Sharing Web Resources

The newsletter I subscribed to was Zero To Three.  The website is ZERO TO THREE Community online: http://www.zerotothree.org.  I got an e-mail response from the site administrator on November 1, 2014.  In the e-mail I was notified that I would not have access to the E-newsletter for two weeks.  I chose Zero to Three to learn more about the organization.  It is a nonprofit organization that provides information on how to nurture children during early childhood.  Information is available to parents, teachers, professionals and policymakers. The organization also provides trainings and support to individuals involved with young children.  Zero to Three’s mission is to ensure young children ranging from birth to toddler are provided a good start in life.

I was able to browse the website to find out more information.  While browsing an issue that caught my eye was the topic challenging behavior.  Currently I work at a child development center where we are noticing an increase in challenging behaviors.  I am the trainer for the facility and I am always looking for information to bring back to the teachers and families.  One training opportunity stood out to me specifically.  The training is for professionals working with military and veteran families.  I work at a military child development center.  The program is not open to the public only to military personal and department of defense employees.  The training charges a fee for the trainers to provide training at a fee of three thousand dollars for a full day.  Some of the training topics offered are: coming together around military families: supporting young children through challenging times and coming together around military families what babies need.  Teachers and families also have an opportunity to listen to audio-conferences and webinars on the same topics.

 

 

Getting Ready-Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

       To begin establishing professional contacts early childhood professionals I referred the blog resource pages.  My initial instinct was to contact my sister who is also an early childhood professional who is currently stationed in Korea.  I emailed her to see if she could help connect me to some professionals that work at the military child development center.  I also emailed several early childhood professionals listed on the research page.  I went onto The Global Alliance of NAEYC and e-mailed several professionals that were listed.  I e-mailed Jane Lim from Association for Early childhood Education, Blesilda Rios from the center for Early Childhood Care & Development, Juan Sanchez from World Association of Early childhood Educators, Yvonne Dionne from Canadian Child Care Federation, and Dominique Hudicourt from Step by Step Program/ Tipa Tipa.  I have not yet had a response from anyone that I e-mailed.  My plan is to call NAEYC directly to see if they can refer me to some professionals I can make contact with or use the alternate choice for the blog assignment.

           I decided to study and find out more information about PEW Charitable Trusts.  I subscribed to their newsletter to find out information.  I chose this organization because I have had the most experience working with preschool age children.  I also chose to find out more information about National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators because most of my early childhood jobs have followed standards set by NAEYC.  Lastly, I subscribed to Zero to Three because to find out more information because I work as a training specialist and support children and families in my program about children’s development.

My Supports

In my daily environment I have several different supports to assist me in my daily journey.  From birth to present my parents have always been my biggest supporters.  My mom and dad provide encouragement to me by reminding me of my accomplishments in order to continue my current pursuit.  I am a wife, mother of two, employed full-time and a full time student.  My parents know that my plate is full.  When I am feeling down or wanting to quit they support me by “filling my cup.”  Without my parents support I’m sure it would be tough.  I feel blessed to live within walking distance of them.  I enjoy my daily talks and weekly visits.                                                                              I also have a supportive husband.  He knows how busy I am and reminds me to take breathers when I need to.  He knows what my “stress face” looks like.  He reminds me to take time out for myself.  I am so busy taking care of others that I often forget about myself.  He provides me with a listening ear, especially when I just need to vent about life’s challenges.                                                         I also get support from my friends and co-workers.  From my co-workers they share my stressors and concerns about our job.  It is nice to talk to someone who truly understands and will listen.  My friends outside of work help distract me from those worries.  My friends are there to provide a listening ear and take me out to do fun things.  They remind me to focus on the good things in life.                                                                                                                                                              I feel that if I had to imagine myself with a challenge it would be losing my sight.  I currently wear glasses and am fortunate that I can see.  If I was blind I think I would still rely on the same support systems to assist me through life.  I would have to learn how to use the resources that are available to me as a source of support.  For example: reading braille and a walking stick.   My support system may include resource teachers and individuals who share my disability to discuss goals, accomplishments and challenges.  If I didn’t have supports in my life I wouldn’t know just how important they are in my life or how to be a source of support to others.  Support systems are important in my life and they have helped make me who I am today. 

