My Education Philosophy Paper

Lizzie Holmes

5/8/2015

My Philosophy Paper

Introduction

In the Paper I will address my educational background as to understand where I am coming from. I will discuss my beliefs on Public schools and how they teach. I will address how we can learn to love learning. I will Question others and myself as a student how to effectively learn.

My Educational Background

In order to create your own philosophy of education, look at you’re past experiences of education. As we look at our educational background we can see our biases and how our desires came to be. 

I attended public school from Elementary school until half way into middle school I switched to a home school program. Being in that program was the best 2 years of my life. I went from having few friends to many. While at home we spent the time reading good books and learning in a way that made sense to me at the pace I needed. The other half of the time I went to a campus and experienced what I was learning hands on. For example, we were able to go on a pirate ship and experience what it would have been like in that time of history to be on a pirate ship, we went snow shoeing to look for biology related terms, and trips to a local newspaper and journalism buildings to improve our writing skills. We did not take any tests for grades and only test we took was state standardized tests. At campus we also experienced a large amount of social activities and interaction. We were exposed to dances, musicals, drama, art, shows, family gatherings, and etc. The school was like one big happy family! The time came however to graduate as it was only a K-8th grade school. I found myself deciding that I wanted to face the high school experience and bounce back to the regular public school. I found myself getting bored and home sick for my dear home school.

In high school we were thrown old out dated textbooks full of cuss words and graphic doodles. Tests were graded high and the test anxiety was filled in the air as my neighbors around me whispered test answers in desperation to each other. The voices of the teachers drowning the students in their dull lectures. Causing us to glance out the window to find something anything more interesting. Of course many times met with the disappointment of accidentally glancing at the clock to realize it's only been the first 10 minutes of class. Looking out the window I was also reminded of the tall fences and gates surrounding the school, reminding me of the prison I was stuck in for the next 7 hours. I found myself buried and suffocating in all the busy work and test preparation. I found myself caring more about just getting my work done, having the answer, and getting a good grade on a test than actually understanding what I was supposed to learn and apply it into my own life.

After High School I became a student at BYU-Idaho when the strangest thing happened. It turned out that my first semester I only took one class that required tests as a grade. Instead the ways my teachers evaluated me was to ask what the grade I deserved by the end or on my assignments, what I did to go above and beyond my projects and apply what I learned into my life, and many projects to demonstrate I understood what I learned. I found myself better retaining the material and having a love for school that I once had. But how was this possible? I had always viewed myself stupid and slower than my fellow peers in class and was now wondering why all the sudden I felt so smart.  I realized that it wasn't my fault. Everyone learns things differently and at a certain pace, school systems are built to teach a one-way curriculum and for the rest of us to slowly catch up and struggle because it is difficult to meet the individuals needs of every student. Through these experiences I have dedicated myself to understand and dig deeper into methods, beliefs, and philosophy of education, and to question especially public schools methodology.

How I Became a Better Student

Going through high school I had to work very hard at my schooling. The scriptures state, “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of Wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:110). God put us on earth to learn and grow to inherit his kingdom. It is important we seek learning diligently while here on earth. By learning to love learning we can reach higher potential in our lives. But is it possible to love learning? I propose that it is and that we can achieve it through desire and application. Here are three steps we can take to love learning: Create a desire, think critically, and application.

An example of creating a desire Samuel Scudder (2012) in his paper “Learning to See” talks about the challenge a professor gives him. While Samuel is only interested in studying bugs he is left a dead fish to stare at for hours on end. At first Scudder describes waiting around impatiently as he just looks at the details of the fish and what kind of fish it is. The professor showed up and said he still needed to look at the fish for what he was supposed to get out of it. Scudder was frustrated and even much to his peers dismay continued walking around with the stench of fish stuck to him no matter how much cologne was put on. He grew frustrated and thought this was a waste of time. However, throughout the experience while Scudder was so focused on the details he was missing the big picture of what he was supposed to be looking for. In our own lives we tend to do the same in our learning. We focus on the facts and information and not the big picture. In the article “Examinship and the Liberal Arts” by William G. Perry Jr. (2012) he tells about students that are “cows” and students that are “bulls”. “Cow (pure): data, however relevant, without relevancies.” and “Bull (pure): relevancies, however relevant, without data”. He describes cow students only really get C’s on their papers because while they know facts doesn’t mean they understand the general idea. And bull’s papers usually get higher-grade cause they stand out from the other papers. Perry proposes that the bull has greater potential because he is a critical thinker. By focusing on the incorrect things in life that are not worthy of our attention we miss our on a lot of learning and understanding the overall picture. In Article “A Guide to Good Teaching” by Michael Randall (2012(talks about the concept of slow learning and critical thinking, and focusing on things that are worthy of our time. Randall states, “We might do well to remember that knowledge consists of more than information; rather, it is the ability to understand and to appreciate the difficult and complex products of the human imagination. That type of knowledge is common to all of our subjects and is the meat and potatoes of education.”(p. 2-3) It is better when we have a desire to learn more so we can become truly educated.

