My Connection to Play

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.  Plato

I believe that those boys who take part in rough, hard play outside of school will not find any need for horse-play in school. Theodore Roosevelt

Softball was a part of my life, that I have not figured out how to get over. Playing an organized sport has taught me so much about myself and life.

My mother always made sure I was well rounded. As much time as I spent outside, she made sure I spent just as much inside playing and learning in all different ways.

I am the yourngest of 3 and the only girl. My brothers were "required" to play with me, but all of our play time was special and taught me the importance of family.

When I was younger, if I wasn’t playing softball somewhere with my friends, I was always outside playing with my friends on the streets. We knew we had a curfew and  if we went further than the bushes on the street, like to sonic for ice cream, or 7 eleven for can, we all would have to get permission. So it’s like we had a type of freedom outside, yet our parents made sure they knew at all times where we were.

In today’s sense of play, it has completely changed. There is so much for technology out, that allows for a make shift babysitter for most homes, that the only time kids get to or will play outside is while at school during the day. I also think that our society is different than that of my day. There is no type of comfort letting your child play outside, knowing that they will be safe. People are taking children, and there is a lot more drunk driving. Play inside seems more safe than allowing them to go outside.

The role of play for me is really important. It allows me to become creative and more comprehensive. Most days I spend my time behind a computer either working or doing homework. So it is refreshing for me to be able to get up and walk to the park across from my job and do a little swinging. It gives me fresh air and it always seems the higher I swing the more I smile and the stress of the days somewhat go away. That is how play has been for me throughout my life. It creates a time for me to do something that just lets me be from all the worries of the world. Playing slow pitch softball as a child growing up into adulthood has been the best thing for me. Not only does it create play for me to understand myself, but created a type of play that I created with my teammates. I was given the opportunity to learn them and myself. Now that I am older, I still play a lot of softball, and it’s different for me yet still the same. I love traveling with my teammates, to different cities and showcasing my talents, and just being outside to get fresh air and learn from others and learn myself. I feel like that is the key component of play. Learning….

Thank you

To Julia and Elizabeth,

I want to say thank you for giving me the oppurtunity to be part of you semester.
I have learned a lot from reading your discussions and blogs. Makes me feel better
about the decision to seek higher education. I know that my experiences here in the
Oklahoma are not unique experiences. There are more caring educators out there and I
am so thankful to have encountered you ladies.

Thanks Keisha

Children Quotes

*"We must bow before only two: the emperor and a child's tears."
     - Japanese proverb

*"It is better to bind your children to you by a feeling of respect and by gentleness, than by fear."
     - Terence (c. 190 - 159 BCE)

*"We've spent a generation trying to reorganize schools to make them better, but the truth is that people learn from the people they love."
     - David Brooks

*"Affection is crucial from the day of birth; it is the basis of life."
     - The Dalai Lama


There were so many quotes about our children that I could not just pick one. The Japanese proverb hits me the most, and that's why it is first.
The proverb puts children second behind their emperor. That speaks volumes about where their priorities are. Seems as though they have
caught on to the notion that children are our future and should be treated and represented like that are that important to all of us.

Intelligence Testing

I feel a commitment to the healthy habits of a child’s life should be viewed holistically. These habits are something they learn from parents, teachers and peers. This is why we must surround children with who are more like them whether it’s based on race, health issues or sex, it helps make them more amenable to taking care of themselves. Just like everything else in a child’s beginning healthy habits need to be addressed and taken care of in an attempt of early intervention.

In Brazil instead of attending school in their school age period, most children are considered street children who sell fruit, candy and other products to earn their living. Of course working in the streets meant that they did not spend much time in school or even worse never attended school in the first place. If they did happen to be tested they scored poorly on most standard math achievement tests. This is no surprise, but is a very sad realization.

I feel as our children begin to grow, we need to take more time out to teach and nurture them. This is the time period where children really begin to see what’s going on in their worlds and begin to make their own perceptions of “life as they know it”. It is up to us as teachers and parents to help guide them. I am completely excited to make sure an impact on a child’s life. I feel as though this is my purpose in life.

Stress on Child Development

My mother was one of five children born in Houston, TX in the 1950’s. My grandfather was a truck driver and grandmother was a hairdresser that more or less concentrated on being a stay at home mother. My mother has told me numerous stories of how they pretty much lived in poverty growing up. She has always told me stories of eating the same meals several times a week just because it was the cheapest thing for a family of 7 to eat, and how her mother made most of their clothing. It was not until they moved to Oklahoma in the mid-70’s did they actually start living beyond their means. My mother tells me that it really wasn’t that bad, that until she got into high school, she really didn’t even know they were truly poor, she just figured Granny liked cooked the same foods because they were so good.  I think growing up poor has made my mother stronger. I’ve never known her to let anything let get to her. She is always pushing forward. What I love about hearing my mother’s stories is that even though living in poverty sounds horrible to me, she always tells her stories with a smile on her face, almost like doesn’t remember it being a terrible time in her life, just her childhood.

