Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Personal Research Journey
The general topic that I have chosen to research in the early childhood field is if there is any information out there on the possible long term side effects of ADHD/ADD medication on children and how the ongoing development of assessments and a more stringent curriculum will play a role in the amount of children diagnosed not only with ADHD/ADD but sensory processing disorder as well. My journey into researching this subject so far has brought me to three subtopics of interest including what genetics tells us about the inheritence and gene expression that are predictors of ADHD and ADD and the prevalence of males versus females, do universal assessments take into account phenomenons such as right-handnessness, left-handedness and the differing learning abilities between males and females, and what medical information is currently available about the long term effects of ADHD/ADD and SPD medication on young children into adulthood and what are the alternatives.
I have many reasons for choosing these particular areas to research. With advances we have seen so far in early childhood, and the emergence of universal standards, it makes individuals accountable for their part in early education but what is also creates the field of " expectation" for some parents and education is race and as a result full day kindergarten has become a nationwide event. (Elkind, 2009) But how does the emergence of more rigourous standards and this need for specific outcomes affect our children? First legislation brings forth the "No Child Left Behind Act," which ensures that children get the help they need to move on to the next grade but as a result disorders such as ADHD and ADD become more prominent and children who are exhibiting problematic or inability to sit still are often being medicated to make it through the school day. But is this just a short fix that will ultimately cause further problems in a child's future not only academically but possibly medically?
I have seen and educated children with ADD/ADHD and and a child who the school system had misdiagnosed and encouraged the parents to medicate their child even though he was only in preschool and after six months, assessments, and progress reports I, at the time not having any knowledge of sensory processing disorder, encouraged the school to re-evaluate and with the help of specialists came to conclusion that he had SPD and the help he needed was with a therapist not medication. I was so facinated by this discovery and to find out that in his medical file, being from an orphanage in a poor, underdeveloped country whose mother was victum of malnourishment and no pre-natal health care that he chances of having this disability were very much increased.
I have chosen an area which engulfs many areas of research and has an immense amount of information to offer. I will still research what I can find out about how children progress in the years after taking medication for ADD and ADHD but I have chosen to mainly focus on what genetic predictors are out there in recognizing children who are successtable to this type of behavior and what other options there are for parents of these children in hopes that as an educator I will learn valuable information that will help in my quest in creating and running a more inclusive program that will adhere to these needs. I hope in my quest I will take from it key aspects that will also help me in creating curriculum appropriate and adjustable to varying needs of individual children.
What I have learned so far is that the knowledge of this particular subject requires the specialization of the fields of not only education but neuroscience, genetics, and psychology and I hope that in the years to come information like this will be used in appropriately assessing children. I would love any suggestions any one has or research studies that they would recomend or suggest, it is not a small topic.
Reference:
Elkind, D. (2009). The Wisdom of Play. How Children Learn to Make Sense of the World. Retrieved from http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/RoomPlanningWisdomofplay.pdf.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Research that Benefits Children and Families
For this week's assignment, I have chosen to share studies from the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) and available at www.childrenandnature.org. I am huge advocate of children having the ability to explore and learn about nature first hand. I think often with many of our busy schedules, just finding the time to play outside with our children can be a bit of a challenge and the unfortunate consequence of this is that our children sometimes miss out on self directed learning and exploration. Don't get me wrong, the time spent learning in the classroom is a must but simple things like studying the shapes of clouds, or watching flowers bloom and lets not forget what of the most important benefits of fresh air is it's great for our health!
The first study I found interesting is about called "School gardens positively impact children's learning and behavior,"a study by D. Blair from Penn University. (childrenandnature.org, 2010) Gardening takes place in schools throughout the nation and D. Blair did her research on evaluating the relationship between school gardening and it's relationship to children's learning and behavior. The study targets on on the many reasons school gardens exist which includes providing children experiences with natural ecosystems, enhancing children's understanding of food systems, helping children develop environmental attitudes and behavior , and serving as a basis for experimental learning. (childrenandnature.org,2010) Out of 12 qualitative studies reviewed it was found that 9 of the 12 studies found significant positive impacts from gardening in test measures,which included children's science achievement and food consumption behavior. And of 7 of the qualitative studies reviewed it was determined that students enjoyed and were highly motivated by gardening, students demonstrated improved attitudes and pride as a result of the gardening,enhanced bonding between the students along better teamwork skills and more learning opportunities. (childrenandnature.org, 2010) Based on the results, the research indicates that gardening had an overwhelming positive impact on student's achievement and behavior.
The next study I found interesting is "Nature-smart kids get higher test scores,"by the American Institutes for research. (childrenandnature.org, 2010) The study observed at-risk youth, 56% of whom reported never having time spent in a natural setting and then comparing them to students who had experienced an outdoor education program. The results were staggering, major findings illustrated a 27% increase in measured mastery of science concepts, enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills, gains in self esteem, gains in positive environmental behavior, as well as problem-solving motivation to learn, and classroom behavior. (childrenandnature.org, 2010).
And a third study titled " Green School Gyms improve children's health,"by the BTCV,which is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that created Green Gyms to improve people's health and the environment. (childrenandnature.org, 2010). As part of the project, individuals participate in a large range of outdoor conservation and gardening projects and as part of the School Green Gyms an average of 1 to 1.5 hours sessions are provided for 10 weeks for 10 children at each school. As part of the evaluation process,questionnaires were filled out before and after participation in the program. In analyzing the results, researchers found that the children's psychosocial health along with their overall health improved; weekend physical activity levels significantly increased after the program and children exhibited positive feelings about the program, (childrenandnature.org, 2010) The program provided valuable data information about the impact of an innovative outdoor program on children's health. (childrenandnature.org,2010)
These were only a few of the studies from the website but there was so many more interesting ones to view and can be found at:
http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/EducationsynthesisMarch2010Final.pdf
Additional references for the full articles:
Blair, D. (2009). The child in the garden; an evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening. Journal of Environmental Education, 40(2),15-38. http://www.heldref.org/pubs/jee/about.html (Volume 4)
American Institutes for Research (2005). Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California. http://www.sierraclub.org/youth/california/outdoorschool_finalreport.pdf(Volume1)
BTCV. (2009). Evaluation findings: health and social outcomes 2009. BTCV. http://www2btcv.org.uk/display/greengym_research (Volume 4)
The first study I found interesting is about called "School gardens positively impact children's learning and behavior,"a study by D. Blair from Penn University. (childrenandnature.org, 2010) Gardening takes place in schools throughout the nation and D. Blair did her research on evaluating the relationship between school gardening and it's relationship to children's learning and behavior. The study targets on on the many reasons school gardens exist which includes providing children experiences with natural ecosystems, enhancing children's understanding of food systems, helping children develop environmental attitudes and behavior , and serving as a basis for experimental learning. (childrenandnature.org,2010) Out of 12 qualitative studies reviewed it was found that 9 of the 12 studies found significant positive impacts from gardening in test measures,which included children's science achievement and food consumption behavior. And of 7 of the qualitative studies reviewed it was determined that students enjoyed and were highly motivated by gardening, students demonstrated improved attitudes and pride as a result of the gardening,enhanced bonding between the students along better teamwork skills and more learning opportunities. (childrenandnature.org, 2010) Based on the results, the research indicates that gardening had an overwhelming positive impact on student's achievement and behavior.
