A Life in Development:from First Breath to Final ChapterA Life in by: Latayan, Queenzel

life waiting to be written. Before I took my first breath, my life had already begun. Inside the belly of my mother throughout the prenatal period, physical parts, internal organs, and the brain were formed slowly as development advanced. Although I could not yet think, speak or learn in the same way I do today, my developing brain was already preparing the foundation for my future cognitive development. The initial experiences of the physical senses started while development progressed inside the womb, which marked the first stage of my journey toward becoming the person of today. My environment also played important role in my development before I was born. Many people believe that maternal health status, food intake, peace of heart, and the circumstances of pregnancy either support or challenge developmental growth. Necessary conditions for development were established by the protection and setting given at that stage so that entry into the outer world could happen safely. Remembering those days is impossible for me today, but development holds great meaning in my personal story because development started long before my first intake of breath.A

Even before I knew the world, the world was already preparing for me.WHATAW O N D E R F U L W ORLDB y:Lou i s A r m s t r o ng“The beginning is always today” -Mary Shelley

y infancy after my birth was a time of rapid growth and discovery. My body developed quickly and I developed gradually essential motor skills such as sitting, crawling, and walking. My brain was developing rapidly as well, as I learned about people and things around me. I could identify familiar faces and sounds, interact with my environment, and talk. At that time, I started to grow emotionally attached to my family members. My family caregivers and environment contributed to the developmental stage I was experiencing at the time. They created a secure base that made me feel safe while exploring my surrounding. My home environment exposed me to the feeling of comfort that helped me to develop attachments. The familial atmosphere offered tactile experiences, such as hearing and seeing different objects, sounds, and physical activities. My infancy stage is an essential aspect of my life because it connects me to the Attachment theory. The experiences I had at that time influenced significantly my ability to learn, to speak, and to attach to others as I grew older.M

I S N ’ T S H E L O V E L YB y : S t e v i e W o n d e r“Every child begins the world again.”-Henry David Thoreau“I was learning about the world, one little step at a time.”

was much more active, curious and eager to explore as I entered the early childhood years of my life. My physical, motor skills and language were all developing more and more allowing me to move, play and express myself more independently. Through my imagination I explored and began to get a sense of self and how I felt. According to Jean Piaget’s Preoperational Stage children in this stage of life use language, symbols and their imagination to try to understand and represent the world around them. At home, I have a lot of support from my family. My school also provides us with lots of learning opportunities through different activities such as storytelling, role playing, arts and crafts and many more. My teachers and classmates also help me in my social development by being patient with me and understanding my point of view. There are times when I get confused and have difficulties in following the rules but overall, my family, friends and teachers have been very supportive of me in my Preoperational Stage of development. They helped me a lot in developing my language, confidence, independence and emotional development. My physical, motor skills and language were all developing more and more allowing me to move, play and express myself more independently. My physical, motor skills and language were all developing more and more allowing me to move, play and express myself more independently.I

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” — Pablo Picasso“I was learning to talk, play, imagine, and understand the little world around me.”“TRY E V E R Y T H I N G ”B y: S h a k i r a

he period of time from when I was about 6 until I was 11 was my time of middle and late childhood. During this time, I became much more active, I was growing up and becoming more independent. My motor skills were maturing, and I was able to do tasks that required more coordination such as writing, drawing, playing games and physical activity. In addition, my way of thinking became more organized and logical. I was able to think about rules, solve problems, remember information and look at things from different angles. Children of this age have reached the Concrete Operational Stage of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. At this stage, children think logically and in an organized manner and can apply this to understand concrete situations. As I grew, I became more aware of my emotions, ability to do things and the relationships I had with the people around me. I became more of a cooperative child and learned how to make friends, how to do things my way while following the rules and deal with both success and failure. Two of the environments that had an influence on my development were the environment of my family and the environment of my school. My family taught me responsibility, confidence and values. The environment of my school offered me the chance to acquire skills and to learn, to come into contact with my peers, to apply the rules and to develop academic and social skills. My teachers and my peers encouraged me to express myself and to participate as much as possible in all activities. At times it was a challenge to get used to the expectations of school, to the work and to the friendships, but it helped me to grow up to be an independent young person with problem solving skills and with understanding of others. It helped me to find out who I am.T

“ Y O U ’ V E G O T A F R I E ND I N M E ”By: Randy Newman“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” — B.B. King“I was learning to talk, play, imagine, and understand the little world around me.”

