Week 8 :: Final Blog

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have gained so many new insights from taking this course. From learning about design models to equity in research  I have learned a lot that will help me with the rest of this program.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

I am now looking more seriously into the type of research I want to do. I have read through my classmates' simulations and have seen some great ideas that apply to my class of preschoolers. I have also found a lot of previous research that is similar to mine and that sparked other ideas in my head as to where I could expand my research or change some things.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

The main lesson I learned was about how to make sure the research is valid and credible. I need to enlist in more  professionals to help me with this. 

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

I had a difficult rime understanding some of the readings. I was able to make more sense out of the difficult parts by reading the discussions and seeing how my classmates interpreted the readings. I found that I had interpreted it correctly so I was able to then apply the readings to my work.

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I have now seen that being in the classroom is like doing mini experiments everyday. I also get to see what new trends and issues are relevant to my classroom and how I can make the preschool where I work a better place for the children and their families by enlisting my co-workers and the owners in changes to help bring us to a place where we are developmentally-appropriate all the time.

Week 5 :: Research Around the World

This week we were asked to look at some current research being conducted from around the world and answer the following questions:

• What are some of the current international research topics?
• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?
• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

Here's what I found after reading some of the research:

I went to Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): 

which, according to the webpage, is, "developed and maintained by the University of Victoria, Canada, this virtual university is the international gateway for early childhood research worldwide." 

There I found several studies being conducted with regard to researching the effects of using indigenous stories to influence language development in young children. I found those studies to be very interesting especially since I will be teaching the Language Arts and Literacy class next semester at the local school of continuing education. I would love to use these studies are resources in my class.

There were no real surprising facts or insights. I have known that language development and storytelling go hand-in-hand, I was just happy to see that in Sub-Saharan Africa others are wanting to share their information as well with the world.

The website functions as a virtual university and is connected to the University of Victoria in Canada. It allows learners from different countries. It is a valuable tool for those who traditionally may not have been able to afford college programs to be involved with professionals and scholars from around the world, especially in Africa.

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Week 3 :: Research that Benefits Children and Families :: Uplifting Stories

This week I was asked to:
Share a positive example of the effects of research on children and/or families: Perhaps you can provide real-life examples of research benefits to children and/or families; maybe you are familiar with stories of people who have been positively affected by research; or you came across a published research article concerning children or families which you find exciting and would like to share with your colleagues.

The school I work for often has a research company come in and they use our students to test the newest designs of safety tabs for medications. The test the bubble type pill holders...the kind that your allergy pills come in where you have to pull the corner or push the pill out the backside. The company has the children test their new designs at least once a month. All the kids have to do is play with the empty pill tabs until they either succeed in opening them or get frustrated and move on to another one. The kids have fun and enjoy trying to open the packages. They are never in any danger and a teacher is always in the office with the children so they are not left alone with the researcher. When the trials are over, the children get a sticker for being a helper and they go back to class. The school benefits from the research because the company gives gift cards for school supplies.

The children benefit by being able to develop their fine motor and problem-solving skills. Society benefits from this research because the feedback helps the companies create better child-resistant packaging for medications. The families whose children participate in the study get a $10 gift card to Target which makes the children and the families very happy. All in all this research has been nothing but positive for the children and families involved.

EDUC 6163: Week 2 :: My Personal Research Journey

This week I was asked to share my research topic and reason why I chose the topic. I will start by sharing what I wrote for Application 1 Part 2 since it pretty much called for the same information. I am open to suggestions as to how to narrow things down and get something more concise. Anyone have any expertise in this area or know anyone who is? I could use all the inside information I can get! I would love to share ideas and knowledge! Thanks!

My Research Topic

Young children and technology (hand held devices, online media, etc) with the three subtopics of:

1. How young children learn the language of technology and develop technological prowess through consistent consumption/use

2. How technology changes/helps/hinders/influences young children’s language development through consistent consumption/use

3. How young children help shape/contribute to/influence the way technology advances

            The professional reason why I am drawn to young children and technology is because I see education changing very quickly due to technology’s influence on how information is disseminated and shared and young children adopting the technology almost as rapidly as it changes. I see something happening in young children who grow up in this extremely “wired” world and I want to be on the cutting edge, so to speak, of researching how children develop their technological prowess alongside their physical, cognitive, and social development.

            The above reason is also the reason why I know this research will be significant to families and the 

early childhood education field. As technology changes, we are changed by it. I want to find out if young 

children who are exposed early and often to technology grow into young adults who then mold and shape the 

way technology changes/is used/is consumed.

Week 8 :: Final EDUC 6162 Blog Post

This week I was asked to talk about the three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development.

