03.26.06
Posted in General at 11:34 pm by Sarah
(This is an extra credit paper I wrote for my Ed Psych class 
)
On Friday, Deborah Leong, a professor at the Metro State College of Denver, spoke on Vygotsky and Educational Psychology. I wasn’t there the entire time, but because her seminar was very practical, I learned a lot. I found it very interesting that children have trouble learning if they do not have self-regulation. I had never thought about how important it is that children engage in proper behaviors, even from a very young age. Professor Leong brought up the fact that so many daycare centers encourage wild behavior by allowing the children to run around instead of keeping them controlled. This made me realize how critical it is to teach correct behaviors; it can affect them for the rest of their lives. It is proven that children who do not have self-regulation are less likely to succeed throughout life.
According to Vygotsky, the best way for children to gain self-regulation is through imaginative play. Professor Leong brought up a huge problem that we are facing today in the development of children: the toys that are being sold in stores are so specific that children have no room for imagination. Thinking back to my own childhood, I remember playing all kinds of make-believe games with my sister; we used to make covered wagons out of patio chairs and houses out of couch cushions.
Walking through Walmart yesterday, I was noticing all the fancy toys children have to play with today, and I see it as a huge problem. My friend said, “Wow! Look at all these cool toys kids have to play with now!†If I had not been to the seminar on Friday, I would have thought the same thing. The extravagant, detailed toys look really nice if you don’t know anything about the development of children, but when a little girl has a fancy bed, stroller, and playpen bought from a store to play with, she has no room to be creative and make her own things from around the house for her doll. Children today are just responding to the toys rather than using their imaginations, and as a result, it is a lot harder for them to gain self-regulation. My fear is that the intelligence levels of the next generations are going to go down as a result.
I have now become more aware about the development of children and how important it is for them to use their imaginations. I am interested to research more before I teach children so I will know the best ways to help them learn. This seminar has caused me to think about how I can make sure that children in my classes (and my own children someday) are learning to the fullest of their abilities.
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03.22.06
Posted in General at 2:02 pm by Sarah
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
~Colossians 3:1-8
«Vous avez été ramenés de la mort à la vie avec le Christ. Alors, recherchez les choses qui sont au ciel, là où le Christ siège à la droite de Dieu. Préoccupez-vous de ce qui est là -haut et non de ce qui est sur la terre. Car vous êtes morts, et votre vie est cachée avec le Christ en Dieu. Votre véritable vie, c’est le Christ, et quand il paraîtra, alors vous paraîtrez aussi avec lui en participant à sa gloire.
Faites donc mourir tout ce qui est terrestre en vous: l’immoralité, l’impureté, les passions, les mauvais désirs et l’avarice (car l’avarice, c’est de l’idolâtrie). Ce sont de telles fautes qui attirent la colère de Dieu sur ceux qui s’opposent à lui. Voilà comment vous vous conduisiez autrefois quand votre vie était dominée par ces péchés. Mais maintenant, rejetez tout cela: la colère, l’irritation et la méchanceté. Qu’aucune insulte ou parole grossière ne sorte de votre bouche.»
~Colossiens 3:1-8
Our March monthly challenge for Bible study is to memorize all of Colossians 3. I’ve only gotten through the first 8 verses…but I’m working on it. Lately I’ve been reading my French Bible along with what I read in English, and it’s so cool that I still remember so much! Sometime if I’m up for the challenge, I might try memorizing Colossiens 3 en français aussi! 
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03.17.06
Posted in General at 2:34 pm by Sarah
After this semester, I will be halfway through college! That’s hard to believe. Lately I have been realizing just how much I love working with kids. This year I have had the privilege of being a leader in the children’s group at my church. This semester, I have used my music skills to put the weekly memory verses to song that we sing each week with my piano accompaniment! It’s so much fun to hear all ten little voices singing along while I play the piano! I’ve realized that I view music as more of a “fun” thing rather than serious. I’d much rather play (both violin and piano) for fun, and I definitely want to have fun music as a part of my classroom someday. I used to think that I wanted to be a music teacher, but now I’m getting so excited just to teach children, and I want to be a normal schoolteacher, probably kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, or 3rd grade. They’re my favorites.
This summer, I’m going to be leading a music camp at Maranatha Christian Center, and I’m so excited! I’ve been thinking about all the fun things I’m going to do with music! One thing I want to do is have a verse of the day and put it to song, just like I do for Kool Kids Klub. This will be a great opportunity for me to learn how to have fun with music and maybe ways that I can bring it into my classroom someday.
I’ve also been thinking lately that I might want to go back to MCC and teach once I graduate. Here are the advantages I see in teaching at a private school rather than a public school:
1. The main reason I would rather teach at a private school is because I want to teach children the TRUTH. The most important thing is to teach children about Jesus Christ so that they might accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Teaching at a public school is a ministry in itself being surrounded with people who need the Lord, but I think I would get frustrated because I would not be able to teach them about what really matters in life. If God does call me to the public schools, I will follow His calling, but right now I am feeling led to teach at a private school, specifically Maranatha.
2. My second reason for teaching at a private school rather than a public school is because of Halloween. Now, I know this may seem insignificant, but I have always been convicted not to celebrate Halloween. I don’t know for a fact, but I’m pretty sure that they would want me to dress up and lead the class in a Halloween party. I believe that my faith comes before my job, whatever it may be, and I would probably lose my job over it. Again, if God lead me to teach at a public school, I know He will provide a way for me to get around this problem.
3. Reason three kind of goes along with reason one. I do want to have music in my classroom, even though the kids will have music class. I would like to have a daily singing time in my classroom, and what better songs to sing than praises to our Lord? Yes, I could sing “The Farmer in the Dell” and “B-I-N-G-O” with my students, but those are just fun songs. I would much rather teach them songs about Jesus to help them learn the truths of the Bible.
4. I know that not everyone who goes to a private, Christian school is a Christian. After all, I went to a private, Christian school for 13 years! By being there, you do not avoid filthy language or bad sins, but at least that behavior would be punished. I don’t know how well I would do with just ignoring bad language, especially coming from a small child. It’s so sad to me how some children speak. At least at a Christian school I would be able to correct the children and teach them the correct way to live.
Well, those are all my thoughts for now.
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