November: Parents & Teachers

The more I work with students I've started to realize what a huge role parents play in how helpful or unhelpful preschool is to them. In my limited experience I've realized most parents fall under two different extremes. Either they couldn't care less about how their child is doing and never do homework with them at home. This puts a lot of strain on the teachers because in a class of 22 its hard to make sure each child finished and understand every part of each assignment. Then you have the parents that expect us to turn their kid into Einstein and get upset when they start to realize they set their expectations wayyyy to high. The kids who succeed the most are the ones that fall in the middle. They care, are supportive, and have a better understanding of their child. These are the parents who stop and ask how their child is doing and work with them at home to improve their knowledge.  This kids are always the most well behaved and intelligent.

EQ

1.   Review this.  Confirm by stating "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."

Essential Question 
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic.  An essential question must:

• Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
• Take a stance (It allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
•  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

I have reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ. 

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if each meets the rule of three.
• Tell why they do or don't.

 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

       Yes. This eq tells us what the persons topic is and the response can be 

       both argued and supported with research.

 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

      No. The wording doesn't make sense it would sound better with "what is the most important thing...."  
 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

     No. The wording is weird at the beginning and end the end would sound better with "that will satisfy the customer best".
 d.  How can an anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

    Yes. This eq is clear and can be supported/disproved with research. This eq also allows for multiple answers.

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.  The senior team will be meeting with students shortly for EQ revision and approval; you are expected to bring your research notebook to that meeting with your EQ draft written inside in pencil

What is the best way a parent can give their child a strong foundation for their future.

Blog 9: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 1 Presentation and why?
    I am proud  of the fact that I was reading to go and that I knew all of my information. I consider myself very knowledgeable in my topic and I made good points.

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 1 Presentation (self-assessment)?
                 I would give myself a P.

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 1 component contract.
                I deserve  P because I met all of the criteria for a P. I had a prop (Adrians drawings), my 
                lesson plan was accurate and on time, and I turned in this on time. I gave examples of my                     research and I cited specific articles. Adrian was also my mentor ship reference.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 1?
             For my lesson one I think my information was good and I felt confident about what I was 
            saying.

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 1?
       If I could go back I would practice more. I had alot of information that I wanted to say but I feel like maybe I        was to detailed with certain things but not detailed enough in others. I would also make note cards to keep          me on track with the topics I want to cover. 

October Extra Post:New Kids

One thing that I've been paying attention to is new kids and how they adjust at Campus Kids. The reason I've been paying attention to this is because we've had four new kids in the last month. The new kids always struggle because they are afraid to ask for help with homework and sometimes its hard for them to integrate themselves. Most of the kids at the day care have been together since they were 2. But seeing them start to get comfortable with the environment, the students, and with me improves their experience with day care. Once they are comfortable they play and ask questions, they get so much more out of it. I also started thinking about how horrible it must be for the kids who move around a lot because they have to go through the "i'm still getting used to this place" phase so much.

Blog 8: Research and working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

What is the best way a parent can give their child a strong foundation for their future?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format. 

 EQ: What is the best way a parent can give their child a strong foundation for their future?

•  Put them in an after school preschool program where professionals can teach them the foundation they need to succeed. 

•  Give a child time to grow up a home by having them stay with a parent or family member so that they are emotionally ready for school.

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

A good source for my senior project has been a combination of parenting websites and studies done to watch child behavior.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you doing mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My Mentors name is Adrienne Del Rosario, I'm doing my mentorship at campus kids daycare. Working there has helped me study child behavior and see what the effects of being in a daycare first hand.

September Blog Post: Pros & Cons

    During the month of September I have been trying to see the cons of putting a child in daycare. My research checks have delved into why some parents decide to opt out. While I've been at my mentornship I've concentrated on how different react to being in daycare. For example some kids never want to leave and others can't wait to go home and consistently complain about missing their parents. Now that I've been at campus kids for a month I have noticed the kids who struggle to get a long with others. Most often than not these kids fight and tend to be disruptive. The ones who are happy to be their tend to be more helpful and excited to do new tasks.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

        For the 30 hours that we need to meet for the independent component I plan to continue working at campus kids with my mentor Adrianne. To fully take advantage of this project I talked to my mentor and she is letting me do a craft with the kids twice a week for a period of one month. I plan on using various websites and teaching blogs to help me design an activity that can be both fun and educational. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

        To show 30 hours of work being done to meet the requirement of 30 hours I plan on using pictures to document  my students doing the activity and recording the time it takes me to set up and create the activity with my mentor to verify. 

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

        Creating and executing a craft with a group of children will better help me see what skills are important and how doing different exercise can inspire different aspects of learning for children.

Blog 6: Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?

My Mentors name is Adrieene. She works at Campus Kids Daycare Center. Her class includes children from age 5 all the way to 12.

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

      1. How long have you been working in child development and how has your opinion on the                  subject changed over time.

     2.In what ways would you consider yourself an expert in child development?                                          3. What are your goals for your future in child development? EX: Would you want to be a                       director. Why are these your goals?