You’re sitting in class glancing at the clocks every 5 minutes praying that the time will go faster. Few minutes till its time to get out and your are as quietly as possible putting your belongings into your backpack, unfortunately it is unsuccessful as your other classmates attempt to do the same thing and a chorus of backpack zippers erupts. The clock reaches end of class and large majority of class is out of there like a bullet, to put in your iPods and pull out your phones and forget the world of thinking. But is that really ok to do? In the article “Everybody is Ignorant, Only in Certain Subjects” by Eliot A. Butler (2012), Butler discusses students that say the following, “Why study English or any language? The academic language is all we’ll need…Law should be useful in the next life—if you are in the place where there will be arguments and disagreements and criminals…This next one cuts: “What are you chemists preparing to do? Make thermodynamics studies of the lake of fire and brimstone.”(p. 4) Even though things seem to not apply to you now, the purpose of our being is not to specialize. It is to learn and grow to become gods and goddesses in heavenly father’s kingdom. I propose taking the time to really critically think by looking at big picture will help not only grades, but also your desire to learn. By critically thinking you connect with a subject more than you would otherwise think, creating more interest in a subject. By desiring to be critical thinkers we can increase our love for learning.

Not only is it important to have a desire but also then we must act on it. When I was in middle school, I had a hard time, so my parents homeschooled me. Unlike the stuffy classrooms and constant textbook learning, my home school was based off of pragmatic learning. Everything we learned we applied and visually got to experience in some way. When discussing historical events we would look at old documents, go on pirate ships; go on a trip to the capitol, etc. When discussing English we took trips to journalist stations, writing contests, etc. When discussing math we went outdoors and measured and used physical examples in our lives of the math problems. In the sciences we went outdoors and explored the rocks in the mountains, panned for gold, went snow shoeing to find different biology examples. So many more opportunities were given. By applying what I learned in my schooling, to this day I carry a lot of those things with me. There is so much to explore and apply that can improve our lives. Taking the time to apply will increase your love for learning.  If we apply the things we are learning then we will have more meaning in our life.

The Three Levels of Education

I believe in schools there are 3 levels of education: Good, Better, and Best. 

In the early days of education in the United States. Schools were separated according to social class. The poor kids wouldn’t learn as much as high status children. And many of the work done in the classroom was useless material, such as in geometry having the ability to make a perfect circle. Now that reforms have occurred throughout time I believe most public schools are at the better level now. They provide amazing amounts of information, diverse subjects, and teachers that work long hours to help their students grow. However, I believe their is much more that can be done for the training of teachers to help them develop a stronger philosophy that can help students carry the things that they learn throughout the rest of their lives. The political goal of education is to help develop students to be outstanding paying citizens with career success so that people can better contribute to the economy. If we really want students to be outstanding citizens with strong morals, values, and have personal and family responsibility; then we need to train them to be the BEST they can be. I believe Platos allegory of the cave is very important. Many times the world will tell us certain things are the reality of life. However, we need to leave the cave and come to the true reality. We shouldn’t teach that the teacher is the only one with right answers. As a teacher I can be opened to my students and their individuality. Schools role in society I believe it should be to inspire learning and thinking in society. I believe the tools and morals we hand down to further generations can affect the outcome of the future. It should encourage students to seek truth and understanding of the life around them. And like the author Addams believed in the article “Twenty Years at Hull House” we should serve others. School should open the minds of students to be creative and act upon the world around them and make a difference as well in their own lives. By doing this we better them in their stages of life to come. And like I stated above, according to article “Ghetto Schooling” by Anyon, society has the power to change the schools, we have a duty to provide an education to the rising generation. We can change how our schools are by coming together as a community to make a difference. The future generations deserve that kind education. The real question, is how?
What do you think?

