When I Think of Child Development

This quote from C.S. Lewis sums up my thoughts of child development. My heart and passion lies within this field and I only hope to gain more confidence in advocacy, knowledge of development and resources in the colleagues whom I am honored to meet. 

This semester I have been honored to get to know professionals who love children and this field. I cannot begin to tell you all how much your support, encouragement and discussion has meant to me. Dr. McCarthy, thank you for being an active part of our discussion boards and challenging me to think and rethink what I know and want to know in this field. 

Lynette, I appreciate your heart so much. You are always so passionate, kind and willing to think of others as we pursue this adventure. 

To my other classmates, thank you for discussing hot topics, being vulnerable and willing to share your hearts with us all via discussion boards. Without you, this experience would not truly be an experience, but would instead be mundane! 

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! I wish you all well! 

Rachael 

Testing for Intelligence

This topic is a hot topic for me. I have strong feelings about standardized testing and the effects that they have on teachers and children. I understand that children need to be tested in order to know where they are developmentally and to keep educators accountable. My concern is not the test itself, (although assuming that every child will learn the same way and give the "right" answer every time is silly), but the pressure and the stress they cause. If we are truly desiring to meet the needs of the whole child, we need to be looking at the whole child. Rather than simply relying on an "average" score, we should be looking at individuals. Development is not linear. It is ridiculous to assume that every child is going to be "on their game" the day of a test. I am an adult and I am not "on my game" everyday. I forget things, I loose things, the words, they fail me at times.
Again, testing is necessary. How would we be able to know where children need assistance if we are not assessing them? We should be following a set of standards to ensure that children are mastering skills in order to build on the foundation we as Early Childhood educators are laying. We should NOT be teaching to a test. It is my personal belief that children should be assessed in all developmental domains throughout their academic career. If we look at developmental domains, we are able to assess math, science, reading, social studies, language, vocabulary etc. all while maintaining that children are empathetic, compassionate, able to self-regulate, solve problems and use critical thinking skills.
 In the state of Texas, children are tested annually in Reading and Math (grades 3-8), Writing (grades 4 and 7); Science (grades 5 and 8); Social Studies (grade 8) and that doesn't include the End of Course annual tests in English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology and U.S. History.  So, children are taking at least 1 test a year, and multiple tests depending on their grade level. This raises the stress levels of children and educators as well as parents. However, in my research, I found an article from U.S News and World Report that states that a third of 15 year old students in the Netherlands state they take a standardized test at least once a month. In Israel, more than a fifth of students said they took a monthly test. That's a lot of tests.
I don't know what the answer is, I know that I become frustrated that teachers are teaching to the test, children are stressed, and teachers are loosing their jobs because schools lose funding if so many children don't pass the test. That's a lot of pressure! Learning should be fun. Again, I understand that we have to have accountability and a standard to meet. There has to be a way to know if children need extra help or to be challenged more. My hope is that we will figure out a way to do this that is meaningful and takes some pressure to preform off children and educators.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/12/07/education-myth-american-students-are-over-tested
tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Poverty is a stress that I had to deal with in my childhood. My mother was a single mother for most of my childhood, and has 3 children. We are all 6 years apart in age. We always had the things that we needed, not necessarily the things that we wanted. I remember when I was a child, we struggled to eat well, lived in a house that was so cold in the winter that the water in the toilet froze and washed our clothes in the bath tub at times. I feel that I have overcome this through my education and working really hard to overcome. Poverty is a heartbreaking reality for families all over the world, from our own neighbors, to the cities and states we live in to other countries. While my personal story has many other details that I choose not to share, it is impossible to pretend that poverty doesn't effect  many families. Living in poverty not only effects children's ability to learn (hungry children have a hard time concentrating) but also effects children's self esteem and parent's confidence.
 In Texas this year alone, 37% of single parent homes are living in poverty. Furthermore, according to globalissues.org, about 80% of the world lives on less than $10 a day. A day. Some ways that this issue is being addressed is through aide provided by the state. In Texas, this aide comes in many forms, from food stamps, to aide with child care and rent. Hopefully, by banning together, and facing the reality of poverty we can come up with solutions that will be lifelong and not only circumstantial. As educators, I believe it is important for us to know the resources available for families and have relationships with families that will allow us to encourage families in need to reach out for help.

