Getting Ready-Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

 

Searching for two Early Childhood Professionals outside of the U.S. made me nervous and excited. The nervous portion of my emotions comes from the thought of not being successful in making a connection. As I begin sending out emails I found that many of the email addresses that I choose were coming back failed delivery. It took me moment to see why they were coming back that way. My understanding of the failed delivery is that the email addresses were not from the U.S. For example on email address I choose was Canadian Child Care Foundation ydionne@cccf-fcsge.ca. Any email that didn't end with org, net, or com came back failed delivery. 

The other emotion being excited comes from looking forward to communicating with other professionals across the world in my field. Im really hoping I can make this connection so I sent an email out four places..Kosovo Education Center, El Salvador, Step by Step Program/ Tipa Tipa, and Honduras. In the email I explained that I am a graduate student at Walden University working on my M.S in ECE. The purpose of the email is to find other professionals in my field and create a communication line of each other dreams, inspirations, issues, and activities in regards to children.

Outside of the resources that was provided to help make this connection I also used my facebook and instagram page to ask for help. I made a post to my family and friends asking them if they know any one how could possibly help with this assignment. In addition, I spoke with a head start coordinator at my local church who has a group that focus on helping to stop trafficking of children. I asked her if she could look to see if she has anyone in her organization who might be able to help. As the search continue I hope that the connect will be made. I haven't received back any responses but I'm keeping "HOPE" alive!!! 

The Early Childhood Organization I choose to research is Save the Children. My ultimate goal is to create change in my community in the lives of all children. Currently, Philadelphia is ranked one of the highest cities for child trafficking. While this is sad I just became aware of this information recently. If I didn't know about this I'm sure there are others who don't as well. Save the Children Organization offers services in child protection, child survival, education, health and nutrition, hunger, and emergency response. This organization partners with governments and internationals agencies to promote awareness on issues relating to children and how to keep them safe. I have signed up for there newsletter and I'm excited to read ways in which I can help children.

 Save The Children

My Supports

There many things and people who support me on daily basis. As I think of my day to day routine I can see little things that may not matter to others but are very important to me.

 My iPod and iPod dock is one of the things that supports from day to day. My alarm clock goes off in the morning. I pray and then I have my morning inspiration. I listen to a total of three songs. Two praise songs which are fast and one worship song which is slow. I absolutely need this in the morning because it sets my mood for the day. It wakes me up and get me fired up for all the activities that I need to complete. My cell phone and laptop are two other things that supports me. I use my phone to check to voice mails or any missed calls. my phone keeps me connected to people especially parents of the children I care for. My laptop is used for school of course, keeping track of social media, and emails. In my travels I always carry my laptop with me.

My super Nintendo is my best friend at 4pm Monday-Friday. After the last child leave I use my game to unwind and relax. I normally play my game for a good 30 minutes before attending to the rest of my evening. Oh yes and how I can I forget my ice cold mountain dew that is a must have. I keep these sodas stock. While it does have a lot of sugar I still drink it cause it taste good and it makes that moment right while playing my game.

CHILDREN support me in many ways. From the children I care for to my nieces and nephews they all support me in more ways than one. The children I care for support financially. The are the source to income that allows me to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head. They also keep me going during the day with silly faces and just being active. When I first start providing care for them I use to wish they were older because all they did was sleep all day and I was bored. My nieces and nephews support me by allowing me to be active in their lives. They are my motivation to want to do more for children. I get to learn from them and they don't even know.

I have many friends, family, church members, mentor, dance members and classmates that support me all time. My siblings support me by making sure my assignments for school are on time and they give me quiet time to get the assignments done. My friends support me by encouraging me that I will open my day care center. They also get me out the house so I won't drown myself in school work. Taking online classes was something I feared. I thought I wouldn't be able to keep up, not understand course material since I changed majors, or have a hard time managing my schedule. My classmates supports me through responding to my post and blog. When they complete assignments they support me because it gives me hope that I can do the assignment also. I really am appreciative of the classmates who do there assignments early because it pushes me not to be a procrastinator.