Do it Just to Get it Done

In my education philosophy class we learned about many authors that not only had their own opinions of education but also were historically essential to have education be improved for all students. My favorite author would be Steven Wolk, in his article “Why go to School?” He discusses how student will do things just to fill in the blanks or just care about the answers. Classrooms are preparing students for jobs where they sit all day at desk and contribute to the economy. Teachers should strive to have their kids love learning and do assignments more than just for a good grade. In this article by Steven Wolk the topic he addresses towards school busy work is astounding. I relate and agree with many things in this article. These days’ students are so caught up in just having the answers and filling in the blanks that students fail to actually understand what they are learning, care about it, or even apply it into their own lives.
            I would like to digress and tell of constant experiences I faced in my high school classes. Many times the teachers would tell us of an activity and claim that it would help us apply the concept we learned from the lecture, many times they would be with large groups or class efforts. The students found themselves scanning over the instruction sheets and activity props and whispers echoed the room saying, "Do you know what were supposed to be doing?...not a clue” Let’s just follow that person they are smart." "I really don't want to do this. Why are we doing this? How does this relate?” I heard and would often myself say these words in my confusion. By the end of the activity and class time I found my peers and I more confused about the concepts than before we did the activity. Wasn't the sole purpose of the activity to learn and apply the concepts? Then why did we learn nothing? Why did the activity make us care even less? While many of educational school systems and teacher methodology are effective for many students and provide success, it doesn't mean the system is perfect. We are all flawed human beings, and education was flawed at the start. My intention is to question effectiveness because I believe we can do more to effect future generations of students, teachers, and better positively affect our world.

Another example of this concept is on the first week of school in my first semester. My English teacher gave us a challenge that a group would all get an A for the semester if we could take a amazing photograph and create our own quote to put on the photograph. We all of course rushed out with our camera and sat together as a group desperately trying to make up a quote a quote. As we came into class my teacher in summary said that none of the posters were good enough. He was picky about the way the quote went with the picture, whether the picture was good enough, etc. as harsh or picky he might have been, he wanted to teach us a lesson. We as human beings are capable of so much. As our groups looked back we realized we could’ve spent more time and love into the project and into each other. We took the attitude that most students take with projects or school work, do it just to get it done. We may have put some effort into it but we could’ve pushed ourselves more out of our comfort zones and recognized the potential in our group members and ourselves. I didn’t know until that project how much I enjoyed photography. Use school projects or create your own assignment where you explore different talents. Teachers can also create opportunities for students to do an assignment more than just 100% to their abilities. As a student or a teacher lets strive to try and not do assignments just to get it done, Lets do it to learn and grow and become the best person we can possibly be.

Authors and Resources That Have Affected My Philosophy

I have read about many authors and education reformers that have changed the way we teach today. Mostly what has helped shaped me learning these doctrine principles and tools is the textbook professor David Magleby put together for us called history and Philosophy of Education, as well as resources from a research paper I did about anti-testing, and a synthesis paper about why we should learn. Below is some Doctrine principles and Tools I have learned from the following authors in that book.

(Emille) Rousseau and (how Gertrude teaches her children) Pestalozzi: Something that I thought was important from Rousseau and Pestalozzi was that parents and teachers should not do everything for their kids. Christ doesn’t walk with us every step of the way not letting us make mistakes and covering them. He lets us have individual choice and learn from mistakes and have responsibility to be faithful to him. We as teachers should do the same, not baby and tell the students everything they are supposed to do. I am a very visual learner. I like pictures to be drawn and lectures to back up pictures. I believe lectures are good when using lots of visuals, asking questions, and open discussion. I do not believe in just reading out of a textbook because I feel that they can’t fully learn and process what is happening because they are so bored and just looking for answers. I believe it should be used as a tool not a principle in a classroom.  In addition, I also learn by the spirit and the gospel. The gospel is the truth so it guides me to understand what I am learning. I also learn because of the accommodations I am given. I am grateful for the special education law that was put forth. I am able to get the help I need in school by my teachers and students because of my slow learning and physical limitations. By mixing students of different levels in a classroom I learn better off of the students that naturally may learn the subjects better than I do. And just like Pestalozzi I believe we learn by natural means, we already have the answers its just helping to get that information back out again with the connections we make in class.

(Twenty years at hull house) Addams: As teachers we can strive to succeed in the Christ-like quality of serving our students. By serving our students help them over come the tendency that they are not good enough. We can do this through communicating with them and giving positive feedback.

(Nature and grace) Aquinas: Even though I won’t be teaching science the idea that we can tie our religious beliefs along with what we are teaching is beneficial and encourages free expression. Science and religion should be taught coexisting together like other subjects. Learning this way can encourage our faith. But how can we do this into a classroom? I think we can by teaching good morals to the classroom.

