Assignment 7

1. Ryann is about average in almost every intelligence area. She is above average in reading and spelling, but below average in her conversational skills. Ryann has always had problems in the area of language. She has had problems with telling stories in the right order and telling the whole story as opposed to just bits and pieces of it. We have worked hard to improve that by reading with her all the time, which would explain why she is above average in that area. She only gets stuck on a few words but is able to read most books on her own. At age 6 I introduced her to some higher level reading books in hopes to bring her to the next level. Unfortunately it has not improved her converstational skills like I hoped it would. On the Wechler verbal tests she was below average and I believe it's because of he inability to tell a story, or explain a set of events. Her math skills are average which makes sense because math is definately not her favorite subject, but we do practice her multiplacation with her. Her visual-spatial abilities were below average, again probably because she is not a fan of math, and she doesn't like art either so the shape thing might not be fun for her. Ryann absolutely loves sports. We have involved her in soccer and softball and we also take her on hikes, and trips to the park. We do a lot of outdoor activity and she is very much in shape, and also enjoys it. She is starting to want to get involved with the music department so we went and bought her a clarinet and we will see how that works out for her.
2. I think that I am like a typical American in my attitude toward gender roles. Now-a-days the roles are switching and I think it's time to switch with them. I think it's important to teach my girls that they can do anything they want to if they just work hard at it. I think that this attribute is because of the attitude of my own parents. They have always taught me that I can do anything I want and be anything I want as long as I try my hardest to reach my goals. Ryann is definately getting to learn that boys and girls can do some of the same things. She hangs out with friends that have older brothers and she enjoys playing sports with them. She is involved in sports that are physical and fun as opposed to feminine. We are encouraging her to take part in any activity that she wants. However, her friends seem tomboyish and as her parent I am a little worried about her getting the gender rules confused instead of just understanding them. I'm going to try and introduce some feminine activities like going to the mall, and that will also allow us to spend some time together. I am proud of the fact that she is really good at these sports and enjoys playing them, but I don't want her to get lost in them.
3. I think that her development would be different if she was raised by a different family with a different background. Culture plays a role in the upbringing of a child. For example, many culture would be completely against Ryann playing sports and being so active. Others might focus more on her academic side whereas I am trying to balance every aspect. I want her to be mentally and phsyically developed. I would say that our family is in the middle class so she might have benefited a little more with a family whose mother did not have to work and could stay home with the kids. However, I made sure to make up for that missed time on the weekends and when I was home. I am still very involved in her life and we do a lot of activities together. We also rely on community events, like sports teams for examply, so I think she gets the best of both social worlds. We use community programs but maybe not as much as a lower SES family would. The difference in cultural backgrounds would be the thing that would most change her development.