Week 8- Putting it all together-Journet

Now what?

I love how this chapter puts everything into perspective.  We have previously learned about development from conception to death.  While learning all about the theories I  have been able to reflect on my own life span development.  I really liked the fact that Fiore says that after we learned about the lifespan it should be the beginning of life for most of us.  We should take our lifespan knowledge and apply it to our life now.  After learning about lifespan I feel encouraged about life and my purpose.  I grew up feeling doubtful, ashamed, guilty and inferior.  Randy Pausch says "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." I have come to the positive realization that even though I was dealt a tough set of cards, this just means that I will have to be more strategic(work harder) than others. It doesn't mean we have to settle or fold. I spent most of my youth confused and perhaps just reacting to life as opposed to initiating life plans. It has been very exhausting trying to prove myself to people. I have chosen to just be me and pursue my life goals even if it is not the easiest path.

In lifespan development we are all stakeholders.  We all matter and it affects us all.  Finding out who we are and what we want in life is very liberating.  I am at a point in my life where I know exactly what I want to do.  I learned that there are many jobs related to the field of lifespan development.  I plan on becoming a teacher and I know that everything that I have learned in this class is very beneficial to my future profession.  I will earn my degree in Special Education and middle school math.  I am surrounded by very positive people and some of them may not know it but they are like mentors to me.  I learn so much from them. One of my mentors has recently reawakened my love of technology.  Even though she has no clue that she is my mentor, she has taught me so much about being a teacher and about efficiently incorporating technology in the classroom.  You see my first major was in Computer Information Systems. I did take many classes and even earned a basic certificate in CIS.  Later on in life I switched my major to Education.  At first I thought that I had wasted time and money with the CIS classes.  Now I realize that taking those computer and technology classes was not a waste at all.  Steve Jobs said in his commencement speech at Stanford that we cannot connect the dots looking forward.  We can only connect the dots looking backwards,  He told us about when he dropped out of college he took a calligraphy class because he thought it was interesting.  At that point he didn't know that learning about these different types of typography would be very useful at a later point in his life.  Eventually, he created the mac and incorporated all the wonderful typography that he learned about earlier in life.  In listening to his speech I realized that even though I switched majors I would still be able to combine both my love of technology and my passion of teaching into one.       

Emotional Compensation

Financial Compensation

            VS.              
                         
                                       






In this chapter of Lifesmart we learn about choosing careers based on the financial compensation versus the emotional compensation.  This was my dilemma when I first chose Computer Information Science as a major, I was mainly thinking about the money I could make. When I switched my major to education I realized that I want to make a difference instead of making a lot of money.  When I become a teacher I plan to encourage my students.  I hope to teach them that no matter where you come from you can still achieve your dreams.  I can only teach them this if I become a teacher my self.  I had a tough upbringing and a tough life but it is that experience that I will use to encourage my students to set goals and follow their dreams.  As a teacher it is my duty to be a positive role model for others. Being a minority woman I may be able to reach students that normally do not have role models that resemble them.  Working as paraprofessional I have been able to push students in certain subjects.  I find it emotionally rewarding when I see a student understand something new and apply it right away.  It is also fascinating to see kids faces light up when I tell them that I grew up in the "hood".  They approach me in a different way.  Finding different ways to connect with students whether it is a common interest like a sport, television series, my past experiences, or even having a common dislike like the taste of liver is key in gaining their respect and makes it easier to approach them when they are having a hard time.

I know being a teacher will not be easy.  I have worked in the education field for 8 years now and it has not deterred me from changing my mind.  I'm fortunate to work in a very diverse school where the teachers are very diverse with different backgrounds. I have learned so much from them. I have seen the hard work that goes into it and the challenges that teachers face.  I feel that I am going into this lifespan profession for all of the right reasons and that will make me a great teacher.  Recent research indicates that the impact of strong teachers does indeed last a lifetime(Leonhardt,2010-Fiore 2011) I had strong teachers who encouraged me growing up and now as an adult I have teachers who continue to encourage me here at Trinity. I also have friends and colleagues that are teachers.  I hope to be a  positive influence to my own children and future students.  Once I become a teacher, I will set new academic goals for myself because as we learned in Lifespan development we are always learning and developing in different ways no matter what stage of life we are in.

