There are several quotes which come to my mind when I think of child development. The quote I chose for this assignment, reminds me of how beautiful children are. “Every child is a different kind of flower, and altogether make this world a beautiful garden.” This quote is truly inspiring to me because it reminds me that every child which crosses my path is a unique individual. Children have different personalities, learning styles, cultures, etc. and it’s important to celebrate their differences. As an educator, all of their unique differences truly make the classroom as well as the world beautiful.

I would like to truly thank each of my classmates for the time and effort you placed into writing informative blogs for the course. I truly appreciate Behice for sharing personal motherhood experiences within her blog posts. Your blog post on breastfeeding was truly informative and I appreciate the survey data you provided from different countries. Also, I appreciate Dorthy for providing thoughtful insights as well as resources in each of your posts. Your post on childhood immunizations had excellent suggestions from the Center for Disease control. I would like to wish everyone well on their educational journeys.

Quote retrieved from https://www.wisdomtimes.com/blog/51-best-children-quotes/

  As an educator a holistic approach for assessment is significant to providing the proper strategies for academic growth and development.  The holistic approach should be ongoing and continuous.  There are several factors which are affiliated with the holistic approach for a child.  The first important aspect is to gather information from a variety of perspectives in order to learn more information about the child.  This information could be gathered from an individual who is very familiar with the child such as a parent, previous teacher, older sibling, older family member, etc.   The perspective of an individual familiar with the child can give valuable information about the personality of the child and the child’s life outside of the classroom.  The second valuable aspect to a holistic approach is researching the child’s understanding of learning.  Learning occurs in life outside of the classroom.  As an educator it is also important to understand how a child learns in multiple settings.  For example, children with autism spectrum disorder are an extreme example of multiple intelligences (Berger, 2018).  It is significant to learn about each individual child and how they obtain knowledge.  There are some children, such as those with multiple intelligences, then it is restrictive and prejudicial to expect everyone to be the same (Berger, 2018).  Based on the valuable research conducted, an educator can provide strategies for effective ways to promote learning in the home as well as the school.  An educator can also create and implement assessments, based on the holistic approach of the individual learner, that will provide valuable information about the knowledge the learner has obtained after a lesson or unit. 

1.   In the people’s republic of China, educational assessment is driven by high stakes assessments and China is an examination driven society (OECD, 2011)

Chinese classroom practices focus on the following:

•  Rigorously controlled teaching demonstrations that are frequently evaluated by peers and administrators. (OECD, 2011)
• Maximizing student scores on all forms of evaluation (OECD, 2011)
• Removal of curriculum content not explicitly evaluation by the examination system (OECD, 2011)
• High student workloads to ensure mastery of examination material (OECD, 2011)
• Teacher-centric transmission of discipline specific and bookish knowledge (OECD, 2011)
• Mechanistic, rote learning, memory-driven, learning and pedagogical strategies (OECD, 2011) 

  It is important to remember that children develop a range of strategies as problem solvers and in doing this make hypotheses, try these out analyze what happens, identify patterns, generate rules, use analogy come to conclusions and move on (Smidt, 2006).  I believe it is extremely important to provide a student with the freedom to explore as well as discover the world and a holistic approach provides this type of opportunity for the children.

References:

Berger, K. S. (2018). The developing person through childhood. (8th edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

OECD. (2011). Strong performers and successful reformers in education: Lessons from PISA for the United States. Paris: Author. [Crossref], [Google Scholar]

Smidt, S. (2006).  The developing child in the 21^st century.  A global perspective on child development.  New York, NY: Routledge.

Imagine waking up as a child wondering when you will have your next meal.  Each day you walk to school wondering if things will be different each day.  As you enter the classroom, all you can think about is lunch time or hope that the teacher will give out treats to the class.  You attempt to concentrate in class throughout the day, but you begin to feel hunger pains and a headache.  You begin to wonder if your parents had enough time to add to your lunch account or if your favorite cafeteria worker will be there to help you with a meal.  Imagine finally receiving a small snack from the cafeteria and taking just a few bites.  You save the rest of the meal because you are unsure of the next time you will eat.  You try to hide this from your classmates and you are scared your classmates will begin to tease you.  The situation I described happened to an old classmate in my elementary school.  Each day, my old classmate hoped to have a better day and have enough food to survive the day.  Overtime, he began to lose weight rapidly due to the malnutrition.  My classmates and I began to share our snacks also.  The school eventually received a grant and began to provide children who did not have enough lunch money in their account with a sandwich for lunch. 

Thinking of a young child attending school in this situation, I could only imagine how difficult it would be to attempt to excel academically or concentrate each day in school.  By lacking the essential daily vitamins, malnutrition can also occur.  If malnutrition continues long enough to affect height, it also affects the brain (Berger, 2018).  Children may suffer from stunting, being short for their age because of chronic malnutrition (Berger, 2018).  If hunger reduces energy and curiosity, learning suffers (Berger, 2018).  Children are also at risk of childhood diseases.  About half of all childhood deaths occur because malnutrition makes a childhood disease lethal (Berger, 2018).

Poverty is one of the main causes of malnutrition.  In order for children to receive the proper nutrients, their caregivers must be able to financially support the child or children.  This time, Africa as well as Asia share the highest numbers of malnutrition.  These countries also share the highest numbers of obese children due to the unhealthy diets.  Political instability is also a cause of malnutrition due to unstable jobs and a fluctuating economy.  Another factor is the climate change which can affect the consistent production of crops. (www.worldhunger.org).

