My Supports

     There are many factors in my daily life that are supportive.  One of the most important supports that I have is my family and friends.  The way that they support me is they always call me and check on me.  They provide a lot of words of encouragement when I am down and need advice.  They also are there to support me when I am doing well and when I am not.  The benefits of these supports are that I know that I have people in my corner that have my best interest and are there for me no matter what.  I have someone to go to and help me with problems and build me up and everyone needs people like that in their life. It would be extremely difficult if I did not have the support of my family and friends, I think I would go insane and wouldn't be able to get through most of the things in my life that I go through.  The impact that it would have on my life if these people were gone would be a very huge impact in a bad way.  I would be lonely and depressed most of the time and probably would feel like I would not be able to get through for a long while, I am just blessed that I do have them and I cherish every moment with them and how supportive they are.
     The challenge I chose to imagine is myself moving to another country for work.  I have already moved away once and I know how difficult it can be to be away from my family but now I live in California and I have for 7 years and I have built friendships as well as a relationship here and this is my home now.  If I had to move again it would be extremely difficult and I would definitely need my family and friends more than ever to encourage me and lift me up.  I would essentially have to start over and that would not be an easy task.  Phone calls and face time calls from my family and friends would definitely be needed on a daily basis and any sort of positive and encouraging words to keep me going every day would be needed for me to get through this challenge.  The benefits that these supports would have on me in this situation would be to keep me happy and positive.  If this move is truly what is best for me then they would support me being there and this challenge and change in my life that could possibly provide many great things and opportunities in the long run.  If I did not have the support in the first place I probably would not last on this move and get discouraged very easily and move back possibly taking away a great opportunity.
   There are many things in my life that I have done and will continue to do big things and if it were not for the people in my life that support me on the daily and keep me going I would not be who I am or where I am so a lot of my success I owe to my supports, I am forever grateful for them.

My Connections to play!

1. “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” -Mr. Rogers 
2. “We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.” -Charles Schaefer 

These Pictures Represent the essential items I remember when I was a child and I would play.  

     When I was a child Play was simply going outside with friends or inviting friends over to play barbies or make up our own games to play.  My parents definitely encouraged play with me and my brothers and sisters. They didn't want us sitting inside to watch television my mom always said we should be out exploring even though I could not leave the "block"or go across the street without permission.  We had to explore in our own boundaries and I grew up on a street with a lot of kids and everyone played together.  We would all meet up at someones porch and take it from their whether we played hide and seek or the girls would play barbies and the boys would wrestle or play with action figures.  My childhood was a lot of fun because for most of my play I got to use my imagination and learn from the other kids around me.  

     Play today is definitely different from when I was a child.  Technology has taken over today and kids don't go outside to play anymore with other kids.  There are ipads, and cell phones that children are so fascinated with today.  When I was a kid it was fun and we didn't have that at all I didn't get my first cell phone until I got to high school and kids today have them at 5 years old.  The imagination kids from my generation had was so different because we had to actually use only ourselves, but it never got boring for one second.  My hope for children today and for my own children in the future is for them to be allowed to play more without technology and television interfering so much.  I had an amazing childhood and I am grateful for the many things I got to learn just by playing.  

     Play for me allowed me to be creative and It made me realize just how creative I am.  I enjoyed playing pretend and being someone I am not.  It was fun to be in another world and that is partly why I have a passion for acting, when I was a child playing pretend allowed for me to be anyone I wanted and to make up scenarios and It was fun for me and easy for me I feel like every child should have that kind of experience because they can learn so much and discover new things for themselves and that is an amazing feeling.  

Relationship Reflection

         Relationships definitely mean a lot to me, the reason that they mean so much to me is because it is a reflection of me and the people that I care about the most in life and how we show our love and support for each other.  I have some really amazing people in my life that I am so proud to have here.  My dad and mom, my sisters and brothers my nice and nephew Also my grandparents.  There  are so many more people in my life that I have really positive relationships with and they all mean so much to me.  Below I have displayed a few pictures of some of my loved ones.
         The relationship I have with my parents is really positive.  They both support me in my decisions and goals and always provide advice and I do the same with them.  They have been here for me through a lot and have helped me when I have struggled and this relationship works because we have a certain dynamic and love that has been built for years and years.  I have always been really close to both of my parents and if it were not for them I would not have made it so far.
        My siblings, my brothers and sisters we have all supported each other in everything. We look to each other for guidance and have always had each others backs in so many different ways. We have that bond that works even when we haven't seen or talked to each other in a while nothing changes and that is what I love about my entire family, it is never weird we have an unbreakable bond that is filled with love and support.
        Some of the challenges that I face with maintaining these relationships is that I am all the way across the country from all of my family. I live in Los Angeles, and my family for the most part live in Chicago.  I have made a better effort to call and contact them when I can to keep the communication going and they do the same.  I also visit whenever I get the chance and they do as well.  I have lived in Los Angeles for 7 years now and we all have made an attempt to make our relationship work and it has never changed.
       The special characteristics that I do have with my family is that I am always open and honest with them.  They are always honest with me as well and we respect each other for that.  I know my family pretty well and I share with them a lot of my life since they are not able to be here all the time to see it.  My experience with knowing how to maintain and build these relationships with the people closest to me will definitely impact me as early childcare professional. I know how to communicate effectively and I have learned that over the years with having to learn that in my own family.  I have opened up a lot and ask questions and share my thoughts well.  I have learned to work hard at keeping my relationships positive and giving as well as receiving.  All of this will help me when I have to build on relationships and partnerships in my own career as an early childcare professional.

