Relationships x 2

I was blessed to have found two of the most perfect relationships in the world between my first husband Gary and my second husband Dave. My first husband Gary was an outgoing, friendly, gentle soul who was my best friend for almost 10 years. He blessed me with our daughter and was a good father to my son and his two children from his first marriage. We had good times and bad times but worked together to get through the tough stuff. He was killed in a car accident in 1999 and I thought my world had come to an end. I was brave enough to try again 2 years later when I went on a blind date with a classmate's uncle. This man was truly my soul mate in so many ways that were different from my first marriage. We had so much in common from growing up and graduating the same year to experiences that most people would not understand unless they too had been through the same thing. He took on me and my two children (ages 15 and 8), not an easy job by any means but did it and has done it well ever since 2003. He knows me better than I know myself and I can tell him anything and vice versa. In some ways he is like my first husband but in other ways he is the complete opposite.

I can probably say the same thing for my best friend Barb. She and I got to know each other through teaching and our daughters who are the same age. We always say we are sisters separated at birth because we have shared similar experiences, not always happy, and have come a long way in our lives. She truly is the sister I never had and she and I share a bond that cannot be explained. We did not grow up together or even live in the same area until 1992. I can talk to her about so many things and she can talk to me and those confidants are never shared with anyone else.

I could probably say the same thing about several friends who I have close relationships with. I am not sure if it is because I do not have siblings but I take my friendships and relationships seriously. These relationships are more with people I have met since moving away from the area where I grew up and graduated from. I am not in contact with classmates from high school at all anymore. I feel that the relationships I have now are extensions of my high school friends but on a different level. One fault I have with friendships/relationships is that sometimes I put too much trust into people who I think are a friend but are not. I have learned to step back and evaluate the situation before revealing too much or investing too much. I like to think I am a very outgoing and friendly person. My husband says I can talk to anyone about anything.

Relationships/friendships take work; they are not born that way and need nurturing. I think this is how I see parents in my program who do not know me. We continue to build and establish that relationship and I hope my parents think it is a relationship worth nurturing.

Child Development in Quotes

"Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today."

— Gabriela Mistral

"How children feel and interact is as important to their competence and success as how well they think. This has obviously very important implications for both how people raise their children, how they care for other people's children, and how we invest public funds. Thinking and feeling go hand in hand. It's not to say that thinking is less important, just not more important."

— Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Brandeis University

I found these quotes at  www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/quotable/ and thought they summed up child development quite nicely. We have learned a great deal about how children develop and what is important during it. We also know that there are many outside influences that can affect and impact development. 

Thank you everyone for another great class and I hope we meet again in another one!

Assessement and Children

I think children need to be assessed as a unique individual and as an individual in comparison to others of a similar age and gender. Every child does not learn the same way; there are different learning styles that make up how a child retains information. Boys and girls are even different as learning goes. I think that birth order has something to do with how a child will function in an educational setting. I see this in two students in our preschool classrooms. One is the youngest of 4 boys in his family and he struggles with sharing and taking turns which is not unusual at that age but it is difficult for him. Another is a girl, youngest and only girl with 3 older brothers who do everything for her and her mom is a teacher. The girl will go to kindergarten next year, she is one of the oldest in the class but watching and observing her, you would not know that. I personally think you have to look at every child as a unique person and assess their skills fairly.

My grandpa was from Germany so I decided to see how they assess children. They use a 6 point marking system with 1 being the highest to monitor student achievement. They also use a medical test and enrollment test to determine if a child has the physical and mental maturity required for school attendance. Assessments are introduced in Year 1 and children must progress through the 6 point marking system to continue their education. They use observation, written, and formal assessments to determine their progress.

Reference:
http://www.inca.org.uk/1436.html.

The Year of Natural Disasters 2011

As I looked over the list of stressors, I realized that although I did experience divorce as a young child of 3, I do not remember much of that time and feeling abandoned. Maybe I have blocked it from my memory but those thoughts and feelings are not there. 


