Relationship Reflection

Barbra Streisand sings a song about people, "people who need people, are the luckiest people in the world" The song talks about the different relationships within our lives. I need people, without my relationships I believe I would be a very lonely person. I believe that the different relationships in my life help create who I am. They do not define me; however, they play a role and entertain the different aspects of my character. I have many different kinds of relationships with in my life and each play a different role. Family- My confidants, my world, my support, my comfort, trust, and unconditional love. Friends- fun, shared interests, sharing, love, and trust Professional relationships- Team work, support, shared goals

My twin sister, Jasmine, was important to me growing up. We shared the womb and much more. During our teen years, we grew a part and did not understand each other, and I often competed with her. I learned who I was without her through the years, which was needed in order for me to grow into an individual. Today, we are both mothers, and still have our moments of difficulty, but we do have a connection and love I am glad I was blessed with. I learned that some relationships change as we grow and develop over time. Some survive and some do not.

My Husband- We have a relationship and a partnership. We cannot live together without both. In this relationship it is give and take. We must both give and sometimes take. The support we have for each other is more than I could have ever dreamed of. God blessed me with this relationship. In order for any relationship to work there needs to be give or take.

My Assistant Director - We support each other and work together to create a positive relationship.

My boss- keeps me on my toes, challenges me, and pays me of course. I am constantly reflecting on my responsibilities and ask for input often. I want to do a good job and I constantly strive to do better.

My friend Naomi- She is such a good friend even though she lives far away, we support each other and are comfortable with each other. She will give me advice, tell me the truth, or just love me. I love her.

My Children- They are my world. The teach me how to be patient and have taught me a different kind of love. Relationships are all around us and sometimes I find it difficult to describe because they are so intricate in nature. I do know that my relationships define me. Relationships and partnerships take work. Each party must put in effort to grow it and sustain it.

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Resiliency= Dealing with life

'A Child Called It' was a story about resilience, it was never about boo hoo hoo, it was about a kid that didn't quit.
Dave Pelzer
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/resilience.html#rCuAPFxLPLCVu5kL.99

'A Child Called It' was a story about resilience, it was never about boo hoo hoo, it was about a kid that didn't quit.
Dave Pelzer
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/resilience.html#rCuAPFxLPLCVu5kL.99

'A Child Called It' was a story about resilience, it was never about boo hoo hoo, it was about a kid that didn't quit.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/davepelzer445457.html#GYtj8kkHMeExfm61.99

 The book A Child Called It is often described as a true story of an abused child, and it is, but the author Dave Pelzer wants people to see it as a story of resiliency.  What a strong man he is, his story proves that resiliency can win in the end, there might be healing moments that need to take place, but a child that goes through such a hard life can survive and be more than a victim. In Mr. Pelzer own words he said, 'A Child Called It' was a story about resilience, it was never about boo hoo hoo, and it was about a kid that didn't quit.”  I encourage you to read it or reread it with the thinking that it is not about abuse but a young boy’s resiliency.  I am going to do the same I bet it will teach me something new. Throughout our life resiliency is how we deal with life situations. I want to leave you with one more quote from Dave Pelzer that is in my opinion powerful!

"To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on."

 

'A Child Called It' was a story about resilience, it was never about boo hoo hoo, it was about a kid that didn't quit.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/resilience.html#qfDUFoqyqHzQtRG0.99

 

 



Blooms Taxonomy- German schooling examination

Bloom’s Taxonomy should be used when evaluating school agers. Bloom’s Taxonomy has different ways of thinking, critically  not just spitting out knowledge. I believe this is important because every student learns differently. Additionally, I feel that this will show more practical skills, and knowledge in action. Critical thinking will benefit students more when they get out in the real world. I have seen students that have great knowledge, but can't think critically or practically. It is debilitating when students do not have practical skills.

 



 http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/03/a-great-blooms-taxonomy-wheel-for.html

  

Germany

 

In Germany students are evaluated after 5th grade with a test called the Mittlere Reife examination. From their score they can either go to:

Secondary level

• Hauptschule
• Realschule
• Gymnasium

Students that score high go to the Gymnasium will eventually attend the university and are considered the smartest in the bunch. These students futures are determined by a test that is given after only 5 years of school. Can you imagine?

Description of schools taken from http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/schools-german-education-system.

Hauptschule
In the majority of the Länder (federal states), children spend five years at the Hauptschule (grades 5-9 or 10). The main objective of the Hauptschule is to prepare students for their entry into the world of work. From the first year of Hauptschule, all children learn English (sometimes French). They are also taught German, mathematics, physics / chemistry, biology, geography, history, religion (or a substitute subject), music, art, politics and sports, and are given an introduction to the world of work (Arbeitslehre). Once students have obtained their leaving certificate at the age of 15 / 16, they can go into practical vocational training, start work in the public service at basic or secretarial level, or attend a Berufsfachschule (full-time vocational school).