A consequence of learning that happened for me was that I was reminded of how differently each country treats and deals with their young children. I was also reminded of how much money, or lack thereof, influences and makes a huge difference in the types of program that can and do exist for young children and their families.

These new developments have inspired and motivated me to continue my focus on my higher education and use the contacts and information I have gathered to work on a documentary film about the causes and effects of poor quality early childhood education in the States and abroad. It will be a very long journey and project but it will be an important one and my contribution to the cause of getting the public's perception of early childhood educators/education to change.

One final word of encouragement to my fellow colleagues: Keep on doing what makes you happy in this field. We need more of you out there and with your knowledge and drive and passion, you will help build the leaders of tomorrow. You will help mentor the early childhood educators we need in the future. Thank you for being inspirations to me.

Week 7 :: Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 3

The issues and trends presented thus far in the class have really helped me to start to narrow my focus in what I want to do with the rest of my professional career. I know I want to be more active in the early childhood education front, however, time and money are factors that hold me back. I want to also make films about the state of preschools in America and what that means for future generations.

I never heard back from my international contact this week, so I asked another international contact who currently teaches English in China and on weekends volunteers for a non-profit preschool where she is in charge of overseeing some of the workers/volunteers. They run the preschool in a remote, rural part of farm land in China. The residents walk five to six miles to bring their children to the preschool 7 days a week. The children learn English, play games, and are given healthy meals. Here are her answers to the following questions:

What are some of your professional goals?
I really want to go back to school and get my teaching credentials and my Master's I want to teach back in the States. I like the young children so I think Kindergarten is what I want to do. I also would like to one day  open my own international child care center in another country.

What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?
Like I said before, I would like to open a center in another country. India perhaps or China. I see how hard it is for foreigners to do this so I think that would be a challenge for me. That and finding money to do it. It is easy to set up a non-profit but it is difficult to get support and money and volunteers. Everyone wants to be paid and no one wants to volunteer long hours with no incentive or compensation.

Week 5 :: Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

I asked my international contact, Jody, about the topic of excellence as it related to her current position working with The Qatar Foundation at a new early childhood education center that is about to open. I asked her about the governing bodies (if any) that oversee the program and how they are accountale. Here is what she wrote:

"Being a part of the Qatar Foundation, which oversees the whole of Education City, (made up of a whole host of mostly American Universities) we need to report results directly to the Board of Governors, according to the outcomes, new goals are set and supports are put in place to strengthen areas that need it.  The foundation has their own Health and Safety Department, but the final say is with Civil Defense, one of the reasons for the delay in the opening of our new center.  We are also answerable, as with all schools private or otherwise to the Supreme Educational Council.  We are also answerable to the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) Qatar Academy is a fully accredited IB World School. QA also holds accreditations from the U.S. based New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS).and soon within our Early Education Center, we will be going through the accreditation process with the NAEYC.  

http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/about-qatar-academy/about-qatar-academy

http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/primary-school

About Qatar Academy

Qatar Academy is part of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, a private, chartered, non-profit organization founded by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar.

It is the mission of Qatar Academy to provide internationally accepted, comprehensive, English medium programs plus Arabic and Islamic studies from pre-school through to secondary graduation. Comprising a Primary School and a Senior School, it occupies a magnificent campus in Doha.

I know the YCAT is also a requirement for our Pre 4's (4 yr olds) this is done one on one with trained teachers who know the children well and with whom the children have a relationship with.

and again in Grade 3, but I think this is done in a whole class context if my memory serves me correctly, followed up in Grade 9.

Teacher's receive ongoing PD mostly through the IBO, most times we are sent away on courses, one building on the next as the courses are organized into different levels.  Sometimes we have visiting 'guru's' who stay for up to two weeks to share their knowledge with staff, sometimes working one on one and other times whole school meetings in the afternoon.  At the moment we have Marilyn Burnes visiting us."

The way things are run in Qatar have some similarities and of course obvious differences than the way things are set up in the states. I learned that Qatar is a very wealthy nation and can therefore spend the government's money in the best way and that there is a lot of money set aside for early childhood education. 

EDUC 6162-2 :: Week 4 :: Sharing Web Resources

• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

I saw recent news about the Australian government's movement to strengthen and improve upon the Early Childhood Education Workforce. The government has developed a program to help educate and commit to ensuring everyone in the child care education workforce is highly skilled and gets the proper training. They offer scholarships and raise funds.

• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

The information about this initiative shows that the government and politicians take seriously the plight of early childhood education workers. They want to ensure that children get the best possible start and that means hiring and educating the workforce properly.

