"My Supports"


When I think about support I have to define the word. Webster's dictionary defines the word as: to bear, to tolerate , to hold up or serve as a foundation and to back or assist. Now, support is a term that can be used in different contexts. A support could be literally a beam that supports a ceiling. Support in the daily life is the context that this post is about. I have support daily with a job that supports me financially. Personal support for me has always my belief in GOD and my family. My family especially my mom and grandmother have instill in me a belief in GOD. They made sure I went to church and learn about him and at home I was taught to lean on him for support.


As I have continue my walk with GOD and I have grown know him personally. I have continued to study his word and I have tried to use those words daily. The scripture that is my inspiring word for each day comes from Proverbs the third chapter and fifth verse and it states:

My connections to Play.

When I was young I played alone a lot because I love pretending and being in the fantasy world. I did play with playmates outside because my mother made me go outside. I was in the choir at church and played the bells at church. My mother encourage me to join these groups to get me out my shell. I was very shy and that is why I played by myself most of the time. I was older than my sisters and I did not play with them as a playmates but more as their mother. They were my children when I use to pretend.  I still day dream and pretend to be someone else. It helps me to get through the trainings at work.

Now children pretend to be what they see on television and video games. They don't go outside as I did and make up games because the video games and television are their friends and sometimes a baby sitter. I encourage my parents to let their children play outside at the park and limit the influence of television and video games and play with them.  I know now as adult the ability to pretend comes in handy because I believe it helps me when I am teaching.

My favorite activity as a child.

My favorite book as I child.

Favorite quotes about play.

Relationship Reflection

I have many relationships in my life but there are four people that are the most important people I have  relationships with in my life. The first was my mother Beverly Smith she shape my life and taught the importance of God and family. She brought me up in church and taught the value of prayer and service to others. She was shaped by my Grandparents Edith and Charles Jones. They brought her up to believe in God and service to others. My mother and grandfather are go on to be with God but my grandmother is still showing me how to be strong through adversity. She is getting older and illness is trying to rule her life but she is a fighter.The fourth and the most important besides my mother is my son. He is graduate of Purdue with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He inspired me to go back to college and get my Masters.

My relationship with my mother was difficult at times because I was very sensitive child but I knew she criticize me with love. I took the criticism to heart sometimes but as I gotten older I wished she said those words more gently but I know she loved me. She learned how to criticize from her mother but spending time with my grandmother made realize my mother 's words were not as mean.  It did make more sensitive to my son but I did slip up and use harsh words sometimes but not without apologizing later. I never thought of my family as partners in life but as my heart and soul. They are much more than partners. I think of them especially the four mention as my reason for living and they are a gift from God. I feel the same way about my children in my classroom because I am their second mother.  Here are photos of special people in my life.  The first photo is of my grandparents and the second photo is one of my mother and third photo is of my precious son.

Hello fellow  classmates  in child development  class  I would  like  to  thank  you  for  your  support  and  helpful  comments  in this  class .  I will  continue  to   follow  your  blogs. A special  thanks  to  Dr.Nagel  for pushing  me  to  expand  my  knowledge  of child  development .

Testing children is a hot topic in the state I live in right now. Indiana testing has been changed because of the length of the test. The teachers and parents felt it was too long and the results have been poor. I do think testing intelligence is not a exact science. I have evaluated tests before and the topics and the criterion used for scoring was ambiguous. In my classroom I do four check points for my children where different objectives is assessed through our curriculum. Our curriculum is called Teaching Strategies . It is curriculum with ideas on lesson planning, assessment for infants to kindergarten age. The objectives focus on predictors for school success. I like the fact the objectives include all aspects of learning for the whole child.

When I was researching the whole child approach to teaching I came across a website that is geared to the subject. It started through the organization called ASCD(Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), This organization is a global leader in developing and delivering innovative programs, products and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner(www.ascd.org/about-ascd.aspx). The organization provides comprehensive needs assessment that includes emphasis on emotional development, safety and health. They want children to not only have academic success but to have a lifetime of success in varied of areas.

The organization has partnered with some schools in Europe focusing on health which is an issue some of those countries like the Solvenia. This has organized to be called SHE. Schools for Health in Europe. The schools are in about 43 countries that established a network of national coordinators. The schools focused on improving the health promotion and making it an integral part of policy development in European Education and Health sectors.(www.she@cbo.nl).

School health  is a  broad concept  which  promotes activities  for  policies that  relate  to  physical  and  social  environment,the curriculum  and  family  links  to  the community . This  program  is trying  to make  schools  in Europe  better . I  think  this  is  great  to include  all  aspects  of learning  for  children  so they are well  rounded .

References:
www.ascd.org.
www.she@cbo.nl
www?teachingstrategies.com

"Hunger" this year nearly nine million children will die needlessly because of hunger related illnesses. Few of these deaths are related to starvation, but rather to common illnesses (such as diarrhea, measles, and malaria) that move in on vulnerable children whose bodies are weaken by hunger.  Hunger in the poor nations like Ghana and Niger overwhelming of majority of scenes are of malnutrition of children.


The world supply of food is not depleted is just that not everyone have access due to poverty. In the developing world 1.4 billion people live below the international poverty line earning less than 1.25 a day. Among the poor it is difficult to attain nutritious food as a result 1.0 billion people are undernourished. Freedom from Hunger organization has set a Credit with Education program is just such a strategy. The program includes transferring program technology that is developed to local people around the world and they are using it to help end world hunger through their own families and communities.


Here in America the one of the richest nations there is millions of working people don't know where their next meal is coming from month to month.  About one-sixth of Americans don't have enough food to eat. Here in America there are the food stamp programs, the SNAP programs, pantries and  farms subsidies govern by the Federal Government. These programs help but they are not the solution. I am a Head Start teacher and we service social economic disadvantage families and I hear stories all the time about parents who cannot feed their children. I always try to steer them to pantries that give away food on weekly basis. Head Start is a federal program  that has the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) which provides money to feed the children three times a day. I encourage my parents to bring their children everyday so that at least they get feed three times that day. America does has a advantage over other nations at least the government tries to help with hunger other nations don't have government support.


References:




https://www.freedomfromhunger.org/world-hunger-facts


https://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/hunger

Breast Feeding is a topic that is dear to me. I have always thought that breast feeding is best for the child. Nutrition starts with colostrum is a thick, high-calorie fluid secreted by the mother's breast. Compared to formula breast milk is sterile always at body temperature and rich in many nutrients for the brain and body. Babies who are exclusively breast fed are less often sick because breast milk provides antibodies and decreases allergies and asthma.

I chose breast feeding with my son because of the facts listed above and because of the bonding it creates between mother and child. Breast feeding is even recommend in countries in Africa where there are large number of HIV positive mothers because of the higher risk of the children dying of infections, diarrhea or malnutrition as a result of bottle feeding than the child getting HIV.

Breast feeding is not for everyone and with the advance in the creation formula has helped children grow to  be healthy and happy. The  new  information  about  formula  I  read  makes  me see that  formula  can  be almost  as good  as breastfeeding milk