Realschule
Students attend Realschule for six years (grades 5-11). Unlike the Hauptschule, the Realschule gives children a broader general education and expects them to show greater independence. They also have a chance to learn a second foreign language (usually French), in addition to the first compulsory language (generally English). In comparison with the Gymnasium, the pupils are given a more vocationally-oriented education. At the end of their 10th year, successful pupils will obtain the Realschule leaving certificate. With this certificate, they have access to several training options: in-company vocational training, work in the public service at secretarial and executive level, further education in school at Secondary Level II or at a Fachhochschule. The Realschule is very popular in Germany.

Gymnasium
Those school students who leave the Grundschule and go straight on to the Gymnasium still have another 8 or 9 years of school education before they take their final examination (Abitur or Hochschulreife). The Gymnasium is designed to provide students with an education which will enable them, once they have passed their Abitur, to study at a German university or equivalent. Students receive intensive specialised instruction to prepare them for academic work at a higher level.
Secondary Level II, i.e. the last 2 or 3 years at the Gymnasium, consists of courses, which students select themselves, depending on certain conditions and on their own preferences (with certain restrictions). All pupils have to select 2 Leistungskurse (special subjects) - 3 in the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatine. Students following Leistungskurse have to attend five hours of classes each week. The Abitur is based on the assessment of the subjects chosen as Leistungskurse and of two other subjects.

The Gesamtschule (comprehensive school)

The Gesamtschule combines elements from the Hauptschule, the Realschule and the Gymnasium. This type of school was introduced later than all the other types, mainly on the initiative of the education ministers in Länder governed by the SPD (Social Democratic Party).
Children usually spend six years at the Gesamtschule, from the 6th to the 10th grade. Depending on their ability, they either obtain a Hauptschule or a Realschule leaving certificate. Pupils wishing to sit the Abitur attend school for another three grades.

 

Childhood Stressors

If I were to sit down with any person in this world, they would have something to say about how they grew up.  Growing up we all deal with things that may not be positive, but children are resilient and it becomes their normal.  In many third war countries, they deal with much more than I ever in my life would ever dream of dealing with or seeing.  However, we all have our battles, some may not be as big as others may but it is still our battle.

 Three things came up for me:

One is chaos, now when I refer to chaos it is not the kind of chaos as war or violence.  The chaos in my house was with four children.  We all had our personalities, schedules, and needs.  Things were not always peaceful. It did not harm me per say, it mainly strengthened my ability to multitask, handle disorder, and to find peace within myself.  As an adult now, I require alone time often, and you will know when I need it because I will get grumpy.  Many times, I lie down and cover up; it is my safe place.  Additionally, I am able to step back now from lots of practice and evaluate a situation outside of myself.

The second thing I dealt with is my father being in the military.  I had to move a lot.  I still struggle with friendships because I have been conditioned that they move away, or I move away.  I have now lived in Colorado for 12 years.  The longest I have ever lived in one place. It was my life, I adapted just like any other kid, and I just kept my distance.

When I was in 7^th grade was the first time my mom got sick. That was a very high stress in my life and during that time is when I gained weight…I have been fighting it ever since.  I am strong because of her, but I am also weak because of the situation. She died when I was 22 years old leaving behind five children, the youngest being 2 years old and me.

Malnutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa:

Eastern and Southern Africa have chronic malnutrition. Which is causing stunting. Stunting is irreversible; therefore, it is important to stop this symptom of malnutrition right away. UNICEF is aiding in the battle of malnutrition. One way is encouraging exclusive breast feeding, providing education, and providing nutritious food.

“Over the years, awareness of nutrition issues, particularly stunting, has increased, thanks to advocacy informed by researches. Sixteen out of the 21 countries in ESAR now have improved nutrition plans that no longer treat nutrition as a standalone sector, but one that needs to be integrated with health, agriculture, sanitation, welfare, education and others.Twelve countries are in the SUN partnerships, with Burundi and Kenya being the newest signatories. Ten countries have all or most of the provisions of the Code for Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes as law, with Kenya and South Africa having just recently passed this into legislation. Most countries in the region have bi-annual mass vitamin A supplementation as part of the Child Health Day campaign, together with other high impact interventions such as de-worming, immunization and distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.Countries are increasingly recognizing Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition as part of the minimum core package of nutrition interventions. Seventeen of the 21 countries in the region have begun to build national capacities to scale up this approach.”
http://www.unicef.org/esaro/5479_nutrition.html

Sadly, children are dealing with this and have no control over it. It is so important that we educate these countries and give them the knowledge they need to support their children's growth and development.

