Noise Pollution and Its Impact on Children

“With the modern world so dependent on and enchanted with noise-producing and noise-related technology—automobiles, aircraft, helicopters, motorcycles, snowmobiles, jet skis, leaf blowers, amplified music, bass-driven car stereo systems—the noise level is rapidly accelerating.”  Anonymous

As the youngest and only girl out of four, I loved the days my brother would pick me up from middle school. He would have his windows rolled down and his very popular music playing loud. Of course at the time, and for many years following once I was driving on my own, I thought loud music was the cool thing. The impact it had one me was the last thing on my mind. Now as a young adult, I see the impact this music has had on my hearing every day. I found the T.V. has to be louder for me to comfortable hear it, and my students must speak louder in order for me to hear them. With the impact this has had on me, I was curious to learn about the impact it has on young children and if it impacted other areas rather than simply hearing.

      Maxwell and Evans (n.d.) reiterate the impact loud noise has on the auditory system, but also warns parents and educators of the impact in can also play on the cognitive, physiological, and motivational areas of development.  There research finds that children living or attending school close to airports, trains, and high traffic suffer from higher blood pressure. Teachers in high noise areas also find motivating students in an activity to be very difficult. They also are less likely to take on a challenge. Chronic noise also impacts student’s ability to remain attentive and impacts children’s reading ability. Maxwell and Evans (n.d.) state that cchildren from noisy homes and schools are at more of a disadvantage than children from quieter homes.

 Japan has always been a fascinating country to me, and knowing the busy lifestyle of Japan, I was curious about noise in Japan and if it is a stressor in this country. Through my search I found that Japan is right up there with the United States when it comes to noise pollution. Japan’s city is filled with public loud speakers, and constant air travel. Chepesiuk (2005) states that many people find themselves wearing ear plugs in the city to minimize the noise.  The impact of noise in the United States also applies throughout other countries. Japan is also taking action by passing many noise pollution acts to minimize the noise within the city.  

Reference:

Maxwell, L. & Evans, G (n.d.) Design of child care centers and effects of noise on young children. Retrieved from http://www.designshare.com/research/lmaxwell/noisechildren.htm

Chepesiuk, R (2005) .Decibel Hell: The effects of living in a noisy world. Environmental

Health Perspectives. 113(1) A34-A41.  

Malnutrition

When I first saw the different public health topics, I was very interested in the topic of malnutrition. I always see malnutrition as something that only occurred in developing countries, however, even though the percentage is small, malnutrition also occurs in the United States. Less than 1 % of children suffer from chronic malnutrition in the United States, and over 10 % of that number is found in rural areas. Even the article mentions that in the highest risk group (those living in shelters or homeless) only accounts for less than 10 % of this group in the United States.  I found this very surprising considering all the struggles many of these children in shelters or homeless face daily.

            Also through this research, I found many programs that strive to help those countries that are often impacted by childhood malnutrition. One of those programs is to help Nepal, which is know to have stubbornly high numbers in childhood malnutrition. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction gave a 2 million dollar grant to help programs that are striving the meet the needs of malnourished children. The group’s goal is to cut the number of malnourished children by 25 %.

            After researching different programs designed to eliminate malnutrition, all I could think about were many of my students who get terribly upset when they miss breakfast or choose not to eat their lunch. It is so obvious, just in that short period of time, how the lack of nutrition impacts their cognitive ability and physical ability. When children (and adults) are hunger they naturally do not work as hard because the energy to do so is missing. I can only imagine the incredible impact lack of nutrition has on children who not only miss one meal, but multiple.

http://beta.adb.org/news/nepal-gets-help-reduce-child-malnutrition

http://motherchildnutrition.org/india/index.html

Birthing Rituals Around the World

Since I do not have any children of my own at the time, I would like to share the birth of my nephew, Hunter. Hunter was a surprise for my brother and sister- in- law. Their daughter had just turned one, so they were not planning to have another child right away. As soon as they found, they consulted their doctor, and continued to do so throughout the pregnancy. Due to minor complications with their daughter, they wanted to stay well informed if any possible situations were to arise. My sister-in-law did have an epidural to ease the pain. Hunter is now a very loving, smart, and energetic 2^nd grader. I selected the birth of my nephew because that is the only instance in which I was in the room during the process. As someone who was a teenager at the time, this was a very scary, painful scene for me, but also a beautiful one once I met my sweet nephew. I feel having great prenatal care is so important. Doctors and parents need to be aware of the development of their child, and how to best prepare their lives for this new child.

