My Supports

As I reflect upon the supports in my life the first thing that comes to my mind is that of the emotional supports that I depend upon.  I have been married for 26 years and the emotional support that I get from my husband drives me to believe that I can achieve my goals.  As I have spent many of the past years in school he has never given up on me and was always willing to do whatever was needed to help out so that my schoolwork was done.  Next, is the support of my siblings and children.  The relationships that I have with them are very important to me.  I communicate with many of them on a daily basis and consider them to be a huge part of my life.  On my time off I am typically hanging out with someone in my family.  

Another support that I depend upon is that of the computer.  I use the computer to do my daily work, stay in touch with others and find the latest sales, which impacts me financially.  If I was to loose the use of the computer many of the daily activities would essentially come to a halt.  I would not be able to send emails, which would impact my communication with family and friends as well as banking and other financial services such as online bill pay.  Life for me would truly be different if I no longer was able to use a computer.

My car is one of my greatest supports.  It allows me the freedom and independence of going where I choose, when I choose to go.  I can go to the store, go to see family, drive for entertainment or whatever I choose.  Loosing my ability to come and go and I please to me would be a very difficult thing to accept.

If I had to imagine a disability it would be that of losing my vision.  The loss of site would mean that I could no longer drive or travel independently.  It also would mean that I would not be able to use a computer to the degree that I use it today.  I may be able to buy programs to assist with this, but my use would still be limited and my desire to use it would be greatly reduced as it's often the pictures that I see on the computer that I enjoy the most.  People who suffer from vision loss need supports to remain in place so that they may access their environment to their fullest potential.  As a society we need to be more sensitive to these individuals and imagine how difficult simple things such as going to the store can truly be.

                                                                 

                                                       CONNECTIONS TO PLAY

“Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.” ~ Roger von Oech

“The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.” ~ Plato (Greek philosopher)

I found these quotes to be close to what I hold dearly when thinking of time spent playing as a child.  As a child I enjoyed playing, often by myself as I did not have any siblings when I was young and we lived in the country.  My play partners primarily consisted of my grandparents, my parents and an uncle.  Being an only child until the age of 8 gave me the opportunity to develop a real imagination and take part in imaginative play frequently.  I would dress us my paper dolls and sit quietly for hours emerged in a world with my dolls and the various outfits that I could come up with.  I enjoyed playing the care giver role and always wanted to take care of the babies.  

Living in the country also gave me an opportunity to spend a lot of time playing outside.  I would swing in my swing, ride my bike, bring my dolls outside to have tea parties and much more.  This made me feel closer to nature and I remember spending time after time just taking in the environment and being curious about the world around me.  When I was outside my mother would come out and play with me, sitting under my favorite pine tree.  Life seemed simple and not so rushed back then.  I would walk next door to my grandparents house daily and spend time playing in their house.  Having my family so close gave me a sense of security and belonging that was unique.  They would all stand around outside and watch me ride my inch worm, which I just loved.  As a child we did not have cable television so very little time was spent sitting in front of the t.v.  This allowed time for family and conversations which helped me to gain knowledge and figure out for myself how to do things.

Today's children spend far to much time sitting in front of the t.v from the time they are born.  Parents often use this to entertain their children as life is so busy, dinner must be made, laundry done, left over work from the day ect.  This is becoming a problem in many aspects of children's development from childhood obesity, lack of social development and exposure to violence just to name a few.  In my opinion children are not given adequate play opportunities and parents are not spending the needed time getting to get to truly know their child and building relationships.  As educators I believe it is our responsibility to remind parents of the importance of monitoring the violence in which their children are seeing on t.v.  

Relationship Reflection

                                           

                                                               Relationship Reflection

One thing in life that I have been very fortunate to have are healthy relationships with many people.  Let me first start by saying that I have been married for 27 years and have a healthy, loving relationship with my husband.  It has taken many years and a lot of work to keep this relationship strong as well as give and take.  At times I have found that you must look a little deeper into a situation when conflict occurs to find out what the real problem truly is.  By identifying the true problem solutions can be formed which helps to build respect within the relationship.

My next important relationship is that of my 3 children who are now ages 25, 23 and 20.  Over the years I have had many trying my times with my children, I would by know means ever say it was easy or always made sense, but somehow the strength of our family always pulled them through their difficult times.  My children know that they can count on me anytime they need me and do not hesitate to ask for advice or explanations of things.  Because of the healthy  relationships that my husband and myself have with our children their relationship is incredibly strong amongst them.   They spend time together regularly and don't hesitate to reach out to one another if they need something.  I also feel that this very special relationships amongst them also reflects the relationship that I have with my siblings.  I am one on six children and all of my siblings live close by.  We get together on a regular basis and we look out for each others children as if they were our own.  When family crisis may occur my children have watched as our family pulls together and makes it through hard times.  I guess I could say that being close to your family was just something that was expected from my children as they grew up and this has affected their adult relationships.

