Educational Quotes

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.  ~Roger Lewin

Children should be given the opportunity to explore and discover the answers to questions on their own. Our job is to make sure they have the opportunity to explore and to lead them to the right path of discovery when necessary. 

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher

It is important to acknowledge that children are little people trying to make sense of the world around them.  The best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to discover, ask questions and to discuss with them the world around them.  Let the children play, that is how they make sense of the world.
You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance.  ~Franklin P. Jones

Children are so enlightening.  Take time and observe the children in your lives. You will learn what they think about the world and the people in their lives, sometimes it is a real eye opening experience.

You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again.  ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

Children learn through play.  Play is not a mindless activity. Perhaps it is adults that need a lesson in learning.

Children seldom misquote.  In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.  ~Author Unknown

I love this quote. Children are like little tape recorders.  They are always listening and learning, so becareful of what you say and do. YOu are the role model for children.

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

What can I say about this quote?  It says it all.

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.  ~Frederick Douglass

The time to make a difference in the lives of the human race is when they are small.  If we enstow in them what they need to develop healthy minds and souls they will grow to be fine individuals.

If you haven't time to respond to a tug at your pants leg, your schedule is too crowded.  ~Robert Brault

Children deserve our attention, arrange your schedule to give them what they need; time, love and patience.

Testing or Intelligence?

As a student of the public school systems I feel it important to say that the education that I received was excellent.  I began school in 1978 and graduated in 1991, the only “standardized tests” we incurred to my recollection was the California Achievement Tests.  I believe that my teachers gave me the education that I needed to make a career for myself without all the pressures of testing.

With this being said, I believe that there has to be a standard education system throughout the country. Children in the rural parts of North Carolina should be receiving the same education that children from urban Michigan are receiving.  The problem that I have with testing is, it will take at least one generation to make all children all over the United States on the same level.  We must take into consideration that all children are not coming to the public schools at the same developmental levels.  They do not and have not had the same experiences and therefore it is unfair to expect children from all regions to miraculously “get on the same level”.

 As a teacher I struggle everyday with leveling the playing field for my students. The “No Child Left Behind” ideal is a nice thought.  But how are we going to teach our curriculum and get children where they need to be when we have some children that are developmentally years behind the others.  I am expected to teach particular concepts in x-amount of weeks and no more.  If the students do not understand it then we will have to revisit it throughout the year.  This is ridiculous in my opinion.  If my students as a whole are having difficulty, then I should be able to make that call for the sake of my students.  Instead I must push forward and teach new concepts.  Testing has put so much pressure on schools and teachers that we are not doing what is best for the children, because in the end there are some students that we have to “leave behind” so that we meet our required percentages in testing.

Do I believe we should be held to certain standards, yes indeed.  All students worldwide should be taught the same concepts at the same age. Do I believe that standardized testing is important? Yes I believe it is important that there are checks to be sure our students are learning the required skills.  However at the same time it has made teaching and even learning a rush to the finish line.  Teachable moments are wonderful, but as a teacher we had better pray that it fits into our deadlines.

Standardized Testing In Europe 

Beginning in the late 1970’s in the United States, high schools began using exit examinations to ensure that students were meeting the minimum state requirements for graduation.  By 2001 all states were implementing some type of graduation exam.  Today testing is based on the curriculum and performance standards have been developed in all fifty states. 

In European countries, examinations based on state standards have been common. Different regions within Europe, however, handle the testing differently.  In France they are set by the state and conducted and scored by the schools. In the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Romania and Slovenia the tests are also set by the state, however they are conducted and scored by external or semi-independent agencies.  The Russian Federation not only conducts and scores their tests, they are also set by the schools.  There tests are in accordance with the government guidelines but there has been no attempt to standardized them or make them comparable.  The tests are strongly curriculum based, since the objective is to certify that individuals have reached a specified level of learning.  Students are allowed to retake the tests if they fail, and the tests are created at medium-low stakes.  In the Netherlands, the weightings are 50-50 with in school performance and examinations. This allows students to show their skills in ways that are not easily measurable in the examination format.

Gale Encyclopedia of Education. Encyclopedia of Education. Testing: Standardized Tests and Educational Policy. Copyright © 2002 by The Gale Group, Inc.