The next study I found interesting is "Nature-smart kids get higher test scores,"by the American Institutes for research. (childrenandnature.org, 2010) The study observed at-risk youth, 56% of whom reported never having time spent in a natural setting and then comparing them to students who had experienced an outdoor education program. The results were staggering, major findings illustrated a 27% increase in measured mastery of science concepts, enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills, gains in self esteem, gains in positive environmental behavior, as well as problem-solving motivation to learn, and classroom behavior. (childrenandnature.org, 2010).
And a third study titled " Green School Gyms improve children's health,"by the BTCV,which is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that created Green Gyms to improve people's health and the environment. (childrenandnature.org, 2010). As part of the project, individuals participate in a large range of outdoor conservation and gardening projects and as part of the School Green Gyms an average of 1 to 1.5 hours sessions are provided for 10 weeks for 10 children at each school. As part of the evaluation process,questionnaires were filled out before and after participation in the program. In analyzing the results, researchers found that the children's psychosocial health along with their overall health improved; weekend physical activity levels significantly increased after the program and children exhibited positive feelings about the program, (childrenandnature.org, 2010) The program provided valuable data information about the impact of an innovative outdoor program on children's health. (childrenandnature.org,2010)
These were only a few of the studies from the website but there was so many more interesting ones to view and can be found at:
http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/EducationsynthesisMarch2010Final.pdf
Additional references for the full articles:
Blair, D. (2009). The child in the garden; an evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening. Journal of Environmental Education, 40(2),15-38. http://www.heldref.org/pubs/jee/about.html (Volume 4)
American Institutes for Research (2005). Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California. http://www.sierraclub.org/youth/california/outdoorschool_finalreport.pdf(Volume1)
BTCV. (2009). Evaluation findings: health and social outcomes 2009. BTCV. http://www2btcv.org.uk/display/greengym_research (Volume 4)
Monday, June 3, 2013
Quotes about children
"Children see magic because they look for it." ~ Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
" A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg
" Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to always and forever be explaining things tho them." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
" Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls, the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much." ~ Lisa Wingate
" The soul is healed by being with children." ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
" Nothing you do for children is ever wasted." ~ Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home
" Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."~ Emilie Buchwald
Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/children
" A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg
" Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to always and forever be explaining things tho them." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
" Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls, the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much." ~ Lisa Wingate
" The soul is healed by being with children." ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
" Nothing you do for children is ever wasted." ~ Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home
" Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."~ Emilie Buchwald
Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/children
Monday, April 22, 2013
Professional Hopes and Goals
The journey into early childhood has brought about many lessons, awakenings, possibilities, and of course many smiles. Each time you see the little smiling faces or their cute little laughs or the look of the feeling that you know your children are developing skills, mastering concepts, or writing their name for the first time, you realize that having the ability to be part of these moments is what makes the field of early childhood so rewarding and we are lucky to be a part of it. With each new day, a new experience, each new family, an opportunity to build a new relationship, and an opportunity for a new learning experience. As early educators we need to embrace, differences, change, diversity and be activists for our families promoting social equity, anti-bias behavior, and inclusive practices that will make each an every children feel loved, respected, and proud.
My hope for working with families from diverse backgrounds is that professionally I will have all of the tools, trainings, and education to prevent a children from feeling the effects of cutural discontinuity and be inclusive and flexible in my practice to adjust and mold my program to give each child the same opportunities of academic success regardless of barriers such as language or economic hardship. Personally, I hope to be able to build relationships with families that will allow for their sharing of culture and traditions in a way that I will be able to work with them to create equilibrium between home and school for their children and they will experience what it means to be "truly bicultural."
In the field of early childhood, I have found that with each individual child and family there is something that despite all of the resources that we have available, there is always something that we don't know or that we could be educated more fully on. Cultural and diversity in our environment is all around us and families have many resources in multiple languages that are consistent with what their needs are. The shocking reality that I have learned is that despite all of the planning, the individuals who do not always have the answers they need, is the elders in my community. After the insight that we have gained from the positive effects of young children working with elders, I hope to bring more of this into my program and my hopes is that besides for the positive effects it should have on the two groups, that it will help to cause attention by the community of what their needs are that we are not meeting. It is very sad to me to see that a community that has suffered through wars, poverty, and employment that provided them with very few resources or compensation are struggling now just to keep warm. We should be learning from them and embracing their culture, traditions, and knowledge.
The other issue dealing with equity and diversity that is actually my second goal is to become better educated and trained to assist children with differing learning abilities. I have had some experience and training to help children exhibiting symptoms associated with attention deficit disorder as well as sensory processing disorder but my new challenge is to become trained to help children with dyslexia. My goal is to receive certification in this area and add it to the tutoring services that we now offer for school age children. The drive for this is not just professional but has recently touched our family on a more personal level and it is my goal to know as much about what children are experiencing at each stage with this barrier in academics.
I just would like to address to send out a personal note of thanks to all of the students in the program for all of the interesting and eye opening discussions sharing personal and professional experiences that have been a contribution to my program in multiple ways. As well as the professors who I have learned so much from throughout the duration of this program so far and a personal thanks to Dr Kien for her guidance, direction, and understanding throughout this course as well as through child development. See you all next class!
