My Connections to Play

Two quotes that I feel summarize what play represented for my childhood are:

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison
Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.

O. Fred Donaldson
Contemporary American martial arts master

Three pictures of essential play items from my childhood are a play structure, dress up clothes, and a bike.

-I chose a picture of a play structure because I have many memories of playing on our structure with my brother, neighborhood kids, and all my cousins. I recall always being around family members and playing with other children. It is a special part of my childhood.

-I chose a picture of dress up clothes because I always loved playing dress up with my friends.

-I chose a bike because I remember being outside playing a lot. I loved riding my bike. My cousins lived close by and I remember riding my bike to their house to play.

My parents supported play when I was younger by providing opportunities for me to play even when life was stressful and busy. My parents also were involved in some of my play, which showed me that they valued play too.

Play is different than when I grew up because there are fewer opportunities, more structure, and less freedom. The economy has forced stress on families such as job responsibilities. This added stress has taken away time and energy for families and children to engage in play. After school activities and sports allow for little unstructured playtime. Now team sports start at a younger age than when I grew up. This issue of safety also has affected the freedom of play. Children of toady are not allowed as much freedom outside. We used to ride our bikes to our cousins house and around the neighborhood whereas today parents feel less secure letting their children “roam” unattended. My hope for children regarding play is that they are given many different opportunities to explore their world without unnecessary restrictions.

The role of play is critical in a child’s development. “Creative play is a central activity in the lives of healthy children. Play helps children weave together all the elements of life as they experience it. It allows them to digest life and make it their own. It is an outlet for the fullness of their creativity, and it is an absolutely critical part of their childhood. With creative play, children blossom and flourish; without it, they suffer a serious decline” (Almon 2002, p.1). As a parent and an educator I will continue to advocate for play in my children’s and student’s lives.

References

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf

Strong. (2015). Play Quotes. The Strong National Museun of Play. Retrieved from http://www.museumofplay.org/education/education-and-play-resources/play-quotes

 

Relationship Reflection (Week 1)

Relationship Reflection 

Relationships/partnerships are very important to me. I feel the special relationships I have created over time have helped shape me as a wife, mother, educator, and friend. With strong positive relationships in my life I feel loved, healthy, and content. “There is compelling evidence that strong relationships contribute to a long, healthy, and happy life. Research shows that healthy relationships can help you: live longer, deal with stress, be healthier, and feel richer” (Kreitzer, 2013). 

Two people who have always been a big part of my life and I have very positive relationships with are my mother and father. Factors that have contributed to developing our positive relationship are the way they nurtured me over the years. They showed me how to be an honest, caring person and how to create relationships. They did this by being affectionate, devoted, honest, supportive, and caring individuals. In our relationship my parents supported me, loved me unconditionally, made me feel special by making me a priority, and stayed involved in my activities and my personal life. To contribute to our relationships I show love, affection, support, spend time with them, and have a genuine friendship with each of them. Now that our relationship has matured over time, and I am an adult, I continue to spend quality time with them and love our close bond. To maintain these positive relationships my parents and I are open and honest with each other. We are always there for each other even when times get tough. When one of us is down and grumpy we don’t hold it against each other. We do not hold grudges. Now my own children are benefiting from our relationships. They are learning the same things I did as a child.  I hope my relationships with them continue to grow. I am truly blessed to have my mother and father in my life and the relationships we have created over the years. 

There are challenges to developing and maintaining relationships. Through my experiences I have learned that judging others and not being totally honest causes tension.  “Healthy ways to forge an adult relationship with your parents and enhance what might not always have been the strongest of bonds are to:  think of them as fellow adults, rather than as your parents, talk to your parents as friends, keep your sense of humor, tell your parents what bothers you, don’t ask for advice or opinions unless you really want it, don’t ask for help with your latest personal or financial crisis, and create opportunities for exploring and uncovering memoires. Help your parents preserve their memories on video, express your appreciation, rediscover and share mutual interests, be honest, look for common activities, don’t allow them to channel guilt at you, and grant them their independence too” (Health, 2014).

The relationship with my parents has definitely impacted my work as an early childhood educator. The way I was treated taught me the significance of healthy adult/child interactions. I know that teachers of young children can make a life long difference. I teach children that are at a stage of development where they can be greatly affected by relationships.

References

Health, S. (2014). Maintain a Healthy Relationship With Your Parents. Readers Digest. Retrieved from http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/maintain-a-healthy-relationship-with-your-parents/

Kreitzer, M. (2013). Why Personal Relationships Are Important. Center for Spirituality & Healing. Retrieved from http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/relationships/why-personal-relationships-are-important

Week 8

During this course I have learned a lot while communicating with my international early childhood contact. Several consequences of Thailand’s education are that you do not need a teaching degree to teach. I found it very interesting that after two years of teaching you need to take a test but it does not really matter if you pass or not because you can continue to teach and try again. Another consequence is to be in a high quality program it is very expensive and an average person in Thailand does not earn much. In the high quality programs where my contact was teaching, the students receive 15 hours of English instructed courses taught by a native speaker but a Thailand teacher taught grammar. My contact informed me that another consequence was that Thailand’s “standards” as we would call them are very different. The amount of English that needs to be taught and what curriculum needs to be taught are not a federal or even province wide mandated law in Thailand. No students can fail in Thailand either. The system keeps putting the kids in the next grade. My professional contact discussed how this was extremely frustrating to teachers.

