"My Connections to Play"

Quotes that represent play in my childhood

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

― Plato

“Genius is play, and man's capacity for achieving genius is infinite, and many may achieve genius only through play.”  ― William Saroyan

Essential Play Items for my younger self

People Who Supported Play/The Role of Play in my Childhood

Growing up as a child I really didn’t do a lot of playing.  Just like many parents, my parents use to tell me all the time as a child to go outside and play.  To me I thought that was a punishment because all I wanted to do is get my doll babies and play school growing up.  I have always loved to read and I would get my dolls, sit them all upright and read them a story, or I would get my Etch & Sketch and pretend it was my chalkboard and try and teach them how to do math problems.  The most memorable times of play for me was play that wasn’t forced.  When I use to visit my grandparents on the weekends I use to love to play outside with my grandfather.  When we were around he acted like a big kid with us, playing softball, 1, 2, 3, Red Light, Hide and go seek, kickball and many more.  This made playing fun and it also allowed me to get the exercise that I needed because when at home all I ever wanted to do was play school or house. 

Play today versus the past

In my opinion play is totally different in 2013 versus 30 years ago.  When I was growing up children ran, jumped and played all day long or until they were called in the house and then they still wanted to play.  However today I don’t think that children are playing enough.  They still play the same games today but are more interested in video games and television.  Because of this, children aren’t utilizing their muscles and they aren’t getting the exercise that they need.  I feel that play is a vital role in a child’s development and that parents should cut the televisions off, take the video games away and encourage their children to go outside and play so that they can exercise their muscles so that they can develop physically.

My thoughts regarding play

As a child I didn’t know the importance of play, as I have grown and learned play is a vital role in a child’s development.  Although I would much rather have played with my dolls as a child, I still was able to go outside and interact with my siblings and cousins, especially on the weekends with my grandfather.  I think that it’s important that play is continuously enforced because stimulated play is part of children’s healthy development and can help with the prevention of childhood obesity. 

Relationship Reflection

I have always heard people say, you can’t live in this world alone; this is why I am thankful that I have people in my life who love me unconditionally.  My closest relationships are with my husband, my mom and my siblings.  These people are the most important to me even though I have many other people who I know without a doubt love me.

Relationships are important to me, some don’t last and some last forever.  They have molded me to become the person that I am today.  You not only learn from relationships but you grow from the bonds that are built and they continuously teach me the meaning of unconditional love and how to not only receive it, but give it as well.

My husband, Tracy is my number one fan.  He supports me not just emotionally but in every aspect.  He encourages me to go after my dreams and encourages me.  He doesn’t judge me but isn’t afraid to tell me when I am wrong.  He loves me unconditionally and in turn taught me how to do the same.  We can be silly together and serious together.  He knows me inside out and knows what makes me tick, he cares about feelings and always has a listening ear and I do the same for him.  We have grown together as individuals and as a couple and after ten years of marriage our relationship and bond together continues to grow because of the love and support that we show one another.

My mom, Peggy is the best even though she still treats me like a little girl instead of 34 year old.  She always shares her experiences and we can talk about anything without judging.  She also supports my aspirations and dreams and about hard work.  She is a good example of what a mother should be.  She is a woman of grace and her example showed me how to be one also.  We don’t always agree but we have learned that we don’t always have to.  She gives me respect as a young woman but will remind me if need be that although I’m not a child, I’m still her child. 

My siblings, Christee and Renee are older than me, but I feel like the oldest.  They come to me for advice and for moral support.  They value my opinion/feedback when it’s offered and it means a lot to know that they value the thinks that I have to say and even come to me when they need to.  We have our sibling rivalries from time to time but the unconditional love and support that we show one another keeps our bond close and unbreakable.

All of these relationships are important and because they continue to grow and continue to shape the person that I am.  We maintain these bonds because we communicate and respect one another which are vital in any relationship.  We listen to one another and we care about each other’s feelings.  The one characteristic that makes each of these relationships special is the unconditional love and respect that we show one to another.

These relationships contribute to me as a professional because I have learned through these relationships that if my heart isn’t in it nothing will manifest.  So I apply that same thing to my work, if my heart isn’t in what I do then I won’t be successful at it and I won’t be able to build positive and meaningful relationships with the children and families that I serve.

“We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

Testing For Intelligence

Areas that I feel should be measured when considering the whole child are Social/Emotion and Language Development, Cognitive and Gross Motor Skills as well as the physical development of the child.  I feel that all these areas are important to a child's development when considering the whole child, however I don't feel that you can get a full picture of the whole child by standardized testing alone.  I feel this way because some children test exceptionally well and some don't test well as all.  I do believe that there are good and bad test takers, and for those who are not good test takers there should be some other form of assessment to see if the child is developing at his/her full potential.  I feel this could be done by observations by the parents, educators and other professionals who are skilled in working with children.  I think that's it's important to assess children, I just don't believe or agree that all children should be tested the same way because they don't learn the same; what works for one doesn't mean that it's going to work for all. 

