When I Think of Research...

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

 

I have gained a lot of insights about research from taking this course. Some of the things I have learned are: The Research Process & the steps to take in order to begin research, I can narrow down general research topics to related subtopics, I can identify and define specific terms and concepts regarding research, I can explore and share information about the early childhood field, and I can create a simulated research study online along with other things too!

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?  

Research to me was always "Very easy" and complex. Now I know there is a whole lot more to research then I ever realized. It's definitely complicated and not as easy as I thought it would be. There are many steps needed to be taken in order to research that I was never aware of before.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?  

I've learned that planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood is very time consuming. It is also a lot of information to take it and absorb. One of the main things that stood out to me in this course was the difficult definitions and terms that were difficult to understand. Understanding research and everything that comes with it is not as simple as I thought.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them? 

The biggest challenge for me was understanding a lot of what was said in the textbook and trying to understand and comprehend definitions to terms that were listed in the textbook. I did my best in reading the material and trying to make a list of definitions on index cards to memorize the definitions. This tended to help quite a bit.

 

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

Early childhood professionals do not have an easy job/career. There is a lot more to the early childhood field than we know before going into these types of courses. It's so important for teachers and professionals to stay up to par on things on in the field and one of the best ways to keep yourself updated is to research and read articles.

 

Research Around the World

I chose to explore the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa websites:

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

1.) What are some of the current international research topics? 
On both websites, I did not see any current international research topics. I saw the ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa: Mission Statement, a paragraph on Innovative Approaches to Education and Partnership, some publications, communities but no research topics.

2.) What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website? 
The Early Childhood Development Virtual University is accredited.  It is a training program offered online that offers web-based course work as well as face-to-face seminars.

3.) What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
The website offers a page that has: Final Major Projects and Theses. This page lists many students name alphabetically, the country in which they live and a PDF file of their project/thesis. The courses offered are specifically for people in Africa.

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

 

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” - J.R.R Tolkien

A positive example of the effects of research on children can be read on the web. I read an article titled " Working Moms’ Kids Turn Out Fine, 50 Years of Research Says" written by Belinda Luscombe. The article discussed the ways in which children grew up just fine when they had mothers who had to work. There were little to none behavioral problems.  Researchers did find positive associations.

I feel that research on children gives us the opportunity to be more knowledgeable on topics. It allows us to read on the topic we are interested in/learning about so we can teach others what we know and make a difference/help others. There are positive effects on research on children. There will always be negative effects of research but there will be positive effects of research on children as well. There are many articles out there that are positive and that show professionals/parents the positives to a topic/subject such as the one I listed above.

Reference:

Luscombe, B. (2010, October 18). Working moms’ kids turn out fine, 50 years of research says read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/18/working-moms-kids-turn-out-fine-50-years-of-research-says/

My Personal Research Journey

My chosen topic for the simulation is CHILD OBESITY/THE EFFECTS OF CHILD OBESITY.  I chose to write about and study this topic because I feel it's such an important topic and a lot of time the problem goes ignored by many. Child obesity and the effects of child obesity are such a major problem all around the world;  especially in America.  I find that this topic is very crucial to learn more about. As a Mommy and a future educator, I want to become more knowledgeable on the topic and help prevent this problem in anyway that I can. 

I was never obese as a child but I remember going to school with many friends/children that were obese. Even today.. I see it often and it just breaks my heart to see so many children suffering through this disease. I was at my OBGYN appointment last week and in the waiting room was a mother, a father, and a little boy (No older then two years old) he was obviously obese, he was panting as he breathed and I believe his weight had affected his speech in a way. What was his parents giving him to eat in order to keep quiet while waiting? A big bag of peanut M & M's. I'm sitting there in the waiting room watching this family (Not making it too obvious that I felt bad for the child) not being judgmental, but just asking myself why couldn't they have brought their son an apple, a yogurt, or even a string cheese? Why don't parents choose healthier foods for their children? I can't fathom that. It's simple... the effects of child obesity are harsh. Are parents to blame? Is it the child's fault? Should parents of obese children be classified as negligent parents? I have seen firsthand the effects of child obesity.... they are no fun.

Insights that I have gained this week have been how to conduct research, I have learned some new definitions in our required readings/book for the course, and the more I research about child obesity, the more I learn about it! 

