Reaching Out

This week I have sent emails to quite a few organizations to try to connect to an early childhood professional in Israel and in Romania. I have yet to receive a reply so I do not know if have to use the alternative project or not.  I picked Israel because I hope to one day visit and maybe live there and am interested in their education system.  I chose Romania because I am interested their early childhood programs post Ceausescu.  I hope to receive some replies soon.  Has anyone been able to connect to another professional?  
The website I chose is the International Step by Step Associations website.  I am a member of DEC and NAEYC and would like to learn more about what is happening globally in the early childhood field internationally.  As our classrooms are becoming more diverse, I want to become more diverse in my own studies.  I feel this could help me understand some of the foundations my children might have.  I have sent an email to subscribe to their monthly electronic newsletter.  I am looking forward to receiving this newsletter.  I also hope that I can reach out to other childhood professionals through this website.   

My Supports

Personal Supports:
My most important daily support is my faith in G-d.  Without my faith, I wouldn't even be here.  My next most important support is my husband. He still loves me and helps me, believes in me and encourages me.  My dogs, my cats and my bird are also daily supports.  They give me love, joy and entertainment.  My friends are a daily support.  They help me stay focused on what is important and help me decompress.  My synagogue family and Rabbi are also very important supports.  The Jenny Craig consultants that are helping me regain a healthy weight and lifestyle are very important even when I don't always believe in myself.  My hair-stylist is also a support.  Because I have these supports, I am able to have a sense of security, know that I have rocks to hold onto when I need to hold on.  Without these supports, I would be engaging in very self-destructive behaviors.  I would not have much confidence and would wallow in fear and self-pity.  My allergist who helps me control my allergies and asthma is a great support.  Without him, I wouldn't be here.  
Non-living Personal Supports:
Music, nature, books, my health, my computer, my car, and my home are just a few. Music has also helped soothe me and heal. Books have opened up visions and allowed me to live in other places.  Books give much joy. My health allows me to engage in activities such as walking and canoeing as well as enjoy life as it comes.  My car helps me get to work and other places.  My Jewish calendar helps me keep all aspects of my life in place.  I can navigate 2011-2012 and 5772 simultaneously.  My computer allows me to communicate with friends from my childhood, nieces and nephews that live in other states and new friends that I connect to.  My computer also allows me to further my education and new classmates.  It also allows me to decompress by playing games on it.  Without music, I have no clue where I would be.  I am in the choir at my synagogue and being a member of the choir allows me to grow spiritually and be more open to my spirituality. I am asthmatic and know what it is like to be near death.  I have had to be rescued from drowning due to passing out in the water at least 4 times in my life.  I know what it is like to wake up in a hospital and not know why I was there or when I even got there to find out someone tripped over me as I was laying unconscious in the grass.  My medications especially my rescue inhaler are supports. 
Professional Supports:
My teaching assistant is my most important support.  We have helped our students, kept them safe and helped keep each other safe at times.  Without him, I would have been more seriously injured by an out of control student than I was.  Without him being able to run faster than I, same student might have gotten hit by a car when student attempted to run into traffic. My students and their caregivers are very important.  Without them, I wouldn't have a profession.  Without the support of the caregivers (I only have 1 student living with a biological parent), I wouldn't be able to help my students progress in all areas.  My behavior specialist is also a much needed support.  She helps develop behavior plans for my students and does most of the paperwork when we have to use restraints or secured seclusion.  My colleague and her assistant support when there is a crisis or just to decompress.  My administration is very supportive and will sometimes give us chocolate.  They also help us problem solve and give us vision and direction.  My fellow teachers open up their class rooms to me and some of my students.  My professional life without this support would be miserable and dangerous. I also would be much less effective as a teacher.  All the speech and language therapists, the occupational therapists, the physical therapists and case managers, reattachment specialists, vision and interpreters for the deaf as well as hard of hearing resource teacher. 
Non-living professional Supports:
I need a desk.  I have had some years where I didn't have a space to call my own in the classroom and I learned, I need a space of my own.  I also have many resource books, IEP's a computer, a classroom, access to a sensory room, computer lab, science lab, white boards.  Too many things to name but all enrich the learning environment.  My own creativity helps me make learning into a game.  My experiences as a person and a teacher are put into play every day.  I really try not to make the same mistake twice.  
There are too many supports to name in all areas of my life.  I am truly grateful for all whether  mentioned or not.
Scenario:
   If I were paralyzed from the waist down, I would want bathrooms big enough for me to use that would respect my privacy.  Employers who would focus on my usefulness and not on my disability.  Friends that treated me as an equal. I would also want an electric wheelchair, a van that was equipped for a wheelchair, enough handicapped parking spaces that are actually big enough for my van's ramp.  I would want a stove that had the burners lined up side by side so I could reach all of the burners.  I would want access to all things that ambulatory people have.  I would want to be seen and not ignored or condescended to.  I would want a relationship with that someone special for me.  I would want caregivers who gave me freedom to explore my limits and help me exceed those limits if possible.  I would want to see my self as normal and be treated as "normal".  I would want to learn with my peers of all abilities. I would need spaces in stores, homes, restaurants, pharmacies that I could navigate my wheelchair through.  I would want respectful service at these places.  With these supports, I would have mobility, independence, opportunity for growth, employment, self-esteem, access, respect, a sense of belonging.  Without these supports, I would be isolate, alone, dependent, low self-esteem, needing care. Even with the supports, I may still need assistance in certain areas, but I would be as independent as possible.  
This scenario is dedicated to my friend, Donna, who has been an inspiration to me.  I can only hope that I have given her some of the support I mentioned throughout our youth and adulthood. I am sure there is much I overlooked. 