Antin, Plessy, Brown, Perry, and Friere: In relation to Freire we should treat everyone with kindness. No matter what the race, religion, or circumstances. We have a duty as teachers to help our students feel welcome in their classrooms. Friere: he is important because he establishes that we shouldn’t call our students or treat them like bad people. We should treat everyone with love and respect like Christ would. We can do this by showing support for students, giving extra help where needed.

(My pedagogic creed) Dewey and (on pragmatism) James: These articles meant a lot to me because of their belief in pragmatic teaching. By giving our students experiences they can better understand the things we are learning. Much like how Christ gives us experiences to learn in life.

(Concerning the individual Kierkegaard and (wide awakeness) Greene: I learned to live life wide-awake, to live in a way that is best for them and not others around them.  Let students be individuals and come up with own answers.

(The great didactic) Comenius: I learned that we should inspire the power of imagery in our students and that people can learn naturally. We can do creative things to help them remember the information they have lost.

(12th annual report) Mann: This man is revolutionary to me especially in helping to shape schools into having curriculum that students can actually apply in their life. Whereas in those days, teaching math meant drawing a perfect circle. Therefore, we as teachers should teach things that matter to our students and can apply. We can do this by making projects and activities where they can practice these concepts.

Shaffer, H. B. (1958). Educational testing. Editorial research reports 1958 (Vol. II). Washington, DC: CQ Press. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1958121700

Resources on Research of Anti-testing in America

Sternberg, R. J., Rosenberg, B., & Kadamus, J. A. (2003, April 15). Standardized testing. Issues in

            Science and Technology, pp. 18-19.

Chinese civil service. (2013). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved fromhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/112424/Chinese-civil-service

No Child Left Behind (NCLB). (2013). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved fromhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/965899/No-Child-Left-Behind-NCLB

Legal education. (2013). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/721897/legal-education/258387/Scholarship

Standardized aptitude test. (2013). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved fromhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1567583/standardized-aptitude-test

Educational assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2013, from Wikipedia website:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_assessment

Thinking and learning skills (Vol. 1). (1985). Hillsdale, New Jersey/US: Lawrence erabaum

            associates.

9. Barclay, J. R. (n.d.). Controversial issues in testing (S. C. Stone & B. Shertzer, Eds.). Houghton

            mifflin company.

Mehrens, W. A., & Lehmann, I. J. (1969). Standardized tests in education. Holt, rinehart and

            winston.

 http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=mSFuVkFaHjcC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=hout+and+eliot+testing&ots=qNpClMQLy2&sig=5xMpv3BGsXJsD4j1OHjCXpcUDcc#v=onepage&q=hout%20and%20eliot%20testing&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IhkMvgxJvpgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA289&dq=nclb+teacher+and+student+cheating&ots=UkS3nhzlf9&sig=5R97M0GXjL5Lc1GNDBYHlG4sgZ0#v=onepage&q=nclb%20teacher%20and%20student%20cheating&f=false

 http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6091-397-6_2#page-1

Resources on 3 Ways to Love Learning

Wolk, S. (2007). Why go to school? Phi Delta Kappan, 88 (No. 09), 5.

Bednar, D. (2012). Learning to love learning. In R. Seamons (Ed.), The Way of Wisdom

(2^nd ed., pp. 1). Rexburg, ID: BYU-I. (Original work published 2010)

Scudder, S. (2012). Learning to see. In R. Seamons (Ed.), the Way of Wisdom

(2^nd ed., pp. 460-463). Rexburg, ID: BYU-I.  (Original work published 1874)

Perry, W. (2012). Examinship and the liberal arts. In R. Seamons (Ed.), The Way of Wisdom (2^nd ed., pp. 412-420). Rexburg, ID: BYU-I. (Original work published 1967)

Butler, E. (2012). Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. In R. Seamons (Ed.), The Way of Wisdom (2^nd edi., pp. 77-88). Rexburg, ID: BYU-I. (Orignal work published 1976)

Randall, M. (2012). A guide to good teaching. In R. Seamons (Ed.), The Way of Wisdom  (2^nd edi., pp. 1-3). Rexburg, ID: BYU-I. (Original work published 2000)

(word count: 3997)

Why is Christ the Master Teacher?

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IWNORljkJPXut34XhmOozo_HjLSiLl_R99FY9fcwdy8/edit?usp=sharing

Old Original Songs

This song is an old original song of mine. I wrote this song because life is full of hard trials. Sometimes when everything seems dark we need to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Know that god loves you and is there for you with open arms.

New video!