I also have healthy relationships with my students and co-workers.  When challenging times arise I will ask others for solutions to the problems that may be occurring.  By doing so builds a foundation of trust and professional respect, as well as friendships.  The relationships that I have with my students is nurturing and respectful.  My students spend 2 to 3 years in my classroom.  The relationships that I build with my students then carries over to the relationships that I have with their parents.  By establishing healthy relationships parents buy into skills that their child needs to learn.  This typically allows for healthy developmental growth as well as self confidence within the child.

I have always enjoyed being close to so many people and feel that the relationships that I have had in my life has influenced the person that I am today.  I am thankful to have had so many people in my life and continue to work on relationships that I have with them each and every day.

Motivation from Quotes a Self Reflection

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.
Angela Schwindt

Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them.
Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them.
Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him.
Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it.
Pamela Glenconner

I find both of these quotes to be inspiring.  They define how I truly feel about childhood.  The first rings so true because the older I get the more I understand life through watching children.  I often look at not only what they, do but why they do it?  What motivates a child to do the things they do without even knowing it has a purpose?  As I watch these children I truly am beginning to understand the developmental process and it's relevance to the future of each child as they grow into an adult.

The next quote I find heart warming as I often have children that have experienced difficulties walk into my classroom.  Often they are grieving or have other stressors going on in their life that have interfered with them just being children.  I love to take a child that appears to be broken and rebuild them.   By softening their heart and showing them love and empathy they begin to grow and their confidence improves.  I watch them bloom like a beautiful flower that has been well tended too. I would like to think that the relationships that I establish with my students will affect their lives in the years to come.  They will always know that they were loved by someone.

Assessments In Early Childhood

As a teacher who teaches kindergarten and first grade I all to often am required to spend valuable teaching time giving assessments to children who do not even understand the response method or the importance of assessments.  Teachers across out district were fed up with the multiple assessments both formal and informal that we were required to give to all of our students.  These assessments included the Florida Fair Testing, Math unit pre and post tests, running records, FLKRS, weekly reading assessments, weekly spelling tests, unit tests for each area of reading covered and show what you know.  These assessments were only in the are of reading and math we had other additional assessments that we were required to give in the areas of science and social studies.   Teachers signed a petition demanding that the number of assessments given in k and 1st grade be greatly reduced.  Our Superintendent decided that Kindergarten would be given one base line assessment in phonemic skills at the beginning of the school year and no additional assessments given until the 2nd semester of school.  The assessments were also reduced to one reading assessment and only unit math test.  First grades assessment requirements were also greatly reduced requiring only a minimal amount of assessments.
So far this seems to be working out great.  I find that my best assessments are given through observation as I watch a child demonstrate the skills and knowledge that they possess.  I can also engage in conversations with my students, asking questions that are prompting responses.  This gives me an additional opportunity to assessment their understanding of what they are learning.  I think this reduction in assessment should occur in all school districts and more time should be dedicated to the teaching process rather than the assessment process.

After doing some research on assessments given to students in other parts of the world I found it interesting that it really was not all the different.  Kellaghan (2001) describes in his study of the globalization of assessment in the 20th century the considerable increase in the 1990s in the number of countries involved in national and international assessments of pupils in their education systems. While participation in international comparative studies is largely confined to industrialized countries, many developing countries have even begun to carry out national student assessment in the last ten years.  

References:
Retrieved from: http://www.bing.com/search?q=how are elementary children assesssed in other contries&pc=conduit&pt

US Perspectives on Student Assessment in Other Countries
Report Issued by the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence Prepared by David E. Kirkland 

 

Hunger is a Worldwide Problem for Children

More than 18 million people in West Africa suffer from hunger.  Crop shortages, rising food costs and     
                                          insecurity have left more than 1 million children starving. 


       The Sahel is an arid, impoverished region on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert. And it is in the Sahel where one million children live on the fringe of survival due to a food shortage that threatens many with severe acute malnutrition.  Water shortages are adding to the misery for children and families in northern Mali.
         Children are always the most vulnerable in any emergency. The hunger crisis in countries that comprise the Sahel - Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Chad - are no exception. Vast numbers of families already are unable to provide their children with enough food because of extreme poverty, skyrocketing food prices, violence and droughts. The sustained nature of these problems has made it all the harder for families to bounce back when a crisis is over. 
         Even absent the current crisis, children in the Sahel already face some of the world’s worst under-5 mortality rates.In Niger, where more than half of children do not attend school at all, there are reports that children are leaving classrooms to help their families earn incomes, which may expose them to exploitation. And, as children eat less, and eat less nutritious foods, they can become malnourished and at risk of debilitating diseases that can quickly kill if not treated. 