Friends... classmates... do you have any advice or insight that might help me with this process and/or with this course? I'd appreciate any resources you're willing to share with me! I have posted some great links to websites on child obesity that I plan on using throughout the course in regards to this specific topic!

 

 

Helpful links on child obesity:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/obesity_in_children_and_teens

http://children.webmd.com/obesity-children

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/obesity_in_children/article_em.htm

http://www.childobesity.com/

 

 

Final Blog Assignment

 

 

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” –Eleanor Roosevelt

 Three consequences of learning about the International early childhood field for my professional and personal development are:

 

1.)  Realizing that although I have a passion for being around and working with children in a classroom setting; it does not mean everyday is going to be a wonderful day. Being a teacher has MANY challenges and being a teacher is not always pleasant. There are going to be children that have developmental issues, children and families that live in poverty, children that come from abusive households, children and families that come from different countries and who don't understand or speak English. (Just to name a few challenges.)

 

2.) After all the researching I did throughout this class, it was brought to my attention that teacher salaries are not great. They are considered "Low income." This is quite discouraging and one consequence of learning about the early childhood field in general. 

 

 

 

3.) In learning about International child care, one of the consequences has been just reading about and gaining knowledge on all the negatives of working in the field. Some of these children/families stories are heartbreaking. It makes you realize that being a teacher is not always pleasant and it makes you truly think about what you would do if you were to be in a certain situation; how would you handle it? Could you handle it? Often times, reading about all the information that goes with the field can often change someones mind on working in this field. For me, it has only encouraged me to want to continue learning more and it makes me look forward to being a teacher and helping children and families in anyway that I can.

 

 

One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations:  Continue doing research, continue gaining knowledge in this field, never stop learning and keep informed on the latest information/news regarding the early childhood field.

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

My international contact sent me this in regards to the questions I asked her for this week's assignment:

I found this document that i think can be very helpful. Obviously like i said before, Italy is having a hard time between the government crisis and the economy so especially when it comes to a stable job- things are not well here....I have a diploma in graphics and I'm a certified nurse assistant. I did graduate from cosmetology school...still at 34 years old I'm cleaning houses and baby sitting and doing pretty much everything I can to make a living. My resume is remarkable, I have letters of recommendations but it is very hard to find a stable job. Factories, company franchising store....if you are lucky enough to get hired and not discriminated by your age and all, they put you on a contract that is temporary and the after a year top, the contracts ends and you have to start everything all over again. My goal is to find a job that actually gives me the opportunity to grow professionally and still satisfies me and gratifies me, a job that gives me independence and financial stability. My hopes and dreams...to cut the ties that are still holding me back to my ex because also law is a great deal especially when you have a child that has dual citizenship. I got so much on my plate that really at this point I just want to be content with my significant other and my daughter. Here are some links I found that might be helpful in your research and education.

Links that my international contact thought might be helpful:

http://www.oecd.org/education/preschoolandschool/33915831.pdf
http://www.oecd.org/education/preschoolandschool/33915831.pdf
www.oecd.org

http://www.oecd.org/education/preschoolandschool/33915831.pdf

www.oecd.org

Sharing Web Resources

The website that I have been navigating through for the past few weeks is the: ZERO TO THREE WEBSITE. There are many links offered on the website for parents and teachers and a lot of informative information that has definitely been useful for me over the past few weeks and that will benefit me in my career as a teacher. Not only as a teacher but as a parent as well.

Some of the outside links that I have not yet explored are: The Public Policy Link, they offer a "Download of the week" which I have yet to look at, and I have not been to the Military Family Projects link. The public policy link lead me to two paragraphs that explained what the public policy was for Zero to Three and information about their policies and it also provided me with six links: The Action Center, Building Early Childhood Systems, Federal Policy,  Infant-Toddler Policy Issues, Policy Guide, and a link to the State and Community policy article. Each link brought me to a new page where there was even more and more resources and articles to read. LOTS OF GOOD INFORMATION! The download of the week was titled "Your Child's Development". It talked about things your child can do such as feed themselves, walk, and scribble and it also provided facts about things that parents can do such as encourage your child to use his fingers/hands, and ask your child questions. It was definitely worth the read- for any teacher/parent!