My hope for working with families from diverse backgrounds is that professionally I will have all of the tools, trainings, and education to prevent a children from feeling the effects of cutural discontinuity and be inclusive and flexible in my practice to adjust and mold my program to give each child the same opportunities of academic success regardless of barriers such as language or economic hardship. Personally, I hope to be able to build relationships with families that will allow for their sharing of culture and traditions in a way that I will be able to work with them to create equilibrium between home and school for their children and they will experience what it means to be "truly bicultural."
In the field of early childhood, I have found that with each individual child and family there is something that despite all of the resources that we have available, there is always something that we don't know or that we could be educated more fully on. Cultural and diversity in our environment is all around us and families have many resources in multiple languages that are consistent with what their needs are. The shocking reality that I have learned is that despite all of the planning, the individuals who do not always have the answers they need, is the elders in my community. After the insight that we have gained from the positive effects of young children working with elders, I hope to bring more of this into my program and my hopes is that besides for the positive effects it should have on the two groups, that it will help to cause attention by the community of what their needs are that we are not meeting. It is very sad to me to see that a community that has suffered through wars, poverty, and employment that provided them with very few resources or compensation are struggling now just to keep warm. We should be learning from them and embracing their culture, traditions, and knowledge.
The other issue dealing with equity and diversity that is actually my second goal is to become better educated and trained to assist children with differing learning abilities. I have had some experience and training to help children exhibiting symptoms associated with attention deficit disorder as well as sensory processing disorder but my new challenge is to become trained to help children with dyslexia. My goal is to receive certification in this area and add it to the tutoring services that we now offer for school age children. The drive for this is not just professional but has recently touched our family on a more personal level and it is my goal to know as much about what children are experiencing at each stage with this barrier in academics.
I just would like to address to send out a personal note of thanks to all of the students in the program for all of the interesting and eye opening discussions sharing personal and professional experiences that have been a contribution to my program in multiple ways. As well as the professors who I have learned so much from throughout the duration of this program so far and a personal thanks to Dr Kien for her guidance, direction, and understanding throughout this course as well as through child development. See you all next class!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Welcoming Families from Around the World
Families immigrate from countries all over the world in search of better employment, education, and a better way of life. This week we are faced with how we could help a family to make the transition from another country to here in the United States. In this scenario, I am a hospital worker helping a family who has just relocated from Bulgaria. This is a challenge for me considering at this point I have no knowledge of the culture, heritage, language, medical care, or education system in Bulgaria. It is located on the Bulkan pennisula in south eastern Europe, borded on the east by the Black Sea, on the north by Romania and the Danube River, on the south by Greece and Turkey, and on the west by Macedonia and Serbia (everyculture.com).
| Map of Bulgaria In order to be culturally responsive to a family arriving from this country 1) The national language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian, which uses the Cyrillic script (everyculture.com) The turkish minorities speak Turkish, and the Gypsies speak Romany (everyculture.com) For this reason, the first thing I would need to do is find a translater to overcome the language barrier that will exist for this family. 2) Bulgaria's basic economy is made up of about 16 percent agriculture, 60 percent industry, and 24 percent services (everyculture.com). Many women entered paid employment during the socialist era and women make up nearly half of the workforce in the last twentieth century usually employed as teachers, nurses, pharmacists, sales clerks and laborers but are largely responsible for the household tasks; childcare, cooking, cleaning,and shopping. This information will be helpful in getting the family started on an employment search if they have already not been sent to the United States because of a job opportunity. 3) Marriages is mongomous and marriages are free choice (everyculture.com) Early infant care is provided my the mother, working mothers receive a paid six month for maternity leave, children aged three to six years of age attend state run kindergartens when available, otherwise early education is left up to the grandparents (everyculture.com) Helping this family to find the right education and childcare program for them that would embrace their culture and diversity would be neccessary for the children to receive a smooth transition. 4)Most ethnic Bulgarians belong to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church but small numbers are Muslim, Protestants, and Roman Catholic, Gypsies are often Christian (everyculture.com) Helping the family to find a church that practices their religion or another area that celebrates their religion will help them to continue with their religious traditions. 5) Families from Bulgaria celebrate many of the Christian holidays that are celebrated in the United States but they also celebrate others as well such as festivales of kukeri, which marks the beginning of spring and the agricultural period (everyculture.com) Finding photographs of these celebrations and encouraging this new family to share with us their experiences and memories of the celebrations will help them feel more accepted and welcome. 6) Bulgarian children receive many of the same immunizations that American children do but sadly tick borne encephalitis, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C and the H5N1 virus are common in Bulgaria (cdc.gov) For these reasons, setting them up with a healthcare provider early on will help them to know where to turn for help. Along with this educating them about all of the resources for assistance that are available for families will help the families to know who to turn to. References http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/bulgaria.htm http://everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Bulgaria.html |
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
Unfortunatley in our society, negative behaviors such as bias, prejudice, and oppression exist in many forms. We do not only encounter these behaviors in interactions and experiences from our daily lives but in information from the media, television, movies, books, and in music. I just often wonder if the individuals performing these acts are even mildly aware of the long term damage that they are instilling on the recipiants of the act. Maybe if individuals were a little more aware of it's implications, then they would do it, or maybe they still would?
When I think of bias, prejudice or oppressive behavior in movies, the first movie that comes to mind is Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere The scene that comes to mind is when Julia Roberts walks into the dress store with all of the money that Richard Gere had given her to buy a dress for their dinner engagement they had that evening and the women in the store without even knowing her decided that based on her appearance, she could not have afforded to shop there. I think most people who have seen this movie had that overwhelming feeling of sadness for Julia. The fact that circumstances in her life had led her to prostitution and now even though it was not the best of circumstances someone had entered her life that could rescue her from this dangerous and sad life that had become hers and without hesitation, these two women let her know she did not belong nor did she fit in dressed in her current attire. There was not equality in this situation. Even though, she had more than enough money to shop at this elaborate store, they would not even allow her to try on any of the clothes. Besides for this, they would not show her the common curtosy that they would shown other customers. The incident made me very sad because even though many of us dream of having enough wealth to buy anything we want, the fact that most of us are looking down at our faded black pants that we have had for ten years and hoping that no one will notice that they are not quite black anymore and that we just did not have the ability to buy a new outfit. To turn this situation into an equitable one, the women in the store would have to see past the surface characteristics of Julia's attire and not judge her based on what they could see on the outside.
