Thursday, March 16, 2017

The Importance of Clean Water

 Clean water is a pretty big deal for everyone. I remember growing up and going the the creek to fetch water, watching my mom boil it, and waiting for it to cool to get a drink, (and this was in the 1980's in America).  We used that water to drink, take a bath, and then used the dirty water to flush the toilet.  I can remember how great it was when we were able to get public water up our "holler."  I remember thinking "oh, that's what that is for," referring to the faucet. What would have happened had my mom not have boiled it?
  Picking a country to talk about was an easy for me. My church donates to an organization that main mission is to provide clean water to the people of  Haiti.  According to Wells for Haiti (n.d), Haiti has the poorest quality of water in the world. The people of Haiti are constantly battling illnesses that are caused by contaminated water. According to Charity Water (n.d), diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.  43% of those deaths are children under five years old. However, access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week world wide. 
How does  this affect us as early childhood educators in the United States?  You never know when you might get a new student who's family moved from a country with poor water quality.  Or, you might end up teaching in Appalachian where there are still remote places without running water and electricity.  Third, we can educate the children and families we work with about the need and have them help.  In Girl Scout terms, make it a take action project.  

 References
http://cleanwaterforhaiti.org/
http://wellsforhaiti.com/
http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Birthing experience

I would like to talk about the birth of my son, since that is the one I know the best. He was born in 2010.  I wanted a midwife, and most people thought I was crazy for wanting that.  research midwifes in the area, thankfully I lived close to Cleveland, OH at this time so  I had options.  I remember filling out my birthing plan and chose to have him at the hospital because my mother was terrified of complications.  I chose natural child birth, and the nurses thought I was crazy  that I refused an epidural.  The plus side of not having the epidural was that I was free to move around, and not confined to the bed during labor.  I also was able to get a shower just a few hours after giving birth, which was the best shower ever!  Nathaniel also scored a 9.9 on his first APGAR screening.  He was very alert, and not drowsy like he would have been if I had taken the epidural.  I have no regrets on not taking the epidural.  He did have his first BM in utero, so I am glad that I opted for the hospital instead of at home.  His mouth had to be suction before he took his first cry to prevent him from swallowing it.
I am glad  that the USA is starting to make different birthing options available. I know when I was born cesareans was the norm, and  one was scheduled weeks early with no real reason for the it other than it was convenient.
I decided to see how my birthing experience compares to that of Japan.  Most women in Japan opt to not take any painkillers, but they do deliver at a hospital or birthing center, (Schalken, n.d.).  I was surprise that the average hospital stay is 5-10 day after giving birth.  I think I was only in the hospital for 2 days after giving birth. Another interesting fact, fathers are only allowed in the delivering room if they took a prenatal class with the mom to be, and  have to be in the waiting room for a cesarean. I like this idea, my ex-husband was freaking out and made things worse for me. Last fact,Japan has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world, and the USA is #27th  according to Child Health USA (2013).  I wonder if the extended post natal stay has anything to do with this.

References
Schalke, Lara (n.d.). Birth Customs Around the World. retrived from
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/

International Mortality Rate retrieved from
https://mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa13/perinatal-health-status-indicators/p/international-infant-mortality.html



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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Thanks and Support

Thanks to all of my classmates for a wonderful first class at Walden.  I wish all of you the best and I hope we have more classes together in the future.

I would also like to thank my family for their support and patience during all of this as I added more one thing to juggle.
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Thursday, February 23, 2017

Ethics in Early Childhood

I had difficulty trying to narrow it down to just three for this post. All three come from The Division of Early Childhood. The first one is from the professional practice section. "We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work," (DEC,2000, p1).  Integrity is extremely important  to me. If you have integrity, then truthfulness and honesty will follow as they are components of integrity. Integrity is important to have the trust of the child, families, co workers, etc.  Integrity means that you can be trusted to follow through with what you say, trusted to not talk about a child or family to another child or family.  Building trust is how you can start a connection with a child or family.  I try to have integrity in all aspects of my life.

The second one I chose is from the same section. " We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives," (DEC,2000, p1).   As a mother of two special needs boys, I believe heavily in being an advocate for them and other children with special needs. I have found that families of children with disabilities often do not know what their options are and accept whatever the school district offers, which is usually the bare minimum.   Every child deserves the chance to live to their full potential.

The last one is from the personal development and preparedness section. " We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and services for young children with disabilities and their families," (DEC, 2000, p2).  Part of being a  good advocate/leader/teacher is know what is going on.  What are  the new trends, issues, possible laws, etc. and using this info on how does it impact the children in your classroom, and how can you communicate it to the families.  I try to stay current, this is part of why I am finishing my masters degree.

References
 The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved  from
http://www.dec-sped.org/
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Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Course Resources

Position Statements
 Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being
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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Inspirational quotes

"We need collaboration to ensure that schools are positive, supportive,  and effective places for students to learn and teachers to teach. Classroom teachers and other educators are working with increasingly diverse students; all school personnel are under tremendous pressure to ensure that all students achieve higher academic standards. In this context, collaboration is not a luxury; it is a necessity."  Dr. Marilyn Friend

"Here's the strategy tghat I have used.  It's taken me decades to learn it, and it has worked: In the good years, work very hard to win everything that's possibly winnable. In the bad years, work just as hard to keep your losses to a minimum. There are good times, and there are bad times.  But you have to stay in the game."  Edward Zigler

 “It’s not all about you. You have to take your ego out of it and think what is best for this child, and you care about them enough to help them transition through it.” Renatta M Cooper 

 "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."   - Abigail Adams

 and one of my all time favorite educational quote:

 "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."    - Albert Einstein

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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Personal Childhood Web

My papaw- I was very much a papaw's girl.
He was my father figure and taught me the value
of hard work. He would often give me a job to do at their
house and then mamaw would take me out to lunch and
shopping. 


 My mamaw-She was the most kind,
unselfish person I have ever known. When my home
 life got rough I would walk to their house, which was
my safe haven.  She taught me to cook, sew,
 and that God loves me.



me





my mom- she had me when she was
young and struggled with what to do with me.
She would always calm me when I was scared.
Seeing how hard her life was, was my motivation
to get good grades, go to college, and leave the
"holler."
                       
my great grandma-I would spend time
with her on the farm every summer. She taught me to
 valuenature, use resources wisely, the importance
 of forgiveness, and to put others first. She would also
 pick me up and take me to church every Sunday.

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