Guess what I'm learning in my child development classes...(long and kinda venty)

[gentlemommy]

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[ozmummy]

Wow!!

That's pretty full on.... :(

:hugheart

I can't believe that they're teaching this in child development. :jawdrop

I did a degree in Early Childhood Education, and it has been a *great* foundation for gbd. All about responding to infant's and children's needs, guiding children in the right behaviour by helping them do it, acknowledging feelings - even in babies. Very negative wrt time-outs/spanking etc. Sadly, it was the *christian* stuff I read that got me scared and set me in a punitive mindset, mostly Dobson.

That's awful that you heard so much yucky stuff in such a short time.

[arwen_tiw]

:hugheart

[Titus2Momof4]

I agree that there is something kind of ironic about this :scratch Teaching how parental behavior can negatively effect children and cause these disorders, then suggesting not just "spanking", but putting babies in time-out, engaging in a power struggle to keep them there if they won't stay, etc. Odd.

On the discussion board thing... the fact that most of them said nothing is wrong w/it, they were spanked and they are fine, etc.- do any of them even HAVE kids? Sometimes it helps (you) to consider the source, too. Now, I had always said that I *wasn't* going to spank, before I ever had kids, but I know of many people (APers) who had said that they *would* definitely spank, nothing wrong w/spanking, etc, until they laid eyes on their *own* precious baby ;) So, consider that they may not have kids, this may not even be something they think about on a daily basis like you do b/c you are a mom, you hang out here, etc.

[DogwoodMama]

That's bizzarre... I was in a Developmental Psychology graduate program for 4 years, and my experience was quite difference. The research generally doesn't support the efficacy of spanking except in selected populations, and the thought was even if it technically "worked" on a short-term basis, there were better options. I never saw spanking endorsed.

[katiekind]

Unbelievable.

For some encouragement, check out this interview with Dr. Allan Schore, professor of psychiatry, who is doing research on the brain development of infants with a view to what their brains show us about their attachment needs and emotional development. His interests and findings are discussed near the bottom of the interview.

http://www.biosynthesis.org/html/allan_schore.html

Maybe you could do a special project on stuff like that for your class. Then we wouldn't have to have a group :banghead :banghead :banghead
head-banging session. :banghead :laughtears

[SouthPaw]

:hunh that does NOT reflect current child development research OR behavioral modification methods. :no2 Good grief.

[Soliloquy]

:hunh that does NOT reflect current child development research OR behavioral modification methods. :no2 Good grief.


:yes Good for you for speaking up!

[CelticJourney]

Personally, I would finish the class, finish the degree and then present a packet of concerns to her Department Chair to include:

She had over 30 foster kids and she says she spanked many of them. When I gently asked her if that was legal, she admitted it wasn't. She says the social worker told them they couldn't spank but they did it anyway.

[katiekind]

I agree, Elizabeth. Regardless of what she or the department chair or anyone in the class thinks of spanking, it is unwise of her to describe that she does this. There are good reasons for that law, and she should not be modeling the attitude that it is ok to set it aside.

[Paz]

:sick2

[Dana Joy]

I'm close to my MA in child development and have my BA in it and I have never heard anything like this ever- it goes against what every researcher and text book I've ever read says. I think I would contact the department chair about it- it is very sad that this is happening.

[seekermum]

:jawdrop :sick

I find that deeply shocking.

[Maggie]

:banghead :hug2 I also think it's great you were able to talk about GBD! :highfive

[gentlemommy]

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[Rbonmom]

That's really disappointing :no2 I majored in psychology and took developmental psyc, child psyc, life span devolpment, personality, and behavior modification for children (among other things), and all of the profs were against spanking and gave us research to support why. In my behav. mod. we went into great detail about pos./neg. reinforcement, discipline, and punishment. All very different concepts and it was covered many times in our exams. I'm really surprised a prof. would be so ignorant of terms and use them interchangable like that :hunh
No advice just :hugheart

[AmyDoll]

I wouldn't "rock-the-boat" while the profs had power over me. I would finish the course & then approach the dept. head/dean. And then not take another class taught by those profs.

I wouldn't jepordize my GPA or my standing with the university over this.

When I attended a very large public university I considered my only job for each class to earn an A. ie if the class was on Geology (for ex) I would answer using with the information taught in the class.

[mom2threePKs]

I would definitely clarify with each of the profs directly before going to the department head. It doesn't seem quite fair to go over their heads without giving them a chance to defend themselves or <gasp> maybe change their minds.

With the one lady who did the video, i would focus on the inconsistency between previous lessons about the need for responsiveness and the lack of responsiveness being used for behavior mod. I would also ask questions about how to amend her parenting program for parents with a history of abuse, for foster children (who can't be spanked legally), for special needs kids.

Are the institutions you are taking these classes from specifically Christian? If so, I would think they can teach whatever they want. If they aren't you have a better chance of getting the admin to take this seriously as a problem. I would be steaming in your shoes. I'm sorry you have to deal with this... :hugheart

Magan

[ellies mom]

Wow, That is very disturbing. I'm taking a human development class this term and they are very clear that physical punishment is never appropriate. The did give time-out as and alternative to spanking but there was also a section on positive discipline. We were also tested twice (possibly on the final coming up as well) on why physical punishment doesn't work and what the hallmarks of positive discipline are.

[GrowingInGrace]

That's very disappointing and sad. I am also in a college human development class right now and the book we use even talks about positive discipline and creating the right kind of environment where it sets up children to succeed. It talks about toddlers and the use of induction rather than punishment - discussing how children's actions have affected another (so as to develop the skills of empathy and sympathy). It does discuss other parenting methods (authoritarian, uninvolved and permissive) but shows why those don't work as well. It is an overview class from birth to death, so unfortunately, it doesn't go into great detail about each life stage, but it does have pretty AP feel even to the point of talking very positively about the benefits of breastfeeding and babywearing and a whole section on what constitutes healthy attachment in children.

Yes, it does talk about the concepts of behavior modification and rewards and punishments, but not in depth either and it was just one of a few different perspectives studies of human development that exist.

It's also kind of unsettling to know that maybe some of her personal views will transfer onto those other students. :praying for those students correct discernment.

I guess it's bound to happen though that these terrible methods are being perpetuated by otherwise supposedly "intelligent" people.

[herbalwriter]

I'm curious - what kind of relationship does the one prof have with her 2 girls now?

[gentlemommy]

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[Treenahurricane]

On the discussion board thing... the fact that most of them said nothing is wrong w/it, they were spanked and they are fine, etc.- do any of them even HAVE kids? Sometimes it helps (you) to consider the source, too. Now, I had always said that I *wasn't* going to spank, before I ever had kids, but I know of many people (APers) who had said that they *would* definitely spank, nothing wrong w/spanking, etc, until they laid eyes on their *own* precious baby ;) So, consider that they may not have kids, this may not even be something they think about on a daily basis like you do b/c you are a mom, you hang out here, etc.
I agree, as an education student I didn't really think about spanking... I knew I came from a screwed up home but I thought of hitting (as in striking HARD, punching, etc) as bad...never really contemplated "spanking" as hitting until I had children of my own. As a nanny I threatened once to spank the boy (age 6) because of his behavior and he just acted at that point like he would do whatever I wanted if I didn't spank him. I wouldn't have actually spanked him because he wasn't my child, but it wasn't something I even thought of at the time as wrong... I was just reacting w/ a threat I heard a lot as a child to get compliance. Once I became a mom and my toddler started becoming interested in the world around her (and "disobeying"), I realized that spanking was indeed hitting and dangerous territory.