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!!