Growing Up in the Information Age.

Lately I have come across a few articles that discuss whether or not our children are growing up too fast. The argument is, that because of the internet, children can access information about anything and everything, and they are exposed too and knowledgeable about things that we weren't until much later in life. While I can see how someone could make that argument, I don't buy it. There are a couple of articles, that you can access here and here, that discuss that the opposite might be true, our children may actually be more immature than we were.
My stepson is 17 years old. My husband had his son when he was 17 years old. When I look at stepson, there is no way in heck I could imagine him having a child. And it's not just because he "seems" so young. It's because he is young, naive, and immature. There are a lot of things he has no clue about because he has lived a pretty sheltered life. I just think back to when my husband and I were younger, and how much more responsibility we had. My husband was a latch-key kid (a term you never hear anymore), and I started babysitting when I was 10 years old. My 16 year old cousin doesn't even know how to change a diaper! I think that while kids are exposed to a lot of information, they are not given the real world experience that we gained as children.
I remember when I was young, around 7, I used to routinely walk two blocks to the supermarket to buy whatever ingredient my mom needed but didn't have. Milk, butter, flour, etc. I used to actually go door to door as a girlscout and sell cookies. These things are unheard of now-a-days. Because of the perceived threat of child-abductors, we have forced our children indoors, and now they are growing up without real world skills that prepare them for adulthood. When I drive past the rec center in my neighborhood, instead of being filled with kids playing football or baseball, it looks like a ghost town. Instead of kids playing roller hockey in the street, or riding their bikes, I see parents driving them to school (one block away) or arranging play dates, for 12 year olds!
Every parent has their own way of doing things, and at the end of the day you can only trust your own instinct in these matters. Part of the reason parents feel uncomfortable letting their children play outside is because we have not only forced our children inside, we ourselves have withdrawn ourselves, choosing to correspond with our friends via facebook, twitter, or text, rather than getting to know our nrighbors. Our parents never worried about letting us ride our bikes to our friends house because they knew exactly what route you were taking, and whos house you were passing on the way. If you were late for dinner, they would just call your friends parents, and every other parent in the nieghborhood to track you down.
I believe in being a "free-range parent" but in order to do that I will have to set up a network of parents that are willing to do the same thing. I'd like to be more active in my community, and get to know the people that live around me, as well as the teachers at the school in my neighborhood.
As a future educator, do you think you will be involved in your community? What is your view on free-range parenting?

What's Eating You?

Albondigas, Pork Saltimbocca, Watermelon and Arugula Salad with Feta Cheese. These are a few of the dishes my husband and I like to cook. We put a lot of love into our food, try to buy good ingredients, and while it may not always be the healthiest food, it's always fresh and homemade.
My brother is leaving this week to move to Idaho. Unfortunately, he and his wife were having difficulty finding jobs in San Diego. My sister in law is from Idaho, so she flew out a couple of months ago for a job interview and got hired, so now my brother has the U-Haul all packed up and is moving to the land of potatoes.

My brother has never lived anywhere beside San Diego, and all of our family lives here. When I asked him what he's going to miss the most, he said "The food." Unfortunately, his wife and her family aren't big cookers. They mostly buy the pre-made stuff and heat it up. My brother hoped that his wife would be influenced by our family and our love of cooking, but it never rubbed off. This got me thinking about how many families eat the way my sister in law's do, and how many kids out there have never really had a "home cooked" meal.
Some people may argue that cooking at home is too expensive, but if you know what to buy and where to buy it, it is infinitely cheaper than eating out. Others may argue that it is too time consuming, but there are a lot of meals that are faster than ordering pizza!
Michelle Obama has started a campaign called Let's Move, which is a campaign to get kids to eat healthier and be more active. Whether or not you agree with the Obama's politics, this is a great idea. With the combination of people eating more "convenient" (unhealthy) food, and the overwhelming amount of time kids spend watching TV, playing video games, and being on the internet, kids are experiencing more problems with hyperactivity and health issues such as diabetes. I think it is important that as future educators, we stress the importance of being active and eating healthy. Also, I know that in our house, dinner is a time where we get to sit down as a family and have conversations with each other. Most of what I learn about what is going on in my 17 year old step son's life is over a meal.
What are your feelings on the state of our children's health? Do you have a favorite dinner you like to make? Do you have family dinners, or do you eat out?

Active or Aggressive Boys? . Raising Boys . PBS Parents | PBS

Active or Aggressive Boys? . Raising Boys . PBS Parents | PBS

I have a wonderful little nephew. He's cute as a button, and very entertaining. But he's also very aggressive. His behavior is in sharp contrast to my niece, who is just as cute, but she never has done the things my nephew does. From the time my nephew could move around on his own, he has been looking for things to destroy. He would crawl over to the baby gate. and try to knock it over. When he started walking, he would stumble over to the Rock Band® drum kit, grab a drumstick, and try to put it through the TV. He kicks, bites, and when playing with his toys I'm pretty sure he drops bombs on them and blows them up (I can't really tell though because everything that comes out of his mouth sounds like sounds effects from a WWII movie).
When observing classes, I noticed that boys had a harder time, overall, paying attention in class. The younger kids I observed were fidgety, would shout out in class, and during play time chose more "aggressive" activities. In older boys I found that they spoke out more in class, and exhibited more "class clown" behavior. As future educators, it is our role to discourage aggressive behavior, and to look for possible learning disabilities. My question is how do you distinguish between boys being boys and legitimate impulse control issues. For a long time there was a push toward treating boys and girls equally, and recognizing that gender is a social construct. But is there scientific evidence that there are differences between how boys and girls behave? I see the differences between my niece and nephew. My niece is completely content sitting down and asking questions, getting answers, playing with her dolls, and gets so excited when she gets to hold the baby. The first thing my nephew did when he realized I had a baby was come up and grab his hair and pull it. He can't sit still, and sometimes just runs around the house screaming for no reason.
This PBS article raises an important question, how do we distinguish between active and violent?

My First Entry

It wasn't too long ago that I would have labeled myself computer illiterate. When I got my first Mac, it opened up a whole new technological world to me. I really started to get into the different features of the computer, and taught myself how to use all the programs. I took a history through film class, and I had to make a 10 minute presentation using iMovie. This is when I really started to get into the different features of my Mac. Now I'm pretty adept at making movies and find that I really enjoy it. I have the opposite of technology anxiety. I get really excited about new technology. I'm pretty much connected to the internet constantly. I love my new Android phone, and I use it for everything. Coupons, grocery lists, games, I even downloaded an application that monitors my son's schedule, so I can tell you exactly when I changed his diaper last and whether it was a #1 or a #2. I honestly don't know how I survived all those years without WiFi and 3G.

I am entering the middle level credential program in the fall. I have observed in different educational settings, and have noticed how prominent technology has become in the classroom. I have a 17 year old stepson who is constantly on the internet. Sometimes the only time I get to talk to him is if I IM him on Facebook.

I hope to further my knowledge of technologies available to use in a classroom setting, so that I can keep the new digital "natives" engaged in the classroom. I know there are many tools out there and I need to know about them so that I can speak the language of my students. Already I use youtube as a tool to learn phrases in different languages so that I can broaden my horizons culturally, as well as my family's.