MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY

Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.
Mark Twain

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.
Plato

Play was an integral part of my childhood.  I remember lots of time to play in my parents’ 1.5 acres of countryside.  The routine was, come home from school, change into your “play clothes” and go outside.  Homework was also very important, but we did that after dinner and before bedtime, so play was the thing that really sticks out in my mind.  It seemed as though we were always playing.  Back in my day there were three recesses during our school hours.  This was in addition to gym, and a very physical music class (this was in the first grade and above).  During my kindergarten years though, I remember walking to school, which was less than a quarter mile from my house.  These were times that I did a lot of imagining about rescues and adventures in the woods—there were lots of trees.

The role of play when I was younger was supported by my parents as probably just a way to get kids out of adult’s hair and to give them opportunities for exercise.  Given the information that I have learned about play’s importance to healthy development, I should be profoundly intelligent and filthy rich from all of the play experience I’ve had as a child.  Nevertheless, the role of play throughout my life has proven to be an indomitable source of strength from childhood into adulthood. Dramatic and Sociodramatic play have been found to be directly linked to better ability to take on the perspective of another, reduced aggression, better control of impulsive actions, and better emotional and social adjustment (Almon, 2002).  I understand now and believe adamantly that those of us who have learned how to preserve the art of play (I call it a playful or youthful spirit) can and have actually weathered life’s storms and challenges easier and more successfully.  If we are truly honest with ourselves, we ALL have the underlying basis for play—we just have different expressions of it as our years progress (2002).

Today, children hardly know what it means to play.  It seems as though the concepts of some closed-minded adults have been adopted by children as young as 8 and 9 years old—they feel as though play is for babies, and have not engaged in it since the age of 2 years old in daycare. Play today is the equivalent of a video game in front of the eyes of children from age 3 to 23.  Play has been replaced with structured athletic leagues and clubs, which have stripped the sheer creativity from the play experience. It is my hope that adults will recognize the imperative impact that creative free-style play, particularly dramatic and sociodramatic play, has on the total development and preparedness of a child throughout their entire life; and will incorporate and advocate for its proper implementation within the educational field.

Reference

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf

BrainyQuotes [Website]. Mark Twain – Play. Retrieved May 25, 2011 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/play.html

BrainyQuotes [Website]. Plato – Play. Retrieved May 25, 2011 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/play.html

Relationships Reflection

  Ministers, P. Lanette & T’challa Pinkard

I met Lanette back in 1996 when I started working for a major communication company.  We became fast-friends because of our passionate love for God.  Our sisterhood has grown even more after her marriage to her husband, T’challa.  Our families have tightly knitted themselves together throughout the years.  They have been constant sources of spiritual encouragement and emotional support for me.

My mother and son, Sallie & Zech

I lean heavily on my mother for guidance, encouragement, and support.  She knows me better than most and even myself at times.  She is an educator, child-care provider/foster parent, and the world’s greatest mom ever!

My son inspires me the most.  In him I see my value and worth—he needs me, therefore I cannot fail.  I am empowered when I see the seeds that I have planted begin to blossom in his behavior, language, and character—it is rewarding to see the fruit of my labor.  It is because of him that I embark upon my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies today!

 British Poet, John Donne once said, "No man is an island" (BrainyQuotes, 2011).  I used to say when I was young that I didn't need anyone, and that I wished I could just live in the world by myself.  My mother always responded that I could never do that, and that I would always need someone.  I think that in a general sense, we all need someone--the grocer needs the farmer, the entreprenuer needs the client, etc.

In a deeper sense, we all need relationships to confirm, validate, measure, regulate, and to recognize ourself.  My list of friendships, acquaintances, and associates has decreased a great deal from the time I was a teenager.  The purpose being that my relationships have helped me to define who I am; knowing my truest identity and fullest purpose in life allows me to fine tune the relationships that now continue to guide my journey and govern my existence.

The above stated relationships are positive factors that contribute encouragement and direction to my life's journey.  The one keeps my spiritual and emotional state of being entact, while the other keeps me focused on the meaning of and purpose for which I live.

The best thing about these relationships that I have shared is that in some way I am able to reciprocate something positive and rewarding to those that give to me.  I may not give them exactly what they give to me, but they are none the less refreshed by what THEY find to be relationally rewarding to them from our partnership.

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 11:25 that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.  I am refreshed by my mother's guidance to raise children, she is refreshed by my empowerment to her to live her life to the fullest.  I am refreshed by my god-sister and her husband's constant encouragement to live an integriteous life, the are refreshed by my sincere love and appreciation of their spiritual endeavors.   I am refreshed by my son's trust in me to love and protect him, he is refreshed by my love and affirmation.

These are the types of relationships that drive me to the course in providing and demonstrating effective early childhood education to children and educators alike.  Every moment, a teachable moment.