Daily Supports

I am blessed with several factors:

My husband- Without him I don't know where I would be. He is the gift that I can never imagine living without. He is always there with a listening ear, a shoulder for support, and wonderful insights that keep me going in my career.

My Faith - My faith has sustained me through the darkest moments in my life when my first husband died in a car accident and my daughter was seriously injured. I never knew what kind of strength I had until that moment and my faith was tested beyond words.

My friends - I have a wonderful system of friends whom I laugh and cry with. I talk to my friends every day and love to get together with them.

My Mom- She has been my support for many years through my single parenthood and staying at the hospital with my daughter while I planned my husband's funeral. Now she is in a nursing home and I treasure every day she is here.

My School - I have been blessed to go back to work at a school system where staff is treated as family. Our small school is an extended family and we are very close-knit. We all sit together at basketball games!

Without them, my life would be empty.

My challenge- An illness that would be life threatening. Every one of my supports would be there through every aspect of this challenge. My husband would be the rock and would do everything to help. My friends and school family would do those little jobs that come with fighting for your life on a daily basis such as cleaning house, rides to the doctor, sitting by your side, wiping your tears, holding your hand, or making meals  for my family. This challenge would fall completely on me if I did not have my supports. I guess anyone would really know what they are made of if they are all alone. You would have to reach deep down in your soul to find the strength to go and fight. You would have to have a positive mindset and take one day at a time.

I am truly blessed. I do not take each day for granted. My supports are there for me and I am there for them.

My Connections to Play

I have very fond memories of playing as a young child. I lived in the upstairs of a very old house with my mom and there was an elderly lady who lived downstairs. I had my own play room and every Saturday morning, I would clean out my toy box. After I had cleaned it out, I would sit in for awhile and play with my toys before putting everything back in.  I played by myself, with my mom, my grandparents, my babysitter, and a little boy who lived next to us. 

Quotes About Children and 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 (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)’

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

This is one of my favorite toys! I remember when my mom bought the box of Crayola Crayons with 64 crayons and a built-in sharpener! I drew pictures until the crayons were just stubs! I loved crayons with points  and looking at all the colors in the box.

Here is my other favorite toy! I have no idea how many miles I put on my tricycle but I have the scars on my legs to prove that this toy was the best! I took it to my babysitter's every day and rode it up and down the sidewalk and then would try to go as fast as I could around the corner and into the driveway without falling off. Ha, I think I feel in the bushes more than I did making it around the corner! 

   My third favorite toy was the sandbox/dirt pile. I played in those two places and Alice, my babysitter gave me all kinds of shovels, bowls, containers, watering cans, whatever I needed to build with and get extremely dirty with! 

I feel that everyone around me as a young child supported me in play and allowed me to do so many hands-on activities with them. It seemed I was never in the house during the day but outside playing. I think everyone really engaged my imagination and that allowed me to pretend and create.

I think play today is similar with outside toys and activities at least. There are still tricycles, sand boxes, and other large motor developmental activities that children still play on and with. But play is different too because children now have video games, computer, hand-held games, television, cell phones, and a whole slew of electronic gadgets that do not encourage them to do anything but sit. 

I felt like I played a lot longer with toys and other outdoor activities because my imagination was so well developed. I played with dolls and Barbies until I was in 6th grade. I played outside whether it was in the snow or going swimming at the pool. I enjoyed play time because I had to find things to do and had no trouble doing it. I now find myself playing with the children in my preschool and trying to be a good role model to them by allowing them to use toys and other open-ended items that will hopefully encourage their imaginations. I think adults need to find a way to play to perhaps get rid of the stress that seems to take over our lives. I think working in a preschool keeps me young at heart!

Relationship Reflection

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 is truly my soul mate in so many ways that are different from my first marriage. We have 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 at the time), not an easy job by any means but did it and has done it well ever since 2003. My children are now "our children" and he loves them as his own. He will do anything for them. 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. 

My other friend Sherrie and I met through the workplace and just clicked from the first day.  We have a unique friendship that I treasure dearly. I talk to her every day through text or a phone call. She reminds me of my best friend from high school. We both provide a strong shoulder for one another.

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. I have enjoyed getting to know my parents this year. I have a very unique group of them and  we have established an excellent rapport. I try very hard to communicate with them through newsletters, phone calls, emails, and face-to-face contact. I know I can improve my skills even more and hope that I can do this throughout the remainder of the school year. 

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