“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”

 John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Here's Too You!

A Big note of thanks for sharing your knowledge and yourself with me.  I hope to be continuing this journey with you.  Best of luck in all of your endeavors.

Testing for Intelligence?

Holistic development is based on the premise that we are to see a child as a whole person, emotionally, socially, intellectually, physically, healthily, culturally and spiritually.

Each area of development influences the others and is interconnected.  For example: Physical development goes into cognitive and social.

Holistic development values the many forms of learning.  The art of holistic education lies in its responsiveness to the diverse learning styles and needs of evolving human beings.  What is appropriate for some children and adults may not be for others. 

 Test fall under many categories.  a standardized test is an exmination that's administered and scored in a predetermined, standar manner.  There are two major kinds of standardized test: aptitude tests and achievement tests.  The intelligence tests avaiable are supposed to be a guide to measure one's general level of intellignce.  Different test measure different skills.  Usually standardized tests are said to be the single best predicto of one's level of intellectual capacity.

They are an attempt to measure how well you know a certain subject, or ones intelligence, cognitive functioning, interest, and personality are a few that come to mind.  I think the goal is generally all interconnected. 

Based on that information, I do not believe the formal approach is the best way to study what the young child.  I do not approve this type of assessment testing should be administered to children.  Every child has their own style of learning.   Of tools and techniques that can be helpful in a standardized test will not allow all children to share what they know and have learned?  There are many other items to be considered.  I know adults who do not test well.  There are a variety of tools and techniques that can be used.

After learning that one of my students would be returning to Korea for his elementary school years, I decided to take a look at assessment testing  at schools in Korea.  In Korea education his very important and expected of all citizens.  A fee is charged to attend school.  The school researched uses  The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), it is designed to measure intelligence.  It is a standardized achievement test designed to provide achievement scores that are valid for most types of educational decision-making. Areas that are assessed are Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. It is often used for placement evaluations in programs for gifted children.  

A child’s feeling and emotions have an effect on what they learn.  In elemtery school my  I felt that I felt that I was not as smart as the other children when it cam to spelling or math.  My teachers responds effected my emotional response.  If they cheered telling me I could do it or did they stare at me in complete silents.  As educators it is crucial that we remember that no experience fails to evoke an emotional response.  Understanding this fosters the whole being.   

http://www.infed.org/biblio/holisticeducation.htm

http://www.davidjcarey.com/Wechsler_Intelligence_Scale_for_Children.ht

http://www.dulwich-seoul.kr

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1130621

Stress on Children’s Development

Racism in the United States has been a major issue ever since the colonial era and the slave era.  Today it continues to be one of America’s “hot button” issues. The issue is not whether people experience racism, but how they experience it.  The lack of respect that many reports gives to our President clearly shows that racial issues are in the forefront of many American citizens. 

 Although many parents believe their children are oblivious to racial differences, research indicates otherwise. Dr. Katz writes, infants as young as 6 months old recognize racial cues, even before they develop language skills (Burnette, 1997).

It is believed that children develop racial attitudes similar to those of their parents.  They observe the positive or negative response of their parents.  Another way we     in our children. 

Frances Aboud at McGill University indicates that remaining silent (as in the "color-blind" stance) on racial issues suggests to children that talking about race is off limits. This silence piques a child's curiosity and can contribute to development of negative attitudes or a feeling of unease around people whose race is different from the child's.  (Aboud & Doyle, 1996).

 Many educators and psychologists have developed programs to address racism.

Children are assigned to a racially mixed group, and discussions about racial issues continue. Parent groups meet once a month to discuss racism and learn how they can discuss racism with their children.  This approach, bringing children together in small groups to work together on a specific task, is commonly known as cooperative learning.

Children come to see themselves as teammates, as "insiders" rather than "outsiders." They learn to encourage each other's participation, to listen to each other's ideas, and to disagree with respect instead of derision

One way parents can open discussions with their children is by reading children's books about other cultures. In Nappy Hair, by Carolivia Herron, Brenda's family talks about her hair, which is the nappiest, curliest, and twistiest hair in the whole family. This book about an African American family can lead to a discussion about differences in appearance.

 In Bird Talk, by Lenore Keshig-Tobias, the discussion focuses on how a Native American family deals with a little girl's feelings when her schoolmates tease her about being Indian.

In Everybody Eats Rice, by Norah Dooley, a young child is sent out to call her brother to dinner. She visits many homes in her neighborhood as she searches for him, and sees the ways families from different cultures prepare rice for dinner. She learns that not only Asian Americans eat rice. This book can lead to a discussion about food across cultures.

 Arnold Adoff's book Black Is Brown Is Tan is about two children in a multiracial family.

In addition to actively seeking children's books about other cultures, parents can also begin looking critically at characters in their children's favorite television programs and children's books.

These characters often reflect stereotypical ways of thinking.  For example, in Clifford's Halloween, Clifford the Big Red Dog is shown wearing an Indian headdress and smoking a peace pipe. Parents can open a discussion with their child and help them understand that, today, Native American children wear jeans and sneakers, ride bikes, and play computer games.  Children are not color blind; they recognize differences. Children develop racial attitudes based on their observations of their parents and society in general.

www.nhaeyc.org/newsletters/articles/Racism_in_Childrens_Movies.pdf ·

www.associatedcontent.com/article/407029/how_to_prevent_racism_in_your_chld.html

Child Abuse in India - Sexual Abuse and Child Trafficking

India remains the country with the highest rate of violence against women and children and the highest rate of child prostitution and child trafficking.