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

Seeing the efforts the government is taking in this regard to training the workforce showed me that it is a daunting and ambitious endeavor but the government is determined to make sure their young children and the teachers are supported.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/september-2012-early-years-workforce-strategy-published.html

EDUC 6162-2 ::Week 3: Introducing My International Contact

EDUC 6162-2 Colleagues:

I would like to introduce you to Jody. She is an early childhood professional living and working in the Middle East. She has lived and worked in many diverse locations and is an expert on childcare and education.

She is also a colleague in our class which makes her the perfect collaboration partner for this part of the course. Here is a link to her blog for this course so you can get to know her better.
http://jodykruger.blogspot.com/
I have emailed Jody about the issue of poverty for this week and I will update you with the findings as soon as she replies. Thank you and enjoy Jody.

EDUC 6162-2 Week 2 ::Sharing Web Resources

Initially I chose to subscribe the the California Association for the Education of Young Children but found their site lacked up-to-date information and a newsletter for free. Currently, you have to be a paying member to get updates and other resources.

So I went back to the resource list and chose to follow the Early Childhood Australia and subscribed to their free newsletter that comes out every two weeks. Here is the link to that site:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Their mission statement is as follows and gives you an idea about what they do:
"Early Childhood Australia will advocate to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years."

One thing that caught my attention as I navigated the waters of the site was a position statement and apology  from the organization made to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. I found the statement to be very respectful and compassionate. I don't think the USA has ever done anything similar with regard to the native people of this land. That is why this took me by surprise. I don't think any of our early childhood organizations has offered an apology to the natives of this land like the Aussies did here.
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/position_statements/a_statement_of_regret_and_commitment_to_aboriginal_and_torres_strait_islander_children_and_families.html

The letter speaks to the issue of ongoing racism that occurs in Australia towards the indigenous population.
This web site and organization has a lot of information that I will be pouring over during the remainder of this course. Enjoy!

EDUC 6162-2 Week 1:: Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part One:
This assignment had me thinking about what fun it would be to have an ECE professional from a different country to share and grow with. What a fanstastic idea! I wish I had thought of it sooner. I know a few people from different countries that work in the school systems, but not in the early childhood field. I used those contacts to meet the two contacts I will use for this portion of the class.

My friend John started a non-profit organization that helps teach children in rural and very poor parts of different countries. He started off in Mexico then moved to Vietnam and China. He is now back in the States looking to get funding so he can run the program in places like Florida, Mississippi, and other very poor places. One of his volunteer teachers agreed to be a contact for this assignment.

I then reached out to a classmate who lives and works as an early childhood educator in Qatar. Jody will be the perfect person to bounce ideas off of and to collaborate on class projects. I look forward to learning more about her culture and beautiful country through this project! I love having pen pals!

Part Two:
I chose to immerse myself into the early childhood organization that is part of NAEYC but in my state. The California Association for the Education of Young Children is a branch of the larger NAEYC. I chose this organization because I wanted to learn more about the programs and training they offer in my state. I am already familiar with Pre-K now, one of the resources listed in the Blog Assignment Resources list so I decided to choose one that was not on the list and one that would allow me to interact outside of class.

Week 6 :: My Supports

Support. This word means a lot of things to me. In my life it has meant a helping hand, a smile, encouragement...anything that helps "hold me together" or "lift me up" so that I can continue to meet my challenges head on and complete my goals.

My current challenge is completing this degree and finding a career in the field. At my age, I think I am too old for this but I know that is just the negative side of things trying to hold me back. My current supports as far as the people in my life go are my sister, my mother, and my friends.

There are also the supports in the community that I use often to help me along with this challenge. I currently use the food banks in my area to help supplement the food I cannot afford while working and going to school. The money I earn from my full-time job is enough to pay only part of the rent. The extra money I earn and get from financial aid goes to pay the rest of the rent and the utilities, gas for the car, maintenance for the car, and other medical and dental emergencies we are paying for. The food bank is a great support because there have been times when we were at a loss and the food banks really helped.

Another community support that really got me out of a bind was the Community Action Partnership. They helped pay my gas and electric bills when I was about to have them turned off for non-payment.

I also consider the support of my classmates and colleagues as a support in the terms of how they keep me motivated. I read discussions and discuss things with these people who all share a vision of reaching our goals with this degree. We support each other by helping each other see that what we are doing and saying and thinking is valid, valuable and necessary. Without this support I think I would just drop-out and find some simple 9 to 5 job as a cashier somewhere and be happy that way. But that is not my calling. Through this endeavor, I am seeing more and more that I belong here...doing what I am doing and that my work matters.

