What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow - Lev Vygotsky
Out of the questions of students come most of the creative ideas and discoveries - Ellen Langer
A child's attitude towards everything is an artist's attitude - Willa Cather
These are some of the quotes I found and I really liked them so it was hard to choose one!!!
Farewell:
I have really enjoyed class! I'm new to the field but it has been a pleasure gleaning from some of the knowledgeable and dedicated educators. I hope while on this journey I continue to meet and network with educators that has a love and zeal for children! I hope to see you in the upcoming classes!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Assessing the Whole Child
I think assessment is at the heart of education. Test scores are being used to gauge a child's academic strengths and weaknesses. I think assessments are great if we are using them just to give us an idea of where the child is at academically and sociallay. I heard a saying " You can't know where you going unless you know where you are" and I think that is true. I don't feel "standardized test" is the way to get there because many of us know that those test aren't" standardized" for everyone. I remember a movie "Lean On Me" where these children were taking a "standardized test" and there was a question pertaining to what wasn"t a normal routine with different options and the child circled "Breakfast" but we all know that wasn't the correct answer but for that child it was, so there goes "standardized".
A Successful Kindergarten Model in Hungary
Brief description of the Hungarian educational system
Education is compulsory up to the age of 18. Vocational studies may not be commenced before the age of 16, up to which pupils are to acquire fundamental education.
2.1. Óvoda (pre-primary) - one preparatory year, compulsory (ISCED 0-1) Age 5-6/7
2.2. Általános iskola (primary) (ISCED 1 + 2) Age 6/7-14 (1st cycle: age 6-10; 2nd cycle: age 10-14)
2.3. Secondary school
2.3.1. Gimnázium (general lower and upper secondary) (ISCED 2+ 3) Age 10/12/14 - 18/19
2.3.2. Szakközépiskola - vocational secondary school (ISCED 3) Age 14-18/19/20 (generally: 4years)
2.3.3. Szakiskola[1] (C course) - vocational training school (ISCED 3) Age 14-18 years (2+2 years)
2.3.4. Szakiskola[2] (A course / B course[3]) - remedial (ISCED 2)+ vocational training school (ISCED 3 ) Age 15/16-18/19 (1-2 +2years)
2.3.5. Szakiskola[4] (D course) - post-secondary vocational course (ISCED 4) Age 18-19/20 (1-2 years)
Brief history of kindergartens
The first official kindergarten was established in Hungary in 1828 and was the first kindergarten in Central Europe. Through the first half of the 19th century kindergartens were operated as pre-school institutions with a strong emphasis on education with only a secondary emphasis on play. By 1938 already, more than a quarter of 3-6 year old children were in kindergarten. There was little expansion over the next decades with only a third of children in kindergartens in 1960. In 1948, kindergartens were nationalized. They were increasingly seen as providing places for children as more women began working in the paid labor force. In curriculum, more emphasis was placed on preparing children for school. Substantial expansion of kindergartens followed during the late 1950’s through the 1980’s. By 1965 the number of children attending kindergarten had doubled with a total of 3227 kindergartens in operation. By 1975, two thirds of children were in kindergarten, and this figure increased to 92% for the 5-year olds by 1985. With the transition to democratic government after 1989, kindergarten operation and responsibility shifted to the local governments and most kindergartens operated formerly by industry were closed. In the 1993 Public Education Act, kindergarten was recognized as an official part of the education system and was given the same status as elementary and secondary education in Hungary. Attendance at kindergarten was made compulsory for all children beginning in the fall of the calendar year in which they become 5 years of age.
4.2. Current status of kindergarten
This educational level is considered as a crucially important integrated part of the school system. The kindergarten (óvoda) is the first stage of the Hungarian education system. It caters for children from 3 to 7 years of age. Participation in pre-primary education at this level is optional, except for the final year (beyond age 5), which is compulsory. Compulsory primary education begins at age 6, but all 5-year olds must attend kindergarten and need a kindergarten certificate before enrolling in a general school. Eligibility to enter mainstream primary education is therefore determined by prior kindergarten enrolment: by age (to have turned 6 years before 1st June of the year of enrolment) and by the level of maturity of the child. Because of these conditions, many 6-year-old children remain in kindergarten, while other 6 year olds will already be in primary school.
