Quotes about children

~Author Unknown

A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase. 

~Walt Disney
Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is done by children.

~Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it. 

 

Testing for Intelligence

• Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to “the whole child”), what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed? Explain your reasoning.
• In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world? (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)
• What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?

I believe everything that is currently being assessed, speech, motor development, cognitive development, etc should be continued but should be done differently.  As a teacher, a lot of my children need additional services such as speech and occupational therapy.  Once they go to headstart, they are regularly assessed to make sure they don't need any further assistance or make sure they are progressing properly.  I agree with the testing but I believe that it needs to be done by someone that the child has formed a bond with. A child that does not like or trust someone will not feel comfortable enough to answer questions even if they know the correct answer. How can the assessments be measured accurately if the child does not feel comfortable enough to display their full potential. 

In Africa, there is an Early Child Development Measurement resource called Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (CAS).  The purpose of this system is to measure the  cognitive development of minority children and to make it more fair and reliable. 

We need a system like this in the USA.  There are many different resources used to assess development but figuring out which one would be best for each individual child seems to be the issue.

Resource:

  Human Sciences Research Council. 
http://www.hsrc.ac.za/ECD-Measure

Childhood Stressors

As a child, my brother and I experienced several stressors. The two that stands out the most are poverty and violence.  I can't really say that we were poor but we were in a situation in which we did not have money to buy everything we wanted and a lot of what we needed.  I remember my mother working hard, long hours every day at the same day care I attended.  Once she died, three years ago I had the chance to look over her pay information. She was making barely over minimum wage. That, in my opinion, means that she was really struggling to take care of two children on her own.  Because of our financial situation, we had to live in an environment that was roach infected and left us terrified to come home after dark.  There was drug activity and many other visible forms of violence throughout the complex. We were some of the fortunate ones though. Around my eighth birthday, we were lucky enough to get a home built through Habitat for Humanity.  That was the beginning of a brighter future for us. We no longer had to worry about coming home alone or after dark and we didn't have to worry about money as much.  Because of our situation, I did begin working at a young age just so I could take some of the stress off of my mother. I started babysitting at 12 and started working a childcare position by 16. Even to this day, I work multiple jobs just to keep myself from getting back to my childhood status.

In countries like Africa, the stressors are much worse. Two-thirds of the worlds, HIV/AIDS cases are in Sub-Saharan Africa. That means that approximately 7 out of 10 children is being affected by the deadly virus. This virus is like a domino effect.  It is leading to poverty, hunger, and even war and violence.  We complain about the situations we have over here in the United States but there is always someone who has it worse.

Reference:

http://www.globalissues.org

Breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a subject that I have recently become interested in.  My boyfriend and I talked about having kids one day and since he and his sisters were breastfeed, he insists that I breastfeed our future kids.  There are several reasons why I have considered breasting. One reason is because it is free and formula is so expensive. Another reason is because it breastfeeding is the healthiest and natural form of nutrition for babies. It also helps prevent some childhood diseases. Breast milk also contains essential antibodies. Breastfeeding also always the mother to bond with her baby in a way that no one else will have the opportunity to do so.


In countries like Africa, breastfeeding is gaining more attention.  In Johannesburg, The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has set up the "Declaration of Support for Breastfeeding in South Africa". This movement encourages mothers to exclusively breastfeed for six months.  It is also a way to promote breastfeeding and also save babies lives in Africa.  In most other countries, breastfeeding is encouraged and rates are higher.  In the United States, it is not as popular because breasts are seen as sexual objects instead of natures "baby bottles". 


If more mothers breastfed their babies, there maybe a decrease in illnesses. Children's immune systems may have a fighting chance at becoming stronger. A decrease in illnesses means that children will spend more time in school or childcare being educated instead of home sick. It also means that parents will be able to work or go to school themselves without the fear of caring or a sick child.  Breastfeeding is a "win-win" situation for all involved.


I guess you can say that my boyfriend and I are like night and day. He was breastfed and seems to only get sick once or twice per year. I, on the other hand, seem to catch anything that goes around as soon as I come into contact with it.