Week 1 Issues and Trends....It's a small world after all

"...It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hope and world of fears. There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware, it's a small world after all"

This week I have been asked to correspond with an early childhood professional outside my own country of the United States. I am looking forward to this because I have always believed that humans have more similarities than differences. I also believe in broadening one's worldview. I refer to a quote from one of my favorite movies, Harriet the Spy. (yes I have read the book but feel the movie is better) In the movie, Golly, Harriet's nanny, is taking the children to meet a friend of her's. The children are a little wary but Golly reminds them, "There are a million ways to live as there are people in this world. And each one deserves a closer look." 

I began my search by asking friends who took this course what they did. I was told to utilize Facebook. I did. I also realized I work with people who know people overseas, so i asked them for help as well. I am please to announce both methods yielded results. I have made contact with my people and I am awaiting there response. I am excited to learn from them.  


As for exploring a website....I am having trouble choosing. I tried to look at the NAEYC site a while ago but  found it confusing. I thought about maybe WACAP.org because this is the agency that helped my parents adopt me. but then I back off from that idea as well. There's the Global Fund, teacher sites. I don't know each time I click on one I think, I can do this, but then I can't decide as I begin to like many. 
I wish i was more decisive.

Good Luck everyone! May we make the world a little smaller.

Week 6 My Supports

I am so blessed to have many supports in my life. I didn't always feel this way.

 Once upon a time I worked 3pm to 12am at my center. It was one of the worst times in my life.  One of the reasons it was one of the worst times is because I had no support or understanding. There was only one other adult in the building with me and she was of no help, the last staff members get off at 7pm.  The day shift people treated me like a servant.  Nobody had ever done my job before and did not know anything about the reality of working nights. I had no guidance. No guidelines from the administration or my fellow night teacher. It was just the worst.  There are other factors that made it horrendous – but my point it I know from experience what it is like to not have support. Time has passed since then and my life has turned around.

So let us begin the happy portion of this post. 

    

My Team  Rachael and Jessie 

I have two main supports at work.  Rachael and Jessie.  They are all of the most wonderful, magical words two people can embody. Supportive, friendly, creative, funny, caring, thoughtful, rainbows, and  unicorns. They have been working at the center longer than I have and they are always there to help me out and sort through problems. In truth they are some of my most awesome friends.  What would life be like without Rachael and Jessie? AWFUL. I have only experienced it in small doses when they are not working and it sucks.  Who would I visit? Who would I share and steal ideas from slash with? Who would make me happy? I am done with these negative thoughts…..onto the next. 


 I find support in music. I find messages in songs that support me in any given situation.  I am supported by myself because I have been journaling since I was a little girl. Writing is amazing because it is so much at once: reflection, coping, problem solving, prayer, memory, and more. 

 

Saint Gabe's - My place 

Saint Gabriel Catholic Church has been my home since I was 10 years old.  My faith is important to me in ways that words and thoughts can not adequately express. So I won’t. On the other hand my church family is easily expressible. In short they’ve got my back.   

 

A blurry picture of my fam from 2009  

As always I am supported by my family. I never get tired of talking about them.  Since the dawn of time (well at least my time;) my family has listened to me and cared for me and offered help. They teach me about things.  They let me figure things out. They comfort me.  They play with me. All the things a family does they do for me.  

Feeling Supported is so important. In work and regular life knowing there are people who care is the best. 

My Connections to Play (week 4)

When I was a child I loved imaginative play. I played House and I had a little desk I would pretend to go to school. Any kind of game that would allow me and my friends to make up scripts as we went along was my favorite game.

 me and my Barbies 

Barbie dolls were my toy of choice.  I had tubs of Barbie stuff, houses, outfits, cars, McDonald's, and of course, the actual dolls. I used to do their hair and act out whatever I was thinking about that day.

I used to play Dress Up. I still have all my old dress up clothes that I hope to play with my niece and my future children. Things I’ve collected through the years: old dance costumes, bridesmaid dresses, an old chef uniform from high school, etc.  I have a picture of me at our local children’s museum, in an old dress and playing on the stage.   When I was applying to college I was offered a theater scholarship. I doubt that would have happened had I not been able to explore through dramatic play.

 Me in the leaves

                                            Children's Museum 

      My dad used to play with me whenever I wanted.  There are many things we did together. I would do his hair. He would let me clip a towel on his head so I could give him a ponytail. We also played what has affectionately become known as Diving Board. This was an elaborate set up followed by me jumping on my Dad. He would be sitting on the couch and I would come over to him and act like I was being really nice, tucking him a blanket and putting pillows around him. Obviously he could see right through this and knew what was coming but he played along. My brother says that there were many steps to Diving Board but it always ended the same. I would “surprise” my dad by diving onto him. Thankfully I didn’t weigh that much. 

As you can tell I lived in my imagination.

  I like to think this has been a good thing in my life. Now this isn’t one of those - things were so much better when I was your age - tales. I had computer games and VHS tapes and cd’s and other assorted “modern” technologies.  

But to me, these things helped fuel my imaginative play. I watched The Mighty Ducks and then when I was rollerblading the next day I would pretend to be a hockey player.  I listened to the radio and then tried to make up my own songs, one of which is written down and is called “Universe Man”.   I won’t sing it for you because you can’t hear me.




