I want to know how behavior affects children who are dealing with homelessness. I want to focus on their motivations and how hard it is for them to go to school and why so many children who are dealing with homelessness often skip school weekly or even drop out. I want to know what are ways as a teacher to motivate a child to stay in school. What can a teacher do to help a child who is growing up in a troubled home or environment? What is the proper way to deal with a situation when you know it is family or home related?
L: What you learned
[Directions: First we will formulate RAR prompts for the four categories listed below (physical cognitive, emotional, and social). These prompts should relate back to your three curiosities listed above. Technologically speaking, add widget anchors here for easier reading, then delete instructions in the brackets]
Physical
Cognitive
Emotional
Social
1. Physical
Everyone goes through puberty and going through puberty can be a handful experience. Adolescents bodies are changing and are starting to mature, it can also be an uncomfortable experience. Having a trustworthy adult to ask questions and feel comfortable around is important. Unfortunately not all children have the parental support they need. When children are dealing with homelessness, their parents are most likely focusing on other things such a financial situations or where to move to next, not paying much attention to their child's growth. Families who are living pay check to pay check sometimes don't have the opportunity to take their children to visit the doctor and ask questions about their child's growth development. Adolescents usually feel shy and embarrassed during puberty because they are starting to develop and grow into adults. Families struggling financially often don't have money to get things such as razors, deodorant or feminine hygiene supplies. When children do not have the resources and support they need, it can result in more embarrassment and lower self-esteem. They also would most likely lack self-confidence. I feel it is much harder for children who are dealing with homelessness to go through puberty.
2. Cognitive
The text says that cultural forces affect the IQ. The text also mentioning eating meals with the family increases vocabulary and is healthy for the child. According to Piaget, brain development combined with experience in a rich and varied external world should lead children everywhere to reach the concrete operational stage(pg 233).Depending on the environment and culture that the children grew up, their operational thought could be delayed. It states that children who have gone to school more do better on transitive inference problems. On page 234 the text states "that the form of logic required by Piagetian tasks do not emerge spontaneously but rather are heavily influenced by training, context, and cultural conditions". This relates to my inquiry question because children who are homeless usually miss school a lot more often than non homeless. The less children amount of time children attend school, the lower their operational thought will be. Also many homeless children often do not eat meals with their families, because it is difficult enough for them to get food. Children who are dealing with homeless usually are eating less nutrients and less healthier foods than children raised in a good stable family environment.
3. Emotional
Children start having a self-concept of themselves. They start discovering who they are, they understand their personalities. Children also start discovering self-esteem. Self-esteem is usually built by having positive parents and good peer group. Having good self-esteem is vey important and healthy for children. Self esteem is built by academic competence, social competence, physical competence and physical appearance (259). Children also start realizing more about the society and other people's feeling; empathy increases. As children grow older their emotions start increasing. Females are more likely to be more caring then Males. Males tend to focus more on justice when coming across an issue (pg 330).
4. Social
As a child grows older the time they spent with their family/parents starts to gradually decrease (pg 269). Children start to make thier own decisions as well. Children organize themselves into peer groups where friendships develop. Peer groups is where a child can have support and get help with decision making (Girls are more likely to develop tight knit friendships). If a child is not close with family, or have a strong support group, who is their role model or someone to look up to? How important is it for children to have some kind of support?
[insert here- minimum of 2 paragraphs] I will be observing children in the Zoo-Mates program. Zoo- Mates is a program where about 30 UC students are paired up with approximately 30 children in the Cincinnati area that are dealing with homelessness. The students mentor the children. I am not sure of the child I will be paired up with except that she will be in grades 1-5. The very first day I meet the children will be on Tuesday October 15th from 2:30-4:30. From then on I will be seeing the children every other Tuesday from 2:30-4:30.
Each Tuesday the children will be doing something exiting and most likely something new to them that they have not done in the past because of their homelessness. We will be going to the zoo a few times, playing games and possibly going to a museum. Every time that we are with them, we will have them write something about their day in a notebook. As a mentor I will also write a positive comment in it. Overtime I want to see how a child changes when it has a good role model and a good support system. I want to see the change of behavior in the child or children I will be working/mentoring.
C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting)
1st visit (2.30-5:00) October 15th was the first day I carpooled over to Rockdale school. Rockdale is surrounded by older homer and in a more "sketchy" area but the school itself is a a nice 2-story building. I learned that 98% of the children that attend the school are African American. When we go there, all UC students were sent to the music room just as majority of the kids were leaving to go to the bathroom. As they slowly started coming back, I saw that some were nervous, some exited, others not even acknowledging us. There were also a few kids who did not stop talking to the mentors. They really wanted and liked the attention they were getting from. There was a kid in front of me who was passing a ball with about 3 mentors. He was being really outgoing and when asked, said his name. As soon as we went around in a circle of about 50 people, introducing himself, he became very timid and shy and would not tell the group his name. A teacher walked over and he barley whispered it into her ear. I thought it was interesting how a child could be himself around a small group, but was afraid to talk in front of more people.
There was this six year old girl named Cornella that acted very sweet but then quickly started being really obnoxious. She would not listen to us, and interrupted as well. She was interacting with boys and playing rough rather than making a craft. The boys were throwing a football back and fourth and Cornella went to the middle of the room and did not stop cheerleading and kicking her foot up in the air. She completely ignored the fact that she was interrupting others. Cornella definitely wanted the spotlight. I had a camera in my hand ( I am the photographer for Zoo-mates) and she purposely stated going in front of me, wanting me to take pictures of her. At the end when everyone was sitting a circle, she would not sit. She stood up and started skipping around he circle. We needed to come up with a song to sing and she decided to lead the song, skipping around the circle and being really loud.
