Dear Ashley,

It has been great working with you over these past 8 weeks.

Thank you for your positive feed back and great attitude:)

 

Ana

 

Dear Rachael,

Thank you for your support throughout this course.

It has been a pleasure reading your posts!

Good luck with the rest of your courses!

 

Ana

CHILDREN...

 

We, as educators have the obligation to keep that belief alive...

 

Diversity is the beauty of mandkind and each and every child should feel special, ALWAYS.

 

 

Testing for intelligence…

As an early years educator, I believe in a holistic approach to teaching and thus assessing.  

I believe that assessment guides our teaching. How else would we know our student abilities, if they have constructed understanding, what they know and what they are ready to do next.  We as educators have the obligation to make sure that through our assessments we are not harming the child, the child is does not feel stressed in any way. As long as the assessment is child friendly, assessments are a tool to help teachers plan for their students to succeed.

Assessments that can be used at a multitude of ways, drawings, videos, observations, photos can all be used to effectively assess young learners` knowledge, skills, abilities, understanding.

Testing in Japan

Japan's state education system is often criticised for quashing original thought among pupils in favor of rote learning, and for placing an emphasis on theory rather than practical skills as well as on tests.

Japan's approach – rote learning accompanied by regular reviewing and testing – has proved hugely successful in establishing basic academic skills among pupils. The country's literacy rate is frequently put at 99%.

The stress on memorising information and passing exams, which begins in primary school and continues through to senior high, has been blamed for stifling critical, independent thought and placing too much pressure to succeed on children as young as five.

Japan, a world leader in international test scoring, and an education system envied in many countries, is not without its flaws. Despite attempts at reform, Japanese students are increasingly becoming disinterested in school. Japan's centralized education system has stated that they wish to reform their curriculum in order to instill a sense of love of education in their country's youth in order to provide young adults with the abilities to compete in the global market.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/japan-and-its-standardized-test-based-education-system

Haiti

Compared to the poorest countries in the world, the poverty rate in the U.S. is relatively modest. In some countries, the poverty rate is more than five times the U.S. current figures. In Haiti, the highest in the world, 77% of residents live in poverty.

The presence of extreme poverty usually coincides with significant obstacles. The poorest countries consistently performed poorly in all areas such as limited resources, disease, famine and war economic stability, health and education

Educational attainment and literacy rates are particularly low in poor countries. While adult literacy figures were unavailable for many of these nations, those that have reported data were among the worst in the world. In several cases, less than half of eligible children were enrolled in primary education (the equivalent of elementary and middle schoolLife expectancy, not surprising, is also very low .In Haiti life expectancy is less than 60 years, the average resident will not live to see 50.

In some cases many factors of stress are present and children do the best they can to overcome such awful odds. Haiti is a case of war, poverty and many other issues. Children are poor and hungry and there is no possible way for these children to develop as normal children in a normal situation would.

There are many foundations out there supporting the people of Haiti, either financially or by getting specialists to work with the people in need. Social support, religious support as well as money support to actually take care of the problem of hunger, etc are small steps in making  a difference in children`s lives.

Consequence of Stress on Children`s Behavior:

A couple of years ago, I got I decided to give international teaching a go. I got an offer to cover a maternity leave in Japan for 3 months. That was perfect for me since 3 months would be enough for me to get that experience of teaching in Asia but short enough for it to be ok with the rest of my family. I knew Japan was a country with a high earthquake rate, but I never imagined what was about to happen in just the 3 months there.

It was a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon, my class and I had just come back from playing outside.  We were just getting settled and ready for an afternoon snack, I was getting someone`s snack out of a cubby, when I felt the floor shake…I thought I might just be dizzy…but I soon realized it was an earthquake. I got all my students under tables as we watched our huge fish bowl shake and water pour out. I looked at the face of my assistant that had been living in Japan for over 15 years and was used to earthquakes…she was sacred…I then knew it did not look good.

The students in my class were fine, most used to the drill, however most parents were not able to get back to school to pick up their children since most of them worked in Tokyo and transportation had been affected. Other parents took children in and they managed to be picked up my morning.

The earthquake was just the beginning, because soon there was news about the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The important thing to note was that my 3 year old daughter Alexia was with me.

