Week 4: Kim Kusturin The Magic Years

Can I have a redo? I’d love to, not go back to my childhood, but that of my two beautiful young ladies.  My childhood was tough.  I guess I do not want to go back to mine because my dad died at 29 years old when I was 4 years old.  I do not remember those dark days in my childhood and I do not want to relive or remember them.  It is my kid’s childhood I want again. I so miss those days.  I love the young adults they are becoming and I cannot wait to see what their future holds.  But I’d love, just for a little while, to relive their childhood (my memories) again.  Plus, I wouldn’t mind being younger again, even if for just a little bit too. 

The book spoke about “The Magic Years”.  Kind of the years of make believe and dress up.  Those are the small moments that I’d like to relive.  The Loonette the Clown, Barney, Bear and the Big Blue House, Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Hannah Montana days.  I can go on and on.  My kids loved to pretend in their magical years (pg. 130).  The book, on page 133 talks about biopsychosocial influences.  I total agree.  I see it, sadly, every day with some of my students.  One boy had cancer and now has a growing brain tumor.  Mom is so into his nutrition health that it is causing an issue.  She come every day to make sure he eats.  I totally get her as a mother, but it causes a problem with our schedule. 

According to Piaget, children learn through representation.  Piaget’s best known theory on cognitive development talks about how children start using symbols for objects and events and memories.  It kind reminds me that if a baby cries and you pick them up they will begin to associate crying with getting picked up.  I have one student with Autism who, although she’s in 5^th grade got out of gym the first few months of school because she would have a meltdown and we’d have to take her out of gym.  We eventually caught on that she hates gym and realized that if she throws a fit she gets out of gym.  Even though she is older it is similar. 

Vygotsky stresses social interaction (pg. 136).  Both he and Piaget believe learning is an ongoing process.  I myself am still learning.  That brings us to my favorite ages, early childhood.  I actually worked in a Montessori day care for a few months when I was in high school.   I remember thinking it was kind of weird but the kids loved the whole program.  I have also volunteered a few times in a Head Start school in Justice.  There were many children who most definitely benefited from early intervention.  I didn’t realize that it began in the 60’s under President Johnson.  The book states that funding for the Head Start programs were around 8 billion dollars.  That is a lot.  I am also wondering how that funding will be under the Trump/DeVos administration.  I actually wonder much more.  They seem to want to make a lot of changes to the early intervention, public and special education programs around the country. 

Now I do not pretend to be a great mother, But I think I did an excellent job with my children.  They have stayed in the same house and schools their whole lives. When I look at my cousin’s daughter’s child, who is now in 8^th grade, she has had such a terrible early childhood.  Her dad took off till she was 6, her mother moved with her from boyfriend to boyfriend and she is now in her 6^th school.  During a bad battle between her parents, she wound up with her dad and has become somewhat stable.  This is after failing classes, running away and a couple weeks spent in Riverside Mental health center.  She is doing much better in a somewhat stable home and will be attending Marist next year.  So, parenting is key to a child’s future.  That is why some of these inner-city kids go the way of gangs, parenting and that’s all they know.  You need a license to fish and drive a car but not to be a parent.

In school aged children, 6% to 10% have a learning disabilities such as ADHD or ADD or a combination of both (pg. 160).  That, sadly, I can relate to.  I work with children on a daily basis that struggle with this.  On in particular has ADHD but cannot be medicated because he’s been battling kidney failure since he was a baby.  He struggles every day.  But he’s a smart little guy, if only we can get him to slow down and focus.  The roles of schools these days have change tremendously since I was in school and even since my girls have been in elementary school.  On page 175, the book talks about this and how funding and testing has become a big part of education.  We have been getting ready for the past few weeks to take the required PARCC tests. Many of my kids cannot even read at a 2nd grade level and they are required, WITHOUT OUR HELP, to read a 4^th and 5^th grade level test.  Last year we were in tears along with two of our students.  One begged us to help him, He asked why we didn’t like him anymore?  So heartbreaking and so unnecessary.  But we can only do what we can.  And that is give our very best.  These kids deserve nothing less!!

Week 3: Kimberly Kusturin - Pregnancy~Birth~Infancy

Finding out you are pregnant was one of the biggest joys of my life. After the shock subsided, I realized this is it.  I was young and naive.  Not once did it occur to me to be concerned for any of these abnormalities (pg. 57) can happen to me.  I was told I would have a problem conceiving and literally 8 months after those tests, I was pregnant.  I was about 7-8 week when I found out.  I had no symptoms or signs that I was pregnant.  Like I said young and naïve but very scared and excited at the same time.  It really wasn’t till my sister-in-law had her first miscarriage (I was pregnant with my second child), that I became aware of all the bad things that can happen. 