3rd visit: (2:30-4:30) The kids all wait for us in the music room where they have chairs set up in a circle. A Project Connect staff asked if anyone needed hat because a lot of the kids didn't have one simply because their parents can't afford it. There was an entire bag of hats that were handed out to majority of the kids there. Since there are more mentors than mentees not every UC student was lucky enough to get one. I got set up witch Cornella. When she found out, that I was going to be her mentor she started pouting and saying she wanted to be with a different girl. I assured her she would have fun with whoever she was with. She did not stop showing and expressing her feelings about the mentor situation for about 5 minutes. She must have thought she would get her way because I am assuming if that's what commonly happened at home. Cornella was also holding a milk carton and bag of crackers. She wanted to take them with her for the walk. I told her I didn't have pockets so she would have to hold it, and I told her the best thing would just to save it for after the zoo. At first I didn't know how to deal with her rude behavior because she would not stop saying " I wanted her" and giving me the puppy face. I of course was upset and sort of embarrassed. I couldn't figure out a way to tell her to stop but be nice about it at the same time2. As we were walking out I told her something like "Can you promise me one thing, you will have fun(she nodded her head)...and oh, you can't smile" She started giggling and I was like "I just told you not to smile" in a sarcastic silly way. She continued to giggle and from then on, her mood lightened up. It was about a 15 minute walk from Rockdale to the zoo. On our way over there we talked about our favorite foods, animals and stuff we like to do. I also learned that she has about 8 other siblings that are part of the zoo-mates program. Two sisters and the rest are cousins. She knew her cousin was coming too and kept worrying about her and turning around to see if she was there. Cornella was the only one that seemed to be walking off out of the group. She would turn around every few minutes and sometimes stop, go to the side(on the grass) and end up behind me. I assured her cousin was there(not knowing if she was really there). Her cousin was apparently coming with her mom because her mom wanted to see what the program was about. Finally when we got to the zoo (the lobby/classroom area) we saw her cousin Autumn.. Cornella got into my face and started being all sassy and saying " I told you so!" She gave the finger snaps and the little head movement. Cornella was full of sass. I couldn't figure out if she was trying to be mean or funny. Cornella had gloves and Autumn didn't so she gave one of her gloves to Autumn. The schedule for the day was to have the picnic and then walk around the zoo. The picnic was set up at the very end of the zoo so we passed by a lot of chances to see the animals. Cornella got really upset and pouted again and said that she wasn't hungry and just wanted to see the animals. We also passes a huge pumpkin and she sassed if she could take it home, I asked her if she thought it was fair if she took it home. She said yes because she has never had a pumpkin before. Once we got to the picnic all she wanted was a coke. Then I asked her if she wanted to snack on just pretzels and chips and not get a hamburger. She said yes, so I got her a plate filled with chips and pretzels. We sat down on the picnic bench with other mentors and mentees. She had about 3 chips and said she wasn't hungry. She didn't even drink her coke either. I got sort of upset and just asked her why but she didn't have an answer. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said the president, i thought it was the cutest thing ever. Cornella started to shiver and say said she was cold. Then I told her that a warm burger would warm her up. I told her that I was going to get a burger for myself(because maybe I thought she would get one also). Surprisingly she got up with me and said "I am hungry, I want a burger too" I still did not get mad at her. When she got her drink, burger, and chips I asked her "what do you say "She quietly said "thank you" After she got the burger and said she didn't like the pickles, yet continued to eat them. She also only had a few bites of the burger and I told her to eat a few ' more bites and then we could go walk around wherever she wants and that she will feel warmer because the burger was warm. She actually listened to me. She was still shivering and complaining about being cold sp i hugged her. There were popsicles available and I told her that it was best if she didn't get a popsicle because the popsicle was cold and she was already cold. Against my suggestion, she went ahead and got the popsicle. As we walked away from the picnic, and without opening the popsicle she said she didn't want it anymore. The mentor behind us, said he would eat it. I asked her why she did that and she said " I don't know". The first thing Cornella wanted to see was the gorilla. So she took my hand and led me there. The expression on her face was precious when she saw it. We saw the monkeys and then we went to see wild cats. We entered this dark inside room where there was this creepy eerie sounded nobody else in there . She squeezed my hand tighter and said she was scared. I assured her that I was there and it was going to be okay. We walked through and saw wild cats, bats and weird looking animals. She also got too her favorite animal, a huge snake. She talked all about and seemed really happy. She saw another mentee playing with this computer/interactive game thing and she decided she wanted to do it too. Cornella walked over there and stated playing. I told her if she wanted to play then she would have to wait her turn. She did, I said thank you and she smiled back. It was time to head back to the lobby/entrance area and she didnt want to. We also took a picture so she jumped on my back and she stayed like that for about 5 minutes. When I wanted to put her down she hesitated and said it wasn't fair. I asked her if she thought it was fair for the other kids, and she said no. On our walk over to the lobby/entrance area she asked if I had a husband, and I said no. She also asked if I had a daughter and if she could be my daughter. When we were waiting she saw another girl go to the bathroom so she decided to go too. I walked in with her and she literally went into the stall, and walked right back out and washed her hands. I asked her if she went and she said yes, and I asked her again and she just started giggling. When we walked back to the school we saw a guy next to the fence which looked sort of homeless to me. Cornella was like" is that my uncle" When we came closer she was like "oh it isn't. good" She told me that her mom says she has to stay a few nights at her grandmas for a little bit because they don't have any food. When we got back to the school, she asked if she could go home.The schedule for the day was to have the picnic and then walk around the zoo. The picnic was set up at the very end of the zoo so we passsed by alot of chances to see the animals. Cornella got really upset and pouted again and said that she wasnt hungry and just wanted to see the animals. We also passes a huge pumpkin and she sasked if she could take it home, I asked her if she thought it was fair if she took it home. She saud yes becyase she has never had a pumpkin before. Once we got to the picnic all she wanted was a coke. Then I asked her if she wanted to snack on just pretzels and chips and not get a hamburger. She said yes, so I got her a plate filled with chips and pretzles. We sat down on the becn picninc with other mentors and mentees. She had abut 3 chips and said she wasnt hungry. She didnnt even drink her coke eihter. I got sort of uoset and just asked her why but she didnt have an answer.I sked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said the president, i though it was the cutest thing ever. Cornella started to shiver and say said she was cold. Then I told