I often think that some people not everyone have to experience some kind of struggle or disadvantage to truly understand how hurtful it is to be on the receiving end of biased, prejudice, and oppressive behavior. This is not true for everyone, many individuals do encompass empathy for others, but in this particular case and in many cases that I have witnessed first hand, income and wealth or lack of can serve as a foundation for oppressive behaviors to happen. I have witnessed first hand even in my own child care parents who will comments about children who are on vouchers and how they would not put their children in care with a child receiving one. It's as if because a family needs help, there must something wrong with the child. Poverty is not contagious! All children deserve the same equal chance at a good education regardless of their family's income.
When I think of bias, prejudice or oppressive behavior in movies, the first movie that comes to mind is Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere The scene that comes to mind is when Julia Roberts walks into the dress store with all of the money that Richard Gere had given her to buy a dress for their dinner engagement they had that evening and the women in the store without even knowing her decided that based on her appearance, she could not have afforded to shop there. I think most people who have seen this movie had that overwhelming feeling of sadness for Julia. The fact that circumstances in her life had led her to prostitution and now even though it was not the best of circumstances someone had entered her life that could rescue her from this dangerous and sad life that had become hers and without hesitation, these two women let her know she did not belong nor did she fit in dressed in her current attire. There was not equality in this situation. Even though, she had more than enough money to shop at this elaborate store, they would not even allow her to try on any of the clothes. Besides for this, they would not show her the common curtosy that they would shown other customers. The incident made me very sad because even though many of us dream of having enough wealth to buy anything we want, the fact that most of us are looking down at our faded black pants that we have had for ten years and hoping that no one will notice that they are not quite black anymore and that we just did not have the ability to buy a new outfit. To turn this situation into an equitable one, the women in the store would have to see past the surface characteristics of Julia's attire and not judge her based on what they could see on the outside.
I often think that some people not everyone have to experience some kind of struggle or disadvantage to truly understand how hurtful it is to be on the receiving end of biased, prejudice, and oppressive behavior. This is not true for everyone, many individuals do encompass empathy for others, but in this particular case and in many cases that I have witnessed first hand, income and wealth or lack of can serve as a foundation for oppressive behaviors to happen. I have witnessed first hand even in my own child care parents who will comments about children who are on vouchers and how they would not put their children in care with a child receiving one. It's as if because a family needs help, there must something wrong with the child. Poverty is not contagious! All children deserve the same equal chance at a good education regardless of their family's income.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions
I was the target of a microaggression about 15 years ago when I had first began my career as a research chemist. I was happily settling into my new surroundings and my new office when one of the scientists who was in the next office came over to say hello. I was so excited to meet all of these wonderful, intelligent individuals that I had read so many research papers from. The conversation started out really well. He told me about his work and what his ultimate goals were career wise, it was so interesting, I just wanted hear more. When he was finished talking about himself, he turned the conversation to me and just as I was about tell him about my education, work experience, and what I had hoped to accomplish career wise, he said "whose wife or daughter are you that got you this job?" I thought he was kidding. It got worse. The next comment was , " well your a pretty girl and you don't really fit in with the other chemists here so I just assumed someone must have gotten you the job." At this point, I was a little upset but just tried to look at it not in a bad way, he just didn't know and I was hired to work with a group of all men geochemists. So I assured him that I had a ton of work experience and the education to be qualified for this job and was really excited that I had to a chance to work for such a prominent research institution, it had been my dream as a child. He smiled and told me not to take it the wrong way but being a pretty female, no one was ever going to take my work seriously.....
Well I spent twelve years there, lots of publications, famous studies, and even was part of a documentary that aired on the discovery channel but was always a little intimidated that no matter my contribution to science, there would be those individuals who would judge me based on the fact I was a female in an all men's group. I can't say this was the only time this happened to me during my career as a chemist. Many times when people would meet me they would assume I was the secretary of the scientist I worked for and not actually the person who had developed the scientific method they were there to learn about. I think what was even more uncomfortable was that when this type of situation arose, in many cases that person was there to work in one of the three trace metal laboratories that I managed and when they would meet me through my boss and were told that I was their boss, there was always this little doubt in my mind that certain individuals weren't going to take what I had to teach them seriously and because we worked with dangerous, corrosive chemicals in all of our work, them being safe was my number one priority. And I have to say that on at least two different occassions, we almost had a disasterous situation because someone didn't take me completely seriously and felt that they did not need to follow my safety protocols. I always tried to not let situations like this one bother me but it was a little sad to think that no matter how much work you do, what your accomplishments are, or your education is, certain individuals are going to judge you based on your surface characteristics and not your abilities.
The observation experiences this week enlightened me in regards to how even that certain individuals can be very well intentioned, sometimes what they are not saying or doing is the most damaging. The negative effects of discrimination, predjudice, and stereotypes on the self esteem of the person on the receiving end can be so powerful and long lasting. The sad part is that even the most well intentioned individual without the proper knowledge, professional development, and awareness of culture and diversity can have powerful, damaging effects on an individual without even realizing it. It just reaffirms the notion that continual professional development, education, and awareness in early education is essential.
Well I spent twelve years there, lots of publications, famous studies, and even was part of a documentary that aired on the discovery channel but was always a little intimidated that no matter my contribution to science, there would be those individuals who would judge me based on the fact I was a female in an all men's group. I can't say this was the only time this happened to me during my career as a chemist. Many times when people would meet me they would assume I was the secretary of the scientist I worked for and not actually the person who had developed the scientific method they were there to learn about. I think what was even more uncomfortable was that when this type of situation arose, in many cases that person was there to work in one of the three trace metal laboratories that I managed and when they would meet me through my boss and were told that I was their boss, there was always this little doubt in my mind that certain individuals weren't going to take what I had to teach them seriously and because we worked with dangerous, corrosive chemicals in all of our work, them being safe was my number one priority. And I have to say that on at least two different occassions, we almost had a disasterous situation because someone didn't take me completely seriously and felt that they did not need to follow my safety protocols. I always tried to not let situations like this one bother me but it was a little sad to think that no matter how much work you do, what your accomplishments are, or your education is, certain individuals are going to judge you based on your surface characteristics and not your abilities.
