Thank you and I wish everyone the best!

I would like to thank everyone for the comments and insight that was added each week. I have enjoyed this course for the 2^nd time J Please visit Amazon.com and purchase a copy of my 1^st book for children titled When I Sing, I Learn. Thank you again and I wish everyone the best in their future course and goals.

http://www.museumofplay.org/education/education-and-play-resources/play-quotes

Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.

Stuart Brown, MD
Contemporary American psychiatrist

It is a happy talent to know how to play.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
American writer
1803–1882

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

Culture arises and unfolds in and as play.

Johan Huizinga
Dutch historian
1872–1945

Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.

Abraham Maslow
American psychologist
1908–1970

Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.

Joseph Chilton Pearce
Contemporary American scholar

The true object of all human life is play.

G. K. Chesterton
British author
1874–1936

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.

Fred Rogers
American television personality
1928–2003

A child loves his play, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.

Benjamin Spock
American pediatrician
1903–1998

Testing for Intelligence

When Considering the whole child I feel their creativity should be tested. I believe this because when children grow up they have choices to do what they would like to do. Such as become an employee, become an entrepreneur, and or become a business owner. Children should be taught what is needed to succeed as an adult. I feel like schools focus on testing children rather than teaching children. Most teachers teach children how to take a test. Teachers jobs depend on how well children perform on standardized test. As a child I remember having testing anxiety and would stress out every time we would take a test. I often failed test but I knew the material because my teacher assessed me before and after. I feel children should be tested to ensure they know how to read and comprehend and count money. However I do not feel they should be given standardized testing. Every child is different and should be tested on their level. Teachers should assess children at the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, and the end of the year. Growth should be measured. For example if a child begin first grade only writing one sentence and at the end of the year can now write five complete sentences their growth should be measured over time since improvement was made.


I chose to share this article below because I can remember as a child the new would often talk out how well children are testing in China compared to the US. China test children often. I can't imagine being a child in china.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/magazine/inside-a-chinese-test-prep-factory.html?_r=0

The main street of Maotanchang, a secluded town in the furrowed hills of eastern China’s Anhui province, was nearly deserted. A man dozed on a motorized rickshaw, while two old women with hoes shuffled toward the rice paddies outside town. It was 11:44 on a Sunday morning last spring, and the row of shops selling food, tea and books by the pound stood empty. Even the town’s sacred tree lured no supplicants; beneath its broad limbs, a single bundle of incense smoldered on a pile of ash.



One minute later, at precisely 11:45, the stillness was shattered. Thousands of teenagers swarmed out of the towering front gate of Maotanchang High School. Many of them wore identical black-and-white Windbreakers emblazoned with the slogan, in English, “I believe it, I can do it.” It was lunchtime at one of China’s most secretive “cram schools” — a memorization factory where 20,000 students, or four times the town’s official population, train round the clock for China’s national college-entrance examination, known as the gaokao. The grueling test, which is administered every June over two or three days (depending on the province), is the lone criterion for admission to Chinese universities. For the students at Maotanchang, most of whom come from rural areas, it offers the promise of a life beyond the fields and the factories, of families’ fortunes transformed by hard work and high scores

Childhood Poverty

As a child during my early childhood I lived in poverty. My mother had six children at the time and we all lived with my grandmother. My mother relied on the government's welfare system to provide food for us, provide health care for us, and other basic necessities. I remember there were a number of events offered at my elementary school however I often times could not participate because my mother did not have any money to give me. I never knew we lived in poverty until I became a little older. We had fun as kids playing outside and enjoying things we had. My mom was addicted to drugs and was unable to provide for us. My mom often neglected our basic needs. There were times when we didn't have food in our home. My mom would go to different churches and get us food. We never really went hungry because my mom made sure we had food. When I was taken away from my mom and moved with my great aunt I realized there were things that we had at her house that my mom never had at her house. Living in poverty was a generation curse for my family. When I graduated from college I had to rely on the government to care for me and my 1 year old daughter. I received government assistance for 5 years. One day I asked God to release me from the generational curse of poverty. I no longer wanted to rely on the government to take care of me and my children. I began to pray and ask God for help. He gave me the idea to write children's books. I published my 1st children's book this year and made a promise to never rely on government assistance again.  




https://www.children.org/fight-child-poverty-mexico

CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN IN POVERTY

Over half of Mexico’s population lives in poverty. Over 7% of children under age 5 are malnourished. The average income of sponsored families is $400/month, of which 75% is typically used for basic necessities like food, water and clothing.

