The relationships we have with those around us shape the experiences we have within society, however I had never considered how the relationships that babies have in their early years can shape the experiences they have throughout the rest of their lives.
Dr Suzanne Zeedyk discussed in a video (Education Scotland, 2016) about brain development in the early years and highlighted how babies brains are flexible as they are born before their brain is fully developed. This means that they are able to cope with various environments whilst they are very young as they are adaptable, however once the norm is established, the effects on the child will be carried into adulthood. Dr Suzanne Zeedyk also described how the stress hormone, cortisol, can swamp the brain if it is constantly present in a child, leading to a struggle to remain quiet or calm. Due to this the child will always be hyper-vigilant, expecting danger at any moment. This also highlights that excess cortisol can cause issues for the child in relation to their education and also their interaction and relationships with other children. In class they will perhaps fall behind their peers as they are unable to stay focused but may also struggle with friendships as their anxiousness around others can lead to a lack of empathy and emotion. I found it extremely interesting to discover that something as seemingly small as stress in childhood can lead to massive implications in the future and it made me consider what I could do as a teacher if I noticed this behavior in my classroom.
After watching a second video by John Carnochan (Education Scotland, 2016) on the importance of early years, I was also shocked to discover that many of the most violent prisoners in Scotland experienced violence in their early years, often through domestic abuse. He described that children without a significant person in their life often grow up to become murders or offenders, however Carnochan argued that as this had been normal to them, it was hard to establish the person at fault. This was shocking to me as I had never considered how, by working to lessen the amount of domestic abuse cases within Scotland, we could actually lessen the amount of criminals in the future.
Overall, I found it very interesting to consider how relationships in the early years affect the future of the child. It highlighted to me that as a future teacher it is important to be a consistent person in the children’s lives so that every child may have one significant person in their lives that will support them, regardless of what they face when they return home.
References:
Education Scotland (2016) Pre-Birth to Three: Doctor Suzanne Zeedyk – Brain development. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lyjNIIJ0LM&index=6&list=PLcD2TdZ4bXSlQQO-QUF52X-SkQ9kI7Rlo (Accessed: 17/01/19).
Education Scotland (2016) Pre-Birth to Three: Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan – Importance of the early years. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl4p6EUW1h8 (Accessed: 17/01/19).