Impact of Armed Conflict on Child Development

Children in war torn countries do not have the opportunity to grow and develop in the ideal environment.  They are affected physically, socially and emotionally by the effects of war. 

Physically infants are not in an environment that surrounds the child with pleasing and encouraging emotions. The parent’s are stressed and emotions are elevated in anticipation of what is going on around them.  Children learn to rationalize emotions and reactions by watching faces of their caretakers. When a baby smiles at you, it is because you are smiling at them, or they have already learned that if they smile at you, then you will smile back.  In areas that are torn with armed conflict, I wonder if parents can even experience this with their children.  Also, as children develop it is normal for a healthy child to experiment with their surroundings.  They learn to wander around and explore.  In countries at war children are not playing and wandering far from their parents. They are not exposed to the “normal” teachable moments that a healthy child should experience. Instead they are learning to fear certain sounds, smells or even people. 

Another aspect of the physical development is that food and water sources may be affected. Children, as well as their parents, may not be eating properly. War affects the food supply both by cutting off communities from receiving supplies, or because they are scared to venture far from their homes to farm land.  Water is also affected because adults are in fear of their lives and therefore do not wander far from home to retrieve water. In places where water is pumped into the home, power and water sources may be cut off as a way to make life unbearable for the community.  In countries where refugees are living in camps, food and water are delivered in shipments. In war torn communities, shipments can be destroyed or not delivered because of passing through combat zones.  Mother’s who breastfeed are able to feed their babies, and perhaps are the greatest hope for their child to eat properly.  Mothers are able to breastfeed even when under stress and not eating a full diet. However, if the mother becomes is affected by malnutrition or sick, she will not be able to continue.  Also, breastfeeding means that both mother and child stay together. In some cases, they are separated either by death or capture.

Socially they may experience the love of their caretaker, but are not out in their communities participating in the “normal” social experiences that children in non- combat areas are experiences. They are learning not to trust any person outside of their home.  When children are not socialized properly they learn to fear the world. Socially this puts the child as a great disadvantage after the conflict seizes.  During the conflict, however, it is a technique that may save their lives. Because they are kept in the confines of their “home” they are not learning to play with others, learn social cues and are missing out on cultural or ethnic experiences. All of this affects the development of the child.

According to un.org, children in areas of armed conflict “always experience a significant change in their beliefs and attitudes, including a fundamental loss of trust in others”. (   )  The rebuilding of trust in children is a challenge, but it is important for those that interact with the children in their daily lives.  There are some activities that have been identified as supportive to the healing of children.  Establishing daily routines such as going to school, preparing food, washing clothes and working in the fields; providing them with the intellectual and emotional stimulation through structured group activities such as play, sports, drawing, drama and story-telling and providing them with the opportunity for expression, attachment, and trust that comes from a stable, caring and nurturing relationship with adults.  All of these activities will provide children with a sense of purpose, self-esteem and identity.         (UNICEF)

                                           

Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Retrieved November 26, 2010. http://www.un.org/rights/introduc.htm#contents

Public Health Measures and the impact on Child Development

Infant mortalilty has improved dramatically since 1950.  With public health measures influencing laws, contagious diseases, and cultural norms the number of children that die before age 5 has been reduced worldwide.  One way that has helped improve the overall health of children is immunizations.  Immunization is when a small inactive virus is introduced to the body either by shot, swallowing or inhalation in order to trigger the body to create an antibody against the virus.  According to J.P. Baker in 2000, “Immunization is said to have had a greater impact on human morality reduction and population growth than any other public health intervention besides clean water”.

Thanks to immunizations the world has seen success with eradicating smallpox and polio, as well as causing an almost complete disappearance in measles.  Immunizations are not only for protecting children from the disease, but from the complications that are associated with these diseases as well.

As a parent I decided to keep my children’s immunizations on target and to have them updated as necessary.  Over the years I have heard the rumors that some immunizations were responsible for such things as autism and also resulted in childrens deaths.  However, I felt that not getting them the vaccines would be more of a risk than any complication that may occur from the vaccines.  My mother had all of us vaccinated and we all are healthy adults.  What kind of parent would I be if I did not give my own children the same consideration?

