You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  ~Clay P. Bedford

Assessment

I think that children should be assessed based on their IQ.  I don’t believe in standardized testing.  I think standardized tests dominate classroom instruction and that is not how it should be.  Teachers are so scared that students’ achievement is a reflection on their ability to teach and that is not true, in most cases.  Giving students unit tests in a reflection of their true learning.  
In Germany assessment is carried out by means of frequent tests (‘Arbeiten’) and dictation tasks (‘Diktate’) but there are no SATS and no Key Stages like those prevalent in British primary education.
Reports are given annually and the children work towards the ‘Hauptschulabschluss’ (Certificate).
Some schools cater for the slower learner and those with special needs and, invariably, the schools have many foreign children whose knowledge of German is not up to the standard needed for the higher-level schools.

Children Living in Poverty

The stressor I think I can most relate to is poverty.  I can relate to this stressor the most because the vast majority of the students I teach are currently living in poverty.  Every child at the school receives free breakfast and either free or reduced lunch.  The neighborhoods they live in are tantalized by crime.  Some of the students not only have to deal with violence within the neighborhood, but abuse and neglect within their own home.  School is supposed to be a safe haven for these students and they do feel safe with the adults, but with other students the tension is increasingly high.  Since these children see violence on a day to day basis they are frustrated and can not remained focused.  This inhibits their ability to learn both academically and socially.  They are not capable of dealing with anger appropriately because they do not have any good role models.  Instead, once they have reached a certain level of anger, they feel that their solution is to fight.  The suspension rate at the school is one of the highest in the county.  The teachers and administration can only do so much to help these children escape from the life they are living.

Children living in poverty has the same affect in Germany as in the United States.  Poor children face limited educational opportunities. According to a AWO-Study only 9% of the pupils are poor.^[7] Poor children are likely to experience adversities beyond money. They are more likely to be raised by a teenage-parent. They are more likely to have multiple young siblings, are more likely to be raised in crime-ridden neighborhoods and more likely to live in substandard apartments which are often overcrowded. Their parents are likely to be less educated and they are more likely to have emotional problems.^[8]
Children growing up poor are more likely to get involved in accidents than their non-poor peers.^[9] They are less likely to follow a healthy diet.^[10] They are less likely to be healthy. In poor neighborhoods many children suffer from speech impairments and stunted motoric development^[11] They tend to have lower IQs.^[12]

Child Development and Public Health Issues

The topic I chose was immunization.  The topic is meaningful to me because at one point in time people believed that immunizations were the cause of Autism.  With the number of children being diagnosed with Autism on the rise I think parents were beginning to think that they should not have their children immunized.  At this point in time, research does not prove immunizations cause Autism.

Immunizations are important. The eight childhood diseases (measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and polio) which are preventable by immunization, can, and do, cause crippling and, sometimes, death. These illnesses are serious and their complications can be terrible.
With the exception of tetanus, these diseases are contagious. They can spread rapidly from child to child and from community to community. As long as children remain unprotected against them, serious outbreaks of disease - even epidemics - can occur.
It is important for parents to understand what protection vaccines give and what risks vaccines create for their children. Generally, vaccines are among our safest and most effective medicines.

Unlike the Americas, Scandinavia and the UK, vaccinations are not compulsory in Germany.   Childhood vaccination is usually performed by pediatricians or general practitioners and is free of charge. Vaccinations are not mandatory in Germany, but status is routinely documented from vaccination cards presented at school entry examinations.

Child Birth Experience

The birthing experience that I am going to share is the birth of my daughter.    The experience that I had with her was amazing!  I went into labor the night before she was actually due.  My contractions started at approximately 2:00 a.m.  I did not want to rush to the hospital because I was in labor with my son for 32 hours, so I figured I had some time.  After the contractions started I waited about 45 minutes before I went to the hospital.  Once I got to the hospital they decided to they were going to go ahead and admit me.  I was only in a labor a total of 3 hours.  My doctor told me if I decide to have anymore children that I should plan on camping out at the hospital.  The delivery was very calm and relaxed without any complications.  What made this experience special and memorable was the two nurses decided to sing happy birthday to my daughter.  My daughter was an easy going baby who was easy to keep happy.  I’m sure that the birthing experience contributed to that. 

In Germany birthing experiences take place in a hospital, but the actual delivery is typically performed by a midwife.  There are doctors at the hospital, but they only intervene if there are complications.  Mother and baby stay at the hospital for approximately one week.  Once they go home the midwife works with the family for forty-five days to help them learn and adjust to the new addition. 

I think having someone other than family members available to you is a fantastic idea.  First, because they are trained professionals and would be able to answer any questions the family may have especially for first time parents.  Bringing home a new baby is exhausting and it would be beneficial to have someone that would be able to help you cope with the new challenges that will come with having a baby.

Codes of Ethical Conduct

The three ideals that are of great importance for me and my professional life are:

I-1.5 To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

I-1.9 When we have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or neglect, we shall report it to the appropriate community agency and follow up to ensure that appropriate action has been taken.  When appropriate, parents or guardians will be informed that the referral will be or has been made.

I-2.9 To participate in building support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.

I think these ideals help support my goals and will help me become a strong advocate in the early childhood field. 

Course Resources

http://hypermedia.educ.psu.edu/k-12/edpgs/su96/ece/TITLE.html

www.earlychildhoodnews.com

www.preschoolrainbow.org/book-themes.htm

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• 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://www.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
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• 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. 

Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• 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
   
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
  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 statements.

 Early Childhood Organizations

• 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 Workforce
  http://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/
     

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education