    4. How has working in child development influenced the way you see learning and parenting?
    5. What inspired you to choose child development as a field.

Blog 5: Mentorship Reflection

1. Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship? 

        I am currently doing my mentorship at Campus Kids Daycare Center. When I was younger I attended this daycare as well as many other family members. The summer after my sophomore year I decided I wanted to finish the 200 hours that are required for graduation.  I asked the daycare director if she needed extra help and they had lost an employee so they were short staffed. I volunteered there all summer and finished my hours. When it was time for senior project I decided to go back to the daycare because I missed it. Since I worked there before I already knew all the policies so I didn't have to do any training.

2. What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

         One of the most significant article I have read is The Effects of Daycare on Social Emotional Development. This article has really helped me get an in depth view of how daycare can affect a child positively and negatively. The article bullet points both the pros and cons and it makes it easy for me to see what information will be useful. 

August Blog: Getting to know my students

    My entire mentornship revolves around spending time with all the students from age 5-11. When I first started at the daycare I had to decide if I wanted to work with two year olds or the 5-11. I made the choice to work with the 5-11 age group because I was told by one of the teachers at the daycare that I would find for research on that group of kids. I love being with my students an helping them get a better understanding of the things that they are learning at school. Sometimes its hard because the kids argue among themselves and sometimes we have to separate them. But for the most part they are sweet and the more time I spend there the more I learn about each student as an individual. I think its important to try and get to know all the students to the best of my ability because it makes the class more fun. The kids know that their teachers care and as teachers it makes you feel special when you walk into the room and your students are absolutely ecstatic to see you.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
        I plan on interviewing my mentor Adrian. I want to interview her because I know that she has extensive experience in her field and she will help me guide my project.

2. You have to ask five questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask?
        I want to ask her questions that will help guide my essential question. I know what I want to base my project on but I still need help focusing on my essential questions. I also want to ask her what type of authors I should avoid and who to look for when conducting my research.


1. If I were to be interested in studying child development, what could you tell me about it?

2. From your perspective, what could I study that would be significant?

3. How does being in daycare after school affect children versus going home?

4. Who else would you recommend I talk to?

5. What kinds of activities do you recommend I do for the mentor ship component?

6. What articles/books do you recommend I read to give me a better understanding of how day care affects children?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. List your topic.

  

            How preschool affects future learning

2. Write a question that helps to focus your research this month.

           How will preschool affect a child once he or she is in grade school??

Blog 2: Summer Menorship

1.  Using Google doc  link a log of specific hours and a description of your duties (click here for an example) to your blog post. 
Summer Mentorship Log

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered? 
Campus Kids Day Care
Mentor: Miss Adriane
Mentor Contact Info: (909) 986-5400

3. What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience? List them. 
1. How will being in day care after school instead of going home affect learning?
2. How does putting a child in day care early affect them emotionally/mentally?
3. Do the topics learned in preschool really stay with them throughout kindergarten and first grade?


4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?                         Spending time with my students really allowed me to get into the topic I am learning. It gave me valuable insight to the day to day operations going on in a day care. Because I was allowed hands on experience I go to spend one one one time with each child to really see how they learn. Watching them learn and slowly grasp concepts was very rewarding Being with my students this summer strengthened my resolve to chose early childhood education for my senior project.

5. What is your senior project topic going to be? How did what you did help you choose a topic? Please explain.
My senior project will focus mainly on early childhood education. I worked at Campus Kids day care throughout the summer. My mentor Adriane let me help her in all the day to day aspects of running a classroom. The students that we taught were between 5-7. The kids come to us after school for homework help and to be there until there parents get off of work. Apart from homework they do crafts and help strengthen concepts.

Blog1: 2 Hour Presentation

1.  What presentations did you see?

  I saw Teaching Biology, Educational Nonprofit Management, Special Education, Neonatal Intensive Care, Dentistry, Firefighting, Beauty Salon, HLE Officer, HIV, STEM Involvement K-12, Medical Missionary, No Kill Rescue Centers, Corporate Leadership, Cal Poly Transit, Educational Nonprofit Services, and Product Marketing and Advertising.          

2.   What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project? This can be about the senior project in general, any components or about a presentation topic you saw or what they said. 

• How will senior project be incorporated into our core class grades?
• What is the independent component one?

 3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

Based on what I saw in every single presentation was that the most important thing about senior project is making time. That was the biggest thing everyone seemed to worry about and focus on.

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?

I am considering doing Early Childhood Education for my senior project. I have a lot of experience with kids and I have worked with kids at a daycare before. I enjoy being around them and in a way being with them is a stress reliever and I want to do something that I'm going to enjoy.

5. What are you doing for your summer mentor ship?
I will most likely be doing my mentor ship at Campus Kids in Ontario. I have worked their before and I am familiar with the staff as well as the students. Every daycare has a way of doing things and a schedule that they follow since I am aware of the way things work it will be easy to adapt my volunteer hours to my other responsibilities.