When I think of child development

Growing up I have always enjoyed working with children.  I feel that my job is very important in a young child’s life.  Teachers have a profound impact on the lives of children.  I looked for quotes that best stated how I feel about my job as an educator.  I selected two quotes below:

Emma Goldman, author

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure."

"Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."

~ Rita F. Pierson

 

Testing for intelligence

When considering the commitment of evaluating the “whole child” to measure their intelligence I think it is important to focus on the child’s social competence.  In today’s society the primary focus on children’s development is in academics to ensure the child’s future success in adulthood.  I feel that it is also important to ensure that a child can function in the world by meeting social competencies.  Understanding a child’s social competency assist with how children relate to their peers, teachers and others especially while in school.  The focus can also assist with observing how children are treated by others.  “Unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6 years, they have a probability of being at risk into adulthood in several ways” (McClellan & Katz, 2001, para.).                                                        

I believe it is important to continue to support children by looking at how social competencies can be strengthened throughout childhood in areas such as academics, how a child adapts to emotional situations, and the level of a child’s cognitive development.  It is important to also look at how children get along with their peers.  In today’s news there is discussion on children suffering from depression leading to suicide.  Children are experiencing stressors from how others treat them or make them feel.  It is important to look at these relationships with peers to minimize risks of suicide.  Children may also experience risks that include not finishing school, poor mental health, difficulties in school and issues with employment (McClellan & Katz, 2001).   Utilizing teachers to perform assessments that focus on social competencies can provide much needed insight on children’s social and emotional development.  This can serve as a form of early intervention to support the child into adulthood. 

In Australia the use of a curriculum allows students to develop their social and personal ability in in order to develop the sense of self, manage relationships with peers and others.  Australia recognizes that when children have a strong social and emotional development they are motivated to learn at a higher level.  Teachers are encouraged to use personal and social capability continuum of learning to help students with needs that are set per each individual student (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2013).                                           

 As educator I feel that it is important to continue to support children in their social and emotional development.  Throughout childhood children will continue to face challenges of fitting in with their peers, adapting to emotional situations, and academics.  It is important to be able to identify when a child needs support with handling these challenges using the social competency assessment.  With the support provided by this assessment, my hope is to decrease bullying, suicides, and other challenges with students in the classroom.