A goal I have now that I contacted with my professional contact from Thailand is to continue to discuss educational topics with her and learn all I can. I would also like to contact other professionals in different areas and learn about their area. I have truly enjoyed learning about different countries’ education. While I am learning about the different educational systems I would like to connect with an organization and see if there is a way I can help support students. I would also like to discuss with my contact about becoming pen pals as way to get our students to connect.

Week 7

This week I have continued the exchange with my international professional contact. When speaking to her I found out great information about early childhood in Thailand.

-What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

The foreign teachers would always discuss what steps we could take in order to enhance learning but because of language barriers and the general laid back ways of Thailand nothing usually got done. Thailand as a whole, realizes that they need to step up their language game and that is why more after school programs and more intensive in classroom programs are turning up. However, this process is slow and daunting and just now laws that pertain to students and teachers (like all teachers needing to have a degree) are finally being abided to.  

-What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

            There is not much room for professional growth for a foreigner in Thailand. After two years of teaching in the country you are required to take a cultural immersion course. This is a three-day course. This is the first step to establishing that you are committed to teaching in the country. After this, you must sign up for an education exam, which is supposedly very hard. BUT you are not required to pass the test you just need to attempt the test and show as though you are invested in Thailand’s educational system. I believe you can continue to take the test over years and have up to five tries to pass.

-What are some of your professional goals?

            Well, I am no longer in Thailand but if I was, my professional goal would probably be going to grad school. People with masters in education can work in international schools and make more money. I would say that a majority of teachers in Thailand are not actual teachers in the sense of that is what they do in their homeland. I worked with an environmental professional, marketing professional, hospitality manager, and other professionals. 

-What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?

I'm still trying to figure out my professional hopes and dreams. I am not very sure exactly where I am headed in my professional career but I would say that I would only be interested in teaching English overseas. A lot of people have asked if I wanted to teach in America and I'm not sure that's something I would like to do.

Week 5 I contacted my international contact but she was not able to get back to me until after Saturday. Here are the questions and answers:

-What grade or age level did you teach?

I taught in a Mini English program for first grade. Basically it was an intensive English program that was available to anyone who could afford it. It was something like $2,000 a semester, which was crazy. An average person in Thailand earns around 700 to 800 dollars a month. They got 15 hours of English instructed courses by a native speaker but a Thai taught their grammar. They were taught conversational English, Science, Math, Science, Health, and Art all in the English language. 

-In Thailand are there a lot of early childhood programs available? If so, does every child have the same opportunity to attend these programs?

Early childhood programs are up and coming in Thailand. Everyone is about getting their child into school and learning English as soon as possible. I had a friend who was teaching extra classes at a tutoring place. She was teaching a 1.5 year old at one point. Well she would sing to her and try to talk with her. The Thai's are super competitive and anyways trying to out do each other. Unfortunately, programs like this cost a bunch of money and are only available to the wealthy. Money is a big player in this country and that's how you get ahead in school, pay extra to get your child in a better class, and after school programs. All my kids in my MEP program were rich. Unfortunately, that meant that some of them were able to buy themselves into the program so all my students were not on the same level. 

-Are these programs of high quality and have mandated standards?

Some programs near the cities are of better standards than others. Again schools with more money have more of an ability to charge more for their students and expect more for their teachers. A school with less money probably has less quality. 

The programs have standards. They have a specific amount of time you need to teach English and what curriculum you have to teach but I do not think this was a federal or even province wide standard. It may have just been my school. Also, everything in Thailand is super relaxed and "standards" as they would be in the states are nothing like they would be in Thailand. For example, no one can fail in Thailand. If a child is not doing well and not putting in effort they are just allowed to pass no matter what. It's a very aggravating system in that aspect. 

Another random thing is that you don't need a teaching license until two years after you have taught in the country. So I was allowed to teach just because I had a degree (in anything) and a TEFL certificate. BUT one of the teachers I taught with did not have a degree and just had a TEFL but he was also asked to leave after a year. They are pretty strict about having a degree but sometimes people can slide in. 

-Was there poverty in the area you were? If so, what types?

I'm not sure how to characterize the kind of poverty there was but there definitely was poverty. I volunteered at an organization that needed to take in children who had parents that couldn't continue to support them. They had about 20 kids. On top of that, everywhere you went just about 5five minutes out of the city there were examples of poverty. People living in tin houses or bamboo houses etc... But poverty in Thailand seems to be much different than it is in the states. 

