Effects of Single Parents

SINGLE PARENTS EFFECT........

        When people hear about parenting they often doing think of the things that can often happen with parenting. In the TedTalk, The Real Effects of Single-Parent Households, speaker Stephanie Gonzalez explains what it is like growing up in a single-parent household. This TedTalk took place at the Carver Military Academy and happened on March 15, 2015. In the TedTalk, Stephanie explains that often times people do not really think about the effects that single parents have on kids; they only think about the parent themselves. This can often hurt the child and make them feel as through this is their fault for the situation that their mother or father is in. This TedTalk is completely relatable to my service learning organization because in Step By Step, one is dealing with single mothers. This means that the child that we are working with are products of single mothers, so we see first hand the affects that they can have on their children.

      In this particular TedTalk, the audience knows that there are single mother in the world and that they often time have an effect on their children. However, what people do not know is the exactly effect the child involved. Stephanie emphasizes that the child is not mad at anyone, they often times are just confused because they want two parents and see other people raised in two parent house holds. They become envious of those kids and just ask themselves why. This speech had a huge impact on the audience because you could hear how everyone was so intrigued by her story and her point of view. The thing that is different about Stephanie is that she is only 17 years old and has a single mother. She experienced everything first hand was here to tell other mothers or single parents that your child will be ok. I found her speech to personally be moving because even though I come from a two parent household, I still feel everything she is saying.

    My only advice for Stephanie would be that she does not use notecards. Now I know that she is only 17 and could be nervous, but there are ways to get around using notecards. This was the only thing that I saw wrong with her speech. The notecards almost diminish the information she was telling because she kept looking down at them, even at times when she was not lost or got distracted. It was like the notecards served as her audience.

    However, the overall speech was very powerful and moving. I feel as though this speech has changed my views on single parenting and has made me realized that it is not easy being a child of single parent. I give a lot of credit to those mother and children.

                  *QUINN INCARDONA*

 

Every Kid Needs A Champion

For this assignment, I had the pleasure of watching Rita Pierson’s TED Talk: “Every Kid Needs a Champion.” When I was scrolling through the hundreds of TED Talks available, it was a bit of a challenge to find one that related directly to Step By Step. To my surprise, there were no talks focusing on the issue of teen pregnancy. 

Because of the scarcity of teen pregnancy TED Talks, I changed my course and found Rita Pierson’s TED Talk. The title, “Every Kid Needs a Champion” grabbed my attention immediately. 

This TED Talk was filmed in May 2013, at an official TED Talks: Education conference. At this conference, the talks focus on the future of education and how to most effectively teach children. In the first minute of her speech, Rite Pierson establishes herself as an expert on education. “I have spent my entire life either at the schoolhouse, on the way to the schoolhouse, or talking about what happens in the schoolhouse.” She then explains that her parents and maternal grandparents were educators as well. In a room full of well-educated, informed people, establishing yourself as an informed presenter is important, and Miss Pierson did just that. 

Miss Pierson's most famous quote
Picture curtesy of TEDblog.

I really enjoyed this TED talk. The presenter was clearly very knowledgable, and split her time between telling fascinating, often hilarious anecdotes and widening the audience’s perspective on what children really need to stay motivated in their education. Pierson effectively established herself as a reliable speaker, used humor and anecdotes, and kept the audience well engaged. 

I believe this Ted talk related directly to the children of Step By Step. Although the kids have great mothers, they often need an outside source (Pierson used her experiences as a teacher) to be their motivator, or champion. These people are constant sources of motivation-no matter what it is, the motivator is always there to support and guide them. My favorite example of this from this Ted Talk was when Miss Pierson described a time when a child missed 18 out of twenty questions on an assignment. Rather than belittle or discourage her student, Pierson congratulated them on the two questions they did get correct. The student was shocked by this optimism, but became inspired. This anecdote, and much of Pierson’s talk, reminded me that a little optimism go a long way. When we first began volunteering at Step by Step, the program director, Tanya Torp, told us that a key part of being a volunteer at Step By Step was leaving your problems at the door. The kids and their mothers have their own issues to worry about-they don’t care if you’re having a fight with your boyfriend, or have a math test the next day. The kids look to the volunteers at Step By Step as a fun, playful distraction. In other words, they look for a champion. Luckily for the kids (and volunteers) there is a plethora of love and support at Step by Step!

