When I Think of Child Development

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

 "It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted." -Linda Conway

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." - Forest Witcraft

Reference:
21 Inspirational Teacher Quotes – SimpleK12_. (2012, February 10).SimpleK12_. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://blog.simplek12.com/education/21-inspirational-teacher-quotes/

These three quotes really resonate with me. I feel it is my duty as an educator to allow children to really see, explore, and develop a love for school. As a teacher I can help my students find the joy in learning. I want to make a difference in the lives of children. I want my future students to feel safe and have a sense of belonging. With my background in sociology I feel like I can steer any of my students onto the right path; I will give them the right guidance, support, and helping hand needed to reach their success. 

I want to also take this time to thank all of you who have supported me. I want to also give special thanks to Joyce and Karen, thank you both for supporting me on my educational endeavor, both of your comments have been very insightful. Joyce, I want to thank you again for for sharing your childhood stories from China they were really fascinating.  I hope for you the best on your future endeavors. Karen, thank you for sharing your opinions and knowledge with all of us this past 8-weeks. I have really learned a lot of new insight from you. Thank You:)   

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all.

Best,

Elizabeth

Testing for Intelligence?

A child should be assessed as a whole, not just by their score on a test. I believe in formative assessment, this allows the child to be graded on several aspects. An educator can use formal and informal techniques to assess their students, such as observing, developing portfolios, and providing feedback. I believe everything in a student should be measured; a student may lack in one area, but might be more knowledgeable in another, and we cannot see these results if only one area is examined.

The country I choose to do further research on is The Netherlands. Having lived in the Netherlands for 2 months I wanted to see how children in this country are assessed. Children in primary education in The Netherlands are required to take courses in Dutch, English, Arithmetic and Mathematics, Social and Environmental Studies, Creative Expression (such as art related classes), and Sports and Movement (Primary education. (n.d.). In the Netherlands each school is free to determine how they will assess their students. Despite this fact, all schools are given report cards at least once and that is at the end of the year.  “Some schools express progress by means of marks, while others give a written assessment” (Primary education. (n.d.).

I had a hard time researching information based on assessing students in other countries.  One thing I would like to know is how teachers assess their students, and if they have different methods of assessment such as the formative, summative, and initial assessment like we do in the United States.

Reference

Primary education. (n.d.). Government.nl. Retrieved December 5, 2013, from http://www.government.nl/issues/education/primary-education

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

War, poverty, racism, natural disaster, isolation, hunger, noise, chaos, disease, environmental pollution, and violence are some stressors that many around the world have to suffer with. I have a friend that is from Visalia, California. Visalia is an agriculture city in the Central Valley of California (near Fresno, CA.) of which suffers from air pollution from various sources (i.e. agriculture, airplanes, vehicles, manufacturers, etc.). Many of my friend’s family members suffer from asthma, a “long-term lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways” (What Is Asthma?. (n.d.).  Today, my friend and her family still continue to live in Visalia, the same city that could have been the cause to their development in asthma. From my knowledge, in order to cope with this environmental stressor, my friend and her family use inhalers. Inhalers open the lung airways when they are feeling tight, thus bringing more air into the lungs.

           

Louisiana is in southern part of the United States, of which experiences many hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina, hit Louisiana in 2005, and has taken many years to jump back from this natural disaster. Several children experienced many trauma symptoms including: depression, distrusting people, anger, feeling disconnected, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Kelly, W. S. (n.d.). In order to minimize harm after Hurricane Katrina, many of the children received social support, which did reduce mental distress. This information can help future events and establish further emotional protocols if a disaster were to hit again.

           

References

Bankrate, D. W. (2013, May 27). Nbc News Business. NBC News. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/10-states-most-natural-disasters-6C10088195

Kelly, W. S. (n.d.). The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Adolescent Psychological Adjustment and Adaptation Southeast Lousiana. Digital Commons. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1330&context=doctoral

Visalia, California. (n.d.). (CA) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.city-data.com/city/Visalia-California.html

What Is Asthma?. (n.d.). - NHLBI, NIH. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma/

Child Development and Public Health

            This week I did more research on nutrition/ malnutrition and its impact on child development and population in Africa. This past summer I chose to read an autobiography, Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane, on the life of a boy living in apartheid in South Africa, I have gained more knowledge on the topic and how malnourishment affects the development of children. Reading Kaffir Boy has given me a deeper understanding of the circumstances that took place during apartheid, and how many children and their families suffered from low-income, unemployment, safety, and more importantly malnutrition. Having read this autobiography, I am emotionally more sensitive to nutrition and its affects on child development.

            Today, hunger still exists in many rural communities in South Africa. After performing more in-depth research, according to, “The Social Context of Children’s Nutritional Status in Rural South Africa” obesity and under-nutrition are some issues that are under fire, possibly linking to the collapse of apartheid in South Africa and the easily accessible fast-food restaurants put into place (Madhavan, S., & Townsend, N. (2007). Not only will malnourishments lead to poor health, but will also have further implications in the future.

            Having learned more about nutrition, this information will impact my future work by making sure that all my students receive the proper nutrition for a healthy development. I will teach my students and their families the benefits of healthy nourishment and the implications of a malnourished diet. In order to teach my students about a healthy diet, I will implement fun activities where my students will determine what foods are healthy foods, and also by having them bring in a healthy snack to share with the class.

References

Madhavan, S., & Townsend, N. (2007). The social context of children's nutritional status in rural South Africa. PMC, 1. Retrieved November 8, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P

Mathabane, M. (1986). Kaffir boy: the true story of a Black youth's coming of age in Apartheid South Africa. New York: Macmillan.