 My biggest supporter is my fiance. I can call on him at any time of the day and he is always there listening, holding my hand, giving me a hug, and letting me know there is nothing too hard for God. He is my EVERYTHING on this side of heaven.







The challenge that I chose to imagine is life without state funding. Currently, many day care centers get funding thru the state from a program called CCIS: Child Care Information Services. I couldn't imagine parents getting no financial help for child care. Just recently, the Philadelphia School District Superintendent made a broadcast that if the state didn't provide funding public schools wouldn't open in September. For me this is sad and it had me thinking of how many children lives this would effect. Not having funding for child care would put me out of business because parents need help with child care. With the increase in unemployment it would be impossible for parents to pay out of pocket for child care. No funding would result in me not having any financial means of supporting myself and my household. I would have to rely on my fiance for help but that would be a burden since we live in two separate households. The joy in my life will slowly decrease because I wouldn't see those small smiley faces on the children. My future surrounds the life of children. Their existence alone keeps me hopeful and motivated. They are a major supporter of why I changed my major to Early Childhood, why I'm starting my own business, and why I'm so passionate about change. CHILDREN ABSOLUTELY ROCK AND I NEED THEM!!!!!

My Connections to Play

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~ Fred Rogers 

As a child my siblings and I use to play "House". It was enough of us to cover all the roles in the house. I remember I was always the mom and my older brother was the dad. It was interesting playing this game because we acted out what our parents would say such as the rules of the house, doing chores, and saying your prayers before bedtime. Of course we add our own words to make it fun but it was during these times we learned more about our parents expectations as well as who was the lazy person in the family.

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” ~ O. Fred Donaldson 

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Friedrich Froebel 

Growing up I lived in village apartment complex and in the summer time all the children on the terrace would gather things out their room to play school. We did everything from counting, writing, reading, learning about different states, and even how things were created. It was a fun but learning time because we got to see what the other kids brought out their houses. Some of the kids had really cool books, coloring books and crayons, and educational devices. We use split up in two groups and see which group was the smartest by playing spelling bee's and solving math problems.

Hopscotch was one of my favorite games to play. My dad use to buy colorful chalk that my sisters and I used to make our own hopscotch. We use to be creative with it and draw pictures inside of the boxes such as hearts, butterflies or stars. Somehow I always ended up being stuck on seven. LOL!!! The good ole days of hopscotch.

 My father is probably smiling down from heaven as I right this because I use to think this game was torture when my father was teaching me how to play. I thought it was boring and for boys. However, I started to love this game because my dad taught me how to beat my siblings. It was crazy because while we could have played checkers or marbles we all wanted to play chess. It became a family game that my father even allowed us to rename the pieces. For example the pawn was called Power Pound Puppy....Silly I know....Would give anything to play chess with my father again.

Supportive People in my childhood

My parents were major supporters of play in my childhood. While I had play time on my own my parents did participate in some of my play time. One of the things I use to love doing was coloring. Coloring was major in my household. 

We had everything from paint, crayons, color pencils, and markers. My dad taught me how to blend in colors and stay in between the lines. It was a great time. I use to be ashamed to tell people but I still enjoy coloring as an adult. When I'm stressed or overwhelmed I color. It take my mind off things and its soothing. My siblings and neighbors were great supporters as well. Any outdoor play always involved all the kids on the terrace or apartment complex. We played tag, hide and seek, and jump rope. While we didn't always get along we learned from each other and I built friendships from playing.

Past vs Present Play

Growing up playing outside was the best thing to do. Going to play ground or the community swimming pool was like the "thing" to do. Riding bikes and jumping rope until the street lights came on was pretty much the norm. When I was younger my parents brought my siblings and I a super nintendo (which I still own and play). We was only allowed to play the game on the weekends even in the summer time. Currently, game systems, cell phones, or pads is all kids are into. You can go in any community and find kids outside but playing with some type of device. Electronics have taken over tag, hopscotch, or playing school. Even when it comes down to simple things as riding a bike, many kids have remote control cars or power scooters. I feel that new technology has made the next generation lazy. 