TED Talk: What We Learn Before We're Born

          In 2011, Annie Murphy Paul, a science author, gave a TED talk discussing what we learn before we’re born to discuss how new technologies in the fields of psychology and biology are leading us to discover that learning begins at conception, NOT birth.

         Pregnancy is a topic that not many people know about medically, but on the other hand, almost everyone knows about on a personal level. I have experienced pregnancy on a more personal level this year by working with my service learning organization, Step By Step. Pregnancy is a topic than can be discussed with an audience of average intelligence because it is such a “average” experience; one of the purposes of being a human is to create offspring. Yet, at the same time, there are still many aspects related to pregnancy that even the most advanced specialists are unaware of. I believe the audience expected this TED talk to be a repeat of the information that is often published to the general public: a baby can learn different sounds from inside the womb, sucking is an innate function, and so on. Personally, I expected this TED talk to be about more physiological topics such as how a baby knows to suck (when hungry) for food and cry to breathe, and how a baby knows it’s mothers voice the moment it enters the world. To my pleasant surprise, a few of these topics were addressed in this TED talk.

          Giving a TED talk does not seem like an easy thing to do. To me, giving the talk and sharing your idea is the first really big step in making a TED talk speech effective. Specifically, in this speech, I thought the way that Annie Murphy Paul stood and the way that she thought through her ideas before saying them made this speech highly effective. I trusted her because I could feel how she controlled the room through her confident body language. It made me respect her and want to listen to her ideas more. I also liked watching her think through her ideas as she spoke about them; I could almost see the wheels moving in her head, and it made me start thinking more deeply about her topic too. I also liked how she included humorous comments throughout her presentation, like when she compared the voices that a baby hears while in the womb from the outside world to being “much like the voice of Charlie Brown’s teacher in the old Peanut’s cartoon”, and how she hooked her audience at the very beginning of the speech with the question “When does learning begin?”

          Although this was a wonderful example of a TED talk, there were a few things that I would have changed if I were giving this presentation, starting with Annie Murphy Paul’s outfit. I think the fact that she was wearing jeans made me lose a little bit of respect and trust for her, which are two vital factors for her to obtain from the audience during this presentation since she is presenting such an unknown, drastic idea. Secondly, I did not like how Paul often referred to a large stack of papers on a random table in the middle of the presentation floor. I found it distracting, and it made me feel like she didn’t fully know what she was talking about. Lastly, I think that Paul should have spread the two stories she told at the very end of the presentation out. It was strange hearing a really captivating story and then having that mood broken by “Okay, here is my second story…” For me, that comment made the effect she was trying to portray to the audience go away. 

It was distracting for me to watch Paul read off of her notes during her presentation.

Leymah Gbowee: An Inspiration to us All

          

Leymah Gbowee: An Inspiration to us All

A TED Talk Analysis

Leymah Gbowee
Photo retrieved from
yahoo images.

          The TED Talk that I watched and analyzed was given by a Liberian woman by the name of Leymah Gbowee.  Ms. Gbowee titled her speech “Unlock the Intelligence, Passion, and Greatness of Girls” and presented her piece in March of 2012 on the TED stage in Long Beach, California.  The purpose behind Gbowee’s presentation was to share her own personal story of overcoming the incredulous odds that were against her from the beginning as a teen single mother in Africa.  Leymah shared her own story to open her TED Talk, explaining how she managed her four children and that, when she was asked to take two other children under her wing, she had no choice but to turn them away.  She said that she often thought of those two girls that she could’ve helped and stated that she had no idea of their current whereabouts and may never know for that matter.  After finding and maintaining a low paying job, she was able to save enough money to finish her own education and raise her children effectively.  She is truly an inspiring woman and works diligently in all parts of the world, especially poverty-filled African countries, to help other young single mothers overcome the odds and live successful lives, just as she has.