In school year 2009/2010 a total of 4336 kindergartens were in operation in Hungary serving a total of 328, 545 children in 14,298 groups. Number of kindergarten pedagogues: 30,007; average group-size: 23 children; children ratio per teacher: 11. http://statinfo.ksh.hu/Statinfo/haDetails.jsp Kindergarten coverage is over 90% in the 5 year or above age-group. Since about 1990, the number of children served has remained relatively constant with some reduction reflecting the lowering birth rate in the country. A few kindergartens are operated by churches (84), by private foundations or individuals (172), the central government (33) or others (30). Kindergartens are financed through a combination of national and local funds. The state provides normative grants to cover the costs of kindergarten services, which are determined in the Act on Public Education as a core of basic tasks that need to be fulfilled.
Curricular control and content
Detailed guidelines for the operation of kindergarten programs exist in the National Core Program for Kindergarten Education. School-based program for children aged 3-7 includes basic skills development, pre-reading, drawing, singing and school preparation. Children are assessed by the kindergarten teachers throughout the school year.2 As from September 2004, the revised Act on Public education stipulates that all pupils must be assessed in written, individual analysis. Kindergartens are staffed by kindergarten pedagogues who are required to have a tertiary degree of at least 2500 hours, of which 30% is of a practical nature including observations of kindergarten practice, individual and group sessions, and practical courses. They are helped by kindergarten assistants who provide support to the kindergarten pedagogues in the operation of the kindergarten class. Classes are therefore organized into groups with two pedagogues, and the support of an assistant/cleaner. The assistants do not have to have a secondary education and are able, but not required, to take a specialist examination. Currently some 80% of kindergarten teachers have a tertiary degree and a total of 97% have specialized training
Strengths of Hungarian early childhood education
The Hungarian kindergarten has a long tradition in pedagogical methodology, and its use of music, art, movement/motorial activity and handicrafts has placed it among the most successful kindergarten models in Europe. In over ten percent of kindergartens foreign language (mostly English or German) teaching is part of the curriculum.
5.1. All kindergartens are operated by professionally qualified staff and are able to ensure the well-being and global development of the child, including cognitive and social development according to age and to integrate children at risk as early as possible into full-day, tailored programs based on family outreach and community building. The kindergarten has had for years an active and child-centered methodology, with a strong grasp of how cognitive skills are developed in young children. A global approach to development and competencies is generally applied.
5.2. Kindergarten professionals are able to address needs of children who have learning disabilities, difficulties in vision or hearing impairments, or a tendency toward dyslexia. If such needs are identified early then special experts are placed at their disposal.
5.3. The social dimensions of kindergarten education have been long recognized. Early childhood services have consistently aimed at the balanced development of young children, placing an emphasis on the acquisition of social and learning skills rather than on rote learning and subject knowledge.
5.4. Initial training for kindergarten teachers is generally recognized to be of high quality, and delivers a tertiary level degree to kindergarten pedagogues. In-service training is strong and regular: there is an obligation for kindergarten pedagogues to take on a further 120 training hours each 7 years. The in-service training obligation of teachers is carried out on the basis of a 5 years institutional in-service training plan, which allows kindergarten to plan both the training budget and teacher substitutions as well. The Pedagogical Centre for Further Education Methodology and Information, the county pedagogical institutes and other educational service providers, private as well as public, offer in-service courses for kindergarten teachers.
