Testing for Intelligence?

Why are they testing for intelligence? I was born and raised in Detroit, MI testing was not just for intelligence but to see if a child should be placed in pre school or wait for kindergarten, they even made it where a child didn't have to go to the kindergarten first they could start at the first grade but would not test the child to see if they were able to learn at the same pace as the first graders. Therefore a lot of public school children  were being left behind a grade because of that.

The recent South African Report on the National Assessments (ANA), showed that the poorest schools fared worst in national assessment tests.
The ANA written in February 2011, involving almost six million learners in primary schools throughout South Africa represents one of the most significant proactive interventions by Government to strengthen the foundational skills of Literacy and Numeracy among South African learners.
The report showed that primary school children from the provinces Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Northwest could not even reach the basic skill levels for literacy and numeracy. The reason for this according to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga is socio-economical.
Nationally learners in Grade 3 obtained an average of 35 % for literacy and 28% for literacy and 30 % for numeracy.

Children should be assessed when it is educationally necessary, when they are transfering from another school and have been living in a different state, or if they have been in foster care, when they have skipped the kindergarten because their parent didn't make them go and really didn't teach them anything while they were at home, assessments should be done when a child is more advanced then the other children and is able to learn at the same pace as an older child. Children should be assessed for medical and mental reasons. It should be done when it is deemed to be necessary.

Wyk, Johann van. Poorest Schools Perform Worst in National Assessment Tests.   
Posted on 8 September, 2011  

Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

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Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

December 3, 1991, I was 19 years old when I gave birth to my daughter, 7lbs 2oz and 21in long. My mother told me that when I go into labor I will feel a pain that I have never felt before and I would have unbelievable energy. Earlier that day I went to the doctor, went shopping, cleaned up, and painted. I knew that I had at least another week before she would come. I was already scheduled for a Cesarean because she was breech, standing straight up and she would not turn around. Well that evening on the 3rd I went to the restroom about 6pm and I felt a pain in my back that immediately brought tears to my eyes. That was the pain that my mom told me about. I called the doctor and he told me to get to the hospital right away. Well my delivery was not easy; labor began because my daughter went into distress her cord was wrapped around her neck. During surgery I had a reaction to something that caused me to have an asthma attack and it became very hard for me to breath, my daughter was born but I did not see her until the next day because they had to give me medication to help get my breathing under control. That night was the scariest yet the best night of my life. Later on after my daughter came home I found out that the reaction was to the latex gloves used during surgery. I have a very bad latex allergy that if exposed to any form of latex it can cause me to have an asthma attack or even die.

Cesareans are used a great deal in the US to help prevent complications during birth with the mother and the baby. America has a high rate of cesarean births and this is because we have the resources to provide the care during surgery and after. In Africa they do not have a high rate of cesarean births and at times because a cesarean or c-section was not done mom dies, baby dies, or they both die, and complications may arise. Africa does not have the proper resources to help women have healthy deliveries even if a cesarean is done. I think that this is very sad and there should be a way for the women of Africa to receive healthy deliveries just as American women do.

Graduation Day June 2010

These past 8 weeks have truly been  a struggle for me. I've had some stressful moments, however I would like to thank all of my fellow course mates and the instructor for all their words of encouragement, help, and comments. I wish you all the best and I hope we have the chance to work with each other again.

Examining Codes of Ethics

Examining Codes of Ethics

·         We shall honor and respect the diverse backgrounds of our colleagues including such diverse characteristics as sexual orientation, race, national origin, religious beliefs, or other affiliations.

·         We shall not participate in practices that are in violation of laws and regulations that protect the children in our programs.

·         To ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.

In my professional role each one of these ideas are important to me because they have to do with respect for race, sex orientation, religion beliefs, culture and how people act towards people not just as a professional but as people. I believe that even though the world may not identify each person as equal I do. I respect the person for being a person; I believe that we all should be able to treat each individual because of who they are not because of how they chose to live their lives, who they worship, or where they come from. Real professionals don’t see, color, sex orientation, religion, or culture. Real professional carry themselves with dignity, honor, and respect, not with ignorance. They live and work and treat people respectfully.

We need resources to expand our knowledge

Resources from the readings this week:

·  NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

·  NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

·  NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

·  NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

·  NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

·  NAEYC. (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

·  Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

·  FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

·  Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

·  Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

·  World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage

·  World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Read about OMEP’s mission.

·  Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/about/
Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statement

·  ·  National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/

·  The Division for Early Childhood http://www.dec-sped.org/

·  Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/

·  WESTED http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

·  Harvard Education Letter http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

·  FPG Child Development Institute http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm

·  Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/

·  HighScope http://www.highscope.org/

·  Children’s Defense Fund http://www.childrensdefense.org/

·  Center for Child Care Workforcehttp://www.ccw.org/

· Council for Exceptional Children http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

·  Institute for Women’s Policy Research http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm

·  National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/

·  National Child Care Association http://www.nccanet.org/

·  National Institute for Early Education Research http://nieer.org/

·  Pre[K]Now http://www.preknow.org/

·  Voices for America’s Children http://www.voices.org/

·  The Erikson Institute http://www.erikson.edu/

Seperate resources

Childhood is the world of miracle or of magic: it is as if creation rose luminously out of the night, all new and fresh and astonishing. Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing. When the world gives you a feeling of "déjà vu," when you are used to existence, you become an adult.

EUGENE IONESCO, Present Past / Past Pre
http://www.notable-quotes.com/c/children_quotes.html

The more we shelter children from every disappointment, the more devastating future disappointments will be.

FRED G. GOSMAN, How to Be a Happy Parent ... In Spite of Your Children

http://www.notable-quotes.com/c/children_quotes.html

http://www.seussdude.com/

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-center/help-your-school-age-child-develop-social-skills-credits.aspx

“Through others we become ourselves.”
Lev S. Vygotsky

 

The child begins to perceive the world not only through his eyes but also through his speech.

Lev Vygotsky

 

 

"The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done."
Jean Piaget

"The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done."
Jean Piaget

"It's a lot easier just to talk about what people should do, but stepping up and trying to do it is a whole lot different."
Renatta Cooper (week 2 video)


Other Quotes

Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. ~Neil Postman, The Disappearance of Childhood (introduction), 1982

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher

Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will normally find it’s something you’re tremendously passionate about.” – Steve Pavlina,
Blogger and Author

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children."

Mohandes Ghandi

I am a big fan of Dr. Seuss and his material, this book is one of my favorites. It shows how broad the imagination of a child is.