her that a warm burger would warm her up. I told her that I was going to get a burger for myslef(becuase maybe I thought she would get one also). Surplisingly she got up with me and said "I am hungry, I want a burger too" I still did not get mad at her. When she got her drink, burger, and chips I asked her "what do you say"She quietly said "thank you" After she got the nurger and said she didnt like the pickes, yet continuedd to eat them. She also onky had a ew bites pf the burger and I told her to eat a few ' more btes and then we could go walk around wherver she wants and that she will feel warmer becuase theb urger was warm.She actuallyy listened to me. She was still hivering and complaining about being cold sp i hugged her. There were popsicles available and I told her that it was best if she didnt get a popsicle becuase the popsicle was cold and she was already cold. Againt my suggestion, she went ahead and got the popsicle. As we walked away form the picnic, and without opening the popsicle she said she didnt want it anymore. The mentor behind us, said he would eat it. I asked her why she did that and she said " I dont know". The first thing Cornella wanted to see was the gorilla. So she took my hand and led me there. The eperession on her face was precious when she saw it. We saw the monkeys and then we went to see wild cats. We entered this dark inside room where there was this creepy eerie soundand nobody else in there . She squeezed my hand tighter and said she was scared. I assured her that I was there and it was going to be okay. We walked through and saw wild cats, bats and wierd looking animals. She also got too her favorite animal, a huge snake. She talked all about and seemed really happy. She saw another mentee playing with this computer/intercative game thing and she decided she wanted to do it too. Cornella walked over there and stated playing. I told her if she wanted to play then she ould have to wait her turn. She did, I said thank you and she smiled back. It was time to head back to the lobby/entrance area and she didnt want to. We also took a picture so she jumped on my back and she satyed like that for about 5 minutes. When I wanted to put her down she hesitated and said it wasnt fair. I asked her if she thought it was fair for the other kids, and she said no. On our walk over to the looby/rentrance area she asked if I had a husband, and I said no. She also asked if I had a daughter and if she could be my daugher. When we were waiting she saw another girl go to the bathrrom so she decided to go too. I wlaked in with her and she literally went into the stall, and walked right back out and washed her hands. I asked her if she went and she said yes, and I asked her again and she just started giggling. When we walked back to the school we saw a guy next to the fence which looked sort of homelss to me. Cornella was like" is that my uncle" When we came closer she was like "oh it isnt.good" She told me that her mom says she has to stay a few nights at her grandmas for a little bit becuase they dont have any food. When we got back to the school, she asked if she could go home with and said she didnt want me to leave.
4th visit (2:30-4:30)
Today was definltey the most stressful with Carmella. She was in a bad mood right as she walked into the music room. I asked her how her day was going and she said "bad". I asked her why she had a bad school day and she didnt answer. I asked her about two more questions anout school and she didnt answer. A boy waved to her and she didnt acknologe it even after I directed her to look that way. The boy gave up and said "oh well". The first thing we had to do was to put bookbags in a corner and then pick gloves and hat to wear and also keep forever. (UC Criminal Justice Program donated the items). Carmella really wanted pink gloves but when she went to pick them out, all the pink gloves were gone and only red and dark green ones were left. She got really upset and started to pout. I gave her the options to either pick the green or red or not have any golves at all. She said no gloves and so we went to sit down A few seconds later she went over and grabbed the red gloves.
On our walk over to the zoo some kids were messing around in front of su and the other mentors and I pointed out how silly they were being so Carmella decided to start jumping up and down like a bunny and from side to side, I am guessing she wanted the attention becuase other kids were getting it.Once we got to the zoo, we had a little snack, and she wanted what the chips that people in front of her got. At the zoo I went wherever she wanted to go. She was over dramatic and did a few fake gasps when she saw birds or any animal out in the open.
5th visit:
D. Summarize and describe your experience in relation to the concepts in our textbook
Physical
Carmella might not have had a well balanced healthy diet because of her economic situation. Without the proper diet she could be malnourished which will affect her energy for learning and physical activity. Depending on where she lives she might not have the ability or privilege to go outside and play. Sometimes the most cheapest foods are also the unhealthiest which might lead to obesity,which is a risk to children that are dealing with homelessnes. Zoo-Mates is important in her life because it gives her the chance to walk extra in her life by walking to the zoo and from the zoo. I have noticed that many children in Zoo-Mates seem younger than they really are. It might be because of the genetics or maybe its because the children are malnourished.
Page numbers: 225, 226,227, 228,229,
Cognitive
I think there is a chance Carmella might have a self- fulfilling prophecy. Through her life in preschool and elementary school she might have always been "that girl", the girl who always gets in trouble or is known for her sassiness because teachers and classmates made it seem that way. She adopted their negative views and now continues to live up to them. I think it would be awesome for Carmella to know she has creativity or talent. If she knows she does she might be able to know she is good at something, other than being known fro being sassy or mean. I told Carmella numerous times to make a goal for a week to be nice to as many people as possible and tally it up or to talk to a new person or make a new friend. Every week she tells me she didn't do it and she doesn't care. This helps prove that she doesn't have any cognitive self-regulation, the process of continuously monitoring progress toward a goal, checking outcome and redirecting unsuccessful efforts. A few mentors have told me that she acts like a teenager, and I think that is because she is only 6 yet had seen so much in her life already. She is mature and understands more around her surroundings compared to other 6 year olds. Also when given any type of instructions, she seems to not pay any attention majority of the time.The older she gets, I am sure it is only going to get better. In middel childhood, attention becomes more selective, adaptable and planful.
Page numbers: 235,238,239,251,255
Emotional
Carmella definitely compares herself to others. As defined in in the book, it means she judges her own appearance, abilities and behavior to relation of others. I observed that when she sees someone else get attention for a behavior, she will try and do the same to get that same attention even though it is negative. believe that the way Carmella was raised by her parents has a huge impact on her behavior. In the book it states that pride motivates children and raises self-esteem. When children are dealing with homelessness like Carmella, she most likely feels the opposite of pride but rather embarrassment. Carmella sometimes does not understand what she is doing wrong and unacceptable and hurts other people's feeling. On Selman's stage perspective taking she is most likely on the lower side of level 1 which is when "children understand that different perspectives may result because people have access to different information". Her maturity and understanding other people's feelings isnt great.