Thoughts on Play 

As an adult I find ways to bring out my childhood experiences. When I'm watching my nieces and nephews I still like to color and create club houses using the living room furniture, sheets, and blankets. I think its good for a child to use their imagination while playing. Sometimes we will lay on the bed at night with a flash light and play who can spot the biggest star. To me I feel that those moments of play will be memorable. Throughout my childhood I remember always carrying around "JACKS" cause I use to love to play with them. How many people remember jacks? The silver ones too...lol.... When children become adults they should remember good times in their childhood like this. However, they have to engage in play in order to have the memory.   

Relationship Reflection

~“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.”

Relationships are important to me because they help with my growth and provide support when I need it. Each relationship that I engaged in bring different things. Some relationships bring comfort, safety, joy, laughter, discipline, creativity, respect, honor, and most of all love. All of these characteristics are important in many of my relationships. Relationships are also important because they keep me grounded and very often motivated. Without certain relationship in my life I'm not sure where I would be currently.

This is my best friend Lekeia Sears and our friendship means the world to me. We have been friends for 14 years and counting and she has been a blessing in my life since 9th grade. There is nothing that I can't share with her. While we have had great times together there has also been rough times. In those rough times I feel it just made our friendship stronger. She is a major person I lean on for support when dealing with struggles especially school. I admire her strength and determination to provide a loving atmosphere for her daughter who is also my god daughter. I made it thru two degree's working on my third because she has always been in my corner telling me "Reach for the Stars". What make this relationship/friendship so amazing is because her love for me goes beyond the scope of a friendship. I love her to pieces and our bond is inseparable.

This is my awesome dance ministry "Overflow". I had the great pleasure of knowing these ladies for about 8 years. This dance ministry has played such a huge role in life. These ladies are silly, creative, loving, but most of all supporting. We are not just a dance ministry in church but we are a family. We share opinions and have disagreements but we respect each other thoughts. Something that I love about these ladies is that we are in tune with each. When ministering in dance we can pull from each other strength and its this that keeps us going. We each have different personalities that makes our relationship with one another awesome. This ministry has taught me discipline, self value, and how to be free. My self concept has changed because of these ladies. I can look in the mirror and say I'm beautiful and that I am a phenomenal woman. Currently, we still teach other things and I can't imagine life without them.

This is my soon to be husband Joseph who is my best friend, peace in conflict and frustration, motivator, supporter, and prayer warrior. While we are in a relationship I consider us partners for life. I call us "Team Brown". He is my high school sweet heart and he keeps me on my toes. I say we are "Team Brown" not just because on 4/12/14 that will become my last name but more so because currently we make decisions as a team.Our goals and dreams have been laid out and we made a decision to support another. Our love for one another is genuine and we value and respect each other. As in any partnership there will come bumps in the road. However, we have over came these bumps by simply have effective communication which includes "Listening". I love him more and more each day because he teaches me how to be patient and humble. Looking forward to becoming Mrs. Joseph Maurice Brown.

Each relationship has an positive impact on my life but its also because of challenges that they remain positive. When I first joined my dance ministry I didn't take it seriously. I came to rehearsals late and showed up to church when it was convenient for me. At some point my dance leader had to sit me down and tell me in so many words that I need to either be a team player or leave the ministry. That one encounter really changed my life. I still have the email she sent about being a team player and what happens to the team when everyone doesn't pull their weight. I learned how to not be selfish and think of others feelings. I didn't realize at that time how my absence from the ministry made the ministry look. Currently, anyone will say i go beyond the call of being a team player and I also encourage others to be effective team members. My dance leader still calls me her "Ride or Die" team member and that means a lot to me. It shows me how far I grown and how serious my commitment is to the team.