The observation experiences this week enlightened me in regards to how even that certain individuals can be very well intentioned, sometimes what they are not saying or doing is the most damaging. The negative effects of discrimination, predjudice, and stereotypes on the self esteem of the person on the receiving end can be so powerful and long lasting. The sad part is that even the most well intentioned individual without the proper knowledge, professional development, and awareness of culture and diversity can have powerful, damaging effects on an individual without even realizing it. It just reaffirms the notion that continual professional development, education, and awareness in early education is essential.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Perspectives on Diversity and Culture
For this particular assignment, I had the opportunity to ask others what their definition of culture and diversity is and how they feel it is reflected in their everyday lives here in the United States and if there is any aspect of their heritage that they feel cannot be fully expressed here. The first person I chose is actually a good friend of mine named Sally, who is a nurse an is originally from Trinadad, which is a small island off of the coast of South America in the Atlantic Ocean.
She tells me it was beautiful growing up there and their culture was represented in everything they did. For instance what was really exicting to me was that she grew up in what would be considered a palace here with 14 bedrooms! She said she was a nurse by trade, that was very common for women in her culture and along with her sisters and mom made wonderful fiests every night, sewed their own clothes and made purses as well. Everything was about family, the music, the food, religion, and placement in the family. Her dad and brothers did all of the manual labor and women did what she referred to as women's duties and they wore these beautiful outfits with beautiful decoratory jewels on their faces and hair. Diversity is reflected in the different colored jewels and bracelets worn by the different families. Here in the United States, she feels so disconnected from her heritage and looks so forward to her trips to Trinidad every year where as she elaborates, "she feels complete." It made me reflect on our lessons this week on being truly bicultural and feeling like you fit everywhere. This is a much harder task to accomplish then one would think.
The second person I asked is one of the cheering moms, Kathy. She is originally from Puerto Rico and moved here with her husband after they were married. She said that she grew up near the
near the coast of San Juan. When she reflected on her culture and diversity growing up, she said the music is what she missed the most. There were festivals in the streets and muscians randomly happily singing and dancing. I wondered, why are we not so care free here? How magical and uplifting! Her views of culture were much like Sally's in the roles of the members of the family members and how religion and faith played a vital role in their everyday lives where as here in the United States, many American famillies practice religion more on a weekly basis,not all of course but practices such as saying "Grace" while everyone sits together at a meal doesn't happen daily. But she still has to make a full meal at night for her husband and family regardless of all of the activities. That is one aspect of her culture and upbringing she will never lose. She also disclosed some disconnection between her life here and how she was raised and even though her life has many opportunites that were not once available to her and her children, there is still aspects of culture here that she misses. Culture is family and diversity is in you being the most unique individual that you can be in her eyes.
The last person spoke to was one of grandmother's best friends, Vi. My grandmother passed away two years ago and I think about her everyday. Vi reminds me of her in so many ways, the way she dresses, speaks, holds your hand when you talk to her. These are all part of hers and my grandmother's culture from the Azores in Portugal.
The culture where they grew up was very different before they came with their families to the United States. They both lived in small fishing villages and everyone had a garden and grew their own fresh food. The men fished and the women worked in the gardens and cared for the children. Religion was part of everything they did. My grandmother would pray every morning and Vi said she still does too. Culture to her was who you were as a person. It was not just represented in what you looked like but how you cared for people. Embraced others no matter who they were. Being accepting of people and always being willing to lend a hand was part of culture, beliefs that all people deserve generosity, understanding and love was also part of who she was and her diversity she says has come about in adapting to life in the United States. For instance, women who have lost their husbands from where she is from are still expected to wear black all the time and many of her friends, still do but she decided not to after many years. Another difference was many women like my grandmother would never learn to drive, she was an exception. Her diversity was reflected in the ways she lives her life now, which she feels were neccessary in our environment.
She tells me it was beautiful growing up there and their culture was represented in everything they did. For instance what was really exicting to me was that she grew up in what would be considered a palace here with 14 bedrooms! She said she was a nurse by trade, that was very common for women in her culture and along with her sisters and mom made wonderful fiests every night, sewed their own clothes and made purses as well. Everything was about family, the music, the food, religion, and placement in the family. Her dad and brothers did all of the manual labor and women did what she referred to as women's duties and they wore these beautiful outfits with beautiful decoratory jewels on their faces and hair. Diversity is reflected in the different colored jewels and bracelets worn by the different families. Here in the United States, she feels so disconnected from her heritage and looks so forward to her trips to Trinidad every year where as she elaborates, "she feels complete." It made me reflect on our lessons this week on being truly bicultural and feeling like you fit everywhere. This is a much harder task to accomplish then one would think.
The second person I asked is one of the cheering moms, Kathy. She is originally from Puerto Rico and moved here with her husband after they were married. She said that she grew up near the
near the coast of San Juan. When she reflected on her culture and diversity growing up, she said the music is what she missed the most. There were festivals in the streets and muscians randomly happily singing and dancing. I wondered, why are we not so care free here? How magical and uplifting! Her views of culture were much like Sally's in the roles of the members of the family members and how religion and faith played a vital role in their everyday lives where as here in the United States, many American famillies practice religion more on a weekly basis,not all of course but practices such as saying "Grace" while everyone sits together at a meal doesn't happen daily. But she still has to make a full meal at night for her husband and family regardless of all of the activities. That is one aspect of her culture and upbringing she will never lose. She also disclosed some disconnection between her life here and how she was raised and even though her life has many opportunites that were not once available to her and her children, there is still aspects of culture here that she misses. Culture is family and diversity is in you being the most unique individual that you can be in her eyes.
The last person spoke to was one of grandmother's best friends, Vi. My grandmother passed away two years ago and I think about her everyday. Vi reminds me of her in so many ways, the way she dresses, speaks, holds your hand when you talk to her. These are all part of hers and my grandmother's culture from the Azores in Portugal.