For more information visit:
http://spotlightonpoverty.org/states/texas/ or
 http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

Child Development and Public Health

For this week's blog assignment, I chose to explore breastfeeding. This topic is meaningful for me because of my work with young children and their families as well as because of the struggles I have seen friends and family go through while trying to be successful in breastfeeding. I have learned about the benefits of breastfeeding and the one that stands out the most to me is attachment. It is an intimate connection between a mother and her child to breastfeed and we have learned how attachment is so very important to development of the whole child.
I am going to share this story with you, with my sister's permission, to try to explain why I chose this topic. I do not have any children of my own, but have a 10 month old niece that I love very much. When she was born on Christmas day 2015, her momma had decided long before that she wanted to breastfeed.  She was able to breastfeed for 4 months with occasional supplementing with formula. It was a joy to see the bonds that were being made between my sister and her daughter. Man oh man could that sweet girl eat! My sister seemed to be breastfeeding all the time and/or the baby was hungry all the time. While breastfeeding baby B would fall asleep and in turn momma B was not producing enough milk. Baby B loved breastfeeding and was soothed during the experience falling asleep and not sucking, momma B's body did not produce more milk.  For everyone's emotional health, momma B and the pediatrician decided to go with formula exclusively. Momma B said that when she went to breastfeeding class, the instructor said that "everyone can do this, your body is made to breastfeed" and was frustrated when her body did not cooperate with that. She says that there is no shame in switching to formula and it was better for everyone in her family when she switched because she stressed when pumping and not getting much, baby B latching and the milk not flowing in an effective way, and her husband supported her all the way through it. Within a week after making the decision to switch, she dried up, not having to deal with engorgement, leaking any of those things, because she just didn't have any milk left. Now at 10 months, baby B is thriving, walking, 20lbs 6 ounces and 29 inches long. I think that often mothers feel that if they are not successful in exclusive breastfeeding they have failed somehow. I know that it was difficult for me to watch my sister struggle with the frustration, the anxiety and exhaustion of not producing enough milk. I am however SUPER proud of her for taking the steps to research and talk with her pediatrician and making the hard decision to switch.

In my research I found that in the United States, only 33% of infants 4 months or younger are exclusively breastfed and by 6 months of age that number drops to 14%.  These numbers are low compared to Peru where 97% of babies are breastfed at birth and 69% of these babies are breastfed until they are 20 months old. This is different than the infants in India, where 46% of infants are exclusively breastfed and the mother's in rural areas consider the colostrum to be "dirty milk" and discard it.  You can read more about this and breastfeeding in other countries at http://www.incultureparent.com/2012/03/breastfeeding-around-the-world/.

I believe that knowing about breastfeeding and having some second hand information from my sister and her struggles better equips me to aide those mothers I work with who might be struggling. It is important for my work to build and maintain relationships with families. Maybe, just maybe, meeting them in this scary, maybe unfamiliar place with a success story found in baby B, will help them know that I care for them and their struggle. Maybe then, they will be able to trust me to be, if nothing else, a sounding board for the journey.


Just for fun here is a picture of Baby B and me! :)
Isn't she lovely?!?