Pages 257,258,259,262, 263
Social
I am actually not sure which peer group Carmella is part of. I have seen her talk to many kids and they either like or hate her. I think that is because she is a leader. I think other kids see her as "cool and popular" while other see her as "bossy and mean". This makes her a controversial child because she gets number of positive and negative votes. In the book it states that "by age 6 children view freedom of speech and religion as individual rights, even if laws exist that deny those rights". That makes sense to why Carmella always needs to get her way and thinks she is right about everything and tries to prove to everyone else. That is what is most shocking, because she is only 6. Also even though she is only 6, she already is starting to get a glimpse of love because she hold hands with another classmate and tells me all the time that she likes boys. Living with siblings can be stressful. In Carmella's situation she lives with many other siblings and cousins increasing the rivalry and competition for attention. She also lives somewhere where I believe there is a lack or supervision. In the book it states "As children demonstrate that they can manage daily activities and responsibilities, effective parents can engage in coregulation, a form of supervision in which parents exercise general over-sight while letting children take charge of moment-by-moment decision making". Another Zoo-Mate told her mentee that at night she walks to a gas station and gets food all by herself. This shows the lack of supervision and coregulation where Carmella lives.
Pages: 264, 266, 269,265,263
Revisiting Your Curiosities
My new question: Is Carmella's behavior in school, at home and with me, similar or different and why?
Empowering the Parent-Child Relationship in Homeless and other high-risk parents and families.
Child and family relationships should be strong because it is the bond the child needs for developing a sense of security and love. Parents play a role of helping children understand their experiences." Parents use at least three venues for carrying out these bonding experiences, modeling, crafting nurturing environments, and interacting directly with their children (Bronfern Brenner 2005)" Families that have to experience and face barriers such as dealing with homelessness can impact children. Families are usually confronted about the "stereotypic and often degrading images by which they are viewed by others(Swick and Williams 2006)" They are also isolated form enriching activities, parents lack of knowledge of how to have caring relations with children, poor self-development as a parent, and a lack of resources for creating empowered relations are all barriers that families that are dealing with homelessness face that impact that can negatively impact children. This relates my inquiry question because now I understand how important it is as a mentor to support a child and possibly teach the child right from wrong, to show love, attention and encouragement, the things that a child might not necessarily het at home.
Swick, K. (2008). Empowering the Parent–Child Relationship in Homeless and Other High-risk Parents and Families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(2), 149-153. doi:10.1007/s10643-007-0228-x
Article 2: A Comparison Study Of Phychiatric And Behavior Disorders and Cognitive Ability Among Homeless and Housed Children
Nearly 40% of homeless people are families with children and primarily single mothers. 1.35 million children are homeless according to a study done in 2004. "Compared to non-homeless families, homeless families have a more psychiatric and behavioral problems." (ManSoo Y). Homeless children have lower vocabulary scores. A study was done in 1997 in St.Louis Missouri that compared 157 homeless families with 61 housed families. 97% were African-American and 87% were currently unmarried. The housed women were about 31.2 years old while the homeless were 28.9 years old. They did not differ on years of education ( Both had about 11). The results showed that " more than one third(37%) of the homeless children met criteria for a psychiatric or disruptive behavior disorder, but the combined prevalence rates were not significantly higher than among the housed comparison children" (ManSoo Y). Behavior disorders were four more times prevalent in the homeless children. In the area of cognitive ability, testing revealed lower verbal cognitive skills among homeless compared to housed children. The results on everything were only slightly higher/worse in homeless children compared to housed children. The limitation was that there were "fewer housed mothers who were identified to serve as matched cases to homeless mothers" (ManSoo Y). This relates to my inquiry question because now I know that homeless children are slightly more likely to have behavioral problems than housed children.
ManSoo, Y., North, C. S., LaVesser, P. D., Osborne, V. A., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2008). A Comparison Study of Psychiatric and Behavior Disorders and Cognitive Ability Among Homeless and Housed Children. Community Mental Health Journal, 44(1), 1-10. doi:10.1007/s10597-007-9100- Article 3: Youth Homelessness at all-time high, says report This articel was publsihed on October 13, 2013 which is not long ago at all. The statis Moscowitz, Peter. "Caution IconAttention." Youth Homelessness at All-time High, Says Report. N.p., 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013
Partner Review (Christina Quinn)
Connections with the text
1. One issue that could arise is if a homeless child is not getting the nutritional needs met. Kids need a well-balanced, plentiful diet to provide energy for learning and increased physical activity (pg 225). This is like Cornella having the issue of not being able to go home but going to her grandmas because their is no food in the house.
2. Connection with the little girl in the class who wanted all the attention. Games with rules help kids gain perspective taking and the ability to understand roles and rules in a game (pg 230).
3. Children's awareness of thought is called metacognition (pg 237). School-age children's improved ability to reflect on their own mental life is another reason their thinking advances.
4. Differences in IQ; researchers have compared IQ scores of ethnic and Social Economic Status (SES) groups. American black children score on average 12 to 13 IQ point below American white children (although the difference has been shrinking). The IQ gap between middle SES and low SES children is about 9 points. This is a connection between the school you were at and how lower status tend to score less on this test (pg 242).
5. Lower SES parents who lack alternatives have their kids spend more hours on their own. Young school-age children who spend many hours alone have emotional and social difficulties. However, low SES children who participate in "after-care" programs, like ZOO mates, that offer academic assistance and enrichment activities show special benefits (pg 247).
6. Importance of fitting in with peers. Early maturers (puberty) in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods are especially vulnerable to establishing ties with deviant peers, which heightens their defiant, hostile behavior. And because families in such neighborhoods tend to be exposed to chronic, severe stressors and to have few social supports, these early maturers are also more likely to experience harsh, inconsistent parenting, which predicts both deviant peer associations and antisocial behavior (pg 291).
Review of Wiki
Looks good!
Make sure you have 2 paragraphs for each hour (1st visit)
Make sure that in the end you have 4 total articles
Overall the inquiry question was very unique and I found your stories about your Zoo mates very interesting!