So instead I decided to concentrate on a year of natural disasters that has devastated my community, my state, our country and our world. I am going to begin with my community because my daughter's high school guidance counselor lost her house and farm to a tornado on April 9 this year. We went down to help clean up the day after and the devastation and loss was more than most of us could bear. Her family was celebrating her middle son's birthday (he had turned 4) when they had to run to the basement and watch the tornado move towards their house.It took everything but an old garage. It was a humbling experience to be walking around their farm picking up their lives out of trees, fields, and piles of unrecognizable rubble. Her son's birthday cupcakes sat untouched on the kitchen counter while the rest of the house was gone. Her son has had nightmares since that night and they are almost ready to move back to their home but he is scared another tornado will come and take his toys again.  Many people's lives were destroyed around our area and state that night but we were fortunate that no one lost their lives. Unlike Tuscaloosa Alabama and Joplin, Missouri.


I cannot imagine how those communities have survived but somehow they have. The tornadoes that have torn apart large cities and the areas that have been affected are mind boggling. The children that witnessed and lived through these disasters will most definitely be impacted their whole lives. Which is why Joplin opened a children's trauma center after the tornado because there has been an increase in mental health cases among the children in Joplin. The concern over post traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression is on the rise in this community as in other parts of the country that experienced tornadoes. 


Japan experienced a double blow of destruction when the earthquake and tsunami hit Ishinomaki, Japan earlier this year. Thirty children of the Kama Elementary School were waiting for their parents to come and get them. Reporters were forbidden to talk to the children and doors cannot be opened for fear that these children will think it's their parents coming.  What a hard realization to have to explain to these children who were brought to school by parents and then wondering what happened to them following both disasters. Post traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, nightmares and other mental health issues are just as prevalent over there as it is here in the United States.


It will take children of these disasters to overcome their fears by talking and having a loving and nurturing adult around them to help them understand what happened and to put their emotions and fears at ease. 




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366898/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-30-children-sit-silent-classroom-parents-vanish.html. 


http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Missouri-opening-childrens-center-after-Joplin-tornado-123983959.html

Breastfeeding - Bonding with Baby

I feel that breastfeeding is a great choice for mothers all over the world. I know that is it also a mother's choice on how she feeds her baby and that no mother should be forced to do it because of pressure from society. I had a wonderful experience breastfeeding my son and feel I can see the benefits of his overall health to this day, even though he is almost 24 years old. He is in good physical shape and rarely gets sick. As a baby, he was the same way; a good eater and a good baby. I breastfed him till he was almost 4 months old and then I started gradually started weaning him. He was a big boy at birth; 10 pounds 4 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long. I started him on baby cereal when he was about a month old and mixed it with my breast milk. It gave him that little extra to get him through the night. I wish I had the same experience with my daughter but unfortunately I had complications after giving birth to her and even though I tried to breastfeed her for a month, I had to give it up when I was not producing enough milk for her. She too was a good baby and a good eater in a different way from my son. I think that although I was not producing a great deal of milk, she still got the rich colostrum that first month because even now, she is a healthy 16 year old who rarely gets sick. Those antibodies found in breast milk really do provide a great deal of protection against illnesses.

When I was a family childcare provider, I had a mom who was breastfeeding and I highly encouraged her to keep doing it as long as she could handle it. I was the only provider in our small town who took babies and I enjoyed that time with them.

In the text by Berger (2009) it states that doctors all over the world recommend breastfeeding. It also states that US born mothers are less likely to breastfeed. The benefits are tremendous and easy on Mom when she is breastfeeding but our society is so busy today and here in the United States it seems as though breastfeeding is not as accepted as it is around the world. For some countries, it is the only choice for feeding.   Ultimately it is the choice of Mom but with the benefits that breastfeeding provides, hopefully new moms will give it try. It is an experience with your baby that really is special.

Reference:

Berger, K.S. (2009). The Developing Person. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

