My Supports

I have a wonderful support system of people who love me. 

My son Lance

I gave birth to my son Lance in August. I am lucky enough to have a husband who is supporting our family financially while I stay home and care for him. My husband also helps with emotional support by being there for me, listening to and discussing issues with me, and helping out around the house when he is home. I can not imagine a life without my husband in it. He is a vital part of my everyday life, and my world would come crashing down without him. 

My husband Jonathan and I

My Mom and Dad

My parents and mother-in-law offer support by baby-sitting Lance when then can. I know that I can call either of them and they will do whatever they can to help. All I have to do is ask. I am a very lucky person to have such amazing people in my life. They have helped me numerous times, and just having a break for an hour or so helps me stay sane. 

The challenge I chose to imagine for this assignment was if I were to break a leg. Our home has several sets of stairs which having a broken leg would make it very difficult to get around. Holding my baby would be impossible while standing, cleaning and doing regular house hold chores would be extremely difficult. I know that I could count on my husband if something like this happened. He would do the cleaning, and take care of Lance when he was home. My mother would probably come and stay for a week or so. And my mother-in-law would do the same.

As I said earlier, I am a very lucky individual to be surrounded by so many people who love me and are there for me.

My Connections to Play

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play."- Henri Matisse

As a child I loved playing in the steam near our house.

"Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child."-Joan Almon

 

My parents were advocates of imaginative and active play.  My childhood involved countless hours of creative play. A majority of my play was outdoors. As a child I remember them doing things like building snow forts with me and exploring the woods behind our home. 

 

I feel that play has changed so much since I was a child. Children today think of play as interactions with technology. Most children spend a majority of their free time either on the computer or watching movies. I feel that play today is less active and engaging. Children want to be entertained effortlessly, they don't want to have to work for it. 

 

Nature was my playground.

Play has played a vital role in my life. It has helped form the way I look at the world and other people. As a new mom I look forward to introducing my son to the enjoyment of play. Life would be boring without play. 

Relationship Reflection:

“Human relationships, and the effects of relationships on relationships, are the building blocks of healthy development” (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000, p. 4).

I have many relationships in my life that have a positive influence on me. 

My Parents:

My parents raised me to respect myself and others and to value life experiences. My dad isn’t the most vocal person, but I have never doubted that he loves me. He taught me that actions really do speak louder than words. I have many childhood memories including my dad helping me build a fort, playing in the snow, and teaching me how to change a tire. Now that I am an adult, my dad continues to be there for me and support me in all of my endeavors. My mom is a very special woman. She has always been there when I needed consolation. She has great compassion for people and is always there to lend a hand. Now that I am grown up, she is the one I call when I need someone to listen to me. She has taught me the importance of really listening to someone when they are talking.

My Husband:

My husband is my best friend, our relationship is trusting and open. Jon has helped me to become a better communicator. When we first met I had difficulty sharing my true feelings at times. We were married six years ago and since then we have grown closer and have watched our relationship grow and mature. 

My Son:

In August I gave birth to my son Lance. Our relationship is new and we are still forming it and learning about each other. He has taught me things about myself that I never knew. For instance, I never knew that I had so much patience! He can be very fussy at times and I have learned to just keep my chin up and continue on. 

My Friends:

I have several friends who I can depend on to always be there when I need them. They are always there to listen or offer advice. I would be lost without them!

Week Eight Assignment:

The following quotes inspire me to be a better teacher: 

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -- Marva Collins

"Good teaching is more a giving of right

questions than a giving of

right answers." --Josef Albers

Blog Assignment Week Six:

I believe that students learn in a variety of ways. Some students are auditory learners, this means that retain knowledge best when listening and interacting in conversations. Another way that students learn is visually. These students would probably benefit most from power point presentations and other visual aids. And there are also learners who excel when they are taught experientially. Experiential learning takes place when there are age appropriate hands on activities. One more way that students learn is through observation. Children are observers and explorers, taking in the world around them. A teacher also needs to be a good observer. It is a teacher’s duty to know the children’s different learning styles in the classroom. She should create her lesson plans accordingly, so that each child has the chance to reach their full potential. I believe that a teacher should strive to incorporate a variety of teaching styles so that all learners in her classroom will benefit. To reach their full potential a student needs to be respected, have available resources, confidence that their questions will be answered, and most important, a motivated and inspiring teacher who is dedicated to his or her job.