Name of Student: Liza Vilenchuk
Table of Contents
Pre-Adolescence
W: What you want to know (curiosities)
I want to know how behavior affects children who are dealing with homelessness. I want to focus on their motivations and how hard it is for them to go to school and why so many children who are dealing with homelessness often skip school weekly or even drop out. I want to know what are ways as a teacher to motivate a child to stay in school. What can a teacher do to help a child who is growing up in a troubled home or environment? What is the proper way to deal with a situation when you know it is family or home related?L: What you learned
[Directions: First we will formulate RAR prompts for the four categories listed below (physical cognitive, emotional, and social). These prompts should relate back to your three curiosities listed above. Technologically speaking, add widget anchors here for easier reading, then delete instructions in the brackets]1. Physical
Everyone goes through puberty and going through puberty can be a handful experience. Adolescents bodies are changing and are starting to mature, it can also be an uncomfortable experience. Having a trustworthy adult to ask questions and feel comfortable around is important. Unfortunately not all children have the parental support they need. When children are dealing with homelessness, their parents are most likely focusing on other things such a financial situations or where to move to next, not paying much attention to their child's growth. Families who are living pay check to pay check sometimes don't have the opportunity to take their children to visit the doctor and ask questions about their child's growth development. Adolescents usually feel shy and embarrassed during puberty because they are starting to develop and grow into adults. Families struggling financially often don't have money to get things such as razors, deodorant or feminine hygiene supplies. When children do not have the resources and support they need, it can result in more embarrassment and lower self-esteem. They also would most likely lack self-confidence. I feel it is much harder for children who are dealing with homelessness to go through puberty.
2. Cognitive
The text says that cultural forces affect the IQ. The text also mentioning eating meals with the family increases vocabulary and is healthy for the child.According to Piaget, brain development combined with experience in a rich and varied external world should lead children everywhere to reach the concrete operational stage(pg 233).Depending on the environment and culture that the children grew up, their operational thought could be delayed. It states that children who have gone to school more do better on transitive inference problems. On page 234 the text states "that the form of logic required by Piagetian tasks do not emerge spontaneously but rather are heavily influenced by training, context, and cultural conditions". This relates to my inquiry question because children who are homeless usually miss school a lot more often than non homeless. The less children amount of time children attend school, the lower their operational thought will be. Also many homeless children often do not eat meals with their families, because it is difficult enough for them to get food. Children who are dealing with homeless usually are eating less nutrients and less healthier foods than children raised in a good stable family environment.
3. Emotional
Children start having a self-concept of themselves. They start discovering who they are, they understand their personalities. Children also start discovering self-esteem. Self-esteem is usually built by having positive parents and good peer group. Having good self-esteem is vey important and healthy for children. Self esteem is built by academic competence, social competence, physical competence and physical appearance (259). Children also start realizing more about the society and other people's feeling; empathy increases. As children grow older their emotions start increasing. Females are more likely to be more caring then Males. Males tend to focus more on justice when coming across an issue (pg 330).4. Social
As a child grows older the time they spent with their family/parents starts to gradually decrease (pg 269). Children start to make thier own decisions as well. Children organize themselves into peer groups where friendships develop. Peer groups is where a child can have support and get help with decision making (Girls are more likely to develop tight knit friendships). If a child is not close with family, or have a strong support group, who is their role model or someone to look up to? How important is it for children to have some kind of support?
Observation Site Information
A. Site details:
Description: Zoo-MatesSetting: Zoo, Rockdale Academy UC, and other unknown places
Website:
Zoo-mates:
http://www.uc.edu/cce/student/programs/Zoo-Mates.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoo-Mates/103546229749668
Rockdale Academy:
http://rockdaleacademy.cps-k12.org/
Contact info: zoomates@gmail.com,
B. Describe your setting
[insert here- minimum of 2 paragraphs]I will be observing children in the Zoo-Mates program. Zoo- Mates is a program where about 30 UC students are paired up with approximately 30 children in the Cincinnati area that are dealing with homelessness. The students mentor the children. I am not sure of the child I will be paired up with except that she will be in grades 1-5. The very first day I meet the children will be on Tuesday October 15th from 2:30-4:30. From then on I will be seeing the children every other Tuesday from 2:30-4:30.
Each Tuesday the children will be doing something exiting and most likely something new to them that they have not done in the past because of their homelessness. We will be going to the zoo a few times, playing games and possibly going to a museum. Every time that we are with them, we will have them write something about their day in a notebook. As a mentor I will also write a positive comment in it. Overtime I want to see how a child changes when it has a good role model and a good support system. I want to see the change of behavior in the child or children I will be working/mentoring.
C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting)
1st visit (2.30-5:00)October 15th was the first day I carpooled over to Rockdale school. Rockdale is surrounded by older homer and in a more "sketchy" area but the school itself is a a nice 2-story building. I learned that 98% of the children that attend the school are African American. When we go there, all UC students were sent to the music room just as majority of the kids were leaving to go to the bathroom. As they slowly started coming back, I saw that some were nervous, some exited, others not even acknowledging us. There were also a few kids who did not stop talking to the mentors. They really wanted and liked the attention they were getting from. There was a kid in front of me who was passing a ball with about 3 mentors. He was being really outgoing and when asked, said his name. As soon as we went around in a circle of about 50 people, introducing himself, he became very timid and shy and would not tell the group his name. A teacher walked over and he barley whispered it into her ear. I thought it was interesting how a child could be himself around a small group, but was afraid to talk in front of more people.
There was this six year old girl named Cornella that acted very sweet but then quickly started being really obnoxious. She would not listen to us, and interrupted as well. She was interacting with boys and playing rough rather than making a craft. The boys were throwing a football back and fourth and Cornella went to the middle of the room and did not stop cheerleading and kicking her foot up in the air. She completely ignored the fact that she was interrupting others. Cornella definitely wanted the spotlight. I had a camera in my hand ( I am the photographer for Zoo-mates) and she purposely stated going in front of me, wanting me to take pictures of her. At the end when everyone was sitting a circle, she would not sit. She stood up and started skipping around he circle. We needed to come up with a song to sing and she decided to lead the song, skipping around the circle and being really loud.