Solutions

• More than 18,000 poor youth and children in Mexico are sponsored.
• Sponsored youth and children in poverty receive vital assistance like free medical and dental care, nutritional support, educational assistance, family aid, clothing, school supplies and uniforms, shoes and more.
• Five CI community support centers in some of Guadalajara’s poorest areas provide safe havens for sponsored children, with access to computers, libraries, tutors and more.
• A broad youth program helps sponsored youth learn to be leaders, develop job and life skills, learn about finances, participate in organized sports and give back to their communities.
• An average of 90 HOPE scholarships are granted annually to eligible sponsored youth wishing to continue their educations.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has been meaningful to me because I tried breastfeeding both of my daughters. I was encouraged to breastfeed them because they were in the NICU. The nutrients in breast milk help babies especially babies in the NICU. Breastfeeding was difficult for me. My children did not latch on so most of my time was spent pumping. I pumped for a month with my first daughter and only a week with my second daughter. I fill like I failed as a mother with breast feeding. I’m not sure how breastfeeding will impact my future work. However if I have more children I will try to breastfeed again.

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/05/26/315281803/mexico-citys-campaign-to-encourage-breast-feeding-backfires

This is an article about  Breastfeeding in Mexico

 

Little Support For Nursing Moms

Breast-feeding rates in Mexico are among the lowest in Latin America. Only 14 percent of women breast-feed their children exclusively in the first six months, the recommended standard set by the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, childhood obesity and breast cancer in Mexico are on the rise. Studies show breast-feeding might help lower the risk for both diseases.

There are many reasons why women aren't breast-feeding in Mexico, adds Tames. Poverty and poor nutrition top the list, but also more women than ever have entered the workforce. Hours are long, which makes breast-feeding during the day challenging, while pumping milk at work is not encouraged and in many cases prohibited.

Heath advocates also point to Mexico's unwillingness to regulate companies that sell baby formula. Mexico has yet to sign on to the World Health Organization guidelines that restrict hospitals from handing out free baby formula and marketing their products to new mothers.

Chessa Lutter, the regional adviser for the Pan American Health Organization, says Mexico does have rules for doctors and nurses to promote breast-feeding and provide lactation areas in the workplace. But she says there is little enforcement.

 

Two personal birth experiences

On August 4, 2010 I gave birth by emergency C-section to a 8lb 4oz baby girl (Ni'yonna) at 1:05 pm at Rex hospital in Raleigh NC.  She was born 1 week and 3 days overdue. As a result she used the bathroom inside of me and she breathed it in causing her to have PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn). My daughter was rushed to Wake Medical Hospital to the NICU where she spent 30 days. Rex did not have the machines she needed to keep her alive so I was away from her for 3 days. I had my daughter on a Wednesday and my Dr. Released me on Friday so I could be with my daughter. I could not hold my baby until she was 8 days old :(  Those were the longest and roughest 30 days of my life. I spent day and night at the hospital by her bedside. With the help God, my daughters father, my family, and, my close friends I was able to get through that difficult time. It made me stronger and appreciate life after our birth experience. She is now healthy and does not have any developmental issues. She will go to kindergarten in August. I chose my personal birth experience because it affected me as an individual and it really made my faith in God that much stronger.  Birth does impact child development however it does not determine the rest of your life. My daughter had to see a developmental specialist only because she was in the NICU however the specialist released my daughter from her care because she was so advanced. I feel if a baby is born unhealthy early intervention will help that child reach their best in development. More Information on PPHN:
http://www.childrenscolorado.org/wellness/info/parents/20830.aspx

 Ni'yonna

Arianna

On September 26 2013 at 10:05 am  I gave birth by C-section to a 6lb 4 oz baby girl (Arianna) at Rex hospital in Raleigh NC/ She was born one week early. My C-section was scheduled. The first 24 hours seemed really normal. My baby spent the night in my room however she was not eating. She also did not poop in the first 24 hours. This cause great concern for the doctors because her belly was very big. The Doctors took my baby to the special care nursery to monitor her. A few hours later the same doctor that spoke with me about my oldest daughter came in to my room and spoke to me. He said they were rushing my baby girl over to Wake Medical. My 2nd daughter was born with a condition called hirschsprungs disease. She had surgery at 2 days old to have a colostomy bag. She pooped in the bag for 3 months before having reversal surgery. She then came home but had to be rushed back to the hospital because she was vomiting and no longer pooping. She then had emergency surgery because she had a blockage. Thank God she is doing wonderful now. I went through some tough birth stories but God is real and my children are living witnesses.