School was cancelled the following days and the situation was getting more and more serious with the radiation threats. Back home everyone was trying to get me to return as soon as possible.  I realized that I needed to get home as soon as possible.  I managed to change my plane tickets and leave earlier than planned, on the 19^th. The 11^th to the 19^th were the longest days of my life. The constant aftershocks determined m to move out of my little apartment and an extra room in the school. I felt more secure there. I was terrified about what could have happened…but for my little girl I was very calm, cheerful and strong.

Alexia remembers this whole earthquake thing as when we went under the tables and the fish water spilt out and Shotaro slept at school with us. I treated it as a fun sleep over at school and did my best to be calm. I did not let her see how scared I was. Things did start to change soon…school ended we moved into the school for the remaining days before me we went home. I always did my best to reassure her that everything is fine and she was ok because she knew I was in control. I did my best to watch little if no news around her. She just accepted things as they came and did not seem affected by them. This just foes to show how resilient children are and how much of an effect the manner in which the caregiver reacts/treats the issue. I know that I will be forever marked by what happened although for for Alexia it is still an interesting memory.

 In case anyone is curious to learn more about this tragic natural disaster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA9t9Hiz5C8

 

The public health topic I chose to write about is breastfeeding. This topic is one very close to my heart since my children were both breastfed as babies. I truly believe that apart from the very many health benefits for both the baby and mother breastfeeding is a first way of bonding with your baby and creating that first foundation for a strong relationship. I will never forget the look in Tudor`s eyes or how he would hold onto my finger with his tiny hand. Those moments are priceless for me!!!

 Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infants' health, growth, immunity and development.
-- Healthy People 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

Studies have demonstrated a number of important health benefits to breastfeeding. Among them:

• Breast-fed children are more resistant to disease and infection early in life than formula-fed children
• Breast-fed children are less likely to contract a number of diseases later in life, including juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer before the age of 15
• Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life, are able to lose weight gained during pregnancy more easily and have a lower risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.

I decided to take a look at what breastfeeding looks like in Japan. I have an interest in Japanese culture which began 2 years ago when I lived and taught there. I was very curious about how the Japanese felt about breastfeeding. 

 Having healthy children is highly valued in the Japanese culture. Breastfeeding is viewed as necessary for the health of the child. There are some Japanese kindergarten admission applications that ask how long the child was breastfed. Something that demonstrates the importance of breastfeeding is the fact that a figurine or plaque may be given to the breastfeeding mother to help her prayers for sufficient milk. Breastfeeding may continue for a year or longer. Many Japanese women are caught between the traditional values and customs, and "modern" concepts of working outside the home, formula bottle feeding and how women in the United States feed their infants. I guess no mater how important it is culturally, unfortunately, everyone gets caught up in busy lives and ends up bottle feeding sooner that later.

I think that reading about breastfeeding and how important it is for children will support my continued growth on child development. I would like to use my knowledge to help inform mothers in order to make the best possible choices for their children and themselves. I have not yet figured out how I will go about that but it is something I am continuously considering.

Childbirth In My Life and Around the World

I have 2 wonderful children and the moments they came into this world were truly special for me. When I was pregnant with my daughter 6 years ago I did everything humanly possible to ensure everything would go smoothly. I ate extremely healthy and drank plenty of water, read everything about pregnancy I could get my hands on and went to regular checkups and even found other doctors for second opinions. I know….but first time mommies do worry. My birthday is on November 15^th and that is the day I went for a checkup. I thought my water had broken but they took the liquid to the lab and told me to come back if the liquid persists. I came back 2 days later and they discovered that my water had been broken probably for a couple of days…probably a lab mistake….so…In 10 min they had me sign the papers and a C-section it was. 30 minutes later Alexia came into the world. I found it quite troubling that the communication between the doctors and myself was very minimal…I had not received information on why the C-section was chosen or what type of anesthesia would be used. I woke up and I had had the baby without having any memory of it. I had been completely asleep when I would have preferred to have a partial anesthesia. Alexia was born in a state hospital with a busy well know doctor with a very good reputation in the area. An important issue for others to know in order to understand is the fact that birth should be free in Romania although in state hospitals you really have to give doctors money in order to ensure proper care. When it comes to nurses, the same thing, you need to constantly be placing money in their pockets to make sure they are taking good care of you and your baby…although in many cases that does not happen anyway…

