Consequences of Stress

I have never known any child to undergo any of these stressors. Growing up I experienced Natural Disasters, however I do not recall feeling any stress from these disasters. Only childhood memory that comes to mind that accompanied stress and affected me tremendously in a negative manor, was at age 8 a man approached me on my school campus and stole my earrings. I remember being so afraid for many months to follow and never wanting to walk to or from school alone. I grew up in an area where children were safe to walk to and from school. This incident did not affect any other area of my life; however i never walked to or from school alone again.

The country I chose to research is Jamaica, I grew up in Jamaica for many years and was blessed to never experience poverty, however I am aware that it existed then and still exists now. Statistics show that in recent years the poverty level has declined, but these statistics are unable to include the thousands of families that are not accounted for. Children living in poverty in Jamaica are more likely to stop their education before secondary school, lack parental guidance as well as we can see increase in teenage pregnancy. There development is impacted because these children lack proper nutrition and care.

Resources

Unicef. http://www.unicef.org/jamaica/resources_3950.htm

Personal Birthing Exp

Giving birth to my son was the most memorable experience of my life. I chose this experience because it was the most memorable and important experience in my life. I have witnessed the birth of my nephew and god daughter; however neither experience plays such an impact like my own experience. I remember feeling the first cramp, calling my mom and my mom calling the doctor. Hearing the doctor tell me I was not there yet but I was very close. I woke up the next morning feeling cramps and thought it was time but wasn’t quite sure. Upon arrival to the hospital I remember feeling pain and anxiety not knowing whether or not they would admit me. After being admitted, taking the epidural and relaxing, and waiting for the moment to push. I remember dad, my best friend and my unborn son's god mother, all talking and telling jokes to keep me relaxed and us playing with different ways to spell our son's name. Once I started pushing I knew my life would change forever and I was moments away from being a mom. I remember like yesterday, the moment I fully pushed out my son and I held him in my arms, words could not express the emotions or the amount of love I felt still feel for my son. His dad and I were blessed with a healthy baby boy 7 pounds 11 ounces 22 inches. Childbirth is very imporant to childhood development, children that face difficulties or complications during childbirth are at a higher chance of facing developmental challenges as oppose to those without complications.

Favorite Book

Giraffes Can't Dance is by Gills Andrew is a favorite of mine because it teaches children that all things are possible!  The book tells the story of Gerald the Giraffe who loved to dance but could not. He meet a cricket that taught him everyone can dance, they just need the right music. I love this story because of the lesson behind it and the beautiful pictures, more recent I now love this book because it was the first story my son repeated after hearing it.

My Favorite Girl

During my 1st year of teaching I was blessed to teach the sweetest little girl with a Tracheomy. This little girl opened my eyes to see disability does not have to mean disabled. With the help and guidance from her parents, my TA's and myself she was able to overcome several hurdles, which "society" said she would not! I watched her grown from being afraid to walk by herself, to running and jumping with the other children, from communicating by pointing and a few signs, to verbally making requests, correctly identifying all her colors, shapes and letters. She was a joy to be around each and every day, so happy and energetic. She is to this very day MY FAVORITE GIRL!

Personal Childhood

Dadda

My grandafather is the most important person to me from my childhood. My grandfather was my best friend and my father. My grandfather would give us the world and more as kids growing up. He would play all the games we wanted to play and give us all the freedom to learn new things and explore. He was our personal story teller and comedian, our personal baby sitter and our get away with everything card. The love my grandfather should all his grandkids live on with us today. Special Memories of my grandfather, every Sunday was ice-cream day, not matter where we were or how late it was, on Sunday's we could always expect to see Creamie (the name of the ice-cream man). My grandfather influenced my life by being the only father I knew. He was the glue that held our family together.

Aunty Audrey

Aunty Audrey is my second mom. I grew up with her for many years before living with my mom. Aunty Audrey was second in command to my grandfather and was and is today my best friend! My aunt taught us all the same things in life as well as the big things, from how to tie our laces, to how to iron a skirt to how to be a great mom! She was always the one that took care of us when we were sick, washed and combed our hair and helped with homework. To date my aunt is among the best caregivers for myself and my son. My aunt influenced my life by always encouraging me and pushing me to go for the GOAL! Never to look back and always push forward!

MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY
My mom has always been my number 1 cheerleader! Even if she believed something was not possible, she would never tell me that. My mom always made me feel special by going to extra mile for me with everything. From assisting always where she could with school work or getting me the help I needed if she could not help, to make every single birthday of mine special. To date, my birthday is my favorite holiday because of my mom!

Aunty Jenny

My Aunty Jenny was important to my childhood because she gave a helping hand in rasing me. My mom did not live in Jamica with my for many years, and the responsiblity was let to my grandfather and my aunts took over. Aunty Jenny always made sure I went to church and her only rule was I could not wear colored nail polish. Best memories of Aunty Jenny include her always buying clear polish for me with a color tint (although it was only clear).

Both my aunts taught e my favorite poem todate, author unknown:
"The heights of great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight. But they while their companions slept were toiling upward through the night"

I continue to live by this quote until now, it motivates me when I am feeling down, lazy, or feel as if I cannot go any further.

Aunt Gillian

I was blessed to have an aunt that was close to me in age! Gillian was my VERY VERY Best friend! She did everything with me and protected me from everything! Because of her I still have a nurturing spirit to all my younger cousins and protect them best I can.

NAYCE

NAEYC


The ideals of NAEYC that are meaningful to me are the following:

Their mission: "to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children..."

This is significant for me because it is important to me that all children have someone or some organization to fight for their rights. In the field of education we will come across many families from many different walks of life and each family’s story will be different from the next. With organizations like NAEYC are beneficial for those families that are unaware of their rights either because they are dealing with an issue that is completely new or maybe times and laws have changed since their first encounter of this experience.

Their Vision:

"All early childhood professionals are supported as professionals with a career ladder, ongoing professional development opportunities, and compensation that attracts and retains high quality educators.". This is significant for me, as a professional growing in this field, it is imperative I continue to develop and grow, with organizations that support this growth, my colleagues and myself will always have the opportunity to offer the most support and care to our children.

"All families have access to early childhood education programs that are affordable and of high quality and actively participate in their children's education as respected reciprocal partners." This is significant for me not only as a professional but also as a parent. It is so important that children receive quality programs; the quality of a program can make all the difference for each and every child. The nurturing, the love, their ability to learn through play and explore all are a part of high quality programs.

Resource

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

Other Resources

Autism Science Foundation: http://autismsciencefoundation.org/science/effects-brief-early-start-denver-model-esdm-based-parent-intervention-toddlers-risk-autism-s

The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents: http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=367

New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institue: http://www.earlychildhoodnyc.org/resources/aboutECE_bestPractices.cfm

Fav Quotes

"Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more. " (Loris Malaguzzi)

"It is easier to build strong children
than to repair broken men". (Fredrick Douglas)

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future" (John F. Kennedy)