A situation that may seem close to home is the children of Afghanistan. It seems as though they are now becoming the main source of money for many families. The children do things like shoe shining in the streets in order to make money to bring home for their families. Let alone express the conditions they live in such as extremely cold winters and extremely hot summers when they don’t have the proper clothing to sustain such conditions. I think having to be more than a “child” is taking a great tole on their biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial developments. They are not getting the chance and opportunity to grow and develop as if they were a middle class child growing up in America.

Breastfeeding

I feel as though breastfeeding is extremely important. Breastfeeding provides nutritions that man made products really can not provide for the infant in that critical time of life when their tiny bodies are still going through development. I like the idea of breastfeeding because it stays with the traditional use of care for infants from our ancestors. When I ask woman who are expecting if they plan on breastfeeding, and they tell me no because of the need of putting the child in daycare, breaks my heart. It's like our society has lost the importance of providing the best care for our infants. When my bestfriend declared that no matter what she would be breastfeeding my nephew, it made me smile. I feel as though she made the best decision for her and my Godson when she chose to breastfeed.
PubMed.gov reports that breastfeeding in Korea was very popular in the 1950s but once the Korean food industry made baby formula popular in late 1960 and 1970's formula became the automatic source of food for infants. As information about breastfeeding and how beneficial it is for the mother and infant, more Koreans are converting back to breastfeeding or doing a combination of both.
I believe I will continue to promote and respect the idea of breastfeeding. Since it is beneficial to both mother and infant to breastfeed, I will forever be an advocate.

Birthing Experience

I personally have never experienced a birth, but a year an half ago my best friend gave birth to my Godson and I missed the delivery by 20 minutes. Through our friendship, I have always done everything first and she was ask me how it was and try to figure out ways to avoid my mistakes, well this time it was my turn. The first thing she said to me was, "Keisha get your tubes tied now" lol. She proceed to tell me about all the pain she had gone through and the pushing and screaming and how she never wanted to go through it again. Which is funny since she planned on having like 6 kids. I chose this story because she is like my sister and I knew that whatever she asked me, I would get the bare ugly truth from. I think birth is just as important as early childhood because it really does set the tone for who the child will become. From all of the prenatal care to the delivery room expertise. It truly is the foundation for it all.

In West Africa the mother is surrounded by her mother and female relatives some who are midwives and is standing up squatting. Males are never present and if the baby happens to fall to the ground the baby and mother are seen as fruitfull and or fertile. The placenta and umbilical cord are buried into the earth and is thought to restore her fertility and help her womb heal. These of course are most of the traditions that occur in the more rural parts of west africa.

One of the biggest difference I read about between my experience and that of the West African woman is that they view child birth as a passage right and is a priviliage, where as for me and my best friend, if it happens it happens. Im truly in no hurry to reproduce and my best friend is rushing for number two. There really wasn't any additional insight, but rather confurmation of the characteristic multicultural and it's impact on a developing child.

Ideals of NAEYC

I-1.3 To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.
Every child is different and every child will learn different. I feel as though it is my responsibility to support and nurture each child's uniqueness.

I-1.5 To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physcial development, and that respect their dignity and their contributions.
Every child needs a place where they can go to grow. I plan on making my classroom the perfect environment for each child.

I-1.10 To ensure that each child's culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.
The world we live in has so many different types of cultures, in order to truly know someone is to learn that person culture. Since the first years of a child's life is the most important, exposing them to not just their own culuture but all the cultures they will soon encounter is key to their development.

Lemov and Edelman Quotes

I'm doing what I think I was put on this earth to do. And I'm really grateful to have something that I'm passionate about and that I think is profoundly important.  Marian Wright-Edleman

When I fight about what is going on in the neighborhood, or when I fight about what is happening to other people's children, I'm doing that because I want to leave a community and a world that is better than the one I found. Marian Wright-Edelman

Technique #7 -The 4 M's- A great lesson objective (and therefore a great lesson) should be manageable, measurable, made first and most important on the path to college.  Doug Lemov

Technique #29- Do Now -A short activity that you have written on the board or is waiting on their desks before they enter the classroom that the students are expected to begin working on immediately. Doug Lemov

Children's Book

My most favorite of all times children's book series was Superfudge by Judy Blume. I was the youngest of three children by 10 years, so I really didn't have anyone to play with and Superfudge gave me the adventure I needed in order to not get into trouble. He never gave me a dull moment. Even thinking about this blog post made me excited and gave me the oppurtunity to post.

Childhood Quote

Childhood is the fiery furnace in which we are melted down to essentials and that essential shaped for good.  ~Katherine Anne Porter

As I was reading over the quotes, this is one that stuck out to me. The word "essential" was so strong and powerful. Essential meaning absolutely necessary or indispensable. Childhood is absoulutely necessary for growth. Without that innocent stage in life, you cant really grow, because everything will seem so real and concrete. Imagination is what helps lead you to dreams and goals.

The Beginning....

The most interesting thing about this blog to me is going to be the end product. I cant wait till I come back to the beginning and see how much I have evolved over my career at Walden. Yep, its going to be a great adventure...