Week7- Late Adulthood/Death and Spirituality-Journet

    

     In Chapter 11 Late Adulthood, we learn about the key aspects of physical development among the elderly.   The biological changes are easier to identify.  The graying of the hair which by the way I have had gray hairs since my mid twenties.  Thickening of nails and the eye sight starts be affected. Wrinkles in the skin and yellow teeth are noticeable.  The skin also starts looking very different.  Reaction time starts to slow down as people. People in late adulthood start experiencing hearing loss and their bones start becoming brittle.  In this age the effects of disease is more noticeable.  diseases such as heart disease, cancer and stroke are usually embedded in this stage of life.   The way a person reacts to stress is different as we age.  Stress can have a more detrimental affect on the elderly than it does on someone who is in early or middle age.  Many people live with pain and maybe taking many types of medications to regulate their health.  Some become dependent on these medications and or may start using alcohol to deal with depression.  

      Both of my parents are in this stage in life.  My mom is 73 years old and lives pain free.  Thank God.  She does however take different types of medication that help regulate her body.  She has made many healthy changes in the way she eats that the doctor has removed three medications from her list.  She drinks one homemade green juice daily.  We buy her groceries and limit he sugar and fat intake.  Because she has been doing so well she was taken off of her cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure medication.  She was never fully diagnosed with diabetes but was placed on metmorfine to help her slightly irregular sugar levels.  Diet has helped tremendously,  She doesn't go out alone because of fear of falling or getting hurt.  She makes simple meals and prepares coffee but no longer make huge meals that involve the stove.  She has been overweight most of her life and isnt very active. She is however very social with the tenants in her senior building and often calls family and friends.  My dad on the other hand has always been fit and ran marathons.  He still suns 5ks and walks alot.  Him and his wife do have a food business in Mexico and are constantly on the go.  He is 72 years old and has not been diagnosed with any major illnesses either.  He is very active and has recently started taking medication for arthritis.  Actually was helping take care of his dad who recently (3months ago) died at the age of 96.   

       

         I believe that the elderly are very important to society.  They are full of wisdom and knowledge.  They can be instrumental in the family.  I didnt have the pleasure of growing up knowing any of my grandparents.  However, i make sure that my kids visit with their grandparents very often.  

      In chapter 12 Death and Dying we learn about the role of death and that there are 4 types of death.

      Their is the clinical death, brain death, biological death and social death.   Death usually happens at the end of late adult hood,  It was not always the case.  Before we had these medical advancements and certain medications.  Death would affect all age groups.  It was common to see children dying of diesase.  Now that we have medications and all of these medical advancements the death rate has gone down.  Children do not die as often here in the U.S. 

  

       When people die the survivors go through a process of grief.  it is important that people find closure following the death of a loved one.  In this chapter we learn that there are different types of grieving.  Delayed grief is when the process of grieving doesn't happen right away.  Later on however something may trigger the grieving process for that person a week, month or years later.  When I was 11 years old my brother Bobby committed suicide when he was only 17 years old.  I don't remember understanding the severity of his death right away.  It took about a few months later for me to realize that he was gone for ever and that I would never see him again.  I remember crying uncontrollably and writing him a letter.

      In distorted grief a person may experience symptoms that the deceased had prior to dying.  If a person died of lung cancer and cough a lot.  The surviving son may experience uncontrollable coughing and ask the doctor to examine him for lung cancer. Complicated grief can last a long time and can trigger an onset of an illness that may result in death.  This is common in widowers.

    

        The chapter touched on death with dignity.  It is becoming harder to see the lines between normal death and suicide with the medically assisted deaths going on.  Isn't it the same if someone chooses not to be resuscitated if they stop breathing or their heart stops beating.  I believe people should have a choice. I am a Christian woman and I know that by saying this I wont always have the popularity vote.  Its kind of when we take our pets to the doctor and they are living with pain.  We sometimes choose to have them put to sleep(death) so they may no longer suffer.  I believe people that are terminally ill should also have the same choice why go through the whole process of pain and suffering and putting our family members through it as well. Just as we saw on the film with Becki Hawkins some people are ready to transition and live pain free.  They choose to not be resuscitated.  I understand that this is totally different than lethally injecting oneself knowing that the only outcome is death.  I feel people should have the choice if they know that they are terminally ill.  Their quality of life should matter and not just the quantity of life.      What changed my opinion on this issue was watching 29 year old Brittany Maynard fighting for her life and death with dignity. Here is a link if you are interested in learning more about her.