More information on Hirchspprungs Disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hirschsprungs-disease/basics/definition/con-20027602
"Hirschsprung's (HIRSH-sproongz) disease is a condition that affects the large intestine (colon) and causes problems with passing stool. Hirschsprung's disease is present when a baby is born (congenital) and results from missing nerve cells in the muscles of part or all of the baby's colon.
A newborn who has Hirschsprung's disease is usually unable to have a bowel movement in the first days after birth. In mild cases, the condition might not be detected until later in childhood.
Hirschsprung's disease is treated with surgery to bypass or remove the diseased part of the colon".


Births in South Africa
 During the birth of a baby in South Africa a midwife, nurse, and/or doctor are present. There are birthing facilities, community health centers, and district hospitals where women can give birth. In rural areas, mothers may give birth in community health. District hospitals have high maternal mortality rates. In some areas pain medication is available for women giving birth. In the USA women can give birth at home and at a hospital as well as in South Africa. Pain medication is available at all hospitals in the USA but this is not the case in South Africa.

More information on giving birth in South Africa: http://www.midwiferytoday.com/international/SouthAfrica.asp

Time Well Spent

New insights from this course:
1. I learned how to create a possible community of practice for my strategies I would like to implement.  I evaluated .y community of practice each week to determine if it was the best community of practice to incorporate into my project. This inspired me to actually talk with a leader of a community of practice in my local town, the leader of passage homes.

2. I learned there are many types of leaders in the field.  I reviewed each leadership roles and reflected on the type of leader I would like to become.

3. I learned I have a passion for helping others better their quality of life.  I learned I want to pursue my passion so that I can make a difference in the world.

One long term goal: to publish children's books.

Dr.Darrtt I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as I chose my topic for my project.  I would like to thank you for your time and dedication to each of us as we completed our last course. I would love for you to support me when my book is published next year :) again thank you and I enjoyed this course.

To my colleagues we made it :) I am so proud of each of you. Thank you all for your encouraging words throughout this course. I wish each of you the best and look forward to hearing and seeing your future goals come true :) I will self publish my 1st Children's book in 2015 and I pray you all support me. My email is tjones21dec88@gmail.com my Facebook name is tipjones my email to search for me on Facebook is tjone182@mail.nccu.edu

International Job roles

Save the Children is an organization that helps children in 120 different countries world wide. I chose this organization because of the many different services they offer. They offer health, nutrition, crisis, preschool services, and other help for children. I also like how the website shows facts about the services they provide.
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146357/k.2755/What_We_Do.htm

ISSA is an organization that supports early childhood. They connect professionals, families, and communities of young children. I chose this organization because I like their mission:
"ISSA's mission is to support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers to:

• provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school (birth through 10 years old), with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged
• ensure greater inclusion of family and community participation in children's development and learning
• ensure social inclusion and respect for diversity"

http://www.issa.nl/content/mission

FHI 360 is a non-profit organization working to help individuals reach their full potential.
I chose this organization because of their values.
Our values

• Innovation to meet the evolving needs of our beneficiaries, funders and partners.
• Mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences.
• Passion driven by a personal commitment to make a positive difference.
• Accountability for our work, measuring, reporting and continually improving all that we do.
• Commitment to excellence assured by the highest ethical, quality, operational performance and scientific standards.
• Teamwork across disciplines and geographies, within the organization and with our partners

Communities of practice

Triangle family services is an organization that offers a number of resources for families in need.  Their website states " TFS accomplishes its mission of “Building a Stronger Community by Strengthening the Family” through one of TFS’ focus areas that include Family Safety, Financial Stability, and Mental Health.  These direct family services directly impact children from economically disadvantaged and/or abused homes". I chose this resource because a family member used their services to prevent homelessness.

http://www.tfsnc.org/about/

Passage home is an organization that offers resources for families in need as well. 
Passage home website states "we come alive when we’re connecting families and neighborhoods to resources and opportunities. Whether we’re helping a struggling family with affordable housing or an addict with recovery, our approach is the same. We meet people where they are and provide them with the resources necessary to gain economic sustainability". I chose passage homes because my mom used their services to help with her drug addiction.

http://www.passagehome.org/about/who/

Telamon is another organization helping families in need. Their website states,
"Telamon brings human services to people and communities in twelve states, doing business in two of them as Transition Resources Corporation. Chartered as a nonprofit organization, our purpose is to improve the lives of those in need. We do that through the operation of a diverse array of programs for farmworkers, children from low-income families and other groups with special needs". I chose Telamon because I am a former employee. 

http://www.telamon.org/

One Job opportunity that interest me is a success coach. I would help families receiving government assistance maintain a lifestyle with out needing assistance.  This would include helping families build and or establish credit,  Financial classes,  enrolling in school,  investment opportunities, ect.