Childbirth Experiences

I have not given birth myself. I do however,  have 2 nephews that I was honored to be a part of their births. For the purposes of this blog entry, I will discuss my oldest nephew's birth. I was 16 when he was born and could not have been more excited when my brother and sister-in-law told me they were going to have a baby. The morning that my sister-in-law went into labor, we all piled into the car and drove 45 minutes to the hospital. I remember seeing a yard sale and she wanted to stop and buy a little red wagon! We all thought she was silly for wanting to stop!  We got to the hospital, and they allowed me to stay in the room with them which was the thrill of my life at that time. I watched my sister-in-law show a strength I did not know was possible as the monitor showed each contraction. It seemed as if she was only in a little pain compared to the image on the screen with it's zig zag lines and numbers rising and falling. We waited and waited for his arrival. 36 hours to be exact. Then my precious nephew seemed to decide it wasn't time at all for him to come into the world. He got stuck in the birth canal. They decided the best option was to preform a c-section. My brother and sister-in-law were rushed into the operating room and in a matter of what seemed seconds to us waiting, Elijah Christian was born. He was perfect. I never thought I could love someone so completely that I had just met. My sister-in-law recovered quickly, she was up walking around that evening and after tey released her from the hospital, they came to stay at my mom's house with us for the first few days. Talk about a thrill when they needed a nap and they let me, ME, keep Elijah in my room in his bassinet while they rested. He of course was sleeping and I just stared at him! :) He and I have a special bond. He is the one who made me Aunt Rachael. He is 19 now and I am proud of who he is becoming. I love to tell him his "birth story" and try to on his birthday every year. His mom always talks about how we had time to get that little red wagon before going to the hospital!

I wasn't sure where to begin when looking at births around the world. I found an interesting article on Parenting.com. They look at different birthing traditions around the world. I was shocked at some of the things I read. For example, in Uganda, a woman is given no grace when she is struggling with morning sickness or needing rest because she is growing a human inside of her. Often times she is sent back to her mother's house until she feels stronger. A c-section is viewed as a failure by the family and community and if a woman has complications or dies during child birth it is considered her fault. Honestly, these facts made me sad for the women in Uganda. Birth in my opinion is supposed to be a beautiful, intimate affair. Without a c-section we would not have Elijah or his brother Jordan. It's not a failure in my opinion. It is a way of giving birth. Women should be honored in their becoming mothers, from conception to birth.
Here is the link to the article: http://www.parenting.com/article/birth-maternal-health

We've Only Just Begun.....A Note of Gratitude

Many many thanks to all of my classmates and Dr. Embree as this course comes to an end. I am encouraged by each of you week after week and hope to continue this journey with you all. I am not sure if any of my current classmates will be taking future courses with me, but a girl can hope! :) 

Thank you Lynette for your passion and for challenging me to gain a new passion of inclusion! Thank you for showing us your heart each week. 

Thank you Tara for your encouragement and kind words throughout the course. 

Thank you James for being so honest about your life and your faith with us! 

Thank you Dr. Embree for your guidance and always being willing to answer all the questions I had and for encouraging us to find something we are passionate about and stay tremendously interested in it! 

Thank you all for your support in this journey! I pray that God blesses each of you mightily and you fall more and more in love with this field and all it entails! 

I wish you well! 

Rachael 

Examining Codes of Ethics

While all of the ideals in NAEYC’s code of ethics resonate with me, these are three that I feel are close to my heart at this time in my journey.

I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training (NAEYC, 2005).

This ideal is one of the driving forces for my continued education. I want to stay current with my knowledge of child development and the field of early childhood. I feel that by continuing my education, my professional goals can be met and new goals can be established.

I-1.12—To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and families move from one program to the next (NAEYC, 2005).

Families are one of my passions. Establishing and maintaining relationships with parents and extended family only deepens connection with children. With deepened connections, trust is established and learning can take place. That’s my goal. Respect families, learn from them as the experts on their child and hopefully help them in some area or another.

I-3A.1—To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers (NAEYC, 2005).

This ideal correlates with a new found passion of mine. I have a strong desire to establish and maintain relationships with other professionals in the field. I have these relationships with my immediate co-workers and the team of professionals at the center I currently work in, however, I am hoping to learn how to network and establish relationships with those professionals outside of my small immediate circle. 

