When I Think of Child Development

Play is so crucial in the lift of a child, but it is not often viewed as such. Many people don't realize that a child's brain is growing and learning while it is experiencing with play. Social skills, problem-solving, perseverance, concentration, attention span, and so much more. Play is a way to teaching to the whole child and helping them to become more powerful learners in academics.



First of all, I love everything about Maria Montessori and her methods. I love the way that Montessori schools are run, so much self-teaching going on! Secondly, this quote speaks so much to me. Early childhood is a crucial time in a child's life. Social skills, responsibility, respectfulness, and so much more are initiated in childhood, helping children make their steps in the right direction in life.

Testing in Early Childhood

I live in a small, rural community of approximately 250-275 people. Somehow, about eight years ago, we started having families move into our town that were of Finnish descent. These families are also very large, ranging from young families just starting out, to large families of 12 or more! I've learned a lot about life in Finland in the past 8 years, having at least 1 Finn student each year. What I've become most interested in, however, is hearing the parents explain the school system in Finland to me. Finland is ranked among the highest in the world for education, and when thinking about the early childhood setting, I think they're priorities deserve a second look.

While reading the article, "No grammar school, lots of play in Europe's top education system" written by Patrick Butler for the US Edition of The Guardian, I found so many statements and practices that I agree with and wish the United States would follow suit, as a nation. Their breakdown of grades is different from ours, and children don't start formal school until the age of 7. This doesn't mean that children aren't learning, however. Daycare in Finland is structured for kids through the age of 6 and "is to help them develop good social habits: to learn how to make friends and respect others, for example, or to dress themselves competently" (Butler, 2016).

In the United States, what will come to mind for most adults at the mention of "daycare" will be playing, napping, and eating in someone else's care so that the parents can work. It was noted in the article that this frame of mind was popular in Finland in the 1970s but has since changed. Daycare is now looked upon as an opportunity to prepare children to be lifelong learners by incorporating carefully organized play to help develop qualities in children like attention span, perseverance, concentration, and problem-solving - which in a child of only 4 years old are stronger predictors of academic success than how early they learn to read, according to Tiina Marjoniemi. 

I haven't forgotten that my purpose is the discussion of testing in an early childhood setting, but I had to talk about my love for the Finnish education system first. First of all, I am not a supporter of the formal testing or the United States' idea of "teaching to the test" because honestly, how is that helping the students? As an early childhood educator, I have kids coming into my classroom in the fall that cannot hold a pencil, have problems with buttons and zippers, can't sing the ABC song, and have a low self-esteem. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to be able to provide them with structured play to build these skills BEFORE working on the academics, because unfortunately when all of the components are jam-packed into one school year, all of the social and developmental skills are pushed aside to start "teaching to the test." The only testing that early childhood kids should have to endure is the type that the daycares in Finland use; walking around observing the children and taking note of how their social skills are developing as well as making sure they are being encompassed by the ideals of teaching to the "Whole Child." I dare even say, the type of teaching Finland institutes seems like a fairy tale I'd love to be in. A fairy tale where kids get to be kids and instead of making them cater to the needs of the government, we cater to their needs.

Source:  Butler, P. (2017, November 28). No grammar schools, lots of play: the secrets of Europe’s top education system. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/20/grammar-schools-play-europe-top-education-system-finland-daycare

Childhood in Poverty

When I think back to my childhood, I wouldn't necessarily say that I lived in extreme poverty, but there were definitely times and instances that I know I can relate to living in poverty.

Growing up, it was just my mom and me. There were a few times we lived with my grandparents, and when we weren't living with them, they were always there, just a regular part of our nuclear family. I was never embarrassed by this fact; I thought it was the greatest thing ever!

My mom, as a single parent, also utilized the possible help provided by the state for living. One Christmas while we were on welfare, I got so many Christmas gifts, I loved it. During my childhood, I lived in two different states; Montana and North Dakota. In North Dakota, they'd already begun using the EBT card so all you had to do was swipe like a credit card when you were on food stamps. In Montana though, food stamps still came in a booklet like loan payment slips and you needed to tear them out and hand them to the cashier. That process wasn't conspicuous or pleasant. Just the idea that people knew bothered me. Since we were low-income, we were also able to have the house we were living in repainted through a housing project, and had help with our heat in the winter. My first job was paid through a company called Action for Eastern Montana. They paid me minimum wage to help at the county extension office, an opportunity only available to low-income families.

It's upsetting, and to this day, I panic if a credit card or check system takes a few seconds too long. I can't tell you the number of times we'd be in the store and be turned away because my mom had written a "bad check" with non-sufficient funds at that store. I remember one night, I was maybe ten, I went to answer the door after someone had knocked on it. Standing on the other side was a police officer. He had a warrant for my mom's arrest because she'd written an NSF (non-sufficient funds) check, to Pizza Hut. She said she'd never been informed of the check being bad. While I stood there sobbing and she explained to the officer there was no one else to take care of me, somehow it was worked out that she had a matter of days to pay the check and wouldn't have to go to jail.

My mom will often apologize through tears about my childhood. What she doesn't understand though, is that I'm grateful for my childhood. I have amazing memories of my grandparents. They were like my second set of parents. I have experiences that I learned from. Being a low-income college student, I qualified for Student Support so I had a different orientation class than the rest of my incoming class. There, I learned about all the different types of loan help and programs available. As an adult, I try to be thrifty, watch the in and out of my money. But the number one thing I'm grateful for is that I don't take anything for granted. I don't expect that I should just have things. I work for what I want. I was told often by an ex of mine that I needed to take the summers off so I could recuperate. But if I wanted to pay my bills and buy those "extra" things I had my eyes on, I needed to work to make the money I needed. What I'm trying to say, is that my childhood taught me that I need to work to have money, I need to watch my money and spend it wisely, it taught me to have a great amount of respect, and there are always people less fortunate than me.

I wanted to look into Ireland and see what kinds of challenges children face there, but I couldn't find anything. In the past, of course Ireland has dealt with famine, but I am uncertain of what kinds of things children there face today. I'm sure there are the common problems, such as my history of poverty, or  violence.