5.5. In the kindergarten sector, quality assurance and assessment are equally comprehensive. Responsibility for quality assurance is assigned at three levels: education agencies (under the supervision of the ministry); at local level a network of County Pedagogical Institutes, the National Register of Education Experts (of which over 400 are kindergarten experts) and the supervisors and counselors of pedagogical institutes; and the maintainers (in general local governments). The head and staff of each kindergarten are expected to provide comprehensive documentation on management, the programs in use and on the progress of each child. The Ministry provides support to kindergartens to engage in self-evaluation procedures and to determine for themselves what support, training and certification they need.
5.6. If the parents of 8 minority children so request, the local authority is required to organize a special minority class or study group. A total of almost 20,000 children are enrolled in ethnic kindergartens, which represents about 5.4% of the total age group. Minority children may receive instruction in their mother tongue, in Hungarian or both in their mother tongue and Hungarian. The regulations recommend that external evaluations carried out in kindergartens providing for national and ethnic minorities should be made in the language of the group, or at least include an expert speaking the language. The results must be communicated to the relevant minority local government and to the national minority government. Kindergartens with minority children can claim special normative grants for language, or in the case of Roma, for the transmission of Roma culture, the fostering of traditions, or for compensatory Hungarian language activities. They are eligible for normative grants attached to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and can claim grants for integrated education.
A Successful Kindergarten Model in Hungary
Brief description of the Hungarian educational system
Education is compulsory up to the age of 18. Vocational studies may not be commenced before the age of 16, up to which pupils are to acquire fundamental education.
2.1. Óvoda (pre-primary) - one preparatory year, compulsory (ISCED 0-1) Age 5-6/7
2.2. Általános iskola (primary) (ISCED 1 + 2) Age 6/7-14 (1st cycle: age 6-10; 2nd cycle: age 10-14)
2.3. Secondary school
2.3.1. Gimnázium (general lower and upper secondary) (ISCED 2+ 3) Age 10/12/14 - 18/19
2.3.2. Szakközépiskola - vocational secondary school (ISCED 3) Age 14-18/19/20 (generally: 4years)
2.3.3. Szakiskola[1] (C course) - vocational training school (ISCED 3) Age 14-18 years (2+2 years)
2.3.4. Szakiskola[2] (A course / B course[3]) - remedial (ISCED 2)+ vocational training school (ISCED 3 ) Age 15/16-18/19 (1-2 +2years)
2.3.5. Szakiskola[4] (D course) - post-secondary vocational course (ISCED 4) Age 18-19/20 (1-2 years)
Brief history of kindergartens
The first official kindergarten was established in Hungary in 1828 and was the first kindergarten in Central Europe. Through the first half of the 19th century kindergartens were operated as pre-school institutions with a strong emphasis on education with only a secondary emphasis on play. By 1938 already, more than a quarter of 3-6 year old children were in kindergarten. There was little expansion over the next decades with only a third of children in kindergartens in 1960. In 1948, kindergartens were nationalized. They were increasingly seen as providing places for children as more women began working in the paid labor force. In curriculum, more emphasis was placed on preparing children for school. Substantial expansion of kindergartens followed during the late 1950’s through the 1980’s. By 1965 the number of children attending kindergarten had doubled with a total of 3227 kindergartens in operation. By 1975, two thirds of children were in kindergarten, and this figure increased to 92% for the 5-year olds by 1985. With the transition to democratic government after 1989, kindergarten operation and responsibility shifted to the local governments and most kindergartens operated formerly by industry were closed. In the 1993 Public Education Act, kindergarten was recognized as an official part of the education system and was given the same status as elementary and secondary education in Hungary. Attendance at kindergarten was made compulsory for all children beginning in the fall of the calendar year in which they become 5 years of age.
4.2. Current status of kindergarten
This educational level is considered as a crucially important integrated part of the school system. The kindergarten (óvoda) is the first stage of the Hungarian education system. It caters for children from 3 to 7 years of age. Participation in pre-primary education at this level is optional, except for the final year (beyond age 5), which is compulsory. Compulsory primary education begins at age 6, but all 5-year olds must attend kindergarten and need a kindergarten certificate before enrolling in a general school. Eligibility to enter mainstream primary education is therefore determined by prior kindergarten enrolment: by age (to have turned 6 years before 1st June of the year of enrolment) and by the level of maturity of the child. Because of these conditions, many 6-year-old children remain in kindergarten, while other 6 year olds will already be in primary school.
