The Highscope Foundation is the program that I chose to become a member of and receive newsletters and update about recent information about early childhood. Highscope provides certified trainings for teacher to ensure that they can providing children with the opportunities to make chooses, problem solve, learn from their interest and explore. Highscope developed the measuring tool called the COR that is use in early childhood classrooms around the world.  

One of the issues that are addressed in a news letter is Conflict Resolution. High scope talks about how Preschoolers are not too young to develop the skills to conflict resolution. When children are guided into learning how to express themselves and their feelings into words, they learn how to resolve situations without violence. This is only one of the great issues that Highscope support learning and active environments for teachers and children. Check them out. I believe that you will find this organization very informative.       

Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I can now understand how our families feel when they reach out for help though our educational system and do get quick results. I have email almost every educational professional on those lists and I have not heard anything yet.





But I am determined to reach someone.  I have noticed that there are phone numbers available for some of the sites but to be honesty I can’t afford to make that call. I will continue to reach out until I find someone willing to share by email ;). Having the ability to contact and discuss concerns with educators around the world would be both exciting and informative. I can't wait to get connected.  

The National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators is the site that I chose because I am an Early Childhood Teacher that is always looking for enlightening information about early childhood.  Two of the eight purposes caught my attention and it was:

To advocate for improvements in early childhood teacher education

Provide a communication network for early childhood teacher educators

Both of these purposes allow early childhood teacher around the world to share ideas and obtain vital information to help them reach their goals.

My Supports

It is needless to say that God is my lifelong greatest supporter and second is my Husband. Without either one of them, I would be lost. It has been hard letting my guards down and summiting fully to them. Most people do not express that struggles they have letting it all go for God and I know women have insecurities about trusting everything in a man; so I will be the first to say, “I Have, I Did it and It Feels Great”. Building my relationship and trust with my husband was commanded by God. I thank God I have a husband that believes in Him and fear Him enough to honor the vow we both made to each other and to God. I know that without their support my life would be in tremor. It’s hard for me to imagine living my life any differently. I enjoy knowing that I am loved, that I will be provided for and that they will ever leave my side.   

 

My children, grand parents and I have the greatest support system. We support each other when we are financially limited, in sickness and trials. They are my joy and sun shine. We can go to each other to comfort or merely to joke and laugh anytime of night and day. We provide each other with emotional and spiritual support. I can share my happiness as well as my fears without judgment. I love the fact that my grandparents raised me and built that foundation for me, then I did the same for my children and soon they will do it for their children. It is these characteristic that families need to carry on generation to generation. I am blessed to have a family that sticks together when there are so many pulling each other down.

A challenge that I never wants to face is the absent of God in my life. He is the thread that keeps my relationship with my husband, children and grandparents together. He is the reason that I have the love and passion I carry in me to be able to change the negative outcome with children in my grasp. I remember the time that I did not care for Him as I should and He still breathed life into me every day. I don’t want to go back to just existing; I want to live abundantly in His grace.

 

My Connections to Play

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” Joseph Chilton Pearce

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw

When I was a child, my grandmother would force us to go outside every day after homework was completed. She would always say, “Go outside and burn up some of that energy cause you driving me crazy. When I was a child, as long as the sun was up, we played. All ya’ll like to do is sit under me and watch TV.” She was right, I loved sitting with her talking about her childhood. I was very inquisitive and asked a lot of question. But I loved playing just as much that she would have to search for me sometimes when the street lights came on.

There was no particular game that interested me more than the other as long as I was allowed to play. I can remember all the different roles we played with friends. Pretend play made me feel as a child that I had the ability to be anyone I wanted to be when I grew up. I would expand my play by trying things that I normally would not try when not in play. It allowed me to challenge my own limitation without the fear of failure because I was only playing.

Play is a self-esteem builder for the young and old. We are allowed to relax, let our guards down and explore. As an adult, I can remember every song, rhyme and activity I did as a child during play. I quotes I choose supports how I view play in my childhood and life. I created my most clever thinking during play and if I mature to point in my life that I am not able to play, I will truly perish.