My son was born 1 year ago exactly (today is his 1^st Birthday). I decided I needed another doctor that was more open to communicating with me. I also decided to give birth in a private hospital where they would actually listen to me and give me choices where possible. All I can say that everything went perfect. Except the fact that Tudor came 3 weeks early…thanks goodness he was healthy and considered full term. I was able to make the choice for them to not give the baby formula because I wanted to breast feed. At this private hospital I was surrounded by helpful staff that did not expect extra remuneration. I was not stressed about anything and I was able to focus on recovery after my second C-section and caring for my baby. I found it much easier after giving birth in a hospital with caring doctors and nurses. I found the recovery went much better and I adjusted to motherhood much easier. As for the babies, in my daughters situation, I could have had major problems because of the lab mistake, they made the call to send me home when in fact my water had been broken for a couple of days…so health care is extremely important. In Romania it makes a huge difference if you have your baby in a state hospital or if you can afford a private hospital. I guess the more you pay the better care you get, which is very sad considering how many women cannot afford a private birth.

 

Since C-sections are so popular in Romania (unfortunately) I wanted to look into countries that believe babies should be born in a more natural context. I decided to read about Dutch childbirth. I have heard how mothers prefer to have their babies at home in the Netherlands. The Dutch have a statistic that sets them apart from the rest of the Western world and one their women and medical system want to nurture: the highest percentage of home births.  While other developed nations have turned their backs on a practice deemed old-fashioned and risky, giving birth at home with a midwife in attendance is considered the norm, with one-third of all babies born this way. Dutch home births also mean no anaesthetics. Only medical doctors can administer such drugs, so all home births in the Netherlands are done without anaesthetics.  Even in hospital, women who ask to be anaesthetised are the minority. The Dutch attitude is that pregnancy is not an illness, that home births are the norm. Health insurance does not cover the full cost of a hospital birth unless there was a real medical imperative.  I find it facinating that home births with no anesthesia where in Romania some doctors prefer to use a C-section so they don1t have to stick around 12 hours for the baby to come naturally. I also like the fact that the prefer to not use drugs. I have had cases where the doctor would give me very strong medicine that was great at taking the pain away, however it couldn`t have been good for the baby I was breastfeeding.

It is unbelievable but these wonderful 8 weeks have almost come to an end. This course has meant so much to me both personally and professionally. I have gotten to know a lot of wonderful professionals that are very committed to the early childhood field and that have offered me support, shared ideas and given me great feedback. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone from Group 2 as well as Dr. Kien for every word of wisdom, piece of advice throughout this first course. Your dedication to early childhood education and love for children has been an inspiration and I will walk away from this course feeling even more passionate about the field of early childhood because of the connections I have made with all of you. I wish you great luck with your professional goals!

After reviewing the NAYEC’s and the DEC’s codes of ethics, I chose three ideals that I found to be most meaningful to me:

 

·         “To recognize and respect the unique qualities,

abilities, and potential of each child” (NAEYC, 2005, April)

 

Each child is a unique individual with likes, hopes and capabilities. As educators we need to embrace each student for their specific needs as well as their unique personalities.  Our goal should be to lift each of them up and lead them to their highest potential. What better way to support their growth than to show them that you respect them for who they are and that you are proud of them for being themselves.

 

·         “To create and maintain safe and healthy settings

that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and

physical development and that respect their dignity

and their contributions.” (NAEYC, 2005, April)

 

There is so much research on child development nowadays and specialists have stated how interconnected the areas of child development are and how important that all areas are given the same amount of attention. We need to be consciously concerned for the whole child: the physical, intellectual, social, emotional and creative growth and development of each individual. Appreciating a holistic approach to teaching and creating an environment that fosters children`s whole development shows that we truly care about what is best for each child.

 

 

 

·         “We shall build relationships with

the individual children

and families while individualizing the curricula

and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning.”(The Division for Early Childhood, 2000, August)

 

By enhancing children`s security and freedom to both trust and build new relationships, educators promote the exploration of new learning.

“Children learn how to both love and learn in their first relationships. How they are loved promotes how they learn.” (Jayne Singer, 2007)

Building a strong relationship with the child as well as his/her family is the first step to building a strong learning foundation for the child. Getting to know the child and his/her interests can support an educator in creating an environment that the child will feel secure and happy in. Learning environments where student`s individuality is appreciated are places where students are sure to thrive.

