# data[].attributes.body
After attending this class for the past semester, I know now the importance of making children's wants feel heard. I think that while children are developing a sense of agency, they should be able to explore their curiosities and have some type of control over what they want to learn about. Also, I have learned more about how to support children. I now understand more about how I can help children who are going through difficulties by listening to them and trying to understand what they may be going through. Not only that, but I can also see how I can change my ways to best help the child.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that as a child, I didn't have much technology in my day-to-day life. However, I do see that changing in the coming generations. As mentioned in today's discussion, technology is a huge part of our lives now. I think that today really made me think about how as a parent, I would need to set boundaries for my children's technology use. I think that technology can be very beneficial, however, too much of it may be bad for the child as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Since I am African American, my family came to the United States from Africa during the time of slavery. However, I am don't have any relationship with the Indigenous people who of the land that I live on. I think that the outdoors has really impacted how  I view play because when I was a kid play consisted of being outside in our backyard. Thus, many times when I think of play, I still think of being outdoors.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that my parents had the same ideas about raising my brother and I that some of the parents on the panel had. I think that they always wanted my brother and I to be given more opportunities than they did growing up. I think this is one idea that I will also bring into parenthood when/if I become a parent. Another thing that my parents did that I appreciated was they put my brother and I into many different activities as a child and then let us pick which ones we wanted to continue. I also think that I want to do this when I become a parent because it really helped me explore my interests.

# data[].attributes.body
I think this week it was really interesting to see how culture shapes education. So, I started to think about how my culture has shaped my own view on education. And I think the way that I acted in the classroom stemmed from my culture. Growing up, I was always taught to listen and respect my elders. So, in the classroom, I was always very obedient, always did what I was told and always paid attention in class.

# data[].attributes.body
I think this week I really started to reflect on how I view disabilities. And I think that as a child, I wasn't really exposed to children with disabilities because they were always in different class rooms than me. So, when I was introduced to the topic of disabilities, I focused on the medical aspect of a disability instead of the cultural and societal aspect. However, I learned in class today that I may need to educate myself more and reshape parts of my views on disabilities.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that this week was very important for me because I am not bilingual. It was very interesting to think about how being monolingual impacted how I grew up. I think that I may have missed out on certain activities and games that include other languages. Growing up I lived in a neighborhood that had many children of different backgrounds, so I was exposed to many different languages but I couldn't fully participate in some games because I did not speak the language.

# data[].attributes.body
Week 8 Reflection

# data[].attributes.body
I think my gender and race really impacted how I played as a child. I think that being a girl subjected me to playing with a lot of dolls as a child. I think that being African American, my parents wanted to expose me to dolls that looks like me so I have Black dolls as a child which looking back on it probably did make me feel more comfortable in my own skin. I think that seeing "beautiful" dolls of color shaped how I see beauty from a young age.

# data[].attributes.body
Week 6 Reflection

# data[].attributes.body
The movie "Babies" really made me reflect on how I grew up and the types of agency that I had. I recall that Bayar and Ponijao had so much freedom to explore and make mistakes. I don't think that as a child, I was given that much freedom. I think I made mistakes but I think that for the most part my parents did not let me touch things that I wasn't supposed to touch and I wasn't able to just put random things in my mouth to see what they were. I think my main source of agency was in a more controlled setting. For example, I would experience a lot of agency when deciding what I played with out of my selection of toys.

# data[].attributes.body
I think for the most part I didn't have much agency growing up. I thrived off of instruction and being told exactly what to do from my teachers and parents. In the classroom, everything was very structured and when we did have creative freedom, it was still in a very structured and controlled environment. Such as, drawing or creating specific items or things. I do think that with that kind of instruction in my life at a young age, I am now a very organized and structured person. However, I still struggle with creativity, especially in instances where I am not guided by direct instruction.

# data[].attributes.body
In my family, as soon as my brother and I could walk we were put into sports. Therefore, a lot of my childhood memories are often related to sports or interactions with my teammates. As a child, my main friends were other children on my soccer team and volleyball team. These teams fostered a great sense of community.

# data[].attributes.body
For the most part, I have received a public school education. I think that through the public school system, I was able to meet so many different types of people growing up and was able to become friends with kids of different backgrounds as I got older. I think that this may have influenced my development because it allowed me to become aware of different cultures at a young age.

# data[].attributes.body
I primarily grew up in Texas. Therefore, I grew up with very traditionally "American" toys and ways of playing. As a child, I mainly occupied myself with barbie dolls and Bratz dolls. However, at the time, many dolls that were available to me did not actually look like me. I remember being so excited about my first doll that had the same skin tone as me.

# data[].attributes.body
I am African American and I think being African American has somewhat influenced the friends that I had in my childhood. As a kid, I used to play with a lot of other African American kids or my family members. I think that in the African American community that I grew up in there was always a sense of family whether or not we were related.

# data[].attributes.body
I identify as female. Growing up as a little girl, I do think that being a girl influenced the way that I played. When I received gifts, I would always receive dolls or stuffed animals or dainty jewelry. Whereas my brother received power rangers or more "masculine" gifts. I would also often be dressed in skirts and colors such as pink and yellow.

# data[].attributes.body
My primary language is English. Being in Texas has exposed me to some Spanish. However, I would not consider myself proficient in Spanish by any means. I think that by only speaking English, I may have been less exposed to certain games or experiences as a child.

# data[].attributes.body
In my family, we love to do things together. So as a child, we would always cook together and go on family outings to the park together. I think this really made me value family from a very young age and has influenced how important i believe family to be now.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a Christian. Growing up, I think that the church allowed me to have a second family and as a kid, a lot of my friends came from our church circle. This also influenced my growth because I grew up being surrounded by certain morals and beliefs that may differ from other people.

# data[].attributes.body
1/26: