the best way to provide the best nutrition for your baby. So why it is that breastfeeding is not encouraged more for mothers. As a teenage mom, I had a nurse try to work with me in breastfeeding my son but I was so unsuccessfully due to that my son was tongue tied, which made it hard for him to latch on.  Nineteen months later my daughter was born and I knew I could not go through breastfeeding again because I felt as if it was going to be like the last time. During this time the nurses did not even trying to encourage me to try again therefore she was bottle feed. Five years later I gave birth to a baby girl and the nurses encouraged me to try breastfeeding which was a success. I was more willing to try it again because during this pregnancy my doctor gave me all the education needed to know all the benefits there was to breastfeeding. Therefore I continued to breastfeed up until I was told by my work that I could not take breaks in order to breastfeed my child. Just like in the United Kingdom most mothers don't choose to breastfeed because they can't take those breaks to either pump or breastfeed their babies. We all know that breastfeeding is beneficial to a child's development, so why don't we have more ways to encourage our employers to allow mother's to take breaks in order to pump or breastfeed their babies. Breastfeeding out in public is frowned upon  in North America and Western Europe, so why can’t places provide a spot so that a mother who choose to breastfeed their babies can do so without others judging.

WK 1 Births in Japan

Japan’s births take place either in a hospital or doctor’s clinic but midwives handle much of the births.  This is similar to much of Europe, but differs drastically from North America, where less than eight percent of births are attended by a midwife. About two percent of births in Japan occur in midwife-run birth houses or in private homes.  It's similar to the US and Western Europe, with the exception of The Netherlands, they have more than a third of births at home. The use of pharmaceutical pain relief differs widely among Western countries. British Commonwealth countries tend to lean toward the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas), while France and the US prefer epidurals. The Netherlands, like Japan, strives for more natural, nondrug pain relief methods, however Japan also adds the strong cultural affinity for gaman, or stoic forbearance.

Another difference encountered here by many foreign women is the lack of family and close friends that they may have been supported by back home. Taking a class with several other couples gives all involved an opportunity to start building new friendships with others who are also approaching parenthood for the first time. It is difficult to recreate one’s home environment, but participating in a birth class and getting involved in various pregnancies and parenting groups can help to bridge that gap, to a certain extent.

WK 1 Childbirth in my life

I have given birth to three healthy children and each one were different.  The first child seem to take forever in my mind.  I was 18 years old and a senior in high school when I started having contractions after lunch.  I did not think anything was going on until the next day when I went to the restroom and my water broke.  My mother come over and drove me to the hospital and they confirmed my water broke.  Well hours went by and I did not think this child was ever going to come out.  I was in labor for 15 hours and my son was finally born at 12:00am 30 secs before 12:01 and the nurse told me I could choose a date for his birthday.  I looked at her and said why, they informed me that it is not officiall the next day until the clocked hit 12:01am. 
My second child was a little bit more scary.  The day before she was born I showed signs of complications but the hospital sent me home.  When I went back to the hospital the very next day at 3:00am the doctor did not even have time to come in and deliver her because I told the nurse that this baby was coming and she said you have a few hours and I yelled no I don't.  The nurse looked back at me before leaving my room and notice that my daughter's head was out.  She was the fastest birth out of all three, but after her birth I started to hemorrhage.  They took her away until they could control the bleeding which was a scary situation considering this was my second child and I was only 20 years old.
Four years later is when I had my third child and I thought that I was prepared for anything after giving birth two previous times.  Every birth is different and with my third child the nurses scared me by telling me they could not find her heart beat.  After delivering two other children and learning more about the importance of prenatal care and early development, I took all precautions to make sure that this birth was better than the last two.  Until the nurse said they could not hear her heart beat, which caused me to panic causing my own heart rate to drop.  Once the doctor came in and found her heart beat I calmed down and she was a healthy little girls.

WK 8 Thank You Class!!!!!

I would like to thank my classmates of the help and understanding on how to create these blogs. This is my first time ever creating a blog for the internet world to read. I will continue to use this blog to add helpful information or even some encouraging words for others to use. Best of luck to you all through your journey at Walden University and hope to see more blogs from you.

WK 7: Examining Codes of Ethics

We shall honor and respect the rights, knowledge, and skills of the multidisciplinary collegues with whom we work recognizing their unigue contributions to children, families,and the field of early childhood special education. (DEC, 2000)

            *As early childhood professionals we must meet the needs of our children, families, and colleagues by respecting each of them of their uniqueness and opinions.  We need to learn and build from our colleagues because all of us have different point of views and are in different situation.

We shall recognize our responsibility to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to provide services and support in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children (DEC, 2000)

            *As a Developmental Interventionist I have been learning more on what developmental outcomes for children birth to three years of age. I will always want the best outcomes for the children I will be working with; therefore I will develop my outcomes that are based on what the child needs and be able to use what the family has in order to fulfill the outcome.

To be familiar with the knowledge base related to working effectively with families and to stay informed through continuing education and training. (NAEYC, 2005)

            *This statement is true to all educators’ life because we all need to be lifelong learners.  As a Developmental Interventionist I look for more ways than one to improve a child’s development so they can succeed in life.

Other Resources from Week 5 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

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

• World Organization for Early Childhood Education http://www.omep-usnc.org/

• Association for Childhood Education International http://acei.org/
• 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/

Week 5: Resources

A list of Books and Websites that will benefit for Early Childhood Professional........

