Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

The podcast that I was able to listen to was the director of the Liberty Foundation, Marcelle Delahaye.  Marcelle indicated that Belize has the number one incidence rate of child abuse, there are currently forty-two children who reside at Liberty.  All of the children who live their have been abused physically and or sexually, abandoned or neglected. When children first enter the residence they are not immediately placed in the classroom with the other children, this is because they want them to have time to heal before they mingle with the children who have had time to face their fears and start the healing process from their troubled past. I have learned that child abuse happens all over the world and that it can leave behind a trail of broken people.  There should be a mountain of steps that early childhood professionals should take when dealing with children who may have a past of abuse.  That kid that they see as being rude or undiscipline may go home to a house full of abuse which causes them to act they way they do.  Children who live in poverty or more likely to face abuse than their more privilaged counterparts.

Sharing Web Resources

Provide the name and link for the international website you selected, and a brief description of the organization’s focus
The name of the link for the international website I selected was the Liberty Foundation, http://www.libertyfoundation.org.uk/.  This organization is located in Belize and provides children who have been abondoned and or abused a safe place to grow and develop.  They have been caring for abused and abandoned children since 2005, providing high quality child-centered education for pre-school children.

Identify one current issue/trend from the newsletter and/or from the website that caught your attention.  Share if there was anything else you learned from studying these resources related to the topic of this week.

One current trend that caught my attention was their outreach program Parent's As Teacher's (PAT), which is an international family support program that helps parent's be their child(ren) best first teacher.  They provide parents with adequate information, guidance and assistance with every day trials and tribulations of parenting as well as identifying children who are at risk and for those who have disabilities and special needs.  Liberty serves hundreds of families within Belize and they are expected to become nationwide within the next couple of years. This program is very much needed in every community in the United States, all parents are their child's first teacher and can learn something positive from this outreach program.  Being a good parent does not mean that you have always done everything correctly, however it makes this learning experience much easier when you have this type of support from outside resources. 

My Supports

Factors in my daily environment that are supportive to me includes my God, my husband, my two little boys, my family and friends.  These supports are very beneficial to me in that they help me get through each day with a smile.  Without my God who supports me in all my decisions and whom is always there for me no matter what I may or may not do.  My husband is so amazing, he always make sure I am happy and never go without.  He knows me inside and out, if something is bothering me...he knows with out me even saying a word.  He has become my best friend who supports me in any decision I make helps me to find solutions to any problem I may have.  My children keep me motivated to do better everyday and to always make good decisions, this will give them an example to live by.  If I make good decisions, I know they will too.  My family and friends are always there for me too, I know if it is 2pm or 2am they will come help me in any situation no matter what.

It would be very difficult to live without these supports, I can not begin to imagine how I would survive without them.  It would be a very lonely and tough journey through my life's hard and easy times.  If they were gone I do not think I would make the best decisions throughout my daily life. 

The challenge I choose was me just being laid off from my job.  I can not imagine being without my support system and going through this situation.  To the average person, they can not find joy in the valley; the valley in this situation is not having a job.  However, with the relationship that I have with the God I serve it is easy to be happy because He is always with me and I know that he has my best interest at heart.  Everything works for the good of those who loves the Lord, everything good and everything bad.  My husband, kids, family and friends...they are all great supporters of me and I know that if there was anything that I would need to get through this situation they would be readily available to assist me.  My husband is so awesome, he is my rock and he will assure me that everything will be okay and help me move on to the next chapter in my life. If I did not have any of these supports during this situation, I would probably be in a homeless shelter, lonely and upset with the world that a good person like myself is going through such a difficult situation. 

Relationship Reflection

Explain why relationships/partnerships are important to you (If you would like, upload a photo or photos of people* who are important to you)

Relationships are very important to me because in this life we all need other people to share our moments.  Whether they are happy or sad moments we need someone to both cheer us on and to pick us up when times are hard. 

Identify several people with whom you currently have positive relationships and/or partnerships

There are several people who I consider to be in my "inner circle" and I talk to on a regular basis.  My husband is my bestfriend, I love doing things with him.  Next is my mom and dad, I love these guys and I talk to them daily.  My sister Ravonda is a wonderful person, she's very kind and loving and I can talk to her about anything.  My brothers are funny and loving, I know I can count on them to help me with any need. I have a few girls that I am close to.  Posha, I met her freshman year of college and we have been bestfriends ever since.  Some of my soroity sisters (Ladonna & Lamonica) have been there for me during very special moments of my life.  Such as baby showers, birth of my babies and my son's birthday parties.

Describe the ways in which each relationship is positive and factors that contributed to developing and maintaining each relationship

My husband helps be get through every trial in my life, he keeps me motivated to do better for myself and my family.  To maintain this relationship I have to make sure I listen to him and treat him with love and respect.  My parents are amazing, they are fun, loving and very supportive.  To develop the relationship that I have today with my parents I opened the line of communication with them and I listen to their ideas and lessons about life.  They are great teachers, very wise from past experiences.  My sister and my brothers are very honest people and you can trust their judgement.  Communication and not judging each other for any choices we have made in life have been key to keeping our relationships as good as they are today.  Posha is very helpful and I can count on her for any and everything.  Our relationship is maintained through excellent communication.  My sorority sisters are fun people to hang out with and communication and always being there for one another is what keeps our friendships strong.

Describe insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that you have learned from your experience over time

Challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that I had experienced all boiled down to communication errors.  The lack of communication can harm a relationship, taking a comment made by a friend or loved one the wrong way can hurt feelings and leave people angry at one another for years.  I have learned to just be honest with people and to inform them of my true feelings about something if I am hurt.  I have also learned to forgive and try to forget; when people do me wrong.

What do you see as special characteristics of these relationships that make some, if any,
partnerships?