The culture where they grew up was very different before they came with their families to the United States. They both lived in small fishing villages and everyone had a garden and grew their own fresh food. The men fished and the women worked in the gardens and cared for the children. Religion was part of everything they did. My grandmother would pray every morning and Vi said she still does too. Culture to her was who you were as a person. It was not just represented in what you looked like but how you cared for people. Embraced others no matter who they were. Being accepting of people and always being willing to lend a hand was part of culture, beliefs that all people deserve generosity, understanding and love was also part of who she was and her diversity she says has come about in adapting to life in the United States. For instance, women who have lost their husbands from where she is from are still expected to wear black all the time and many of her friends, still do but she decided not to after many years. Another difference was many women like my grandmother would never learn to drive, she was an exception. Her diversity was reflected in the ways she lives her life now, which she feels were neccessary in our environment.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
My Family Culture
If I was ever faced with a situation where I could take only minimal items with me representing my family culture, it would be a really tough decision to make. The first item that I would take is my folder containing all of my children's birth certificates and our marriage license. This would signify their heritage and where my children came from if we were ever separated. Another item that I would want to keep with me is the photo album from our wedding that have many family pictures of members of both of our families that are still alive today along with added pictures of our ancestors and the days that all four of our children were born. And the last item that I would take would be my wedding ring and family ring, it may not be a direct representation of my culture but it is a significant heirloom that I hope is passed on to my children the way my grandmother's ring was passed on to me.
I would begin by telling people about the place of my children's births and how each of their names was derived from one of our ancestors. Our oldest, Ashley Nicole, has a name derived from my godchild, the second Abigail Louise, is a name after one of my husband's ancestors, the third Tyler Augustus, is named after my dad whose middle name is also Augustus, his name was especially important because he is the only boy in my family and since the children all carry down my husband's family name of Atwood, it was important that he carried down a part of my dad's family too. And the youngest Allyson Marina was named after my mom representing my Portuguese heritage, which is not easily seen through our last name. The marriage license would represent names and marriages of the ancestors we came from and who we were before we became a family. The family album would give a visual representation of our ancestors that we could share with individuals we meet. And the family ring and wedding ring would serve this purpose as well and give others a glimpse of what it is like to be married in the United States.
If I had to give up any of these items, I would feel an overwhelming sadness about leaving some part of our past and memories behind. I would feel almost disconnected from my own roots even that I know they would be always be in my heart, I would have trouble not having this valuable information not only for myself but for my children not to lose sight of where they came from and who they are.
This exercise has made me realize that even though we think in life that we need so many material items to survive, the reality is that in order not to loose our identities there is is a definitely a few significant items that could be used to tell our story. What I have also realized is that living in a country where there are so many opportunities that in many cases aren't available to individuals in other countries, we are very fortunate. For my ancestors coming here from the Azores, it was for employment, a new way of life, a new beginning, but with all the advantages, the loss they must have suffered from leaving their heritage and roots must have brought forth and overwhelming uncertainty, fear, and sadness.
I would begin by telling people about the place of my children's births and how each of their names was derived from one of our ancestors. Our oldest, Ashley Nicole, has a name derived from my godchild, the second Abigail Louise, is a name after one of my husband's ancestors, the third Tyler Augustus, is named after my dad whose middle name is also Augustus, his name was especially important because he is the only boy in my family and since the children all carry down my husband's family name of Atwood, it was important that he carried down a part of my dad's family too. And the youngest Allyson Marina was named after my mom representing my Portuguese heritage, which is not easily seen through our last name. The marriage license would represent names and marriages of the ancestors we came from and who we were before we became a family. The family album would give a visual representation of our ancestors that we could share with individuals we meet. And the family ring and wedding ring would serve this purpose as well and give others a glimpse of what it is like to be married in the United States.
If I had to give up any of these items, I would feel an overwhelming sadness about leaving some part of our past and memories behind. I would feel almost disconnected from my own roots even that I know they would be always be in my heart, I would have trouble not having this valuable information not only for myself but for my children not to lose sight of where they came from and who they are.
This exercise has made me realize that even though we think in life that we need so many material items to survive, the reality is that in order not to loose our identities there is is a definitely a few significant items that could be used to tell our story. What I have also realized is that living in a country where there are so many opportunities that in many cases aren't available to individuals in other countries, we are very fortunate. For my ancestors coming here from the Azores, it was for employment, a new way of life, a new beginning, but with all the advantages, the loss they must have suffered from leaving their heritage and roots must have brought forth and overwhelming uncertainty, fear, and sadness.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
When I Think of Research....
Upon entering this course, my perception of research was very limited to the field and career that I was coming from in science. In science, I was very limited to specific topics covering trace metal research which was limiting in itself. I was also used to using the library at my job which made material that was not valid not an option. I guess I was very spoiled in that way.
What I immediately found out entering the field of early education and performing research on topics that related to early childhood is that I was faced with unreliable and unvalidated sites such as wikipedia.com. I was totally shocked to find out that anyone could alter that website at any time! Really?! The only research sites that I had encountered in my previous career addressed studies that took place over years, method developments, charts, graphs, and other mathematical analysis that showed reproducibility among results. This was very different to me. What I have gained is a perspective on what research is valid and had the opportunity to research international childhood sites along with organizations such as the Children's Defense Fund and the NAEYC. These sites were so informational and gave true life stories of how advocates and educators strived to make a difference in the lives of children. I also realized how many fields were interelated and that with research with children and families that your initial goal or question, once researched, could not only bring forth answers but more questions. I now have more of an appreciation of triangulation in all of it's forms and an appreciation for those researchers who make the attempt to recognize and are willing to collaborate with others for the benefit of children and families.
My ideas on the nature of doing research has changed in the respect that I know now not to believe everything I read and the internet can be a scary place in so many respects. What I did find though is that any idea that you might want to research, you can usually find information and in many cases for and against what your original hypothesis is. I found that when I was researching ADD and ADHD that many articles discussed the benefits of children taking medicine to relieve symptoms while another article was completely against the medication. I am a lot more careful now about where I retrieve information from for research and am a lot less likely to search online versus using a reputable database such as the university library.
In planning & designing research, I learned that it was much easier to design a study in my head than it was once I started researching it. There is so much information out there that it makes it extremely easy to lose focus a waiver from the given path. And the actual conducting the research study can be a lot more challenging than I had expected. In some cases, finding participants for studies can be a challenge as well as conforming to the standards of ethics that are required in research as well as considering ethics and culture and being careful not to offend individuals in the process.