  When I clicked on the Military family projects link I learned that the Zero to Three organizations works to support military families. "We work to increase awareness and collaboration throughout the military community so that parents and professionals can more effectively care for very young children and their families." ("Military family projects," 2012)

I decided to thoroughly search one area of the website. The part of the website I chose to search was: Maltreatment: Child Abuse and Neglect. It offers me a pargagraph of information on abuse and neglect and two different resources at the bottom of the page that I can click on.

I do receive a newsletter from the Zero to Three Website but since joining the website, I have only received a total of two newsletter. One of the issues that I have been following on the newsletter is: Spotlight on:  Making the Most of Your Child’s “Language Explosion” I was instantly interested in this article because I have a 21 month old who doesn't say a lot of words yet. I even took her to the Pediatrician at 19 months to see if this was normal or not because I was so concerned she should have been talking by now. Reading this article was very re-assuring. It made me realize that children are not always going to pronounce things the right way, they are going to make a lot of mistakes in language and it's completely normal, especially for young children. The article also provided information for parents/teachers and things they can do to help improve their child's/students speech/language. I LOVED this section of the newsletter! Since receiving this newsletter and reading this article; I have not yet seen any new information on the topic.

The website does provide a link and has very limited information about equity. The website has a search bar where you can type in anything you want and it will let you know if it has what you typed in. I typed in "Equity" and I came across one little page that had information on equity. You can see it here:

http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/webinars-conference-calls/co-ec-framework.pdf

On the Zero to Three website I have been reading about the importance of promoting and supporting early brain development. This is the newest information I have gained this week. It offers information on children from 2 months all the way up to 36 months.  

References:

Military family projects. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/military-families/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I was not shocked to find out that my international contacts did not know much (If anything at all) about the issues related to excellence and equity in their country. My international contact from Italy (Serena) said she did some research since she wasn't really aware of this topic and she came up with this resource: www.ehinst.net <<That was all the help she could provide me with on this topic as she was not educated on this.

My international contact in Canada did not know anything about this topic and could not provide me with any resources. With that being said, I did my own research. I did find this informative article on excellence and equity in Canadian schools. A lot of it is difficult to understand but for the most part it's just a lot of reading and knowledge. You can read about it here: 

http://education.monash.edu.au/research/inclusive-ed/prof-lecture-series/docs/lupart-2008.pdf

This is a wonderful website I found on education, excellence, and equity. It helps you to better understand what is means to have equity in education. The website provides detailed video presentations for you to watch.

http://www.e3ed.org/

Sharing Web Resources

1. What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

I feel that every section on the ZERO TO THREE website is relevant to my current professional development. It provides information to people like me that will help me to become a better professional. It offers many helpful resources including articles, information, and even a fun fact video. Every section of the Zero to Three website is beneficial for me as a student, and a future professional. The three parts of the website that stand out the most to me as a future teacher are: Behavior and Development, Maltreatment, and Care and Education. It has a lot of information on the website about children and the ways in which children develop.

2. Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

Since signing up for the Zero to Three newsletter, I have only received one thus far. One of the articles in the newsletter is titled "Let’s Play: Activities That Nurture Bonding and Learning" This article offers suggestions to parents as to what types of activities they can do at home that will promote fine and motor skills. It really makes you realize how important play is for children. It has so many benefits and it teaches them skills not only that they need now as young children but it helps them to gain skills they will need later on. For example: The website suggests parents buying water paint and letting the child paint anything he/she wants outside. This will get the child to move his hands/arms/wrists which will later help them write. This article made me think about play in a new way just because I was a preschool teacher for so many years and a lot of the teachers I worked with never worked with their students on learning/educational things like I did. All they did was babysit the students while they played in centers. Although I feel that play time should be limited throughout the day and other things need to be done, I now realize that these children were not only playing but they were learning while they played.

3. What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

The website adds to my understanding of how economists, scientists, and politicians support the early childhood field because it adds information that points out just how important is for lots of different people to work together to make the early childhood field safe, successful, and effective.