In school year 2009/2010 a total of 4336 kindergartens were in operation in Hungary serving a total of 328, 545 children in 14,298 groups. Number of kindergarten pedagogues: 30,007; average group-size: 23 children; children ratio per teacher: 11. http://statinfo.ksh.hu/Statinfo/haDetails.jsp Kindergarten coverage is over 90% in the 5 year or above age-group. Since about 1990, the number of children served has remained relatively constant with some reduction reflecting the lowering birth rate in the country. A few kindergartens are operated by churches (84), by private foundations or individuals (172), the central government (33) or others (30). Kindergartens are financed through a combination of national and local funds. The state provides normative grants to cover the costs of kindergarten services, which are determined in the Act on Public Education as a core of basic tasks that need to be fulfilled.
Curricular control and content
Detailed guidelines for the operation of kindergarten programs exist in the National Core Program for Kindergarten Education. School-based program for children aged 3-7 includes basic skills development, pre-reading, drawing, singing and school preparation. Children are assessed by the kindergarten teachers throughout the school year.2 As from September 2004, the revised Act on Public education stipulates that all pupils must be assessed in written, individual analysis. Kindergartens are staffed by kindergarten pedagogues who are required to have a tertiary degree of at least 2500 hours, of which 30% is of a practical nature including observations of kindergarten practice, individual and group sessions, and practical courses. They are helped by kindergarten assistants who provide support to the kindergarten pedagogues in the operation of the kindergarten class. Classes are therefore organized into groups with two pedagogues, and the support of an assistant/cleaner. The assistants do not have to have a secondary education and are able, but not required, to take a specialist examination. Currently some 80% of kindergarten teachers have a tertiary degree and a total of 97% have specialized training
Strengths of Hungarian early childhood education
The Hungarian kindergarten has a long tradition in pedagogical methodology, and its use of music, art, movement/motorial activity and handicrafts has placed it among the most successful kindergarten models in Europe. In over ten percent of kindergartens foreign language (mostly English or German) teaching is part of the curriculum.
5.1. All kindergartens are operated by professionally qualified staff and are able to ensure the well-being and global development of the child, including cognitive and social development according to age and to integrate children at risk as early as possible into full-day, tailored programs based on family outreach and community building. The kindergarten has had for years an active and child-centered methodology, with a strong grasp of how cognitive skills are developed in young children. A global approach to development and competencies is generally applied.
5.2. Kindergarten professionals are able to address needs of children who have learning disabilities, difficulties in vision or hearing impairments, or a tendency toward dyslexia. If such needs are identified early then special experts are placed at their disposal.
5.3. The social dimensions of kindergarten education have been long recognized. Early childhood services have consistently aimed at the balanced development of young children, placing an emphasis on the acquisition of social and learning skills rather than on rote learning and subject knowledge.
5.4. Initial training for kindergarten teachers is generally recognized to be of high quality, and delivers a tertiary level degree to kindergarten pedagogues. In-service training is strong and regular: there is an obligation for kindergarten pedagogues to take on a further 120 training hours each 7 years. The in-service training obligation of teachers is carried out on the basis of a 5 years institutional in-service training plan, which allows kindergarten to plan both the training budget and teacher substitutions as well. The Pedagogical Centre for Further Education Methodology and Information, the county pedagogical institutes and other educational service providers, private as well as public, offer in-service courses for kindergarten teachers.
5.5. In the kindergarten sector, quality assurance and assessment are equally comprehensive. Responsibility for quality assurance is assigned at three levels: education agencies (under the supervision of the ministry); at local level a network of County Pedagogical Institutes, the National Register of Education Experts (of which over 400 are kindergarten experts) and the supervisors and counselors of pedagogical institutes; and the maintainers (in general local governments). The head and staff of each kindergarten are expected to provide comprehensive documentation on management, the programs in use and on the progress of each child. The Ministry provides support to kindergartens to engage in self-evaluation procedures and to determine for themselves what support, training and certification they need.
