Some of my favorite children quotes

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher


You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance.  ~Franklin P. Jones


In a dark moment I ask, "How can anyone bring a child into this world?"  And the answer rings clear, "Because there is no other world, and because the child has no other way into it."  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring.  ~Liz Armbruster, on robertbrault.com

To my colleagues

Unfortunately some of our time together has come to an end. I have really enjoyed working with you all and I hope that we will cross paths again.  All of you have touched and inspired me in some way.  Words can't truly express how I feel about you.  I have really your company and I wish you all success in your future endeavours.

Testing for intelligence

Children learn and process information in different ways. Therefore, I believe that they should be assessed in different ways. In my school we use the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. We administer the Mississippi Curriculmn Achievement Test 2 (MCT2), which is desgined to determine whether state standards are being met and measure school achievement. However this is just one way of testing (pencil and paper). In the educational field, we always talk about how to promote learining has to be implemented using different learning styles.  If learning has to be implemented using different learning styles, why can't students be assessed using more than one test? Formative assessment is not considered a common concept in the German literature. They have more general descriptors which result in more data. There is also usage of several German journals that publish emperical studies in the educational field.

search was conducted by several means. 

Counsequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor in which I chose to talk about is violence. I chose this topic because I have had to live with violence.  A lot of my older cousins were gang members and sold drugs.  My mother worked two jobs and so did my Aunts so we stayed at our grandparents house majority of the time.  I was exposed to a lot. I saw gang fights and drugs being cooked up and sold.  My father was absent and my brother's father soon passed.  My mother ended up re-marrying and that presented us with an abusive stepfather.  He never touched me or my brother but the physical and emotional abuse my mother endured really took a toll on me and my brother.  He was three years older than me so he moved out at the age of 18.  It took me longer, I didn’t move out until the age of 24.  I was working and making money but I refused to leave my mom until I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. I took refuge in sports but I couldn't play to my full potential because of the restless nights and the constant worry about the health and safety of my mom.  I wasn't very social in high school and didn't have many friends although people treated me as if I was popular.  I was very smart, dressed nicely, and was a gifted athlete. Many people said that I had pro potential in the sports that I played which were football and basketball.  Those things made me who I am today both good and bad.  I am still not very social but I love my wife and kids and cherish them like they are gold. 

I read this article which discussed violent men in Germany.  I don’t know why I chose it but I did.  Those men are forcibly removed from their homes if they are abusive to their partners. I wish that were the case when I was coming up, but since our home was in both my mother’s and stepmother’s name, he could not be removed. I also learned that 2 women a week are killed because of domestic violence in Germany.  That is so sad, I feel that if you have to abuse a woman than you don’t need her and should let her go.

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Breastfeeding

The public health topic that I chose is breastfeeding.  I chose this topic because I am fascinated by the beauty of it.  Honestly, I was against breastfeeding in the first birth of my child.  I didn’t really understand it nor did I try to listen to people talk about it, but coming up to the birth of my second child, my wife and I discussed it with our doctor and decided to try it. That didn’t go so well. My son never really latched on to the breast. We then turned to the breast pump. After a month, her breast seemed to stop producing milk, so we then had no choice other than to turn to formula.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing for the baby if the mother is healthy. The benefits of breastfeeding include; a strong bond between the baby and the mother, antibodies from breast milk which increases immunity, fewer allergies, more effective brain development, and fewer diarrhoeal diseases (Wainright, 2002).  According to Oddy (2004), breast-feeding also decreases the risks of many diseases that appear in childhood and adulthood, such as asthma, obesity, and heart disease.

Most American women are told that they should breastfeed up to six months. After researching about breast feeding in Mexico, I read that the length of breastfeeding is determined by the income and education of the mother. Mothers with low income and education often breastfeed for more than two years of age because they can’t afford the formula. Moms with a high education and income tend to breastfeed for only six months because they believe that the breast milk begins to lose its benefits because infants beginning to eat solid foods. 

Oddy, W. H. (2004). A review of the effects of breastfeeding on respiratory infections, atopy, and childhood asthma. Journal of Asthma, 41, 605-621.

U.S. Breast Feeding versus Other Countries. Retrieved November  12, 2011 from http://www.circleofmoms.com/welcome-to-circle-of-moms/us-breastfeeding-versus-other-countries-546424

Wainright, P. (2002). Dietary essential fatty acids and brain function: a developmental prospective on mechanisms, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 61(1):61-9.

Child Births

Kamrin’s birth

It was October 14^th, 2009.  We were at the Northwest Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale, MS.  This was also the birth place of my daughter and me.  It was around 12:00 noon.  My wife had just pushed out Kamrin, I was so excited.  Finally I had the son that I longed for, but something was wrong.  He was lifeless it seemed.  No crying, no motion, no breathing, this was momentarily but it seemed like forever.  The nurses rushed him to the incubator to clear out his airway, finally we heard that all too familiar sound.  He cried, his eyes, opened and he looked for the first time.  It was such a relief.  The birth of his sister wasn’t this complicated a year earlier.  She came out, I cut the cord, they gave her to her mom and her mom swiftly gave her to me. I held her with pure love and excitement, so when this happened with Kamrin, I was thrown completely off balance, but thanks to God everything was fine.

