My Supports

 

My family is one of my daily supports. I have awesome parents who is always there in my time of need. They always encourage me to better myself. My husband is my best friend and we connect on so many level. In the areas I'm weak he is strong in those areas. He is able to help me build some strength in those areas I'm weak in.   My children just seeing my children's face motivates me and that is support in itself.

My professor is one of my daily supports. I love the fact that they educate their selves to teach teachers how to master education and become a great teacher. The resources that my professor gives me to use to build up my knowledge about new strategies, current issues in education, and special education is a big support toward my education. They open my eyes to new ideas.

The internet is a one of my daily supports. The internet helps me have access to so many things that helps my day function. I need it for the weather, education information, school, blogs, news, online shopping, pay bills, emails, and social media.

My phone is one of my daily supports. I use my phone to communicate with family, call businesses, internet, map direction, take pictures, check bank account, calendar, emails, text messages, and alarm clock.

If I didn't have my family I would be lonely and feel lost. Sometimes do you every feel like your family is the only one that really understand you as a human or a person. So If I don't have family I would really feel that way.

If I didn't have my professor I wouldn't have education or job that pays well. I would be able to understand and teach this generation of children. I probably wouldn't have a job.

If I didn't have the internet or my phone I would not be able to function at all. I believe I would go crazy. I wouldn't be able to communicate with my family. I would have to ask strangers on the street for directions. I would have to go to the bank to check my account. I would have to drive to a person house to communicate.

I can imagine if the world didn't have those thing there would be chaos everywhere. Everyone lives off of family and technology. This is how we function.

  

My Connections to Play

Two Quotes that Sums up Play to Me!!!!

In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.

Ovid
Roman poet
43 BC–17 or 18 AD

Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.

Joseph Chilton Pearce
Contemporary American scholar


These are three pictures that describe my play when I was young.

 

 

 

 

My school and my parents were big on play.When I was in school from Kindergarten to 6th grade I love recess because I was able to socialize with my friends in different classrooms. We had so much fun playing all kinds of games in school.

 

Now, my mom would tells us to go play all the time outside. I believe she knew we like going outside because when my sisters and I would go outside we would be out until the street lights came on.

 

                                                                                                                                                                      

 

Play today is so different than when I was growing up. My friends and I would play in the playground from 10:00 am to night time. We would play kickball, football, ride bikes, rollerblade on the streets, and basketball. We would sleigh ride snowball fight, build forts, and snow angles. Everything we do was outside in the town or playground.

 

Play today  is all about technology. There is so many new things that keep children in the house such as internet, Ipad, cell phones, and video games. Children watch TV and play video games most of the day. Another thing, its hard for parents to let their children outside to play because of the crime. Trafficking person and kidnaps are on the rise. Back then people care not to harm children and women but now they don't care who they kill. Neighborhoods are not safe for families to enjoy playing outside without being harm. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

I believe strongly in relationships and partnerships. To me when you have a positive relationship and partnerships you have support that cares about the well being of your children and their development. I also believe when a family has a partnership with teachers or other family members the family can trust the people they have partnership with to implement the same values, morals, and positive development taught at home or school.

My husband and I have partnerships with my parents and I have a strong partnership with my husband. In September 2012 my husband and I were deployed overseas. My parents volunteer to take care of our children for a year. My husband and I took the necessary arrangement to make the transition easier from our house to my parent's house. I knew and I trust my parents would implements the same values, morals, and positive development that my husband and I believe in. There were many positive points that played a factor in the partnership/relationship that was establish. One factor was the agreement of continuing to educate my children by taking them to the childcare center my husband and I have chosen. Another factor was my children's health and other health issues. My son is allergic to certain foods, so my parents took the responsibility to make sure he didn't eat certain foods. The communication with my parents overseas about my children's activities and development was important factor too. These factors kept my partnership with my parents strong and positive.

My husband and I have a strong partnership when it come to our children and our family. Our lives can be seen as challenging because we are both in the military.We work together to balance our military life, so it won't interfere with our family life. Our main focus is to equip our children with guidance and education that will help them succeed in the future. My husband is the biggest supportive person I have in my life. He motivates and encourage me to keep succeeding in everything I do.  We try to be on the same page about everything and maintain a health relationship.


 

Favorite Quote and Thanks!!!

I want to thank my instructor and colleagues for all that they have shared with me. I enjoyed reading and replying to everyone blog and discussion. Good Luck to everyone and God Bless.

This is one of my favorite quotes :“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six.”

