My Childrens Studies Philosophy

I have never really understood childrens studies and what it meant until I took this class.
Honestly I still dont know much about it but every lesson I learn something new. When I first
read about how childrens studies formed I thought it was interesting that there were so many
perspectives that collaborated to form this program. I also noticed that lot of the perspectives
aligned with what I have learned about in my education classes. There are four perspectives that
made me really reflect on what children actually go through.
In The Sociology of Children and Youth, it refers to children as learners. Yes, they are
learning math, reading and writing but they are learning so much more than that. Everything that
someone does, children absorb it and most likely will reflect in their actions. With that I believe
that being a teacher I need to watch especially what I do. When a child is young they look up to
their teachers so I will lead by example. Not only by living out my own values, but holding the
students accountable for my expectations. The system will reward good behaviors by having a
star chart with some type of fun reward that makes it worth it to be good. I also think there
should be some type of system for bad behavior. For example if someone has missed 3
homework assignments, they need to take a letter home to their parents. This will teach the
children about responsibility.
Also in The Sociology of Children and Youth, it refers to children literature as having a
moralizing purpose (Hunt, 2004, pp. 142). Books can teach children so much about manners,
values and even living a healthy lifestyle. I have decided that books in my classroom are going to
be a mix of stories but also include informative texts. A teacher is one of the first people a child

will come in social contact with. Therefore, teachers can do so many things to advance the
knowledge of a student, whether that be just reading a book with them or leading by example.
The demographics of a childs life are important to account for as well. As a teacher I
need to remember a childs life is not the same as everyone in my class. Every single student will
have a different story. How a child grows up effects their education and growth as a students. A
child who has a more stable home environment is more likely to succeed than one who has a
more shaky home life. Another way a child has a different life is the fact that every culture have
a different way of life. It may seem like a parent isnt really caring about the child but the way
that they show compassion may be different than what I would think. Meaning I would have to
be very open minded to fully understand a child.
The one thing that I found the most interesting about Childrens Studies was the fact that
there were so many different perspectives. When learning about the life of children it is always a
good idea to have an open mind. The rebranding model (Woodhead, 2003, pp. 146) talked about
collaborating between different disciplines for research in childrens studies. I think that having
all the different perspectives makes a unique study because not only are they looking at the
physical side of growth but mental, psychological and scientifically. For something as delicate as
a child, we absolutely have to look at all perspectives. For example, it is impossible to learn why
a child is acting a certain way without looking at least two categories. To be an educator I will
constantly be looking at the intelligence growth, but I think it will be really cool to see how the
child grows up from all perspectives.
I thought the Nature versus Nurture theory in comparison to childrens studies opposed to
phycology was very interesting. I agree with Bruner when he says both are important (p. 142). I

believe that the nature of a child is emphasized by nurture; this could be positive or negative. But
whichever one it is, it still in making an influence on the child and who they are going to grow
up as and their personal qualities. I also like how Chomsky describes that childrens biological
makeup is awakened by experience (p.142). But the nurture a child receives from home is also
so important; this could make or break a child. I am so excited to be a teacher because I do
believe that if a child is not getting the right support from their family, I can be their encourager.
A teacher is definitely someone who can help bring out the biological qualities of a child.
I learned a lot about Childrens Study and where the ideas come from and I realized that
they can all relate to my passions and major: Early Childhood Education. Learning the different
views and perspectives make me even more interested in and excited to learn more about
children studies. Seeing the different perspectives work together on how a child grows is a
unique thought. As adults we tend to only think of the physical and maybe the mental growth.
But there are so many more factors that play into this growth, everything from family
demographics to socialization to something as simple as the books children read. Everything that
a child does has a purpose behind it. So the statement Oh theyre just doing that because theyre
a child is invalid. Theyre doing it because of so many more reasons and learning about those
reasons will help adults and children connect on a different level.