        We live in a world where we know how to prevent extreme hunger, yet people still die from a lack of food. 2011 saw the worst hunger crisis this century in the Horn of Africa. More than 13 million people, most of them women and children, have been affected. Lives and livelihoods have been devastated, pushing people into poverty that could cause them suffering for years to come.  This certainly has lasting effects on children as well as their physical and cognitive development.

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/

The Effects of Poverty

As a child I grew up in a family with 6 children and 2 parents.  We lived on 5 acres along with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousin.  Each family had their own home but we spent a lot of time together.  Over the years there were periods of time that my family did not have the necessary resources to provide for the 6 children that they had.  At times food was an issue and I can remember as a child what it is like to be hungry.  I depended on the food that I received from school for my primary source of food.  Sometimes, if we did not have food for dinner we would walk over to my grandparents house and they would feed us.  This was something that as a child I did not want other people to know.  I felt that it was my family's business and not my place to share this with others.  As I grew older I began spending time at friends houses and eating their food.  I never shared with others that food at my house was scarce, but I'm sure that the adults around me had figured this out.

Once I became a parent it was not even an option for my children to ever do without food.  I made sure that I always fed my children nutritious meals and that they would never know what it is like to be a child and be hungry.  This was something that was very important to me and I felt was always priority.  

As a teacher I watch for students that seem to be hungry.  I always have food in my classroom.  I let students that come from family's who are struggling know that all they have to do is let me know that they are hungry and that I will always give them food.  I have had students that usually never get into trouble, steal food from others.  I have found that these students also do not want others to know that they are hungry and that their parents are not providing food for them.  Once they become comfortable with the fact that I know they happily take food from me and begin to ask for food when they are hungry.

At my school where I teach we also have partnered with a church to provide backpack sack foods.  This program sends foods home with students every weekend so that they will be able to eat while they are not in school.  This is something that I am very active in and if I have noticed the signs of a hungry child I always make sure that they are referred to the program.  I had one student that ran up to me this year and said thank you Mrs. Holmberg for getting me in the backpack sack program.  This was heartwarming to see the excitement and gratitude from this student over simply having food.  This is something that all educators need to be aware of as well as be willing to take the necessary steps to ensure that our students are not hungry.

The decreasing trends in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

                                                   Reducing the Risk

A lack of answers is part of what makes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) so frightening. SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants 1 month to 1 year old, and claims the lives of about 2,500 each year in the United States. It remains unpredictable despite years of research.

Most deaths due to SIDS occur between 2 and 4 months of age, and incidence increases during cold weather. African-American infants are twice as likely and Native American infants are about three times more likely to die of SIDS than caucasian infants. More boys than girls fall victim to SIDS.
Other potential risk factors include:

• smoking, drinking, or drug use during pregnancy
• poor prenatal care
• prematurity or low birth weight
• mothers younger than 20
• tobacco smoke exposure following birth
• overheating from excessive sleepwear and bedding
• stomach sleeping

In 2000, on the basis of new epidemiologic evidence, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended back sleeping as the preferred position. In the United States, prone-sleeping rates have declined 81%, from 70% in 1992 to 13% in 2005, and supine-sleeping rates have increased from 13% to 72% over that period. The US rate of SIDS has declined 55% (from 1.20 in 1000 live births in 1992 to 0.54 in 1000 live births in 2005)

SIDS data were obtained for 13 of 17 countries queried. For most of these countries, there has been a striking decrease in the SIDS rate from 1990 to the most recent year available (2005 for all but Canada, for which 2004 data are the most recent). These decreases range from 40% in Argentina to 83% in Ireland. The highest SIDS rates in 1990 (≥2.0 in 1000 live births) were in Ireland, New Zealand, and Scotland. More recently, the highest SIDS rates (≥0.5 in 1000 live births) were in New Zealand and the United States. The lowest rates (≤ 0.2 in 1000) were in Japan and the Netherlands. Since 2000, the SIDS rates in most of the countries have declined minimally.

Even though the numbers of infants dying each year are decreasing we must continue to do research until there are no more infants dying unexpectedly and mysteriously.  I find it particularly interesting that it seems to affect various ethnic backgrounds differently.  This alone it reason enough to continue to collect data and further our research on this devastating mystery.

http://kidshealth.org/

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org