- Maria Montessori

Testing

I agree with the standardize test somewhat. I do like the fact that it measure different subjects. It shows the teacher what needs to be revised in their teaching style and it also makes schools aware of what teacher is doing its job. One thing that I question is the pressure that is put on the children who are taking that test by the teacher and school. I have heard many children complain about the test and the pressure. Most of these children are stress out from testing day after day for a week. Some children feel that why we should have these test and we already take test for classroom lesson. Another issue that was brought up was that some of the questions on the test are bias. For an example, there would be a vocabulary word that an inner city child would not know, but a rich child would know the vocabulary word because of their upbringing and environment they live in.  

Children in Mexico are also tested by standardize test. The schools are not equipped like America. So they don’t have the necessity to gain the knowledge with technology like we do here. Their funding for schools are based on their test scores. “Quality most students fail to acquire the skills necessary to raise their productivity, improve their earnings and help the economy grow. Scores on national reading and math” (Puryear, 2011).  Most of their scores are above lowest levels. 53% of their students scored at the bottom of the reading exam.  For the PISA Exam “Roughly half the Mexican students scored at or below the lowest level, meaning that they cannot do more than “carry out routine procedures accord- ing to direct instructions in explicit situations”(Puryear,2011). It sad because these school in Mexico have less material then we have and the teachers are trying to do their best for them.

Stess of Racism

Racism was a big stressor for me when I was young. I'm from a small town that didn't have many minority. When I started 1st grade I was sent to an elementary school about 5 miles from my house in the woods. In this elementary school I was the only minority in the whole school.  As a 1st grader you are small compare to the 6th graders. So you are not notice alot of times. I overheard some of the older children speak about my race in an awful way and it frighten me. I didn't want to go to school because I was scared, but I wouldn't tell my parents. I didn't have any friends in my classroom and the children were not pleasant to be around. I was so terrify by everyone in the whole school. I really didn't talk to anyone or participate in class. My teacher notice there was something go on, so she set up a conference with my parents. They ask me "what was wrong" and I didn't say anything. They ask me "did someone say something to me". I was so scared I didn't say anything until I got home. I had to repeat 1st grade because I couldn't comprehend any informatin in class. I was so stress about someone harming me because of my race. Till this day I can think back and cry because I know what it feels like for other children to be terrify in school. I don't know how I coped with it. All I can remember is my new 1st grade class and how much I like my teacher. My teacher made all my fears go away because she was so attentive to me and my needs.

The other country I looked up on stressors was Japan. Some of the researcher had several studies on what age group stresses the most. The older children in Japan stress more than younger children. Most older children stress about education, health fitness, and peer relationships. In Japan there is a certain standard to up hold.  "It is certainly true as students they must strict conformity demands of behavior and appearances to inhibit individual expression"(Kilburg, 1999) In American children worry about just getting to school and being present. In Japan they have different stressors. They have to worry about appearances if their hair is light it has to be dyed. Culture is big so that is something else they have to abide by. To me we have common stressors in American. In Japan children have our common stressors, but also additional ones.



 Kilburg, D. (1999, April). Socialization of emotional adaptation in japan:fundamental concept. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/donkilburg3/1999-socialization-of-emotional-adaptation-in-japan

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is an important topic for mothers and babies. I support breast feeding %100. When I was pregnant with my first child. I took a breastfeeding class and I recieve so much information why breastfeeding is important. I decide to breastfeeding both of my children. I believe that breastfeeding creates a close relationship between mother and child. Breastfeeding is so meaningful to me because there are so many way it benefits the baby such as fighting diseases, providing antibodics, and nutrients.  The word bonding comes to mind when I think of breastfeeding.

In Asia breastfeeding has came a long way. In 1970s breastfeeding wasn't popular in Asia. As the years go by the percentage of women breastfeeding has increased. In 1990's the formula scandal was going on and women started to breastfeed even more.After the scandal about formula, the percentage of women breastfeeding has went down mainly because of  traditional beliefs or misconceptions about breastmilk; the lack of public facilities to accommodate breastfeeding mothers; a maternity leave of only three months; and the aggressive marketing of infant formula. I learned that in the majority of china's hospitals breastfeeding is not promoted as much as formula. Women are discovering that hosiptal show no support toward women who are breastfeeding. Some hospitals offer free breastfeeding class, but they are given by the people from the formula companies. Most women do not see support from hospitals, markets, and families in China.

All this information is going to help me better inform parents from other countries about breastfeeding. In the United States we have several immigrants moving from different countries. Some of these countries either don't promote or educate people about breadfeeding. So when we meet parents that are from another country who are pregnant. We as teachers are entitled to educate them about breastfeeding and it's benefits. We can do that by providing information on the parent's board or a handout.

Wiens, V. (2011, August). Breastfeeding a baby in china. Retrieved from http://www.havingababyinchina.com/reference/breastfeeding-a-baby-in-china/

Ying , S. (2012, May). Social media campaign offers critical support to breastfeeding mothers in china. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/china_62387.html