One of my passsion was caring for children, hence I was in early childhood for over 14 years before becoming a nurse. One of things as a early childhood teacher that me and my staff had to do was come to know each child as an individual. What inspired them, what their dreams were, fears, what they loved to do in the classroom and on the playground so we could expand their horizons. We took this time with the children to help them expand their horizons, build on their knowleged and expose them to more things in thier world and teach them about the world that they are living in day after day.
My staff and I would sit and talk with each child, interact with them on a professional level as well as on a personal level so we could reach into the core of thier being and help them along the learning process. We could do this by teaching them on theor level, building on their knowledge. Alowing them to guide us in the path of the school year. Where were their interests, and how can we that interests into our daily lesson plans. We talked to parents to see how the children were doing at home along with doing home visits twice a year. Theses home visits were critical to some of the childrens development. If we know the childs environment then we can reach the child, by knowing what they are going home to each night and all weekend.
One thing that many, many parents do not realize is that little ears though out of sight are not always out of hearing range. They may be playing there in the other room but they know what is going on in their homes. They listen and pay attention to the adults in their lives. Their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, older and younger.
The children walk into Preschool or a 2 year old classroom ready to play and explore their world. Yet, it is in this play that we often learn much about the child's world and their environment as well. We know if there is fighting in the home, your child acts it out for us in housekeeping. We hear conservations that we could rather not hear at times, becasue the children act them out as well in play. We listen ad pay attention to your child at all times. We ar there to help your child grow and expand your horizons. We know if you do not like the aides in the classroom, as one child who got made because she put them in time out for an innappropate behavior, they in turn stated your comments about the aide. This is inappropriate, not for you to talk about staff, but tto talk about them in front of the child, they have to listen and respect all adults in the classroom at all times. Rather talk to the teacher about the staff, and come to an agreement. This will make the learning environment for the child better then having your child disrespect staff and not focusing on learning.
One of the other biggest issues is when we ask parents to tell us about their child, they their answer is they are happy go lucky. They like anything! What does this tell us as professionals? Nothing! Are you as a parent listening to your child? Are you paying attention to where your childs interests are or are you just there to feed and displine them if they do something wrong? By paying attention to your child you know who your child is and what they are striving to learn, imagine, and want to be in this big vast world that they are living in and are relying on you to guide their little foot steps. But how do you guide and direct if you do know the interests of your child or children, are you guessing that they will enjoy one playground better then others because there is more children there or brighter colors? Or are you taking the child to the a particular playground because it is the one they requested, there is something there a piece of equipment there that excites them and stimulates their mind and gets them thinking while they play.
Take the time to know your children when they are small, it is then that they are true blessings to you as parents, as even as they grow and develop new interests encourage your children in those areas. Please dont push them in a direction that is not right for them because you think it is right for them. Talk to them, really get to know them and love them as the unique little people that they are in this world.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Lost Souls
One of the things that I love is traveling into the City of Chicago. It is a truely amazing place, with all the shopping, sights, buildings, beaches, music, dancing, bars and everything else that Chicago has to offer. Yet, one of the things that we dont look at in the city is those who are living in the city, not living per say rather existing in the Chicago. Those individuals who are living there, yet have no home, no job, or any real possessions; yet they all have or had a family at some point. What happened to their family? What happened to the love that they once experienced? What ever happened to their self esteem, their self concept? What are their dreams, do they still dream? Do they still have the hope that the rest of have, or are they just exixiting in a world that seems to have left them behind. Are they enjoying life, or watching it pass them by on the sidewalk? Do they have any secreat talents? Do they have hidden gifts that would wow us if we knew, or took the time to know them. We pass these individuals daily as we walk to work or go shopping or just have an outing in the wonderous city of Chicago.
Yet, there is a true stigmatism that seems to exist around the all those who live on the streets, or in the boxes under the bridge. That they are all sad low lifes of society. Yet, this is not always the case, they are children who someone cared about at one time. They were preciuos children, they were abnoxious teenagers, yet they all went wrong or had some horrid experience that may have scarred them for life, and now they live in the streets. They line up daily for meals, or just a warm bed at night. They pray that they get there early enough to get a warm bed and a couple of blankets, a warm shower in the morning. Sometime all they want is some companionship, someone to talk to them as a friend, a warm touch, a kind word, someone to treat them as human. This simple little thing may just touch their soul, and make a hugh difference in their life because for two whole seconds someone saw them as a person and not a bumb, lowlife, or just another street person.