As I entered adolescence, my body began going through many physical changes brought by puberty. I experienced changes in my height, body shape, skin, and overall appearance, while my body gradually became more mature. I began to be more concerned with my physical appearance, feelings, and personal aspect. In addition, my thought process has become more sophisticated, allowing me to ask more demanding questions, critically analyze existing ones, share my opinions, and invest in my future. According to Jean Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage, I began to think abstractly and hypothetically, developing personal opinions and ideals that will remain with me throughout my life. At the same time, I began to experience confusing emotions and the intensifying need for external validation. I began to uncover my interests, values, strengths, and aspirations, which helped me gain a clearer understanding of myself. The two social environments that have had a huge impact on me as an adolescent are family and school. Although my family members have encouraged me and have helped me in coping with the difficulties associated with change, schools and teachers have brought new ideas to me, introduced me to friends and built my future. However, the expectations from my family, school and community were responsible for my self-image creation and put lots of stress on me especially when my personal opinion differed from theirs. At the same time, the stage of Identity versus Role Confusion described by Erik Erickson was relevant to this period and focused on the need to find oneself in spite of others’ expectations. Over the course of my adolescence, I have encountered lots of difficulties and successes, met lots of people who helped me in my path.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” — Aristotle“I was learning more about myself, discovering my strengths, and figuring out who I wanted to become.”“ T H I S I S M E ”B y : K e a l a S e t t l e

s I stepped into adulthood, I started to feel more independent. I began making my choices and taking responsibility for them. My body had settled into a stable phase and my mind kept growing stronger through school, work and everyday life. I found myself better at making decisions solving problems, managing tasks and thinking clearly about where I wanted to go in life. I also grew emotionally. I learned how to face difficulties and understand my feelings without getting overwhelmed. According to Erik Erikson early adulthood is the stage of Intimacy vs. Isolation. This is the time when people try to form meaningful relationships. It's about building connections with others while still staying true to who you are. I saw this in my life. I wanted to connect with others. I also wanted to keep my own identity. My family stayed important during this time. They gave me support and advice. At the time my job or the community I was part of gave me chances to use what I had learned. I had to take on roles and do things on my own. These experiences pushed me to grow. They taught me how to balance work and personal life manage time and keep relationships. At times it was hard—there were conflicts, demands and expectations to meet. I learned from them. Through all of this I grew more confident. I became more responsible. I got better at making decisions. I built friendships and relationships that mattered. I realized something being an adult doesn't just mean being independent. It also means building ties helping others and finding purpose. I started to see that my life wasn't about me. It was, about the connections I made and the direction I chose.A

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt“I am beginning to make my own choices, build my future, and discover the path I want to take.”“AMILLI O N D R E A M S ”B y : T heG r e a t e s t S h o w m a n

uring the period of entering middle adulthood, which is around the age of 40 to 65, my body will continue changing as it is a normal process of getting older. In this time, I may experience certain changes in physical strength, energy level, vision, hearing, metabolism, which is why I should take care of my health and follow healthy routines. I would make my decision and find solutions based on my previous experience and accumulated knowledge. In terms of my emotions, I would become aware of my responsibilities, relationships, successes and purpose. As per Erik Erikson's theory, the stage of Generativity vs. Stagnation occurs at this age and it is a time when people concentrate on being helpful to others, helping the next generation, making difference in their family, workplace and community. There are two major environments that can affect me at this stage, my family and my workplace or community. In my family, I would have a chance to get emotional support and an opportunity to be a role model for younger family members, while at my workplace or community, I would have the possibility to use my experience and skills for others. At the same time, there may appear some difficulties as far as my responsibilities, work and family are concerned as well as because of the changes that are related to my aging. These situations would make me more patient, responsible and purposeful.D

“ T U L O Y P A R I N ”By : N e o c o l o u r s“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” — Robert F. Kennedy“I have grown through many experiences, and now I want to use what I’ve learned to help and inspire others.”