Books:
• Meeting the Challenge: Effective Strategies for Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood Environments by Barbara Kaiser & Judy Sklary Rasminsky
• Simple Steps: Developmental Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Two-Year-Olds by Karen Miller
• Big Book of Play and Find Out Science Projects: Easy Activities for Young Children, by Janice VanCleave’s
• Creative Resources for the Anti-bias Classroom by Nadia Saderman Hall

Websites:
• https://naeyc.org/
• http://www.pammshouse.com/lessonplans.html
• http://www.reference.com/
• http://youngchildren.com/
• http://www.techandyoungchildren.org/

 

WK 4 -- Words of Inspiration and Motivation

As we advocate for the practices we believe serve children best, it is particularly vital that we be clear in our own thinking and precise in our communication. – Sue Bredekamp

For children to benefit fully from play, teachers must take their own roles seriously. Early childhood educators cannot wander around classrooms operating on the vague assumption that children learn through play while, at the same time, lamenting the challenges to play coming from parents and administrators. Instead, teachers must recognize play as one of the key teaching and learning contexts in early childhood classroom, must acquire skills themselves in research-based effective teaching strategies such as scaffolding language to use during play, and must incorporate play along with other more directive teaching throughout the preschool day. –Sue Bredekamp

It is important to help children learn as much as possible about parenting to help prevent social problems like premature child bearing, and child neglect and abuse. Now that we know more about brain development in the very young, it is critical that we teach our future parents the important role that parents can play in stimulating and nurturing their children, and in preparing them to reach their full potential in school and in later life. -Edward Zigler, Ph.D

I have long believed that the development of a child does not begin the day he is born – or at age three – but much earlier, during the formative years of his parents. –Edward Zigler, Ph.D

WK3: Personal Childhood Web

Even though I don’t remember a lot when I was younger but, my personal childhood web includes several people that loved and supported me in so many ways. They all encouraged me and wanted the best for me and without them I would not be the person I am today. (I wish I had pictures of the ones I choose)
Bridget William (mother)
My mom was my biggest influence in my life. She showed all the love in the world to me, cared for me when I was sick, and protected from dangers. We were a military family and my father was always gone but my mom was always there to help us in anything. To ride my first bike or learn how to roller skate, my mother was the person to help me succeed in so many things as I was growing up. My mom supported me in any of my decisions that I would make even if she was unsure of the choices I made. I even remember during my 7th grade I broke my jaw while playing softball. The day I broke my jaw our 7th grade class was going on a field trip to Frankfort on that following Monday and I wanted to go so bad. My mom made sure I would be able to go even if my jaw was wired shut. She got every release from the doctors to prove that I can go on the field trip. When Monday came, I was ready to go on this trip but right before the bus came I started feeling some pain and knew I would not be able to take a pain pill while on this trip so I did not go. No matter that I did not go she was my hero for making sure that I would be able to go on the trip.
Wayne Williams (Stepdad)
The day my mom and stepdad married, I was in the 8th grade and I was not sure how this was going to work. My mom, sisters and I had been by ourselves for five years before they meet. I thought that so many things were going to change and it did for the better. My stepdad was very caring and wanted us to learn so much more than just needed to be done inside of a house. If it was not for him I would have never learned how to take care of a car or even know how to fix it. He showed me how to change breaks, give a car a complete turn up, change a head gasket, and change a flat tire. Without him being around I would not have become this independent person I am today.
Ann Marie Crowell (Grandmother)
My grandmother was also the greatest person in my life. We lived at my grandmother’s house for two years while my father was out of the states, when I was six years old. She was the coolest grandmother ever in the world. She took care of us and made sure we had breakfast before we went off to school. She would always say, “A perfect day is started with a special breakfast.” The mornings she would say that we knew we were have crepes and we were allowed to fill them with any treats we wanted. My favorite was filling it with strawberry preserves and topped with power sugar. (I love you and miss you grandma)
Jackie & David Lyons (Best Friend’s Parents- My 2nd Parents)
Jackie and David were my 2nd parents and I spent several summers at their house. Without them I would not have come out of my shell. I was a very shy person and would think no one liked to be around me. They gave me the confidence that I am a special person with so many talents. With all the encouragement from them I feel that is why I became the greatest homemaker and learned that when I started having children that I should cherish every moment and not sweat the small stuff.
Shannon Lyons (Best Friend- Like a sister)
Shannon was my best friend and was like my sister. We did everything together and she would also tell me that I am very special and no matter what others said about me. She was also the person that broke me from some of my fears. We went on a vacation to Cumberland Lake and stayed on a house boat. I am not a person that would go swimming in front of others, hated to fish, and would never swim in dirty water or water that I thought was nasty. This was the first year that I wore a bikini, swam in the lake, learned how to water ski, and jumped off Cumberland Falls. Without her I would have never done those things.  

Current photo of Me and my Husband at my 20th Class Reunion 7/29/12

Nina McCormick

Nina McCormick

Week 2 Blog "Favorite Children's book"

"It Looked Like Spilt Milk" by Charles G. Shaw.

I have several children's books that I love to read over and over to children. “It Looked Like Spilt Milk” is about how spilt milk can look like so many different things. My favorite project with this book was allowing the children to use a turkey baster to suck up the paint and squeeze it out on a piece of color paper. After they would fold it in half and press down which would allow the paint to move and when they opened it up, I would write, “It Looked Like……(Child’s answer). After reading this book and doing our project, for a week every time we week outside to play the children would look up in the sky and say, “Ms Nina, that cloud looks like a horse.”

Week 2 Blog:

A quote/poem I will never forget, It's call
"Toddler's Creed"
If I want it, it's mine.
If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine.
If I take it away from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it will never belong to anybody else, no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
~author unknown

I hung this up everwhere in the child care center, where I used to work. I would read this ever day and just laugh at the toddlers during there play time and group time.

First Steps

For those of you that live in Kentucky here is the link to learning more about First Steps and they can direct you into becoming a provider working with children.  http://chfs.ky.gov/dgh/firststeps/