     Death with Dignity

     Changing topics, I found it very interested that the top regret that people had right before dying was not pursuing their education.  I guess I'm on a good path so that this will not be one of my deathbed regrets.  I believe that when we face death we don't worry about nonsense as much.  A lot of what we consider important becomes trivial.  Spending time with loved ones is valuable.  Creating good and fun memories even those that may bend the rules seem more significant.  I guess if we all lived as if we were facing death we would make different more meaningful choices in life.  Kind of like what like Rancy Pausch is trying to teach us in "The Last Lecture."

    

    

      

      

Week6-Early&Middle Adult-Journet

   

       Chapter 9 is all about early adulthood.  It is very hard to tell in the U.S. when someone has transitioned from adolescence to early adulthood because it is not to clear.  In other countries young people are initiated perhaps in a ritual of some kind but in U.S we have many rites of passages into adulthood..  There are religious types like bar/bat mitzvah or confirmation in the Catholic religion.  Some physical rites of passage are menarche, wet dreams for males, first sexual encounter or beginning to shave.(208) Social rites include a quinceanera or sweet sixteen, getting married or becoming a parent. In college, the young men and women are initiated in a fraternity or sorority through hazing which can be dangerous.  Other forms of initiation in the U.S. can come in the form of a gang initiation. 

   

            For me personally, my rites into adulthood included getting a job, graduating form highschool, marriage, becoming a parent , along with the physical rites into adulthood.

      Young adults are considered to be in peak physical condition.  They have reached their maximum height hopefully their weight if the stay fit.  Their muscle structure is at the greatest potential.  Tinking back to this point of my life, I did not care about my nutritional needs and I ate what ever I wanted.  I was also a young mom so I didn't focus on any exercise for health benefits.  I appeared healthy and at a good weight range prior to 27.  

    

          Young adults between the ages of 18-25 are most likely to binge drink than any other life span group. Also, smoking seemed to be cool and gave young individuals a sense of being grown up.  Young adults are most likely to face things like sexual harassment, date rape and the book says that 1in 4 women are victims of rape in college.  This is very alarming to me.  I never experienced the whole college dorm thing but i have seen it on the news or from friends.  It does concern me because I have 3 children who I have encouraged to attend college and this tells me that i have to really talk to them about things to look out for in highschool and in college.  
    
           Growing up i had a hard time with gender roles and accepting them as a part of me.  My dad would expect my sister and I to clean his apartment when we visited and he would take my brother to work on construction.  I rebelled and said that i would not lift a finger if my brother was not expected to do house chores. As a young adult in my own marriage I had a hard time with this because I could not understand why women still took on the extra house chores if both the husband and the wife worked full time jobs.  
      Because of this in my home we all do our share of house chores.  My husband, my self and my 3 children regardless of gender will take on different house responsibilities.  We try to stay away from gender roles in my home.

     One thing that really caught my attention was when I read the following "Some researchers suggest that mothers influence the developments of their daughters' gender role attitudes in early life, whereas daughters may influence the development of their Mothers' gender role attitudes as they both mature."(Balsam & Fischer,2006)
     I believe this 100 percent.  My daughters have influenced me and my perspective on gender roles as we continue to mature. 

    I also enjoyed reading about Levinson's concept of Individuation and the novice phase into adulthood.  I do feel that I have chosen certain people in my life to serve as mentors for me.  Some of them are aware that they are like mentors to me.  Some are not aware that I consider them as mentors in my life.  In my arsenal of mentors I have older and wiser friends and professionals that I admire and I also have younger friends/professionals in the group as well because they remind me not to take life too seriously.  I am also at the age where I am considered a mentor to others as well.
  
   

          In chapter 10 we learn that middle adulthood in many countries an individual is considered to be in their "prime of life" or in "full bloom."  The book quotes a tshirt that says " aged to perfection."  I agree with this because I have just entered this period and I do feel "aged to perfection."  I have made many changes in my life such as healthy eating and exercise because I am aware of the benefits.  
   