BAD BLOOD-Taylor Swift (Lizzie Holmes Cover)

Ariel Painting

I made this painting as a wedding present for my friend, she loves the little mermaid!

Latest Cover Videos!

Hey recently been working on some music! I have been camera shy so I don't really like putting my face on camera. I like to be judged by my voice. If anyone has advice on how I can improve or do better please say so! I am thinking about sending in a video audition to The Voice. Thanks!

-Lizzie Holmes

SUGAR BY MAROON 5 LIZZIE HOLMES COVER

DREAM ON BY AEROSMITH LIZZIE HOLMES COVER

ROYALS BY LORDE LIZZIE HOLMES COVER 

STAND BY ME BY BEN E. KING LIZZIE HOLMES COVER

Art Projects

Lately I have had fun playing and experimenting with acrylic and watercolor paint and oil pastels. Water color is difficult because of how it bleeds. And acrylic I had difficulty keeping straight lines and having the images look how I envisioned them. The best way I was able to accomplish the images I wanted was to sketch them out or trace out the images.

Acrylic painting

self portrait oil pastel

Watercolor silhouette

self portrait sketch 

Van Gogh makes it look easy I attempted to see how difficult it was for him to make. I had a hard time with oil pastels let alone paint! and their is a native american inspired oil pastel 

acrylic paint tribal print

acrylic painting of my niece and nephew my sister loves giraffes

up quote acrylic painting this one was super hard with all the balloons and trying to find a good balance 

Let's Celebrate!

Just recently learned that my youtube video Light a Fire by Rachel Taylor cover has hit more than 1,000 views and it is still counting! I'm not sure why this video is so popular but I am excited! Thanks to all my music supporters!

How I Became a Better Student

On the first week of school, My English teacher gave us a challenge that a group would all get an A for the semester if we could take a amazing photograph and create our own quote to put on the photograph. We all of course rushed out with our cameras and sat together as a group desperately trying to figure out a quote. As we came into class my teacher in summary said that none of the posters were good enough. He was picky about the way the quote went with the picture, whether the picture was good enough, etc. As harsh or picky he might have been, he wanted to teach us a lesson. We as human beings are capable of so much. As our groups looked back we realized we could've spent more time and love into the project. We took the attitude that most students take with projects or school work, do just to get it done. We may have put a lot of effort and love into it but we could've pushed ourselves more out of our comfort zones and recognize the potential in ourselves and our group members. I didn't know until that project how much I enjoyed photography, my other group members were impressed with my photos and so was the rest of my class. Use school projects or create your own assignment where you explore different talents. Teachers can also create opportunities for students to do an assignment more than 100% to their abilities. As a student or a teacher let's strive try and not do assignments just to get it done, let's do it to learn and grow and become the best person we can possibly be.

How to Meditate

Today I want to talk about something that has blessed my mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical life. Meditation! Meditation is a lot more than just going UMMMM sitting in a pretzel chanting all day. The goal of meditation is to stop the constant activity going on in our minds and bring ourselves to a state of thoughtless awareness. This is how I personally teach and do meditation. the basic steps are:

1. Get yourself full of water, food, and physically relaxed as you can. soaking your feet in hot water is one good way to physically relax and reduce head tension because the blood flows more to feet and away from head. 

2. Either sit crossed legged or lay down on your back. Your spine must be straight whole time! One thing I do that helps is tuck in my tail bone inwards towards my core. If you want to be more comfortable I suggest sitting/laying on blanket or sitting against wall or chair, to help keep spine straight

4. Breath deeply and count your breaths. I personally count very slowly to 4 or 7 in and out. When you breath, let it be from your diagram and fill up your lungs. let your shoulders drop and focus your relaxation around the area of front of head as you close your eyes. 

5. It's ok to let your mind wander just focus it back to your breathing and counting until it's effortless. 

6. Personally I like to listen to guided meditations or relaxing massage/yoga music while I meditate such as these. 

Guided meditations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vO1wPAmiMQ&list=PL9ZcmGPa4YQ9qzkM4BdrYgSj_CL4CXsi8&index=2

relaxing music:http://youtu.be/QZbuj3RJcjI?list=PL9ZcmGPa4YQ_JDYWVfygVhESt921cV4BH

I started to meditate for 5-30 min a day and I felt so much benefit in my life in the way I think, my attitude, and etc. I hope it can bless your lives to, namaste! p.s. I am currently doing more research on 7 chakras and hopefully can provide what I found out soon! :)

Systems Thinking

What? So What? Now What?

