My Connections to Play

Quotes that summarize what play represented to me in childhood:

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning. Diane Ackerman

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.  Fred Rogers

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.  Kay Redfield Jamison

                                             Ball

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Jump Rope

Video Games

When I was younger I grew up in Trinidad so I didn’t attend school until I was in elementary. The only time we had for play was during recess time for thirty min. a day. We had no activity that involved play in the classroom. In the classroom the focus was books. Play time was not allowed much when I was a child, but I see how beneficial the role of play is through my children and my students. For me, play is more accepted and encouraged today, than when I grew up. Children are required to have a certain amount of play time a day. Most of the time, that is when their personality comes into effect and blossom. They learn a lot from their peers like communication or language skills for example.

As an adult I truly believe that play so still important, no matter what the age of the individual. Just because we are adults we still have skills we could still expand on our everyday skills. Play is a way to interact and be social. We learn from each other no matter what age the individual is. For me play can be a group of adults going out for lunch or going bowling with each other. I have always been a social butterfly and I believe I learned from every individual I came in contact with.

I have two boys and I know much of their learning comes through play. For example, my three year old communication skills (speaking, etc.) expanded when he went to school and was around other children. Play is very much encouraged in our household

Relationship Reflection

” “love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with”-

                              a quote from http://www.searchquotes.com/search/Relationship_Status/

Relationship/partnership is important to me for a number of reasons. Relationships can keep an individual grounded, meaning it could bring out the best in them. No day is perfect nor is anyone, so it is good to have someone or some people that is there to lend a helping hand. If the relationship is a positive one,  then they would bring the best out of you.


                                                                                              My grandmother and my uncle Ian, in Trinidad!!

I try to keep positive influential people in my life, as well as my children. My mother, Jillian Tucker, and grandmother, Lonia Textus, is at the top of that list. So much wisdom and guidance came from them throughout my life. When I was going down the wrong path, they were always there to bring me back to realization. My husband, Andre Chisolm, is also an individual that I have a positive relationship with. He is a great father as well as great companion.  The last indiviudal that I will discuss is my uncle Ian, he is also my son's godfather. He helped raise me, when my mother needed the help. He gave up his life and moved back to Trinidad to take care of his mother, my grandmother. I never once seen him get mad or get worried, he always tells me that all things could be changed, so don't dwell on it. I live by that! No one situation stays the same, and you have to be ready for the unexpected, becasue thats what makes you stronger.

                                 My lovely mother with my youngest son, I am who I am because of her!

My husband with our oldest son! (not sure how to turn the picture around, sorry)

All relationships could have challenges in developing and maintaining them. Over time I have learned that some information has to stay to yourself.  At time’s I might not always agree with the beliefs or customs of the other individual, but it not worth fighting over.  Keep an open mind is something else I have learned to do over time. Even though it is something I never did before, don’t mean that it is the wrong way or unacceptable. My way is not always right.

My experiences with relationships will impact as I further myself as an early childhood professional. Patience and understanding is two qualities that were gained from the individuals that I currently have a relationship with. Children are all different and time has to be taken with them. They all come from different cultures, religion, and income bracket.   So the fact that I have an understanding that I will have to adapt to each child and the way I teach my children is not the only way will take me a long way.

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Final Week

A famous quote that I love about children is:

"I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!" David Vitter

This quote is so true to me, and dear to my heart. If educators and parents are supportive of the children and guide them they would go far in life. Children need to feel loved and want someone to believe in them and help them succeed. All children have potential to succeed.

I always tell my students and children that they could become anything they dream of becoming. The sky is the limit!

Holistically....The impact on kids

At all ages and grades students are tested for various reasons. Some testing is to see if the child is prepared to advance to the next grade, if the child understands the materials, if the student needs special one on one help, and etc. I believe that testing is a good thing if assessed the correct way and for a good reason. The school system has to assess students, and parents and guardians should understand that, the problem comes from over usage of it.

According to worhnetweb.princton.edu, holistically means emphasizing the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole. I think the child as a whole should be assessed. The reason I think that is because every individual have a weak spot, and should not be punished for it. For example, I am quick and fast in math, but slow in reading. Should I be placed in a special need reading class because my 3^rd grade assessment was low? What if my 2^nd grade test was normal? My point is that children should be assessed as a whole, and not parts. For example, I use to have a student that was smart and capable of completing his work. He went to public school, and they are trying to place him in a special needs class for the wrong reasons. He was assessed and has behavior problems. Yea, we know he has behavior problems, but is placing him in a special needs class the way to go because he was assessed and his teacher said so. I had this student before he went to public school) for 2 years and his work was well, and I was able to control his behavior. I think it could be overused.

