In closing..

I would like to take this time to express my appreciation of this course and of the blogs of my classmates.  I did not get a chance to post to all blogs but there were some exciting ideas and great opinions on the blogs I chose to comment on.  I value the opinions of others and it was helpful to read my ideas expressed from another perspective.  I truly appreciate all of the insight that I am leaving this course with and I thank you for your support, effort and expression of your ideas! This has been a fun ride and I wish all of you the best!

Thank You :-)

Quotes to Live By.....

Children begin by loving there parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.  -Oscar Wilde

Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them ice, those the art of living well.  -Aristotle

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

If a child is given love, he becomes loving ... If he's helped when he needs help, he becomes helpful. And if he has been truly valued at home ... he grows up secure enough to look beyond himself to the welfare of others.  -Dr. Joyce Brothers


I chose quotes that reflected some of the ingredients of establishing a secure attachment with children.  I know these quotes by heart as I often refer back to them when I feel like an overwhelmed parent. They not only help me to see the bigger picture of life but these quotes also help me to stay focused on what is important in my life.

Measuring and assessing our children

I believe that the only thing that should be measured on a child is their growth development in relation to other children. I am not a fan of standardized tests being used to measure intelligence.  Likewise I do not think that we should measure the feelings of children.  No two people are exactly the same in all aspects so it would be unfair to compare people.   We assess the abilities of children, often forgetting that each child learns and grows at their own pace.

Jamaica is a fascinating place and I pride myself on knowing so much about their heritage.  Though corruption runs rampant throughout the mainland, there are still so good points to make about Jamaica.  In Jamaica, children begin to attend school as early as 2 years old.  Though school begins early in life and most school-aged children are in school in Jamaica, the test scores on standardized tests are not very good with only 60% of the students averaging passing grades.  There are 5 or 6 standardized tests that are given throughout the year but many students are still illiterate by the end of the school year.  

Again, I do not believe that standardized tests should be used to measure intelligence. There are no two people that are exactly the same or that learn the same.  Some people test well, others do not. I do not think that it is fair to judge someone's intelligence by way of standardized testing as there are certain factors, i.e.. having a bad day, hunger, tiredness, etc. that could affect one's ability to concentrate and do well.

References
 No Author.(2013). Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/jamaica/index.html

(2013). Standardized tests. Retrieved from:

http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/a/Standardized-Testing.htm

Poverty

My mother was a teen parent. Growing up, my family and I didn’t have much.  I lived in public housing in an area of the city where the crime rate is mid-range to high.  I didn’t wear the latest clothes or have the newest toys. There was not always a lot to eat and sometimes my mom would skip meals in order for us to get second-helpings of dinner. Looking back, my two sisters and I were faced with adversity at early ages! However, I can’t recall any times in which I felt inadequate or less than.  Though I grew up financially poor, I was definitely showered with enough love and affection to feel rich.  My mom made sure that we went to the circus each year and that she took the time to bond with us.  That is what I remember most about my childhood experiences.  

I believe that you are shaped by your experiences but you also get to choose how those experiences will affect you. The consequences of growing up in poverty would definitely be greater if I didn’t receive the love that I needed to overcome my environment.  I have many friends that grew up in the same environment as me but they didn’t have nurturing mothers to help them see past their situation.  There are many people that were raised in poverty who went on to achieve great success. When asked, most would probably say that they wouldn’t change their childhood experiences for anything in the world!

Poverty is widespread in Africa.  Children are forced to drink water that is often too contaminated for consumption. A lot of children wear tattered clothing and no shoes.  There isn’t an abundant supply of food to go around and education is not freely given as it is in other countries like the United States of America.  However, family life is strong in Africa.  Though children face adversity everyday, most of them manage to maintain smiling faces.  I believe that such joy derives from the strong bond and love of their families. Though the children don’t have much, they have families that are full of love. 

Poverty can be devastating. It may strip you of your pride and make you develop a pessimistic attitude about the future. Poverty in the physical sense is not chosen for children, it just happens.  However, poverty of the mind is definitely a choice. We either let our experiences define us or we can let our 

experiences shape us.