In India, parents are often reluctant to admit child abuse and sexual abuse of children involving family members is almost always hushed up.

Besides physical and sexual abuse, the statistics on emotional abuse and neglect of girls is difficult to get confrmation.

The country also has millions of child workers.

http://wcd.nic.in/childabuse.pdf

http://cozay.com/CHILD-ABUSE-IN-INDIA.php

http://www.unicef.org/india/child_protection_3045.htm

Child Development and Public Health

            After watching a show about homeless children in Orland Florida I chose to learn more  about Nutrition and Malnutrition.

Malnutrition occurs when the body does not get the right amount of protein, calories, vitamins and other nutrients.  

According to the U.S. Department of Health all children need a balanced diet and physical activity in order to grow, learn, build strong bones and muscles to name just a few of the benefits.  How do we as parents see to it that our children have these needs met?  Get them immunized, feed them food from the food pyramid, cook with less fat, and limit sugary foods and drinks.  We are all familiar with this list.  What happens to those who don’t have the means to meet the need? 

Statics show between twenty and thirty percent of homeless families surveyed said they had gone without food for part of the previous month (Burt, Aron, and Lee).  Poverty, the number one cause of malnutrition.  

People who don’t get enough food often experience hunger, and hunger can lead to malnutrition over the long term.  However, a child can become malnourished for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger. Even people who have plenty to eat may be malnourished if they don't eat food that provides the right nutrients.    

In developing countries 12 million children under five are dying due to malnutrition.  Lack of food, infection, inadequate care and unsafe water all play a role.

Niger, a West African nation where one in five children under the age of 5 suffering from malnutrition, according to the World Food Programme. 

http://motherchildnutrition.org/malnutrition-management/index.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030630110813.htm 

 
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/hunger.html

Giving Birth In India

I'm in the middle of reading Autobiography of a Yogi so I thought I would learn about giving birth in India.
The article i found most interesting stresses time and again that child birth is a natural process.  I think in the last sixteen years or so the US has been stressing the same thing.  Ultra sounds are not used to determine the sex of the unborn child.  As a matter of fact prenatal sex determination is illegal.  Where as in the U.S. it seems that every parent uses the ultrasound to determine the sex of the child.  Modern hospitals have to be seeked out.  If you are able to give birth at a modern hospital epidurals are used and the husband is allowed to stay with their wives for delivery.  Surprisingly the C-section rate is almost as high as 65% in private hospitals.  The US has been accused of performing them to quickly but we are tiring to cut back on the surgery.




http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles_various/child-birth.asp

Childbirth

I would like to share the birthing experience of my nephew born to one of my older sisters that I had the pleasures of taking part in. CJ moved cross country away from her immediate family because of a job opportunity. Wanting to move away from a small town I soon followed. CJ a working mother of two elementary age children, ill with what she thought was the flu for about two weeks when she finally went to the doctors and got the exciting news. She continued to not be able to keep food down. She was losing weight and suffered from dehydration. The doctor put her on bed rest and there she stayed until ten weeks had past. In her seventh month her husband took a job out of town and I assured him not to worry I was only a ten minute drive from her if she need anything. One day past her due date I visited with her most of the afternoon. Before going home to get ready for my dinner date. Although it was still fairly early about 7pm. I phoned to let her know we were at my place sitting on the patio visiting and that I was just checking in. She said she thought she was starting to labor but at this rate she would call her doctor in the morning. I was not to worry enjoy my date and she would call me after she spoke with her doctor. I could not get her off my mind. I packed my backpack and asked my date if he would not mind dropping me off at my sisters. He completely understood. I unlocked the door to my sisters house as he walked back to his car. My sister met me at the door, holding the door frame “I think I better go to the hospital". She was so claim. Hearing the commotion my date helped me get her into the car and drove us to the hospital. We made it to the floor I was instructed to take her I remember her squeezing my hand, telling her to blow and like that it was over. A beautify, red, long slimy baby boy.  It was midnight.  Only five hours had pasted.  As I went to tell her children I pasted her husband running down the hall. I don’t remember calling him, how she got into the hospital robe, or the bed or when the mid-wife arrived, or leaving her children with my date. But I can still see her looking in my eyes following every instruction I gave her. Would you believe that baby boy took his first steps at our wedding? Yes my date and I have been married for nineteen years and have two daughters of our own.

I chose this experience because it is the only time I got to experience birth from the other end of the table. I scene have had the pleasure of giving birth myself twice.

My thoughts about giving birth and its impact on child development. Giving birth is a life changing event and the end resale can be devastating. Many things can go wrong when a child is being born. I have a cousin that is said to have been born with cerebral palsy. I’ve heard many stories frighten stories about the cord being tied around the baby’s neck. Or that the baby had to be delivered by emergency c section. Could the reason we have so many children diagnosed with autism is because of something happening at birth? Child birth is really a precious, scary, life changing event.