The people in my life help me with emotional support and monetary support when they can. They too struggle in this economy and we are all trying to "make ends meet." At this point in my life I feel like I should be doing better than I am and I am very hard on myself. I am embarrassed for not being able to provide for my son and for not being able to find a better-paying job (although I am looking and applying day and night everyday). When I get down on myself for all that I have not been able to do but should have been able to do, my friends and family are there to keep me feeling good and keeping my head up and focused on the goal. I do not take meds to help with my anxiety and stress, I turn to friends who make me laugh, listen to me cry, and have my best interests at heart. I love them for it and I am so fortunate that they love me too. They take me dancing, to live music concerts, the pose for portraits for me, and they hug me.

Without these supports...the impact on my life would be huge. I know there have been several times I was near a break-down and a friend or family member pulled me out. Supported me and that was huge. I do not think I would be as successful without these supports. I wouldn't be dead or homeless, but I would be sad, unmotivated, and I would give up.

My Connections to Play

Two Quotes about Play: 

"We don't stop playing because we grow older. We grow older because we stop playing."
~George Bernard Shaw

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
~Plato


Play in my Childhood and Adult Life: I loved being outdoors when I was a child. My grandmother and grandfather lived in Pasadena on a plot of land that was next to an empty field that later became a park. My grandpa built the house they lived in and he created a splendid cactus garden out front that I loved. I adore cactus to this day. I am still a big kid to this day. I love playing with the kids in my class and at summer camp. I still play jump rope. I love teaching the kids at camp jump rope and hand-clapping games. I love to be outdoors doing photography. That always keeps me in a good mood. I like to play board games and just sit under the sun on a nice day. I like to color in coloring books or create my own pictures and doodles.


Who Supported My Childhood Play: My grandparents always wanted us to play outside. They had us climbing the apple tree picking apples, playing in the sand box in the back yard, playing with the dogs, picking avocados, tending to the cactus garden, painting, drawing and writing about our days. My grandmother also taught us all how to sew and she would have us compete against each other to see who could make the silliest thing from her scraps. We took needle and thread and would sew for hours by hand.


Items for Ideal Play in my Fantasy Dream: I would definitely have to have some good old-fashioned outdoor fun in my ideal childhood play area/time:
binoculars, nets, bug boxes, sketch paper or field journal, markers, crayons, colored pencils, paint, easel, mountain or desert retreat space, camping supplies (tent etc), field guides for all manner of flora and fauna that live in the area, a tree house, gardening tools, telescope, and some friends of course!

How Play has Changed: Although times have changed, kids do still get out for the most part and play. I work for a summer day camp and we are outdoors all the time. The kids get a break from the electronic games and things and enjoy water fights, horse-back riding, caring for other farm animals, playing field games, telling jokes, swimming everyday, field trips everyday, planning a talent show, cooking, grilling, arts, crafts and more. It is a great opportunity to let kids run free and decompress from the confines of the classroom. I believe children still get out and play just not as much as they used to. My son still plays the old board games I used to play. He has introduced his friends to them. He also enjoys playing video and computer games too. He is a thinker and like to write. He also like to go on long walks. He swims and goes bike riding for fun as well. 

EDUC 6161-7 Week 1: Introduction Post

The assignment:

Group 1

Week 1: Set up your blog account and make it open for subscription to RSS feeds. You must write your first entry and post the link to your personal blog on this Discussion board by Sunday. 

My first post for Week 1 is a basic hello and welcome to all of my colleagues in EDUC 6161-7. This will be my third class in the Master's of ECE program for which this blog was created. I look forward to reading your comments on my posts each week. Thanks for visiting!

When I Think of Child Development...

I think of a very special time of life. I think about children exploring, discovering, growing, learning, playing, and being free. I think about how adults can better help young children develop emotionally, physically, and socially. I think about how far the field and study of childhood development has come and I think about what it will look like in the future.

When I think of child development, I also think about my studies and my future in the field. I think about the stories of my colleagues with whom I am sharing the journey of this program. I think about all the years of collective knowledge and professional experience combined in my classes. I think a lot about how this will all help me be a well-prepared professional in my own right and how I might contribute to the world-wide discussion and database.

I'd like to share a quote from Abraham Maslow about child development and learning in general with which I closely identify:
"All of life is education and everybody is a teacher and everybody is forever a pupil."

As I continue my advanced degree, I am reminded how I am forever a pupil and I learn from my colleagues as well as the children in my classroom, their families, as well as my own child, my own family members, my friends, and society. I learn about the human condition, I learn about myself through my mistakes and successes. I love learning and I love teaching. I know the two go hand-in-hand. My goal of teaching what I have learned thus far to other adults who desire to teach preschool is closer than ever before and I hope to grow in my current job. I hope to soon get another opportunity to teach at the university level when I finish this program.