Thank you to all in My Child Development Class!

Hi All.

I wanted to make a special thanks for all of the people in my Early childhood development class as well as Dr. Nagel.  I definitely learned a lot from all of you and got a lot of great insight from your opinions and posts I wish you all nothing but the best as you continue on your Journeys in your prospective fields I really enjoyed this class and have taken a lot from it!

Thanks,

Brittney Williams

Week 8 Quote about children.

Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded." 
  — Jess Lair, author 

Testing for Intelligence

My view on Assessing Children 

I believe the knowledge of a child should be tested because children are so unique and different.  It is important to know what children have knowledge on and what they know.  The reason for this is so that you know where a child should be placed as far as school and so that they are not limited.  Some children are a lot smarter than what you would expect and have a lot of knowledge about things you would not think they would.  Children like them should be in special programs and around children like them.  

Assessing Children in Japan 

The country I chose to talk about is how children are assessed in Japan. Japan has a very high and competitive examination system. They have a variety of standardized testing that the children go through.  They also have a variety of self evaluation tests for children to be assessed with.  In Japanese public schools, Elementary, and post secondary schools, the students do not take any high stakes exams, they also are not placed in schools by achievement.  Japanese children face a lot of competition with each other in the school system and a lot of pressure when it comes to exam taking.  They are put on a lot more pressure than most parts of the world.  

Additional Info

I find it interesting the different ways that are used all around the world to assess children.  Compared to how children are assessed in japan to how they are assessed in the united states.  There are many ways all around the world to assess children and their knowledge from standardized testing, and any other exams that specific countries may have they use to test the knowledge of children.  I do believe there should be more creative activities put into place to measure the knowledge of children.  Something that will interest the child more than just an exam.  

Resource:

http://neqmap.unescobkk.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Assessment-Around-the-World.pdf  

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The person I know that did deal with many stressors as a child was my dad and the main stressor he dealt with was poverty as a child. He grew up in a household of 10 children including himself plus my grandma and grandpa in Tchula, Mississippi.  My dad told me when he was a child they did not have a lot of money and that he and his siblings had only a few pairs of clothing and shoes to get them by.  They had an outfit for school and a few outfits for play. He did mention one thing that stuck out to me was that his parents could only afford to buy them all one pair of shoes each which was a pair of dress shoes they needed for school, my dad said that his dress shoes got so worn out that he had to put cardboard and tape at the bottom to cover the holes.  This was so sad to hear what he had to go through but he said he was taught by his parents to appreciate what they do have.  My dad said he never complained he would work extra hard to keep the things he did have in good condition because he knew he would not get another pair to replace the things he messed up because his parents couldn't afford it. He said this taught him to appreciate everything in life and it made him a better person and he worked extra hard to make sure that all of his children, me and my siblings never had to go through that and I am grateful for that.

Stress on Children in Africa

Many children in Africa seem to deal with a lot of different stressors from their economy and one happens to be disease.  Children in Africa face many different challenges and things that can cause disease to them such as clean drinking water and environment.  Many families in Africa suffer from poverty which in turn makes them unable to always provide clean drinking water for their children.  The rate of death among children has decreased over time in regards to disease and poverty, but there is still a long way to go.  In places like Kenya and Uganda poverty is a very complex problem.  In Uganda the access to clean water can be scarce and families usually have to travel a great distance to get clean water supply.  So a program was launched in Uganda in the Wakiso District child fund  to give families water jars so that they do not have to travel so far to get clean water.  Clean water was also a problem in Gambia until recently families use to have to rely on unclean and overused water.  The child fund for the child development centers in Sibanor got funding from the world bank and local partners to construct a water pyramid which collected rainwater for the families and children in Uganda.  The water pyramid has really helped the people of Uganda, it provides more that 1,320 gallons of water to the people and children daily. Although children still do suffer from many diseases that cannot be prevented in Africa there are many child funds and partners who work to collect funds through monthly giving partners that can help to fund more programs and different things to help with the poverty and disease.

Resource:
https://www.childfund.org/Assessing-the-Burden-of-Disease-in-Africa/