My Personal Birthing Experiences

I have been blessed with the experience of giving birth to my two beautiful children, Tyler who is 23, and Shelby who is 16. Both births were completely different; I was a single parent when I gave birth to Tyler and was married when I had Shelby. Tyler came into the world one day past my due date at 7:25 a.m. weighing in at a whopping 10 pounds 4 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long! He never wore newborn clothing and was holding his head up right after I gave birth to him! He was a dream baby and I was blessed with being able to nurse him for the first 6 months. Shelby, on the other hand, was 2 weeks overdue and arrived at 9:25 p.m. 7 years later after being induced and she was a peanut compared to Tyler at 8 pounds 3 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches long with beautiful strawberry blonde hair like her daddy's. I had complications after her birth as the placenta did not deliver in one piece and I hemorrhaged for 2 days before they decided to go in and do a D & C to try and stop the bleeding. I was not told about the D & C until after I had eaten breakfast so I was only given an epidural for the procedure. As I was laying there listening to the doctors, the concern was that maybe I would have to have a hysterectomy if they could not get the bleeding to stop. That's all I remember and when I woke up I was so cold and shaking violently. I had lost so much blood they had to put the warming blankets on me to get my body temperature back to normal. My blood count was a 3, and they say 12 is normal. They released me the next day from the hospital and I went home to take care of my 7 year old and my newborn. I was also trying to nurse and was not producing milk like I knew I should. I can honestly say that I do not remember a lot of the first month after Shelby was born (she was born the end of November) but on Christmas Eve I knew something was wrong when she was not having many wet diapers so my husband drove to the grocery store and bought some formula. Poor little thing just scarfed that down, she was so hungry! I quit nursing immediately and gave her formula. That was scary! Since I had a positive experience with nursing my son, I knew something was wrong when I was not feeling full in my breasts. I finally stopped bleeding after I passed a huge clot about 2 months after her birth. I was lucky to have my 2 children because I also had 2 miscarriages.

In China, women are given a strong herbal potion to ease the labor pain and have no fear of labor since it is their career to give birth. They are put into recliners and futons for birthing. After the birth, women "sit the month" for the first month to heal. Not a realistic choice for us women here if we have other children at home.


Reference:
http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor_birth/birthing_traditions/article/childbirth-traditions-china-pg2

My Three Ideals from NAEYC and DEC

I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities,

abilities, and potential of each child.

This is a very important ideal to remember and respect because each year when children come to a program, they are like a clean slate. We have no bias about them and we are able to get to know them without influential information other than necessary. Each child is and always will be unique. 







P-3A.1—We shall recognize the contributions of colleagues
to our program and not participate in practices
that diminish their reputations or impair their
effectiveness in working with children and families.





Our program is taking on transformations this year with a new 4 year old teacher and 2 new assistants. Since I have been an assistant in a preschool, I have so much respect for my colleagues. It is not always an easy job to do and I welcome their presence in the classroom. I am hoping that we can all collaborate together and gather some terrific ideas for our school year.




We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers
of services for their children. 
Many families are not aware or are unable to find the sources needed for their children. When questions arise, families need to have that information available and accessible. As a teacher, I feel a responsibility to finding and providing sources to all families. 

Course Resources

• • World Forum Foundation
    http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
    
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
     
    
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/about/

• 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/main/about.cfm
  
  
• 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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
  
  
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
  
  
• 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.preknow.org/
  
  
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Additional Resources 

* Dr. Jean Feldman

http://www.drjean.org

* www.abcteach.com 

* www.kizclub.com

* www.makinglearningfun.com 

I Love Letters!: More Than 200 Quick & Easy Activities To Introduce Young Children to Letters and Literacy.

by Jean Feldman, Holly Karapetkova (2009) Gryphon House

Great book filled with fun activities

 

Quotes to Think About

"It is useful to think of the growth of teachers as occurring in stages, linked very generally to experience gained over time"


This is from an article written by Lilian Kratz entitled "The Developmental Stages of Teachers." I compare this statement to children as well as to teachers. Children develop in stages and according to research, the more experiences they have, the better their learning will develop. 


http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/pubs/katz-dev-stages.html. 




"I always liked kids. I liked babysitting and playing with younger kids." - Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oaks College, CA


Those words could have been taken right out of my mouth. This described me as a young girl but I never thought about becoming a teacher right away. It was after the birth of my first child that teaching became a thought, a dream, and finally, a reality.

Personal Childhood Web

My Mom - I was an only child growing up and my mom and  dad divorced when I was 3. My mom was there for me through my turbulent childhood and teenage years. I don't know what I would have done without my mom. She has been my best friend since the birth of my oldest son. She has given so much of herself to me and would do anything for my family. Her life was not easy and she always put me first.

My Grandparents - While I was growing up, my grandparents lived in the same town as I did. We lived on opposite sides of town and I had a special path that I walked to get to their house every day. My grandma taught me how to cook, sew, and bake and my grandpa taught me how to grow a garden. I have a special flower garden at my house that is planted in honor of them and we continue to have a vegetable garden every year as well. I have so many special memories of them because of the time I spent with them. I was probably at their house more than my own.