Interesting facts:

Hunger is also a cause of poverty, and thus of hunger, in a cyclical relationship. By causing poor health, small body size, low levels of energy and reductions in mental functioning, hunger can lead to even greater poverty by reducing people’s ability to work and learn, thus leading to even greater hunger. See Victoria et al. 2008

Iron

• In many lower-middle-income countries, iron deficiency anemia is aggravated by worm infections, malaria and other infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis.
• The major health consequences include poor pregnancy outcome, impaired physical and cognitive development, increased risk of morbidity (illness) in children and reduced work productivity in adults. Anemia contributes to 20 percent of all maternal deaths (FAO, 2017).

Vitamin A

• Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness and reduce the body’s resistance to disease. In children, vitamin A deficiency can also impair growth.
• An estimated 250 million preschool children are vitamin A deficient. An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin A-deficient children become blind every year, half of them dying within 12 months of losing their sight (FAO, 2017).

Iodine

• Iodine deficiency is one of the main cause of impaired cognitive development in children, especially in iodine-deficient areas of Africa and Asia. About 38 million babies are born with iodine deficiency (FAO, 2017).
• Iodine deficiency has a simple solution: iodized salt. Thanks to this intervention, the number of countries where iodine deficiency is a public health problem has been halved over the past decade. However, 54 countries still have a serious iodine deficiency problem. (WHO)

References:

Berger, K. S. (2018). The developing person through childhood (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, World Food Programme, & WHO. (2017). The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2017: Building resilience for peace and food security. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7695e.pdf.

www.worldhunger.org

Victora, C. G., Adair, L., Fall, C., Hallal, P. C., Martorell, R., Richter, L., … & Maternal and Child Undernutrition Study Group. (2008). Maternal and child undernutrition: consequences for adult health and human capital. The lancet, 371(9609), 340-357. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258311/. 

For some parents, the thought of SIDS, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a terrifying thought. Each year, families wait for the arrival of their precious bundle of joy and prepare for the arrival for 9 months. Then suddenly within the first 12 months of after the child is born, there is a risk that their precious bundle of joy could die during sleep without any warnings.  I could only imagine how traumatizing, heart breaking and devastating this can be.  After participating in my course this week, I believe it is important to inform individuals on the importance of understanding how to be an effective parent, caregiver, grandparent, etc. and become aware of the risks which can occur early in the life of a child.  Although research is continuously being conducted on the cause of SIDS, there are several ways parents can lower the risk of SIDS occurring. There are many doctors who recommend ensuring that an infant is sleeping on his/her back. An infant who is sleeping on his/her side or stomach may have a higher risk of suffocation from a mattress.  Also, It is important for the child to have a firm bed with no soft toys or bedding. Surrounding an infant with soft bedding or soft toys may lead to the suffocation of the child while sleeping. Items such as large blankets and pillows can also lead to suffocation. Researchers have recommended that infants should not sleep in the bed with the parents. Although the parents may want to keep the baby close, a sleeping child in the same bed is dangerous.  The parents could potentially roll over and suffocate the infant. An overheated child can also increase the risk of the child’s risk for SID’s. Parents should remember to ensure that the child has on light pajamas and keeping the room at a comfortable temperature. Health care providers discourage giving honey to an infant under the age of 1. Honey can lead to botulism in very young children. There are studies that have linked botulism as well as the bacteria to SIDS. Smoking is highly discouraged around pregnant woman as well as infants. Studies have found that smoking as well as second hand smoke increases the chances of SIDS. As a parent, physician, educator, etc., It is important to continue to stay updated on the causes of SIDS. The safe methods for a child from two decades ago are not effective practices of modern day times. It is also important for the information to be shared with caregivers as well as grandparents, who may not be aware of the update practices. If you interact with other mother’s in the community, family members, church members, etc. please share the importance of learning about sudden infant death syndrome as well as ways to keep children safe. Each of the researched points above are very important and are essential to the safety of the child. I’m thankful to have access to effective research and I will continue to conduct research on children and share information.

The process of child birth can truly be a beautiful experience. While studying elementary education in college, I found out that I would be an aunt. I was extremely excited and immediately began to think of all of the experiences I would share with my nephew when he was born. This was also the first time that his mom would be having a child. His mother also learned that her best friend was expecting. They started a small book club and each month they discussed changes to their body as well as how the baby was growing inside. I attended a few doctor appointments and observed how the doctor measured the size of my nephew. The process was truly amazing. I was able to attend the book club and gained insight on pregnancy pros and cons. I truly appreciated being allowed to attend the book club and as each month passed I was able to witness the growth of my nephew. My brother loved to read to my nephew during the time of pregnancy. I believe my nephew also enjoyed hearing the voice of my brother and he would immediately begin to move. I can still remember the first time I felt a kick and his foot press against his mother’s stomach. When the day came for the arrival of my nephew, the family waited anxiously in the waiting room. He was delivered successfully and I cried the moment I saw him in the nursery. In the Netherlands, I learned that expecting mothers primarily use a midwife and the baby is delivered at home. Mother’s in the Netherland’s also have the option to deliver in the hospital. Mother’s from the Netherland’s who would like to visit the hospital will receive a house visit from the midwife for prenatal care. The midwife will then assist with the idea time for you to go to the hospital. In Germany, mother’s choose to use a midwife for their prenatal care. In Germany, by law a midwife is required to be present during the birth and a doctor is optional. In Japan, I learned that mother’s strive to give birth without the use of painkillers. In Japan, the mother’s will deliver the baby at the hospital. Father’s are welcome to be present if they have taken prenatal courses. During the pregnancy process, the children are monitored by a licensed physician or midwife. Although a midwife/ home delivery may be more common, the development and safe delivery of a child is a priority.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

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• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
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The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
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• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

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