NAEYC's Code of Ethics can be found:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Early Childhood Resources

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week's Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional Resources:

In looking for resources for this blog, I wanted to focus on resources for the state of Texas, because I live in Texas :) 

TAEYC is a state chapter of NAEYC. Their website has articles, local conference information and more! You can check it out at: www.texasaeyc.org

Another resource I use daily is Conscious Discipline. The way this curriculum aides in helping children gain confidence, self-regulation skills and the ability to teach others how to treat them is phenomenal. You can check it out at: www.consciousdiscipline.com

Finally one of the things I have learned through this week's assignments is that the people I surround myself with are resources in my professional and personal life. I have had some amazing mentors in my life, I have amazing co-workers and a circle of friends that I cannot imagine my life without. My husband is one of my greatest resources as he supports me, takes up the slack when I am studying, makes me take breaks and pushes me to be the best I can be. He's also really great at helping me build things for my classroom and doesn't fuss too much when I spend our money on school stuff! ;) 

Here's one of my favorite pictures of us! 

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"In order to support optimal learning in young children, early caregivers and educators have to have a deep understanding of and respect for the knowledge children bring to early care and education settings and services; and recognize that children are shaped by a cultural model of care and competence held by their family and community." -Aisha Ray, 2015


"We wanted more respect and better pay for ourselves, but we were just as deeply committed to upgrading the care and education of young children, and to making child care affordable and accessible to all families. To us, teacher's rights were essential to ensuring the rights of children." - Marcy Whitebook, 2013

"Everything in me was being called on to teach. It became my life long work."

 -Louise Derman-Sparks

"I always felt I owed the families my best." -Renatta M. Cooper

 Motivation and inspiration can come from many sources. 

Above are a few of mine, I hope they inspire you! 

Personal Childhood Web

There are people in a child's life that influence them to be more, try harder, believe in themselves and love them unconditionally. In my life, those people are my mom, my dad, my brothers, a great pastor I had in my life for 10 years and a third grade teacher who pushed me to succeed without even realizing it. I have lifelong skills because of these people. I have pushed myself to do more because of these people. I know that I can accomplish hard things because of these people. I only hope that in my career and in my life, I can be in a child's web! 

My momma. She has always been my biggest fan and one of the greatest influences of my life. She was a single mom of three kids, me being the baby, and worked full time while going to school to earn her A.A.S. in Child Development. She always just made it work! A few years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and it was a very scary time. She fought hard and I am thankful to say that she in remission and doing well! She taught me to love Jesus and pray about everything.  When things would get hard for me in school or life in general she would say, "It's nothing for a stepper like you!" every time. To this day, she tells me that when I feel overwhelmed or out of control. She loves me unconditionally, and is one of my best friends now that I am an adult! I am eternally grateful that God chose her to be my momma! 

 

My daddy... I am a daddy's girl to my core. He loves me so and I love him. Growing up, I had weekends with him and vacation times from school with him. My mom never kept us from my dad and I could be with him whenever I wanted to and I am grateful for that. My dad and I have a different relationship than my mom and I. We joke a lot, we play silly games, we connect differently. We don't speak everyday like my mom and I do, but we never miss a beat when we do get to be together.  My daddy taught me to never say anything behind someone's back I wouldn't say to their face and to never back down from what I believe. He taught me about Southern Gospel music, that I didn't always appreciate as a child, but LOVE as an adult and to love Jesus with my whole being and tell people about Him. He has always encouraged me to do the things that I love with passion. Life is too short to not love what you do.

I am the youngest of three children in my family. My oldest brother is 12 years older than me, and my other brother is 6 years older than me. They have pushed me, challenged me and taught me that if I could stand up to them I could do anything! The greatest thing I think my brothers have taught me is to laugh at myself, with others and not take things too seriously. I am a bit of an overachiever, a.k.a a "geek" to my brothers, and they encourage me to relax, enjoy the journey and laugh A LOT! I told them once and will stand by it always, "Michael was the baby for 6 years and then came Gary. He was the baby for 6 years and then I came and I will be the baby FOREVER!" :)

Pastor Phil... I met this amazing man when I was 10 years old. I was struggling with my parent's divorce and he was a father figure to me as well as a spiritual mentor. He taught me how to study the Word, and how to study for big exams in school. He taught me to use a planner and color-code it so that I could look at what I had to do and prioritize accordingly. He taught me things such as speak to the person who answers the phone when you call for someone, THEN ask to speak to the one you called. He taught me to trust my instincts, to find something to passionate about and to "get over it" when I was so easily offended. Pastor Phil passed away several years ago, but I will always be grateful for the time I had with him and the influence he had on my life.

