Assessments

As an educator, I get to see the pressure and long term effects of assessing students. I am totally against the way we test in the US. Here in Mississippi  our students  test 3 times a year on computers to show academic growth. Some children aren't good test takers,  develop test anxiety,  or can be having  a bad day. There needs to be a whole child assessment by using observations of behavior, social and emotional, and academics. 

In other countries like China children are trained for years to take an entrance exam to get in to Upper schools. Now this is pressure. It's similar to the 3rd grade  exit exam in MS. 

Students need to  be evaluated and assessed, but not that often . Children are developing test anxiety before 3rd grade and this can be an ongoing problem in their life. 

Violence: America......Africa

          Violence was a stressor for me as a child. It wasn't violence in my home, but it was a lot in my neighborhood. I grew up in an area known as a "ghetto" or the "projects". The people in my neighborhood were poor, on drugs, or living check to check trying to make it out of the ghetto. My parents did not allow us outside after a certain time, we could not go to certain areas, and we were told to stay away from certain people. There were shootings, robberies, and fights weekly. Don't get me wrong it was not like a war zone, but it wasn't the safest place or ideal place to raise a family. Walking home from school one afternoon, my siblings and I saw a man beat another man until he was unconscious. This traumatized my siblings and I. I remember feeling sad, scared, shocked, and helpless. My parents talked to us about violence, reassured us that we would be okay, and made sure we stuck together. For about two weeks, I felt a little anxiety after getting off the bus. My parents got worried and talked to a school counselor about options. The counselor pulled my siblings and I for 20 minutes everyday for 1 month and we talked and I remember her teaching us how to breathe  when we feel stressed. She also said to find a way to calm down and relax for a few minutes after school. My siblings and I began to read and play games at the same time every day and this was our way of coping and staying close. 

         Coping with stress differs because of culture, age development, and many more factors. Coping with violence stress in South Africa will be my focus. South African children are no strangers to stress. They have to deal with stressors such as health, hunger, war, violence, poverty, and even sexual violence. After researching, I found that the children in south Africa cope the same way we do here in America. They go to adults for comfort and help. School counselors or parents help children cope by helping them to feel safe and calm. The difference is in America, counselors are more available and accessible than in South Africa.  

       When children are exposed to violence it has a psychological, biological, and emotional effect on them. If parents are around to intervene this can be the first step to coping with violence. 

Breastfeeding and Its Impact of Child Development

Breastfeeding is a choice that mothers get to make. I personally did not breastfeed my daughter, even though I knew it had better outcomes for her health. I have always regrets about not breastfeeding my own child.  Breast milk has all the nutrients needed for an infant to develop and be able to fight diseases.I chose this topic because it has been an ongoing conversation in the United States for a long time. 

A few facts learned was, in 2016 Norway had the highest percentage of 99% of mothers who were breastfeeding. Irish women were the lowest percentage which was 50% In France, breastfeeding for a long time is frowned upon. United States is more open and more sensitive the norm of breastfeeding but in France they are not as open to the idea especially in public. In poor countries breast feeding is the only option for some mothers and babies. They don't have access to formula or clean water so breastfeeding is the only way of life for them. There are factors that keep moms from breastfeeding, such as, lack of supplies, working mothers, lack of support, poor lactate, post par-tum depression. 

There are positive effects of breastfeeding and brain development. I have read so many good things about breastfeeding and its positive effects on infant development. After researching this topic, I believe it is great to breastfeed but its not the only way to have a healthy and smart child.

This will broaden my thoughts as to why some moms chose not breastfeed. For my future work with infants and toddlers I will be curious to see the brain development of a breast fed child vs a formula fed child. 

www.europeanmama.com/breastfeeding-around-the-world/

BIRTH Experience

After 9 months and 3 days of heartburn, uncomfortable sleep, and having no control over my body, it was time to have a baby!!!! On March 27, 2010 I was checked into a hospital to be induced because my water never broke on its own. This was all new to me so I was scared, nervous, excited, exhausted,  and did I say SCARED!!! I was given the medicine to start my labor and it went downhill from there. The medicine made me very sick and my daughter's heart rate kept dropping. I couldn't take the pain so I requested an epidural. Other than the fact that it was a GIANT needle in my spine, it was the perfect drug because I didn't feel a thing after that. I was surrounded my mom, sister, and husband when the doctor came in an told me that I was going to have an emergency C-section...YIKES!!! This was not what I wanted. Eventually her heart rate was steady and I did not have to have a c-section. At last, around 7pm, it was time to push! My doctor and the nurses coached me while my husband let me squeeze the life out of his hand. At 7: 14 I heard my baby girl cry and I was relieved and exhausted.
   I did not want to be induced or have an epidural  because I read so much research about babies being "drugged up" as they enter this world. In those moments things change, but I don't regret a thing. My daughter was a healthy 7lb load of cuteness. I chose my personal birth experience because I knew every detail. Also it was life changing for me.
 Every birth experience is different from mother to mother. I think the experience itself could only affect development if there are mental and physical challenges. Mentally mothers can have Post-partum depression and that will affect child development because mom isn't  who she needs to be during those critical first months.

I absolutely love the book The Kissing Hand! This sweet story has been my favorite for a long time. I love to read it to on the first day of school. A lot of preschoolers or kindergartners have never been in a school setting and it always a little sadness when they have to detach from parents or guardians. I usually read The Kissing Hand so the kids can relate to Chester the raccoon. Chester's mom shared a secret with him that helped him get through the first day of school. When my daughter was 3, she had her first day of preschool, I gave her a kiss in her hand and she told me it made her not afraid anymore. This is a great first day of school book for little ones.

"Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or in the same way." --George Evans

Live Laugh Love Learn and Teach!

Hello Learning community. My name is Bianca Foster. I am a true southern girl from Jackson, Mississippi. I am a military wife and mom of a 6 year old little girl. I was a lead teacher and a director of a private child care center for about 5 or 6 years. Now I am a Kindergarten assistant teacher. I love my job! I graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in child psychology. I have always wanted to work with children and be a teacher. My father is a teacher and I have always admired him. I chose to pursue my masters in Early Childhood studies because I want to be a Kindergarten teacher for a little while and then open my own Child development center in the near future. The importance of education and making a positive impact on a child's life from an early age is my motivation to keep teaching. I enjoy working the the small kids because they are so innocent and are like sponges. They can soak up all the knowledge and wisdom you throw at them and still have fun. Plus I'm a kid at heart so I love the little ones.