3rd visit: (2:30-4:30)
The kids all wait for us in the music room where they have chairs set up in a circle. A Project Connect staff asked if anyone needed hat because a lot of the kids didn't have one simply because their parents can't afford it. There was an entire bag of hats that were handed out to majority of the kids there. Since there are more mentors than mentees not every UC student was lucky enough to get one. I got set up witch Cornella. When she found out, that I was going to be her mentor she started pouting and saying she wanted to be with a different girl. I assured her she would have fun with whoever she was with. She did not stop showing and expressing her feelings about the mentor situation for about 5 minutes. She must have thought she would get her way because I am assuming if that's what commonly happened at home. Cornella was also holding a milk carton and bag of crackers. She wanted to take them with her for the walk. I told her I didn't have pockets so she would have to hold it, and I told her the best thing would just to save it for after the zoo. At first I didn't know how to deal with her rude behavior because she would not stop saying " I wanted her" and giving me the puppy face. I of course was upset and sort of embarrassed. I couldn't figure out a way to tell her to stop but be nice about it at the same time2. As we were walking out I told her something like "Can you promise me one thing, you will have fun(she nodded her head)...and oh, you can't smile" She started giggling and I was like "I just told you not to smile" in a sarcastic silly way. She continued to giggle and from then on, her mood lightened up. It was about a 15 minute walk from Rockdale to the zoo. On our way over there we talked about our favorite foods, animals and stuff we like to do. I also learned that she has about 8 other siblings that are part of the zoo-mates program. Two sisters and the rest are cousins. She knew her cousin was coming too and kept worrying about her and turning around to see if she was there. Cornella was the only one that seemed to be walking off out of the group. She would turn around every few minutes and sometimes stop, go to the side(on the grass) and end up behind me. I assured her cousin was there(not knowing if she was really there). Her cousin was apparently coming with her mom because her mom wanted to see what the program was about. Finally when we got to the zoo (the lobby/classroom area) we saw her cousin Autumn.. Cornella got into my face and started being all sassy and saying " I told you so!" She gave the finger snaps and the little head movement. Cornella was full of sass. I couldn't figure out if she was trying to be mean or funny. Cornella had gloves and Autumn didn't so she gave one of her gloves to Autumn. The schedule for the day was to have the picnic and then walk around the zoo. The picnic was set up at the very end of the zoo so we passed by a lot of chances to see the animals. Cornella got really upset and pouted again and said that she wasn't hungry and just wanted to see the animals. We also passes a huge pumpkin and she sassed if she could take it home, I asked her if she thought it was fair if she took it home. She said yes because she has never had a pumpkin before. Once we got to the picnic all she wanted was a coke. Then I asked her if she wanted to snack on just pretzels and chips and not get a hamburger. She said yes, so I got her a plate filled with chips and pretzels. We sat down on the picnic bench with other mentors and mentees. She had about 3 chips and said she wasn't hungry. She didn't even drink her coke either. I got sort of upset and just asked her why but she didn't have an answer. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said the president, i thought it was the cutest thing ever. Cornella started to shiver and say said she was cold. Then I told her that a warm burger would warm her up. I told her that I was going to get a burger for myself(because maybe I thought she would get one also). Surprisingly she got up with me and said "I am hungry, I want a burger too" I still did not get mad at her. When she got her drink, burger, and chips I asked her "what do you say "She quietly said "thank you" After she got the burger and said she didn't like the pickles, yet continued to eat them. She also only had a few bites of the burger and I told her to eat a few ' more bites and then we could go walk around wherever she wants and that she will feel warmer because the burger was warm. She actually listened to me. She was still shivering and complaining about being cold sp i hugged her. There were popsicles available and I told her that it was best if she didn't get a popsicle because the popsicle was cold and she was already cold. Against my suggestion, she went ahead and got the popsicle. As we walked away from the picnic, and without opening the popsicle she said she didn't want it anymore. The mentor behind us, said he would eat it. I asked her why she did that and she said " I don't know". The first thing Cornella wanted to see was the gorilla. So she took my hand and led me there. The expression on her face was precious when she saw it. We saw the monkeys and then we went to see wild cats. We entered this dark inside room where there was this creepy eerie sounded nobody else in there . She squeezed my hand tighter and said she was scared. I assured her that I was there and it was going to be okay. We walked through and saw wild cats, bats and weird looking animals. She also got too her favorite animal, a huge snake. She talked all about and seemed really happy. She saw another mentee playing with this computer/interactive game thing and she decided she wanted to do it too. Cornella walked over there and stated playing. I told her if she wanted to play then she would have to wait her turn. She did, I said thank you and she smiled back. It was time to head back to the lobby/entrance area and she didnt want to. We also took a picture so she jumped on my back and she stayed like that for about 5 minutes. When I wanted to put her down she hesitated and said it wasn't fair. I asked her if she thought it was fair for the other kids, and she said no. On our walk over to the lobby/entrance area she asked if I had a husband, and I said no. She also asked if I had a daughter and if she could be my daughter. When we were waiting she saw another girl go to the bathroom so she decided to go too. I walked in with her and she literally went into the stall, and walked right back out and washed her hands. I asked her if she went and she said yes, and I asked her again and she just started giggling. When we walked back to the school we saw a guy next to the fence which looked sort of homeless to me. Cornella was like" is that my uncle" When we came closer she was like "oh it isn't. good" She told me that her mom says she has to stay a few nights at her grandmas for a little bit because they don't have any food. When we got back to the school, she asked if she could go home.The schedule for the day was to have the picnic and then walk around the zoo. The picnic was set up at the very end of the zoo so we passsed by alot of chances to see the animals. Cornella got really upset and pouted again and said that she wasnt hungry and just wanted to see the animals. We also passes a huge pumpkin and she sasked if she could take it home, I asked her if she thought it was fair if she took it home. She saud yes becyase she has never had a pumpkin before. Once we got to the picnic all she wanted was a coke. Then I asked her if she wanted to snack on just pretzels and chips and not get a hamburger. She said yes, so I got her a plate filled with chips and pretzles. We sat down on the becn picninc with other mentors and mentees. She had abut 3 chips and said she wasnt hungry. She didnnt even drink her coke eihter. I got sort of uoset and just asked her why but she didnt have an answer.I sked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said the president, i though it was the cutest thing ever. Cornella started to shiver and say said she was cold. Then I told her that a warm burger would warm her up. I told her that I was going to get a burger for myslef(becuase maybe I thought she would get one also). Surplisingly she got up with me and said "I am hungry, I want a burger too" I still did not get mad at her. When she got her drink, burger, and chips I asked her "what do you say"She quietly said "thank you" After she got the nurger and said she didnt like the pickes, yet continuedd to eat them. She also onky had a ew bites pf the burger and I told her to eat a few ' more btes and then we could go walk around wherver she wants and that she will feel warmer becuase theb urger was warm.She actuallyy listened to me. She was still hivering and complaining about being cold sp i hugged her. There were popsicles available and I told her that it was best if she didnt get a popsicle becuase the popsicle was cold and she was already