How Low Can We Go?

More and more I'm being convinced that adults are trying to make kids into little adults. I saw this story concerning a kindergarten student being suspended for wearing a mohawk hair cut. Upon reading the article, I learned that the charter school also have kindergarten students wearing uniforms. I wonder whether all these restrictions on very young children have the net effect of causing children to later "act out."

Last Words for 2007

As I reflect on 2007 as it relates to children, I think there are reasons to be concerned. A major problem is the lack of governmental support in identifying tainted toys. When I listen closely to Nancy Nord, Acting Chairperson of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, I get the impression that her job is to protect businesses and not the consumer. With more and more products being identified as being tainted with lead or other harmful substances, I think things will get worse before they get better. I've heard Oprah remark many times that "When you know better, you do better. I'm not too sure that is the case with protection of children against tainted toys and adults as well.

Also, I think more creative thinking is needed in childcare. I just read an article in the New York Times titled Bright Ideas, which highlights how we often fail to think outside the box, career field notwithstanding. I think this situation is prevalent in early childhood education. As a local certification authority for Child Development Associate (CDA) eligible students, I was able to visit many childcare locations. After a while, I could predict what apparatus I would see in the next location on my list. Moreover, many of these products were made in China. I believe the same instructional ends can be achieved with a wider range of products, perhaps made in the US.

All in all, 2007 was good for me as it relates to child development because I'm not clear that helping children in same way is a central purpose in my life. I'm very anxious to see how 2008 will unfold for children. I know I'll do my part toward helping to create safe products and positive environments for children.

Happy New Year to All!!!

Young Children Using Computers

As Christmas approaches, I'm seeing more television commercials touting the value of young children using computers for early learning skills practice. I think young children should use computers for learn on a limited basis only since they need the practice of developing fine/small motor skills that writing and other manual activities provide more than typing on a keyboard or keypad. Also, I think allowing significant time on computers encourages a sedentary lifestyle, toward which young children should be discouraged.

At this point I believe marketing computers and computer programs to young children has more to do with a new young market for companies than an interest in the best development opportunities for children.

Watching Violent Images

I often wonder why in the U.S. we don't have the same level of protest for violence in media as we have for sexual content in media. Maybe we should reduce violence in media if we pay attention to a study that found that people viewing violence showed less restraint toward violence afterward. That finding should make us curb children's viewing of violence?

While I'm at it, what about erectile dysfunction commercials 24-hours a day? I could never understand why there is no protest for this commercials.

Teachable Moments

If you ever want to draw me into a heated discussion, you need only to assail teachers, schools, and caregivers for students' poor performance. I'm touchy about this topic because I find it incredible how often in the the "discussion" of students' performance, parents are left out of the equation. Somehow children's first teachers in life, the people who spend the most time with children, perhaps the most influential people in children's lives, are given a free pass in many discussion about educating children. What's more, I'm shocked at how few times educators correct the situation by pointing out how more important parents and home life are than the influence of teachers and schools.

I've always thought that a concerned parent would take note of what a child is studying in school and use everyday situations to point out how practical the information is, particularly in early childhood education. For the younger ones, a game of pointing out colors and shapes is so easy. I suspect the game would have less to do with learning and more to do with quality interaction.

In any case, follow the link below to a story I found on the Freakanomics Blog. Freakanomics is a highly readable books about economics of everyday things with chapters as "Why do Drug Dealers Live With Their Moms" and "What Makes A Perfect Parent." Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the authors of Freakonomics have started a blog, which I check fairly often.

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/

Words from Carl Sandburg

I'm always in awe about how young children make connections that translate into learning. For that reason, I like this poem from Carl Sandburg's Fogs and Fires:


CHILD MOON

The child's wonder
At the old moon
Comes back nightly.
She points her finger
To the far silent yellow thing
Shining through the branches
Filtering on the leaves a golden sand,
Crying with her little tongue,
"See the moon!"
And in her bed fading to sleep
With babblings of the moon on her little mouth.

A Child is Born With a Heart of Gold

The title for this blog post was taken from the Earth, Wind, and Fire song, Way of the World, one of my favorite songs. I truly believe children are pure of heart until societal influences have an impact. I think it's becoming more difficult for children to maintain a pure heart.

I understand that in many situations attacks on children, physical and mental, relate to power issues by adults. What I don't understand is why. Sometimes I conclude such attacks on children as cowardly acts; other times I conclude those attacks result from mental illness. In any case, I think adults should be severely punished for attack on children or for failure to protect children. I also think judges and other officials should be investigated when they support adults receiving second chances for attacks on children. At the same time, I believe anyone making a false accusation against an adult concerning an attack on a child should be investigated thoroughly for accuracy and punished for intentionally providing false statements. A mistake in either direction is unacceptable.

Again, a child is born with a heart of gold, and it is the duty of adults to treasure children--all children.

School Busing

This post is a comment on school bus drivers, not the topic of busing of children per se. The street where I live has a nice long strip of newly paved road. Apparently, school bus drivers are delighted to use it instead of the nearby dusty dirt roads they were using as a more direct route to the schools. The problem is that they are speeding on streets that seem to be slightly narrow for two-way traffic. All of this brings me to the point that often I feel we select people to care for children who may not have the best interst of children in mind. I'm told that the low pay discourages many better qualified people from applying those jobs. I'm not so sure that's the whole story. I'll more on this topic after attending a childhood conference next week.

Anyway, I've just posted a link to an article concerning dyslexia. I discovered I have dyslexia quite late in life and have been keeping an eye out for new information on that topic.