Quotes about children

"Children must be taught HOW TO THINK
Not what to think."

~Margaret Mead~



"Character, not circumstance, makes the person."

~Booker T. Washington~


"Children are like wet cement,
whatever falls on them makes an impression."

~Haim Ginott~

Testing for Intelligence

In viewing young children holistically, I think children should be assessed on many levels. Since there are many types of intelligences, a work sampling in each of those realms would enable an educator to gain a wider snapshot of what the child knows. Observation of the child in cooperative learning groups or at play will also allow for objective, specific notes which can be quite effective in documenting children's progress. 

In England, children aged 5-11 are assessed at the end of the year and attain grades from a level 1 (the lowest) to a level 5 (the highest). The English Department of Education is trying to reform this system by instituting grades which will range from A to G and the end of the year tests will earn either a ''pass'' or ''fail'' grade in subjects such as math, science, and English. The DOE feels this new grading system will enable educators to pinpoint which students need help in any of those subjects. Opponents of the new grading system say that it is not fair to basically pass or fail a child as all children learn at different developmental speeds and that the government is not taking into account those children who are younger or in special education. 

I feel that standardized tests are not a real measure of a child's knowledge. I was one of those students who could memorize something and spit it back verbatim. But did I learn anything? I doubt it. A true measure of a child's intelligence comes to light on so many levels and a test cannot measure for everything. The pressure on the school system institutes pressure on the child and children do not need to be stressed any more than they already are. 

References 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9324726/Primary-school-grading-system-to-be-overhauled.html

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

For myself, I had to overcome the stressors of environmental pollution in the form of second hand smoke. Both of my parents smoked, indoors, and my mother smoked throughout her 4 pregnancies. In the early 1970's, there was not much published knowledge about how harmful secondhand smoke could be to a child. I constantly hd a cough when I was younger. The pediatrician gave me cough medicine that I remember calling "the yucky purple stuff". I took this daily for many years.

When I was a preadolescent, it was discovered that the chest pain and heart palpitations I was having was due to asthma. I wasn't prescribed anything until I was an adult except the awful purple medicine. As an adult and an early childhood teacher, I always catch respiratory illnesses that are going around. I had pneumonia once and will have bronchitis at least two times a year. I see a pulmonologist four times a year as well.

Nowadays, we know the devastating effects of smoking and how it affects children both pre- and post-natally. Most parents will not smoke indoors and many pregnant mothers cut down their smoking or stop altogether.

I compensate for asthma by exercising, meditating, and see my doctors regularly. If i start to wheeze or cough, I use a nebulizer to try and clear it up. Usually this works but sometimes it does turn infectious.

I was shocked to read that Ireland had the 4th largest incidence of asthma in the world. The article I read discusses how helpful an asthma app can be for people with asthma and how critical a condition it is. About 50 people a year die from asthma in Ireland which is way too many. Adults lose time at work and children lose time at school as a result of this chronic disease.

Children with this condition who miss school will miss out cognitively on school lessons. Psychosocially, they might not be able to participate in all types of outdoor play or gym class thus missing out on informal social interactions at school. Biosocially their lungs will forever be weak and they too will become sick when respiratory illness is prevalent.  

References
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2013/0121/1224329102389.html