Around the world, and even among different cultures with in the U.S., there are different views on immunizations.  Also, in different countries the availability to immunizations causes many parents not to have their child immunized.   One could hardly blame parents in third world nations who are more likely to not have the opportunity to immunize their children, for not doing so.  Sometimes I think as Americans we forget that many of people around the world do not have all the conveniences that we are afforded in the United States.  Even in some of the poorest communities here in the U. S. there are families who are not able to afford medical attention for their children.  We have to understand the environment, culture and socioeconomic situation of every individual case to determine the availability to immunizations and to understand a parent’s decision to immunize their child.

For this article I have chosen to discuss immunization practices in Nigeria.  According to information I obtained from the UNICEF website and BioMed Central Infectious Diseases website, Nigeria is ranked 2^nd overall and 17^th when ranked in children under 5, in infant mortality.  The country is far behind goals set by the Millenium Development Goals Report which has set goals for all countries to reach in child immunizations.  According to the BioMed Central website, the country  may not meet the goals set for 2015, that is unless the current trend is reversed.  In Nigeria progress is slow because there is inequitable access to services and there are deficient vaccine supplies and equipments.   Because of the lack of availability to immunization services, disease trend continue.  For example,  Measles were responsible for 5 percent of deaths in children in Africa, half of these deaths occurred in Nigeria.  Nigeria is among the ten countries in the world with vaccine coverage rates below 50 percent .  In third world countries, education of mothers on immunizations is also a problem.   Although some parents might understand that the risk to their child dying is higher without the immunizations, there are either not enough of the vaccines available or the sites providing the vaccines are not within the reasonable vicinity of the family.

In closing I would like to comment on a quote from our text, “No one notices when things go right”(Bortz, 2005, p.389).  A doctor stated this as a reason why parents in America are not having their children immunized properly.  I think this is an example of our society as a whole, not only where immunizations are concerned.  We as Americans are so privileged and have come so far within a few generations that we no longer see the importance of the simple procedures that have made our lives so comfortable.  Because we are not seeing the affects first hand of diseases such as polio, small pox, diphtheria, and chicken pox we no longer fear the diseases.  Our reading for this week shared a story of chicken pox where the parents decided not to have their child immunized. Well the little girl contracted chicken pox, but was only a carrier, and when she went home her father, age 36, who had also never been immunized contracted chicken pox.  Because of complications from the chicken pox he died .  This family resided in Kansas which was one of a few states that did not require children to be vaccinated, so no one in the man’s family had ever been vaccinated.  What I learned from this week’s reading is that we could all have had this experience if vaccinations were not mandated by our states.  I don’t think that many of us would have been vaccinated if it had not been enforced. I am grateful that the government has intervened and made it possible for every child to be vaccinated her in the United States.  It is unfortunate that some parents choose not to have their children vaccinated.  I think that the quote from the doctor is most important for people who make this choice to hear.  Because we as a society are not witnessing the deaths of children due to diseases and complications from these awful diseases, they do not see the importance.  Unfortunately, they may have to witness the death of a loved one firsthand before they begin to understand. 

Njoku, Geofforey.  At a glance: Nigeria. Retrieved from Unicef.org November 12, 2010. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/nigeria_36211.html

Berger, Kathleen. The Developing Person through Childhood.  2009. New York

Birthing in the Netherlands

The Netherlands
Most expectant moms in Holland don't see an obstetrician, but are instead referred by their family doctor to a local midwife practice. Doctors only intervene in high-risk cases or if complications arise during delivery. Dutch women decide whether they want a home or hospital delivery. I was surprised to learn that more than half of the women at my midwife's practice deliver at home. In fact, all expectant mothers in Holland are required to pick up a kraampakket that includes all of the medical supplies necessary for a home birth. If you choose not to deliver at home, your midwife will make a house call to check on the progress of your labor and determine the ideal time for you to go to the hospital.
Even if you opt for a hospital birth, it's unlikely that you'll get an epidural. Epidurals are usually only given if it's convenient for the anesthesiologist's schedule (people often joke about the Dutch 9-to-5 epidural) or if an obstetrician determines it is necessary. Giving birth naturally remains the ideal for the vast majority of Dutch women. As my due date approached, I became more open to the idea, and in the end, no one was more surprised than I was to realize I had given birth to our son without any painkillers.
If a mother gives birth early in the day without complications, she and the baby may go home in as little as two hours. Then the unique Dutch system of kraamhulp (maternity home care) is set into motion. For seven days we had a nurse come to our home, a benefit covered by insurance. Not only did she provide medical care, but she also cleaned our apartment, cooked, and instructed us in basic parenting skills.

