Gathering my thoughts! (CHDV-Blog Week 2)

Do you ever take a moment to gather your thouhts? Well my best friend tells me that after a crazy day at work LORL.  I ask this question because there is value in sitting down and collecting your thoughts such as going back through the course of your day and remembering certain events, interactions, reactions, emotions or simply your thoughts. Similarly when we engage children about the course of their day was at school and hone in on details like who they played with on the playground and what game did they play specifically, we are in fact helping them develop memory skills. Talking with children through the form of storytelling and asking them to retell their story is a form of language itself.  Culture plays a role in the development of memory because our culture is tied to our personal experiences and shapes the way we evaluate, process and store information. In other words some things are more impactful than others based on factors like what we believe in, how we are raised, environmental and societal influences, etc.  For example when I first moved to the US I had a teacher who shunned me for speaking two languages and that memory was directly tied to my culture and how I saw myself as a second grader and from that point forward it developed a memory that I associated with shame of having a Korean mother. I'm not sure how all of that ties into autobiographical memory other than it was my personal experience which undoubtedly became part of my self-identity. Check out this link for information about the impact of language on the development of a child’s memory: https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/developing-memory#:~:text=Memory%20development%20not%20only%20takes,ability%20to%20form%20a%20positive

Blessings to you, you and you. HL