5.6. If the parents of 8 minority children so request, the local authority is required to organize a special minority class or study group. A total of almost 20,000 children are enrolled in ethnic kindergartens, which represents about 5.4% of the total age group. Minority children may receive instruction in their mother tongue, in Hungarian or both in their mother tongue and Hungarian. The regulations recommend that external evaluations carried out in kindergartens providing for national and ethnic minorities should be made in the language of the group, or at least include an expert speaking the language. The results must be communicated to the relevant minority local government and to the national minority government. Kindergartens with minority children can claim special normative grants for language, or in the case of Roma, for the transmission of Roma culture, the fostering of traditions, or for compensatory Hungarian language activities. They are eligible for normative grants attached to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and can claim grants for integrated education.
References
Ministry of Culture and Education (1997), The Hungarian Core Programme of Kindergarten Education,
Budapest, Ministry of Culture and Education.
National Institute of Public Education (OKI),(2003), Integration versus Segregation: Hungarian Roma
Education Policy Note Nemeth et al. Budapest, National Institute of Public Education.
Puporka, Lajos and Zadori, Zsolt (1999), The Health Status of Romas in Hungary. Budapest, Bajapress.
OECD Directorate for Education (2004) Early childhood education and care policy Hungary: Country Note for Hungary
Ministry of Culture and Education (1997), The Hungarian Core Programme of Kindergarten Education,
Budapest, Ministry of Culture and Education.
National Institute of Public Education (OKI),(2003), Integration versus Segregation: Hungarian Roma
Education Policy Note Nemeth et al. Budapest, National Institute of Public Education.
Puporka, Lajos and Zadori, Zsolt (1999), The Health Status of Romas in Hungary. Budapest, Bajapress.
OECD Directorate for Education (2004) Early childhood education and care policy Hungary: Country Note for Hungary
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Consequences of Stress on Children's Development
I spoke with my best friend regarding any stress she may have felt growing up and she said isolation. Her family was close knit and didnt feel the need to have friends outside of the family so she couldnt have sleepovers or even friends outside her family and if caught she would be disciplined. She said she tried following those rules until she was in middle/high school she found herself sneaking to have friends. I think that type of treatment made her the social butterfly she is today. There is an old saying "She meets no strangers" and that is her personality today she talks to everyone and does it with such ease.
The country I researched is Africa the stressors are poverty and HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In order to help children and their families
The country I researched is Africa the stressors are poverty and HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Children endure exhaustion and stress from work and worry, as well
as insecurity and stigmatisation as it is either assumed that they too are
infected with HIV or that their family has been disgraced by the virus. Loss
of home, dropping out of school, separation from siblings and friends,
increased workload and social isolation may all impact negatively on current
and future mental healthIn order to help children and their families
the strength and quality of social institutions, such as the
family, school, church and community associations are critical for children’s
capacity to cope with the effects of the epidemic, and to avert personal
distress, maladjustment and social disorder. It is also true that these
institutions are likely to be weakened as a result of the epidemic, as key
individuals become ill and die, and as those people who remain become
demoralised and overwhelmed by loss and the demands placed on them by
difficult conditions. Therefore, every effort has to be made to support and
strengthen these social institutions in the face of the epidemic, as they
provide the cornerstone for the protection of children. In particular, schools
need to be adapted to provide a range of supports for children: schooling
must be available to all children and every effort must be made to ensure
that all children remain in school; educators and older children can be
sensitised and trained to provide support for children; food and clothing,
especially uniforms, can be provided through schools; and shorter- or longerterm
accommodation can be developed for children in especially difficult
circumstances. Maintaining children’s schooling is an important intervention
in several ways. It retains children’s connectedness to peers, familiar adults
and to an institutional identity. Schooling provides children and society with
future knowledge and skills. Keeping older children in school could also help
to prevent vulnerability to HIV infection, by protecting children and reducing
the child’s need to seek shelter, food and clothing through risky encounters
with unscrupulous adults.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) -is the unexplained death, usuallyduring sleep of a seemingly healthy baby (Mayoclinic).
