My Supports

When I look at my life I have many different support systems.  Those systems include my mother, grandfather, sister, and a few friends.  My grandfather was the male figure in my life when I was growing up.  Everyday he would pick me and my sister up from school and take us to his house.  He would make sure dinner was on the table when my mom would get home from work.  He was the one who would attend all of the school fieldtrips, take me to my dentist, and doctor appointments.  Since I was a young mother he was also there to support me financially.  When I was in need of a car or money he was always willing to help me out.

  My mother has always been there for me emotionally.  As a young mother my life was extremely stressful.  I don’t know where I would be today without the support of my mother.  She has always been there for me to offer advice and support to me.  When I decided to start college I knew it was going to be a struggle.  I had two young children and worked full-time.  Through my mother’s support and encouragement was able to obtain a teaching degree.

My sister has always been a support system in my life.  She has helped me tremendously with my children.  She would babysit for me whenever I needed her too.  She also helps me with getting them to and from school.  She always teases me by saying “When I have kids you owe me unlimited babysitting.”  It has been a joke for years.  She is also there for to support me emotionally as well.  Sometimes my mom gives me her opinion about something and if I don’t agree with her I will ask my sister’s opinion.  She is the only sibling I have so we have a very close relationship.

Last but not least I have a few close friends.  Some of these friends I met when I started college and we have remained friends.  We helped each other get through school and are still supporting each other as we having started our teaching careers.

I would not know what to do without these support systems in my life.  I think that support systems work both ways.  I may support my systems differently then they support me.

My Connections to Play

A child loves his play, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. – Benjamin Spock

When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero. – Fred Rogers

      

When I was growing up I was always encouraged to play either by myself, with my sister, or with friends.  I typically was engaged in outside activities such as playing in my friends’ tree house, riding bikes, playing tag, exploring in the woods.  If I did play inside it was either house or school.   I don’t recall adults playing with me.  I don’t know if it was because I always wanted to be outside or that my family viewed play as a child’s activity.  I do believe that my family wanted me to use my imagination and engage in lots of activities.

Play is very different today then it was when I was growing up.  For me I was always outside.  Sitting in front of a computer or video game system was not what I wanted to do.  Instead I preferred to explore the woods that were next to my house, or play games such as cops and robbers, or go bike riding.  I was free to engage in these activities without an adult right by my side.  In today’s word I feel that parents allow children to get so involved with video game systems, and watching t.v. because it is too scary to just send your child outside to play.  Parents have extremely busy schedules and find it difficult to watch their child play.  It is sad but it is the reality of today’s world. 

I think that being active as a child and having the opportunity to explore the world around me freely has really shaped me as a person.  Engaging in free play allows us to use our imaginations and be creative.  Now that I’m a teacher I feel that the way I played when I was a child has been able to help me be creative with my students by creating activities that they might not get to engage in when they are at home such as exploring outside.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important because they can be used as a support system and are necessary for our own well-being.  Relationships can be joyful or stressful. I try to only build relationships with people that are going to bring me joy.  Negative relationships cause stress and I try to avoid that at all costs. 

I currently have positive relationships with my mother, sister, children, and a few close friends.  I have always been close to my mother.  We have a great relationship that allows me to talk to her openly about anything that I may be going through.  She raised my sister and me all by herself and I feel that she has been a great role model for me.  My sister is a couple of years younger than me, but we have always been close.  Don’t get me wrong we have out moments when we argue like children, but when it comes down to it, we are always there for each other.  I have both a son and a daughter.  I currently have a great relationship with both of my children.  I encourage them to talk to me whenever they feel the need, even if it is maybe a difficult topic.  I believe that making them feel that they can come to me and I won’t judge them has allowed me to have open communication with them thus far.  I wouldn’t say that I have a lot of friends just a few that are dear to my heart.  My best friend has been friends with me for 30 years.  That is amazing.  We have been friends every since we were little girls.  She is always there for me when I need her and I do the same for her.

Maintaining relationships is difficult.  As you get older your views of life change and the people who you choose to associate with change.  Establishing new relationships occurs all the time but only the important ones can be maintained. 

Everyone establishes relationships differently.  As an educator it important to be able to reflect on the relationships that you have established within your personal life to help you establish relationships in your professional life.  If you have only had negative relationships it is going to be quite difficult to establish positive relationships with families and children.  I always remember that some relationships have to be maintained for a brief time, and after that time if the relationship is negative then you can let go of it and move on. 

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.