Schalken, Lara. Birth Customs Around the World. Retrieved November 5, 2010 from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=2

My Birthing Experience

I have had the blessing of having two perfect babies, I have also had the unfortunate experience of losing a baby at 28 weeks.  It is hard to choose which experience to share.  So I will give a brief synopsis of all three experiences.

My oldest child was born when I was 20 years old.  It was a very terrifying experience.  I had never experienced all the strange things that were happening to me and oh the pain. Not having any tolerance for pain this was a true eye opener!  It lasted about 16 hours and I was an evil person, kind of like the exorcist. But eventually my son wiggled his way to the end and oh the relief when he was delivered. It is the true sense of relief.  I did attend the doctor regularly and did my best to prepare for his arrival.  However, being young I was still trying to hang with my friends at night and sleep in the day, so when he arrived his days and nights were all mixed up. I did not make that mistake with my next children.

When I found out I was pregnant the second time, my first son was 2.  I was surprised, but I quickly came to grips and decided I would survive this too.  I was almost two months when I found out I was pregnant.  It was a little more challenging with this pregnancy. I was dealing with a lot of stress within my relationship, and then I had my son and the three step children and all the drama that entails to deal with.  We were all young parents and so there was a lot of drama.  I noticed quickly that I was very tired and that I would have spells where I would just fall asleep without knowing it, passing out if you will.  I had discussed it with the doctor on my visit, but they said it was just hormones or my sugar and I would be okay.  When I was about 4 months pregnant I started spotting.  I had to walk to the doctor, with the two year old in tow.  I was very disgusted and aggravated with the situation, especially when I was lectured by the doctor on duty about not being able to afford medicine much less another baby.  It was a very discouraging experience. The doctor informed me she didn't see anything wrong, so I walked back home and went on with my life.  At about 26 weeks I started bleeding again, and so I was sent to the hospital where I was eventually shipped to a hospital with a neonatal center.  My opinion on this whole situation is that because I was not a cash patient I did not get all the preventive measures I could have to prevent the birth from happening.  At any rate at 28 weeks he was born weighing 1 pound and 2 ounces.  He was very tiny, the birth itself lasted two days and was ten times as painful as the first.  My insides were so tender that the exams were a nightmare! Unfortunately, my son lived 12 hours.  Because I live in the U.S., at least some effort was made to help his little fragile life even though the chances were slim that he would survive the birth itself. Today would have been his 14th birthday if he had lived.

My third pregnancy was also routine.  I attended doctors visits and they were more vigilant than the previous time.  Although she was two weeks over due, she was born a healthy baby.  Her birth only lasted 7 hours because I arrived at the hospital on Friday morning at 10 am and the doctor wanted her to be delivered before her shift ended, so they helped me along with medication.  Doctors are so great! Where was this medicine the first time? 

Prenatal care does impact the development of children in the sense that we can determine if children are having problems before birth and we can insure that they are healthy from the start.  I am also a firm believer that the child gets into a routine and a relationship with the mother while they are in the womb.  My son came out wanting to stay up all night and sleep all day just as I had done during my pregnancy.  I learned from that error and it took me a while to get his sleep routine adjusted.  Children are born with a sense for who loves and cares for them and can sense stress, anger and danger from those around them.  That is simply my opinion from my experience.  In America, we have the opportunity for medical care and early detection for problems.  We are also fortunate to have medical teams that are willing to save babies that would otherwise die when they are born prematurely for whatever reason.

I am thankful for the two healthy children that I have, but I will always wonder why Zachary was not allowed to make it.  I guess we will never know.

A Note of Thanks

To all my colleagues I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for commenting on my blog, and to those of you who are my regular followers I truly appreciate your support.  I was so frustrated with the Blog Assignment in the first few weeks, I was about to give up!  Then one day I got on the course site and read through many of your comments and found that it wasn't only me having trouble.  Thanks to all of your comments and discussions, I finally figured this out! Yeah!

I have truly enjoyed discussing the early childhood field with you all.  I have learned a lot from the course work, but through our conversations I have been able to hear from colleagues on their perspective of the field and current issues in education that are affecting us all on different levels.

I look forward to many more discussions as we continue on our course.