Week 6 :: Testing for Intelligence?

This week we're looking at whether or not testing for intelligence is a good thing and what other areas should be or are already tested when children enter school. We were asked to look at how children in other parts of the country were tested. I found a story about children in China being tested by having their palms read. Some parents were paying upwards of $190 for the service, then the schools banned it.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/us-china-fortunetelling-idUSTRE80U09620120201

A report last year stated that in India, the government was looking into more overall personality type tests to assess their school children.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-07/india/30368924_1_internal-assessment-punjab-government-child


In Africa, rural children obviously develop differently than do their more cosmopolitan counterparts which is why researchers have developed developmental milestone tests for rural African children.
http://wellcometrust.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/refining-the-milestones-assessing-child-development-in-africa/

My thinking is that we should also add emotional intelligence into the equation when assessing school-age children. We already incorporate this into the preschool level when we do developmental assessments, then it stops once the children get to Kindergarten. Instead of having age cut-offs to enter Kindergarten, we should have developmental readiness cut-offs. My son entered Kindergarten one month before his 5th birthday and the teachers assessed him based on his maturity, not his academic knowledge. They told me that if he was developmentally ready to learn (can sit through a story, plays nicely with others, has manners, can express himself verbally, etc) then his age didn't matter so much and that he would be able to learn the academics because he was "ready to learn." He did well until junior high school. He had too many friends, too many distractions and was going through puberty. He struggled a bit but then pulled out of it when he reached 11th grade. I do not think it had anything to do with his age or development. He was acting his age and doing things his peers were doing. He is graduating next week and is doing fine.

Consequences of Stress on Child Development

I suffered physical abuse from my father when I was growing up. He was an alcoholic and would beat me and my mother. I remember he left bruises on me several times. As a child, I hated him. I thought he was the most awful person in the world and I didn't ever want to grow to be like him. He was hyper-critical and mean.

As I grew up, I remember wanting to leave home to get away from him. As a result of the years of physical and emotional abuse, I grew into a person with low self-confidence and the need for a father figure that loved me. I sought out comfort with many boyfriends who were just as mean to me as my father was. I never thought I was good enough for anyone or anything. Fortunately, I never thought suicide was the answer (but I often thought murder would be).

When I had my son, things changed for the better. I was 26 and ready to take on the world with my son. My gather came back into my life and wanted to have a bond with my son. I welcomed that because he had suffered his own fate while living alone and being divorced from my mother--his one true love.

Sadly my father passed away before he and my son could form a close bond.

I thought about what life in rural China would be like and what stresses those children go through. Friends of mine run a charity organization/group (http://www.manosinternacional.org/about.html) that goes to remote and rural places in China, Vietnam, Mexico, and Cuba and bring the children education and introduce them to different cultures. They always share stories with me about life in the farm villages and how hard it is for the children who have to work and rarely have time for school and play. My friend's organization was successful in opening a year-round school in two Chinese villages. The children are free to go to school and have mentioned how being in school makes them feel special and smart. My son had a few pen pals from the school with whom he would exchange letters about life in their part of the world. Through these exchanges, my son discovered that children all over the world have problems, many are worse than others, but they are stressors just the same.

Week 2: Public Health Issue: Tainted baby food supplies

A public health concern I thought to be important is tainted baby food supplies, mainly powdered infant formula. In developing countries where large populations of the mothers have a transmittable disease such as HIV or AIDS, mothers have been using powdered formula as a substitute. This can lead to other medical problems such as diarrhea which can lead to severe infection, or dehydration, and death.

In 2008, a Chinese manufacturer of infant formula and baby foods was charged with tainting the supply and causing 860 infants to be hospitalized, 13 died from malnutrition, while others died from kidney stones or other kidney-related illnesses. The manufacturer had added melamine to the formula to make it appear to have more protein, while in an earlier case, a different manufacturer had watered-down the infant formula which caused malnutrition.
(Source: "China seizes 22 companies with contaminated baby milk powder" ChinaView.cn
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/17/content_10046949.htm)

Here in the States, we have tighter regulations than do some developing and densely-populated countries such as China. Although we have the FDA and EPA, we still fall victim to tainted food supplies. tainted formula is obviously dangerous for infants, however, so is tainted foods that US mothers will ingest and then transmit to their infants through breast milk. Sometimes, parents opt to go for the "organic" or "alternative" brands of foods thinking they are safer and better-regulated or healthier for their children than are the name-brand options, This may not always be the case. There have been cases of arsenic-laced organic rice syrup that is used in rice-based baby formula (http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/arsenic-found-brown-rice-syrup-organic-foods-baby-185300194.html).

