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.

The Impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa

As we know, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is unbelievable! Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world. An estimated 22.9 million people are living with HIV in the region - around two thirds of the global total. In 2010 around 1.2 million people died from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and 1.9 million people became infected with HIV. Since the beginning of the epidemic 14.8 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.


Children are unable to have prosperous childhoods because of all the sickness, malnutrition and other diseases affecting their livelihood. They are denied the proper health care and have poor living conditions. Other implications are the effect on life expectancy, households, schools, productivity, and economic growth and development.


Although this deadly disease is taking a large toll on the citizens of Africa, they are looking for more prevention methods. The first one that has been put in place is promoting condom use. In sub-Saharan Africa, most countries have seen an increase in condom use in recent years. In studies carried out between 2001 and 2005, eight out of eleven countries in sub-Saharan Africa reported an increase in condom use. Another prevention method is the voluntary HIV counseling and testing. In some areas of Africa, they have mobile testing where the nurses will travel to different communities and offer testing. In South Africa, the number of people receiving HIV testing and counselling has significantly increased in recent years as a result of the governments national HIV testing campaign. However, whilst the estimated number of people receiving HIV testing and counselling in 2010 was more than 6.5 million, this is notably less than in 2009 when nearly 7 million people received testing and counselling. Across sub-Saharan Africa it is estimated that 82 tests per 1000 people were carried out in 2010. The last method that I will mention is pre-treatment for the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.Without interventions, there is a 20-45% chance that an HIV-positive mother will pass the virus on to her child. If a woman is supplied with antiretroviral drugs, however, this risk can be significantly reduced. Before these measures can be taken the mother must be aware of her HIV infection, so testing also plays a vital role in the prevention of MTCT. In 2010, preventive drugs reached 64 percent of HIV-infected pregnant women in Eastern and Southern Africa, and 18 percent in West and Central Africa, a decline on 2009 figures.


Treatment and care for HIV/AIDS consists of a number of different elements apart from ARVs. These include voluntary counselling and testing, food and management of nutrition, follow-up counselling, protection from stigma and discrimination, treatment of other sexually transmitted infections, and the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections. Alongside antiretroviral treatment, all of these elements should be made available for all people living with HIV.


HIV/AIDS is killing our children like none other. What can America do to stop this epidemic? Well, the first thing that we can do is EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE. We know not, because we ask not and we aren't informed enough. We also need to get rid of the judgemental thoughts and kill the discrimination. Our children look up to us to be the example therefore we need to learn how to support and care about each other more regardless of any disease or aliment one may have. Again, it is not about the disease nor is it the color of one's skin, it is about the heart that we carry and the mentality that we choose to bring along with it!


Reference:
AVERT. (2011). HIV and AIDS in Africa. Retrieved from http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-africa.htm

Growing up in world of racism and poverty :(

Racism has been affecting the lives of many since the beginning of time. It didn't disappear when slavery ended nor did it disappear when Martin Luther King Jr. led the "March on Washington". We are living in the 21st century and it still has not vanished. I believe that my parents experienced more racism issues than I did, especially my father. He was born in the south, North Carolina where it really was ruff. He would tell me stories about how the schools were segregated and he couldn't even look at a Caucasian child. If he did, he would risk getting beat up or hung. My father also suffered from poverty. He came from a family of thirteen brothers and sisters. There was no such thing as buying new clothes every week and sometimes they didn't even have enough food on the table for every family member. His sisters and brothers had to share everything. It was also mandatory for them to work in the farming fields before and after school. When my father turned about 13 or 14, he moved to New York City to begin a better life. Although segregation and racism was still going on, he wasn't as bad in the northern part of the U.S. as it was in the South.

When hearing these stories from my father, I notice that he talks with much gratitude and appreciation. He understands that if it wasn't for his childhood being the way that it was, he wouldn't be as humble as he is today. I have never heard my father complain about anything. He never states that he had a rough childhood. He says that is was full of blessings because it could have been worse. He is glad that he labored as much as he did growing up because taught him the importance of hard work and dedication.

I also have come into contact with racism during my junior year of high school. A few chorus members, the director and I went to a Ihop restaurant after singing for a News Channel station. All of us are of the African American race. When entering the restaurant, we were not waited on immediately. Although there were host/hostess standing around, we were not acknowledged. As we were eating, we noticed that more than half of the customers and restaurant staff were staring at us with ugly expressions. We couldn't even eat in peace. After paying our bill, the looks of disgust were on their faces. It was so bad that we left the restaurant singing, "We shall overcome". This was the worst eating experience I have ever had. I believe that my chorus teacher finally filed a complaint but I do not know what the result was.

We are currently living in the 21st century and it is a shame that such ignorance is still being tolerated. Some children are being taught to like only the children that "look like them". I have even observed little girls in toy stores picking up baby dolls of a different race and hearing their mothers make statements such as "Put that one back. She doesn't look like you so that wouldn't be a good option." Come on America, we have to do better! We have to teach our children that each race brings something special to human kind. A person's skin color is simply an outer covering. An individual's inner spirit is what matters most.

Breastfeeding Practices in France

I decided to research the breastfeeding practices in France. Surprisingly so, breastfeeding is strongly discouraged in this country. France has the lowest breastfeeding rate in the western world. Breastfeeding – particularly after two or three months – is regarded in France as something akin to drinking your own urine.The author of the article, Fiachra stated, "As a gynaecologist reminded a friend of mine the day she confirmed her pregnancy: "Your breasts are for your husband, not your baby."(Gibbons, 2011).

I knew that the people in France place sex and body physique at a high degree however a mother should not have to compromise the health and nourishment of her baby. No woman should feel like she has to compare making the decision to breastfeed her baby to drinking her own urine. It was also mentioned that if a woman chooses to breastfeed her baby, it is a possibility that it will send her companion into the arms of either of mistresses or gay colleagues(Gibson, 2011).How ignorant is that?!?

I didn't realize that breastfeeding in France is a no-no and if the mother decides to do it, she is ridiculed. What a shame!!  I am grateful for the freedom that the United States gives me everyday. I am free to make certain decisions without someone dictating to me what I should or should not do.

Reference:

Gibbons, F. (2011, April 1). In France, Breast is definitely not best. The Guardian. Retrieved from
               http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/01/france-breast-breastfed-baby-death