Special characteristics of these relationships consists of love and respect.

How might your experiences with relationships/partnerships, including your ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact your work as an effective early childhood professional?

My experiences with relationships/partnerships have made me want to continue to share the love and respect for others that I receive from all of the people close to me in my life.  Some kids do not receive love or respect from their parents so it is important that they know someone cares for them.

When I Think of Child Development …

At least one quote about children, or a visual/media piece with written commentary

 

Anonymous

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

 

Barbara Bush, former U.S. first lady

"You have to love your children unselfishly. That is hard. But it is the only way."

Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun "It's the greatest poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

A note of professional thanks and support to the Blogs of at least two colleagues

I would like to thank Tasha and Jessica for providing their collegues with such valuable information.  You guys did an awesome job at giving your perspective on the required topics for this quarter.  Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading more of your post.


http://tashamarie01.blogspot.com/


http://jessicahunsaker.wordpress.com/

Reference:

Compassion International (2011). Releasing Children from Proverty: Compassion in Jesus Name.  Retrieved June 25, 2011 from http://www.compassion.com/child-advocacy/find-your-voice/famous-quotes/default.htm.

Testing for intelligence

Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to “the whole child”), what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed? Explain your reasoning.

I believe that a child’s physical health should be assessed; there are numerous benefits of being physically healthy as well as hazards to not being physically healthy.  Children who are overweight and or obese my suffer from low self-esteem, which leads to them being abnormally mentally stressed.  Children who have a low self-esteem also lack confidence; this may affect the way they perform in school.  They may have lower grades or may get into trouble at school due to bullying others; hurting others before they are given an opportunity to hurt them.  Researchers increasingly recognize that every physical and psychological characteristic of children-including obesity, high blood levels of lead and mental health problems-is affected by the social context and, in turn, affects that context (Jackson & Tester, 2008).  There are other physical conditions that may affect the learning potential of a child.  Other conditions include Tourette syndrome, stuttering, physical ailments (missing or inoperative limbs) or children who wear glasses.  Poor health does in fact affect the child as a whole. 

In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world? (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)

School-aged children in Cuba are not per say assessed using standardized testing due to the lack in resources.  Their school system lack funds to provide adequate education to their children; at least that is how it seems it should be. However children are assessed by how well they can read. Prior to the revolution in Cuba only about 3% of the children were literate, now there is an astounding 97% of children who are literate.  Education is such a top priority in this country that for eight months all of the schools were closed, and teachers were sent out to the homes of children living in the rural communities to teach the children.  This made it much easier for them to continue to work in the fields and receive an education at the same time. This country’s produces thousands of individuals that pursue careers in professional careers such as doctors.  They are really pushed to go on to college to further their education and be successful, so much so that many go to medical school for free.

What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?

I believe that the child should be assessed holistically because there may be some factors in their personal life that can affect the way they perform in school.  Children that are overweight in school should be required to receive assistance with weight loss.  If schools provided children with this tool it would help these children greatly in their life.  It could possibly prevent them from developing diabetes, some cancers, high blood pressure or high cholesterol in their adult-hood.  For an example, I went to high school with a girl who was overweight from the time we were in elementary school and all throughout high school.  She was picked on all of these years because of her weight and ended up dropping out of high school.  Unfortunately she passed away at the age of 25 from complications with diabetes.  If someone would have reached out to her while she was in elementary school or middle school, she could possibly be alive today. 

Reference:

Jackson, Richard J.J., & Tester, June.  (2008).  Environment shapes health, including children's mental health.  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 129-131.

Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

From the list above, choose one stressor that you, or someone you know, experienced as a child. Share how you, or that person, coped with and/or compensated for that stressor (including any resources used or any support obtained).

As a child my husband experienced poverty growing up in New York.  Unfortunately his parents were both addicted to a variety of drugs so his aunt raised him and his three younger siblings.  She was able to provide them with a warm home, hot meal and clean clothes but it was very difficult to adequately provide for seven children; three were her own.  My husband was able to cope with this by using organized sports as an outlet; he excelled in basketball and football.  His aunt did not support his high school athletic career; however he had a teacher and his best friends’ parents that supported him in everything he did.  I am proud to say that my husband graduated from college and also has a masters degree, he is currently studing to take the LSAT to enter law school next year.  As for his sibilings, his brother is currently a college student at a four year university; his sister is a medic in the army; his baby sister graduates from high school in about two weeks and will be attending a local university as a freshman this fall.  This goes to show that you do not have to be a product of your environment, they all faced challenges as children but they channeled their energy towards positive factors.

Choose a region or country in the world that you would like to know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in that region/country and what is being done to minimize the harm.

The country I chose was Japan because I do not know too much about the stressors they may face day-to-day.  This country are very driven by education, parents are obsessed with creating a child that is academically superior.  Adults have a very high expectation for their children to receive high grades, which causes children to be very competitive towards one another.  This competitiveness and conflicting expectations for modern children to be the best in school but also serve the traditional purposes of the group, confuses children and causes frustration.  This contributes to other social problems such as bullying and truancy (Crystal, 1994).  In the mid 1980’s a rash of suicides broke out amongst school-aged children due to bullying. 

Currently there is not anything being done to minimize this problem; however children fear that they will not meet their expected expectation so they give up on school and seclude themselves from family and maybe some friends.  Both bullying and truancy are currently serious problems in Japan.  

References:

Crystal, David S. 1994. "Concept of Deviance in Children and Adolescents: The Case of Japan." Deviant Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Journal 15:241-266.

Jiro, Saito. 1999. "Grownups Should Listen to the Kids." Japan Quarterly 46(April-June):83-88.

Shotaro, Takahashi. 1999. "Chaos in Elementary Classrooms." Japan Quarterly 46(April-June):78-82.