 

 

Breast-feeding

 Breastfeeding has been very important to me.  I feel that breast-feeding is a way to bond, nourish, and aid in my child's development.  Breast milk has been proved to have natural antibiotics that keep infants healthier. “Breast milk has the perfect combination of proteins, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates.  There is nothing better for the health of your baby.  Leukocytes are living cells that are only found in breast milk.  They help fight infection.  The antibodies, living cells, enzymes, and hormones make breast milk ideal.  These cannot be added to formula” (American Pregnacy Association, 2013).  I was told how important breast-feeding was before I even got pregnant.  My husband completely heartily believed that kids that breast-fed were smarter.  I am not sure that is 100% correct, but in his experience, it was true.  I was so nervous that I was not going to be able to do it that I read many books on the subject before giving birth.  I realized when trying to breast feed it is all about being calm, patient, and drinking a lot of water.  Pressure is the evil of breast-feeding; you do better when you do not worry so much.  I feel that my children have developed a bond with me and a secure connection with me partly due to breast-feeding.  Often time’s women switch to formula because they cannot see how much their child is eating and feel uncomfortable with that.  More women need to continue to breast feed until a lactation specialist or doctor tells them to supplement.  Interestingly you can now buy breast milk online from milk banks, I even had a friend sell to a milk bank and later a friend buy from a milk bank.  Breast milk is so healthy for our babies. I will support mothers within my daily work by providing support and media to educate mothers about breast-feeding and its benefits. Additionally, I will provide an area for mothers to breast feed.

I did not look at one country and their culture on Breast-feeding.  I found the WBTI, which stands for World Breastfeeding Trend Initiative.  This initiative goes out worldwide to train, assist, and promote breast-feeding in at least 100 countries by 2012.  In 2012, they fell short, but had reached 88 Countries. Below is bullet points about their mission.

 

What is WBTi:

• Participatory, action oriented simple research
• Tracking, Assessing and Monitoring (TAM) the implementation of Global Strategy for IYCF
• Ensures uniformity,
• Objective is to reach about 100 countries by 2012.

The Need:

• The United Nations Millennium Summit for MDGs – MDG 4 (2000)
• The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (2002)
• WHA Resolution - Each country urged to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate a plan of action on IYCF
• Innocenti Declaration on IYCF (2005)

Basis:

• WABA’s GLOPAR 1993
• WHO’s tool “Infant and Young Child Feeding : A tool for assessing national practices, policies , and programs” (2003/4)

WBTi –How It Works?

• Phase one – National assessment
• Phase two – Ranking the country/region
• Phase three – Reassessment to analyze trends

Indicators Part-I

1.        National Policy Program and Coordination

2.        BFHI

3.        Implementation of the Code

4.        Maternity Protection

5.        Health and Nutrition Care

6.        . Mother Support and Community Outreach

7.        Information Support

8.        Infant feeding and HIV

9.        Infant feeding during Emergencies

10.     Monitoring

Indicators Part-II

11. Early Initiation Rates
12. Exclusive breastfeeding Rates <6months
13. Median duration of Breastfeeding
14. Bottle Feeding Rates
15. Timely Complementary feeding Rates

What Goes in?

1.        Coordination

2.        Training/orientation

3.        Organizing national consultations and discussions leading to national assessment

4.        Analyzing and publishing the country report cards

5.        Compiling and publishing state of world’s breastfeeding, nationally and regionally

6.        Publishing results through WBTi web tool

7.        Follow up and offer IBFAN services for capacity building in code implementation, planning and facilitation, training of workers, and other program related to IYCF

8.        Advocacy with the use of report cards at national, regional and global levels to gather support in bridging gaps in program and policy

 

http://worldbreastfeedingtrends.org/report/The-state-of-breastfeeding-in-33-countries-2010.pdf

http://www.worldbreastfeedingtrends.org/about.php

 

 

Poor African women gives birth on the Floor.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKrIeMRNAA

 

 

 

I was amazed at the above women giving birth in her hut with her children playing outside. She cannot afford medical care; therefore she does it at home with a neighbors help. They lay plastic on the floor and the baby just falls out, she ties a string to tie off the umbilical cord, and then bathes her newborn. I could never do this.  This is a far cry from what I went through! I had the doctors involved with every aspect of my child's birth. This mother is more worried about how she will feed her 8 children, which could affect her children's development. I read a bit more about babies being born in Africa and it is absolutely a scary feat for these African women. There are more deaths of both mother and child then any other country due to young mothers, most women have a baby before they are 14. In addition they fight the risk of Malaria and HIV and AIDS. I am realizing how blessed I really am. I have learned that health care really is a need for a child to start life out with a better chance of survival and quality of life.