Saladaga, Kean Debert T.

REVIEWS

Life Stage: Infancy

The idea that new babies are empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge of the world around
them doesn’t sound unreasonable. With their unfocused eyes and wrinkly skin, tiny humans sometimes
look more like amoebas than complex beings.

Children with high self-esteem who feel loved and supported are willing to try new things and to fail a lot
in the process, said Andrew Meltzoff, Kuhl’s co-director at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences,
because they know they’ll be safe. Even preschoolers who shout “no” at tired parents are testing the
supportive boundaries of their environments. Where people often suggest that toddlers, given their
frenetic tendencies, have trouble paying attention, in reality, they have trouble not paying attention.
Everything piques their senses, from the sight of a passing car, to the soft fur of a dog, to the sizzle bacon
makes when it hits a hot pan. They need help processing, but also the physical and mental space to take
it all in.

Helping children thrive doesn’t mean providing the best toys or the most expensive gadgets, though.
Quite the opposite; learning happens when children create their own play worlds. A child who sees a
ruler and a pen and turns them into an airplane is often using more of her imagination and stimulating
more of her brain than a child who is handed an already-put-together toy. “Play is the major vehicle for
children to learn,” Shonkoff said.

- Emily Deruy (Staff Writer at The Atlantic)

DeRuy, E. (2016, June 20). Babies Are Not Blank Slates. Retrieved May 11, 2020, from
[Link]

Life Stage: Early to Late Childhood

One of this years's finest releases turns out to be this fly-on-the-wall documentary from Nicolas Philibert,
about a single-class French village school, which is situated in a remote Auvergne farming community.
The dozen-or-so pupils - boys and girls whose ages range from four to ten - are all taught by the same
remarkably dedicated and caring teacher, Georges Lopez, himself now approaching retirement. Whilst
there are lessons in the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics, there are also more playful
activities - such as baking pancakes, tobogganing in the snow, and picnicking in the summer fields.
Lopez regards it as his duty to try and prepare his charges for the adult world beyond the cozy
classroom. Thus they learn how to get along peacefully with one another - verbal and physical disputes
are settled by reasoned discussion, not through physical chastisement - and they are encouraged to
express their fears and worries. Lopez's enlightened philosophy is encapsulated in a conversation with a
mother worried about her daughter's reticence, calmly stressing that he wants the child "to develop and
be happy".

- Tom Dawson (2003)

Films - review - Etre et Avoir (To Be and to Have). (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2020, from
[Link]

Life Stage: Late Childhood to Adolescence

Elaine Hall, creator of the Los Angeles based Miracle Project leads Neal, Lexi, Henry, Adam and Wyatt on
an innovative journey through an exciting theater program that brings together typically developing
children and children with special needs in an atmosphere of creativity, acceptance and joy as they
prepare and perform their own full-length musical. Hall (or “Coach E” as the kids call her), is charged
with the daunting task of proving that the five can sing, dance and act live in a stage performance in just
22 weeks.

AUTISM: THE MUSICAL is the story of this emotional adventure and features indelible character studies
of Neal, Lexi, Henry, Adam and Wyatt - five kids who have been diagnosed with varying degrees of
autism. These five experience failure, frustration and triumph – both on stage and in their home lives
while preparing for opening night. Director Tricia Regan provides an intimate and unvarnished chronicle
covering six months in the lives of both the kids and their parents. Both therapeutic and recreational, we
see how the creative process provides a key to unlocking the inner worlds of these amazing children. The
documentary charts this emotional journey, both on and off stage, and brings attention to a modern-day
epidemic now of epic proportions - all the while celebrating the power of the connection between art and
the human spirit and how together they can form a powerful tool against life’s obstacles.

- Jason Brantley (Docurama Films)

(2007, April 18). Retrieved May 11, 2020, from [Link]

Life Stage: Adolescence

Once upon a time kids got to hang out, play, do nothing in particular. Increasingly there’s been an outcry
against how structured — and future-focused — the lives of America’s college-bound students have
become. As “Race to Nowhere” demonstrates, the intense pressures they face, sometimes before they’ve
reached the double-digit age bracket, continue to take their toll: rampant cheating, sleep deprivation,
anorexia, depression, anxiety, self-mutilation, suicide. Collecting the testimony of those who have been
through the stress machine and those who have observed it firsthand, the documentary is a dire warning
and solid piece of advocacy journalism, complete with an action checklist at film’s end.

Filmmaker Vicki Abeles (who directs with Jessica Congdon) explores the culture of high achievement
within her own family, her Bay Area community and around the country. Raised to believe in the
necessity and value of hard work, she watched her children implode under the weight of extracurricular
demands and as many as six hours of nightly homework. Interviews with students at both private and
public schools, as well as parents, teachers, academicians and authors, uncover a market-driven
conformity; one passionate teacher uses the word “roboticize” to describe the educational process. High
school is preparation not for college — once through the gates, many Ivy League entrants need to take
remedial courses — but for the all-important college application.

- Sheri Linden

Movie review: 'Race to Nowhere'. (2010, September 9). Retrieved May 11, 2020, from
[Link]

GAME
ISSUE

Life Stage: Adolescence

During this phase of development, adolescents begin to transition from childhood to adulthood. Issues of
independence, identity, sexuality, and relationships define this developmental stage. Mental health
problems, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and thought disorders (such as schizophrenia) as
well as psychosocial disorders, may develop or first become apparent during adolescence. Suicide is a
major cause of death for this age group. Other causes of death include accidents, unintentional injuries,
and homicide.

Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, most commonly develop during
adolescence and are more common among girls. Many unhealthy behaviors that start during
adolescence, such as consuming a poor diet (see Obesity in Adolescents), smoking, substance use, and
violence, can lead to immediate health problems, long-term disorders, or poor health later in life.

- Sharon Levy , MD, MPH, Harvard Medical School

Levy, S. (n.d.). Introduction to Problems in Adolescents - Children's Health Issues. Retrieved May 12,
2020, from [Link]
adolescents/introduction-to-problems-in-adolescents