My Connections to Play

These pictures represent some of my favorite play activities as a child.  I loved being outside and loved sitting under trees and reading.  As a young child, I would get to sit on my grammy's lap in our rocking chair and we would read to each other.  When I was 7 we got a dog and I would read to him underneath our shade tree in the back yard.  I also loved playing with dolls and building with blocks on rainy or very cold days.  I was one of three girls in my neighborhood so I played with the boys.  I was definitely a tomboy.  In the winter, I would spend hours with the other kids in my neighborhood sledding and tobogganing down the hill next to my house.  I also spent hours playing card games with my grammy.  Because I was and still am an insomniac, I can remember playing Salvo with my father late at night.  Salvo was a board version of Battleship.  My family would play board games and card games in the middle of the night as most of us were insomniacs.  I also spent many hours every Christmas Eve playing Kerplunk with friends until moving to Florida at the age of 15.  My friends and I in Florida would spend time pretending to be wealthy.  We would go to Palm Beach and watch the people spend money at the stores on  Worth Av.  and sometimes we would laugh on the way home about some of the items people would buy.  As an adult, I still love to play card games and board games.  I also will sometimes build things with my students.  I still go to the beach and read.  I don't play with dolls or dress up and now actually get paid to teach instead of pretending.  I have found a new Disney buddy and my hubby and I love going to concerts.  We also go canoing and camping.  I need to have fun and sometimes have difficulty finding balance and time for fun.  Because I was encouraged to play and not be around the house throughout my life, I like traveling, and doing things away from home.  My husband is the total opposite of me and needs more home time than I do.  I love being in crowds and around people.  I like participating in book clubs and social activities.    

Here are some of my favorite quotes about play.                                                                                                                          

“The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” ~      Jerome Singer (professor, YaleUniversity)                                                                                                                                                       

“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~ James L. Hymes Jr. (child development specialist, author)

“Play is not only our creative drive; it’s a fundamental mode of learning.” ~                                                                 David Elkind (psychologist, author)   

"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff." ~                                                                               

                                                        Bob Keeshan                                         

                                      

                                                                                                                                      

   

    

Relationship Reflection

My beloved

I have many relationships, some are professional and some are personal and then there is family.  My most important relationship is with my husband.

We have been married for 7 years.  We dated for one year before we married.  I am the only woman he has married and I have had two weddings but only one marriage and that is with him.  We were introduced to each other by a friend of mine. I almost walked out on our first date because he is very thin and me well not so thin. We support each other, mutually respect each other and engage in mutually fun activities.  We rarely argue and accept each other's strengths and weaknesses.  Most importantly, we like each other.  We have 3 cats, a dog and a bird.  He has four siblings and my mother in love was the best.  We lost her this past December.  I was very close to my mother in love as we lived only a mile apart.  I am a part of the his family and like his family more than my own.  I like and love my niece and nephews.  My sisters and I sometimes chose to be kind to each other but I have had many conflicts with my biological family.   I have my friends, some that I've known since childhood, some since college and some within the past 7 years.  My personal relationships help keep me grounded and unwind.  My friend, Gretchen, helps me find balance between my need to work and have fun.   She is also a mentor and gives me tips on how to be a good teacher as well as have a life.