           Erikson's Theory of Generativity Vs.Stagnation covers the ages of 25-65 years old.  Generativity is when an individual is productive and a contributing member to society.  On the other hand you may have an individual that is stagnant who has become bored , self absorbed and is not contributing anything to society.  It says that those individual who reach Generativity are more likely to achieve integrity in the last stage of life instead of despair.  

     In middle adulthood many people really think about their lives and the things they have achieved or not achieved.  Many make changes at this point.  Some changes include divorce, career change, health changes among other things.  For individuals it can be very stressful especially if they are sandwiched between caring for an aging parent and caring for their children.  The book refers to it as Sandwich Generation which I am currently in.  It is very stressful.  Being married and caring for an elderly mom,children, and attending to my own school in addition to working full time and trying make some time for myself.  It is important to have a support system in order to not become overwhelmed with the demands of everyday life.

      

     

Week5-Adolescence-Journet

1              In Chapter 8 we learn about the adolescence which is usually marked by the onset of puberty.  In girls, menstruation marks the start of Adolescence.  In boys the first ejaculation usually signifies adolescence.  Although the ages can be different for everyone, the average age when in which these major transitions happen for girls is 11 years old and boys is 12 years old.  Major physical changes in girls are broader hips and boys develop broader shoulders.( Fiore2011)  What I found very confusing was that in the late 1700's and early 1800's the average age that girls first began menstruating was 17 years old.  I wondered what external factors could be contributed to this.  Could it be that back in the period food was more organic and less processed.  Their may have been less exposure to pollution.  The chapter also talked about the correlation between obesity and an earlier age of menarche.

   

               Parents are usually razzed about watching out for when their kids become teens because of attitudes and emotional behaviors.  My 3 children currently fall within the age range of adolescence.  I have an 11 year old daughter, 13 year old son, and my oldest daughter is 15.  I do notice their preoccupation with image and better self care with respects to hygiene.  They are all involved in sports.  As a parents I was a bit relieved to see that teens involved in sports are less likely to get involved in risk taking behaviors and also less likely to be sexually active.  Of course there are other factors that increase the chances of an adolescent doing risk taking behaviors.  Statistics show that factors like uninvolved parents and teens that come from a low socioeconomic household are most likely to become involved in drugs, alcoholism and sex.  

    

                Teens go through so many transitions and it is a time that is very critical to finding their identity.   I really enjoyed reading James Marcia's Identity Statuses.  He states that there are 4 Identity Statuses that determine where someone is in regards to attaining mature identity which involves crisis and commitment.  I strongly agree with his ideas on Identity Statuses.

               * Identity Confusion: No crisis has been experienced and no commitments have been made.

               * Identity foreclosure: No crisis has been experienced but commitments have been made,                       usually forced on the person by the parent or society.

               *Identity Moratorium: A number of crises have been experienced, but no commitments are                     made.

.                * Identity Achievement: Numerous crises have been experienced and resolved.  Permanent 

             commitments have been made.: (Fiore 2011)                       

          Piaget describes this period as the Formal operational stage (11 years or higher) where thinking is more abstractly, logical reasoning takes place along with hypothetical thinking and the combination of groups of concrete operations are happening as well.  

        

Week4-Early & Middle Childhood-Journet

  Chapter 6 talks about the "Magical Years" of early childhood.  Kids ages 2 to 6 are perfecting gross motor skills such as running,stairs,jumping,hopping, skipping, pedaling, balancing, carrying bundles, rope jumping and much more.  During these activities they are using the larger muscles of their bodies.  They are also developing other skills using small muscles which is know as their fine motor skills.  These involve throwing, kicking a ball, scribbling, turning pages, holding a pencil, dressing, eating neater, using scissors, shoe tieing and using eating utensils among other skills.  Lateralization is being established and a child begins to exhibit a preference for either the left or the right hand.  I found it very interesting that a child's body size not only is influenced by their genes but by their socioeconomic status.  They attribute this to nutrition, sleep and recreation.  Those with limited resources may not be well nourished leading to a smaller body size.  

This year I am blessed to work with preschoolers in a blended pre-k program and it is remarkable to see such eager little faces that are excited about learning.  For most of the students it is their first schooling experience.  They are learning so much like walking up and down the stairs.  The range of developed or undeveloped skills between them is very broad.  For instance we have students that may already know how to write their name and on the other hand we might have a child that has never held a pencil before.  While I was reading this chapter I was really able to make many connections.  

