"Quote of Child Development & Sincere Thanks" I truly believe once a child has a positive self-concept then they can view the world in a positive light as well! If I had to pick a quote to inspire me as an Early Childhood Educator it will be “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." - Sydney J. Harris I want to take the time to thank my colleagues for support, encouragement, and the opportunity to network. I shared many feelings of inspiration and enlightenment through the readings of the blogs and discussion boards through our course. It’s nice to share in an educational community that strength yours goals and uplifts your spirit. Good luck to all in your school work and future endeavors!

 

 

 

 

 

"Its All about Their Emotional Well Being"

 

 

 

 

 

The child's emotional well being in my opinion is the most important part of the child. A child that doesn't have self value or worth will have a hard time learning because they are not motivated. As early childhood professional we should strive to help the child build  positive self-concept through activities that build confidence, self esteem and independence. Once that is intact everything else falls into place.

Before children are assessed academically they need to be assessed emotionally.  Questions on how the child feels about themselves and school should be asked. Last year I had a 7 yr. old boy that would come to my house to play with my son. I asked him how do you like school and to my surprise he said, "I hate it". I asked why and he replied, "Its boring all we do is take test"! His response broke my heart.

I feel that many schools have lost the sense of the holistic view of the child with standardized testing.  A plan needs to be put into place to  keep children excited about learning. Learning should be fun, and should make children feel good about themselves.

 

 

Assessing School-Age Children in Italy
http://www.slideshare.net/msanch43/school-system-in-italy

 

 

The curriculum at the child development center I work for is based of the Reggio curriculum so I thought it would be interesting to learn information about when the students are asses in Italy.

 

The students in Italy are assessed twice during their academic career. Once at the end of middle school where they take a national examination to  receive a diploma upon passing. The next time they take a test is when they are 18 or in the 13th grade which is the last grade of Secondary school.

 

Once students receive their diploma they get to choose  technical, vocational, or lyceum as a upper secondary school. Technical school teaches students a trade they can pursue when they graduate. Vocational school resembles a  traditional American high school.  The Lyceum prepares students to attend a university.  

Additional information about Italy's School structure can be assessed at the website above   

 

 

 "Check out this Podcast on Assessing young children through birth"

http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2012/podcast_assessing_young_children_birth_through_third_grade-62724