Testing

I feel that testing within the school system has gotten a little out of hand. From the time a child starts Kindergarten until they reach their college career they are labled due to what they make on a test. As a teacher I find it hard to be able to actually assess what some of my students can truly due because if they do not due good on their Children's Progress and DIBELS assessments than it reflects back on me as a teacher so I am forced to focus more on lessons that reflect the tests. I also do not like how I am not able to be more creative with my teaching because their is so much to accomplish everyday time does not allow for it. I feel that teachers should be able to design tests for their students since they are with them everyday and know their learning and testing style more than just these random people who have barley even been in a classroom setting. I hope that things change for the better in the educational field.

Natural Disaster

I have lived in Mississippi for close to 15 years now and I have never been subjected to any kind of natural disaster until we had our 2011 tornado season. This past year a small town called Smithville Mississippi just miles from my work and home suffered a devastating tornado. It turned the entire town upside down and many lives were lost on that tragic afternoon. The schools were also destroyed within this small community. Just driving through and seeing the pictures that this tornado did to this town was heartbreaking. The one thing that I do love about living in this small country enviroment is that we are all great about coming together and lending a helping hand and thats just what everyone did. People truly came together for this community who had lost everything. We donated clothes, food, money, and our services to make sure these people still had the basic needs necessary in life! Its truly a blessing to see how far this small community has come in just months.
Another disaster that is held dear to my heart is the earthquake that occured in Japan. It was heartbreaking to see pictures of this tradegy on the news.This country still has a long way to go, but they have received help from places such as the United States when it comes to food, water, clothing, and donations. I hope that the people are able to come together and continue to help the victims in Japan

SIDS

I chose to research SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. When I was blessed with my little girl I worried so much about her suffering from SIDS. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, sudden death of a child under age 1 in which an autopsy does not show an explainable cause of death. The cause of SIDS is unknown, but doctors and researchers now believe that SIDS is caused by several different factors such as problems with the baby's ability to wake up and the inability for the baby's body to detect a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood. SIDS rates have dropped dramatically. Unfortunately, SIDS remains a significant cause of death in infants under one year old. Thousands of babies die of SIDS in the United States each year. SIDS is most likely to occur between 2 and 4 months of age. SIDS affects boys more often than girls and most SIDS deaths occur in the winter. Many of the less developed countries still have high infant mortality rates from identifiable causes of death, such as respiratory infections, malnutrition, and diarrhea, but do no consider SIDS a major issue when it comes to death in infants.


http://www.sids-network.org/experts/devcoun.htm



www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002533

A Blessing From God.....

I have to begin by saying that this is a tough subject for me because I have had  such a rough journey trying to carry a baby to full term. When my husband and I first begin trying to conceive I unfortunetly had two miscarriages back to back. My doctor finally figured out that this was due to a fibroid that was on my uterus and he quickly removed it. After three months we were allowed to start trying again and by suprise we got pregnant very quickly with a precious baby girl named Kaylee Alexis. Everything was going great until week 25 I went into preterm labor due to an incompetent cervix. Sadly my little girl got her angel wings shortly after birth. This was a very rough time for me and my husband and it took us some time to heal, but we always knew we wanted to try again. After almost year we were very suprised to learn that we were pregnant again. We prayed every night to be able to get this sweet little baby into the world healthy. It took being on a numerous amount of medications, a cerclage to keep my cervix closed, and weekly progesterone shots, but on January 14, 2010 God blessed us with a full term beauiful baby girl named Sadie Alivia. I was complely speechless when she cam into our lives and my heart still melts everytime I look at her. My husband and I are truly grateful to have her in our lives. Since Sadie was born we have attempted to conceive once again and unfortunetly my body failed me at 22 weeks and my son Bentley Wess received his angel  wings shortly after birh. My husband and I have been through quite a process when it comes to having babies and we realize what a gift they truly are. Although I miss my sweet little babies I know in my heart it was not Goodbye because I will see them later and one day we will all be together as a family!! So make sure to hug and kiss your babies every night and tell them how much you love them!!

I am amazed at women who are able to pull off homebirths. The birthing process is such an emotional time in a womans life and should be cherished, but it is also very painful. I have always wondered just how they are able to give birh with no pain medicine because I was not strong enough to pull that off with any of my pregnancies! I have a lot of respect for women who pull off home births and women who give birth with no pain medicine!!

Code of Ethics.......

I-2.8—To help family members enhance their understanding

of their children and support the continuing

development of their skills as parents

I-2.3—To welcome all family members and encourage

them to participate in the program

P-1.7—We shall strive to build individual relationships

with each child; make individualized adaptations in

teaching strategies, learning environments, and

curricula; and consult with the family so that each

child benefits from the program. If after such efforts

have been exhausted, the current placement does not

meet a child’s needs, or the child is seriously jeopardizing

the ability of other children to benefit from the

program, we shall collaborate with the child’s family

and appropriate specialists to determine the additional

services needed and/or the placement option(s)

most likely to ensure the child’s success.

These are values that I feel are important when it comes to being an educator in today's society!!

QUOTES

"Kids aren't developing the self-regulation skills that they use to" Leong

"Many kids given the diagnosis of ADHD would not need Ritalin if they were enrolled in Tools of the Mind" Leong

"Many if you will win, but even more important I know that you will be brave and bring credit to your family and our country" Shriver

"I always wanted to be a teacher because I had a built in passion" Video

MY CHILDHOOD WEB

I am very blessed to have come from a large family and have all the love and support that they provide for me......
My momma.... A very precious little woman who gets all the credit for raising five hard headed girls. She was always there for me to pick up the pieces when life had broken my heart. My momma always encouraged me to follow my dreams and to never give up on anything I want in life. Even though we do not live in the same state I know I can call her anytime day or night to hear words of encourgement or to ease my worries!!

My Grandma Jones...... A very precious soul who has received her angel wings and is truly living the good life now in heaven. I will always remember how caring and loving she was towards me and always did little things with me such as buying me tons of chocolate milk just to see me smile. Even though I can't physically see her she will always hold a precious place in my heart!!

My Dad....My dad is a very hard working man and did everything he could to raise my sisters and I. He didn't always provide us with everything we wanted, but he made sure we had everything that we needed in life. He taught me that when I really want something in life that I have to work for it myself and to never put my dreams in another individuals hands. He is still a big part of my life and provides me with advice, whether I want it or not:)

My Four Sisters..... I grew up with four sisters, three older and one younger. I didnt realize how lucky I was to have them in my life when I was younger, all I could think about was that I had to share everything with them. Now that we are all grown I realize that they are the best gift my parents could have given me. I can call any of them and they will be here for me with the drop of a hat. They provide me with love, encouragment, advice, and they show me how blessed I am to have the family God has blessed me with. At the end of the day they are my best friends and will be there for me through thick and thin.

GOD IS GREAT AND I AM BLESSED!!!!!

My Favorite Children's Book

My favorite children's book is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.....This book has truly touched my heart since becoming a mommy!! There are truly no words to describe the love I have for my little girl!!

Quote

Here is a quote I came across that has really stuck with me......

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher

Hello Everyone!!

I am very new to the blogging community and this will definetly be a learning process. Please let me know if you have any advice for me!