Challenges that I encountered was trying to find research that fit into the time frame that I was searching for. In my simulation, I was the relationship between more stingent curriculum and the amount of children diagnosed with ADHD in the last ten years. I chose this time frame because I could easily find statistics on the increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD in comparable to 2000 but emerging common core standards and more stringent curriculum is a process that seems to be transpiring at different rates and different locations. This has so far been a challenge to me but I would like to explore the topic further.
My perceptions of the early childhood professional have been modified further in the respect that I realize that working in early childhood means a lot more than educating by implementing curriuculum and designing lesson plans. It means taking the extra time to understand family dynamics, culture, diversity, as well as concerns, disabilities, and resources they may need. I used to think that when I was leaving a career in scientific research that I was going to an easier career but what I have found is that in early childhood we have mutiple positions, requirements, and hats to fit every occasion; an educator, a caregiver, a friend, an informant and on some levels even a nurse. And I couldn't be happier! See you next class!
What I immediately found out entering the field of early education and performing research on topics that related to early childhood is that I was faced with unreliable and unvalidated sites such as wikipedia.com. I was totally shocked to find out that anyone could alter that website at any time! Really?! The only research sites that I had encountered in my previous career addressed studies that took place over years, method developments, charts, graphs, and other mathematical analysis that showed reproducibility among results. This was very different to me. What I have gained is a perspective on what research is valid and had the opportunity to research international childhood sites along with organizations such as the Children's Defense Fund and the NAEYC. These sites were so informational and gave true life stories of how advocates and educators strived to make a difference in the lives of children. I also realized how many fields were interelated and that with research with children and families that your initial goal or question, once researched, could not only bring forth answers but more questions. I now have more of an appreciation of triangulation in all of it's forms and an appreciation for those researchers who make the attempt to recognize and are willing to collaborate with others for the benefit of children and families.
My ideas on the nature of doing research has changed in the respect that I know now not to believe everything I read and the internet can be a scary place in so many respects. What I did find though is that any idea that you might want to research, you can usually find information and in many cases for and against what your original hypothesis is. I found that when I was researching ADD and ADHD that many articles discussed the benefits of children taking medicine to relieve symptoms while another article was completely against the medication. I am a lot more careful now about where I retrieve information from for research and am a lot less likely to search online versus using a reputable database such as the university library.
In planning & designing research, I learned that it was much easier to design a study in my head than it was once I started researching it. There is so much information out there that it makes it extremely easy to lose focus a waiver from the given path. And the actual conducting the research study can be a lot more challenging than I had expected. In some cases, finding participants for studies can be a challenge as well as conforming to the standards of ethics that are required in research as well as considering ethics and culture and being careful not to offend individuals in the process.
Challenges that I encountered was trying to find research that fit into the time frame that I was searching for. In my simulation, I was the relationship between more stingent curriculum and the amount of children diagnosed with ADHD in the last ten years. I chose this time frame because I could easily find statistics on the increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD in comparable to 2000 but emerging common core standards and more stringent curriculum is a process that seems to be transpiring at different rates and different locations. This has so far been a challenge to me but I would like to explore the topic further.
My perceptions of the early childhood professional have been modified further in the respect that I realize that working in early childhood means a lot more than educating by implementing curriuculum and designing lesson plans. It means taking the extra time to understand family dynamics, culture, diversity, as well as concerns, disabilities, and resources they may need. I used to think that when I was leaving a career in scientific research that I was going to an easier career but what I have found is that in early childhood we have mutiple positions, requirements, and hats to fit every occasion; an educator, a caregiver, a friend, an informant and on some levels even a nurse. And I couldn't be happier! See you next class!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Research Around the World
Upon researching the Early Childhood Australia website, the first current international research topic that I found interesting was a news article titled "Sky show 3 Q asks " can we make children smarter?"(earlychildhoodaustralia.org)
To discuss some insight on this question, Pam Cahir, the CEO of Early Childhood Australia spoke to 3Q about the biggest improvements to early childhood education in 25 years. More babies and toddlers are in childcare than ever before, at the age when their brains are laying down the pathways vital for later learning, intelligence and social capacity. (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Pam Cahir also discusses with 3Q how new national reforms are ensuring childcare centers provide a nuturing environment that will have a long term beneficial effect on our future society for years to come.
Reference
May 2012-News coverage: Sky show 3Q ask "can we make our children smarter?' featuring Pam Cahir, CEO, ECA Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustrailia.org.au/early_childhood_news.html
The second international research topic was in a media release from February of 2010 titled " Fair, inclusive, quality education every child's right; Early Childhood peak bodies welcome increased support for children with a disability." (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org)
Increased support for children with a disability to access early childhood education and care services will see huge long term benefits for their development according the Early Childhood Austrailia (ECA) and Early Childhood Intervention Austrailia (ECIA). (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Ceo Samantha Page said that children with a disability have the same rights as all children and additional rights because of the disability. (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Where there are barriers to children accessing early education and care services, we should be doing everything possible to overcome them. (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) ECIA National President, Ms Denise Luscombe addresses that all children have the capacity to succeed, when they are properly supported. She goes on further to say " Children with disabilities, like all children, will make good progress when early childhood educators and support professionals have high expectations and they are fully included."(earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Services and support professionals must be given the necessary resources to fully include children with a disability and to achieve high quality outcomes for children. Extra funding announced by the Federal Government will be a great help towards insuring the needs of children with a disability in early childhood education and care services would be met." (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org)
Reference
February-Media Release-Fair, inclusive, quality education every child's right; Early Childhood peak bodies welcome increased support for children with a disability Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustrailia.org.au/early_childhood_news.html
Under the Early Childhood Australia website I found an interesting section called Research themes and under this I found the topic of global warming and climate change it addressed the need for children to know and understand climate change. Tracy Young from Swinburne University of Technology addresses the questions " Why do young children need to know about climate change? and "Are we sure this is happening? (earlychildhoodaustralia.org) It may be confronting to dent the scientific informtaion about global warming, but the evidence is now overwhelming. Recent reports from the United Nations intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) prove that vast quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, created by human activities, are warming the planet. as the former United Nations secretary-General Kofi Annan has said the question is not whether climate change is happening but whether, in the face of this emergency, we ourselves can change fast enough. (earlychildhoodaustralia.org) Climate change will directly affect the lives of young children both now and in the future. It would be irresponsible for us not to share this information with children, to give them opportunity to learn how their actions impact on the health of the planet. This knowledge enables children to learn how to be part of the climate change solution and teaches them they can make a difference. (earlychildhoodaustralia.org)
Reference
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/resource_themes/sustainability_global_warming_and_climate_change.html
Other noteworthy information that I found on this site was resources for children and families dealing with brushfires posted on January 2013
Many families, Early Childhood Education and Care(ECEC) services and communities around Australia have been affected by the recent bushfires. Early Childhood Australia offers the following resources to assist families, children, and communites through this difficult time. (earlychildhoodaustralia.org)
Tasmanian government bushfire recovery page
Including General Health and Financial Assistance Information:
www.dpac.tas.gov.au/news_and_features/bushfire_recovery(http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/news_and_features/bushfire_recovery)
Disaster resources
From the Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network:
www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/disasters(http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/disasters)
Bushfires and children
Bushfires can be a cause of major trauma to children as well as adults. Research shows children who have been directly affected by bushfires can experience emotional distress for a long time after the bushfire has happened . This can be related to the experience of having to leave their homes, fears about their parents' safety and fears about the future as well as actual experience of the fire.