4.  What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

When it comes to the Early Childhood field, there are always so many new things to learn. I feel that it's important for professionals to keep up with research because there are always new laws, new information, new policies, and so much good news and even bad news that we need to be aware of. Knowing what is going on in our world can help us gain knowledge and it can allow us to be most effective teachers. One issue that is mentioned on the Zero to Three website that caught my attention was "Parenting from A Distance." More often then we realize, children are separated from their parents (Sometimes just one parent) and there are several reasons as to why parent and child separation may occur. I feel that this is an important issue that happens quite often and it's something that children are affected by so we need to learn about it, study it, and find ways to help contribute to these children in a positive way.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ITALY: Pregnancy, Childcare, school, etc.
(Direct wording comes from Serena who lives in Italy)

Over the past few weeks I have been in contact with a woman named Serena from Italy and a girl from Canada named Amanda Ripsam. Serena is a preschool teacher in Italy and she has taught me a lot about Italy thus far. Per conversation, this is Serena's point of view and this is in her own words! (Her spelling and sentence structure is not the greatest so I had to edit this the best I can so my audience would be able to understand it!)

Here in Italy after you have a baby, if you're working and you took maternity leave, you are allowed to stay at home and still get part of your salary for the first year after the birth of your child. After the first year, you either go back to work or you lose your position. Now lets say that you decide to go back to work sooner and you cant afford a babysitter or you really don't trust a babysitter... in that case you can enroll your child to NIDO. In Nido you find children from few weeks old to 3 years old. The hours are usually from 8.00 am till 6.00pm. You can choose from a private Nido which is usually more expensive or the Nido communal which is like a public school. Over here there is a monthly fee that needs to be paid. The amount is still high if you compare it to the states. 

Over here we got euro which is about 1.3 to the dollars but it changes all the time but you can pay up to about 350.00 euro per month which is about 410.00 dollars just to get your child into Nido. Most of the time people choose to keep their children at home until they are 3 years old. At that point you can enroll them into ASILO or SCUOLA MATERNA l which is a type of preschool. The duration is 3 years during which the children starts writing and starts developing skills that later on they wiil need for actual school time. They also engage in drawing activities, reading books, learning how to count. Those are pretty much are the basics for elementary schools. NIDO and ASILO are not mandatory. The hours of Asilo are usually 8.00 am till 6.00 pm but if you want you can go and pick your child up at 12.45 after lunch. The school year for nido and asilo usually starts between the first two weeks of September and it ends at the end of June. 

Elementary school goes from 6 years old and it has the duration of 5 years. At the end of each year the children gets an evaluation and if it is positive they are allow to go forward otherwise they must repeat the same grade. At the end of the 5th year they have to take a lot of different written and oral tests about everything they learned. If they pass they are allowed to start the following cycle of study otherwise they have to repeat the same grade. Elementary school is mandatory here. There are usually 3 teachers per classroom. If the teachers thinks that the child has problems at home or is being abused or things like that they have the authority and the power to inform social service. Most of the time if that happens the child gets removed from the environment right away and an investigation starts. Obviously that happens when there is actual proof of a bad situation in the family.

After 5 years of elementary school or SCUOLA ELEMENTARE , the child goes to middle school or SCUOLA MEDIA for the duration of 3 years. At the end of each year the child gets an evaluation and if everything is positive he can keep going otherwise he gets to repeat the same year of school. At the end of the 3rd year the child has to pass lots of tests written and oral once again about everything he learned and if he doesn't pass he has to stay in the same grade and repeat it. If you are advance and very good you cant skip grade and graduate sooner than the others.

At the end of that the child can choose what kind of study they want to keep doing. That is the equivalent of high school. Here its called SCUOLA SUPERIORE and it can be 3 to 5 years. As far the evaluation it goes like in the scuola media. Once u complete 5 years of that you usually get a diploma and u are ready to either go to college or go to work.

Over here when you are expecting you are followed very closely by your provider. Ultrasounds and blood work are more frequent than in the states. Running a day care at your own house is not common at all. (Serena, 2012)

POVERTY IN ITALY

"Close to 2 million kids live in poverty in Europe's third-largest economy, according to a new UNICEF report. The country has the highest percentage of child poverty in all 25 European countries, a longstanding crisis that predates the nation’s current economic woes."  (Nadeau, 2012)

Every morning in Italy, hundreds of children wake up hungry. What a shame! A lot of the children in Italy have never even used a computer because the schools can't afford to have them in the classrooms. With that being said, a lot of children don't even attend school in Italy! A lot of those that do attend school end up dropping out. Due to lack of childcare, children stay home with infants and take care of their siblings. After doing research on poverty in Italy I was amazed at the statistics! I just couldn't believe it! I feel that this should not be happening! Children do not deserve this!