There was a case of moldy applesauce being repackaged and sent to schools for school lunches (http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/04/8636308-fda-moldy-applesauce-repackaged-by-school-lunch-supplier?lite). The US is no stranger to tainted foods.)
It is really up to the consumer to be vigilant when purchasing foods for their families. As for mothers of newborns, breast milk is always best even if mom has a disease, the doctor can prescribe a round of anti-virals to keep baby protected.

EDUC 6160:: Week 1:: Birthing Stories

For this assignment, I was asked to create a blog with the following criteria:

• Write about a personal birthing experience. It can be your own birth, your child's birth, or one you took part in. What do you remember about the event? Why did you choose this example? What are your thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development?
• Choose a region of the world or a country, other than the U.S., and find out how births happen there. Write about what you learned, and the differences and similarities with your experience (in the personal example you provided). What additional insights, if any, about the impact of the birthing experience on development, did you gain from this comparison?

The first birthing experience that cam to mind was of course the birth of my son. It happened 17 long years ago, but everything that happened that day and night and following day is still fresh in my head. I sometimes wish I could relive that day. 

Wyatt was born at high noon on October 11. He was supposed to be born on my birthday but he came a week early. I remember on October 10, I was working around the house and started noticed he had been very active and kicking a lot. I had had some fruit juice and fresh fruit earlier so I am sure the sugar probably got him going. He kicked my ribs really hard and got his foot stuck. I felt him wriggle and squirm trying to get his foot free...it hurt...a lot! I remember trying to help him push his little foot back into place. About an hour later I felt a leaking sensation. I thought my water had broken so I called the hospital and spoke with a nurse who told me to come in just in case and they would check. My mother was at work so I told her I was going in to have things checked out and not to worry since I was no where near labor nor gushing water.

I got to the hospital and the nurses checked me out. They said they saw the baby's head and it looked as though my water had broken...but we were in for a surprise. So thinking that my water had broken, they prepped me for birth. I called my mom and asked her to bring my bag and meet me when she could. We were all assuming the water had broken. We waited for about 6 hours and nothing had happened. No dilation, nothing. So they started with the IV to start labor...still thinking the water had broken. About an hour into this, my baby's heart rate was racing...dangerously. So they went to add a fetal heart monitor to his head...when they went in to attach it...they broke the water sac! What had happened was all the kicking my son had done earlier has ripped a hole in the sac but wasn't hard enough to break it entirely. When I was checked upon arrival, the hole was near his head and appeared to show a broken sac...then the hole had moved and covered his head so when they went in with the monitor...pop!

That set off all sorts of bells and whistles in the room. There were interns in the room, specialists there, and of course my doctor was late...stuck in traffic. He called his wife, also an OB-GYN who was at the hospital already to stand in for him until he could arrive. She and her nurses did a wonderful job of helping me deliver my son.

I was fortunate to have my family members and a few friends in the room while I delivered. My uncle got it on tape and took some photos. My grandmother was there watching her great-grandson come into the world. I really felt supported and safe. It was a hard few hours of labor and the pain from the contractions vanished as soon as I got that swell of emotion of seeing the baby on my belly that had been in my belly for so long. He was beautiful and amazing. He cried with the quivery chin. His head was a cone head since they had to suck him out with the vacuum. He looked funny and amazing. That was the word I kept using every time I held him.

I chose this story because it was the one I remembered the most. Just writing about it brings back so many memories! 

I chose to look at stories of women in Nepal and their birth experiences. I had heard that Nepal has one of the highest maternal death rates during childbirth. I found a fascinating news story done by a Nepalese woman who herself was pregnant. Her news story was about how different her experience being pregnant was with that of her poorer sisters in the countryside. The link to her video on YouTube is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ76DB1NSfE

I was saddened to learn that even though money and support has been given to the elders of the villages, much of it never makes it to the women in the form of skilled birth attendants to assist the mothers. I also learned that complications during the birth are normal in Nepal which is why so many women are dying when they give birth. These types of births can also be traumatic for the unborn baby. Lack of oxygen to the brain, poor blood flow, infection, and stress can all cause infirmity in the baby when it is born. 


There were not many similarities between my birth and the one of the poor mothers in Nepal. The only thing I saw that was the same was how much we all loved our babies. I also noticed that perhaps we all have a fear of dying during childbirth, but for the poor women in Nepal, that fear is very real and very possible without the proper medical care.

Week 8

The course is finally over. I can't believe how quickly it went by! I have made some new friends and I hope to see them again in the next class. I am excited about my journey as a professional in the EC field! I am finally able to accept that role and I look forward to using all I have learned in this course in my future endeavors. Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to comment and share. I appreciate it and have learned a lot. Be well and good luck to you!
Kim

Week 7: Code of Ethics

This week I was asked to review 2 Codes of Ethics and discuss what three ideals from each mean to me and my career as a professional in the field of ECE.