-What types of qualifications are required of the teachers?

As stated earlier you need a Bachelors and a TEFL certificate but you can get around that. After two years you need to take a cultural class and take a test. If you don't pass you can still teach though. 

-Any thing else you could share about your experience?

All in all Thailand is an amazing place. They do things VERY differently than in America but I think that gives them a special leg up on Americans. Thailand breeds really easy going relaxed people who don't have a care in the world. This obviously causes some issues but it also allows for a stress free life style, which is pretty neat. 

Week 6

While navigating through Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families Website I found several outside links that I had not yet explored. The outside links I found were, “Military Family Projects, National Training Institute, Early Head Start, and MIECHV TACC.” I chose to search the Military Family Project site. “We work to increase awareness and collaboration throughout military and civilian communities so that professionals who work with parents and children can more effectively care for babies, toddlers, and their military-connected families (Zero to Three, 2014). I think this is really important because military children and families need extra support. For example, during a parent deployment all children deal with the effects differently and it is important for people around these children to understand and help as best as they can. A lot of times the children do not know how to express their feelings and what they are going through.

Following the e-newsletter that I was sent I searched all available links. All the links provided great specific details for babies’ and toddler’s development. It was very interesting and informative as a parent and educator. I would recommend this site and the information to parents as a resource. The website contains information that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. There is a section called Early Care and Education. In this section it discusses childcare, family/friend/neighbor care, and school readiness interactive birth to three. These subsections have great information! They provide tips for hiring a caregiver and probe questions such as “what is considered a high quality child care setting for infants and toddler?” Each subsection also includes more links for additional information.

“All babies and toddlers need positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social and emotional development and lay the foundation for later school success.  Babies and toddlers living in high-risk environments need additional supports to promote their healthy growth and development. All child-care arrangements, including family, friend, neighbor, and family- and center-based child care have the potential to provide high-quality, individualized, responsive and stimulating experiences that occur within the context of strong relationships and which are imbedded in everyday routines.” (Zero to Three, 2014).

Exploring the website and e-newsletter this week I learned that there are so many resources for good high quality early care and education for parents to research. I also learned of a great website for military families. This was very interesting to me because my children go through deployments several times every year and I see how it affects for them. It is very important for the people surrounded them to understand and try to help them cope.

References

Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (2014). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org

Week 5

This week I sent an email to my international contact but have not yet heard back. While researching Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website I found three new insights. I found that this initiative focuses on three main areas: early childhood development, child mental health, and children in crisis and conflict situations. The website discusses ways in which they will focus on early childhood development. “The first priority in this area is to adapt the successful work the Center has conducted in the United States for a broader range of strategically selected audiences, in an effort to energize and reframe the global dialogue around investments in the earliest years of life” (Center on the Developing Child, 2014). The other main area, child mental health, discusses assessing and evaluating the mental health of children. The Children and Crisis goal is to “foster interdisciplinary collaboration that incorporates a science-based, developmental perspective into the assessment and management of child well-being in a range of natural and man-made crises, focusing on both immediate circumstances and long-term adaptation” (Center on the Developing Child, 2014).

Week 4

Researching the website Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families I found the section, Early Care and Education very relevant to my current professional development. As a public school early childhood educator I focus my professional development on high-quality early learning. Within this, I look

into developmentally appropriate practices combining play and academics. In the Early Care Education section three main topics are addressed: childcare, family, friend and neighbor care, and school readiness interactive birth to three. “All babies and toddlers need positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social and emotional development and lay the foundation for later school success” (Zero to Three, 2014).

            On the website under the “public policy” tab there is an article called Working Families Infographic that I believe can be controversial and it also made me think about my working family along with others in a new way. “The White House Summit on Working Families is shining a light on the challenges facing America’s working families as they strive to achieve the American Dream. Part of the American Dream is making a better life for your children, and yet even when parents work full-time, far too many babies are still living in low-income families, the level below which families have difficulty meeting basic needs and are more likely to face hardships” (Zero to Three, 2014).  This article shows pie charts of different percentages of families who meet the median income, how many mothers take time off due to unpaid leave, and when mothers return to work due to money.

            The website has several articles that add to my understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, and/or politicians support the early childhood field. Under the “public policy” tab there are sections labeled,  “infant-toddler policy issues, building early childhood systems, federal policy, and state & community policy. The federal policy section has several articles that add to my understanding such as, 2013 Federal Policy Agenda, Federal Policy Resources, Federal Policy Updates, and Federal Policy Baby Blog.

While researching the public policy information I gained new insight on issues/trends in the early childhood field. I found two links called, National baby facts and State baby facts. I found these links very interesting and spent a lot of time researching my state and learned valuable information. Some of the facts were sad to see and I hope that the more educated people become some of these percentages will change for the better.