"My Connections to Play."

Quotes that I feel summarize what play represented for me in childhood.

“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.”
~ Leo Buscaglia (author, educator)

“Play is the highest form of research.”
 ~ Albert Einstein (scientist)

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~
Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)

“It is becoming increasingly clear through research on the brain, as well as in other areas of study, that childhood need play. Play acts as a forward feed mechanism into courageous, creative, rigorous thinking in adulthood.” ~
Tina Bruce (Professor, London Metropolitan University)

 Pictures of essential play items for my younger self.
                                   



Children playing a game of Cricket.

                                                



Running in the rice field

Swinging time in the fields.

How people supported play when I was younger and/or the role of play in my childhood.

When listening to the children talking about their electronic and technological toys that they play with, I feel that I was lucky to be in a developing country. I did not play with electronic or technological toys. I played with my sister, cousins and neighborhood children in the outdoors. Those were the days full of adventure and care free childhood. Looking at the children of today I feel sorry for them missing out on outdoor opportunities. Including my own, today’s children do not enjoy outdoors as I used to be at their age. I am still an outdoor person in my own way.  In the tropical island where I grew up, everyday was great temperature for out door expeditions. In the fields playing Cricket with boys or playing House with girls or going on an adventure through the rice fields with everyone; it was an everyday, after-homework event in my life.

I thank the adults of my younger days who believed in play. We had a curfew.  We used to check the shadow or surroundings to figure out the time, to return home. We knew well enough to not to break the curfew as the consequence was missing the fun the next day. At that time there was no fear of stranger danger. Everyone knew each other and everyone took care of each other’s children. “It takes a village to raise a child” (African proverb) was a practical matter in those days. The best hands-on learning of what we learned in school took place while we played. For me children learn through play was proven through my generation. It was not just hands on experience; it was life lessons and experiences as well.

My thoughts regarding the role of play throughout my life and the role of play throughout childhood and adulthood.

Looking back at my younger days, I truly believe that my parents and the adults in my life had expectations, dreams and hopes for their next generation but they were much more practical ones. They spent much more time with their next generation and tried their best to give them hands-on experiences on life. Technology was not advanced or easily accessible and that was a blessing in disguise for me. Raising children in the United States, I feel that my own children are missing on major life skills that gained through play. But at the same time when visiting back home I feel that my own nieces and nephews are missing on the same. For me the reason behind is the invasion of the technology that changed the world for better and for worst. With the world becoming a global village, east met the west through television; east fell in love with the ways of west without making any conscious decisions.

Today’s grown ups are adapting to the overwhelmingly busy lifestyles and spending money on materials without a conclusion. For me what matters the most for the children is not the presents, but the family being present for them. I do not believe that we have to go back to the Stone Age, but I wish there is a way for all of us to live life with “moderation” as the motto.

 Children having the opportunity to be outdoors with their families and friends ,and the schools having high expectations but still believing in the importance of age appropriate materials and value of play in young lives would be the best situations in my world. And most of all I believe that  we would be more compassionate towards each other than being competitive against each other. Technology has to be a tool to make life better but not the vehicle that take the humans away from precious human interactions.

My hope for the young with regards to play is giving them back what we have  taken away from them due to the over accelerated educational goals. Giving back the much needed love and care for the children of the global village and letting them grow up to be compassionate with each other with much more human interactions than the various machines that they have in their lives. Parents, educators, decision makers, policy makers and researchers working together and having a better understanding of what is age appropriate practice and why is it matter, and how to practice it through play and fun will be the way to go .             

Relationship Reflection

I believe that the relationships and partnerships are important to every living, breathing human being. We are social creatures and need to have human interactions. That is a part of us from the birth. We come to this world with a cry and goes on communicating till we loose our last breath. For me personally, the relationships are precious. Growing up, everyone thought that I can even talk to a wall if I am alone and I believe that I am still the same. I value human interactions. I am not a much of a technological person, I enjoy face time with people. Relationships can be family, professional and personal for me. Especially, as a person who is living in a place where there are no other blood-relatives around, I take my relationships in my neighborhood, community, school district and the work place seriously. All of these relationships are priceless to me.

       Several people with whom I currently have positive relationships and/or partnerships.....

I am going to look at my relationships and partnerships beyond my immediate family or extended family as they all are overseas. I am paying attention to my personal and professional relationships.

My friendships at work are positive relationships as well as partnerships. They are my family away from home. They are always there for me. It is a bond and a trust between us than a workplace relationship. We do not have much time to interact with each other everyday though we are under the same roof. But we all know in our hearts that we are there for each other. We all take a moment to check on each other during our lunch break everyday, as communication among us matters to all of us. This same rule goes for the families. I do my best to greet any family I meet in the hallways of the building. It does not matter whether they are from my classroom or a different classroom. Face to face communication, with all the families of the classroom is not possible as most of the children use the school buses. Still, a note, news letters, and mostly the phone calls are some of my ways to keep the relationships healthy.

 My friendship with few families that I met through my involvement with local school district is an important relationship as well. . We are working together for the benefit of the children of the district. They are always there for my family. The most important part in our relationships is the understanding of the diversity. Accepting the differences and seeing the uniqueness is most important to us. Even though we are working parents, we are always there for our children. The children also know that they can call any of the parents and they are going to be safe with them.

The ways in which each relationship is positive and factors that contributed to developing and maintaining each relationship...

At the work place, we keep open communication lines regarding life, work, children and much more. We have each others back. We remind each other about what is coming, what is due. We cover for each other in case of an emergency. It is the understanding of our strengths, weaknesses and positive interactions that is very important to us. Understanding diversity is an important factor at work as well since we are serving a diverse community and we have a diverse community at work as well. Trusting each other, keeping the priorities in order, understanding and valuing each other are contributing factor as well.   

    Insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that I have learned from my experience over time....

Personal biases are a huge challenge when it comes to developing and maintaining relationships. Especially, when it comes to a person from another culture, I have to admit that developing relationships are not always easy. But I do believe I am quick to get the clues regarding whether people are open minded or not and I do move on. Finding time is another barrier. As family, work and school take over my days, it is tough to find time. But most of my friends do understand the circumstances as these issues are very common in most of their lives as well. Keeping up with relationships are hard, sometimes it is better to give space and move on and let the other person watch from the side,. I always try to understand who I am comfortable with and then build the relationship from there on. My personal experiences give me the opportunity to understand the unwillingness or frustrations of the families that I work with. I try my best to get them comfortable with the program and the classroom first, as I know how I felt leaving my child at pre-school for the first time.   

Special characteristics of the relationships... 

  A special characteristic of all the partnerships that I have is a relationship of kindness and willingness to understand. I do look different and speak different but that does not say who I am. They put time and effort to understand who I am and what I stand for. They taught me plenty about the life in America. They have shown me again and again that they care about the well being of my family and me. This is a common factor in my personal and professional relationships.  

     My experiences with relationships/partnerships, including my ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact my work as an effective early childhood professional..

As I am working in a very diverse community, my own experiences have guided me in so many ways. One of those is the relationship building. I am pleased with the relationships that I have developed with the families that I work with.  I am not saying that it is easy, but it is less complicated when the basic understanding is already there. I do try to make parents understand that their knowledge of the child is important to the teachers and that their contribution to the program and to their child’s education is highly appreciated. Moreover, I try to get the families involved in decision making regarding their child’s education as well as the policies and standards of the program. I truly believe that family’s involvement in their child’s education has an impact on the child and the family. My involvement with my child’s pre-school education is the biggest reason behind me becoming an early childhood educator.