Childhood Connections to Play

"It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self." D.W. Winnicott, British pediatrician

“Play energizes us and enlivens us.  It eases our burdens.  It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens up to new possibilities.” Stuart Brown, MD Contemporary American Psychiatrist

Growing up I felt that my parents gave me the opportunity to play during my childhood.  My parents encouraged my sisters and me to go outside and play.  My parents did not want us spending the day “vegetating” in front of the television all day.  Once outside I remember enjoying running around outside with my friends and siblings.  We would play games such as hide and seek, tag and red rover.  We would also ride our bikes up and down the neighborhood.  I remember placing cards in the spikes of the tire to make the motorcycle sound.  The only rule my parents had with us playing outside was to be in before it got dark.  My parents also encouraged us to play freely with toys like Barbie dolls and art materials.  I felt that my parents helped facilitate the importance of play growing up by ensuring we had items to use our imagination.  My mom would play along with us with our Barbie dolls and other toys.  My dad was great for taking us outside for family bike rides.  

Having the opportunity to ride outside, especially on sunny days was my favorite thing to do.  I loved being outside and exploring nature.

         

 
 

I enjoyed drawing pictures.  Especially

cartoons,.

                                                                                        

I loved barbies.  My favorite was to be mommy.

 

                                                                                               

       Play today still occurs but at a different level.  I feel that children play with items that take away their imagination.  Children are playing more with video games, tablets, and cell phones.  When I observe children in my neighborhood I do not see as many children outside riding bikes or playing outdoor games.  Granted growing up as I child I did not have access to the electronics of children today but I was encouraged by my parents to be outside to play.  I also think part of the change for encouraging children to play outside freely is due to parents feeling less secure in the child’s environment.  I feel that having the freedom to play with material that increased my imagination and physical activity helped me into my adulthood.  When I need to escape from stress I go outside for a nice bike ride.  I truly feel that I am reenergized when I come back home.  I hope is that play continues to be important in children’s development.  The tools children gain from play I feel will help them once they reach adulthood by relying on things that make them happy.

Relationship Reflection

The relationships I have in my life are very important to me.  Family has always been an important part of my life.  I was blessed to be born as an identical twin to my sister Nicole Williams.  She was my best friend and confidant.  My relationship with her was a positive and close relationship.  We did everything together.  She was the only person who knew me inside and out.  We could tell each other anything.  Whenever I need to be distracted from life’s challenges she would through visits and late night talks.  Unfortunately my sister passed away expectantly at 30 years old during childbirth.  After her passing I couldn’t help on reflecting on what she meant to me.  I noticed that after her passing I have not been as social with other people and would like to do a better job at this.  It is important to have a relationship with someone you value as a friend.  A friend who will be there for you no matter what.

Thankfully I have my husband and partner who has been a source of constant support.  My relationship with him is valuable.  I am blessed that we have been married for 18 years.  We have grown up together and created a family of our own.  When I met my husband Darryl I enjoyed the fact the he would listen to me.  I felt comforted talking to him about anything.  He also gave me a lot of attention by making sure I remembered that I am important and to take time out for myself.  He still helps me remember this as a busy mom, educator and student.  He loves to see me happy and as his wife I want to do the same for him.  Our relationship is based on communication and remembering to take time for each other and family. 

As I mentioned from my marriage we have two wonderful boys.  They are turning into great young men.  Our oldest is 16 and the youngest is 13.  It is important for me to have a close relationship with my boys.  As they develop into their own they like to do things independently.  Whenever they ask to go somewhere I make time for them.  I enjoy spending quality time with my boys.  They may feel that I am a hovering mother sometimes but I am grateful to be their mom.  The relationship I have with my mom and dad is loving and supportive.  I want my boys to feel the same way about our relationship.  My hope for my boys is that they will also be loving and supportive with their own children.  They are definitely growing up way to fast.  After losing my sister prematurely it made me reflect on how important time is with your family.  I want my boys to know that I truly value our time together.

 

 

In my professional life I value having relationships with my coworkers that are trusting, inspiring, working as a team and providing great communication.  My job keeps me very busy daily.  It is important to be surrounded by people who can support me and others when accomplishing our daily tasks.  We are considered support staff to the director and assistant director.  We have to set an example for the teachers we work with daily.  It is important that teachers feel inspired, supported and that we are working together as a team.  We have to keep the lines of communication open daily to ensure we are all trying to accomplish the same goals of working with children.

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.