Mrs. Ross... My third grade teacher.... This is going to sound strange, but she was awful!!! She worked us so hard during the day, worksheet after worksheet, paragraph after paragraph, book after book. THEN.... she sent at least that much work home as homework. I did homework from the time I got home, until dinner, and sometimes after dinner. It was an awful year! I hated all the work, I was so mad at her most of the time because of the workload. This was the year my momma started saying, "It's nothing for a stepper like you." It was awful... just awful. BUT... I made it through that year. I succeed in her classroom and was on the A honor roll all year long. I can see now, as an adult, the work ethic she instilled in us way back then. I am able to complete lots of work now, because of the way she taught me. I wish she was alive now so I could tell her thank you and apologize for the eye rolling I am sure my 3rd grade self gave her!

A Sad Day For Children's Literature

Today I found out that Anna Dewdney author of the Llama, Llama series children all over the world have come to love, passed away on September 3, 2016.  I am saddened for her family and friends as well as for myself and other educators that have used these books for a multitude of teaching opportunities. Tonight I take a moment to remember her work. Tomorrow, I plan to read her books to the children in my classroom and smile as they smile, laugh and ask me to "read it again!" Thank you Anna Dewdney for your contribution to the Early Childhood field. May you rest in peace.

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You....

Hi! Welcome to the blog about my journey in Early Childhood Education. I am new to this, so please be patient as I maneuver my way through. Early Childhood is extremely important to me. I have been on this journey for many years now and I continue to learn and grow personally as well as academically. My personal philosophy of Early Childhood Education has changed over the years and is a beautiful combination of theories, trial and error and practical application.

Magda Gerber said, "Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write or count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace which is right for each individual child". 

This quote speaks volumes about the Early Childhood field. Children are on a journey and if we as educators will allow them to time to learn and develop at their own pace, I believe more authentic connections will be made. Connections with one another, with other adults and with the skills they need to be successful academically and in life. We all learn differently.  Some of us learn by touching and moving the parts, others only by hearing the information. When children are given the grace and respect to learn through play, relationships and teacher-directed activities, the window of time Magda Gerber spoke of is taken full advantage of. I am a firm believer in that childhood is not a race, but a journey to be enjoyed!

Children's literature is very important to me. I believe a good book can teach things that I could never teach, make a child feel something that they didn't even know they could feel and allow their imaginations to take them places they may never go. It is difficult for me to pick one children's book that is my favorite. I love Robert Munsch and Eric Carle along with Leo Lionni and Don and Audrey Wood. Recently I have fallen in love with Andrea Beaty. She has written two books that I love so very much. Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer. Later this month her book Ada Twist, Scientist is being released. I love these books because of the message behind them. They talk about the importance of building, creating and dreaming. They are written in a "rhyming word" fashion and the illustrations are AMAZING.  These books discuss what it is like to fail at something and pick yourself up and try try again, as well as being true to who you are. I like to use these books in the block center to encourage building as well as in my loose parts area. The children in my classroom enjoy them and often ask to be read these particular books. I am excited to read Ada Twist, Scientist! I'll be sure to let you all know how it is!

This summer my husband and I went to the beach. This was a first time experience for me. I grew up loving the mountains in Tennessee and then when we moved to Texas, we spent our family vacations going back to Tennessee, so the beach was a new experience for me. This is a picture I took of myself when we got to the beach! It was a lot of fun and I remember thinking that the feeling I was having, might be the feeling a child gets when they experience something new. Excitement and wonder all rolled up into one big smile! I feel that way again, beginning this journey to obtain my Master's degree. Excited and wondering what I signed up for all at the same time! ;) Here's to the journey, the excitement and the changes that are bound to happen in my personal and academic life in the months to come!
Wishing you well!
Rachael

Welcome

Welcome to my journey in Early Childhood Education! Stay tuned for updates and future posts!