My Support

Support means that someone or something helps you. My supports are my god, job, fiancé, house, parents, and school.  I listed god as my number one support because without him nothing would be possible every day I wake up and every night when I go to bed I thank him for the support he gives me throughout the day. My job is one of my supports because of the things it allows me to have such as money, which leads to my house being my support because if I didn’t have a house I wouldn’t need to work and my house helps me to be an independent woman. My fiancé supports me in every way regardless of the circumstance; he is just a helpful person. My schooling supports me in a way of helping me to become knowledgeable and greater at my job.   

All my supports are beneficial for me and I have not had a struggle or any life changing obstacles in my life. My bills are paid on time, I have a loving fiancé, a brand new house, loving parents that are always supportive, and I’m continuing my education at the age of 23. Challenges come in every one life but I am grateful and blessed to say that I have not been face with a challenge that stopped me from being who I am.   

My Connections to Play

“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” ~ Anonymous

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

When I was younger I would leave home and go to a neighbors house and play all day. I do not remember stopping playing to eat. I use to love to play kickball, basketball, and softball. I was a very athletic little girl and I ran with many guys. I was called a tom boy as a child and I would be the little child that did not like to keep their shoes on. I’m a country girl!!

The difference in play today is all the technology. We had video games but we did not sit in the house all day and play them unless it was raining and most of the time we ran around the house. I wish kids would be so attached to the television and go outside and play physical games.

I still love to play. I broke my ankle last year sliding into third base playing softball. I love to be outside and play sports. I have been doing sense I was a child and I will continue to play as long as I am able.  

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they start by you getting to know an individual and then you love that individual. The greatest gift of life is to love someone! The people I have positive relationships with are my mom, dad, brother , sister, fiancé, nieces, nephews, and basically my whole family. My best friend Carrie and April. The ways these relationships are positive are I talk with my mom every day, my dad is very supportive as well as my brother and sisters. My fiancé is very caring and loving, my nieces and nephews are so fun and my family is loving. My best friend April and Carrie are the most reliable peers ever. The factor that contributes to each relationship and the maintaining development is the love that we all have for each other.  

The insight that I have gained regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships are meeting new people. I am the worse and I think I have some type of phobia to meeting new people were relationships can be developed on a personal level. Once I warm up to the person I’m very inviting and show great care. Some characteristic that would make great partnership would be same interest, similar ideas and same thought process. My experiences with people I come off a little shy, soft spoken, and quiet but once I get to know the person and  see more of them I become more verbal and ask many question myself other than asking a person if they have questions for me.  

Childhood Quote

I love my nephews...

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.  ~Elizabeth Lawrence

I certainly miss my childhood.... Enjoyable memories 

Testing For Intelligence??

Committing to viewing a young child’s holistically I do believe that the child should be measured and assessed. I think it is fair for a child to be assessed as a whole meaning their mind, body and soul. By assessing a child in all areas I believe it would help a child develop healthy. I do not agree with the EOG that are given at the end of the semester to school age children because I strongly believe they are bias. To assess the achievement in a student I think that the teacher that knows the child and has taught the child for a year should develop a test for the children not someone that has no idea of the culture differences in the children. It is bias for children all over the United States to take the same test. We all speak different and have different cultures that make test bias in my opinion. I think it would be very helpful for children to be assessed as a whole because children need to be physically fit, mentally fit and intelligently fit to master the aspects of life. Children are holding on to situations or problems that are in the homes and it affects their school work and behaviors. I believe that viewing a child’s holistically would avoid many of the things that are happening in schools today.

 In Southern Africa outcomes-based education places less emphasis on exams and more on continual assessments of class work, projects and other tasks completed throughout the year. Also, OBE places more emphasis on whether a child grasps a particular concept than on how well he or she does so. That said, exams are still very much a feature of school life, particularly in high school. Matric marks will determine whether a student gets into university or not. There's a growing worldwide trend towards home schooling and South Africa is no exception, with thousands of families opting to home school their children, for a variety of reasons. Some parents are keen to give their children religious or individualized tuition which they won't receive at school; others want to avoid the institutional nature of school life. For those who wish to send their children to private schools but cannot afford to, home schooling is a cheaper alternative. Several home schooling associations are on hand to help those who choose to go this route. Although home schooling is legal in South Africa, it is not actively encouraged by government: permission must first be sought from provincial authorities, and various requirements must be met.

Assessing young children is a lead way of healthy development throughout the child’s life. I am dealing with a parent now that child is over hyperactive but she thinks it is extremely outrageous to have him assessed and observe by a professional. It’s important for teachers and parents to work together for the best interest of the child.

Stressors

I have not experience any stressors as a child but I do know my best friend/cousin experience some violence in her life with her mom and dad. She explained to me how her dad was addicted to drugs and would come home and verbally abuse her and physically abuse her mom. I could tell that it really affected her because I just found this out not to long ago. She cope with the situations by doing what she loves which is singing and she said it made her realize how she did not want to live once she was older. She is a year older than me and today she has a very respectful boyfriend. Some children that grows up in that situation tend to follow into the footsteps of their parents. She could have ended up on drugs did her father or a abuse relationship like her mother. I believe with her coming around my family and spending time with me as little girls she got a chance to see a happy Christian lifestyle. I had to go to church every Sunday with my mom and dad plus they have been married sense my mom was nineteen. When you grow up with a family or knowing a family can be functional then a child can set their expectations the same for when they grow up.

I know that diseases are a big stressor in Africa and many children are born with diseases. It saddens me to know a child has to live with a disease for the rest of their life that they had no control over. Africa is affected by the HIV and AIDS virus and many children are affected by the disease.  This disease is effecting a child’s development in many ways such as growth in organs and body. And the best way for mothers and fathers to minimize the stressor is to practice safe sex and use condoms.