A Special Thanks to all of You!! Give yourselves a hand :)

Hi Guys,

I just want to say that it was a pleasure working with all of you. Although we didn't have any group assignments, I felt like I was working right beside some of you because we shared some of the same ideas for assignments. It is always a blessing to meet a group of people that share the same passion as I, and that is to advocate for our children. It is time that we as educators get on a roll and learn how to keep the fight going for education. Unfortunately in today's time, there are so many negative things attacking our schools, communities and the entire education spectrum. It is up to us to take a stand and do what we have to do to make sure our children are receiving what they need to be successful. I always say, "There is no ending point in the success race". So let's put on our smiling faces and let our spirits take us to vivid and bright places as the school year begins for some of us. Again, I say thanks for being apart of my learning experience in this course and hope that you all have a successful graduate study!!!!!!

With much sincerity,

Destiny

My Favorite Inspirtational Quotes About Children!!

Hello Everyone.  I do not about any of you all but I enjoy reading inspirational quotes. They keep me motivated and encouraged to make it through this wonderful thing called LIFE :) Below, are a few of my favorite inspirational quotes by amazing authors that I would like to share with all of you. I hope that they touch your heart as they have touched mine!



"Life, love, and laughter - what priceless gifts to give our children." Phyllis Dryden


"A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


"Children are the sunshine of our lives." Catherine Pulsifer


"It is not giving children more that spoils them; it is giving them more to avoid confrontation." John Gray


"If you can't hold children in your arms, please hold them in your heart." Mother Clara Hale

"Imagine what we could accomplish if we had the attitude of children. They are not limited by the thoughts I can't do that." Byron Pulsifer, Can We Make A Rainbow


"We can measure many things, but the time that families and communities invest in children is invaluable. Giving kids a sense of fitting in, of feeling good about themselves, and giving them the opportunities to succeed and fail will really prepare kids of life ahead." David DeNotaris, Feeling Your Way Through Life


Reference:

Children Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.wow4u.com/children/index.html

Germany's School System

In Germany, school from the age of 6 through 14, is mandatory, and in public state-run school's, it's free. The school system in Germany is a little different than it's American counterpart. All children enter in the same program, but at the age of 10, they go to one of four types of schools. The track that they enter determines which type of school they can enter next and finally, whether they will go to a university or enter a technical field or trade.

Kindergarten (literally translated: a garden or yard for kids) is not a part of the regular public school system and is not required or free. Tuition is normally based on income. Even though it's not mandatory, over 67% of 3 to 6 year olds attend them. (Many more children would attend if it weren't for the limited space) The Kindergartens are usually run by churches, organizations and private companies.

From the age of 6 through 9 all children must attend Grundschule or primary school. Here they one teacher that will teach them the basic skills like reading, writing and math and religion. They also have a class called "Heimat and Sachunterricht" which is where they learn about local history, geography and biology. In addition to their base teacher, they go to separate teachers for music and PE.This is also the time where children are evaluated for the next level of schooling. In the 5th and 6th grades (the "orientation grades:) it is decided which track the student will go to next. The decision is based on the students ability, speed of learning, intelligence and/or preference.

The lowest track in the German education system is the Hauptschule (General school). It's starts with 5th grade and goes up through the 9th grade. A Hauptschule is a school where the students prepare for occupations that require training. They also continue learning basic subjects as well as English. After a student graduates a Haupschule they can go on to a vocational school which lasts about 2 years.

 A Realschule is a school that's a little more advanced that the Hauptschule. Here students learn the basic subjects which will prepare them for a mid level job in business. In a Realschule it's possible (if a student receives high enough grades) to transfer to a Gymnasium.  

The gymnasium is one of the tracks a student could go to after primary school. This school prepares students to enter a university. The gymnasium goes for eight years or from the 5th through 13th grades. Here students learn subjects like German, math, physics, chemistry, geography, biology, art, PE, religion and history. They are also required to learn two foreign languages. (One has to be English) In the 13th grade students prepare for the Abitur. This is an examination that you have to pass in order to go on to a university.

A Gesamtschule (comprehensive school) is a school that combines the Gymnasium, the Realschule, and the Hauptschile. This type of school was first introduced in Germany in the 60's and has been controversial ever since. (Scholars have debated whether students can learn better in this type of environment.) A student at a comprehensive school can switch between the different tracks without changing buildings.

Reference:

Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation.(1999). The German School System. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/26576/schoolpage.htm

Assessing School Age Children

Life is a test in itself. Without life's obstacles, road blocks and failures, adults wouldn't know what to eliminate, work on to become better or how to measure their strength level. Testing is necessary! I apply this same thought to testing school age children. ALL developmental dimensions should be tested! When the average person thinks of the word, "test", he/she thinks of book knowledge. For example, asking a seven year old to give a summary of the story in his/her own words to test reading comprehension. While reading the quote, "a commitment to the whole child", I think of the child's biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial skills.


Biosocial skills can be assessed through a physical either at school or the child's pediatrician. Some of the things that are assessed during a physical are reflexes, fine and gross motor skills, heart rate, weight and height. These tests and measurements are necessary to discover if a child is physically developing appropriately by age group.


A child's physical nature should be at its best in order for his/her cognitive skills to function properly. Cognitive skills for school age children are measured through standardized testing. The "No Child Left Behind" Act, a U.S. law enacted in 2001 was put in place to increase accountability in education by requiring states to qualify for federal educational funding by administering standardized tests to measure school achievement(Berger, 2009). One of the most popular standardized tests in the state of NC for third through eighth graders is the End of Grade Test, also known as the EOG. This test measures a student's understanding in the following subjects: math, reading comprehension, science and writing. Language development can be assessed through a vocabulary test and a spelling bee. In some schools, it seems as if teachers are "teaching the test" instead of teaching life-long skills. Yes, student's scores ride heavily upon future school funding, therefore it is important for these school age children to score above average. Teachers do not realize that some students are not good test-takers and become even more nervous when learning of the pressure that is upon them. I would suggest as an educator, to let school age children know that it is not about scoring high on a test but making sure they FULLY understand each content area and they are not just memorizing the information. I am interested in my making sure my students progress in their academics however I want to make sure that they are comfortable in doing so. This leads up to assessing psychosocial skills.


Cognitive and Biosocial skills depend heavily upon psychosocial skills. They may include the child's emotions, personality and mortality. Psychosocial skills are assessed through personality questionnaires, interviews, role playing and day-to-day social interaction among children. Although these tests are not required compared to an EOG, acquiring social skills are still very important in today’s time. Communication is the master key to unlocking doors to jobs, opportunities, and life itself. We have to continue to instill in our students that everything that they are going to do in life requires some type of communicating and the better communicator they are, the better off in life they will be!


It is imperative that children are skilled in all three of the developmental domains. Because all three overlap, when one is lacking, it throws off the entire growth process. In the 21st century, educators need to teach more than what is going to be on "the big test". It is about preparing these children for the world outside of the schoolhouse, "THE REAL WORLD".



Reference:

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.