Looking at many of the birthing rituals around the world, I found Germany’s to be very eye opening. In Germany women see midwives for prenatal care. These midwives are so highly respected that they are required to be present during the birth and the doctor is considered only optional. The actual event of giving birth is a focus in Germany. Having a c-section is, to many, considered a failure.  German women who hold jobs feel secure to know that their jobs will still be there after the birth. As soon as a women tells her employer that she is pregnant she can not be fired, which is very helpful when the economy makes a turn for the worst. A woman may stop working six weeks before the birth and is forbidden to work for eight weeks after the birth with FULL pay.  Another practice, one of the authors mentions, is the selection of names. The government keeps a list of “accepted names” that parents much follow in the attempt to avoid potential ridicule for the child.

While I do not have children, I have worked with many women who were pregnant. The benefits Germany provides are very different from what I have seen here. I have been informed by many to save all of my paid sick days and personal days, so they can be used when I have a child, otherwise I will only have a week or two of paid time off. Also, while I understanding the reasoning behind the “accepted names” I wonder how well that would go over if it were a practice here. Before looking at the different practices I never would have expected that much difference between each country. It is extremely interesting to see the focus each country puts on certain aspects of the birthing process. I encourage all to check it out http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=3 

Thanks to you!

Course number one is coming to a close! Thank you to all my classmates and professor for the wonderful support and insight in the many aspects of the Early Childhood field! I wish all of you the absolute best of luck throughout the remaining courses.

NAEYC and DEC Code of Ethics

Each Code of Ethic is so important as an educator, however these ideals stood out in my mind.

I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

This ideal is significant because it reminds me as well as other educators that each child is an individual. This is not just something we say, but something we should practice. We must take that into account with every lesson we teach or example we use, because our children learn in different ways, experience different events, and possess different qualities and abilities.

I-1.5—To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

This ideal is so important to me from the moment I walk into my classroom for a new year and daily throughout that year. Our children need an environment that is inviting and nonthreatening. It needs to be a place they can call their own. The safety and comfort goes a long way academically. Also, this is something I must remember daily because a child holds on to every word you speak. These words need to be of love and care in order to foster positive social and emotional development.

I-1.7—To use assessment information to understand and support children’s development and learning, to support instruction, and to identify children who may need additional services.

This ideal also ties to the first ideal I found significant. To be an effective teacher it is my job to determine which strong qualities and abilities each child possesses as well as they ones I can assist them. It is very important that I understand that all of my children work on different levels and must remember that as I differentiate my instruction on a daily basis.

We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others.

This practice is so significant because it ties to a lot of what many of the professionals have stated. We must constantly be learning and never get to comfortable with what we know. As an educator of young children, I need to always work towards improving my practices and be accepting of practices colleagues are sharing.

My Most Helpful Resources

Diller, D. (2003) Literacy work stations: Making centers work. Portland, MD: Stenhouse Publishers.

©      This resource is currently connected to my hands almost all day. It provides an enormous amount of ideas and explanations for having the most effective reading block. This being my first year to teach all subjects, I was most concerned about my reading block and guided reading. This resource has eased many of my worries and now has me excited to test them out in the next few weeks.

Greenberg, P. (2011) Bringing home into the classroom. Retrieve July, 22, 2011, from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3448.

©      Getting to know your students as individuals is important to provide a friendly and non threatening learning environment. This article emphasized the importance of listening closely to what your students are talking about because it tells you a lot about them as individuals.

Wong, H. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Harry K. Wong Publications.

“In an effective classroom students should not only know what they are doing, they should also know why and how.” ~~ Harry K. Wong

©      Another book that has recently been connected to my hands. I wouldn’t have survived my first year of teaching without the knowledge this book provided. It highlighted many things we would often not think of, but that would eventually kill your effective learning environment such as organization, seating, discussion… pretty much everything!

Esquith, R. (2007). Teach like your hair’s on fire. The methods and madness inside room 56. New York: NY: Penguin Group.

©      This book was a required summer reading as I entered my first year teaching. Of course I wasn’t excited at first, but it was such a motivator and gave insight to how successful your teaching year can be when you develop positive relationships with your students and parents. It showed how wonderful things can still happen even when you teach in what others call, “the worst neighborhood.”

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  
  

Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
  Read about OMEP’s mission.
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/
   

Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

 Selected Professional Journals

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Words of Inspiration

This week these quotes and passages really spoke to me. Many are words or encouragement and some are reminders for me, as a teacher.


"The moment I decided to follow instead of lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child's world."
Janet Gonzalez-Mena


"Part of being who you are has to do with feeling your feelings, which means you'll have a wide range of emotions--not just constant sunshiny happiness."
Janet Gonzalez-Mena


"Teachers can motivate students only if they themselves are motivated. They can make students feel valued and secure only if they feel valued and secure; they can foster enthusiasm for learning in students only if they are enthusiastic about teaching. The school culture can make or break a teacher in the same way that the classroom culture can support or undermine students' efforts to learn."
Deborah Stipek


"It's not all about you; you have to take your ego out and think about what's best for that child." Renatta Cooper


" The passion to create a safer, more just world for all kids is there,and I suppose will be there until I die- maybe even after." Louise Derman-Sparks