Our "son" B

Wolfie, our youngest

My professional relationships are also very important to me.  I am indebted to my instructional assistant.  He helps keep the classroom organized. He is usually very patient with our students and is helpful to the whole team.  I have worked with my behavior specialist for over 4 years now and have finally resolved many conflicts and now mutually respect each other.  We were able to really talk to each other about our differences in philosophy and began to understand each other this past summer during a four day institute.

I try to live by the motto "Seek first to understand then be understood".  I have good relationships with my students and their families.  I frequently have to remember my motto when working with some of my families.  I will have to find ways to build rapport with one parent if and when she begins to be allowed to take care of her daughter.  This parent has many issues and frequently doesn't keep her child safe or value education.  I also personally believe she should have her rights terminated and has had other children permanently taken from her.

I believe that mutual respect is critical in building relationships followed by learning about each other.  Clear communication is also vital but not always easy. All relationships take work and time.  Some change and some fade away and sometimes one has to realize that some relationships are too unhealthy and one needs to walk away from them.  I had to do this with my ex as he was very abusive and I also have to do this with my biological family at times when they become hurtful.  I also had a co-worker that I used to car pool with but eventually I realized I was being used as I always did the driving and she was very nasty about helping to pay for gas.  My attitude was poorly affected when we rode together.  

Some of my favorite quotes

"I can't change a student's bank account but I can change their emotional bank account."  Eric Jensen
I love the power of this statement.  


"Tell me and I forget.  Show me and I remember.  Involve me and I understand."  Chinese Proverb

I have seen the truth of this statement in action in my classroom.

If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man's future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual's total development lags behind?   Maria Montessori

Assessment and Standardized testing

Whenever it is time to administer the Florida Comprehensive Academic Test (FCAT), I inwardly cringe and want to have a legislator watch the effects of this high stake testing on many students and not just students with special needs.  Many students are able to have extra time, additional breaks, use highlighters, dictate their writing, take the test in a small group setting and occasionally in a one to one setting.  Some students can have the math and science test questions read to them.  These modifications didn't help a former student that has yet to learn to read beyond the the kindergarten and first grade level.  This person is now 20 and can comprehend books that are read to him.  He can't read the cable guide and gets frustrated easily. His math skills are at the fourth grade level.  He didn't graduate from high school in spite of combined efforts of his teachers, his mom and one on one support from me throughout his school years and beyond.  I also have to assess my students using the Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading (FAIR).  This test is administered one to one in grades k-2 three times per school year and from grades 3 through 12, the students can take it online.  I do use the information from this test to help me pinpoint strengths and weaknesses for each individual student and focus on strategies and skills to help them improve in the five areas of reading.  I can sometimes see where they have made improvements and what I need to focus on next for each student.   I also have to give a comprehensive math test 3 times a year and record each students scores in a spreadsheet that is monitored by my school district.  We will soon have comprehensive tests at the end of the year for each grade level.  Many of my students have test anxiety and can be very oppositional and defiant so I sometimes have to complete the tests over 3 to 4 days.  There are many times, I know that my students can do more than what they show on these tests.  I also want to teach and testing is NOT a teaching opportunity. I understand the need for accountability but definitely feel that accountability for teachers can be accomplished without all the formal testing of students.  I do believe that as a teacher, I need to make sure that my students are learning the skills and strategies I want them to learn so I assess them as I go.  I also believe in I.Q. and  psychoeducational testing.  I think it is important to know where all students start.  I would be ok with comprehensive beginning of the year tests and end of the year tests to see the progress students have made.