Developing World helped me discover a new thinking process. Learning about systems thinking was the most helpful in showing me how to think differently. I love the example that was given in class of systems thinking. Our teacher showed us a picture of cut down tree stumps and fish in Lake Victoria, Africa. He told us to figure out how the fish caused the trees to be cut down. We realized because the fish were so big, it took more time to dry the fish. Instead the locals were forced to cook the fish over a fire. However, more wood was needed in order to make a fire, and that’s why the trees were cut down. Many times in life we want to think that only one thing can be a possible cause or solution. When we really study and follow our research, we can find the best possible solutions to a problem. Using systems thinking in my life can really benefit me to improve myself and be the best daughter of God I can be. I really like the idea of systems thinking and I wish I could promise to use it all the time now in all aspects of my life. However, I am so used to my other thought processes it is difficult to just switch all of a sudden. I hope through time and practices I can better recognize when I am thinking one sided and eventually reach to become a systems thinker.

            In this class we did a lot of group work, and the group work was always required to have leadership positions. In these groups we had numerous discussions about the things we were learning, and even much debate about heated topics. One thing that was discussed was the 8 Millennium Goals and how to solve those issues. While in class I realized that in order to help fix the world’s problems, we also need to work together to help the world become a better place. One issue for example that really opened my eyes was the topic of globalization. In class we seemed to always come up with the constant debate of whether or not globalization was a good thing or a bad thing. Using our systems thinking, we all realized there was a lot behind it and research to do on it. I thought the concept was fascinating because of the economic and cultural impact it seemed to have on individual countries. It would have been hard to discover all this if we didn’t work together as a group to discuss the issue. Many people around the world are making efforts to communicate and provide charity to third world countries. It is important for those people to communicate and ask “What? So What? And Now what?” because then we can better find a way to help them. As members of the church we all have a duty to serve others, and when we all come together in a group to help another person there is so much power in that. I hope in the future to establish leadership and to really listen to the ideas of my peers. When we all work together, our minds can be opened and do so much good in this world.

Social Issue: People With Disabilities

Throughout history people have viewed those with disabilities unable to participate in society and thought that they were incompatible. Even in ancient times the Romans cast out and killed children with disabilities because they believed they were worthless, or that their lives were useless. It was around the enlightenment that the idea a person can be improved shed light on children with disabilities. With development of science and understanding people have accepted those with disabilities. However, there are still people even today that do not fully understand the capabilities they have and discriminate against those that are less able. In the news there has been debates over a story about a woman on The Dr. Phil show that was fighting for the right to be able to end her disabled children’s lives because she felt they were suffering, incompatible, and wanted to die. News media has debated whether this is humane or inhumane and whether or not the woman fails to understand her children’s capabilities. The legislation passed by the government has helped this social issue. In 1990, The Americans with Disabilities Act was given that helped give people with disabilities equality in society and chances to participate and get the help they need.

In Title 2: State and Local Government Activities, states “State and local governments give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all of their programs, services, and activities (e.g. public education, employment, transportation, recreation, health care, social services, courts, voting, and town meet)” Another piece of legislation that helped dramatically in helping the disabled was The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In the situation the concept of eugenics is being applied in the legislation's passed. Eugenics is idea that one can be improved. By passing these legislation's they are not only now able to provide extra classes and help at school but also outside of school. They have the right to be able to go to public schools and have same opportunities with other students. This is helping encourage special needs kids to be a part of our society and socialize with us. Providing the opportunity be taught like everyone else often without special classes. People are always going to underestimate the potential of those with disabilities, but with the help of legislation and not too much over regulation people with or without disabilities can learn to socialize and work together as one.

Child Development

 This is an essay I wrote on why I took child development and what I learned.

Why Did I Have to Take This Class?

Lizzie Holmes

Dec. 2013

CHLD 201: Lundin

Introduction

Why should I care about children? Why did I have to take this class? Isn’t this all common sense? Many of these questions passed throughout my head at the start of the semester. I have previously been a nanny, babysitter, and etc to children. I never really liked children unless they were in my own family. However, we have learned many concepts we can use as tools to bless our lives in this class. This class has given me comfort to not be so against children and I now have a deeper understanding of them. Many of the things I learned has in fact has helped me grow spiritually and helped me better prepare for my future calling as a mother from Heavenly Father.  I have a divine destiny to rear my children in righteousness and love. Some principles I have learned in the class that increased my knowledge and also grow spiritually. Ten specific principles that helped me grow in these areas are:

1. Eating disorders

2. Addiction and technology

3. Guided participation

4. Children with disabilities

5. Healthy nutrition

6. Influence of fathers

7. Parenting styles

8. Bullying

9. Children’s resilience

10. Family structures, nuclear family

I’m Not Hungry

            There are two types of eating disorders mentioned in the Berger textbook (pg. 422-423). The first is bulimia, in which someone over eats then purges to make themselves thinner. It can be very risking because vomit acid can damage the body, lose nutrients, and even can cause death. Second is anorexia, in which a person can starve himself or herself to get thinner. This is risky as well because of the weakening of the body and lack of nutrients needed to live. In the world of today being skinny and looks are portrayed as something so important. Many times I tend to down talk my body and myself. However, it is important to keep a perspective on our divine potential. I once went to a meeting in relief society and someone gave a spiritual thought Id never forgets. The girl pulled up pictures of temples and told us to think about the ugly things about the temple. It felt very wrong to do so and then she explains that our body is a temple as well. Talking down about our temple is wrong and only creates negativity in our lives. I hope to always remember my divine purpose and to help my children feel positive about themselves.

Tech Savvy Age!

In this world we live in technology is used so much and at constant hours of the day. Because of this overexposure many teens are falling victim of technology addiction.

According to the Berger “In this study, many adolescents admitted that video games took time away from household chores and homework. Worse, one-fourth used video games to escape from problems, and one-fifth had "done poorly on a school assignment or test"(p. 452-453) because of spending too much time playing.” So not only is the time spent on technology a concern but as well as what other important work they are putting off or unmotivated to do.  It can affect their body physically and mentally, they are unable to understand fiction from reality and also risk health problems like obesity. In my research on this topic for my group presentation, ways I found in my life and in others lives to help limit the technology is possible. Some ways could include putting sticky notes around so you remember your goals, set a timer, fill out a time management sheet, or even just eliminating the technology all together. Elder Bednar proposes two questions in the video “Things As They Really are”. The first is, Does this invite or impede the Holy Ghost? And second, does it enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, love and to serve? I now ask this about the technology I involve myself with and hope to expose myself to media that is “virtuous, lovely, and of good report, and praiseworthy”

Here Let Me Help You!

One concept I learned about in class was guided participation according to Berger guided participation is defined as “The process by which people learn from others who guide their experiences and explorations”(glossary) This concept is tied to Vygotskys social learning theories as to why a person thinks and acts a certain way. In the July 1998 Ensign article “Doing Dishes with Daddy” E. Jeffrey Hill talks about an experience he had with his kindergarten aged daughter. He had a fast schedule for the dishwasher he normally followed and yet his daughter announced in the spirit of service that she wanted to put away the dishes with dads help. Hill began doing the dishes and found he taking over the dishes job to his daughter’s disappointment. He agreed to do the dishes her way and help her instead of take over. By doing this he learned more about his daughter than he ever would have and understood better he needed to spend more time with them. In my own life I want to take the time for each of my present and future family members. It is important to me to teach and help my children use skills they can use throughout their lives. If we let them use their free agency and helpful hand children can grow in love and righteousness.

The Only Disability in Life is a Bad Attitude

In the Bergers textbook it mentions many different types of disabilities and how we can help children with disabilities (p. 338-345). One type of disability that interested me most is learning disabilities. Some include dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, autism, and etc. In my own life this is important to me because my mother and sister have dyslexia and it is known to run in the family. In reading the text I was able to understand the kinds symptoms I should be looking for and how well they are doing at school. I hope to watch for those signs and if my children do have a learning disability I want to help them in anyway I can. One-way I know I could help my child with disabilities is looking at the Church’s “Disability Resources” on Lds.org. There it states all kinds of disabilities and ways to help them.  Christ said in 3^rd Nephi 17:7 “Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither…for I have compassion upon you” this means a lot to me as a person with learning disabilities and I am grateful for the trials heavenly father has given to make me who I am today and my divine potential me and my children have.

Veggie Monsters

            I have always been very concerned that I would not understand the way a baby should get proper nutrition. However, I learned some important key things that gave me comfort. In class we learned about malnutrition (p. 29). I grew comfort in knowing I would never let my children get that unfed. While studying babies I learned a beneficial way to feed your baby is breast-feeding (p. 101). When babies start to grow according to Bergers textbook they start to move up to more solid foods. An important concept is the food pyramid, to make sure children have their carbs, diary, veggies, and meat in their day to be nutritious. I hope to live a strong nutritious life and also do so for my future children. I can practice this on my nephew when I babysit him. In D&C 89 they discuss the word of wisdom. In Summary, it discusses eating meat, grains, fruit, and etc and how it is important to eat sparingly. In D&C 89:18 it states, “And all the saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones.” I am grateful for such a blessing and knowledge in my life.