Working in early childhood I can use my team player experience to help children work together. Currently, I have a 1 and 2 year old and i teach them how to clean up together. They actually use clean up time as a fun time experience. They laugh, play, and eventually all the toys get pick up off the floor. It feels great to be able to help children using things that I have learned from past experiences.

 

Children Quotes and Professional Thanks

There are many children quotes that I absolutely love. I feel that each quote gives me a different insight about children. I just picked out a few quotes that I would like to share.

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
~ Emilie Buchwald

"Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy".
~Robert A. Heinlein

"Children make your life important".

~Erma Bombeck

"Children make you want to start life over". 

~Muhammad Ali

"Children need the freedom and time to play.  Play is not a luxury.  Play is a necessity". 

 ~Kay Redfield Jamison

As this semester comes to an end I truly want to say thank you to everyone for taking time to read my thoughts and feelings. I know at times some of my work is long winded but I appreciate that many of you found time to read it and give your thoughts. A special thank you to Jamie who always gave honest feedback during discussions. I always looked forward to reading your post and your comments. Michelle, this is my second course with you and you always motivate me to keep pushing and never give up. Thank you for being "REAL". It's not many people with that characteristic these days. Lastly, thank you ShaRina. You made blogging fun and creative. At times I would always look on your blog to see how you wrote out the assignment. I appreciate your words of wisdom and all your comments on my blog. I look forward to sharing many thoughts and ideas with you. 

Assessing: Good or Bad Thing

 
The school district of Philadelphia is currently closing 64 schools. 40 percent of the children from the public schools will be attending charter schools. While some parents may think that "charter" schools are better, I feel that the parents should take a closer look. Hardy-Williams Charter School is a considered a great school. Many parents put their children on a waiting list because they feel that this school will properly prepare their child for the future. Currently, my nephew attends this school. One marking period he was on the honor roll and the second marking period we were failing. Now I'm thinking how could this be? His grades are based on class work, homework, and how high his test scores are on Benchmarks. Each marking period he goes through a week of testing. When I visited the website for the school it said "All core courses are aligned to Mastery’s interim assessments commonly referred to as Benchmarks. Teachers use the Benchmarks, scope and sequences and other course resources to plan daily lessons and units of study. All core courses are designed in accordance with State standards and back-mapped from college preparatory skills". Talking to my nephew teacher she informed that 60 percent of his grade depends on how well he does on the Benchmarks. Now my questioned is does the Benchmarks really help my nephew or does the benchmarks make the school look good. I feel that this type of structured learning is not really helping the cognitive development of the child. The teachers who are in these classrooms don't really know the curriculum they are teaching. The teachers are just following guidelines and standards that the school gave them. Also, the teachers are only teaching the material that are on these standardize Benchmarks.

When assessing children I think it is important to assess their learning abilities. All children are different and they learn differently. If the teacher is only accustom to teaching one way and a child is not adapting to that way of learning the child will get the short end of the stick. At my nephew school the teachers do not change the way they teach. When my nephew didn't do well on his second marking period the school just suggested that he attend tutoring on Tuesday or Thursday. I thought the whole purpose of assessing was to diagnose specific strengths and weaknesses in an individual's learning, and to motivate further learning. They diagnosed him but still kept in the same classroom with the same way of learning. Teachers have not creativity or opportunities to step outside the box. Children are not robots you can’t just program them and keep it moving. While assessing is necessary it should always in the interest of better the life of the child.