Poverty in Ontario, Canada
 (Direct wording by Amanda Ripsam who lives in Ontario Canada)

In terms of my experience living in poverty, I grew up with parents who were on welfare. My mother for her disability and my father for his laziness. They were both on welfare. I ended up supporting my self until that time I had to go on welfare my self.  The program was called Ontario Works. They help people find jobs and provide you with resources so you can go to school. They also give you  about $500 a month to live off of.  There are no food stamps programs in Ontario Canada but they have food banks. I was lucky and didn't need the food bank but I'm sure my cousin has used it. He used to be involved with gangs and drugs and ended up on the streets. He cleaned him self up, got help, and is now on his own and in his own place with a room mate and is working at a grocery store pushing buggy's. He has to start some place. In terms of poverty there are always a gap where people can't qualify for benefits.

What I have learned about poverty in Canada:

Poverty is such a reality in Canada! So many children and families are suffering due to living in poverty. Some reasons for families living in poverty are: Death of a spouse or family member, loss of health, unable to afford housing, health insurance, food, and lack of wages from employment. The impact of poverty in Canada (And anywhere really!) is HUGE! Not only does poverty take a toll on people individually and/or socially but it affects us economically. "Poverty also has an economic cost. These costs include the impact on our health care system, loss of productivity and increased policing and judicial costs as social breakdown results in crime." (Justice, 2008) poverty affects many areas around the world and I feel like everyone can do something to play a part in helping eliminate families suffering! The smallest act of kindness can make such a HUGE difference!

References:

Justice, C. (2008, April 29). Poverty in canada. Retrieved from http://www.cpj.ca/en/content/poverty-canada

Nadeau, B. (2012). Italy has europe’s highest percentage of children in poverty, says unicef. The Daily Beast, Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/04/italy-has-europe-s-highest-percentage-of-children-in-poverty-says-unicef.html

Sharing Web Resources

ZERO TO THREE:

www.zerotothree.org

 National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.

Brief description of the Organization's focus:

 Zero to Three is a non-profit organization that helps people of all kinds to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Their mission is to help promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. They offer help on how to promote good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences for all infants and toddlers. 

One current issue/trend from the newsletter/website that caught my attention was: IMPACT OF TRAUMA. Young children are affected by events that take place around them everyday. Although babies are not old enough to truly understand what is going on around them they pay close attention to what is around them, what they hear and see,  and they absorb images that surround them. They are deeply impacted by the emotions of the people they rely on for love and security; such as their parents.  When a child experiences trauma there are developmental consequences. Professionals need to always keep an eye open for children that may have experienced a trauma so they can get the help they need sooner rather then later. "Parents and caregivers play a very important role in helping infants and toddlers cope and recover from traumatic and stressful experiences." (Zero to Three, 2012) There are many signs of infants and toddlers who experience trauma. Some of them include: decrease in activity level, decrease in appetite, increase in irritability/change in personality,  and even sleep disturbances. There are things we can do as parents, teachers, and professionals to prevent our children from experiencing trauma. We can't always prevent it but there are things we can do to help prevent it. Let's work together so our precious children do not have to endure this pain. They sure don't deserve it.

Establishing Professional Contacts

The steps I took this week to locate and contact two professionals were going to the Global Alliance: National Association for the Education of Young Children website. I picked three different people to e-mail. I took the time to explain myself thoroughly within the email and asking if they would be willing to participate in this assignment with me. At first I went to Google and type in Early Childhood Programs in China but instead of finding links that directed to me websites of Early Childhood Programs I got a lot of articles about China and their Early Childhood programs instead. There was no link that offered an email address to anyone who was an Early Childhood field professional which I why I stuck with the resources that were provided to me. Last but not least I made an announcement on my personal Facebook page asking if any of my friends were from out of the United States that worked in the Early Childhood field and I was lucky enough to have two people contact me so I will be using them for my assignment.

