Quotes About Childen That Speaks Volumes

A child seldom needs a good talking to as a good listening to. ~Robert Brault

This quote says so much. A lot of times we don't see children as people. We tell them to be quiet and to listen to us, but how often to we just listen to what they have to say. We can learn a lot about a person just by listening to them.

Testing for Intelligence

In my opinion when you are assessing the "whole child" you have to take everything into consideration. Things such as the socialization skills, self-help skills, oral language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and their academic skills (literacy, mathematics, scientific thinking) all needed to be measured. An assessment that measures only mathematic and literacy skills can not give an accurate measure of what a child knows. If we are concerned with how children develop we have to assess all aspects of their development not just the lessons from math and reading class that they can regurgitate.

My parents are originally from Jamaica. In Jamaica they assess children using standardized test (exams). They use the following testing schedule :

• Grade 1 Readiness Test
• Grade 3 Assessment Test in Mathematics and Language Arts
• Grade 4 Literacy Test
• Grade 6 Achievement Test in Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Writing (

However, the country is also going through a social reform in their schools. They have begun administering a social assessment in upper grades and providing students with a low score with peer counselors.

"Education in Jamaica." Education in Jamaica. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.my-island-jamaica.com/education_in_jamaica.html>.

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

A person I know experienced violence between her parents as a child. This has affected her throughout her entire life. Socially it made her doubtful and eager to please. She also has a dis-attachment from both of her parents due to the violence she witnessed.

When I saw the words "natural disaster" I automatically thought of Haiti. Haiti suffered great loss due to the earthquake in 2010. That earthquake destroyed a great amount of the country and left many people without food and shelter. As a child having to live through that I could not imagine. Their entire development must have been affected. Their biosocial would be affected because their growth would be affected due to the insufficient amount of food and nourishment. Their cognitive development affected because of their schools being destroyed and learning be put on hold. Finally their psychosocial development because of experiencing losses all around them.

Public Health - Immunizations

The public health concern I chose to blog about this week is that of immunizations. Diseases can spread to anyone, anywhere, and a disease does not discriminate. Some diseases we can’t prevent, but there are so many that we can by vaccinations. I find this important because we live in a world surrounded by people from all over the world. If efforts are not being made in all parts of the world to stress the importance of immunizations we can be affected in our own country as well. We can be affected if we travel or if others travel here. Therefore, immunizations are very important. I think world wide the awareness of immunizations and their importance is being heard and lots of organizations are doing their part to help people get immunized. I read on the CDC website about various incentives to help with immunizations. One of them involved people from Brazil traveling to Angola and helping to immunize people and raise awareness about being vaccinated against polio. Staying informed and update about immunizations will help me in my future work by helping others including parents be aware of the necessity of immunizations.

My Personal Birthing Experience

The first birthing experience that comes to mind is the birth of my first born which occured almost three years ago. I remember being terrified, nervous, and excited. Although we hear stories about births all the time it was still the "unknown" to me. I was afraid of the pain I might feel and when and where I would go into labor. I actually had to be induced due to losing amniotic fluid. I remember going for a regular check-up and the doctor telling me I was going to the hospital that night. I remember crying because I was not ready. I was induced that night at about 8:00 and my doctor broke my water at 9:00 the following morning. I had my epidural at 9:45 ( I'm a big........ baby when it comes to pain). By 12:00 my beautiful baby boy made his way into the world and EVERYTHING that happened prior to that moment was forgotten. Lots of people have their opinions about birth and child development especially when discussing natural birth and births with medication. I have heard people say that babies that are born naturally develop better because they were not drugged. I on the other hand disagree. My thoughts are the main focus should be the health of the child. I do not think that natural vs. medicine affects the development of the child if given correctly. I have two beautiful children who are developing very well eventhough I did not choose to deliver them naturally. I commend those women that can have natural births but I am a chicken.

In The Developing Person Through Childhood the author described a birth in Ghana. A women balled up in the corner of her hut on the floor  with her midwife in a nearby corner. The author describe the women as being able to crouch down and bore down to allow her child to be born without help, medicine, not even a sound of agony or pain. That experience was completely different from mine. I remember thinking "absolutely not" as I read the description. However, I am in awe and pure amazement of the strength and capabilities of a woman. I commend and admire such women for their strentgh and realize how much of a baby I really am.

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment

Many of NAEYC's ideals are important to me, but if I had to narrow it down to my top three they would be:

I-1.7—To use assessment information to understand and support children’s development and learning, to support instruction, and to identify children who may need additional services.

This ideal is important to me because through my experience in elementary education I have realize how beneficial assesments can be in identifying children’s strengths and weaknesses. Assessments when used appropriately can help us understand how a child learns in order to help them reach the next level.

I-2.7—To share information about each child’s education and development with families and to help them understand and appreciate the current knowledge base of the early childhood profession.

This ideal is important to me because we spend a lot of time with children sometimes more than their own parents. When we share information about the child with their parents we are giving them a glimpse of a side of their child they may not get to see. Sharing information with these parents helps to keep them involved which is vital to their child’s development.

I-3A.3—To support co-workers in meeting their professional needs and in their professional development.

This ideal is extremely important to me. I have met many early childhood educators that did not know their worth. I have made it a personal mission to help build up these educators when I encounter them and help them to understand that their job and their influences in needed and very important.

Even more quotes...

“…my passion has been evolving for years. It is an ongoing process.”

~Leticia Lara, LCSW~

“… a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution in the world…”

~Louise Derman-Sparks~