Contact information

I would like to share my personal email address, my facebook, and my instagram.

My Email- tjones21dec88@gmail.com

My facebook name is Tip Jones I am from Raleigh NC. If you can not find me you can type in tjone182@mail.nccu.edu  and that should work.

My instagram is missesmsjones.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my post and your feed back. I wish everyone the best :)

Saying Good Bye

I was a girl scout when I was a little girl. I started when I was in 2^nd grade and left when I was in 9^th grade. The hardest aspect about leaving girl scouts was not knowing if I would ever see some of my friends again. Also knowing I was getting older and my life was about to change. I think high performing groups are hardest to leave because so much good came out of the group. Leaving girl scouts had to be the hardest because I had the most fun, I met so many nice people, I met my best friend in girl scouts, and I traveled the most with girl scouts. Closing rituals were bridging over ceremonies and banquets where we took pictures, gave speeches, gave hugs, and wished each other well. I imagine we will adjourn from the master’s program by wishing each other well, writing reflections, and having graduation. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork to ensure you grow, change, and reach goals. After you have reached these goals it is important to celebrate your success and create memories.

Communication Insights

What Surprised me the most this week is how aggressive I can be when I communicate at times. I set a goal to work on this so that I can be a more effective communicator. One insight I gained this week is that I need to be more willing to let others know when I do not have time to talk and or listen. This can help me personally to ensure I put my self first and others respect my time. I am very people oriented and often times I put other peoples needs before my own. Another insight I gained is that some of my previous schemas can hender me from listening to new information.

Cultural Diversity

            I work with a lot of Spanish speaking people. I talk to them about regular everyday life however I spend most of our communication times trying to understand what they are saying. I often get them to repeat what they said multiple times because I am interested in learning Spanish.  Sometimes it is difficult to communicate with them when they are speaking only Spanish. I know a little bit of Spanish but not enough to understand a full conversation. I communicate with them differently. I use more nonverbal language, I often times show pictures on the computer to help them understand what I am saying. I sometimes talk slower to see if they will talk to me slower. When communicating with a Spanish speaking parent I always make eye contact and have a translator. I also use nonverbal cues and read their facial expressions. Also I do a lot of hand written communication with parents. I will write down what I would like to say and have a Spanish speaking Co-worker translate it for me.

interperting communication

I watched Orange is the new black on Net Flix

Based on the ways the characters are communicating they are getting to know each other. They are asking a lot of questions and explaining a lot. Some of the characters know each other. Some of the characters are in love.

Some of the characters are happy because they are smiling and jumping up and down. Some of the characters are worried because they are looking all around and moving their eye back and forth. One of the characters is sad because she’s crying. Two of the characters are in love because hey keep smiling at each other and looking into each others eyes.

   What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?  I assumed how the characters were feeling based on communication I observed.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well. My assumptions would have been bore correct if I had been watching a show I know well. Mainly because I know the characters and can base my assumptions off of previous episodes.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have for working with children and families who come from

 diverse backgrounds is that they will be treated with respect from people from any culture so that they may feel powerful, have high self-esteem, feel important, feel that they matter, and most importantly to feel they can overcome any unfortunate circumstance they may face.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to raise awareness on different issues such as isms and microagressions to help promote equality and social justice for all people.

I would like to thank all my colleagues in this course for your feedback, your time, your new insights, and all your hard work. I really liked reading my blog and discussion comments from others it was really helpful. Thank you for your kindness when we shared personal stories as well. I truly felt you guys were sincere and nonjudgmental and that made it easier to share personal information. Thank you again and I wish all of you the absolute best and everything you do. –Tiffany  

Welcoming Families from around the world

The name of the country I chose was Chad, Africa and I chose to work in a child care center.

Five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive is to research information about the country.  I will use my information to plan activities to get to know the family. I will also research the languages spoken in the country. Next I will make sure I have an interpreter to help me communicate effectively with the family. Finally I would make sure I have pictures of important items from the families culture present in the classroom.  

With these preparations I hope to empower the family to share information about their country and culture. I also hope to gain knowledge from the family. Most importantly I hope to create a positive relationship with the family and to help make their transition to the USA comfortable.

