My Connections to Play

 

Play for me as a child was safe and free exploration whether in or outdoors. During many of my outdoor endeavors, I spent countless hours doing two of my favorite things at the same time, climbing a tree and reading a book. My Grandmother encouraged me throughout my childhood to go outside and play with the neighborhood children or by myself instead of just watching television. There were times she would join me with duties of gardening, other lawn maintenance, and enlightening conversation about nature and life. To come to think of it, I don't recall any of the neighborhood children having issues with energy or weight problems. The philosophy of children playing outdoors as much as possible was shared with the neighborhood family. During that time, we played school (the oldest person was always the teacher), talk show, restaurant, the list goes on and on. We had a lunch break and then right back at it....PLAY TIME.

                                                                                  
Today with the advancements of technology and electronic devices, it seems that play has taken on another meaning for some people. It has become the primary entertainment and communication of family members. With today's busy lives and parents working, real outdoor play has been replaced in some cases with simulated outdoor play on a computer screen. Socialization has gone from face to face conversations that expand ones vocabulary, to abbreviated text messages. I truly believe that it was through those peer conversations that I developed the confidence to respectfully share my thoughts (speak my mind) with others. They may have even caused me want to take on leadership roles such as the one I have today.

                                                                                         
Even when schools have to make cuts to the budget, music and physical education are the first items to go. This leaves children in the classrooms to their academics with little to no socialization with peers. I recall pre and elementary school as fun filled days with more than 3 recesses.  Oh how I couldn't wait to go outside and talk to my friends, sharing ideas and experiences (boy, we thought we had everything figured out at 6 years old).

The following quotes reflect how I feel about the importance of PLAY!!!!

We don't stop playing because we grow old, We grow old because we stop playing.             "Satchel Paige"

The playing adult steps sidewards into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery. 
"Erik Erikson"

Relationship Reflections

It's my belief that whether we like it or not, we are all connected in some form or fashion. Fundamentally, there are many daily rituals and values we share such as paying bills, eating dinner, grocery store shopping, the list goes on and on. During many of those events that take us outside our homes, we may participate in casual conversations that render similarities and likes in hobbies, professional/personal interest, restaurants, and also past experiences. The very beginning of a wonderful relationship can all start with an innocent conversation.

      I'm fortunate to have various professional and personal relationships that have assisted in my growth in both areas. There are two previous supervisors that I remain in contact with after they have been in retirement for over 15 years. The level of respect and appreciation I feel for these ladies goes beyond any words that I have in my vocabulary. There have been countless moments where I have been stumped on what my next moves should be in resolving a very complex situation where their guidance and affirmation has given me the courage to make a decision and see it through with the ability to recognize and accept any adjustments that need to be made. These ladies are both retired early childhood education professors(a teacher and a administrator) and there is not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for their expertise.

     My previous travels have allowed me to meet, develop, and maintain some long distance relationships with people who come from other regions of the world. Their advice and wisdom often still assist me in the ever mysterious world of parenting and family dynamics. In their company, I learned to appreciate different taste in cuisines, hair styling, dress attire, family dynamics and conversations in general. I became more well rounded as an individual and also was able to relate better to others when I took a position at an organization that focused on international services.   

                                              

All the relationships that I have spoken of are reciprocal in the sense that just as much as I feel that I appreciate and learn from all of our interactions, they feel exactly the same way in return. We value our relationships enough to share in the responsibility of continuing to keep in touch with one another. We also share what we've learned from each with others that we come in contact with, that way we empower others to understanding a respect of all types of diversity and knowledge of people. Again, it can all start with the openness of a conversation and the willingness to cultivate and value the relationship. 

Come to Think of It......Who is Teaching and Who is Learning????

If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. ~Ignacio Estrada

Really, isn’t this so true — quite often we to teach and guide our children in the direction of our vision which is colored by our lenses… By doing,it is possible the we can  fail to see the child’s potential – Open up – Remove the lenses and understand the child’s talent…. Each child is a genius in his or her own way…. Recognize and harness those talents……

What Would I Assess??? Hmmmm......

As an educator, I'm fully aware of the importance of having the ability to obtain and apply the knowledge being presented. However there are times that I feel the education system has become totally obsessed with measuring the results of standardized test. Are the children in my classroom learning???? How can we be sure???? What is the measuring stick we're grading them against??? Is it fair??? Question after unanswered question. As we should already know, given time and effort, you can find research supporting the positive and the negative of any concern (not that all the sources would be reliable). What are we doing?

During an internship I had over 8 years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing an environment where children were not formally assessed, however were encouraged to explore in a teacher guided/child centered atmosphere. I must admit, I initially was a skeptic because I was a produce of being taught a lesson and then having my results measures through taking a test. Since this was how it had been done for generations, then it must be right!!!! (not really). When I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to ask the question....how do you know if what we are doing is even working? (Oh by the way, this was the same lead teacher I mentioned previously in my post on "Positive Change Can Come With Time"). With the same caring smile, she began to explain (teach me) that by simply asking the children questions and paying attention to their responses and peer conversations, we would know if they had retained the knowledge through experience or if we (the teachers) needed to take another approach. What about the schedule??? How would we make sure we met the time lines???  Once again there she was, to the rescue.....the children are our indicators, they set the pace on how quickly they learn as well as what they learn. And with that tranquil smile, she shared with me this simple phrase.....It all will work out in the end.

And it did. No one transitioned out without mysteriously learning how to write their names, knowing colors, letter, different kind of sharks and what their diet consist of, what is in outer space, what causes a boat the float and not sink, so on and so on. It happened without standardized test and comparing performances of one child against another. They all learned without being stressed out or made to feel less than unique and I learned the true meaning of education and never forgot.

