Relationships have always been important in the development of children. Through watching Dr Suzanne Zeedyk’, I have become aware of how much of an impact Early Years relationship have on child development and growth.
Dr S. Zeedyk used the analogy that if a baby grows up in a dangerous background (e.g. domestic violence), they will constantly be looking for danger and producing Cortisol which will make them alert. The production of this hormone was originally produced to protect the human body from dangers like a saber-toothed tiger and help the body cope with stress. This means that a baby who has grown up with domestic violence, will constantly produce the stress hormone which is detrimental to their health as they will not know how to relax and calm down. As well as not being able to process stress effectively, these children are constantly focused on possible dangers and will therefore no be able to learn other important factors of their life- sich as their surroundings.
John Carnochan OBE, a former head of Strathclyde’s Police Violence Reduction Unit, speaks about the importance of the first 4 years of a child’s life. In these years, children develop a sense of coherence and belonging; they learn how the world is structured and how their internal resources meet demands and which of these are worthy of engagement. This shows that the first 4 years of a child’s life are important for them to understand human connections and bonds.
As a teacher, Carnochan makes it clear that children that come into your class maybe at 4 different stages of reflection in their home life; chaos; just coping; coping and thriving, this makes it so important for a teacher to ensure that the learning environment that they provide is suitable for every child and every child feels safe and secure to have a place where every child can thrive.
Teaching children the essential factors of humanity- care, forgiveness, optimism, nurture, tolerance, empathy and compassion- is so important for children to develop into well-rounded individuals who can improve society.
Through watching these documentaries; I now understand more about how children’s relationships with their families, guardians and other important members of their life, can impact all areas and aspects of their life. A a primary practitioner I will be more aware of how each child in my class presents themselves each day and how their attitudes, behaviour and personalities waver as this may be a sign that they are in the “chaos” category of the class.