Japan is the country that I choose to research about how they assessed children. Japanese way of assessing is highly different then the way the U.S assesses children. Newborns to five are either placed in daycare's or center-based programs. These two facilities are not required by law to enforce curriculum such as reading or math. Each child is given the liberty to be free and have a playful environment. While Japanese culture feel it is helpful it’s actually harmful to the child. When the child is placed in kindergarten they already are behind on knowing the basics. In elementary school Japanese way of assessing is different. They challenge the minds of children in every area of their life. For example, a Japanese teacher teaches children the proper way to behave. Teachers are more concerned with, how virtually all children have the ability to learn well and to master the regular school curriculum and certain habits and characteristics, such as diligence and attention to detail, can be taught. Following the curriculum to prepare students for standardize test is the least of the Japanese teachers concern. Each grade level is categorized and provides information on how the children are assessed. In doing the research I found that the children learn accustom to their culture. For more information visit….Japanese Way of Assessing Children

Stressor (POVERTY)

In my previous class I talked about growing up in poverty. First and foremost let me say that I love my parents and I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for their unconditional love. Growing up wasn't easy. I have 10 siblings and we all lived in the three bedroom apartment in a low housing complex. We called it the projects. I was raised on WIC cereal which consisted of King Vitamin, Life, and Kix. Growing up I felt like I was extra poor. I didn't get the latest fashion of clothing, no name brand sneakers, and boy the hair styles I had was unbelievable. I choose to talk about poverty because i have experience this as child. I had many days when I was angry, upset, embarrassed, and confused. Both my parents worked everyday. My father was in the Navy and my mother worked for the school board of Philadelphia. How could both my parents be working and yet I still had to wear clothing handed down from my older sister, peanut butter and jelly sandwich's was a meal not a snack, and living in the projects was the "norm".

Going to school was hard because I teased on a lot for how I dressed, how dark I was, and how I always at the school lunch. Was that a stressful time in my childhood yes but I overcame it. As I got older I started to understand that my parents were doing the best that they could. I may not had the best meals but I ate My parents allowed my siblings and I to attend after school programs and while there they provided snacks. Although, I had to wear clothing handed down from my sister I still made sure I took good care of the clothing so that the person after me would have it in good condition Living in poverty taught me a lot. As I was going through school I always had big dreams and was determined that I was going to be somebody important one day. Living in poverty boosted my confidence level up. Where I lived and how I lived wasn't going to be the factor of who I would become one day! The major reason why I switched my whole career choice is so that I can give back to my community. I'm the only person in my family to attend college. Currently, I hold two degrees and determined to get two more. Poverty still exist but I speak better for myself as well as my family everyday. Can I change the poverty rate in my community probably not but can help motivate others to push and not give up YES! Below is a link of my city poverty rate.
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Poverty Rate
This not my country that I choose to talk about but I wanted to give readers an insight of my community. Currently, between the ages of newborns to age 5 36 percent are living below half the poverty level. I truly feel that this is sad and for America to be a wealthy country they have so many children living in poverty. According to Howard Friedman U.S is ranked number 4 with the highest poverty level. Number 4! WOW! Here is the link Top 5 Countries with Highest Poverty Rating

 

Africa is the country that I decided to learn about because my dance ministry will soon be visiting and I wanted to see how the country is coping with poverty. Poverty in Africa is also considered to be hunger and starvation. Some diseases that highly widespread are AIDS, malaria, and cholera. Africa is believed to be in these poor conditions due to lack of land management. The water is bad there and due to corrupted government is it hard for countries to sell or import goods. Africa does not have ways for getting medicine to those with diseases and because of this the diseases spread more. Some countries in Africa are not doing as bad as others because the seek help from corrupted wealthy western countries. Africa has been trying to do better. in 2008 they created a African Union called African Peer Review Mechanism. This is a self voluntary forum that monitors politics, government officials and the values of the country. Out of fifty three states, twenty nine signed up for the Union. Besides the union nothing else is being done about diseases, education, poverty, or hunger. China has tried to stepped in to help but its only so much they can do. If Africa wants to improve there rates have to come together and help each other. Fixing the water supply can help with crops in the land and government officials can create lesser strict laws to make sure the import and exports of good benefits the country. You can look at more details of Africa at Poverty In Africa