This topic is meaningful to me because Im a parent and educator. I currently work in the infant room at my current job and in the very very near future I will be opening my on family home childcare so all the information I learn will allow me to give adequate care to the children in my care. I also want to be able to educate young mothers on the importance of making sure their children are safe.
This chart is showing the Mortality Statistics of SIDS by country
This information was provided by World Health Organisation Statistical Information System.
This information allows me to educate others on the importance of safety and well being for infants. We have many parents that are unfamiliar with SIDS so they ask caregivers to lay their child on stomach because they sleep better. I recently had director to get pamphlets so we could post and inform our parents of SIDS.
This topic is meaningful to me because Im a parent and educator. I currently work in the infant room at my current job and in the very very near future I will be opening my on family home childcare so all the information I learn will allow me to give adequate care to the children in my care. I also want to be able to educate young mothers on the importance of making sure their children are safe.
This chart is showing the Mortality Statistics of SIDS by country
| Rank | Countries  | Amount  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # 1 | United States: | 2,523 deaths | |
| # 2 | Germany: | 429 deaths | |
| # 3 | Japan: | 363 deaths | |
| # 4 | Brazil: | 318 deaths | |
| # 5 | Argentina: | 303 deaths | |
| # 6 | Mexico: | 261 deaths | |
| # 7 | South Africa: | 164 deaths | |
| # 8 | Chile: | 144 deaths | |
| # 9 | Canada: | 121 deaths | |
| # 10 | Australia: | 103 deaths | |
| # 11 | Korea, South: | 87 deaths | |
| # 12 | Spain: | 70 deaths | |
| = 13 | Ecuador: | 65 deaths | |
| = 13 | Egypt: | 65 deaths | |
| # 15 | New Zealand: | 62 deaths | |
| # 16 | Paraguay: | 56 deaths | |
| # 17 | Colombia: | 45 deaths | |
| # 18 | Poland: | 43 deaths | |
| = 19 | Austria: | 32 deaths | |
| = 19 | United Kingdom: | 32 deaths | |
| # 21 | Nicaragua: | 30 deaths | |
| # 22 | Sweden: | 28 deaths | |
| = 23 | Uruguay: | 26 deaths | |
| = 23 | Venezuela: | 26 deaths | |
| = 25 | Netherlands: | 25 deaths | |
| = 25 | Peru: | 25 deaths | |
| # 27 | Israel: | 24 deaths | |
| # 28 | Hungary: | 22 deaths | |
| = 29 | Kyrgyzstan: | 20 deaths | |
| = 29 | Norway: | 20 deaths | |
| # 31 | Denmark: | 19 deaths | |
| = 32 | Dominican Republic: | 17 deaths | |
| = 32 | Latvia: | 17 deaths | |
| # 34 | Czech Republic: | 15 deaths | |
| # 35 | Kuwait: | 14 deaths | |
| = 36 | Finland: | 13 deaths | |
| = 36 | Croatia: | 13 deaths | |
| # 38 | Romania: | 11 deaths | |
| # 39 | Lithuania: | 10 deaths | |
| # 40 | Cuba: | 8 deaths | |
| # 41 | Slovakia: | 7 deaths | |
| = 42 | Costa Rica: | 6 deaths | |
| = 42 | Belize: | 6 deaths | |
| = 44 | Moldova: | 4 deaths | |
| = 44 | Estonia: | 4 deaths | |
| = 44 | Qatar: | 4 deaths | |
| = 44 | Bahrain: | 4 deaths | |
| = 44 | Puerto Rico: | 4 deaths | |
| # 49 | Luxembourg: | 3 deaths | |
| = 50 | Panama: | 2 deaths | |
| = 50 | Malta: | 2 deaths | |
| = 50 | Barbados: | 2 deaths | |
| = 53 | Iceland: | 1 deaths | |
| = 53 | Bahamas, The: | 1 deaths | |
| = 53 | El Salvador: | 1 deaths | |
| = 53 | Slovenia: | 1 deaths | |
| Total: | 5,721 deaths | ||
| Weighted average: | 102.2 deaths |
This information was provided by World Health Organisation Statistical Information System.
