Virtus: Child abuse

Sister Harriet was able to come to our class last week to explain what child abuse and sexual abuse was and what are the warning signs. I thought that it was very insightful and I learned a lot of important information that will help me now and in the future. We watched two short videos on child sexual abuse and it included viewpoints from victims and the perpetrators. It was very disturbing to listen to how the registered sex offenders lured children in and chose their victims. It also seemed as though they had no remorse and one even said that he would do it again if he could. It deeply saddened me to listen to the victims talk about what they had to go through. Many of them said that they felt trapped and felt like not even their parents would believed them. The sex offenders said that they would manipulate the children into believing that they were at fault or that they chose to do it. The video also described ways of spotting a pedophile or abuser. Some signs include noticing if an adult always want to hang out or be around a child or shows an interest in childlike activities. Also, if they seem very touchy with a child or gives them gifts. All of these signs should raise a red flag and you should contact child services immediately to remain anonymous.

Recently, Penn State University has been going through the biggest scandals in PSU history. Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach, was accused of 42 counts of molestation with young boys. All dating from 1994 until about 2009. Sandusky founded The Second Mile in 1977 and was a charity developed to help troubled young boys. Recently, multiple victims had come forward saying that he had molested them in the locker room showered. However, the legendary coach, Joe Paterno, allegedly knew what was going on and told administration. Unfortunately, nothing ever went through and the event never was looked into. After the victims came forward, Penn State is under a lot of heat from the media for not doing anything about this event. Joe Pateno was fired for not following up and bringing this situation further and Sanduskey was fired as well. It is still an ongoing case.

Overall, I think that learning about child abuse and sexual abuse signs are very important for us to learn because we might be able to prevent it from happening or putting a stop to it. I think the Penn State scandal is the perfect example of how not to handle the situation. They had a chance to stop what was going on and they turned their shoulder. I think that this should teach everyone a valid lesson about child sexual abuse and to take the signs seriously.          

   

St. Mary's Lab 1

My second time at St. Mary's defiantly felt a lot more comfortable then the first time. I found myself learning some names and even some of the kids could remember my name. I also felt like the kids were getting more comfortable with of us being there. They seemed excited to play the games and get involved with whatever activity we were playing. I thought the TA's did a really nice job with teaching the kids fun tag games and playing with the parachute. However, one thing I observed was that the kids seemed very rowdy and weren't always listening. But the TA's adapted very well to how the children were acting and didn't get discouraged. One thing I noticed was that the kids were all involved, whether it be in games, jump roping, hula hooping, playing with doll houses, or team sports. I noticed that the older kids played a lot of organized sports like soccer, handball and football. The younger kids played tag, house, hula hoop and jump roping. I thought that their skills varied but I they all seemed above average. Overall, my second time at St. Mary's was very exciting and seeing the TA's teach really got me excited to teach in two weeks! 

                     Lab 1 Write-Up

Why PE activity impacts affective growth

Physical education is extremely important for children to become familiar with because not only does it teach them fitness and skills it also teaches them how to interact with their peers. However it also helps children with learning to move and learning through movement. Both are extremely important for kids to learn. Learning-to-move is all about acquiring increased movement skills and "enhancing physical fitness through increased physical activity." Learning-through-movement is showing how physical education can positively influence both cognitive and affective development of children. Learning to move and learning through movements overall goal is to make the student physically educated. A physically educated person is defined as physically fit, the person has learned skills that can be preformed through physical activity, the person has a healthy lifestyle and they understand the benefits of physical activity. All of these guidelines help with developmental physical education and also help with long-term goals. For example, it helps with movement skill acquisition, physical activity and fitness enhancement, cognitive learning and affective growth. Which brings me to my next point. Why does physical activity impact affective growth? Affective growth is defined as "increases the ability of children to act, interact, and react effectively with other people as well as with themselves." It is often referred to as the "social-emotional development" and is incredibly important for kids. Every child grows up in a different environment, social class, different family situations and cultures. It is important for children to know that whatever goal or dream they have can be achieved but they have to have a sense of self and affective growth. the way they interact and play really helps children discover who they are as an individual and how to interact with their peers. Affective learning can really help a child enhance their self-esteem and good socialization. This just shows why learning through physical education is so important for children because it teaches them everything from movement skills to affective growth. It is so important for the youth to understand how to be social and confident and live healthy lifestyles. Through physical education, all of this can be achieved!            

First day at St. Mary's!

On Wednesday we went to St. Marys for the first time. We got there and there were kids of all ages running around. It's a great environment, there is a large gym, a playroom for the Pre-K kids and a cafeteria for snack and other activities like Legos, games and coloring. I was able to play in the gym with the older kids first. I saw a group of girls sitting down on the bleachers so i wanted to get them involved. I started having  hula-hooping contests and games and a bunch of girls started to join in and get involved! After hula-hooping I decided to play Simon says! There was a large group of girls and even a couple of boys joining in on the game! It was really awesome to see everyone getting active and having fun! Next I went to the Pre-K room and I played house, memory and even some art. I went to the cafeteria after that and colored with the older kids. Overall, my first experience was very exciting and enjoyable. I look forward to getting to know the children more and teaching them through physical education!  

First Blog!

This is my fist blog to activate my account! I am very excited to blog about my experience in the classroom and at St. Mary's. I have always read blogs and really enjoyed reading about peoples experiences or opinions on different subjects. So this blog is the perfect chance to blog about something that I am passionate about! My break was very relaxing! One highlight of my break was reading to my little sisters second grade class. They were so interested and enthusiastic and not to mention, they asked great questions! I also ran a lot because my goal is to run the Buffalo half marathon in May because it raises money for breast cancer research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Hospice Foundation of WNY, services at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Neurofibromatosis. Over break I tried to stay active and improve myself as a teacher and live a healthy lifestyle! All in all, I am very excited about this class and the hands on learning I will experience at St. Mary's!