My additional resources:

• I like keeping up with what is going on in  other IB schools as well as sharing and reading about events and what has worked for other teachers. I like sharing and reading planners and getting ideas from other PYP teachers around the world.

http://www.ibo.org/

http://blogs.ibo.org/sharingpyp/

•  I use these resources with my students on the smartboard.

http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/customer_login.asp?accessdenied=%2Flibrary%2Fasp%2Fhome_tumblebooks.asp

http://www.linguascope.com/

 

http://members.abcteach.com/login.php?page=%2Findex.php

• I use my wonderful PYP coordinator and Literacy Coach as resources as well as my colleagues.  They have so much knowledge and they always share great articles. I enjoy attending conferences and attending training sessions. The last one I attended was  PYP in the Early Years that was held in Paris.

 

Course Resources:

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
  
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
  
• Websites:
  
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

 

 Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
  
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
  
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
  
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
  
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
  
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
  
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
  
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Words of wisdom from people in the Early Childhood Field...

 

"Parents don`t make mistakes because they don`t care, but because they care so deeply."

T. Berry Brazelton

 

"When we strengthen families, we ultimately strengthen the community. Our goal is that parents everywhere work with supportive providers, feel confident in their parenting role, and form strong, resilient attachments with their children. To help achieve this, providers must be responsive to parents, knowledgeable about child development, and eager to see every parent succeed."

T. Berry Brazelton

 

“Attachment to a baby is a long-term process, not a single, magical moment. The opportunity for bonding at birth may be compared to falling in love—staying in love takes longer and demands more work.”

T. Berry Brazelton

 

“Finally, learning occurs within the context of social relationships with other members of the community who have similar, if not identical, issues and concerns from the realm of practice.”

Virgina Buysse

“When I think of the word passion and the meaning to the word passion, what comes to mind are what are my values, what are my beliefs, what are the ideas that lead me to action, what do I do so naturally that perhaps seems natural to me but may be challenging to others? What's in my heart?”

Leticia Lara

 

“Passion to fix all injustices in the world through teaching”

Louise Derman Sparks

 

”We have the unique opportunity of working with young children, to shape a child`s life for the better.”

Sandy Escobido

 

“Education opens up worlds, gives you tools to ask questions and investigate”

Renatta M. Cooper

 

                                          Personal Childhood Web

These are the people who nurtured and cared about me when I was a child...

My mom…I can`t begin to describe how much my mother means to me…just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes…she is everything I KNOW, THINK, BELIEVE, everything I AM. My mother has always loved me unconditionally and with all her heart. She gave up a comfortable life for herself in order to make a better one for us and for us to have a brighter future. She taught me to believe in myself…and to be proud of who I am…which is not easy at first as a European immigrant attending a public school…she taught me that my value is the most important and that once people see the real me I will shine and be happy…she was right! She taught me to never give up and that I can do anything I set my heart out to do…she taught me to stand tall and proud and to believe in myself. I wouldn`t be the person I am today without her. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer almost 2 years ago and as opposed to what doctors said…she is in remission and happily enjoying her grand children.


My father…a big believer that dreams can come true…he taught me that nothing is impossible…he risked his life for us by fleeing Romania during the communism…by swimming through the Danube with bullets hitting the water centimeters away from him…the only belongings he had that day were pictures of us, his family is a plastic pocket to treasure forever….he started a new life for himself and his family in freedom. He inspires me to be a risk taker and to go for what I believe in. I have a love for travelling, a desire to explore and to continue to learn from him.



My 1st Grade ESL Teacher…coming to a new country…learning a new language are not easy unless you have a great support system. I had one both at home and at school. A teacher that always gave me encouragement, made me see all the things I was good at and made me feel important was Mrs. Knight. She showed me that she valued my identity and my history. She showed me she was just as interested in learning Romanian as I was in learning English. I taught her new words every day and I loved going to school!!! Her support gave me the confidence to thrive in school and to continue to be motivated even now in my adult years.

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” - Clay P. Bedford

The story of The Mixed Up Chameleon teaches young children the importance of being different and that we are all unique. It teaches us to be proud of who we are!

Pretend play and just having fun with my brother.

My 1st Grade ESL Teacher and I...a person that believed in me and taught me to never give up.

Me

Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ana Pandelescu and I live in Romania. I am a Preschool Teacher at an international school in Bucharest and I absolutely love my job! I also have 2 gorgeous young children that I adore. I am very excited about this new educational adventure that lies ahead!

Early Childhood Studies