I won’t go in to personal information but my issues began with the fertilization process.  The doctor determined that that was going to possibly become a problem for me (pg. 60-63).  They, thank God, were apparently partly wrong.  I still had the problem but I was not affected by it enough to not be able to become pregnant.  IVF is what was my option.  But this week’s reading and having seen some of these other types of fertility opportunities on tv, I am amazed at how advanced science has become.  A friend of mine had a sister who had issues with conceiving.  My friend gave her sister her eggs that were then fertilized by her husband and through IVF she would bring triplets into their lives.  I find what my friend did amazing.  I know it was her sister but what a gift.  Even though she carried and delivered the babies, I can’t help but think my friend has 5 biological children not the two I know.  I also find that whole process amazing. 

I found interesting the teratogens (pg. 69-70) and other environmental agents that cause birth defects or issues.  Back in the day, my mother was a heavy smoker (pg. 73).  It wasn’t made a big deal when she was having children.  The book states that about 20% of woman continue to smoke when they are pregnant.  My mother had four children.  She smoked for the first two, cut down for the third and was not smoking for quite a few years for the fourth.  Our birth weights went from 6 pounds to 8.5 pounds.  My older brother and I were close but each of her births went up just by cutting down and quitting smoking. It amazes me that with all the scientific information woman today, they still make the decisions to put their children in harm’s way.  I work in special ed.  I have one student who is the product of a mother who was on cocaine for much of her pregnancy.  It has had an extreme effect on this student.  He is slow but can learn.  The reason he is in my class, which is lower than an instructional class, is his behavior.  He has many behavior issues which had caused problems in his learning and will affect his entire life. 

            The birth processes the scariest, at least for me it was.   I was young and naive.  I left my last doctors visit with the doctor telling me that we will induce on Wednesday (pg. 86).  I left and got in my car and realized that in 7 days I will be having a baby.  I panicked.  I also worked Monday and Tuesday.  In a way, it worked out but now, I think back, and wish I would have not scheduled the day.  I never got to experience the labor at home.  I went in at 6 in the morning and at 7AM the doctor broke my water and at 2PM I had a baby girl.  I guess I was in as safe of a place I could be for the whole labor.  I found it interesting and funny that vision is the least developed of all the sensory abilities at birth (pg. 91).  We all talk and do things with the thought our newborn can see us but the ability can take months to fully develop.  I feel touch is very important for both mom and baby.  It is the best way to bond as well as hearing with their baby. Erikson’s first stage of his theory is the sense of basic trust (pg. 32).  That can be easily achieved through the bonding of parents and child. 

Some sort of depression or loss after pregnancy is such a natural part of pregnancy, I do not understand why people make such a big deal about it (pg. 94-95).  I see no shame or nothing wrong with feeling depressed or a feeling of loss after giving birth.  I had my new blessing from God, but I wasn’t depressed but I had a feeling of loss because I loved being pregnant.  And I didn’t think I’d miss it but I did.  I missed the kicks and the moving belly and that was how my husband could experience the pregnancy with me.  I didn’t have the depression as severe as many do 7-17% (pg. 95). 

Chapter 5 starts out with figure 5.1 (pg. 103) showing the infant mortality rates of many countries.  Some of the countries didn’t surprise me but there were many that did.  I wonder why countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland didn’t have much change from 1960 to 2004. There must be something about that part of Europe.   They stayed in the top 6 countries with the lowest mortality rates.  Whereas, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore made some huge strides to jump from 21 to number 1 in low mortality rate. 

Parents should always want the best for their new baby.  There is a lot of help and research and books out there to help new parents know what is best for them and their new baby.  And nothing can beat a great support system of friends, family and medical professionals.  I fully agree that for the best nutrition, breastfeeding is the most natural and best option. Breastfeeding results far outweigh bottle feedings.  There is nothing wrong with bottle feeding but it is proven that breastfeeding results in fewer allergic reactions, stronger bones, more advanced cognitive development, easier transition to baby food, and declined risk of obesity (pg. 105).  I breast fed both of my first child for the first 5 months of her life and I had stored another 5-6 months of breast milk for when I went back to work.  My second child, I breast fed for 8 months and had just a few months stored.  I was lucky enough to become a stay at home mom till my second went to 6^th grade when I decide I was ready to go back to work.  Everyone has their own personal preferences.  This was my only option because this is what was most natural for me.  When I did introduce the bottle, even though it was breast milk, my daughter rejected it and wound up in the hospital on and IV for severe dehydration at 3 months old.  Therefore, I stayed home a couple more months with her and stored as much as I could.  But like I said science has advanced so much that there are formulas that have all the good nutrients that breast milk provides and is nothing to be ashamed of if that is your choice. 

