Hello again,
Well aren't you guys lucky.....getting to hear from me twice in the same day. You can thank my tendency toward procrastination. A terrible ailment not matter who has it.
Last year in my creative writing class one of my teachers made a statement that I will never forget and that have often thought on. He said that people often get so caught up in how terrible the world is becoming. The amount of crime that has risen, the devastation and the poverty. The indifference and uncaring nature many people seem to exhibit. He does not see it that way. Instead he looks back on how much progress we have made. That in many countries people rights are protected. The advancements in medicine that saves millions of lives on a daily basis. The knowledge so readily available for thousands. I thought back on that again this week as we read about the progression of the disability laws.
Not that long ago, children with disabilities were not allowed to go to school with the children their age. Any education facility was free to reject whatever child they wanted, be it physical disability such as being confined to a wheel chair or diabetes, they did not have to teach that child. The Civil Rights movement kicked started the change that we now see in our schools today. With Brown vs. Board of Education allowing African American schools, other minorities began to realize it was possible for them to have their rights acknowledged as well.
It took time and for the law to change and take on another form several times, but it eventually evolved into the education system we have today. It is not perfect and will continue to improve in the future. As my teacher said in class this week, sometimes the court cases are pointless and a waste of time and money, and then there are the times when it is the only way to get some much needed changes.
We went more in depth into how special education is now set up, learning about Individual Education Plans and how they are different from from Individualized Family Service Plan.
Well, be back next week with another blog on what I learned, maybe you will hear from me before that.
Sapphire
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Acting for the American Disabilities Act
Hello again,
Yeah, odd title, but that is what I did this week. Or attempted to at the very least.
In a class last semester each of us were required to go through a couple simulations. One of them we had to be in a wheel chair for three of four hours and navigate around campus. Another entailed placing a series of masks over our faces that limited our vision in various ways. These simulations were meant to show us the struggles that individuals with disabilities face and how we can help our future students or co workers by adjusting out classroom environment to meet there needs.
Those simulations were not easy, but they were easier than the assignment we had this week. This one did not have an obvious, physical task to accomplish. We were assigned a disability with certain parameters, or requirements to accomplish this assignment. My assigned disability was Autism and I did not like the color red. For an entire day I would not eat anything red or I would look away from someone wearing red.
It was difficult. It was so easy to forget about the task and simply carry on normally. Although it made it so I was not successful at all times in fulfilling the task it did teach me how much I take it for granted that I do not have a disability. I would be in the middle of conversing with someone, who was wearing red and suddenly look down at the ground so I would not have to look at them. I would be using my phone, which happens to be a bright, cherry red and realize that I would not want to use it if I had this particular form of autism. I would be reaching for a knife and realize it had a red handle so I scrambled to find something different.
Small, everyday, normally simple tasks that became awkward and/or difficult. What I ate, who I talked to, how I communicated, all changed by one, assigned task. How would it feel, to have this as a permanent facet of my life. Not something that I did by choice but I did instinctively and with no or little control. More than that how many people around, who did not feel the same aversion, understand the situation.
I am sure I only caught a glimpse of what people with a wide range of disabilities experience but I cannot say I feel like I gained much of an understanding of what they go through. The more I learn the more I realize how much I do not know.
However, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and I hope I can continue to learn more with every passing step.
Until next time,
Sapphire
Yeah, odd title, but that is what I did this week. Or attempted to at the very least.
In a class last semester each of us were required to go through a couple simulations. One of them we had to be in a wheel chair for three of four hours and navigate around campus. Another entailed placing a series of masks over our faces that limited our vision in various ways. These simulations were meant to show us the struggles that individuals with disabilities face and how we can help our future students or co workers by adjusting out classroom environment to meet there needs.
Those simulations were not easy, but they were easier than the assignment we had this week. This one did not have an obvious, physical task to accomplish. We were assigned a disability with certain parameters, or requirements to accomplish this assignment. My assigned disability was Autism and I did not like the color red. For an entire day I would not eat anything red or I would look away from someone wearing red.
It was difficult. It was so easy to forget about the task and simply carry on normally. Although it made it so I was not successful at all times in fulfilling the task it did teach me how much I take it for granted that I do not have a disability. I would be in the middle of conversing with someone, who was wearing red and suddenly look down at the ground so I would not have to look at them. I would be using my phone, which happens to be a bright, cherry red and realize that I would not want to use it if I had this particular form of autism. I would be reaching for a knife and realize it had a red handle so I scrambled to find something different.