A Father’s Wisdom

            According to the Berger textbook fathers bring different qualities than a mother brings in raising their children. Berger states, “Fathers enhance their children’s social and emotional development in many ways. Synchrony, attachment, and social referencing, are all apparent with fathers. Indeed, fathers are more likely to elicit smiles and laughter from their infants than their mothers.” (p. 213) She goes onto explain that mothers tend to be more of a caregiver while fathers provides high intensity playing. In my own life I see this through my nephew who loves his parents but especially loves to smile at his father and plays intensely with. I want to make sure I marry a man who will treat me and encourage me to be a strong daughter of god. I want to be married in the temple to a man that will provide and love my children. In Mark 10:7-8 it says, “ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh” I want to work together with my future husband with the love and help of heavenly father.

What's Your Style?

One day I’ll have to make difficult decisions in the way I raise my kids. In the Bergers textbook she discusses 4 different kinds of parents: authoritarian, permissive, authoritative, and uninvolved (p. 299-300).

-Authoritarian parents raise children in a demanding way with punishments  

-Permissive parents tend to raise with not strong rules or bribery to get them to behave

-Authoritative encourage independence and listening to kids

-Uninvolved parenting is when the child is in no ways involved in the child’s life and let them figure it out on their own.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, “parents have a scared duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of god, and be law abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and waves-mothers and fathers-will be held accountable before god for the discharge of these obligations.” It is important we raise our children in love and righteousness so they can to be able to one day has their own family. In my own life I want to lean more towards authoritative parenting. I hope to be an example to my children and respect their agency and also discipline when needed.

Sticks and Stones

            In the Berger textbook she discusses 4 types of bullying: Physical, Verbal, cyber bullying, and relational (p. 398) Physically bullying means that the child was physically tormented or hurt. Verbal means a bully used words like teasing or taunting to hurt another person. Cyber bullying is the use of electronics to harm another person. And relational bullying ruining the child’s peer acceptance by others. There are sign to look out for when children could be bullied in these ways. Including bruises, a lot of time spent on technology, lack of friends, and lost of self-esteem (p. 398). There are many stories and pictures in the friend that describe situations and resolutions for bullying. Such as the story “Being Brave” by Charmayne Gubler Warnock in which she stands up for a boy being bullied. I hope to sit down with my children and go over such stories and discuss this with them in family home evenings. I would hope my children would feel comfortable in telling me they were being bullied and stand up for what is right of they say it happening. I want to do the same in my own life today.

The Resilient Mind

            One principle Berger discusses is resilience of children in middle childhood. Resilience is defined in the textbook as “ dynamic process encompassing positive adaption within the context of significant adversity”(p. 380) another three parts to this definition are: it is dynamic and not consistent, it is a positive adaption to stress, the adversity must be significant. They also talk about examples such as in the movie the impossible where a little boy and his family get stuck in a tsunami. The boy was able to help his family and help other people as well even under the stress in all of it. This applies because I would hope to teach my kids the importance of acting on their free agency in this hard struggling world today and choose to do what is right. In our own spiritual lives Satan is constantly trying to tempt us to make a wrong decision. And many times others will try to discredit our beliefs. However, as talked about by Elder Robert D Hales in the talk “Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship.” he tells us members to have the strength to stand up for what is right.

Going Nuclear

            Berger states that 55% of US families are a Nuclear family. According to Berger, “In general, nuclear families function best; children in the nuclear structure tend to achieve better in school with fewer psychological problems.” In the church we teach that it is important for husband and wife to be married together, and raising their children in love and righteousness. There are exceptions and situations in which a marriage cannot be saved but in general this is the case. Berger in the textbook talks about, “there is a correlation between child success and married parents partly because of the people who marry, not the fact of marriage itself”(p. 389). This is important to me because in my future home I hope to not only marry the right person but that we can be an example of a strong marriage to our children. In “The Family: A Proclamation to World” it mentions that parents that fail to fulfill their duties as a parent to their children will be held accountable before god. I hope to raise my children in love and righteousness and set an example of love.

Conclusion

These ten principles have really helped me change my fears about having children. I take comfort in knowing I will do everything in my power to be a good parent to my child. Children can be complicated, smelly, and many times seem bratty, but in taking this class it has reminded me that I was once the same to! Children are developing and have in each age something they are going through. Understand those things and my tolerance for children will grow more patience and understanding. I am really glad I took this class and have gained such knowledge in my own life and spiritual life.