Quotes about Children!

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."



Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."

Testing for Intelligence!

                                           


I feel when you are assessing children it should be done to see what skills they are strong in and the areas they are weak in. This will help teachers to know the areas they need work on, and they can provide an individualized plan for the child.  I believe that children should be assessed academically when they enter preschool. This is only to help the child. Most schools offer assessments that the teachers do in the class. I worked for a preschool where each child took the Brackens Test at the beginning of the school year. When the results came back we grouped them so that we can work on those areas they needed help. We also had students that scored high or knew the basics, and we individualized work for them as well to enahnce what they knew.


Testing in the Philippines
On the UNICEF website they provided this information. Public education in the Philippines is free. Yet, the ability of schools to retain students has been poor. Out of 10 grade 1 students who were enrolled five years ago, only seven are now in grade 5. Worse, only 67% will eventually complete basic elementary education.

The quality of Philippine education has also been the subject of much debate in the past decades. The average class size across Philippine regions ranges from 33 to 50 students per class. In July 2003, 1.3 million grade 6 students took the High School Readiness Test. Using a passing mark of 50% (proportion of questions answered correctly), only 18% of the incoming high school students who took the diagnostic test passed the competency level for English; 8% passed Math and 10% passed Science. These test results did not bode well with the government. Hence, a Bridge Program for these students was recommended.

The Bridge Program is a one-year remedial program for first year high school students (12-13 years old). It focuses on improving three subject areas – English, Mathematics and Science – and is intended for students who do not meet the cut-off score in the High School Readiness Test.


http://www.unicef.org/philippines/childrensrights_8921.html

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

As a child I felt I had a pretty good life. I was living with my mom and dad and siblings and we did a lot, as a family. I do remember abuse that I use to witness. My parents began to fight a lot and as a child I did not understand it, because they would physically fight and I would be so afraid. I remember me and my sister and brother screaming and crying telling them to stop, but they didn't. On school days it was the worst because we would wake up to this and had to go to school. I never told anyone I would just wipe my tears before the bus came and go to school. In school I never could concentrate because I wondered if they killed one another. But when I got home my mother would be there, she usually didn't go to work that day, and a day later my parents were back talking to each other. This was devastating as a child because I kept it in and just could not wait until I graduated. I put a lot of focus on my school work and was in a lot of extra curricular activities which kept me focused. As an adult I have to think about these things and i see how it have affected me in some kind of way. I often wonder and think about how life repeats it self due to what you experience as a child. I do my best at handling things differently whether its going to counseling and finding a friend whom I trust to confide in about my life as it is today. These things affected me emotionally and socially.

There are so many stressors that can affect children's development. I mentioned abuse and I will speak about hunger in the Philippines. Hunger affects a lot of people and in the Philippines food is plentiful but most people are living in poverty and do not have the money to provide food for their families. In the on line article it said, "Children are the ones most marginalized by this situation, and it all starts in the womb. A pregnant woman who is not getting enough of the nutrients that her body needs naturally gives birth to a baby with a weakened body. As the child grows older, the lack of nutrition available in his or her diet further affects the growth and development of his or her body."

There will always be stressors that will affect our lives, but if we can make someone else's life a bit easier by lending a helping hand then take that opportunity to do so, because you never know when it will be you that need help from someone. If you know of resources that can help someone provide them with that information to help them. No matter if it hunger, abuse, or poverty.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5072062

Mental Health and our Families!!!

Mental Health is very important and when a woman haves a child she experiences many emotiona and feelings and her body goes through many changes. Its important I feel that the husband and family are aware of these things. I was very happy to find out I was pregnant with all my children, but I realized that situations in your life will have you very emotional and for most woment post pardum depression results. I had that after each of my births. It wanst a good feeling but with my first son I was surrounded by a lot family. My second and third son was born in NY and I had no family there but my husband and he really didnt understand how I was feeling. I realized being around family and people who understand what women go through is important plus you will have the support you need while getting adjusted to a new baby.
I read an article about families in Africa. Most families south of the Sahara were very poor. It was interesting to know that mental health comes last. Most of the African countries have no mental health policies, programs, or action plans.
I must say that I am blessed to be in the United States where we have the programs and the help we need when dealing with mental health. It affects the family as a whole and the child. Mental Health is serious and when we are dealing with these issues we need to seek help.  As an educator if we know mothers, fathers, or families dealing with these issues we need to refer them to the proper help. Most schools have resources to help familes with mental health and other issues. We can definitely help families and educate them with information they need.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

The Birth of My First Son!

 

When I got the news I was pregnant I was scared and happy. I began preparing for this pregnancy by going to all of my appointments and even though it was a high risk pregnancy, everything was going great. The day of delivery came and I was in a lot of pain. I wanted an epidural, at the time the nurse checked me I was dialated 2cm then moments later I was 5 to 6 cm and it was too late for my epidural. My brother was my support there and he was in the delivery room. The doctors had all their equipment on a table and was prepared to deliver. I was in so much pain an I thought I was pushing but I was pulling the baby back in. They were saying push and I was light headed and felt faint. I was finally pushing and my son was born 6lbs 7ozs. I was so happy when I heard him crying I started shedding tears of joy. It was an experience I will never forget.
I know its very important to take care of yourself when you are expecting. You have to attend all doctors visits to make sure that you and your baby is healthy.

I researched births in Brazil and I was surprised to find that they have high cesarean birth rates. Most deliveries are done this way. Its said to be the highest in the world. The women still experience what women in America experience. They know the importance of doctors visits and caring for themselves. In a yahoo news article A Brazilian woman did not want a c-section she wanted a natural birth. So she stopped going to her prenantal dr and decided to go to a local hospital where she had a better chaance of a vagianl delivery.

I was surprised in Brazil that the most common way of childbirth is cesarean births. I feel it should be the choice of the mother unless their is a health risk to the mother and the child.   

http://www.scielosp.org
http://news.yahoo.com/brazilian-woman-rebel-asgainst-cesarean-birth

Code of Ethics

Three codes that is meaningful to me!

I.1.3  To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

I think this is very important because each child is special in their own way and we should nurture the abilities and qualities that we see. Identifying the smallest thing in a child and praising and assuring them that they can be great and do whatever their heart desires is important. Being a positive role model and being there for children is important and it shows them that you care and will be there for them.
I.1.5 To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster childrens social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

Providing an environment that promotes these areas of development is crucial for the growth and development of children. In the preschool settings that I have worked we plan our activities that touch on all these areas of development and more. The activities are planned with the children in mind and according to their abilities. We do that so they can accomplish the task and feel good about what they have done. We also display any contributions the children have made and they feel good about their work being displayed in the classroom. Also maintaining a safe and healthy setting is always done.

I.1.10 To ensure that each childs culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.

The diversity of our classrooms is changing and it is important that each individual is recognized and valued. We celebrate and learn about the different cultures that are represented in our class. We allow families to come in a share information and an activity with us to learn more about their culture and how they live. I feel it makes the families feel valued and feel as if they are important and cared about.

Resources!!!

www.enchantedlearning.com This is a site I use for resources and ideas in the classroom. It has resources and activites from early childhood to high school. I have used it to get activties for my children at home to assist them with their school work. 

www.starfall.com I love this site and I have used it with my children as well as recommnended it to parents and they love it. It will assist children with letter recognition as well as reading skills.

http://earlychildhoodnews.wordpress.com/ This is a website for teachers and parents.