In China there are typically two ways to assess children and they are the classroom and external assessments.  The classroom assessment is based on classroom performance, teacher and parent observations, assessments from peers, quizzes and test, performance based assessments and portfolios.  The Chinese believe that many assessments taken over a period of time will give a more comprehensive picture of what a child is capable of.  The other form of assessment measures the child's performance as well as how effective the program is, is what they call the external assessments.  These are done through numerous standardized test. 

I feel that if children are being assessed everything should be looked at when considering the whole child.  I've never been a fan of testing, not being a fan doesn't mean that I didn't know the material, it just means I don't test well.  Test anxiety is real and I do believe that when you have a person who suffers from test anxiety, you'll have a person who won't do well on that test.

Consequences of Stress on Childrens Development

I count it as a blessing that I've never experienced many stressors as a child.  I don't know if my parents hid a lot of things from me to make me think that I was living the good life, however, I do know that I was very blessed growing up and didn't even realize it.

Japan

After years of stagnation and widening income disparities, this once proudly egalitarian nation is belated waking up to the fact that it has a large and growing number of poor people (Fackler, 2010).  In 2007 at least 20 million Japanese people lived in poverty.  Over half of the impoverished are single mothers but because of their culture and them being afraid that they would be labeled most impoverished families try to keep up with the appearance of middle class Japanese families.  1 in 7 children in Japan is living in poverty and the government supplies aid to those children but by doing this education funds cost have to be cut.  Which starts a cycle of children being under-education which impacts all areas of development and it gives them a lifetime of low-wage work which could be a domino effect in families which will keep them in poverty their entire lives.  The poverty that families, including single families are subject to isolates them from the public view and even family members.  Children don't receive the education that they receives which affects their development, they stay out of public view which can also affect their development especially their social development. 

Reference

The New York Times-Asia Pacific-Japan Tries to Face Up to Growing Poverty Problem (Fackler, 2010)
     http://www.nytimes.com

Nutrition/Malnutrition

"Everybody-as basic human right-has a right to food.  The right to food is as basic as life itself."
-Tom Arnold, CEO, Concerned World Wide

Each night all around the world children go to bed hungry.  And every year about 1 million children die from severe acute malnutrition (concernusa.org).  

This topic is important to me because each morning when children are eating breakfast and I am observing, every once in a while I see a child who seems more hungry than the rest of the children, and cries until he eats.  I think to myself that maybe this is the only meals that the child is getting is when they are at school and may not be getting the proper nutrition that he needs at home.  When I think about children who are hungry, some of them not getting one meal a day and some not eating for days it really saddens me. 

There are many causes for malnutrition in India such as gender inequality.  Women of a low social status don't receive good quality nor quantities of nutrition.  When women are not receiving the proper nutrition is contributes them it decreases the chances of them having normal babies.  Being malnourished can lead to so many other health issues as well including but not limited to TB, pneumonia and an increased mortality rate. 

Subodh Varma's writing The Times of India states that the Global Hunger Index India is on place 67 among 80 nations having the worst hunger situation which is worse than nations such as North Korea or Sudan (ifpri.org). 

In my present and future work I will continuously educate parents about the importance of good nutrition and the importance of eating right and of the consequences of when they don't. 

References

www.concernusa.org/Public/Program.aspx



www.ifpri.org/publication

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

The first child birth I took a part in was when my sister gave birth to my niece Alaysia. I was so excited about her arrival that my sister allowed me to be in the delivery room when she gave birth. It was the scariest but most beautiful thing that I had ever witnessed. When my sister got to the hospital she had already dilated 6cms. She acted like she was on a routine visit and didn't ask for any medication. She ate well during her pregnancy and she exercised a lot and in return had a 6lb. 5oz. baby girl. This little girl became the apple of my eye; however I love all my nieces and nephews just the same. When Alaysia was born both me and my sister were still living at home and I was able to see her grow from an infant to a toddler and all the changes that her little body made as she developed. I think that childbirth is a beautiful thing and whomever experiences it should consider it a blessing. The topic of childbirth and prenatal development is a bittersweet topic for me because my husband and I have been trying for 10 years with no luck but I'm staying faithful that it will happen one day.

There are options for expectant mothers in China. They can choose a western-style hospital or a Chinese hospital. The hospitals that are located in major cities in China are available to anyone who chooses to go there, however they are much more expensive and don't offer what most traditional hospitals offer. In China they stay in the hospitals far longer than mother's who have given birth in the US. The average time that a mother stays in the hospital in the United States is two to five days; however, expectant mothers in China should expect to be hospitalized weeks prior to giving birth and weeks after. Unlike hospitals in the United States mothers to be who go to hospitals located in China are not provided with the same necessities such as pain killers. They have to bring pain medication in with them. Mothers in China are entitled to 90 days of leave after giving birth and up to 10 weeks prior to having their child which is much longer than what is given in the United States.

When comparing the United States to China both provide personal affects for families although in different ways. A mother in the US goes into the hospital and a lot of amenities are provide such as pain medication and sheets to sleep on where as mothers who arrive in hospitals in cities in China have to bring those types of things in with them.

Birth experiences vary from country to country but the overall goal it to deliver healthy, well developed children.

Reference

Giving Birth-http://china.angloinfo.com/healthcare/pregnancy-birth/giving-birth/