Children in the UK get assessed in somewhat the same way as they do in the US. The teacher assesses them in the classroom, during particular age groups. They also use 3 National curriculum levels that assist them. They aim to make sure that everything is balanced in the classroom. The systems are similar to how our educators do things, which could have its perks.

Children do need to be assessed, but it is a thing called over-measured. The child should be looked and assessed as a whole and not in parts.

Consequences of Stress

Although there are many common stressors, I would like to focus on diseases. A few years ago when I was completing my Undergraduate degree in healthcare, I learned a lot about different stressors and how it affects children. One of the courses that I had to take was centered on AIDs prevention. I attended a seminar called AIDS 101, it was one of the best experiences that I could have had. I met a sibling that explained how they were born with the illness, and their mom died when they was young from complications from the disease. They elaborate on how their childhood was. They had doctor’s appointments every week, hard to keep friends (when they find out they have AIDs they get scared), always sick, play no sports, missed a lot of days of school (the brother dropped out), etc. I could imagine how their childhood was, because it’s a lot for a child to handle.

AIDS is a major problem in other countries, a bigger problem than the United States. Africa has most of infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa.  It is a number of reasons why the disease can spread so fast. The poverty level, economic status, or lack of knowledge could all be factors on why this particular disease could be affecting so many people in Africa. Children also have to stay in the hospital longer than any other patients.

AS a child growing up in Trinidad, AIDs is a huge problem. On the radio station, boards, schools, etc., they discuss the prevention and the importance of being educated about the disease. The children whose parents the disease spend a lot of time with other family members and friends, because their parents was sick a lot and weak a lot. My aunt is a nurse at the hospital and she came home crying many nights because of the death of child from the disease.

Child Development and Public Health

                      Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

A few years ago a friend of the family, 4 month old baby died from sudden infant death syndrome. She was asleep in her crib and  never woke up. She was lying on her back, covered with a blanked (in January), and it was no toys in the crib. The autopsy found nothing out of the ordinary which contributed to her death. They said it was SIDS. It was a very painful moment for family and friends.

What is SIDS:

SIDS is suspected when a  infant, usually younger than 6 months of age, is found dead in bed (while they sleep).

Facts about SIDS: from

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids/article_em.htm

• About 90% of SIDS deaths occur in infants younger than 6 months of age.
• 
  

  SIDS is not predictable or preventable.
• 
  

  SIDS is not caused by immunizations or bad parenting. 
•  SIDS is not contagious or hereditary. 
  
•  SIDS is not anyone's fault
• African American babies are twice as likely to die of SIDS as white babies

The U.S. SIDS rate remains high, compared to other developed countries.

For example, in 2005, the US. rate ranked second highest (after New Zealand) among 13 countries in a research study by Fern Hauck and Kawai Tanabe.

Some of the lowest SIDS rates in other countries were in the Netherlands and Japan.

As a future child care professional I will utilize everything that I learned about SIDS to keep parents informed.

My birthing Experience

I have two boys and both of my kids birth was a blessed experience. I had both my kids through a planned c-section. I remember thinking about how I am going to have a bundle of joy coming into the word in a few minutes. The procedure was rather quick and the babies were out within twenty minutes, but the after effect is what was hard. I had trouble walking for a few days, and I also had lower stomach pain for a few weeks.  Giving birth to my children is the best birthing experience that I could elaborate on.  I also remember the hospital staff taking his footprint and the small little band around their hands, for identification and security.

                                                                 My youngest son footprint from the hospital

        My 2 pride and Joy                            

Birth is something that should be taken seriously. The whole process involves patience and obedience.  A mother has to be careful what is transferred to the unborn baby. No matter how much you want the baby to be delivered it is a waiting game. If the baby is delivered prematurely, the child will be impacted with their development. Now through this week’s reading, plasticity brings hope that children can outgrow or their ability can change over time.

Preparing for the medication to take effect!!

 Trinidad and Tobago birth

My family is from Trinidad and Tobago, an Island in the West Indies. In the past a lot of the births use to happen at home with midwives. Most deliveries were natural with limited medication for the mother, to me more painful. My grandmother had no medication at all with any of her 5 deliveries. Within the past few years more and more women is going to the hospitals to give birth, much like we do in the United States. My cousin, who is younger than me, went through a medicated delivery in the hospital. In the United States it seems like the percentage of women that gets c-section is higher than other countries or Islands, like Trinidad for one. I think a lot of the Islands are starting to modernize and adapt too many things that are done in the United States.  

Most of the hospitals in Trinidad are free, so they don’t offer much extra’s in the hospitals. But if you want a better level of care then a mother would have to go to private hospitals. The newborn child would still get tested for the diseases, but the extra amenities like footprints and pictures would not occur.

                                   Map of Trinidad and Tobago