LATE ADULTHOODA Life Well Lived “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” — Ralph Waldo EmersonAs I entered into my late adulthood starting from 65 years old, I was going to continue experiencing natural consequences of aging. I was not going to feel myself so energetic, fast-moving person; I would not have good eyesight and earsight, my memories and other bodily functions were going to change. Because of that, taking care of my health, being physically active and receiving support from other people became an important issue for me. From cognitive perspective, I would be able to learn new things and use all the knowledge and experience accumulated during my lifetime, however, my abilities to memorize and process information would be slower. From emotional perspective, I was going to review my whole life, my experiences, relationships, achievements and all the things that I had done. Following the perspective of Erik Erikson's Integrity vs. Despair stage, late adulthood is associated with reflection of one's whole life and seeing it as fulfilled, accepting it.Two environments that might affect my development in this particular stage of life are my family and my community. Family members might offer me companionship, support and a chance to share my experience and wisdom with younger members of the family. The community might help me to stay socially engaged and to engage in activities in spite of the physical limitations that come with aging. On the other hand, retirement, changes in health status, loss of dear people and dependence on others might pose a challenge to me. With the help of people around me, I will be able to cope with these challenges with an attitude of acceptance and find meaning in every day living.A meaningful life is not measured only by how long I lived, but by the love, lessons, and legacy I leave behind.And the life leaves a Legacy.

“PHOTOGRAPH”By: Ed Sheeran“Looking back, I realize that every chapter, every person, and every experience helped make my life meaningful.”

The first day at school for me was the very first instance where I was exposed to a learning environment outside my home. I was becoming more independent and was socializing with other kids and teachers and shouldering responsibilities. Biologically, my cognitive development took place due to the new information I was exposed to. Socio-emotional, I was developing communication and cooperation skills with people other than my family members. My family and teachers supported me in the adjustment process.FIRST DAY OF SCHOOLPUBERTYMAKING IMPORTANT FRIENDSHIPACHIEVING A CAREER GOALRETIREMENTI became a teenager, thus undergoing changes as I made the shift from being a child to an adolescent. My body matured and I became conscious of my emotions, my looks and myself. Biologically, I went through bodily changes due to physiological development that occurred during my puberty. Emotionally & socio-culturally, I developed a consciousness of myself and my emotions. My parents, schoolmates and teachers assisted me in adapting to the changes.A friendship was developed with an individual that became significant to my life. I improved my skills of communicating, being trustworthy to a person, understanding various viewpoints and giving as well as receiving emotional support. Socio-emotional, the process of my socio-emotional development has been impacted since I discovered such concepts as trust, communication, empathy, cooperation and emotional support. Biologically, I also got to know how to understand another person's mind and viewpoints. My educational and social surroundings have provided me with opportunities to meet new people.I attained a significant career milestone after years of learning and achieving my career aspirations. This increased my self-confidence and my feeling of accomplishment and purpose. biologically the education I have had and the work that I have been doing have helped me to enhance my knowledge, skills, and decision making and problem-solving abilities. Socio- emotional the attainment of my career goal helped me gain confidence, achievement and self-confidence. The environment at home and work has provided me with direction and opportunity for development.I have now retired after having worked and fulfilled all my responsibilities over the years. Now I have more free time in my hands which can be utilized for myself, my family, my personal hobbies, and contemplation. On an emotional level, my experience of retirement could influence the way I feel since now I need to get used to my new schedule, maintain my relationships, and discover my new sources of meaning and joy in life. As far as my physical health is concerned, I would be able to use my professional experience to contemplate upon my life and share it with other people.555TURNING POINT TURNINGTURNING POINTPOINT

Latayan, Queenzel Mae T.LPTI want to become a teacher who understands that every learner develops differently and has their own experiences, strengths, and challenges. The study of human development revealed to me that students experience behavioral changes and emotional shifts which stem from their family background and their school environment and their social contacts and atmospheric conditions. I want to wait because I need to stop making fast judgments about my future students. Students need to feel safe in my classroom because I want to create a space which shows respect to them while allowing them to express their thoughts freely, students can build their self-expression abilities through my classroom environment because I will create a safe learning space which respects every student. I will provide help to them by giving them appropriate assistance which matches their current level of growth. My teaching goal involves delivering academic content through lessons which build student personal development. I want my students to remember me as their teacher who supported their journey to discover their own abilities.

Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. Basic Books. Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. International Universities Press.References:“Every age has a story. Every stage shapes the person.”CREDITS: Images: Images used in this digital scrapbook were generated with the assistance of ChatGPT by OpenAI. Design & Layout: Designed and arranged using Canva. Design Inspiration: Pinterest was used as a source of visual and design inspiration.