            Prior to Leymah’s TED Talk, I’m sure that the audience anticipated that Leymah would be speaking on the issue of teen pregnancy based on the title of her presentation.  That is at least what I expected before watching her speech.  In addition, I’m sure that the audience, including myself, knew that teen pregnancy rates were high in America and other parts of the world, making this topic such a prevalent issue in today’s society. However, I had no idea just how high teen pregnancy rates were and how they were only continuing to rise.  Also, I was not expecting to hear such a powerful personal story and how one woman was able to turn a devastating situation into a positive one.  Leymah has touched so many lives of young girls who saw only a dark world around them, filled with sexual objectification of women, rape, and other dangers. 

            As you now know, I work with the Step by Step service learning organization, which provides support for young single mothers and their children.  This program gives them hope, just as Leymah has worked towards.  During her presentation, she discussed how she started out building small support groups for teen mothers and prostitutes, encouraging them to refocus their lives.  Leymah gave these women hope for brighter futures, just as Step by Step does for single mothers all over Lexington.  Leymah also pointed out that the issue of teen pregnancy and prostitution is a prevalent one, not just in Liberia and Lexington, but all throughout the United States as well.  She used this statement to encourage her audience to join with her and to carry this movement of hope to all young mothers and prostitutes who are in need of some redirection.  Needless to say, this call to action worked effectively in Leymah’s presentation, as she received a standing ovation to follow it.

            Additionally, Leymah’s utilization of her personal story to capture the audience’s attention worked very effectively.  I was not a live audience member and was merely watching the presentation on a screen, but her story kept me intrigued.  Leymah also included some astounding statistics and quotations in the beginning of her presentation.  For example, she stated that in Liberia, 3 out of every 10 teenage girls were teen mothers of at least one child.  The young ladies from that number who were not pregnant were often involved in prostitution by the age of 12.  “Where is the hope?” asked Leymah, following these shocking numbers. 

            After catching the attention of her audience, Leymah then proceeded to discuss how she had worked for years to address the problem.  She talked about how she started with small support groups and that she now works for a much larger support group known as the Liberian Reconciliation Initiative in an effort to reach and encourage young single moms or prostitutes in dangerous situations.  Throughout the remainder of her speech and particularly in her conclusion and call to action, Leymah used heavy repetition and hand gestures to emphasize certain points she was trying to make.  Both of these techniques worked effectively for Leymah as she was trying to convey her points. 

Another photo of peace activist,
Leymah Gbowee.  Photo retrieved
from yahoo images.

            I do not have too many recommendations to improve Leymah Gbowee’s TED Talk.  The only things I might suggest to her would be to include some kind of visual aid.  Simply hearing her story was very powerfu, but adding a few photos might only add emphasis to her presentation and may keep the audience even more engaged.  Additionally, I did notice Leymah swaying back and forth when she wasn’t pacing.  These movements didn’t always seem purposeful and were therefore, distracting at times.

            Overall, I felt that Leymah’s TED Talk was very moving and inspiring.  I also believe that she was successful in accomplishing her purpose and probably persuaded someone in her live audience to join her cause.  If you are interested, you can watch Leymah Gbowee's TED Talk here. 

TED Talk Analysis - The Best Kindergarten You've Ever Seen

As the popular saying goes, kids will be kids. It is a universal fact that children love to have fun, and that they have more energy in their tiny bodies than most adults know possible. They are tactile. I have learned this firsthand by volunteering at Step By Step over the course of this semester; because no matter how hard you try, kids with access to toys and playmates cannot be (and perhaps should not be) tamed. In his TED Talk for TEDxKyoto, speaker and architect Takaharu Tezuka describes his design and implementation of what he claims to be "the best kindergarten you've ever seen". Located with no primary barriers between classrooms or the outdoors, this kindergarten caters to the rambunctious and curious nature of young children. It is circular, allows for optimal socialization and noise between students, and even has areas where the youngsters can climb on trees without abandon or repercussions. Essentially, this format is every excitable five year old's dream.