The Division of Early Childhood's code of ethics can be found here:
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/81238/CRS-CW-6488739/educ6005_readings/dec_codeofethics.pdf

Three of the ideals I connected with in their code of ethics were:

Responsive Family Centered Practices 
1. We shall demonstrate our respect and appreciation for all families’ beliefs, values, customs,
languages, and culture relative to their nurturance and support of their children toward achieving
meaningful and relevant priorities and outcomes families’ desire for themselves and their children.
6. We shall respect families’ rights to choose or refuse early childhood special education or related
services.
7. We shall be responsible for protecting the confidentiality of the children and families we serve by
protecting all forms of verbal, written, and electronic communication.

These three ideals connected with me because I have been having issues with a co-worker revealing children's personal information with other parents. She seems to not be aware that what she is doing is wrong so I have had to talk with her about this and also mentor her. It is important to respect the privacy laws of the State and company in which we work/live. In my co-worker's case, she comes from a different cultural background and she said sharing information about everyone's lives was common and accepted. I have to be sensitive to her background while also being straight-forward about privacy laws and legalities when privacy is breached.

The NAEYC's code of ethics is located here:
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Three of its ideals I responded to were:

B—Responsibilities to employers
Ideals
I-3B.1—To assist the program in providing the highest
quality of service.
I-3B.2—To do nothing that diminishes the reputation of
the program in which we work unless it is violating
laws and regulations designed to protect children or is
violating the provisions of this Code.
Principles:
P-3B.4—If we have concerns about a colleague’s
behavior, and children’s well-being is not at risk, we
may address the concern with that individual. If
children are at risk or the situation does not improve
after it has been brought to the colleague’s attention,
we shall report the colleague’s unethical or incompetent behavior to an appropriate authority.
P-3B.5—When we have a concern about circumstances
or conditions that impact the quality of care and
education within the program, we shall inform the
program’s administration or, when necessary, other
appropriate authorities.

These match up with the ideals form the DEC listed above and I chose them for the same reason. Our school philosophy states that we closely follow the guidelines and principles of NAEYC and the parents understand what this means. I think we need more staff training to make sure the employees also understand what this means.

Week 4: Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"Child storage isn't child care."-- Edward Zigler, PhD.

 "[Early childhood teachers] can encourage fathers to talk with their children, a critical, but often under-rated parent-child activity." -- Aisha Ray, PhD.

"Everything within me was calling me to teach!"--Louise Derman-Sparks

"All education is a civil rights issue..."--Renatta M Cooper 

Personal Childhood Web

The five people whom I fondly remember as people who nurtured and cared for me are not all biologically-related to me but I consider them equally as important as the biological relations:

• Gega (our word for grandma)--my maternal grandmother
• Mama Julia-- my paternal grandmother
• Grandpa--my paternal grandfather
• Uncle Morgan/Uncle Addy--my maternal great-uncle and his life partner
• "Beaver" and his wife--our neighbors the street when we first moved to Orange County, CA
• Ursula--an upstairs neighbor in the apartment complex we lived in

Gega was so sweet. She was the "nice" grandma whereas Mama Julia was the "mean grandma." Gega was nurturing and always wanted me to have fun. She liked taking my siblings and I places like the zoo, library, the movies...She showed us she loved us by making sure to spend time with each of us separately doing the individual things we each liked to do. She took my sister to violin concerts, took my brother to sporting events, and took me to dance events and to the science museum. She loved reading and instilled the love of reading in all of us. We never ever got "in trouble" while in Gega's care. No matter what we did--and we did a lot of naughty things--she never ever got mad. She also never told our parents! Gega treated everyone she met like they were her best friend. I took her ability to smile and engage people with warmth from her. It is a signature behavior I use all the time in my photography work and it works like a dream. She touched a lot of lives and I met a lot of wonderful people at her funeral. She was truly a special person. To this day I sometimes catch myself using her favorite phrases or sayings when things get bad. She always told me, "You're never fully dressed without a smile," or, "Chin up, buttercup!" She became my son's favorite person when he was younger. She passed away when he was about seven so he really missed her and still does to this day. This is a photo of Gega and my son at a Kindergarten Grandparent's luncheon.

