Sharing Web Resources

The web site that I chose to research and contact is www.earlychildhoodireland.ie. Early Childhood Ireland supports and represents the people who play a role in the development, delivery and oversight of early childhood care and education in Ireland, and prioritizes the interests of children. Early Childhood Ireland provides professional support and training for early childhood care and education providers, contributes to research and public policy development, promotes quality, accessible childcare for all children, and explores and evaluates innovative and creative child-centered approaches to childcare. On issue discussed in Early Childhood Ireland’s newsletter was raising the cost of childcare. Their argument for raising the cost of care is so they can have better trained and educated pre-school teachers or caregivers. The cost of childcare seems to be a hot issue globally. Are parents willing to pay more for quality care? This is a question that is still unanswered. The reality of it is, at some point, cost plays in effect one way or another.  

Establishing Professional Contacts

One site I chose to visit was www.earlychildhoodireland.ie. This is an organization that supports and represents the people who play a role in the development, delivery and oversight of early childhood care and education in Ireland, and prioritises the interests of children. I have yet to hear a response but am hopeful that I will soon.
The second organization I chose to contact was OMEP Irish National Committee. I also have yet to hear a response but am hopeful.
I chose to look into Ireland because, that is where my family lives. I have considered moving there as well and am interested in their outlook on Early Childhood Education. My cousin also works in a childcare facility so it might be easy to get loads of good information. I also wanted to contact organizations in Europe because I grew up in Germany and I have always been interested in the European way of life and how their child development programs differ from those in the United States.

My Supports

As a young career professional and graduate student, there are several factors that act as a support for me. Since I spend most of my time at work, my co-workers and staff are a huge support in my life. We have a very positive work dynamic which makes my job easy and enjoyable. Another huge support in my life are the kids I work with. They are all aware of the educational journey I am on and they are always eager to know how I am doing. My fiance is probably my greatest support system. He appreciates my career and understands my hectic work schedule. My local fitness center supports me as well. It is where I go every evening to relieve stress and keeps me sane. Lastly, my colleagues who are on the education journey with me also support me in ways that may be unknown or less obvious. I always look forward to logging into class and reading what my classmates have posted. They have provided me with a very positive experience so far. The main characteristic that all my supports have in common is that they all support me and my goals in one way or another. These factors help keep me focused and grounded and really make me appreciate life. I cannot imagine not having these supports in my life because they are all things that I look forward to and make me so happy. I certainly would not be the person I am today without them.

Although I am speaking honestly, and I do not intend to offend anyone, the challenge I chose to imagine was what my life would be like if I had a child or children. Clearly, I am in the business of children and youth and there is nothing that I find more satisfying than impacting the life of a child. However, not having children of my own is a choice I have made for several reasons. While many view having a child as a blessing (and I'm sure it is), I cannot help but think about all of the challenges that come along with raising a child. The financial stresses, choosing between childcare or putting my career on hold, and finding time for school and other things are just a few of the worries that come to mind. Where I am at now in my life, I would need a much different support system. Of course my fiance would still be included in my list of supports, however, I feel like everything else would change. I would find support in other things, but would these things make me as happy as I am now? Having my own children is not something that is completely off my list, but I think waiting is the best option for me. I can also imagine that when you have a child of your own, all of the other worries disappear and you just make things work.

My Connections to Play

The true object of all human life is play.

~G. K. Chesterton

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

~Plato

The above photos are what kept me going as a child. While I appeared to be somewhat of a tomboy, and I did absolutley love playing sports, I loved Barbies with a passion. Even as an adult I enjoy playing Barbies with my nieces. Music was another past time that I had as a child as well as during my teenage years and now into adulthood. I was in the school band for as long as I can remember, and today, I still share my love of music with the people who surround me. I attribute so much of my social skills, academic skills and imaginary skills to the above hobbies.
As a child, play was the number one priority for me. In turn, school became a priority because I knew that in order to go outside and play, I needed to have all of my schoolwork completed. My parents were always very supportive of my play, as were my two older sisters. They were even nice enough to play along with me from time to time regardless of the six year age difference. My parents always really encouraged me to be well-rounded. I didn't only play sports or I didn't only play music. I was on sports teams, I was in the band, and I acted in the school plays. I truly believe that these things are what set me up for success during my teenage years and into adulthood.