At this age they are in Piaget's preoperational period at this stage the explore and learn about their environment through play.  We learned about the different types of early childhood programs like Montessori, Reggio Emilia Schools and the Head Start Program.  Most of the programs have similarities in the way that they were designed.  They focus on the importance of learning through play.  They are set up with different centers that have block play, art, sand/water, dramatic play etc. Through play children are developing cognitively, socially and emotionally.

In Chapter 7 we learn about the middle Childhood where kids are ages of 5-12.  By the age of 8 or 9 the brain size has grown to its full size.  There are many synapses going on as they become better at problem solving, their memory improves, more attentive,  and they develop better judgement.   They are very energetic and have fine tuned the gross and motor skills.  Since the body is preparing for the growth spurt of adolescents in this chapter it is recommended that parents establish healthy eating patterns which will decrease the risk of obesity and diseases related to obesity.  During this age some kids may face other challenges such as being diagnosed with a learning disability.  

Piaget's concrete operational stage talks about cognitive achievements in this age group. In conservation children understand that two the amount of water stays the same even if it is poured in a taller glass.  They also can group objects in diferent categories.  In seriation kids can group objects based on length or weight.

I really liked Gardner's Multiple intelligence and that is why I attached Albert Eintein's Fish quote.  I believe we all have different types of intelligence and we cannot measure each other based on one intelligence.   I took a survey earlier this year and to see what type of intelligence I have.  It was a close tie between interpersonal and spatial intelligence.  People with interpersonal Intelligence become teachers, therapist, actors. As it turns out im currently studying to be a teacher.

In this chapter Moral Development was introduced in this chapter.  Piaget says that before the age of 4, children are not worried about morals.  After age 4 kids start making decisions based on right or wrong.  Between the ages of 7-11 kids realize that because rules were made by people they can be changed.

I loved learning about Resilient Children,  Three things they have in common are that they are considered to have good temperaments in turn people are nicer or positive towards them.  They also have special interest or talents.  The third thing they have in common is that they have sufficient intelligence to to acquire good problem solving skills. Resilient children have rough lives or may have gone through crises but the manage to come out and continue developing in a healthy manner despite the trauma they have been through,  I believe that I fall under this category of a resilient child/adult.  I believe that my faith in God and in good people has attributed to my resilience.

Week3-Conception through Infancy-Journet

While reading the three chapters about conception through infancy, I thought I was an expert because I already have three children of my own.  There was a lot of material that I did find very interesting.  Although I have read most of this before and have personally experienced it, I realized that it is not an easy process to go from conception through through infancy.  I personally had no complications with pregnancy or births and I'm blessed to have had three healthy children.  So my perception of the whole thing is that it was easy.  In reading the first chapter, I was surprised that a male ejaculation produces about 100 to 250 billion sperm but only about 200 make it up the Fallopian tubes(FioreChapter1).  The conditions must be perfect for fertilization.  Many fertilized eggs may self terminate if things are not right..  Environmental factors also play a roll in the prenatal period.  Assuming that everything goes well during pregnancy the mom will start the labor and delivery.

         We read in chapter 4 about the process of birth.  Once again thinking back to my personal experiences,   My labor and deliveries were rather simple and epidural free.  Within 3-4 hours of arriving at the hospital I delivered 3 healthy babies separately.  The book explains about the complications that may occur during labor and delivery such as a baby in breech position or the umbilical cord wrapped around the babies neck.  Complications may also also affect the mom such as fever or infections.  A women at risk of complications make deliver her baby through cesarean section to minimize any danger to her baby or herself.  Every new parents wish is that there baby is born healthy.  Unfortunately, genes and environmental factor may cause a baby to be born with a disorder such as spinabifida or downs syndrome just to name a few.  Some disorders  maybe evident at birth and some may not be evident until past infancy stage like autism or develop much later into adulthood.  After delivery many woman are affected by postpartum blues and some are hit a little heavier with postpartum depression.  It takes a lot of adjusting to a new baby and also a woman's body is still going through a lot of changes.

