My Connections to Play

"The essence of childhood, of course, is play, which my friends and I did endlessly on the street that we reluctantly shared with traffic" -Bill Cosby 

 “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers

 people supported play when I was younger  by allowing us to play free, we made our own rules and handle differences without parental involvement. Playing was extremely important to me during my childhood, playing kickball, dodge ball, and yes even football was my all time favorite way to pass time. 

I feel play is extremely different now, children are not as active as they were when I was growing up. Technology has taken over instead of being outside enjoying nature many children prefer to play video games or use some sort of technology in place of active play. My hope for younger children now is that they get active and enjoy nature and all it has to offer. Even now as an adult I more enjoyable to be outside being active than I do spending hours watching television or engaged in some sort of technology.   

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they provide a sense of identity, happiness and fulfillment





Several People I have positive relationships with:

My Best friend Zia Mose we met is my freshmen year of college. We have been friends for 6 years, she is a very positive figure in my life. I am able to be myself around her and confided in her. While having such a long close relationship the challenges we have faced has been obstacles that has taught me to listen more than I speak. Our relationship has lasted so long because we both realize our minor disagreements are not worth losing the love we have for each other. My relationship with Zia has impacted my work as an effective early childhood professional because she keeps me in good spirit just speaking with her on a daily bases keep me lifted. 

My sister Anita Alston-Ellis has always been an positive force in my life. She provide me with great insight and wisdom and leads by example. Having such an exceptional sister whom has accomplished so much in life has taught me to remain focus on my dreams and despite the obstacles that may come my way if I remain focused I will prevail. The challenges I face in our relationship is trying decipher whether the advice my sister gives me is her being a over protective sister or genuinely giving be advice she would take. My relationship with Anita has impacted my work as an effective early childhood professional because she contently reminds me to do my best and to keep striving for success. 

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When I Think of Child Development

                                                                          Quotes:

Growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. - Harvey S. Firestone

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. -Elizabeth Lawrence

Professional support and Thank you 

Elizabeth Vassallo-

Your enthusiasm from the beginning motivated me to continue to read your blogs each week. Thank you so much for being such a passionate and inspirational person.

Jannen Payne 

Thank you so much for sharing your child birth experience I greatly enjoyed reading your blogs. Continue to share you fascinating  stories.

Testing for Intelligence

When considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically, I believe growth should be measured and assessed not so much of what the child does not know but how well certain methods of teaching works for that particular child. I also believe what should be measured is how well the teachers are integrating curriculum and assessment in education program. Young children should be based on practiced  assessment developmentally appropriate for young children. Most importantly I believe that teachers should be the primary assessors  for the children they teach since it is they who will use assessment information to design instruction. Based on my research school age children in Asia are assessed based on their ability to regurgitate information. However traditional testing is still used. Other assessments are given as well including, teacher observation, self assessment, and performance-based assessment tasks.

Reference:

http://asiasociety.org/education/chinese-language-initiatives/assessment

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Chaos

My sister is a great example of someone growing up in a chaotic environment and achieving success despite the unstable living conditions. Being the oldest of six kids came with a lot of responsibility. She was responsible for caring my twin brother and I while still trying to achieve her personal goals. Along with my five siblings my grandparents also took in my aunt and her two kids. These living arrangements made it hard to live a structured life. My Sister Anita Alston-Ellis fought against all the statistics and became an academic success. She has received her Ph.D. in Public Health and is now a published author of the book “Abandonment to Abundance,” where she explains how she overcame her chaotic lifestyle.

Hunger in Africa

 Hunger in America is one of the greatest problems that the continent faces in the 21st-century over 6 million children die each year from malnutrition according to Cozay organization. Poverty is the principal cause of hunger in Africa. The Population is going up 3.5% a year, food is going down 2.5% a year. (Scribid 2014)The people in Africa just do not have enough income to purchase the food that they need. Only 8% of children who are hungry are victims of emergency situation or famine the remaining 92% suffer from long time now nutrition as well as general deficiency of nutrients (Ehow 2014). There are several reason Africa is suffering from hunger as a whole for example, much of Africa is covered by desert and there is not enough rainfall to keep crops healthy. Also, there little understanding of modern technology and much of Africa’s farming is still done by hand on small plots.

Here is an example of a child in Africa suffering from Hunger and malnutrition.

References

 Ehow 2014 http://www.ehow.com/facts_5134722_hunger-africa.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/533023/Hunger-in-Africa

Child Development and Public Health

The topic I chose was breast-feeding this topic is meaningful to me because I as a woman hope to bear children one day and found it interesting to review and research the importance of breast-feeding as it relates to early childhood development. Researching breast-feeding as it relates to early childhood development will impact my future because not until I explored the importance of breast-feeding did I come to realize how important breast-feeding was for the development of newborns to six months

Globally, less than 40% of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed WHO(2004).. One study of 120 cultures showed that 50 withheld the infant from the breast for 48 hours or more due to the belief that colostrum was “dirty”, “old”, or “not real milk”. In central Karnataka in India, 35% of infants were still not breastfeeding at 48 hours, yet at 1 month 94% were. A mother who may be reluctant to give colostrum feeds in a western hospital may be passionately committed to exclusive breastfeeding later on.

Traditional groups in Papua New Guinea and the Gogo tribe of Tanzania among them – emphasize the need for the woman to be celibate during breastfeeding. A mother may be torn between her desire to breastfeed – in an environment when food after weaning may not be plentiful – and her desire to satisfy her husband. A husband who is often not expected to also remain celibate Emma Pickett (October 30, 2012).

With the information I have learned in the future, I most certainly will breast-feed my children and advices every child bearing mother to do so. Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival.

References

WHO (2004) http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/breastfeeding/en/

Emma Pickett, (October 30, 2012) lactationmatters http://lactationmatters.org/2012/10/30/a-closer-look-at-cultural-issues-surrounding-breastfeeding/

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

On August 4, 2010, I received a phone call from my best friend Zia Mose she told me she was going into labor and to get to the hospital as soon as I could. I remember wishing to the hospital a little nervous that for the first time I was going to be a godmother. Upon my arrival Zia was in so much pain it almost brought me to tears. The doctors then examined her and told us the baby would be here shortly. As I nervously waiting, at 8:00 am was ready to push On August 5, 2010  at 8:23 a.m weighting  6 lbs. 8 oz. Alayna Sani Mose was born.

I chose this example because this was the first childbirth I had the privilege to witness. I personally believe that childbirth is the world's greatest gift. It is my personal opinion that how the childbearing mother cares for her body will have a long time affect on her child whether positive or negative as far as how the child develops.

I chose south Africa as the country to focus on the procedures of the women bearing children. The San Bushmen tribe believe that childbearing brings status and social recognition after she has navigated the journey of pregnancy and birth. The women are actively taught that she must face the pain of natural childbirth alone in a squatting position, the women then bites the court with their teeth and bury it.

I found many similarities in America's childbirth procedures and South Africa's. In both countries children and consider precious and a gift. Both countries enjoy women who are bearing children to stay active and eat right. However there are many differences the women in the San Bushman tribe are encouraged to withstand the pain and do so alone. On the other hand women in America are encouraged to use several instruments to reduce their pain and make their childbirth somewhat of a pleasant one.