Play today seems to have changed quite a bit compared to what is was when I was a child. It doesn't seem as simple. When I was a child, I could play by myself with little or no objects and be completely satisfied. Or a few friends and I could get a game going that we made up on the spot and play it for hours and hours. I did grow up in a time where technology was booming and the era of the nintendo was popular. I think I even had the very first gameboy that came out, although I also remember only have one or two games for it and really only using it on long car trips or plane rides. I never found myself particularly interested in technology. In today's society, I struggle to get kids to play. Recess is no longer a favorite subject among youth and they just want to play video games and watch TV. I hope that I enourage the youth I work with to play and I hope I display the positive outcomes of play.

Based on the outcomes of my life so far, I will argue that the role of play is critical not only during childhood but throughout one's life. Even as an adult, I enjoy play. Perhaps not in the same setting as I did as a child, but very similar. I play on intramural sports teams, I am active in my community, and I am physically active. Participating in these activities help me stay focuesed in work and at school and really satisfy my social interaction needs.

Relationship Reflection

  Relationships have proven to be a critical part of my life, as they have shaped who I am today and who I will continue to be throughout my life. The relationships that I have encountered throughout the duration of my life, both good and bad, are the reason I am here in my career as well as my educational journey. I currently have several positive relationships that foster my health well-being. First and foremost, Reilly (my fiance) is the most significant of my relationships. We have been together for 5 years and have made it through some pretty big accomplishments together. We met while we were in college and have started our professional careers together and supported one another through the good times and the bad. Our relationship has been a factor in where I am at professionally today and where I will continue to go. The second most important relationship in my life today is the relationship I have with the youth that I work with. I work a lot, and I have a tendency to let my work consume my life, but it is in good reason I do so. I cannot put into words the satisfaction that comes from my job. Being able to witness on a daily basis the contribution that I make towards youth becoming better citizens is rewarding on so many levels. The trust that these children have placed in me and the relationship that we have is priceless. As a result of our positive relationship, I have been able to build better partnerships with parents. The parents are able to see how happy their children are and have become more open to the idea of parent involvement. The third relationship that is important in my current life is the relationship between my staff and I. I have a wonderful staff who is dedicated to advocating for youth and they make my job much easier for me. They are innovative and always make sure that they are serving the children before themselves. These relationships listed are important mainly because this is was occurs in my everyday life. I'm either at home with Reilly, or at work with my staff and kiddos. While I often get teased about how much time I devote to my career and how all I talk about are the kids at work, I wouldn't want it any other way. The fact that I'm making a positive difference in the lives of these children is reason enough for me to continue on my career path. Having a supportive partner makes things even easier.

When I Think of Child Development…

As our last week of class comes to an end, a few of my favorite quotes come to mind when thinking of child development and its importance. As a closing note, I would like to express my deepest thanks to all of my colleagues that have gone on this journey with me. I am so thankful to experience this educational journey with you all and hope that we can continue to do this together throughout this entire program. For those of you who have been with me from the beginning, can you believe that we have completed our second course? It won’t be long now until we have our degrees under our belts. For those of you who I have just met through this class, it was truly a pleasure. Everyone’s comments and feedback has been well received and appreciated. Good luck to all of you!

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure." ~ Emma Goldman, author

“You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again.”  ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

“If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.”  ~Pearl S. Buck

Testing for Intelligence

I’m not 100% sure on how I feel about standardized testing for young children. From a personal perspective, I tested very well on standardized tests when I was a child. That lasted up until about when I was in high school. Around that time, I became very anxious about test taking and always seemed to do poorly regardless of my study habits. Unfortunately, this also followed me throughout college; however, I was able to make up for my poor testing abilities in other areas. I don’t think that most standardized tests fully cover where a child stands developmentally. If a child is just tested on science and math, and isn’t flourished in either of those subjects, that particular child may not produce high test scores. Does this mean the child is experiencing cognitive delays? I don’t believe so. I would be nice to see our school take an approach from and individuality standpoint. Perhaps not in the same way as Montessori schools, but just enough to where we can grasp where a child really stands cognitively. I think there are several subjects that could be addressed other than the basic things we already look at. Reading and writing are important but I think finding a way to measure a child’s understanding of words would be good. Also maybe using art to measure their thought process, or even music. There are so many characteristics that make up the mind of a child, it is important that we look at everything, not just certain things. In Germany, students are required to test on many different things beginning at a young age. This includes a second language, Latin, art, music as well as reading, writing, math and science. It seems like a lot, but my German peers when I was a child always seemed to be a little ahead of the game.