Reference
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/papers/Bushfires2003.pdf
To discuss some insight on this question, Pam Cahir, the CEO of Early Childhood Australia spoke to 3Q about the biggest improvements to early childhood education in 25 years. More babies and toddlers are in childcare than ever before, at the age when their brains are laying down the pathways vital for later learning, intelligence and social capacity. (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Pam Cahir also discusses with 3Q how new national reforms are ensuring childcare centers provide a nuturing environment that will have a long term beneficial effect on our future society for years to come.
Reference
May 2012-News coverage: Sky show 3Q ask "can we make our children smarter?' featuring Pam Cahir, CEO, ECA Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustrailia.org.au/early_childhood_news.html
The second international research topic was in a media release from February of 2010 titled " Fair, inclusive, quality education every child's right; Early Childhood peak bodies welcome increased support for children with a disability." (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org)
Increased support for children with a disability to access early childhood education and care services will see huge long term benefits for their development according the Early Childhood Austrailia (ECA) and Early Childhood Intervention Austrailia (ECIA). (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Ceo Samantha Page said that children with a disability have the same rights as all children and additional rights because of the disability. (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Where there are barriers to children accessing early education and care services, we should be doing everything possible to overcome them. (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) ECIA National President, Ms Denise Luscombe addresses that all children have the capacity to succeed, when they are properly supported. She goes on further to say " Children with disabilities, like all children, will make good progress when early childhood educators and support professionals have high expectations and they are fully included."(earlychildhoodaustrailia.org) Services and support professionals must be given the necessary resources to fully include children with a disability and to achieve high quality outcomes for children. Extra funding announced by the Federal Government will be a great help towards insuring the needs of children with a disability in early childhood education and care services would be met." (earlychildhoodaustrailia.org)
Reference
February-Media Release-Fair, inclusive, quality education every child's right; Early Childhood peak bodies welcome increased support for children with a disability Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustrailia.org.au/early_childhood_news.html
Under the Early Childhood Australia website I found an interesting section called Research themes and under this I found the topic of global warming and climate change it addressed the need for children to know and understand climate change. Tracy Young from Swinburne University of Technology addresses the questions " Why do young children need to know about climate change? and "Are we sure this is happening? (earlychildhoodaustralia.org) It may be confronting to dent the scientific informtaion about global warming, but the evidence is now overwhelming. Recent reports from the United Nations intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) prove that vast quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, created by human activities, are warming the planet. as the former United Nations secretary-General Kofi Annan has said the question is not whether climate change is happening but whether, in the face of this emergency, we ourselves can change fast enough. (earlychildhoodaustralia.org) Climate change will directly affect the lives of young children both now and in the future. It would be irresponsible for us not to share this information with children, to give them opportunity to learn how their actions impact on the health of the planet. This knowledge enables children to learn how to be part of the climate change solution and teaches them they can make a difference. (earlychildhoodaustralia.org)
Reference
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/resource_themes/sustainability_global_warming_and_climate_change.html
Other noteworthy information that I found on this site was resources for children and families dealing with brushfires posted on January 2013
Many families, Early Childhood Education and Care(ECEC) services and communities around Australia have been affected by the recent bushfires. Early Childhood Australia offers the following resources to assist families, children, and communites through this difficult time. (earlychildhoodaustralia.org)
Tasmanian government bushfire recovery page
Including General Health and Financial Assistance Information:
www.dpac.tas.gov.au/news_and_features/bushfire_recovery(http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/news_and_features/bushfire_recovery)
Disaster resources
From the Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network:
www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/disasters(http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/disasters)
Bushfires and children
Bushfires can be a cause of major trauma to children as well as adults. Research shows children who have been directly affected by bushfires can experience emotional distress for a long time after the bushfire has happened . This can be related to the experience of having to leave their homes, fears about their parents' safety and fears about the future as well as actual experience of the fire.
Reference
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/papers/Bushfires2003.pdf
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Relationship Reflection
As you can see, my family is everything and I don't know what I would ever do without them. To be honest, neither me nor my husband, planned on a big family. We didn't have a huge family growing up or anything and I think we weren't sure that we would be the best parents but our children have become the best teachers and we couldn't love them more. We try to see our parents often but they live pretty far and it is sometimes challenging to meet up with them so having extended family like our neighbors has been a blessing. I think the positive things that come from relationships is the feeling of being needed and people wanting to be around you. We don't drive fancy cars or have fancy clothes, everything is for our family and we would much rather be home with them than any place else. I think the hard part about developing relationships as an adult with a family is that everyone is just so busy, it is hard to keep in touch and with us being such a big family, it becomes a challenge visiting people whose house my not be accustomed or for that not child proof. That can be really challenging. I can honestly say that my relationships with my children is what has prepared me for work in the early childhood field. I always loved children but being a chemist was my career and it wasn't until we had four children that I made the change in careers. My children have taught me a few things about life and family but also about myself. I never would have had the nerve to make such a drastic career change but with those little smiling faces, support from my husband and parents, I made the leap to where I am today and I have never been happier.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)