The first person to contact me was a woman named Ashley Marie who lives in Canada and she works at a Childcare center. She said "We are short daycare's here in our city. I believe we are short child care services everywhere as there is a lot of people on waiting lists in every province. I think they need more centers because there are more people looking for child are now a days especially with all the young parents now." (Marie, 2012)

I have made an effort to email these people ensuring that we establish and keep up communication. I  also used the resources available to pick an Early Childhood Organization in order to get to know the specific ways in which the organization supports the early childhood community and resources it offers. I decided to study this website over the next few weeks and to sign up for their newsletter as well. http://www.zerotothree.org

So far this week what I have gathered from the Zero to Three website is their mission is to help improve the lives of infants and toddlers. It offers ways to promote good health, strong families, and positive learning experiences for infants and toddlers. The website offers many different articles on parenting, your child's development, health and nutrition, sleep, and even school readiness. Those are just a few of the topics this website helps provide information to parents for. I'm excited to study the website over the next few weeks and see what I can learn from it. I'm hoping that what I learn can be passed onto many of my classmates now and in the future. :-) 


Is there anyone else that decided to study the Zero to Three Website?

References:

Marie, A. (2012, June 27). Interview by SJ Perry.

Zero to three. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/ 

Global alliance. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance

My Supports

Factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me are: My daughter/husband, my family, friends, school/classmates/my instructor, writing/paper/pen, movies, and even the computer.

 My daughter brings me so much happiness and joy. She is my best friend, my whole heart, my everything. When I'm having a rough day all I have to do is look at her beautiful smile and ask her for a hug and my day automatically gets better. As long as I have her, I'm happy! She supports me by just being her wonderful little self and knowing that I have her everyday even if she is only 17 months old. We have a very close bond that can never be broken. I'm so proud of her for all of her accomplishments thus far and I'm PROUD to be her Mommy! Without my daughter I would not be the person I am today. She has made me want to become a better person and because of her I feel complete.

My husband is also my best friend. He is my rock, he supports me by working a lot of works to ensure that me and his daughter are taken care of, the bills are paid, and we have money to do things as a family. Without him, I don't know where we would be. It's a great feeling to know that I can call him anytime during the day and he will be there for whatever I need, even if I just need to talk/vent. He is my biggest supporter when things go wrong. Without my husband, my life would be turned upside down. Who would take care of my daughter and I? Who would pay the bills? Without him, would I ever be able to love again? I can't imagine my life without my husband.

I'm very close to my family, especially my Mother in law who is the only Mother figure I have in my life. My Dad always knows how to make me laugh. My family are some of my biggest supporters! They are there when I need anything! Without family I would be very depressed and sad. Who would I turn to when I need advice or need a favor? Who would I trust?

Of course I have some friends that I can rely on and who would be there for me anytime of the day/night. This is important to me because not everyone has friends and some people go through life trying to find a best friend for a whole lifetime and I have one so I feel very lucky! Without my friends I would feel very lonely and unloved. They make me feel special! I can't imagine going through this life without family and friends. It would be a boring life, very lonely, and depressing. I would never want to live in a world where I didn't have friends/family to rely on.

School/classmates/and my instructors are big supports in my daily environment. School gives me something to look forward too. My classmates are great and I learn a lot from them. A lot of them become friends at some point. My instructors are a guide for when I have questions and need help with assignments. They are great supporters! Without school, I wouldn't have an education and I wouldn't have school to look forward too. How could I ever expect my daughter to go to college if I didn't? I'm very thankful to have been given the opportunity to take college courses online.

Writing has always been an outlet for me. It's how I release my inner thoughts and feelings. It helps me to heal and It's my way of venting.  Without writing, who knows how I would deal/control my feelings. Writing is my hobby, it's one way I keep in touch with friends/family. If I wasn't able to do that, I think I'd go crazy!

Movies play a major role in my life. I'm a huge movie fan and enjoy many different types of movies. Without movies, life wouldn't be as enjoyable.

The computer is a BIG factor to my daily environment because it allows me to keep in contact with my friends and family, do research, complete my schooling, etc. Without the computer, I don't know what I would do. It allows me to do so much. I couldn't live without it.