Reflective Practice 1

Reflective Practice Through A Community

Student: Shona Leach
Student Number: 822-836-243
Date: May 13, 2014

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When one examines such a culturally diverse city as Toronto, it is hard to miss the
abundant of resources that are provided to meet the needs of its citizens. Resources such as
community centres, food banks, schools, hospitals, supports groups for almost anything that
someone could be struggling with like breastfeeding, an addiction, illnesses, the list is
endless. Among these vast numbers of recourses there are few that stand out because at some
point in our development everyone in our community is touch by them. The one that this
paper will be focusing on is Toronto Public Schools, primarily elementary schools. My CSL
hours are being completed at Wilmington Elementary School (TDSB), they serve children
ages 4 to 12 (JK-grade 6), all cultures/ethnic groups and gender. As a member of the TDSB
some of the core philosophies of this school are that they value;

Each and every student

A strong public education system
A partnership of students, schools, family, and community
The uniqueness and diversity of our students and community
The commitment and skills of our staff
Equity, innovation, accountability, and accessibility
Learning environments that are safe, nurturing, positive, and respectful

During my time at Wilmington I worked with grades 2 providing support in reading and
writing skills. My task was to provide extra help and time to students that were not meeting
the levels expected of them. I got the chance to witness firsthand the drastic change in these
students and the joy they got from being able to reach and maintain the same educational
levels as their peers. Going into this experience I did not anticipate learning and gaining and
learning so much from it both on a personal and professional level. I have never considered
myself to be a particularly patient person, and if someone was to ask those closest to me
about my character traits they would say that I view the world as black or white. Meaning
that things are usually either one way or other, I have never been the type of person to allow
for things to be in between the norms, for me it has always been it could only be this way

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or that way no in between. In essences I am being to learn, accept, and allow for things to
be different from what I perceive being the ideal norm. Yet another significant thing that this
experience did for me was it brought together the concept that people really do learn things
differently and at different rates, this experience made that real for me, and more feasible.
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) states that Social determinants of health
have a significant impact on the predisposition of individuals and groups to illness, as well as
the way in which they experience and recover from illness. It is critical that nurses understand
the impact of these factors on the individuals and groups that they work with, and include
these factors in their assessments. Given this statement the two most significant determinants
of health that was evident in the elementary school children are; stress, and education and
care in early childhood. Considering that the aim of my services during my CSL hours was
to provide remedial help to kids that were struggling in reading and writing, it is easy to argue
the point that they were experiencing some degree of anxiety, low self-esteem, and
insecurities. I found that many of the children were a great deal more quiet and withdrawn
compared to the other children in the class room, they also were more hesitant to participate
in class discussion out of fear of not being correct Stressors have a major influence upon
mood, our sense of well-being, behaviour, and health (Schneiderman 2005). Moreover it
should also be noted that even though theses amazing teachers do their best to meet the needs
of our children it is somewhat a hard and daunting task. These classrooms are usually filled
with twenty plus students all whom have different learning needs, and capacities. This takes
me to my next determinant of health; education and care in early childhood. The Canadian
Nurses Association (CNA) also writes that high quality education can mitigate against
inadequacies such as insecure attachment, low levels of stimulation, reduced readiness for
school and problem behaviour. I choose these two determinants because I feel like the
members of the TDSB do an amazing job provide care and intellectual stimulation to theses

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children. That being said I also believe that these are areas that can continually be expanded
on and developed further, it is impossible for one teacher to effectively meet the needs of all
twenty children in the classroom. The positive difference my presence made in the overall
comfort of the classroom, the stress on the teacher and students, and the capacity of the
students speaks for itself.
As a single mother of two boys both in elementary school, a full time nursing student,
who also works full time, I can personally identify and relate to theses two determinants. In
my opinion I feel that the family as a whole is affected by the determinants of health. It's a
fact that children in our society today face a tremendous amount of stress compared to earlier
generations. I feel because of the high demands of work and personal life unfortunately some
parents cannot give a hundred percent support to their children when it comes to
education. With this in mind, I will say any and all help and support is welcomed to meet

the need of all members of our community. There are a number of organizations that provide
many resources and help to families and children some of which are:
1. Regent Park Healthcare Community Centerhttp://www.regentparkchc.org/youth-programs/pathways-to-education
This program is open Monday to Friday, and serves individuals living in the regent park area
it is free to attend and their goal is to increase academic retention, and success in school. The
programs works in partnership with the school boards, parents, volunteers, and community
agencies. In order to meet the needs of its clients this program offers tutoring, mentoring,
financial support in the form of bus fare to get to and from school. They also advocate for
theses children helping to build and maintain positive relationships with their parents. An
organization such as this one arguably plays a prominent role in successfully addressing the

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needs of their clients. When needs such as stress management, financial aid etc are being met
the overall wholistic health of those clients are indeed promoted.
2. YMCA- Greater Toronto Area- http://www.ymcagta.org/
The YMCA is an organization that provides a variety of services and resources across the
lifespan; hence they serve all age groups. They provide services such as after school
programs, fitness programs, camps, substance abuse programs, outreach and many more. The
YMCA is also finically flexible the offer finical aid to those who need it, therefore anyone in
the community has the means and access to their services and resource. The World Health
Organization (WHO) says that Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This is why organizations such as
the YMCA and the Regent Park Community Centre are important they play a part in
addressing health concerns that affect our mental and social being. More importantly when an
organization such as the YMCA, is financially open and flexible it is easier and more realistic
to reach all member of the community.
Being able to spend my time in this environment has truly highlighted for me the fact
that we indeed are very diverse in numerous ways. I have learned that we need to be flexible
and adaptable in our approach to teaching because not everyone learns the same way or at the
same speed. Seeing that patient teaching is a major part of the nursing profession this is
something that I will carry into my practice. I had to be creative and patient and caring in my
studies with these children, which has really built and expanded my horizons.

References

Canadian Nurses Organization (CNA) (n.d.). Social Determinants of Health and Nursing.

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Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://www.cna-aiic.ca/sitecore

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%20fr/2013/09/05/19/20/bg8_social_determinants_e.pdf#search=%22determinants
%20of%20health%22
Perceived stress, internal resources, and social support as determinants of mental health
among young adults - Springer. (2000, February). Retrieved May 11, 2014, from
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:QURE.0000015288.43768.e4
Schneiderman, N. (2005).STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and
Biological Determinants. (2005). Retrieved May 11, 2014, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2568977/
World Health Organization (WHO) (n.d.). WHO Definition of Health. Retrieved May 11,
2014, from http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html