Being naïve as I was, I never considered problems in my daughter’s milestone developments.  But I did keep a journal of her growth and life some of those milestones for the first 5 years.  I missed a few pages here and there but for the most part I was able to keep good records of her milestones.  My mother kept a milestone book for my first year.  I found funny that when I was 7 months old on September 29^th, I began to hold my bottle for the first time on my own.  September 29^th was the day my husband was born.  I was already reaching milestones.

Week 2: Kimberly Kusturin Thoughts on week 2 readings focusing on Freud & Erikson

From the start of this week’s reading, I found it very interesting.  The example of the elevator was very relatable to me.  I have been in that situation before where you all stand in awkward silence.  Even more, I can relate to the person who wants to test the theory by saying “hi there.”  I do this literally every morning at work.  I say “hello, good morning” every day to over 60 kids that walk through my door and some adults.  I, on a good day, get 5 to 15 hellos’, give or take, back and that includes the adults.  Some kids, when they see that they are nearing where I stand will look down or walk faster.  After 8 months of school I would have liked that number to be much higher.  Although I do have a few that try to say hi before I do.  I will do my best to make that number higher by June.

So, when reading this week’s chapter I recognized some phrases and terms I have heard or used, not knowing when and by whom they came from.  I took a few early childhood classes years back and I think that’s where some of my knowledge of some of these theories come from. As well as working closely with my school social worker and psychologist for the population of students I work with.  There were many theories to read by many of the most well known in this field.  Some things I understood where they were coming from and can see their points but some were just too technical for me and I didn’t understand their thinking.  Table 2.4 on page 47 is a great comparison table for each man's theory.  The two that stuck out to me the most were Freud born in 1856 and Erikson born in 1902.  I wanted to look up their ages to see if that would help me understand the times in which their theories were made and the years these men grew up in.  There is a 46-year difference between the two men not to mention a huge difference in time and culture as well as countries and I wonder how much of their societies and cultures their own theories influenced them growing up.  Did they develop as their theories suggest?

Freud and Erikson point out how important childhood and the stages of development are and it is vital to personality development.  I have worked in a regular ed and a special ed preschool for a couple of years and I saw firsthand how true Freud and Erikson were on the importance of the early stages of one’s life. Both theories have somewhat similar but Erikson broke it down a little more than Freud.  Freud’s idea was called Psychoanalytical Theory which focused on the power of one’s unconscious mind (page 29).  He believed we possess ideas and impulses that we are not aware of but it comes out in our behavior.  Freud breaks his theory into 5 stages, the last being the Genital Stage from age 12 and older.  Erikson theory called the Psychosocial Theory (which I like better then Freud’s theory), breaking down the age groups further to include all stages of life in more depth (12-18, 18-25, 25-65 and 65 and older).  I especially like that 25-65, he considered middle age. 

Both men agree each stage have conflicts and struggles which Erikson calls the Identity Crisis (page 33).  Freud's conflict focuses on pleasure centers (pleasure seeking) or sex (page 30) while Erikson's theory takes a psychosocial approach for a lack of a better term.  Society and acceptance is what Erikson feels our whole lives are shaped by those needs.  Freud focused on the sexual development as his focus throughout his stages. I find Erikson’s theory more relatable and understandable.  And knowing the time in which they grew up makes sense.   

One other person I’d like to talk about is Albert Bandura (page 40).  I honestly have never heard of him till I read about him in this chapter.  But his Social Cognitive Learning theory is something I use.  I work in a special ed self-contained classroom.  There are 6 students and 3 have Autism, one had LD and behavioral issues, one has severe ADHD and cannot be medicated due to a medical issue and lastly, one student who is slower than his peers and is a hearing student with two deaf parents which is his only issue.  All of them are so smart and Bandura’s theory on modeling, observational learning and social learning is what I use on an almost daily basis with these students.  My class is considered by my district to be a life skills class and these are critical concepts in our classroom.