Australia

Birth in Australia is given in different ways as opposed to the traditional way here in the U.S., which is mostly given in a hospital. The country of Australia offers Birth Centre and home birth. In the Birth Centre a small team of midwives are involved in all phases of prenatal care, during pregnancy, and postnatal care. The midwives are mostly responsible for delivery, but obstetricians are available if needed.  The Birth Centre is setup like a home to give the birth a more natural feel.  They try to keep the intervention as minimal as possible.  They have bean bags, large double beds, and large baths.  There are about 2.5 percent of Australian births occurring in the Birth Centre.  Australia also does home births, even though only a small percent of births are done in the homes. A professional midwife is in the attendance.  It is usually the same one who will deliver the baby.  She also monitors the mother throughout the pregnancy.

http://www.huggies.com.au/childbirth/giving-birth/choice

My Colleagues

I would like to take the time to thank all of my colleauges for your advice, support, and efforts that you have shared with me in the duration of this course.  I feel a really strong bond with each of you.  I am blessed to have a had a group of understanding and passionate people such as you.  So I just want to thank you and wish you all the best of luck moving forward, God bless.

NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics

NAEYC and DEC Code of Ethics

The three codes of ethics that I chose are Ethical Responsibilities to Children, Ethical Responsibilities to Families, and Enhancement of Children’s and Families’ Quality of Lives.

Ethical responsibilities to children really stand out to me because as educators and parents, we are responsible for the well-being of children.   As educators, we are committed to supporting the development and learning ability of the children we teach.

Ethical responsibilities to families really stand out to me because family can be the single most important factor in the development of children.  The family and the early childhood educator should have the same goal in mind when it comes to the well-being of children. It is very important that educators partner with families in helping young children learn and develop.

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Enhancement of Children’s and Families’ Quality of Lives

Both parents and educators should demonstrate their respect and concern for children, their families, colleagues, and all others that we deal with.  We should honor their beliefs, values, languages, culture, customs, and their culture as well. It is important that educators plan and evaluate the different aspects of the classroom setting that meet the needs of all students.

http://www.dec-sped.org/uploads/docs/about_dec/position_concept_papers/Code%20of%20Ethics_updated_Aug2009.pdf

Course Resources

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Early Childhood Education Today (11th ed.) by George S. Morrison

KidSource Online for Healthcare

www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/Health.html

This website consists of healthcare articles, online forums, and websites concerning the proper care of young children.

Teachers Net Gazette
Teachers.net/gazette/APR03/vocab.html
This website features education news, commentary, teaching tips, lessons, pedagogy, classroom crafts, recipes, inspiration, humor, and free printables for the classroom.

Quotes

Week 2 Video Segment
"I had, I think a built-in passion that it was important to make a real contributiion to the world, to fix all the injustices that exist in the world." -Louise Derman-Sparks

"It's not all about you, you gotta take your ego out of it and think about what's best for the child."-Renatta M. Cooper

Week 2 Discussion
"We are natural mind changing entities until we are 10 or so.  But as we get older...then it is very hard to change our minds."-Howard Gardner

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."-John Dewey

Personal Childhood Web

• Gloria Maxwell (Mom)
• I can't say enough about this lady.  She is my mom.  She worked two jobs to support my older brother and I as well as raised us to be successful, intelligent, and caring men.  She did her very best to provide for us as well as teach us.  We never wanted for anything and even though I didn't care about name brand clothing she made sure we had the best.  I remember when she would eat even if we didn't eat.  She was always there when I needed her the most and she still is.  She changed her life around from "Being a sinner" to living for the Lord our God.
• Emma Williams (Pastor/Godmom)
• Mrs. Williams helped me first by getting my mom back on the right track.  She is the reason that my mom lives for God and has instill that same thing in me.  She has always been in my corner as well as my mom's corner.  If we needed something she made sure we had it. 
• Eric Williams (brother from another mother)
• Eric has been a part of my life since I was around 11 years old.  He has been a mentor to me in life whether he knows it or not and he is only three years older then me.  He is wise beyond his years.  Eric is the kind of friend that has never betrayed me, I can't even remember us arguing.  He taught me the ways of a man and how I man should treat his girlfriend/fiance/wife.  He too is married. 
• M. J. Mayfield(brother from another mother)
• I met M.J. in the summer of 2004 I believe in Hattiesburg, MS.  He is a year older than I am and he too also have really affected my life.  He doesn't sugar coat anything.  If I'm wrong he tells me that I am wrong.  He gives me great advice whether it's relationship or everyday life situations.  He has been therefrom day one. 
• Greg Forrest(mentor)
• I met Greg in 2006.  We were both working as assistant teachers.  He has given me great life advice.  He is maybe 6 or 7 years older than I am.  He  has also given me great advice.  He inspired me to be a better person as well as man.  I had the worst attitude before I met him.  He is afun loving guy that no matter what he is going through, he smiles.
• Each one of this individuals have played a very significant role in my life.  I have been through some damaging things as a child.  I honestly didn't think that I would still be alive today.  Homestly if is wasn't for the mercy of God as well as them, I don't think I would be.  They taught me to be strong, resilent, and indepent.   I love and respect them for that.

Walden University: Mr. Riley's Blog

My children (Zamiya and Kamrin) fuel my passion for the Early Childhood field. I want to Master this field for them, to be their teacher, their provider. What I mean by provider is that as you all may know, having a Master's Degree says something on a resume, more money and more job oppurtinities. As far as a teacher goes, I am young 27 years old to be exact so I can use all the advice and help that I can get as far as educating my two children as well as my students.

Walden University: Mr. Riley's Blog

"I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring." -Liz Armbruster, on robertbrault.com

Mr. Riley's Blog

Hello everyone.  I am Terrance, devoted husband, father, and teacher.  I am here at Walden Univeristy pursuing my Master's Degree in Early Childhood.  I am also looking into starting my own Daycare as well as becoming a Early Childhood teacher whether it's kindergarten or headstart.