Poverty= Stress

Poverty was the stressor that I chose to talk about in this weeks assignment. Few topics in American society have more myths and stereotypes surrounding them than poverty, misconceptions that distort our ideas on this topic.They include the notion that poverty affects a relatively small number of Americans, that the poor are impoverished for years at a time, that most of those in poverty live in inner cities, that too much welfare assistance is provided and that poverty is ultimately a result of not working hard enough. Poverty is a mainstream event experienced by a majority of people in this country. For many of us, the question is not if we will experience poverty, but when. I feel that this is just a cycle that will continue to happen until we take a look at the root of the problem instead of throwing the finger out in blame. That seems to happen more often that not. I work in a Head Start Program, and I am in the homes of people WELL below the poverty line on a daily basis. These parents aren't trying to live off of the system, and they aren't just lazy people who don't want to work. Many times they don't know the questions to ask to get the answers they need for help. I decided to look at the poverty in Kenya. I chose this because Kenya is one of the more agricultural and industrial areas in all of Africa. I would like to think that we have some similarities with that here in the US. The difference is that Kenya is a LOW-Income country with many of its people in poverty.One big factor I found is that there is a very high population with HIV/AIDS. This causes many families to be run by woman, and too many children being orphaned. Woman don't have the opportunities to provide for their families like we do here in the US. If the bread winner for the family passes away, that automatically puts the family into financial trouble they will be unable to get out of.

Breast Feeding

I chose to take a closer look at the area of nutrition and malnutrition. I believe this is a huge part of development and should be taken into account when researching all aspects of childhood development. The signs of malnutrition show themselves in tooth decay, childhood diseases, poor reflexes and muscle tone, delayed development, lack of color to skin, lower weight or obesity, poor performance in school, brittle hair and dry skin. This list can continue of the symptoms of malnutrition. The worst part is malnutrition can be prevented. The real question is can education and services be effective enough to help fix this serious problem? There are many services and agencies galore in the United States that are there to help people who need it, malnutrition is huge issue. Many times the money given is used for nutritionally void food such as white bread, soda, cookies and chips etc. This is not the type of diet that will help children out of the dangers of malnutrition. The website I found states that India is like the ground zero for malnourished children over any place else on the planet. "South Asia, in fact, has the greatest concentration of deadly acute malnutrition on the planet, while India alone accounts for 54% of all under nutrition- related child deaths worldwide." This is caused by several factors: -widespread poverty -endemic hunger -rapid population growth -pockets of weak governance -poor health systems and unreliable national indicators All of these factors are compounded by issues of the caste system (which doesn't formally exist any more but is still very prevalent in every day life), ethnicity, religion and gender. Information on India retrieved from:

Births

I have to say that I have not been involved in to many babies being born as I am an only sibling and it was just 2 of my friends who had babies. They both had them in the hospital, and neither of them stuck to the "birth plan" so I was told after the they were out of the hospital. One of my friends did get to spend some time in a hot bathtub at the hospital, but when it was time to actually have the baby she had to get out of the tub and go back to the bed. I find it very interesting that we as a society seem to think that having babies in a lying down horizontal position with your feel above your head is the best way to have a baby. Gravity pulls things down and we are developmentally created to be vertical. Why would birth be any different? I have heard many times that there are complications and c-sections are happening more often. It makes me wonder if they are really needed or are we just using them to get the babies out so that the next mom can come on through the door? I know that might sound like a harsh reality, but in my undergraduate studies I actually studied hospitals as a business for making a profit. This would fit the scene that has been painted. Why not let the child come on their own, yes I know that in some circumstances it is necessary to operate for the health of both the child and its mother, otherwise, let it happen the way its supposed to! I have already spoken to my husband and we are both in agreement that if we decide to have children, then I want to have a midwife. I want someone who is going to advocate what is best for me and my child at the time, instead of pushing meds and a quick birth. I would like to be able to move freely and not be constrained to a bed with my feet in stirrups. I looked up a website that was . This was just what I was talking about. This group helps you to decide if you want to have a child in a birthing center, hospital, or at home. They are there to assist you with labor and delivery and they are even there to support the mom after the child is born and keeps and eye out of PPD during those home checks after birth. They seem to be supportive from start to finish and then some. This is WAY different in comparison to those children who are born here in the United States. In Korea you are not just a number but a mother (and father/mother) going through a life changing experience together and they seem to be there every step of the way. I have included the website in case anyone wanted to take a closer look.

special thanks!

I want to thank is Catherine. Along these last 8weeks you have been there through ever post and everything that we have shared. You have also been so forthcoming about what you share that at many times I have been humbled by your honesty and passion for what you do and for those around you. I hopebthat we will be able to continue our journey here together and I know that wherever you are you are amazing at what you do and have given me a light to strive towards. Thank you and good luck in whatever it is you see yourself doing. You are already a success. I also want to thank Elizabeth. You have also been there with words of encouragement and support. But you also asked questions that made me think outside of my near little box. Thank you for challening me and for the support. Good luck on the road ahead! And a thank you to everyone else to helped to encourage and form connections throught this first class. I am honored to go through it with all of you.

Code of Ethics

There were many codes that were meaningful to me as I read through this weeks assignments. However, there were three that really struck at my heart as being the most near and dear to me.

The first one came from NAEYC core value section- "Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage

of the human life cycle" I think that it is so important to let kids be kids. They have a whole different way of learning and understanding their world. I feel that it is so important to support and nurture that kind of thinking. I am a teacher who wholly supports the play base approach to learning and using exploration and key experience to teach my children.

The second one also came from NAEYC the Ideals section- "I-1.3 To recognize and respect the unique qualities,

abilities, and potential of each child." Each and every child that we see has is their own unique individual. They all learn differently and see the world in a different way. Being able to see this and work with how your students learn best will only help to add to their successes in school and life long learning. Setting a good strong foundation early is key to helping EACH student succeed and EVERY student now matter their background, learning level, etc, can be successful. It's our job to help them see what they are capable of.

The third comes from the DEC  Responsive Family Centered Practices section-"We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children." Parents are their child's first teacher and greatest advocate. They know their children better than anyone else can, so giving them the tools they need in order to support their children is an essential part of our job.

Course Resource Section

 ACEI - Association for Childhood Education International
           . Mission/Vision statements. Retrieved October 2, 2013. Retrieved from http://acei.org/

AMS- American Montessori Society
                             http://www.amshq.org/

NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children
                      Their main Website: http://www.naeyc.org/
 
            (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from             
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf


 NAECTE- National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators.
                               http://www.naecte.org/

NACCP- National Association of Child Care Professionals - now known as Early Learning leaders (ELL).
                               http://www.naccp.org/


NAREA- North American Reggio Emilia Alliance
                            http://www.reggioalliance.org/

Waldorf - Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America

I use this book constantly as a reference for my classroom checklists:
 
Beaty, Janice. 2010.Observing Development of the Young Child. Merrill. 




     

Eyes of a child.

I teach young children because I LOVE seeing the way they see and experience the world around them with awe and wonder. That is how I want to experience my world around me and learn how to continue to do that from my kids daily. I wish more people could see the world through the eyes of a child!!!