Tezuka's reasoning for such a fluid kindergarten format is that children learn and develop best when given the opportunity for hands-on trial and error. He has observed the kids in action in this environment; societally, people complain that humanity as a whole has become too detached from one another, but Tezuka claims that this detachment stems from one's childhood. School children are placed in quiet and restrictive rectangular classrooms, which causes nervousness and discomfort for many. It is against their nature to be so reserved. By being flexible and understanding to the energetic needs of young kids, this open kindergarten allows the children to blossom socially. When one child is in need, oftentimes other children will come to their assistance. These lessons and life skills are crucial to bridging the gap between the current societal detachment being experienced across the border. There needs to be change in the way school settings are constructed.

Above: Kids rough house in the cutest kindergarten in the world

For this topic, the audience knew what "regular" kindergarten was like, as most had likely experienced it as children themselves. The audience - myself included - probably expected a talk about an innovative kindergarten setting, which is what was delivered. I was unsure of the logistics of this innovation at first, but once the speaker explained the functions behind each aspect of the architecture, the bigger picture became much more clear. I believe that he was effective in sharing his ideas in this speech. He could have used a bit more nonverbal gestures, as I feel he was a bit stagnant throughout his talk, but his verbal communication seemed consistent. He added humor, occasionally and lovingly calling the children monkeys, which lightened the topic and helped to keep the audience's attention. When talking about kids being silly kids, it's appropriate to not be too formal. Additionally, an area of improvement for this speaker would be to decrease the amount of slides/pictures shared. While many served as good visual aids of the architecture and the enjoyment the kids experience as a result, some of the photographs were unnecessary and didn't contribute much to the presentation (for example, the photos of the children playing in the wooden boxes).

For more information and examples of Tezuka's work, click the following link: here.

Shhh.... Inside Look: Top Secret!

TOP SECRET:

ONLY FOR BLOG FOLLOWERS...

          Ok fellow blog followers, I am giving you guy an inside look at the things I do with Step By Step! I have posted the video on youtube so click on the video below. Also here is the link for Step By Step incase anyone wants to get involved with it! Well I hope you have a good day and I will talk to you all soon!

* QUINN INCARDONA*

Let the Fun Continue!

Let the Fun Continue!

Emily Scott

    I hope you all enjoy this video blog post highlighting my third Step by Step session from Thursday, November 5th.  All photos and videos were taken by myself.

Social Work and Step By Step

Happy Friday! In the above video, I offer a few thoughts about how my time at Step By Step correlates with my social work major. Working with vulnerable populations is a commonality in social work, as it's a profession centered around helping others. Single mothers oftentimes fall into the vulnerable population category, as being a single parent can take a heavy emotional, financial, and physical toll on a woman and their children. It's important that their experiences are respected and their needs are advocated for. Tanya and all of the other coordinators at Step By Step do an excellent job of letting the mothers know they are loved and valued and capable of achieving their goals, and I am so grateful to be a part of this organization this semester.

The Step ByStep tagline "Got kids?"

I saw a Step By Step "Got kids?" sign in the front yard of a home this past week while I was walking back to campus from Common Grounds. Needless to say, I got a little excited.

The semester is quickly drawing to a close, but I'll be back in the playroom soon! I can't wait.

Say "Hi" To My CIS Blog, Dequey!

          Hello all, it is almost Friday, and I got to start wrapping up my week early with a fun event tonight! I was able to experience volunteering at Step By Step for the fifth time this year. Below you can see a sneak peek of what its like inside the infant room I volunteer in. 

Hello to all from Dequey and I at Step By Step tonight!

         I am with my BBF- baby best friend- Dequey, and as you can tell from all the noise in the background, we had a full house tonight! In the infant room we had children from ages 10 days to over a year old. We even had two babies that were born on the same day! Their mothers thought that was absolutely adorable. It is so amazing to see the growth and development process that these children go through, and it happens right in front of you. Now Dequey responds to my facial expressions with similar facial expressions; I love seeing him smile! I definitely am thinking about working in some sort of maternity field of healthcare when I graduate. I also wanted to include a video about what happens at a typical night when I am volunteering at Step By Step, and why I love volunteering so much, which you can see below!

          This video explains what I typically do at Step By Step, and why I love volunteering there so much!

          Recently I've had a few people contact me about wanting to volunteer at Step By Step, so if you are one of those interested people, here is a link that contains more information for you; we would love to have you!