The skills we acquire everyday play a substantial part in our personal and professional development. Sometimes it may be hard to comprehend but all experiences enrich us with knowledge and skills we can use later on. Through formal and informal learning I believe I posse’s skills that are very helpful and will place me in a path to help other individuals. It is my vision to never stop learning and become more efficient at what I do every day.
I grew up being poor to a certain extent. Although I always had food on the table I did not have all the privileges that are commonly associated with a bountiful childhood. Every summer my family would migrate to other states to pick crops. I first entered the work force at the age of nine. At that young age, my job consisted of walking behind the adults carrying a jug of water while they worked under the very hot Texas sun. At the age of 11, I joined the adults and also weeded the cotton fields just like them. When I was around thirteen years old, we migrated to Minnesota in the summer and worked the fields over there. The Minnesota days were longer and I remember working 12 hour days. The only advantage was that in Minnesota, it wasn’t as hot as it was in Texas. Working at an early age helped me build a strong character and believe in myself. It also taught me to give 100% in everything I do no matter what the task is. Because my father always told me I was a very talented person, I felt like I had the most important job in the world. This helped me become a secure and determined individual.
Maybe for someone that has not been through my experience, this will be difficult to understand. Growing up like that, I learned to be grateful for my parents and also value education. My parents never had an education and that is why they struggled in life. Although I never complained for helping them, I always knew I wanted something better for my children. Working for very little money at an early age made me realize the value of money. I was not the child that was spoiled with expensive toys, so I had to use my creativity.
Since my parents could never afford the big Barbie house, I would build my own houses out of twigs and anything I would find. The toys that I always had were pencil and paper. As a result of this, I spent many hours fantasizing and writing about different stories. I also became a good drawer. My skills are valuable when working with low income children because I can relate to their stories and understand. Maybe someday these skills will come in handy when I help a child .
Programs to aid poverty children in the USA
Project LAUNCH is a part of a grant that was implemented in the USA to serve families with children prenatally through age 8 and promote health, wellness, and positive child development by involving the family.
I was a community health worker for Project L.A.U.N.C.H (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). LAUNCH is a program that focuses on the development of the early childhood social and emotional health .As part of the program I was responsible for preparing and giving community presentations. This was done by presenting information to parents in their homes or at school to reflect health and wellness for families of children ages 0 to 8. The information presented was consistent and non-judgmental way that each participant’s level of understanding was taken into consideration. My responsibilities also included providing linkage of services to other agencies and co facilitating parenting classes. Most of these parents had a yearly income of $9,000 as a maximum. The poverty that you see in schools around that area is very sad and the children lack most resources that other schools take for granted. By educating the parents I was able to make them aware that there are programs out there to help their children. The problem was that most of these parents are illegal immigrants with children who were born in the United States and is hard for them to understand their children have rights. T he area that was targeted was the 79902 zip code commonly known as “segundo barrio” or second ward which was at some point the zip code with the lowest income median in the whole United States. The program’s goal is to increase the ratio of children who are sent to preschool and get them ready for that.
Thank you for sharing your experiences that have contributed to your determination and resilience. I too go to work feeling empowered by my experiences and ability to relate to the economically disadvantaged children that I serve. Having had similar experiences I enter the classroom each day thinking to myself, "I got this" I feel so invested in the children and families in my classroom, so passionate, and I think that comes from looking into their eyes and seeing myself. And really the most powerful gifts I have to share are those that were shared with me and I noticed with you too; time to explore, encouraging words, and an opportunity to learn. Scientists use the term culture to refer to the "patterns of behavior passed from one generation to the next that serve as the resources for the current life of a social group" (Berger, 2009, p. 14). We have the opportunity to insert our own take on classroom culture, helping children to feel confident and capable through our efforts to see every child realize their dreams.
ReplyDeleteBerger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Thank you for sharing your story. Your childhood seems to have brought you great self esteem and sense of self worth. It is important for children to understand the value of life early. It is my opnion that if children are instilled with hard work and understand that things in life do not come easy they will become hard workers and apprecite more in life. In todays society many children are given life wrapped in a box. They receive video games and bicycles and computers and lets not forget mp3 players without understanding the value of having to earn it. My daughter has a few chores around that has that have to be completed throughout the week and if she does not do them she does not get paid. If she does half she receives half her allowance. I do this to teach her not only the value of working and saving but that is how it will presented to her once she begins to work. Again Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Dina, Your childhood, although tough has given you the wisdom an integrity to realize how important family really is and to be thankful for everything we do have. It is wonderful that you have taken the struggles from your own childhood and used it to sympathize with children who are not as fortunate. I have no doubt that with your kind heart and beautiful character that you will make a wonderful teacher. I recently read about an organization who provides education for children living in poverty. Thank you for such a wonderful post, here is a link to their website if you would like to look at all of the accomplishments this organization has made in educating children living in poverty.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.planusa.org/content396752
Dina, I enjoyed reading about your personal experiences as a child of migrant farmers. I did not have to worry about never being hungry, but I did grow up in a household where I learned how to use a hoe and plant peas, beans, corn, squash, cabbage, okra and etc, I find that being self-reliant is something important we should teach our children. I look at a lot of children today that were not given experiences I was, because they have everything handed to them or its just easier for the parents to do it for them.
ReplyDelete