A Note of Thanks and Support

     Just a note of thanks to all of my colleagues for your continued support during the last eight (8) weeks of this wonderful course.  Your encouragement through discussions and blogs has allowed me the opportunity to grow.  I enjoyed sharing my knowledge through discussions as well as gaining knowledge from your discussions.  I sincerely hope that all of you will continue to do well in the Walden's MSECS program.

     I would also like to take this opportunity to give thanks to our professor, Dr. Janet Kien, for her commitment to educating us as future educators.  I throughly enjoyed your class.  Thanks for your remarks on my assignments, it made me work just that much harder to please you.  Thanks again for your role you play in keeping the Walden's MSECS program the best.

Quotes about Children

"If you're going to equalize the academic playing field, you've got to get the kids in early childhood programs."
- Paul Vallas

"What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and anot knowledge in pursuit of the child."
- George Bernard Shaw

"If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses.
- Goethe

"Children are like wet cement.  Whatever falls on them makes an impression.
- Dr. Hiam Ginnot

Testing for Intelligence

Testing for Intelligence

            I believe that there should be a standard education system throughout the country.  However I think that emotional assessments are very necessary. We need to be knowledgeable about a child’s emotional health as well as their cognitive abilities.  When children are having emotional issues it may become hard for them to focus when they are given standardized test.  Therefore the results of the test are not in the child’s favor.  Because children in rural parts of countries are not receiving the same education as children in the urban cities some standardized test are considered biased.  In my opinion I think that we should look at the fact that all children are not on the same developmental levels.  Because children from all regions do not have the same education and they do not have the same experiences in life we should not expect all children to be on the same level when it comes to testing for Intelligence. 

            I have friends that are already educators that have a lot of concerns with the fact that everything that they do is now based on preparing for state testing.  Even when children have not mastered a particular subject they have to go on to the next subject.  The teachers have to revisit subject that are not mastered when time is permissible.  State testing has put added pressures on schools and teachers.  I believe that we must be held to certain standards, and I also believe that there should be check points to test to make sure that students are learning all of the required skills.  I just feel that this has put an enormous strain on the teachers and the students.  It appears that they are being rushed as if they are in a race.  In the U. S. high schools use exit examinations to make certain that students were meeting the minimum state requirements for graduation.  Today testing is based on the curriculum and performance standards have been developed in all fifty states.

            In Australia children are assessed at age 7 with a test that is called NAPLAN.  Another testing program that is called Reach for the Stars performs assessments in Sensory, Developmental, Social Emotional, Motor, Participation assessment, and Adaptive behavior/cognition assessments.  The participation assessment is a school function assessment that evaluates and monitors a student’s performance of functional tasks and activities at school.  The adaptive behavior assessment is a test that assesses disorders of planning, organization and problem solving.  This test is administered to the 16 year olds. 

References

www.psychcorp.com.au/otguidee

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_school#Austrailia

Gale Encyclopedia of Education.  Encyclopedia of Education.  Testing: Standardized Tests and Educatgional Policy.  Copyright © 2002 by The Gale Group, Inc

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

     There are several stressors that affects the development of a child.  The one that is somewhat overlooked to me is the effects of war on a child's development.  I can remember when my cousin, Antonio, father and his Army Reserve Unit had to go to Iraq to serve in the war.  He was devastated.  He and his father spent a lot of quality time together and he was really dependent on his father.  He was very attached to his father.  Because his father's unit had to go to Iraq his attachment with his father was interrupted.  I had so much empathy for my cousin.  I could really feel his pain. 

     At the time I did not know that all of my kind acts to Antonio was important.  But since I have been enrolled in Walden University I have learned that the acts of kindness that I showed is called prosocial behavior. (Berger, 2012).   I can remember when Antonio would cry his eyes out.  He would not eat his lunch and a lot of times he ended up going to sleep in class because he was not able to rest during the night.  Antonio often complained of headaches and stomachaches.   I often tried to assure him that his father would be okay but he still reminded me that he was lost and alone without his father.  I encouraged him to write his father a letter and this was the only time that he was his normal self.

     My mother finally told Antonio's mother that she may need to seek some counseling for him.  She was very concerned because this was causing him to fall behind in school and she felt like his mental  health status could be jeopardized from this situation as well.  After seeking counseling Antonio's mother found out that he was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks because he was afraid that his father would not come back from the war.  I am so glad that my mother convinced her to seek help from a counselor.  Antonio's father did return home after two years and he has since then been a normal child. 

     As I reflected on Antonio's experience I can't help but to choose the region of Afghanistan to focus on for the effects of war on children.  In Afghanistan (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is really high because of family violence.  This is due to high levels of stress stemming from the war.  There are several common side affects of ( PTSD) which include  depression, poor appetite, guilt, anxiety, poor interactions, aggressive outbursts, fear of darkness, and difficulty concentrating.   There are several other issues that stem from war.  Lack of food and displacement are some of the issues.  Flashbacks, nightmares, and mental disorders are also issues. 

     There are several groups available that can help to minimize harm to children. 

• Save the Children is a internationally active Non-Governmental Organization that enforces the children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in mostly developing countries.  It improves the lives of children through better education, health care, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty and obliges states to take positive measures to ensure the protection of children's rights both in peace and in war.

War has a tremendous affect on the biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development of children.  It can cause the children to change their attitudes toward society, change their relationships with others, and it can  also change their outlook on life.

 

References

 

Berger, K. S. (2012) The developing person through childhood (6th ed.) New York, NY: Worth Publishers

 

http://twebster@savechildren.org