Personal Experience with Oppression

I remember being pregnant with my first daughter I was a junior in college. I had no job and relied on financial aid to help me pay my tuition. I applied for Medicaid for pregnant women to help with my prenatal care. When I applied I remember feeling like the white woman helping me did not look me in the eye when she talked to me, she was very short with her answers, and seemed to have an attitude. She even said things such as we will help you with transportation, we can assist you with child care for your other children, we will help you find a place to stay, and we will help you with employment.  The entire time in my head I’m saying I have a car, an apartment, no other children, and I can’t work until I’m done with school. It was at that moment that I told her mam I am a college student, this is my first child, I have a place to stay, and I am not currently looking for a job but I will when I graduate. She looked up at me and said you are the first young black girl to come in here with no kids and in college good for you.  I was furious. The woman assumed that because I was a young black girl that I had children, didn’t work, and wasn’t educated. She then tried to make me feel good by saying good for you. Reflecting back this is a form of oppression. If I could go back I would really explain to the lady how her comment made me feel and how she shouldn’t assume things about a race just because she works in a field that helps individuals in those situations.

Microaggressions

I remember a few months ago in Wal-Mart I witnessed a microagression. A white female customer walked up to a light skinned black female employee and said “hola I need some one who speaks English please”. The employee looked at her confused and asked her in English “how may I help you? The customer said “o great you speak good English”. The employee smiled and said “English is the only language I speak”. The customer laughed and said “great I thought you were Mexican”. I felt the customer was extremely rude for assuming the employee spoke Spanish and I felt she should have apologized to the employee. I feel the employee handled the customer in a professional manner however I knew she was upset by her facial expressions.

                                             

Dr. Sue video message had a profound impact on the way I view stereotypes. I now try my best to think about how I communicate with others so that I will not offend them. I also now know how individuals feel when they are the target of a microaggression. My observations this week has inspired me to raise awareness of micro aggressions in my community.

Culture and Diversity Through the Eyes of Others

Young African American Male said “Culture is shared beliefs, goals, and practices. Diversity is different cultures mixing together to work in a certain environment”.

 

Older African American Female Early childhood teacher said “Culture is your way of life, how you celebrate holidays, how you view life, and what you share with family. Diversity is different cultures living in environments, working in environments, and learning in environments together”.

 

Young African American Female, first grade Teacher said “Diversity is when people can respect and accept others differences and ideas, understanding that people and situations differ but in order to be diverse we have to accept that our very own uniqueness is not the ‘right’ way all the time. Culture is what makes us diverse. It’s our beliefs, experience, and values”.

 

The aspects of culture that was included in the answers I received are culture is shared beliefs and practices of people, culture is a lifestyle, and culture is an individual’s outlook on life. The aspect of diversity that was included in the answers I received is diversity is different cultures working together. The aspects that were omitted was deep culture, culture is not limited to gender and ethnicity. Thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these two topics. I began to think of how other cultures live in the same environments and work in the same environments but there are still problems with racism.

My Family Culture

I pray nothing like this ever really happens. However if it did the three items I would choose to take with me in this event are my Grand mothers Ashes, A family picture with me and my two daughters, and my grandmother’s obituary. My grandmother was a HUGE part of our family. She instilled in the entire family to be close to each other, to talk daily, to gather as a family as much as we can, and help each other in time of need. She was very loving, caring, and would help anyone when ever she could. To explain to others what each items means to me I would show them the items, draw pictures of a heart and place all the items inside. I would also try to make gestures to show how important the items are to me. If upon arrival I were told that I could only keep one personal item I would be devastated. I love my grandmother and children with everything in me. My grandmother molded me in to the woman I am today. My daughters teach me so much about my self and others. I love them with everything in me. I wouldn’t know how to choose which item and I know I would be very emotional. I am a big cry baby so I know I would be crying and begging to take all my items!

Through this exercise I learned what was most important to me. I learned to reflect of what matters the most to me. I also learned that I do not have many material things that I value. I learned to think about what would be most important in a tragic event. I had never thought about this before but I enjoyed this assignment.

When I think of Research

Insights: I have gained new insights on ethical issues that effect research such as confidentiality and informing children who are involved in a research study. Also I gained insight on the types of triangulation in qualitative research designs. Prior to taking this course I was unfamiliar with data triangulation.

My ideas about the nature of doing research have changed because I now know al the necessary steps to take prior to conducting research. I also assumed conducting research studies were as simple as asking a question and conducting a study. However I now know the process of writing a research question is just as difficult as planning the entire research study.

I learned that planning a research study takes a lot of thought and consideration. Designing a research study takes organization and research. Conducting a research study also takes time and patience. Also when planning and designing a research study you have to be very specific as to what you would like to research.

Challenges I encountered: time management and organization. I have a three year old and a two month old. So time management was a huge issue for me. My 2 month old had to have surgery school work was not always my number one priority. I overcame this challenge by setting days and time for my homework and did the best I could during those times. There were a few assignments I was unable to complete which I will work on harder in my next class. I overcame organization by creating folders for my course work.