Mama Julia was also very loving but also very stern. She was considered the "mean" grandma. She wasn't afraid to use a "switch" (a branch from the apple tree) to spank us when we misbehaved. Although she was stern, she taught us a lot about the world and how to behave in it. She told us about her life growing up very poor. I loved to hear her stories as she told them with such a flair you would swear you were reliving it yourself in the moment. She was the family historian with photos from our ancestors that I treasured when I was young. She nurtured me by sewing all of my school clothes, teaching me how to cook, sew, care for my hair, and how to appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before me. Before she passed away, she gave me her two sewing machines and all of her fabrics, notions, etc. She cared for my grandfather until he passed away and watching her do that, I saw a soft side I had never seen as a child.


Grandpa was Mama Julia's husband...my father's father. He was the best grandpa ever! He taught me all about how to take a "coffee break" in the middle of hard work, how to care for fish in a fish tank, how to plant, paint, hammer nails, dig trenches, paint houses, fix a flat tire, shoot a BB gun, skin a squirrel, and more. The thing I remember most about Grandpa was how he looked after me and nurtured my sensitive soul. He said he felt bad for me being  "the middle child." He said I got a tough break because my younger brother was always allowed to misbehave, and my older sister was always finding fault with me. So whenever we spent the night at their house, he would wake me up and sneak me into the kitchen and make me root beer floats! This was our fun time...our hang out time...out secret time. I loved hanging out with Grandpa.

Uncle Morgan was my mom's uncle on her father's side. He was so suave and debonair. I remember thinking he was a movie star when he only worked in a toy factory. He met his life partner, Uncle Addy, back in his early twenties and they stayed together until my great uncle passed away. I remember them as being the cool uncles who would buy us expensive things. Whenever our family was hurting for money, they would give what they could. At the time, I never knew they were homosexuals. I just thought they were best friends living together. I think I figured it out on my own when I was in my early twenties. I just always thought nothing strange or different of two grown men living together. It was what it was and nothing more. Uncle Morgan and Uncle Addy paid for a lot of my undergraduate degree and helped me support my son when he was young. They guided me when I was young and taught me about art and the finer things in life. They also loved taking me to the beach and showed me how to appreciate nature's beauty.

"Beaver" was the neighborhood fun guy. He and his wife would have the children in the neighborhood over for milk and cookies. They were like grandparents to us all. They would allow us to play in their huge backyard and we liked to help them tend the garden they had. Beaver and his wife always had great stories to tell us from "the good old days."

Ursula was my mom's best friend when we first moved to Orange County. She, her husband and three kids lived upstairs and became like our second family. Ursula would take the time to do my hair since my mother didn't know how to care for the frizzy and unruly mop I had on my head. She and Ursula would sit and talk for hours while Ursula washed, conditioned, and braided my hair for the week. Hair duty used to belong to my grandmothers but when we moved away from them, my mother was at a loss until she met Ursula. Ursula became as close as a second mother for the time we knew them.

Week 2: Fueling My Passion for Early Childhood Studies

Three Things that Fuel My Passion for Early Childhood Education

 1.  This is a photo of me and my older sister, Tammy. I love this photo because it shows us happy and smiling and just being so carefree. I love it! When I look at this photo, I am reminded of the fun we used to have together. Playing was all we did. My grandparents on both sides had huge backyards in which we were allowed to go explore for hours on end. We would make up all sorts of games, "Hot Lava Monster," "Castle Creatures," and more. For as long as I can remember, I have loved to play.

2.  It seems as we get older, we stop having fun because of all the responsibilities that come along with being an adult. Work. School. Family. Career. Friends. Self. I think what has kept me sane through my super busy lifestyle has been my ability to play and have fun no matter what I am doing. I do not feel as old as my chronological age says I am. I feel like I am still 21 years old! I make sure I incorporate some aspect of play into everything I do...even the serious stuff. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about childhood:

"We don't stop playing when we get older. We get older when we stop playing."

I am not sure who this is attributed to, but it illustrates for me how important play is in all of our lives. This motivates me and fuels my passion to teach adults how to keep their childhood spirit. I think the aspect of play is what fuels my passion when it comes to working with young children. Their lives are in a constant state of play.

3.  The final thing that fuels my passion for early childhood is the wonder and imagination I see when I am working with young children. I think this is why I am so drawn to photographing them. Their lives tell so many stories. I am passionate about capturing those stories in images. Enjoy them and I look forward to your comments!

                             

 

all photos copyright Kim C Martin (me)

Week 1: Welcome!

Welcome to my blog for EDUC 6005 at Walden University. My name is Kim Martin and I have been in working and volunteering in the early childhood field for over 20 years. I love what I do but I have reached a point where I really want to shift gears and teach adults all I know about early childhood education. This program seems to be tailor-made for me and I am excited about my journey!

I look forward to working and collaborating with you! Please leave your name and comment and check back often! This is the photo card my son and I sent out for the holidays.