Small, everyday, normally simple tasks that became awkward and/or difficult. What I ate, who I talked to, how I communicated, all changed by one, assigned task. How would it feel, to have this as a permanent facet of my life. Not something that I did by choice but I did instinctively and with no or little control. More than that how many people around, who did not feel the same aversion, understand the situation.
I am sure I only caught a glimpse of what people with a wide range of disabilities experience but I cannot say I feel like I gained much of an understanding of what they go through. The more I learn the more I realize how much I do not know.
However, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and I hope I can continue to learn more with every passing step.
Until next time,
Sapphire
Friday, September 15, 2017
Family and Community Relationships Post 1
Hello again,
It hasn't been very long since my first post and now I need to post for the class that this was originally made for. Family and Community Relationships.
My older brother, like me, was in a choir while he was in college. Though he was far away we were fortunate to watch his performances on line. They did many wonderful and difficult pieces. One in particular stood out to me. I cannot remember for certain but I think it was called "It takes a Village," composed by Joan Szymko. In a nutshell the song talks about how it takes a village to raise a child. I could strongly relate because I was raised where all my neighbors were family or very close family friends, basically we had our own little village. My aunts, uncles and cousins were just as much a part of my life as my parents and siblings were. Up until kindergarten I rarely interacted with other people other than on Sundays when my family would attend church.
This song is accurate in many ways. One of the first things you learn as an educator or care giver is that no child comes alone. A the very least there is one parent or care giver that you will also be interacting and working with and for many children you will be dealing with an entire 'village.' Parents, siblings, other relatives, doctors, specialists and sometimes previous teachers, are only some of the many people that are involved in a child's upbringing. The ability to collaborate and communicate with others are essential skills to any care giving profession.
Which is what this class if for. Familiarizing ourselves with the various people in a family, community and other professions that we may have to work with while in a child care profession as well as the laws and other technicalities that will come into play.
It is those laws and technicalities that I know I need to know very well before I head out into a career. What laws apply to me and what I will be doing and which ones do the people I am working with need to abide by? What resources are available to me not only as a child care giver but also as a future parent?
I am looking forward to becoming more knowledgeable in these topics and improving my interactions with the parents and other professionals I will be coming in contact with on a daily basis once I am fully out in the field.
Until next time,
Sapphire
It hasn't been very long since my first post and now I need to post for the class that this was originally made for. Family and Community Relationships.
My older brother, like me, was in a choir while he was in college. Though he was far away we were fortunate to watch his performances on line. They did many wonderful and difficult pieces. One in particular stood out to me. I cannot remember for certain but I think it was called "It takes a Village," composed by Joan Szymko. In a nutshell the song talks about how it takes a village to raise a child. I could strongly relate because I was raised where all my neighbors were family or very close family friends, basically we had our own little village. My aunts, uncles and cousins were just as much a part of my life as my parents and siblings were. Up until kindergarten I rarely interacted with other people other than on Sundays when my family would attend church.
This song is accurate in many ways. One of the first things you learn as an educator or care giver is that no child comes alone. A the very least there is one parent or care giver that you will also be interacting and working with and for many children you will be dealing with an entire 'village.' Parents, siblings, other relatives, doctors, specialists and sometimes previous teachers, are only some of the many people that are involved in a child's upbringing. The ability to collaborate and communicate with others are essential skills to any care giving profession.
Which is what this class if for. Familiarizing ourselves with the various people in a family, community and other professions that we may have to work with while in a child care profession as well as the laws and other technicalities that will come into play.
It is those laws and technicalities that I know I need to know very well before I head out into a career. What laws apply to me and what I will be doing and which ones do the people I am working with need to abide by? What resources are available to me not only as a child care giver but also as a future parent?
I am looking forward to becoming more knowledgeable in these topics and improving my interactions with the parents and other professionals I will be coming in contact with on a daily basis once I am fully out in the field.
Until next time,
Sapphire
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Let's Get it Started
Well......this should be interesting, to say the least.
I have never kept a blog before, in fact until a couple years ago I wasn't completely sure what a blog was exactly. Thank you BBC Sherlock for informing me on this piece of information. This post is basically trying things out so I can figure out how things work in here and to introduce myself.
So a little about me, my name is Sapphire. Yes, exactly like the gem stone. Fitting since I was born and raised in the gem state, Idaho. I am starting this blog as a school assignment but I am hoping to use it after I finish college so Navigating the Field of Early Learning it is. I am a Early Childhood Development and Special Education Major which means I am learning how to help children from ages about 0 - 10 years old grow, develop and learn as well as being a special education teacher.
