My Supports

Who supports me?

First I need to look at what support means … dictionary .com defines support:

• To bear or hold up; serve as a foundation for.
• To sustain or withstand without giving way; serve as a prop for.
• To undergo or endure, especially with patience or submission; tolerate.
• To sustain under trial or affliction.
• To maintain by supplying with things necessary to existence; provide for.

Supports are those people and things who are there with me holding hands with me.

First, my faith supports me.  God is my sustainer and provider. 

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.  Psalm 54:4

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  Hebrews 1:3

Second, my husband is always there for me, for thick or thin!  While there are bad times and good times, he holds me up, he tolerates me, he provides for me.

My parents are another source of sustenance.  They are always there to talk, to care for me, to help watch their grandchildren, to provide home and food when it was needed, and have always walked with me through my trials.

I also need to add my children.  They sustain me by giving me a reason each day for what I do.  God  gave me these precious children as a gift.  They are the reason that I get up each day and help them grow to their greatest potential.

My church community is another source of support.  Most importantly, they help me maintain my relationship with God.

Another support is my phone … and it’s not even to call people … my calendar is on it!  My calendar is my prop for remembering things.  I have a horrible memory and if it’s not written down then my brain likely won’t remember it.  J

I have Depression.  Too often this is seen as something just in the head, but it is a disability just like Multiple Sclerosis or Diabetes.  Every day I take medication to maintain my brain chemicals.  My medication is another support.  When I do not have it or it is not functioning correctly, I cannot get through the day.

If any one of these supports were to not be a part of my life, I would struggle greatly in leading my everyday life.  Often I forget that they are there surrounding me and encouraging me.  It takes an activity like this … writing them down … to help me remember what provides for me, gives me a solid foundation, and sustains me through every life event.

Getting Dressed in the Mornings!

To anyone who has not had young children in the home, this sounds like an easy task, but when there is so much learning going on at the same time, changing out of pajamas and putting on clean clothes for the day can often be a challenge. 

Biosocial development that is happening includes coordinating body movements as well as the left and right sides of the body and brain.  Gross motor movements include putting arms in sleeves, legs in pants, shirt overhead, or the opposite in taking off pajamas.  Fine motor skills are needed for zippers, buttons, snaps, gabbing and holding the clothing, and tying laces.

Cognitive development is occurring as children develop the sense of independence and “I can do it” mentality.  Their memory and language skills are at work in remembering what each piece of clothing is called, where it goes on the body, in which order does it go on and what body parts need to be controlled to get the clothes on or off.

Psychosocial development is seen in the child’s assertions of their opinions and development of a sense of self-worth.  They are also exploring gender in the clothing they are wearing.

All of this learning is occurring while the adult uses scaffolding to help the child develop these skills to be independent.  And oftentimes the adult is practicing a lot of patience.

This is from an assignment from last week - and just wanted to share!  :)  Enjoy!

Ethics

I started this blog for my first class of my masters degree.  These past few weeks, I have learned so much and am really excited about the rest of the journey.  This week we are asked to post ideals contained in the NAEYC code of ethics that are meaningful to me.

NAEYC Ideal 1.2 - To base program practices upon current knowledge and research in the field of early childhood education, child development, and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child.
To me this just makes sense.  There are so many people out there that think that preschool teachers are just babysitters... and anyone can do it.  Yes, anyone can do it, but only if they care enough to do their best.

NAEYC Ideal 2.8 - To help family members enhance their understanding of their children and support the continuing development of their skills as parents. 
NAEYC Ideal 2.9 - To participate in bulding support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.
Families are key to children.  They are the child's first teachers.  Luckily early childhood educators have the privilege of working alongside parents and other family members as they raise their children.  It is important to remember that I am only a piece of the puzzle and I need to diligently work to help support the other pieces.  

NAEYC Ideal 4.1 - To provide the community with high-quality early childhood care and educational programs and services.
No matter where my journey in early childhood leads me, my goal and focus will remain to do my best to meet this ideal.

To read the entirety of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct head here.

Personal Childhood Web

Friday I created a new page on my site with my personal childhood web.  It's my web of individuals who helped me become the person I am today.  There are many more people who have influenced my life, but these were the ones that came to mind this week.  Maybe in the future I will add more!
Enjoy