Do we take tiem time to hear their story, why are they living in the park, what happened to their family, why are they homeless? Does anyone in their family know what is happening to them? Do they know they are living in a box, eating out of the garbage? Why is this acceptable? At what point do we let other family members become homeless? What is the one horrible thing that they did to end up like this? Was it drinking or drug that made them this way and if so is there not programs to help them? If they wanted the help now would it be givien to them without insurance or an address? Would they take them as an impatient without any means of ever paying the bill? Have we failed them as a society, by not giving them the tools that they needed in their time of crisis, so they turned to drugs or alocholism which made everything worse? What happens to them now, and who is there for them to turn to now that they are living on the streets, and have no one or no where to really turn.....they are the lost souls of the city, and every city has them.
These lost souls are everywhere, do we chose to walk by them daily and not give them something to eat, drink or a single ciggerette. We see them, yet do not see them, we don't ever know their true story, if we gave them the resources that are out there would they understand that we are there to help them and not to hurt them? Can we as a society take the time to see the lost souls that live, breath and roam amoung us or do we chose to walk by them and pretend that they are not there? They are not our family member, yet they are someones, brother, sister, child or parent, who has hit rock bottom and cannot find a way out. They are not my responsibility, they are are a part of our society, and they are someones realtive. Why is it so easy for us to walk by and leave these poor lost souls there on the sidewalk, or in the box, under the bridge. Would we walk away from our family members as their family has, or at some point is there forgiveness that happens too late after they are gone and we have lost track and they are on the streets and lost forever. Begging for food and a warm bed? When did this become ok? When society come to the place that we let our own go into the streets to starve and do the unthinkable to surrive? What makes it ok now for us to just walk by the lost souls and not see them, but this is the society that we live in. One that is able to walk by our lost souls and not see them or want to help them; a society that come to the point that says this is ok, they got themselves there, they will get themselves off of the streets. Easier said then done. May we all pray for the lost souls and the talents that they have within them, for the love that they long to share, yet not a soul to give it too. For the longing of a warm shower and meal nightly. May we never come to the place that we become a lost soul, because as people walk by us as we are cold and hungry would you want them to help or judge you as you have come to judge those who are lost now.
Yet, there is a true stigmatism that seems to exist around the all those who live on the streets, or in the boxes under the bridge. That they are all sad low lifes of society. Yet, this is not always the case, they are children who someone cared about at one time. They were preciuos children, they were abnoxious teenagers, yet they all went wrong or had some horrid experience that may have scarred them for life, and now they live in the streets. They line up daily for meals, or just a warm bed at night. They pray that they get there early enough to get a warm bed and a couple of blankets, a warm shower in the morning. Sometime all they want is some companionship, someone to talk to them as a friend, a warm touch, a kind word, someone to treat them as human. This simple little thing may just touch their soul, and make a hugh difference in their life because for two whole seconds someone saw them as a person and not a bumb, lowlife, or just another street person.
Do we take tiem time to hear their story, why are they living in the park, what happened to their family, why are they homeless? Does anyone in their family know what is happening to them? Do they know they are living in a box, eating out of the garbage? Why is this acceptable? At what point do we let other family members become homeless? What is the one horrible thing that they did to end up like this? Was it drinking or drug that made them this way and if so is there not programs to help them? If they wanted the help now would it be givien to them without insurance or an address? Would they take them as an impatient without any means of ever paying the bill? Have we failed them as a society, by not giving them the tools that they needed in their time of crisis, so they turned to drugs or alocholism which made everything worse? What happens to them now, and who is there for them to turn to now that they are living on the streets, and have no one or no where to really turn.....they are the lost souls of the city, and every city has them.
These lost souls are everywhere, do we chose to walk by them daily and not give them something to eat, drink or a single ciggerette. We see them, yet do not see them, we don't ever know their true story, if we gave them the resources that are out there would they understand that we are there to help them and not to hurt them? Can we as a society take the time to see the lost souls that live, breath and roam amoung us or do we chose to walk by them and pretend that they are not there? They are not our family member, yet they are someones, brother, sister, child or parent, who has hit rock bottom and cannot find a way out. They are not my responsibility, they are are a part of our society, and they are someones realtive. Why is it so easy for us to walk by and leave these poor lost souls there on the sidewalk, or in the box, under the bridge. Would we walk away from our family members as their family has, or at some point is there forgiveness that happens too late after they are gone and we have lost track and they are on the streets and lost forever. Begging for food and a warm bed? When did this become ok? When society come to the place that we let our own go into the streets to starve and do the unthinkable to surrive? What makes it ok now for us to just walk by the lost souls and not see them, but this is the society that we live in. One that is able to walk by our lost souls and not see them or want to help them; a society that come to the point that says this is ok, they got themselves there, they will get themselves off of the streets. Easier said then done. May we all pray for the lost souls and the talents that they have within them, for the love that they long to share, yet not a soul to give it too. For the longing of a warm shower and meal nightly. May we never come to the place that we become a lost soul, because as people walk by us as we are cold and hungry would you want them to help or judge you as you have come to judge those who are lost now.
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