This information allows me to educate others on the importance of safety and well being for infants. We have many parents that are unfamiliar with SIDS so they ask caregivers to lay their child on stomach because they sleep better. I recently had director to get pamphlets so we could post and inform our parents of SIDS.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
West Africa birthing practices
It is customary for delivery to occur with the woman squatting on the ground surrounded by sisters and female relatives, some of whom function as midwives. Midwives get paid only if delivery is successful. A stool is also often used in childbirth. The name given to a child in the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria has to refer to the circumstances of the individual's birth. The contact with the earth (as in the squatting position) has religious overtones--it indicates the fecundity of the earth, and the mother's contact with it. Infertility is considered the greatest tragedy in traditional African society. In Senegal, a childless woman pays a fertile one a certain sum in return for bearing her a child who would be raised as her own (this tradition is not unlike surrogate motherhood in Western countries). Men are never present at birth; however, in urban settings this practice is changing. The burial of the placenta and umbilical cord is thought to restore the woman's fertility and help heal her womb. This practice was even recorded in 19th century Sweden harkening back to heathen times. In Ghana, an infertile woman urinates on the ground where the placenta is buried in the belief that her fertility will be restored. The birth of twins is regarded as a great blessing, and as a sign of fertility; however, the inability of the mother to breast-feed both twins may result in the death of the weaker child. The harmony of nature, animals, and human beings is paramount in traditional West Africa religion and life, and undoubtedly Western culture could learn from some of these beliefs (.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6558064)
As I read these practices I am amazed!!! I am thankful that I was in a medical facility surrounded by trained staff regardless how pregnant my nurse was. In many African countries there are a lack of hospitals, lack of road access and transportation and trained personnel.
The birth of my daughter Ayana
My pregnancy with my daughter I was miserable. Although I had my family support my relationship with her father was stressful but that's another BLOG!! I was on bed rest the last 3 months of my pregnancy because she was sitting on my Sciatic Nerve so my leg would give out at any given time. My doctors were great and she was delivered at Women's Hospital! I remember going into labor about 7am 8/31 that lasted about 2-3 hours. I ended up having her naturally with NO DRUGS (of course it wasn't on purpose) because my attending nurse was about 8 months pregnant so she couldn't get the medicine authorization form to me quick enough before Ayana decided to make her entrance!!! I lost consciousness a few times because the pain was truly unbearable but my mother was by my side the entire step of the way! I say I may want another child but then I think of my daughter's birth and I question that maybe I will stick to being Aunt or Godmother :) My daughter ended up staying in the hospital an extra day or two (I'm trying to remember) because of something regarding our compatibility, so now I must investigate to see exactly what that entails. My daughter is now 9yrs old sometimes she acts like she's 29yrs old and I have to tell her : If you only know the pain I endured to have you, you would appreciate me more often. I love her and wouldn't trade her for the world but Im sure there's times she would like to trade me in :)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Just The Begininng
Wow! I have enjoyed my first graduate class at Walden! I am truly thankful for all the people I've met so far, they have been very inspirational to me on my journey. There have been days I wanted to throw in the towel but I remembered a colleague describe me as" Tenacity" and another saying " I didn't just fall into childcare its my calling". I reflect back to those words to help me along this journey knowing that there will be more obstacles to overcome but I must remember " This too Shall Pass". I'm excited that our class has come to an end because we are getting ready to embark on yet another journey.... This is just the Begininng!
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