my 2nd event

I took a course at the Sherlock Center right here on campus in October. this course was from 8-10:30 in the morning and was about disabilities. this course also implemented the standards and how we can use them with all children. this class was interesting since i did not know much about the Sherlock center here at RIC. we got into groups and answered questions about different types of disabilities...autism, hearing impaired, speech disorder and so on. we then went into on different types of classroom materials that would be beneficial for each child that has a disability. a good site to check out would be www.ric.edu/sherlockcenter and the ride.ri.gov site.

my 1st event

the first event I did was during the summer, but ended in October. Due to my job I am required to take classes for the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards. the class I took was called Implementing a standards based classroom. this class was 36 hours, Wednesdays from 5:30-8:30 from July until October. we talked about the nine domains and what each meant. we had a binder and had articles to read each week as well as doing a lesson plan for different topics. we learned what four parts make up a curriculum...context, content, process and teaching and facilitating. I also had to do a project based on the for parts of the lesson plan and present it. we then talked about the different ways to do assessments on the children in the classroom. from taking this course i have implementing a new lesson plan format based on the standards, we post the standards up for the parents, send home family fun cards, we do observations on each child everyday and have binders for children's work. A good site to check out would be: www.ride.ri.gov and rields.com this site actually has the standards on it and courses to take for the RIELDS.

The Youth

After reading this article I understand a lot about helping out the youth. I have been working with children for 11 years and I know all about the changes that have been made. When I first started working in child care it did not matter if you had a degree or not. I mean in order to work in a classroom it did not matter. The way lesson planning was done was simple and there were no guides on what you needed to have in it. Requirements of DCYF have changed over the years as well. Now we have to have some type of degree in order to be a director, lead teacher, head teacher or even an educational coordinator. If you have no educational degree then you are just considered an assistant teacher. I know my center is only hiring if you have a degree. We are required to take classes based on the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards and to make sure our curriculum is aligned with them as well. Bright stars is a program that is now required for almost all daycares to be part of. I have to say without bright stars we would of never been able to get a grant to upgrade the classrooms or most recently receive one to redo the playground. We have to have these items in place in order to make sure our children are getting the best, quality and effective learning. Not only for the youth, by having programs in place to help them (youth in action or project night vision). There are also programs out there to help the younger students as well (resilient kids, the Sherlock center). I know that with my degree in youth development and other trainings I may receive will help me to be a better educational coordinator.

Resilient kids

This is the first time I have ever heard of resilient kids. I looked over their website from top to bottom and found some interesting facts. I like all the quotes they have on the site that keep changing. It is nice to see that they use the word "we" a lot. To me this is important because it is not just one person making a difference, but a team. I liked how they do different activities with the youth by giving ideas on their site. For example: The Art of puzzling and planting seeds. I like this, "Let the road of mindfulness lead you on the right path". This is so true because if you take the right path then it will help you succeed. This is a great tool for teachers and schools. They help them and the children with ways to reduce stress and behaviors. There goal seems to make sure that everyone they work with has a positive outcome. My only question would be: can resilient kids help teachers in a preschool setting with behaviors as well? I feel that everything that is out their is more focused on the public schools, but what about the younger children struggling with behaviors and learning.

Danger of a single story

This was my first time listening to this TED talk. I liked how she talked about how different cultures affected her. Society has put in our minds that different cultures are different and we judge them. Everyone is different, everyone does things their way, their culture is important to them, so we should not judge. Youth get a bad name because that is what society says. We as adults need to help guide the youth by being the example. I particularly do not have a story to talk about, but I do have one of a person trying to help the youth. Kobie Dennis is the founder of project night vision, located in Providence at the Salvation Army Building. He has been working to get the youth, 13-18 year olds off the streets at night. He has done midnight basketball in the summer, does fundraising to help the youth with school supplies and prom dresses. I have heard other people around me talk bad about the youth, but I also hear judgements all the time. Sometimes I feel like people take advantage of me because of who I am. I carry myself well and have worked very hard to get to where I am today. I basically brush it off and not let it get to me. On a last note: "Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity." This is a powerful statement and I wanted to end my blog with it.

Identity in Context

This chapter hit all the right points. Being a youth can be hard to find your identity. This is when they start to find themselves, but let's not forget that it also begins when they are preschoolers. They are understanding their bodies, feelings, other relationships with children and want they like to play with. The author spoke a lot about Erickson, which I remember from many psychology classes. Mitch asks Julian to do some work on what other people think or see of him. Here are the four different identities: 1. Foreclosed Identity- an individual has committed to a life direction or way of being without exploring it carefully and without experimenting with alternatives. 2. Diffuse Identity- is a state in which there has been little exploration or active consideration of a particular identity and no psychological commitment to one. 3. Identity Moratorium- one actively explores roles and beliefs, behaviors and relationships, but refrains from making a commitment. 4. Achieved Identity- when the identity crisis is resolved and the commitment to the selected identity is high. So when it came to me writing my own context map I felt like I did not have to much to put on it. I have done one of these before in a social work class. I feel like I know my identity, but a lot has happened in my life gnat has made me who I am today.

The Construction of Adolescence

This article was very well written and made a lot of sense. Reading this gave a new insight on what adolescents go through. Also when I was reading this I was thinking about how it was when I was growing up and most of what they said was true.
As I was reading this chapter I highlighted some words that caught my attention:
Rude, disrespectful, hostile, unappreciated, maligned, ignored, or spitefully treated. These words all have different meanings, but they stood out to me. Some adolescents can feel all these or be called these. I know from experience that I have felt unappreciated while growing up and even to this day I sometimes feel it too.
As I kept reading I came across some more words:
Allegiances, cognitive development, theoretical thinking, tested knowledge, theoretical imagination, experimenters, construction of adolescence, interpsychological development, scaffolding, zone of proximal development. I may not know what all these words or phrases mean, but they stood out to me. I know what cognitive development is because it is one of the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards.
Now as I sit here thinking about the ten people that have helped shape my life...I cannot think of that many. I have probably only three in my life. The one person that comes to mind is a long time friend and coworker of mine for eleven years. We started working in our first daycare and developed a life long friendship. She was there for me when I got married and I was there for her when she got divorced. She lost a dog during this time and I was there for her as well. She was there for me when I found out I was pregnant and then when my son was born. Then she left and went to another daycare as a director. She asked me to go with her so I did. When we worked at our second daycare I grew so much as a teacher. I became the lead head start teacher in the preschool classroom, was part of BrightStars and took a lot of trainings. She has showed me so much over the years on how to be a better teacher for these young children of ours. She has always encouraged me to strive and be the best. Then she moved to another and the last daycare. She asked me to go with her again and of course I went. I have become more knowledgable with BrightStars and the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards. I have used my knowledge to help make the other classrooms up to par. Currently I am working on my Bachelors and due to this amount of knowledge I know, she is making me the educational coordinator. I feel blessed to have her in my life and this is one friendship I will cherish for a lifetime.