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