I hadn't always planned on being a teacher. As a child I remember going through the common phases. I wanted to be a singer. I wanted to be an actress. Then, if fifth grade, I discovered my love of writing and wanted to be an author. Toward the end of middle school, about when they start giving you those career tests and such, I decided it would probably be a good idea to have a back plan. Even at that age I knew there was only about a 50/50 chance of my stories doing well enough to make a living off of.
So, I went with the only other option I thought I would be good at during that time. I had already started babysitting at age 11, found I loved children and they seemed to love me as well, so the logical choice was to become a teacher. More specifically an elementary school teacher because frankly middle school and high school students scared me. It seemed like the perfect choice. I would be working enough to help earn income for my future family, but could be at home for my children because I would have the same hours they would while they were in school. Yes, even in middle school wanting to be a wife and a mother was never a question.
That is where I started to enter the field of Early Learning. I started taking high school classes that had anything to do with family sciences. Then, my career choice took another shift at the end of my sophomore year of high school. I was intending to get a job for the first time and was applying to day cares around my home town. When I went to print of my resume in my computer teachers classroom she inquired to where I was applying. When I told her about the day cares I had been trying she became very excited and insisted that I try the place where she brought her young girls. So I did. She and another one of my teachers who also brought her little girl there both vouched for me and I was hired.
It took me all of one summer working in what was officially called and Early Learning Program to know that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Before I had finished high school I had already started my journey in the great field of Early Learning. Somewhere along the way my back up plan had become the forerunner without me even realizing.
Now, here I am, on the threshold of my senior year of college. In little over a year I will have my bachelors degree and hopefully on my way to being a nanny somewhere in order to gain some experience in new locations.
However, first I have to pass my classes and this blog is supposed to be part of that. I will leave this here for now and hope I haven't made to many mistakes. Well, hope you enjoyed this post, for the few people who will read it and hope you continue to journey with me as I navigate the field of early learning.
See ya,
Sapphire
I have never kept a blog before, in fact until a couple years ago I wasn't completely sure what a blog was exactly. Thank you BBC Sherlock for informing me on this piece of information. This post is basically trying things out so I can figure out how things work in here and to introduce myself.
So a little about me, my name is Sapphire. Yes, exactly like the gem stone. Fitting since I was born and raised in the gem state, Idaho. I am starting this blog as a school assignment but I am hoping to use it after I finish college so Navigating the Field of Early Learning it is. I am a Early Childhood Development and Special Education Major which means I am learning how to help children from ages about 0 - 10 years old grow, develop and learn as well as being a special education teacher.
I hadn't always planned on being a teacher. As a child I remember going through the common phases. I wanted to be a singer. I wanted to be an actress. Then, if fifth grade, I discovered my love of writing and wanted to be an author. Toward the end of middle school, about when they start giving you those career tests and such, I decided it would probably be a good idea to have a back plan. Even at that age I knew there was only about a 50/50 chance of my stories doing well enough to make a living off of.
So, I went with the only other option I thought I would be good at during that time. I had already started babysitting at age 11, found I loved children and they seemed to love me as well, so the logical choice was to become a teacher. More specifically an elementary school teacher because frankly middle school and high school students scared me. It seemed like the perfect choice. I would be working enough to help earn income for my future family, but could be at home for my children because I would have the same hours they would while they were in school. Yes, even in middle school wanting to be a wife and a mother was never a question.
That is where I started to enter the field of Early Learning. I started taking high school classes that had anything to do with family sciences. Then, my career choice took another shift at the end of my sophomore year of high school. I was intending to get a job for the first time and was applying to day cares around my home town. When I went to print of my resume in my computer teachers classroom she inquired to where I was applying. When I told her about the day cares I had been trying she became very excited and insisted that I try the place where she brought her young girls. So I did. She and another one of my teachers who also brought her little girl there both vouched for me and I was hired.
It took me all of one summer working in what was officially called and Early Learning Program to know that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Before I had finished high school I had already started my journey in the great field of Early Learning. Somewhere along the way my back up plan had become the forerunner without me even realizing.
Now, here I am, on the threshold of my senior year of college. In little over a year I will have my bachelors degree and hopefully on my way to being a nanny somewhere in order to gain some experience in new locations.
However, first I have to pass my classes and this blog is supposed to be part of that. I will leave this here for now and hope I haven't made to many mistakes. Well, hope you enjoyed this post, for the few people who will read it and hope you continue to journey with me as I navigate the field of early learning.
See ya,
Sapphire
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