My Babysitter, Alice - Alice was my first babysitter and she began taking care of me when I was a baby. She had 5 older children that were like my brothers and sisters. They were all in high school and they took me to the movies, swimming, and generally allowed me to tag along with them everywhere. I learned to ride my tricycle at Alice's house and I have so many scars on my knees from falling into the bushes. She also had a great sand and mud pile where I used to play and get extremely dirty. My favorite memory from her house was baking with her. She made homemade bread every day and it was so delicious! We also used to exercise to Jack LaLane. She also took care of a Down's Syndrome child and she taught me that God creates everyone special. I accepted Stormy for who she was and defended her to other children in the neighborhood. Alice and Stormy taught me about acceptance and patience early on in my life.

My Aunt Esther - She was my mom's oldest sister. She was married to my Uncle Merle and he worked in a gravel quarry. They lived on a farm before moving to Charles City, Iowa. I used to stay at their house for several weeks during the summer. They lived along the river and I used to go down to play by the river with them. They have been gone for a long time now but a favorite memory is watching TV at their house and the commerical for Color 3 Mason City. Now, all these years later, my son will be working for this TV station as a TV broadcast meteorologist. Life has come full circle for us!

ME! - I think I had to grow up quickly as I had no siblings and a dad and stepdad who really wanted nothing to do with me. I had to find things to do to occupy my time and spent a lot of time reading and going to the library. My mom and stepdad worked 5 days a week so I was home alone after school by age 9 but I had my grandparents to go to. I have had ups and downs in life, from being a single parent to my son to losing my first husband in a car accident, and a daughter having a traumatic brain injury. I have found strength in myself and Christ that kept me going when I wanted to give up. I hope I have been a role model to my children as they grow and go out on their own.

I would not be who I am today if it were not for all these people who are and were a part of life. I am grateful every day for their presence and memories and hope that I can share these in my children and future grandchildren one day.

Help with Comments

Hey everyone,
I am having a difficult time with trying to leave comments on your blogs. I have contacted tech support, and every support I know, and I have not gotten any responses.

When I go to your blogs, and I want to post a comment, it keeps taking me back to log in on the Google account which I am logged in to already. I choose Google Reader as the profile choice, hit the Post comment and nothing....

Can someone PLEASE tell me what I doing wrong!

Thank you!

poes corner: Picture

poes corner: Picture: "As a first year teacher, I do not have any drawings so this is the picture that I have chosen. I love this picture because this is an exampl..."

I love this picture! I tried to tape up every picture that a child drew, colored, or painted for me last year. It was like our own art museum!

Story for Heart

This story just happened on July 4th. We were at a local campground with my brother-in-law, his wife, and kids and assorted other friends and family. My daughter Shelby had been having car problems and was not able to drive her car so my great nephew asked his grandpa (my brother-in-law) if they could fix "Putt-Putt" the truck up for Shelby because "she needs a car to drive cuz hers is broken."

That just touched our hearts because he will be in first grade this fall and we thought that was such a great idea to come up with.

And no, she did not get "Putt-Putt" the truck to drive. We were able to find another car for her but it was the thought that counts!

Favorite Early Childhood Quote

I am not sure if this a quote from someone but I have this on a wooden sign that hangs in my classroom:

"Please excuse the noise and the mess. Children are making happy memories here."

I think this says it all.

Favorite Childhood Books

I have so many favorite books from my childhood as well as my favorites of my own children. One of my favorite books was called How Fletcher Was Hatched by Wende and Harry Devlin. I remember going to the library and checking this book out over and over again. I thought it was so funny to read about a dog who hatched from an egg. I also loved Corduroy and always wanted a bear like him. Now I have one that I use in my own preschool classroom.


Both of my children loved the book Good Night Moon. I still have the first copy that both of them enjoyed until they were able to read it on their own. It is tattered and ripped but it is a loved book. I loved it because it was one of the first books that my kids could identify pictures and begin those simple reading skills. My son also enjoyed The Polar Express and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. My daughter loved Little Critter and Berenstain Bears.

I Think I Did It!

Hey everyone!
I think I figured out how to add all our URL's and receive your blog postings! Wow! I am so excited! Tomorrow I will try to post them pics of my family and my son as he signs his contract for the TV meteorologist position he just received!

Have a wonderful day!
Lori

Welcome to My Blog!

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog! I take great pride in being an educator, especially in preschool! Early Childhood Education is an important component of a child's learning journey and I hope that everyone enjoys what is posted here during our classes from Walden!