Compulsory education in Israel for children begins at the age of 5 although many children attend pre-school starting at the age of 3.  Pre-school is mainly private but there are some free public centers.  There are Jewish, Arab and Christian schools.  There are three types of Jewish schools, secular, religious and independent (Machol, 2010).  Primary and middle schools are under the direction of the Ministry of Education and high schools are independent or run by municpalities, local committees, or national networks (Machol, 2010).  When a child is enrolled in school, they are given the Hebrew or Arabic version of the WISC-R to learning apptitude and I.Q (Zeidner, 1990).  Students aged 4 to 6 may also be given perceptual tests such as the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test or the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception to assess reading probelms.  Students who are aged 9 to 18 may also be given the Milta Group Verbal Intelligence Test to assess verbal ability (Zeidner, 1990).  Students in grades one to six are also given criterion referenced tests to determine what they have learned for the year (Zeidner, 1990).  In the eighth grade , students can take  vocational tests such as the Hadassah Vocational Aptitude Battery (Zeidner, 1990).  This will help them decide on a career or trade.  In order to go on to college, students must take matriculation tests (Zeidner, 1990).

Machol, Ron (2010, May 11).  Teaching English in Israel. [Blog message]. Retreived from http://jobsearchinisrael.blogspot.com/2010/05/teaching-english-in-israeli-school.html

Zeidner, Moshe (1990,  Winter).  School-based assessement research in Israel: current state and future directions. McGill Journal of  Education, 25(1) 37-63 Retreived from
http://mje.mcgill.ca/index.php/MJE/article/view/7898

Childhood Trauma

My early years were fairly normal until the age of twelve.  My family frequently helped out people in need and many times people would move in with us until they could get back on their feet.  My family took in a young couple in their early thirties that had a 3 month old girl.  I do not know how long they lived with us but Bill and my father became close friends.  Bill molested me over a period of months.  Even after I finally told about what he was doing, he and his family were frequent visitors to my home.  My sister and my father were the only family members I spoke to about this.  I was told not to tell my mother due to her health issues.  My father blamed me and asked me what I did to provoke a 33 year old to molest me.  I began to act out and not wanting to spend much time at my home.  One day after I had run away again, my father tells me that he is thinking about putting me up for adoption.  He took me to a religious counselor where we were told I was too old to be adopted and so I was brought back home knowing that I wasn't wanted.  Anytime there was a family problem, it was my fault.  My sisters would tell me that I was an obscenity and didn't have the right to be alive.  My sisters are 7 and 9 years older than me.  While I lived in Connecticut, my friends were my support system.  Two of my friends were also victims of incest.  I would spend much of my summers visiting friends back in Connecticut but it wasn't the same.  After moving to Florida, it was difficult for me to make friends but eventually did so.  I kept my past to myself and one of my friend's family took me in on Thanksgivings.  My parents would go away for Thanksgiving.  While living in Connecticut, Thanksgiving was a family event with my aunt, my uncle and cousins.  I finally went to mental health counselor when I was 18 and only because a school counselor referred me.  I was  diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.   When I was 24, my father told me that he had only been joking about putting me up for adoption when I was a teenager.  I have been in and out of counseling throughout most of my early adulthood and still have difficulty at times dealing with stress.  My family and I don't spend a lot of time together.  I love them but we still can be quite hurtful to each other.  They don't know the person I've become and when I do go visit them, I don't really know how to act around them.

Childhood sexual abuse occurs everywhere. Israel is responding to increases in sexual and physical abuse of children and teens by setting up comprehensive care centers.  The first such center opened at Sheba Hospital in 2009 (Eglash, 2009).  This center is similar to the 600 such centers in the United States (Eglash, 2009).  At the center, which treats children from 3 to 18 years old, medical, legal and social services will be provided Eglesh, 2009).  In 2008, there was a 12% increase in investigated child abuse cases (Eglash, 2009). Poverty is another stressor that children in Israel may face.  Israel is one of 35 countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 26.6% of children live in poverty.  This is the highest rate of children living in poverty of OECD members(Eglash, 2011).    Children in Israel can also suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to war.

Eglash, Ruth (2009, May 17). Israel's first center for child abuse victims to open this Tuesday. Jerusalem Post p 8
Retreived from http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?index=22&did=1663706361&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1311353629&clientId=70192

Eglash, Ruth (2011, May 4). Child poverty here highest in OECD. Jerusalem Post, p 4.  Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?index=50&did=2341570671&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1311492859&clientId=70192