            A teacher should teach with passion, she should inspire and motivate her students to want to learn. It should be obvious to her students that knowledge is important to her, because if it is not important to her, it will not be important to them. Teachers should always be looking for ways to improve their teaching techniques. Teachers should do their best to make their lessons interesting and engaging for their students.  If possible students should be actively engaged in learning at all times. Teachers not only need to be aware of students intellectual needs, but there emotional and physical needs as well. A child spends most of their day in the classroom. It is a teacher’s duty to make sure that that child is functioning in all of those areas. If a child is not getting enough food, or is being abused at home it is the teachers’ responsibility to notice the signs and do something about it. 

      When assessing students we should consider the whole child and not just academia. A teacher should constantly be assessing her students skills. These assessments can be formal or informal. The collected data from these assessments can help a teacher create her curriculum and cater to her student's needs. 

 

Blog Assignment Week Four:

Topic: Isolation as a child

When I was younger I had a friend whose parents wouldn’t allow her to socialize with other people. We were friends because we lived across the street from her and her mom was my mom’s friend. But her parent’s homeschooled her and she weren’t allowed to join and clubs or sports of any kind. I believe that this is an example of isolation. I was her only friend other than family members. As an adult, twenty years later, she hasn’t been able to successfully adjust to society. She hasn’t been able to keep a job for longer than two years. And she isn’t able to maintain relationships romantic of friendships. I believe she has these difficulties because she wasn’t properly socialized as a child. She was kept in isolation for a large part of her growing up life.

That experience was extremely detrimental to her developmental process. She has been to counseling and has tried to join various groups to help her social awkwardness.

She has improved with time, but it has taken a lot of work and stress on her part. We are still friends and keep in contact with one another on a weekly basis. I have been able to witness her progress as she continues to grow more confidence in herself. I hope that one day she will be able to function as a normal person in society without experiencing anxiety.

Blog Assignment Two

SIDS:

The topic I chose to discuss this week is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). I chose this topic because I have a five week old baby and would like to know more about SIDS and how to prevent it. Knowing this information will help me in my future because I will be able to inform parents of SIDS and how to prevent it.

 Here are some interesting facts that I learned about SIDS:

·         Most infant deaths related to SIDS happen while the infants are sleeping in their crib

·         Babies are at risk of dying of SIDS until they are about one year old

·         The highest risk of SIDS is from two to four months of age

·         SIDS effects males more than females

·         It appears that the baby dies quickly and does not experience pain

·         More SIDS related deaths take place in cold weather then in warm weather

What you can do to avoid SIDS:

·         Always put your child to sleep on their back

·         Do not overload the crib/sleeping area with stuffed animals

·         Don’t use fluffy blankets or crib bumpers

·         Make sure your baby does not get too warm while sleeping

The number of infants who die because of SIDS has gone down dramatically in recent years. However it is still a threat. I look forward to the day when researchers can discover the actual cause of SIDS and definite ways to prevent it.  

 http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sids/upload/PART_II.pdf

Blog Assignment One:

The birthing experience that I chose to talk about was the birth of my son last month. It was a whirlwind of an experience. My water broke around 11:15pm and my son was born at 2:14am. I decided that I wanted to have a drug-free, water birth. I would highly recommend water birth to anyone. I found the birthing tub much more comfortable then the bed. I really don’t remember a lot of the experience, it went by so fast. I remember being in extreme pain, and then the feeling of relief when it was over. Now that it is over, it was amazing. 

 

I chose to research birthing methods in Australia. A majority of the babies that are born in Australia are born “naturally” or vaginally. This is similar to my experience since I had my baby naturally. I found a useful website called Bellybelly.com.au. It has tips and information about conception, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and more.