my supports

I have many supports such as my family and friends. These people are important to me because I would cease to exist without them. My life is what it is because they have shown love and they have taught me how to love. I think the other supports that I have are materialistic. The two biggest materialistic supports that I have would be my cell phone and computer. I label them as supports because my cellphone is my life line to those who are miles away. Mt computer is important because it is where I complete my work for class. I am behind on my work now because my computer is down so I am submitting my work via phone.

"My Connections To Play"

Two quotes that I feel connects to the theory of play

"Children's games are hardly games. Children are never more serious than when they play."

"There are children playing in the street who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago."

(Play Item #1)

(Play Item #2

I think that I should probably explain my two play items.  For the most part, the bike or the automobile in item #1 is something that would interest me because it represents freedom.  As a child, the places that I could go are limited because after all, I am a child, but many children like to ride bikes because they like the idea of moving and going.  The wind is at their back and their imagination is running wild--a moment such as this one is priceless.  In item #2, the puppies are something that I would like because they represent that unconditional friendship.  The relationship that we have with our animals are almost the same as the one that we have with our family.  Animals are family and they are very forgiven.  They don't judge nor do they criticize.  Children need that in their lives--no judging and no criticizing, they need to know that they can be themselves.

When I was a child, I had too many responsibilities.  We were a family of nine and everyone had to take care of someone. We played but our play time was not filled with computers and electronic devices.  We had slinkies and we had board games but for the most part, we made up games to play outside.  We never wanted to be in the house; our fun was outside playing in the dirt and grime.  In today's society, a child has just about every toy within their fingertips.  Many children don't go outside and adults spend so much money on computer games and these games keep the children confined to the house.  Then, there are those children who are active and who love to go outside.  I think that people value play; I think that our perception as to what play is has changed.

I personally believe that play is a necessity for children who are becoming social and who are trying to form an identity.  I think that adults need to accept that children are imaginative and creative and they need an outlet.

Relationship Reflection

Over a period of time, I have acquired many relationships but the most important relationships in my life right now would be those I have established with my family and friends.  The relationships that I have with these people are important to me because it was through these people that I was able to find myself.  I have had a few setbacks that at one point made me a pessimistic person--a person who had a very dim outlook on life.  These people help me to overcome the obstacles I was facing...

Before meeting my best friend, Lakeshia Jenkins, I also had a few trust issues.  She has taught me how to trust and give people a fair chance.  In order to make the two relationships I have mentioned healthy and strong, I try to make myself available to my family and friends.  By doing this, the relationships thrive.  Without these relationships, life would be boring and dull and I probably wouldn't know how to trust or love others. 

My relationship with my family and friends are also important to the work that I do within my classroom.  I have established relationships with my students and their family because I do believe that if we form a partnership with the students and the parents, then the students are going to be more likely to succeed because they have support from the teachers and their parents.  Overall, I can see the benefits of forming a partnership with my immediate family and friends  and with my students and the parents.  I want my students to be the best that they can be and in return, I give them the best that I am.

QUOTE ABOUT CHILDREN/LETTER OF THANKS TO CLASS MATES

The quote that I particularly like states the following:
"You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have for instance."  --Franklin P. Jones

I placed this quote on my blog because it is the truth.  Children teach us a lot and patience is one of those things that I have learn by being a teacher.  Before teaching, I had no patience.  I had a quick temper and I was very sarcastic about everything to everybody.  Then, I started teaching and realized that I had to change my way of thinking because the last thing in the world I wanted to do was hurt a child's feelings.

In reference to patience and my classmates within this particular class, I would just like to say thank you.  Thank you to those people who may this class easy for me just by answering my questions if I had problems.  You will surely be missed.  Take care and have a great experience within this program.

Assessing Intelligence

The mind is so complex to the point that I am not sure what I would assess or test.  There are so many things that has to be taken into consideration because for the most part, the person performing the test may not be adequately certified.   Also, when it comes to students who are Spanish or of a different culture, we have to determine if the test is one that these children are capable of taking so that we won't be discriminating  against any children.  Furthermore, not all children are good test takers.  I am a good test taker but if I passed the test, does that mean that I am superior to my counterpart who failed the test because he isn't a good test taker? 

Sam Dillon from the New York Times published an article years ago and the focus was on how Americans fared with foreign countries on standardized testing.  The results of that article determined that countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan outscored Americans in math and science. 
A fellow reporter tried to justify this by saying that "Kids don't  start school at the same age in different countries."

There are too many factors involved when it comes to taking a test.  We will never know why the findings were that Asian communities fared better than Americans on standardized tests.  The matter is too complex. I honestly believed that testing is one of the reasons why so many American teachers are leaving the profession.

source: http://www.nytimes/2007/

"Stressors On Children In Korea"

I read an article that discussed how stressful children were in Korea.  The article brought up the notion that these children were stressed because the parents and government are more focused on education rather than children being children and having fun.  In the article, it stated that "The average child attends not only regular school but private after school academies."  As a child, I can't fathom the idea of going to school and then leaving to be shuffled off to another school.  The article mentions that going to school at 11 p.m. has been deemed illegal, yet the children must attend.  As adults, we tend to think that a child's life is happy and filled with excitement all the time but we see that this is not true.  Some children have taken on the same responsibility as adults and no one asked them how they felt about it; the responsibilities were just thrown on them.  The article continued to expound upon the cruelty inflicted upon this nation's children by saying that "Psychologists blame this culture for all manner of ills, from poor social skills to the nation's unacceptably high rate of youth suicide, which is now the leading cause of death among those aged 15-24."

After reading this, I think about what I have always heard over the years as a teenager.  People say that Asian children are extremely smart.  I don't doubt that they are but the article helped me to realize that these young children are being pushed too far in order to compete in today's society.  I am all for getting an education but I think that this is harsh and a bit extreme.



Refer to this website to read further: http://www.economist.com/

"My Stressor As A Child"

From the list presented on the course home page, the stressor that I can most identify with would be chaos.  Many people probably looked at that list and thought that the stressor that causes the most problems would be the one that is most mentioned by individuals but the fact of the matter is that stress can be caused by the smallest thing.  I didn't have a utopian type of household.  It was a battle field everyday but it had some problems.  Chaos within the home can cause a child to become a negative individual and in my case, it caused me to become a passive aggressive person.  I would never confront my problems or face my fears.  I held everything in all the time and within any given moment, I would explode.

I dealt with chaotic situations by ignoring them or trying to ignore them by putting on my head phones and listening to my music.  While at home, I sometimes would build me a fort and read a book--try to envision myself as the character so that I could escape.  As an adult, I don't like to argue and have been called antisocial.  I like to socialize but I find myself not wanting to be around dramatic people.  I try to control my world by eliminating any type of negativity.  So far, it has worked out for me.