Immunization

I chose this topic because I found out that children die in developing countries where immunizations are not available in enough supply to protect the population. It is meaningful to me because it guided me to the question, "Shouldn't public health be universal over the world?"
"Cholera has killed over 6,500 Haitians in the past year, and nearly half a million people — about 5% of the country’s population"( Zimmerman, 2010, para 1). During my research, I visited the Partners In Health website. Their program called "Stand With Haiti" is helping Haitians to build medical centers and bring their sanitation levels up and so on. The videos we can watch at http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti/one-year/care-in-the-camps are shocking. Their houses have serious sanitation issues and a woman in the video says that once there is a Cholera outbreak, people run away from their homes because they are afraid to get infected.
What I have learned may impact my future work because I might want to work for or with an organization like PIH personally and I certainly would like to teach my future students what we can do to help each other’s public health.

References

Rachel Zmmerman. Wbur.org. One Year Later: Cholera Keeps Rising In Haiti, Vaccine On The Way.2010.Retrieved on November 2011, from http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/10/one-year-later-cholera-keeps-rising-in-haiti/

Partners In Health. Retrieved on November 2011, from http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti/one-year/care-in-the-camps

about birth

I am in a unique situation because I had my first daughter in Japan and second daughter in the US.  What I remember the most for both is that I held the baby to my chest just after I gave birth.  I chose this example because it was a big event that made me feel “ I am your mom”.  I think this kangaroo care is important for both mothers and babies development because the moment I held my baby made me a “mom” who is strong and responsible and I could see that my first baby, who was full term, was reassured by staring into my eyes even though she looked a little lost and trying to find out what was going on. 

The biggest difference between the ways to give birth in Japan and the US is whether we use painkillers or not.  In Japan, we have a choice to use it but most don’t because people think the pain must be overcome to become a mother and if we avoid this, we are likely to be seen  as a kind of failed mother or weak.  I actually heard a doctor say a negative comment about a mother-to-be implied that she wanted the painless way.  My friends and I have discussed that we also afraid that anesthesiologist may hurt us fatally by mistake because we do not trust them since they are not commonly used there.

One difference is that clinics which take care of pregnancy to birth are common in Japan.  We could go to the hospitals but we usually do not change clinics or hospitals unless people need to go to ones in different prefectures to stay with their parents so that the grandparents can take care of new-moms after they give birth. Another difference is that mothers stay in the hospital longer in Japan. I stayed for 5 days in Japan and only 2 days in the US.  But this makes sense because mothers who made birth without drugs are so tired and mentally fatigued that they need longer stays to recover.  The other difference is that we are supposed to visit a doctor as soon as 5 or 6 weeks into a pregnancy in Japan but we wait until 12 weeks to see a specialist doctor in the US.

Other things are pretty similar. We go through many tests for abnormalities during pregnancy, even though I feel ones America are more detailed. Both countries have parent classes, though my husband was required to attend the one in Japan.  Both countries also use similar high technological devices to monitor both the mother and baby’s health.

I personally think using painkillers is better for mothers and babies because easier birth enables a mother to take care of their babies sooner and puts less of a burden and stresses on mother and, I think, babies too.  To me, the procedure of having birth in Japan was hell and one in the US was the heaven.  It could be the same to my daughters, because my elder daughter was born a little purple and the nurses needed to suck liquid from her airway but my younger daughter was OK and cried out pretty quickly.

Thank you

To everyone,

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

I am glad to learn with such friendly and experienced professionals.

I wish you success in your educational and professional goals!

Aya

codes of ethics

These are the three that are meaningful to me.  I chose them since I want children from every culture feel comfortable in my class and I want to keep learning and cooperate with my coworkers to serve better quality education.

I-1.10

To ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.

I want to make sure that I am great at this because of my background and experience.  This can be my strength as a teacher.

I-2.1

To be familiar with the knowledge base related to working effectively with families and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

I want to be a “professional” with knowledge so that I can help families with children

I-3A.2 

To share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided.

I want to be a great teacher and want to work with great teaches so I would like share resources with co-workers.

Course resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al.  (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

  
Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
   
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
  Read about OMEP’s mission.  
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/
  Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/ 
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.) 

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Resources that I found by own are these three books.

1.“The First Days Of SCHOOL” by Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong

This is a book to teach teachers “How to be an effective teacher” and it gives you practical and concrete ideas for the classroom based on research and classroom experience.

2.“Educational Psychology” by Anita Woolfolk

It looks useful for learning about cognitive and behavioral issues.

3.“Enji to Okaasan no Uta” 2 Aki fuyu hen  zenongakuhu shuppansha

(Songs for preschoolers and mothers)

園児とおかあさんの歌　　２．秋冬編　全音楽譜出版社

I borrowed this from my daughter’s preschool.  Piano scores for teachers to sing along with children.

quotes from early childhood specialists

This is a quote from “Divinity and Discipline” written by Janet Gonzalez-Mena who is an educator, a consultant in early childhood education and a writer of child education and parenting books. “When two groups or two people have different ways of guiding children’s behavior, instead of judging right or wrong, early childhood educators must first try to understand those differences and where they come from. Are they cultural, familial, individual, or do they come from something else?”

Stanley Greenspan, M.D. was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who specialized in developmental and learning disorders. This is a citation from Dr.Stanley’s speech at youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrXGh9bT0Sw.  "…With children at risk for autism spectrum disorders, the missing piece was the connection between affect or emotion or desire or intent...  intentionality, the will to do something, and the motor plan to carry it out, and later the language or words to give it meaning."

  "[I]t's not all about you. You got to take your ego out of it and think about what's best for this child." This is what Renatta M. Cooper says in the video program: “The Passion for Early Childhood” and it is the wisdom which stays in mind.  I think her motivation is from learning everyday by working in early childhood field because she says " I found during the time I was in charge of that program that working intently with children and families was almost like earning a doctorate, because every year, there was always a specific challenge of, that I was in charge, I had to meet it."

One of my favorite parts of the interview of Raymond Hernandez MS Ed is when he is talking about his passion.  His passion "comes from wanting to make a difference... I'm not here to save the world. I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I'm working."