cold. Againt my suggestion, she went ahead and got the popsicle. As we walked away form the picnic, and without opening the popsicle she said she didnt want it anymore. The mentor behind us, said he would eat it. I asked her why she did that and she said " I dont know". The first thing Cornella wanted to see was the gorilla. So she took my hand and led me there. The eperession on her face was precious when she saw it. We saw the monkeys and then we went to see wild cats. We entered this dark inside room where there was this creepy eerie soundand nobody else in there . She squeezed my hand tighter and said she was scared. I assured her that I was there and it was going to be okay. We walked through and saw wild cats, bats and wierd looking animals. She also got too her favorite animal, a huge snake. She talked all about and seemed really happy. She saw another mentee playing with this computer/intercative game thing and she decided she wanted to do it too. Cornella walked over there and stated playing. I told her if she wanted to play then she ould have to wait her turn. She did, I said thank you and she smiled back. It was time to head back to the lobby/entrance area and she didnt want to. We also took a picture so she jumped on my back and she satyed like that for about 5 minutes. When I wanted to put her down she hesitated and said it wasnt fair. I asked her if she thought it was fair for the other kids, and she said no. On our walk over to the looby/rentrance area she asked if I had a husband, and I said no. She also asked if I had a daughter and if she could be my daugher. When we were waiting she saw another girl go to the bathrrom so she decided to go too. I wlaked in with her and she literally went into the stall, and walked right back out and washed her hands. I asked her if she went and she said yes, and I asked her again and she just started giggling. When we walked back to the school we saw a guy next to the fence which looked sort of homelss to me. Cornella was like" is that my uncle" When we came closer she was like "oh it isnt.good" She told me that her mom says she has to stay a few nights at her grandmas for a little bit becuase they dont have any food. When we got back to the school, she asked if she could go home with and said she didnt want me to leave.
4th visit (2:30-4:30)
Today was definltey the most stressful with Carmella. She was in a bad mood right as she walked into the music room. I asked her how her day was going and she said "bad". I asked her why she had a bad school day and she didnt answer. I asked her about two more questions anout school and she didnt answer. A boy waved to her and she didnt acknologe it even after I directed her to look that way. The boy gave up and said "oh well". The first thing we had to do was to put bookbags in a corner and then pick gloves and hat to wear and also keep forever. (UC Criminal Justice Program donated the items). Carmella really wanted pink gloves but when she went to pick them out, all the pink gloves were gone and only red and dark green ones were left. She got really upset and started to pout. I gave her the options to either pick the green or red or not have any golves at all. She said no gloves and so we went to sit down A few seconds later she went over and grabbed the red gloves.
On our walk over to the zoo some kids were messing around in front of su and the other mentors and I pointed out how silly they were being so Carmella decided to start jumping up and down like a bunny and from side to side, I am guessing she wanted the attention becuase other kids were getting it.Once we got to the zoo, we had a little snack, and she wanted what the chips that people in front of her got. At the zoo I went wherever she wanted to go. She was over dramatic and did a few fake gasps when she saw birds or any animal out in the open.
5th visit:
D. Summarize and describe your experience in relation to the concepts in our textbook
Physical
Carmella might not have had a well balanced healthy diet because of her economic situation. Without the proper diet she could be malnourished which will affect her energy for learning and physical activity. Depending on where she lives she might not have the ability or privilege to go outside and play. Sometimes the most cheapest foods are also the unhealthiest which might lead to obesity,which is a risk to children that are dealing with homelessnes. Zoo-Mates is important in her life because it gives her the chance to walk extra in her life by walking to the zoo and from the zoo. I have noticed that many children in Zoo-Mates seem younger than they really are. It might be because of the genetics or maybe its because the children are malnourished.
Page numbers: 225, 226,227, 228,229,
Cognitive
I think there is a chance Carmella might have a self- fulfilling prophecy. Through her life in preschool and elementary school she might have always been "that girl", the girl who always gets in trouble or is known for her sassiness because teachers and classmates made it seem that way. She adopted their negative views and now continues to live up to them. I think it would be awesome for Carmella to know she has creativity or talent. If she knows she does she might be able to know she is good at something, other than being known fro being sassy or mean. I told Carmella numerous times to make a goal for a week to be nice to as many people as possible and tally it up or to talk to a new person or make a new friend. Every week she tells me she didn't do it and she doesn't care. This helps prove that she doesn't have any cognitive self-regulation, the process of continuously monitoring progress toward a goal, checking outcome and redirecting unsuccessful efforts. A few mentors have told me that she acts like a teenager, and I think that is because she is only 6 yet had seen so much in her life already. She is mature and understands more around her surroundings compared to other 6 year olds. Also when given any type of instructions, she seems to not pay any attention majority of the time.The older she gets, I am sure it is only going to get better. In middel childhood, attention becomes more selective, adaptable and planful.Page numbers: 235,238,239,251,255
Emotional
Carmella definitely compares herself to others. As defined in in the book, it means she judges her own appearance, abilities and behavior to relation of others. I observed that when she sees someone else get attention for a behavior, she will try and do the same to get that same attention even though it is negative. believe that the way Carmella was raised by her parents has a huge impact on her behavior. In the book it states that pride motivates children and raises self-esteem. When children are dealing with homelessness like Carmella, she most likely feels the opposite of pride but rather embarrassment. Carmella sometimes does not understand what she is doing wrong and unacceptable and hurts other people's feeling. On Selman's stage perspective taking she is most likely on the lower side of level 1 which is when "children understand that different perspectives may result because people have access to different information". Her maturity and understanding other people's feelings isnt great.Pages 257,258,259,262, 263
Social
I am actually not sure which peer group Carmella is part of. I have seen her talk to many kids and they either like or hate her. I think that is because she is a leader. I think other kids see her as "cool and popular" while other see her as "bossy and mean". This makes her a controversial child because she gets number of positive and negative votes. In the book it states that "by age 6 children view freedom of speech and religion as individual rights, even if laws exist that deny those rights". That makes sense to why Carmella always needs to get her way and thinks she is right about everything and tries to prove to everyone else. That is what is most shocking, because she is only 6. Also even though she is only 6, she already is starting to get a glimpse of love because she hold hands with another classmate and tells me all the time that she likes boys. Living with siblings can be stressful. In Carmella's situation she lives with many other siblings and cousins increasing the rivalry and competition for attention. She also lives somewhere where I believe there is a lack or supervision. In the book it states "As children demonstrate that they can manage daily activities and responsibilities, effective parents can engage in coregulation, a form of supervision in which parents exercise general over-sight while letting children take charge of moment-by-moment decision making". Another Zoo-Mate told her mentee that at night she walks to a gas station and gets food all by herself. This shows the lack of supervision and coregulation where Carmella lives.Pages: 264, 266, 269,265,263
Revisiting Your Curiosities
My new question:
Is Carmella's behavior in school, at home and with me, similar or different and why?