         In Chapter 5 we learn about the Infancy Stage which is from birth to age 2.  It talks about how babies are born with natural reflexes such as sucking which is crucial for eating and survival.  Infants are measured using milestones to make sure the are growing healthy.  Some of these milestones include lifting their heads, rolling over and crawling.  They explain the process of language acquisition and Vygotskys 3 stage of language development.  I have witnessed many infants and toddlers in these stages.  In cognitive development we read about Piagets sensorimotor stage and   Information processing in infancy. I was very interested to read about attachment and the challenges of attachment during infancy.  It talks about how important it is for an infant to form a secure and warm attachment with mom.  It made me think back to when I was about 2 years old, although I don't remember, my mom told me about when she sent my brother and I to Mexico.  She was a single mom who just found a job and wanted to earn money to rent an apartment for us three.  She sent us to Mexico where we were cared for by our aunts.  We were there 4 months.  My aunts later told me that I cried a lot.  My mom told us about our return to Chicago and our new apartment.  I believe I had just turned.  My mom was so excited to be reunited with us.  We were home and she remembers my brother crying and telling her that he wanted his mom.  It broke her heart to hear that.  I'm sure it affected us in some way.  Two youngsters leaving their mom and having to depend on strangers in Mexico.  I'm sure we established a bond and then we were sent back to Chicago to go through it all over again.  

         

 

Week 2 / Theories Of Development /Journet

      

   In Chapter 2 we are introduced to the many theories of development.  One theory that is considered to be the foundation  of many other theories is Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory.  This theory has five stages of development and they are based on wants or needs.  Each stage is named after a pleasure center and is assigned to an age range.(Life Smart 30)

1.             The Oral Stage(0 to 1.5 years) goal to obtain a certain amount of sucking, eating and biting
2.             The Anal Stage (1.5 to 3 years) goal to successfully potty train
3.             The Phallic Stage (3 to 5 years ) goal to develop healthy sexual interest
4.             The Latency Stage (5 to 12 years) goal to develop physical, intellectual and social skills              while sexual desire is dormant 
5.             The Genital Stage (12 years and older) Surge of sexual hormones occur.  People look to               establish relationships outside of their immediate family

       This theory is based on wants or needs and if they aren't met aspects of the individual remain in that stage preventing him or her from fully maturing. This theory may lose popularity among some people because it focuses on the sexual instinct of people and it stops at the age of 12.  It implies that people 12 through 99 remain at the Genital Stage.

    

     In my opinion I like the way Erik Erikson Psychosocial Theory is set up.  It has 8 stages that go beyond age 12.  This implies that development continues even at a later age.  This Theory focuses on the impact of social experiences.  Each stage is marked by a life crisis that must be resolved in order to move on. (Life Smart 32).

   

                                            Age                 Stage                       Psychosocial Crisis

1.              0-2                  Infancy                    Basic Trust Vs. Mistrust
2.               2-3                 Early childhood       Autonomy Vs. Shame & Doubt
3.               3-5                 Childhood                Initiative Vs. Guilt
4.               5-12               Middle Childhood        Industry Vs.Inferiority
5.               12-18             Adolescence             Identity Vs. Identity Confusion
6.                18-25            Young Adult            Intimacy Vs. Isolation
7.                 25-65            Middle Age             Generativity Vs. Stagnation
8.                65 +              Old Age                  Integrity Vs. Despair       

I can relate to this theory a little better.  I wonder can someone be older in life say 40 years old and still be in Psychosocial Crisis of Identity Vs. Identity Confusion (12-18)  or Intimacy Vs. Isolation (18-25).  In my opinion some may take longer than others to get through a  specific life crisis.

    

    I also enjoyed reading and strongly agree with Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.  There are 5 stages of needs being met and utilized.  I'm hoping the percentage is greater than 2 percent when it comes to the individuals that reach the Self Actualization Stage.  I have seen individuals that get stuck in the first stage where life consists of meeting their most basic of needs like food and shelter. I wonder if it is possible to go though this hierarchy of needs while being able to skip a need like Love.  Can you meet basic needs, feel safe,  not be in love or really connected to some one yet feel good about yourself and reach the point of Self actualization.  Does Love include self Love?  I'm just thinking out loud.  I feel that I may be in the 3rd or 4th stage of this pyramid and hope to reach the point of Self Actualization in my lifetime.