From what I see around me, I think play is basically the same but with different tools.  Children in my class still want to wear hats and play with purses and act like they are going shopping. My cousin is in elementary school and he plays with a family iPad.  He loves Star Wars. He has a toy light saber and he pretends to be a Jedi. So what? I like to think that sometimes children need a starting point. How can we expect children to imagine things if they have never seen anything before?  

To this day I have an active imagination. It helps me cope with stress. I can close my eyes and go to another world if I need to. It makes reading the most fun adventure. It helps me think of different projects to do with my kids at work. I hope to encourage imagination in all the children I come to know.  

Week 2 Relationship Reflection

Relationships are a huge part of being human. We were created to be relational. This is why humans are born from two people in relationship. ANYWAYS......

I feel blessed I have many relationships in my life.
I have personal relationships and work relationships both of which contribute to my feeling whole.

My family is a huge part of my life. As I have mentioned before my mom, dad, brother, sister in law, niece, nephew, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents - everyone is important to my life. Each one of us has some thing special to give. I know my family is always there for me, to support me to listen to me, to laugh with (and at) me. We are awesome.

 

I also have relationships with the families I work with. This is me and Wyatt.   

I was Wyatt's infant teacher. Because he was an "evening" baby we spent the majority of the time together just me and him. We formed a bond. He is now two years old. I see him everyday. His mom told me that she felt connected to Wyatt through the pictures I would take and through his daily sheets.   

I am not that articulate about this. To sum up - Relationships form who we are and impact our lives in a profound way. 

Week 8 When I think about Childhood.....

I think about how wonderful it is. I also recognize that by not being a child anymore I tend to romanticize childhood. I know that childhood doesn't always feel wonderful to the child and it stinks that as adults we don't remember it well.

One of my most favorite saying comes from Dr.Suess. He wrote, "Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened".

I am glad I took this class even though it kicked my ass to Maine and back. (I am in central Virginia so Maine is far away) I learned a lot of information that I feel is useful to my life as it is and as my life will hopefully become.

Thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
Koni

Week 6

I believe in Multiple Intelligences. I have studied it in two different classes and every time I learn about it I think it is so important for adults to know about it because it helps the children not to feel dumb.

According to Howard Gardner’s theory there are several types of intelligences (Berger 2009).

-Linguistic

- Logical/Mathematical

- Musical

- Spatial

- Bodily/Kinesthetic

- Interpersonal

- Intrapersonal

- Naturalistic

- Existential

I like to think every person has a little bit of each one. 

In the United States we value (in school) linguistic and logic skills. If a person doesn’t have those skills then they are thought to be at a disadvantage. However, all the athletes in the NBA,MLB,NFL, and so on excel in kinesthetic intelligence and make more money than any of us ever will.  

As for testing/assessing children I don’t think there is a proper way to do that. No test can ever capture the human spirit. Humans are made up of too many facets to be put into a box.

 I feel like there is too much pressure on kids as it is – they really don’t need any more tests. I have seen kids stress out like crazy over the SAT and it can be scary. After all just because a test says you’ll do this way or that way doesn’t mean you will.

When children are suspected of having a disability – I wish there was a way to find out without the pressure of an assessment. I remember being in elementary school and being called out of the classroom to go take some reading tests (I don’t remember why) and I was so nervous. 

I found an article about testing sign language in deaf children in Italy using the Boston Naming test. I thought it was curious that other countries are using tools from the United States to measure children. Why can’t they develop their own? There was s thing mentioned in the text about cultural biases in tests and that is totally true.  I hope that the testers leave some wiggle room for culture.

Berger,K. (2009). The developing person through childhood. Ny,NY, Worth Publishers

Tomasuolo,E., Fellini,L., Di Renzo,A. & Volterra,V. (2010). Assessing lexical production in deaf signing

children with the Boston Naming Test. Language, Interaction and Acquisition (1)1 ,110–128

Week 4 - Childhood stress

I would like to share a story. I do not remember this story first hand my mother has told it to me throughout my life.

When I was in preschool, I came one day very upset. Another kid told me they weren't allowed to play with "black" people. This boggled my mind. I kept insisting to my mother "I am not black. I am brown. I have brown skin" My mother likes to tell this story to demonstrate my attention to details.

As you all know, I am adopted. I was adopted when i was a baby. I was born in India but i have lived in Virginia my whole life.

I do not feel like racism infiltrated my mind until i was much older and could reflect on it. My parents did an amazing job of protecting me from that. They also promoted being adopted as an awesome, wonderful gift from God. One of my favorite book growing up (I still have it on my bookshelf) was Adopted and Loved Forever by Annetta E. Dellinger. Looking back on my life I feel like I was loved through the potential stress. I never felt it.  I Thank The Lord for My Family everyday.

Mom, Me, and Dad 

I spent time in the library and on google looking up global childhood stress. I found an interesting article about Greece and their preschool policy change. Basically Greece was changing from a central control of preschool and daycare to a more local approach and the article was about parental expectations.  I know it is not typically what we think of as childhood stress but I kept thinking about it. I think that going to preschool can be a stressor in a child's life as it is a major change. Then I thought if a parent is worried about the change as well, what kind of services will they provide, how will i leave my child in the care of someone else, will i be able to pay etc., the child will pick up on it thus creating more stress. Hopefully the family and the teachers will work together (that was a concern) and the child will be successful.

Laloumi-Vidali, E. (1998). Parental Expectations of Early Childhood Services for Preschool Children: The case of policy change in Greece. International Journal of Early Years Education,6(1), 19-30.