My Connections to Play

Two Quotes About Play:

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman

 

Play fosters belonging and encourages cooperation.  

Stuart Brown, MD

 

Essential Play Items for my Younger Self:

I loved My Little Pony when I was younger!  I would spend so much time combing and braiding their hair.  I remember the little carrying case I had for them that had ponies all over it.

 This is a Cabbage Path Kid Pet.  I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids and when I got this pet as a Christmas present, I instantly fell in love.  I carried him with me everywhere. 

My brother and I each had our own tape recorder like this.  We would play with these for hours!  We would record our own radio stations and play them back for our parents.

I was very lucky that my parents realized and valued the importance of play.  They would build forts with us and help us turn boxes into houses.  They watched as we would perform songs and plays that we made up.  I had many cousins around that were my age and when we got together we would climb trees and invent games.  Play was such a wonderful part of my childhood.

Play is very different now from when I was little, especially outdoor play.  My brother and I would be outside in the backyard or in the park across from our house all day.  My mom would come outside with us at times but for the most part we were out by ourselves and did not have to worry about being safe. We also did not have video games.  When we were inside playing, it was with blocks, dolls, cars, or things we found around the house.

Even as an adult, I still love to play and color with my nieces or my students.  I am blessed to have a job where play is an everyday occurrence.

Relationship Reflection

My Husband and I have a wonderful relationship.  I am a very lucky woman!  He is caring, supportive, positive, patient, and always there for anything I need.  He is an amazing father, especially at 3 am.  :)  He is a teacher also so he understands what my job entails and how draining and stressful it can be at times.  We both share a passion and love for teaching.  I am honored that I get to spend the rest of my life with such an amazing man!

I have the best mom and dad in the world!  They made me into the confident, caring person I am today.  They showed me what true love and kindness means.  They were always a part of my education and gave me my love for learning.  We have a wonderful relationship, and they are always there for me.

My brother is the one who taught me to laugh at myself.  When we were little we fought occasionally as all siblings do, but overall we had a great relationship and still do to this day. 

My sister-in-law is such an amazing person!  She is my best friend and we have so much fun together.  She is a teacher also and we share stories and ideas about our classroom frequently.   If I have a bad day at school I know I can call her and she will understand exactly what I am going through.  I am blessed to have her in my life.

The relationships I have with the people in my life are very important to me.  They have helped to mold me into the person I am today.  They keep me grounded and make me feel loved.  Maintaining each relationship takes time and I try to let the special people in my life know just how much I care about them on a daily basis.  My parents and brother and sister-in-law live thousands of miles away, so at times communication can be difficult.  We are grateful for Skype, phone calls, and text messages.  :)  I am truly blessed to have such amazing, caring people surrounding me. 

My Favorite Quotes About Children

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

"A person's a person, no matter how small."

     Dr. Seuss, author

If a child is given love, he becomes loving ... If he's helped when he needs help, he becomes helpful. And if he has been truly valued at home ... he grows up secure enough to look beyond himself to the welfare of others.

DR. JOYCE BROTHERS, Good Housekeeping, Aug. 2010

A child has only one childhood.
A time to be imprinted with life's lesson
to learn how to work and be successful,
to feel confident and worthwhile:
to make friends,
to love self and others.
These are developmental stages.
They cannot easily be given back.

We must work together so no child will miss them.

Assessing the Whole Child

I feel that a child’s growth over time should be measured rather than a snapshot assessment completed in one day to show what they have learned in that year.  Not only should we be concerned with academic growth, we also need to be aware of a child’s social and emotional growth.  When they become adults and enter the work force their social skills and how they regulate their emotions will be just as important as their knowledge base.  We need to ensure all students leave us with ALL of the skills necessary to become a successful adult.

I found a wonderful website about education in New Zealand below is how they describe assessment and its purpose: 

Assessment for learning should use a range of approaches. These may include:

• day-to-day activities (such as learning conversations)
• a simple mental note taken by the teacher during observation
• student self and peer assessments
• a detailed analysis of a student’s work
• assessment tools (which may be written items, structured interview questions or items teachers make up themselves).

What matters most is not so much the form of the assessment, but how the information gathered is used to improve teaching and learning.

Assessment should be valid, fair and suited to the purpose. It should measure progress, not just achievement.

Any assessment can only provide a snapshot of achievement on a particular day. Performance will vary from day to day depending on:

• the nature of the assessment task
• the conditions in which the assessment is undertaken
• the purpose of the assessment
• the student’s preparation
• the student’s engagement and motivation.

To make a valid and fair measure of progress over time, teachers need to analyse information from a range of sources. It’s important that teachers gather information both formally and informally, using a range of approaches to add to or modify their picture of each student’s learning over time.

http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-classroom/Assessment-for-learning