From an International Perspective:

Again, I'm not saying that assessments are not important, however there are various ways children can be/are assessed instead of teachers focusing on teaching the test, then the children taking the test. Internationally, various countries also conduct assessments on performance of the children in their country. I have attached the link to the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) http://acei.org/programs-events/global-guidelines.html  This is a helpful resource that provides information on recommended global guidelines to education.

ACEI was established as the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) in 1892, by educators concerned with the professional preparation of kindergarten teachers. In 1931, the National Council of Primary Education joined with the IKU to form the Association for Childhood Education (ACE). Realizing the critical importance of advancing childhood education throughout the world, ACE added "International" to its name in 1946, becoming the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Today, ACEI has members in many nations, country liaisons, and network groups.

Noise and Confusion

Too often as parents, we don't realize how the environment we create for children can truly shape them into the adults they will become in the future. Some of the first thoughts are the importance of food, shelter, clothing (you probably see where I am going with this) the list goes on and on. I'm not saying those things aren't extremely significant (because they are), however there are some less thought of necessities that help to make a well-rounded person.

A noisy environment consisting of yelling (directly or indirectly), loud music, and constant chatter of talking can create confusion in a child's world. I recall spending some time at the home of a relative where in comparison to what I was use to, yelling was the choice of communicating things to children. Whenever my name was called, I would instantly jump up in nervousness and run to see what I had done wrong (which was what my mind went immediately to since I automatically associated yelling with something negative). There was yelling to wake up, come to breakfast, to get in the car to go somewhere, and to go to bed (just to mention a few times) and I was always in a state of wondering if I wasn't moving fast enough or doing the wrong thing, very confusing I might say!!! My cousins (5 of them ) were always in a state on motion and transition and I was only use to moments of conversation and discovery with my grandmother who would allow me to have time to play, read, and simply think in peace and quiet. 

                                                                               
                                                                                 
                                                                     
As adults now, I have noticed that some of my cousins that have chosen to have children also yell to gain immediate responses from them. Though we have discussed how they were made to feel as children when they were yelled at, the cycle continues nevertheless. I do have one cousin who has made the choice not to have children, and when asked why, the response was because he doesn't want to mess them up. The cousin I'm speaking of has a very calm demeanor and is wonderful and patience with children as he has spent countless moments babysitting and hanging out with my 2 when they were young. I have gotten numerous compliments from him about what a wonderful mother I am and how proud he is of me:) I totally respect his decision not to have children and often wonder if his childhood has a great deal to do with his choice.

In my research of the African culture and whether yelling is a common practice in communicating with children, I found various links to information on African-American families and yelling, however not much on yelling as a practice in the case of African culture. I only discovered a direction correlation with yelling at children with disabilities in Africa due to the negative stigma of family shame and disgrace of having a disabled individual in the family.

If you are interested in reading further, here is the link to more information. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED533575.pdf        

Great Beginnings.....Prenatal Care

So many times, we think of how important it is to start teaching children as soon as they are born. What about the care they need from us before birth. There are so many critical developmental moments during a woman's pregnancy that can cause a child to miss the mark if a mother is not careful. Is it fair to measure, assess, and have the same expectations for all children when they don't have the same in-utero care to give them a equal start?  

There is a helpful website (Womenshealth.gov) where information about the importance of prenatal care, how often you should visit your doctor or clinic, what you should expect during a routine prenatal visit, and how to get free or reduced prenatal care in this country, is provided. This website is sponsored by the Office of Women's Health by the Department of Health and Human Services. 

http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/prenatal-care.html 

South African Antenatal Care: 

http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/policy/2011/guidelines_a.pdf

I continuously educate expectant mothers in my program on the importance of early and consistent prenatal care throughout their entire pregnancy for a better chance of a healthy baby.

The Miracle of Child Birth

My Experience....

It took 29 hours for me to give birth to my first child which was due to my determination not to have the dreaded.....C-Section. That has now been over 22 years ago and I can still remember the bright lights, white walls, and the delivery room being too cold. My nurses seemed to know exactly what I needed, so they didn't bother to even ask me how I was doing. Talk about a need for sensitivity training in appropriate bedside manners. I thought over and over again, my goodness... my mom did this 3 times, SERIOUSLY!!!! After giving birth, I recall being too tired to even left my head up to see my baby though I wanted to (it's called labor for a reason). Following what they called recovery, I was placed in a semi-private room (which I will forever be grateful for) with a woman who had previous experience in what I was learning as I go. A nurse quickly rolled my baby in the room and then left. Everything seemed fine until the sounds of what began as soft cries started. Oh no... I thought. As I tried to gather my strength to care for my child, I realized that I was still numb from the waist down and unable to adequately move. I began to quietly cry in frustration, when my neighbor came over with a smile and asked if she could help me. I could only nod with relief because at this point I needed so much help I was overwhelmed with relief by her offer. She gently placed my child in my arms, adjusted my bed, and asked if I was better now. She encouraged me to be patience with myself, that I would not have all the answers overnight. My neighbor was discharged the next morning and even though I didn't know her long.....she made a lasting impression on me with her kindness and I was able to enjoy the bonding experience with my baby. 

My first birthing experience did have its high points in comparison to what goes on in South Africa. It has been a common practice for nurses there to pinch, slap, and ignore calls for help from women in labor. Imagine being release from the hospital without painkillers or antibiotics after having a C-Section. Yikes, that just screams infection waiting to happen in my opinion. Having such a negative experience can cause resentment and even worst a high mortality rate leaving babies with no mothers or an alternative person to bond with. I have only mention a few misdoings, however here is a link if you are interested in reading what goes on further http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232413.php

If you were wondering, I did do my research and therefore had a much better experience with the birth of my second child. As I always say, you do better when you know better:)