Christmas at Ambrose Begins

Tomorrow is Dec. 1, 2012 , only 23 days to go and it's Christmas. At my daughter's school the lobby is already getting decorated by beautiful ornaments. The Tree is out, the fireplace is lit.  And just by the door as classes was about the end, you can't help but admire how the hanging lantern is illuminated as the sun is about to say goodbye. So simple, yet so breath taking. 

Let the children play . . . outside

IF YOU are a parent who is terrified of letting her child crawl on the floor out of the fear that he will eat dirt, then you may be doing him a disservice after all. Many doctors are of the opinion that exposing kids to dirt may have health benefits.

Immunologists believe that children exposed to germs and animals are less likely to develop modern diseases such as diabetes, Crohn’s disease, asthma and heart problems.

"Our lifestyles are slowly getting westernised. Our children are now growing up in 'hyperclean', sterile environments resulting in under developed immune systems because of inadequate exposure to bacteria," senior consultant of paediatrics at Rockland Hospital, Dr Vandana Kent, said. This draws attention to the paradox in Western healthcare.

Old epidemics, such as cholera, having disappeared from advanced nations, a set of new ailments — including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and multiple sclerosis — have become more common. Many of these seem linked to our immune systems.

Rob Dunn, an eminent professor of biology and the author of The Wild Life of Our Bodies , urges us all to adopt a radical approach to the 'hygiene hypothesis'. He believes that our lives have become too clean and that this is making our immune systems so disoriented that they over- react massively to harmless everyday substances, such as house dust.

He believes our healthy future lies in what he calls, 're-wilding our bodies' and that we should be able to convince ourselves that our bodies are still in the natural state of our ancestors: roaming bug-infested forests and living in unsanitary hovels. We can do this, he says,  by having worms living in our guts.

"We have gone from lives immersed in nature to lives in which nature has disappeared but our bodies continue to expect to meet our old companions, the parasite species with which they tangled for generation upon generation,” Dunn said. It might sound disgusting, but research scientists across the world are taking this idea very seriously. Tests have shown when parasitic worms are put into the digestive systems of mice, it could stop them from getting irritable bowel disease. 

"It's just how a vaccine works. It first introduces foreign substances in our body and then prepares it to develop antibodies. Similarly, when we are exposed to bacteria as children, our body learns to fight infections. We build an army of soldiers to fight diseases,” Dr Kent said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules on hiring kindergarten teachers tightened

By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom – Mon, Nov 19, 2012

 

The government has tightened rules on hiring kindergarten teachers, as it highlighted the importance of improving the quality of early education.

Following last year's rollout of universal kindergarten education in public schools nationwide, DepEd has released additional guidelines in choosing and deploying early education teachers.

"We must adhere to quality standards in preparing our young learners..." Education Secretary Armin Luistro said in a statement.

"[I]t therefore follows that our teachers must be equipped with the required standard as regards competence and qualifications," he added.

Related story: DepEd: There's a bully in you and me

DepEd Order 81 Series of 2012 requires kindergarten teacher applicants to hold degrees in early childhood education, preschool education, family life and child development, or elementary education with specialization in preschool or early childhood education or majoring in teaching early grades.

Secondary education degree-holders may also apply, provided that they have additional diploma in early childhood education including practice teaching in kindergarten education.

Also qualified are graduates of other related courses but who have at least 18 units in early childhood education and child development.

Aside from relevant education, teacher applicants must also have passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers or the Professional Board Examination for Teacher.

 

They should also not be more than 45 years old, DepEd noted, adding however that teaching experience in kinder or preschool in either public or private schools will also be considered as additional qualifications.

In other news: DepEd chief to teachers: keep Christmas party simple

DepEd is currently hiring teachers who "shall be deployed in public schools where there is an existing kindergarten program with a large population of five-year old children."

Luistro added that a kinder teacher will handle two three-hour classes per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with each class having at least 25 children.

"In a school where there is only one kinder class, the teacher shall handle another class in a nearby school," Luistro said.