        

Becoming A Friend

I have always been a very out spoken person that pretty much stated exactly what was on my mind but I am a person that love hard and will do almost anything for those that need it. I learned quickly in my personal and professional life that I made people feel uncomfortable with my comments and often prevented them to want to tell me things. I had to learn to modify my distasteful comments while continuing to be truthful to them and to myself. A close and dear friend shared with me how I made her feel sometimes with the words I chose but she knew that I was truly concern and wanted to deter her from participating in what she was involved with. My efforts were never intended to hurt anyone. I had to look in the mirror and do a self evaluation of myself and I did not like what I had become. I was willing to change and it has been hard; however, the sacrifice is worth it.

Even though I was a blunt person, I had lots of friends and love ones that I spent a lot of time with. Now that I have changed, my relationships have blossomed so abundantly. I can see the difference in my past interaction with my acquaintances and my present and how it has become a more give and receive type of relationships where they are concerned about me too. I guess I never allowed them to show me. I can say nowadays that I am a listener and consoler that have learned to allow other to make their own decisions unless they ask for mine. I receive joy in just having moments or occasion that I can share with someone without being concerned if I have said something inappropriate.  I am a social bunny that loves to laugh, love and relate with others. Relationships are important and it takes dedication from both parties to keep them together.

When I Think of Child Development

Yes, I am unique. I am beauty and I am smart.

 I am loved beyond measure.

 I have hopes and dreams. I can accomplish anything.

 I have the ability and confidence to learn, engage in play, explore,

build relationships and face the world.

 I am secure and supported.

Yes, I believe in me because you taught me.

Written by Katrice Harris

Thanks You from the Bottom of My Heart

I have received great support, ideals, resources and feedback from a lot of my colleagues during this course. Even with the years of experience, there are times that I felt that I have tried every resource I have to reach a child. You have been a supportive colleague that has extended your hand to lift my hopes and gave me the strength to keep going by supplying me with your concern and suggestions. This experience to communicate and be social with fellow educators has been wonderful. It is expiring to hear all the glorious things we are during for children all around the world. Hats off to all my fellow classmates of 6160; I pray that this journey fills you life with wisdom, knowledge and a greater opportunity to affectively influence a positive change in every child and family you teach. Thank you all



Assessments: What is the right approach?

 All week we have been studying that children learn from exploration, experiences and maturity. I believe the problem is that our testes do not reflect any of these areas. Our tests only measure our knowledge of academics and not over all knowledge. Sometimes they are so complex. Most of our theories prove that children learn through play; yet, we have not designed a test that allows children to play while being tested. It is easy for children to follows rules to games and implement them without having to be reminded what the rules are. Children easily adapt to quick changes in rules of games and learn different strategies to win the game. Games keep children using and building their thinking and problem solving abilities while engaged in physical activities.

I believe if we revisit how testes are administered by making them active and engaging we may see better results. And if we provide questions that allow children to relate to their culture, beliefs, experiences, and surroundings while blending knowledge of academics, we may see the true measurement of the IQ’s of our children. No one child is the same, thinks the same, learn the same or test the same. We need a more diverse and active test. “Learning the tool skills of reading, writing, arithmetic and computers brings work to the forefront. But play and love are still important. Children make the most progress when all three dispositions (play, love, work) are involved in their learning and instruction” (Elkind, 2007, pg. 121).

Europe

In Europe, I found an article called Re-assessing the current assessment practice of children with special education needs in Europe. They are reviewing how their children are being assessed and if it is affective testing especially for the special need children. There tests were primarily used only to determine if a child should be placed in a special needs classroom or school. The test did not provide them with opportunities to follow up on areas that showed weakness. Europe used the same standardized test that we use in the United States. These results are very similar to the findings that our test revealed. Studies are being done to fine a more effective way to assess children in Europe.  

References

Elkind, D. P. (2007). The Power of Play. Cambridge: Da Capo Press.

Sage Journal s, Re-assessing the current assessment practice of children with special education needs in Europe. Retrieved 02/11/2012.@ http://spi.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/07/12/0143034311409975