Sharing Web Resources

Everything on the website for the organization I chose is relevant to my current professional development. There are many different topics and they are all relevant to my development. I want to learn as much as I can about Early Childhood Education and I know to do that I have to open myself to all the information I can. Specificly I lke the topics on labeling and biasness. I realize that there are so many ways to label a child and I don't agree with them. Every child deserves a fair chance and I don't want to be one of those educators.

How play ties into the educational process. This issue made me look into play and it's effects a little closer. Working in the classroom with children before mad eme a believer in how big a role play is. Making learning fu is everything to small children. Learning through song and dance is very effective.

I can see much clearer the role politicians play in education. From my reading I feel that they are very serious and sincere. I work for the Mississippi Dept of Education, and every since I have been there the main goal is to make educationa more effective our children here. I was very impressed also that President Obama shared sucha deep passion also. In my readings I have learned a lot.

There is so much I have gained so far I don't know where to start.  The relationships between parents and educators is really intriguing to me. I understand really how important it is now. I know that this relationship serves as a support system for the child. This gives confidence and good self esteem for the child.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I have not heard back from the two professional contacts I reached out to. I did however listen to a podcast with a participant named Barnabas Otaala. Mr. Otaala is a Dean of Education at Uganda Martyr’s University and a champion of the World Forum since day one. Barnabas and Jacqueline Hayden were awarded a World Forum networking grant to study the impact of HIV/AIDS on young children in Namibia. Their report, HIV/AIDS and the Young Child, which was distributed to all attendees at World Forum 2005 in Montreal, was the impetus for the establishment of the World Forum Voices of Hope working group.


Mr. Otaala talked about HIV/AIDS and its effects on the children, parents, and educators in Namibia. From my understanding most of the children that carry this disease have not even been properly diagnosed. Once properly diagnosed it sends the people in Namibia in a frenzy. It's hard to accept something you don't understand. One particular little girl who was diagnosed, people wanted to know what they could do to help, Mr.Otaala suggested that parents and educators as well as others who didnt understand the disease speak with the doctor so that they can get get a better understanding and not be so scared of it. He also talked about the role educators play in these children's lives. He thought that the whole situation would be overwhelming for a normal teacher. In my opinion those children need an educator who accepts and understands the disease and can still give these children the proper education they need without being afraid of them.

Sharing Web Resources

ZERO TO THREE
http://www.zerotothree.org/


Zero to Three's is a national non-profit organization. Thier mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. As infants being held, cared for and talked to teaches us who we are and how we are valued. The things we experience early on in life are the things that make us strong.



One current issue that that caught my attention was School Readiness Interactive Birth to 3. This article was extremely informative. It taked about parents as the first educators in a child's life. Through a parents love, and support is how the develop properly. I am a firm believer that the educational process starts at home. Teachers do everything they can, but if the parent is not going that extra mile for thier child, how relevant is what the teacher is doing? Now as a teacher I believe in effective learning. I know that things have to be well thought out and organized. I know that the teacher has to make the educational process fun but challenging at the same time. School readiness is very important and being involved in a child's life carries the same weight.

Establishing Professional Contacts

I must say that this assignment has been very challenging, but I managed to figure out what exactly I was suppose to be doing. I contacted three professional contacts by email out side the United States. I am not aware if they took the email seriously are not because I have not been contacted as of yet. I am very confident that I will be contacted soon. I think collaborating in conversation with them will be very educational for me. I expect to learn a lot from them and whats going on in thier cultures.




The website I chose was Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. Zero to Three is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in thier efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. The article for this week is about the child's behavior from ages 15 to 18 months. I learned a lot about a childs development around those ages. I am in my last trimester and I am extremely exstatic about what this article teaches.


http://www.zerothree.org/about-us/

"My Supports"

To me support means to have my back 100%. To encourage me to do whatever I need to do to complete whatever the task is at hand. The support I get from my family is very strong. Just like everybody else I make bad decisions, but they support me so much they look over that and encourage me to go on. I have great support at my job. Just recently we started a new evaluation to open the communication between us and our supervisors and its great. We are to write out short term and long term goals and they are to support us and make sure we follow through with them. I love it! My husband and children are a wonderful support. Now that I am in my third trimester my son really goes that extra mile. He coks, cleans, and just really supports me, and Im so proud. My husband does as much as he can, but my son is just awesome. My daughter can't do much, but she takes good care of me also. It would be very challenging if I didnt have these different support systems. Each one represents a different part in my life, but are still very vital. If I didn'thave them in my life, I would still function, I just don't know how long it would take to fulfil the different tasks. I appreciate each support system and I am glas they have my best interest at heart.

"My Connection to Play"

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold."

~ Joseph Chilton Pearce~



“Play is the exultation of the possible.”

~Martin Buber~



            

When I was young play was the most essential part of the day for me. Play was where I was able to express myself entirely. My teachers supported play whole heartedly. They knew how important play was and how we the children learned from one another. Our teachers made sure we went outside to play daily as long as the weather permitted. And if just so happened the weather was bad, we had degsignated play areas inside that we enjoyed.

Play today is very similar to the way it was when I was a child. There are basicly the same methods as then. In my youth we would ingage in pretend play, but we didnt have the materials that are offered in classrooms now.It was great to tap into our imaginations back then, and even greater for the children exploring it now. It taught us alot about the world around us and what was going on. In my opinion its the same now and much more.

As an adult I still feel that play is neccessary. It keeps us grounded and well rounded. It gives us a temporary escape frm reality and helps in communication with our children.

Relationship Reflection

* Relationships are very important to me. I think relationships give you the confidence you need to be who you are. It's having someone to have your back and push you to go that extra mile.

* I have a lot of great relationships. The greatest one is my MOM. She is the most positive, supportive person in my life. The second is my husband Edward. He stands by me 100%, nomatter what I am doing. Then there are my children who believe in me whole heartedly and motivaet me to be who I am. And a whole list of family and friends that I share great relationships with. In order to have great relationships you have to be positive in someones life and supportive of whatever they are doing. You have to be understanding and unselfish. My experiences in relationships let me know that my relationship with students, parents, and administration will be very effective through my journey to Early Childhood. I possess all the qualities needed for a successful relationship and I am very confident. Good communication is an important parenting skill. Parents who discuss important matters, such as academic performance, puberty, and drug use provide their children with knowledge that can help them lead more productive and safer lives. In addition, conversations about serious topics convey to children that parents are concerned with and interested in their lives.