Article 1:
Empowering the Parent-Child Relationship in Homeless and other high-risk parents and families.Child and family relationships should be strong because it is the bond the child needs for developing a sense of security and love. Parents play a role of helping children understand their experiences." Parents use at least three venues for carrying out these bonding experiences, modeling, crafting nurturing environments, and interacting directly with their children (Bronfern Brenner 2005)" Families that have to experience and face barriers such as dealing with homelessness can impact children. Families are usually confronted about the "stereotypic and often degrading images by which they are viewed by others(Swick and Williams 2006)" They are also isolated form enriching activities, parents lack of knowledge of how to have caring relations with children, poor self-development as a parent, and a lack of resources for creating empowered relations are all barriers that families that are dealing with homelessness face that impact that can negatively impact children. This relates my inquiry question because now I understand how important it is as a mentor to support a child and possibly teach the child right from wrong, to show love, attention and encouragement, the things that a child might not necessarily het at home.
Swick, K. (2008). Empowering the Parent–Child Relationship in Homeless and Other High-risk Parents and Families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(2), 149-153. doi:10.1007/s10643-007-0228-x
Article 2:
A Comparison Study Of Phychiatric And Behavior Disorders and Cognitive Ability Among Homeless and Housed Children
Nearly 40% of homeless people are families with children and primarily single mothers. 1.35 million children are homeless according to a study done in 2004. "Compared to non-homeless families, homeless families have a more psychiatric and behavioral problems." (ManSoo Y). Homeless children have lower vocabulary scores. A study was done in 1997 in St.Louis Missouri that compared 157 homeless families with 61 housed families. 97% were African-American and 87% were currently unmarried. The housed women were about 31.2 years old while the homeless were 28.9 years old. They did not differ on years of education ( Both had about 11). The results showed that " more than one third(37%) of the homeless children met criteria for a psychiatric or disruptive behavior disorder, but the combined prevalence rates were not significantly higher than among the housed comparison children" (ManSoo Y). Behavior disorders were four more times prevalent in the homeless children. In the area of cognitive ability, testing revealed lower verbal cognitive skills among homeless compared to housed children. The results on everything were only slightly higher/worse in homeless children compared to housed children. The limitation was that there were "fewer housed mothers who were identified to serve as matched cases to homeless mothers" (ManSoo Y). This relates to my inquiry question because now I know that homeless children are slightly more likely to have behavioral problems than housed children.
ManSoo, Y., North, C. S., LaVesser, P. D., Osborne, V. A., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2008). A Comparison Study of Psychiatric and Behavior Disorders and Cognitive Ability Among Homeless and Housed Children. Community Mental Health Journal, 44(1), 1-10. doi:10.1007/s10597-007-9100-
Article 3: Youth Homelessness at all-time high, says report
This articel was publsihed on October 13, 2013 which is not long ago at all. The statis
Moscowitz, Peter. "Caution IconAttention." Youth Homelessness at All-time High, Says Report. N.p., 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013
Partner Review (Christina Quinn)
Connections with the text1. One issue that could arise is if a homeless child is not getting the nutritional needs met. Kids need a well-balanced, plentiful diet to provide energy for learning and increased physical activity (pg 225). This is like Cornella having the issue of not being able to go home but going to her grandmas because their is no food in the house.
2. Connection with the little girl in the class who wanted all the attention. Games with rules help kids gain perspective taking and the ability to understand roles and rules in a game (pg 230).
3. Children's awareness of thought is called metacognition (pg 237). School-age children's improved ability to reflect on their own mental life is another reason their thinking advances.
4. Differences in IQ; researchers have compared IQ scores of ethnic and Social Economic Status (SES) groups. American black children score on average 12 to 13 IQ point below American white children (although the difference has been shrinking). The IQ gap between middle SES and low SES children is about 9 points. This is a connection between the school you were at and how lower status tend to score less on this test (pg 242).
5. Lower SES parents who lack alternatives have their kids spend more hours on their own. Young school-age children who spend many hours alone have emotional and social difficulties. However, low SES children who participate in "after-care" programs, like ZOO mates, that offer academic assistance and enrichment activities show special benefits (pg 247).
6. Importance of fitting in with peers. Early maturers (puberty) in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods are especially vulnerable to establishing ties with deviant peers, which heightens their defiant, hostile behavior. And because families in such neighborhoods tend to be exposed to chronic, severe stressors and to have few social supports, these early maturers are also more likely to experience harsh, inconsistent parenting, which predicts both deviant peer associations and antisocial behavior (pg 291).
Review of Wiki
Looks good!
Make sure you have 2 paragraphs for each hour (1st visit)
Make sure that in the end you have 4 total articles
Overall the inquiry question was very unique and I found your stories about your Zoo mates very interesting!