Until next time,
Jennifer

Early Childhood Code of Ethics

Professional Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Education

Under the NAEYC code of ethics there were two of the seven core values that were meaningful to me at this point in my professional career.  The first value is that we recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community and society.  As we attempt to assist children with their educational journey we must understand the culture, community, and family that they are coming.  I have noticed that teachers that are not from our community tend to have difficulty understanding our children.  The children use words and grammar that are unique or common amongst of our community, but are grammatically incorrect or even unheard of in other communities.  For example the dialect that is spoken in the home is a form of broken English that is common.  We be’s going to the store, for example instead of we were going to the store.  Or I be’s quiet but I still gets in trouble.  I have heard many teachers correcting the students English, which is their professional duty however I believe that we as teachers have to try to understand that the children are using the language they are familiar with and we have to find a less critical way to address their language mishaps that does not sound as if we are criticizing them.  So professionally speaking, I believe that I will carry this core value with me on my professional journey to remind me that before I can make a judgment on a child I should understand the family, culture and community from which they come. 

The second core value that was meaningful to me is directly tied to the previous one.  Respect the dignity, worth and uniqueness of each individual.  This includes not only the child, but their family and our colleagues.  Our first impression of a person is important, however when we are working with young children and their families we need to understand that every person is unique and their dignity and feeling of worth is very important.  If we treat each person we meet like we would like to be treated, then we are doing our job as professionals.  Understanding the context from which a child or parent comes, will help us as professionals to ensure that help our children, parents and colleagues to maintain their dignity and self worth.

Finally, from the DEC Code of Ethics there were two goals that I found compelling.  We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages and cultures.  As I proceed as a professional I understand that not only is it important to encourage and respect the children and their families, but also other professionals that I will come into contact with.  We are each unique and have belief systems that are created by the environments and cultures from which we come.  Therefore, if we are going to be high quality professionals we need to demonstrate our appreciation for diversity and values that are not necessarily our own.

To read the full Code of Ethics for the NAEYC and the DEC please visit the following sites;
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
http://www.dec-sped.org/

Course Resources

Over the course of our class we have been giving many resources that will assist us in the classroom and our professional careers.  I have found many of the resources in the list to be beneficial to our assignments now, but I also am learning about resources that will help me in the future.  Also, many of the sites and articles listed have assisted me in understanding policy, procedures as well as developmental issues within the early childhood education field.

Although I am not working with children in the early childhood age group presently, I have been able to apply much of what I have learned about the emotional and social development of young children to my present assignment.

I hope that these resources are beneficial to others that are seeking community resources, or guidance on early childhood issues.



COURSE RESOURCES

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/ 
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

•  YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

My Choice Resources

Below are some resources that I considered to be beneficial.  I enjoyed the Office of Environmental Education's site because it offers many ways to incorporate the outdoors into lessons or curriculums.  Our children need to be more active, and what a wonderful way to get them moving than to get outside and play.  The N.C. Division of Child Development site I thought would be helpful to have handy for anyone who is seeking to work in the early childhood field.  At this site you can find any information on curriculum, regulations and how to apply for licenses or resources.  Finally a site that offers fun and informative information for Children and Families.  If we are going to involve families into education, we are going to need activities and ideals to encourage and support parents and families.

I hope you enjoy these resources!

Office of Environmental Education. http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/edresources/earlychildhood.html

This site offers educational resources to incorporate the outdoors into lessons. 

N.C. Division of Child Development. http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/providers/pv_providres.asp.

Everything an early childhood educator might need in one easy to access location.

Children and Family Resource Center. http://www.childrenandfamily.org/.

Information for children and families.

Personal Childhood Web

Unfortunately, I have been unable to upload the map of my web to this blog.  I am still working on that.

The people that were important to me during my early childhood were my Mom, my Dad, my siblings, Mrs. Mabry my kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Hentchel my first grade teacher.  Without these people in my early years, I do not believe that I would have made it this far.

My mother has always been a strong influence in my life.  She was the one individual who encouraged and supported us in our studies from the early years.  As a young child I remember that she loved me.  She always made holidays and birthdays special, even though now I know times were hard. She is the rock in our family.  Thanks to my Mom and her red pen and demand for neatness, I was a successful student. I love her and she has set the standard for me as a mother.

My father was a strong man.  He was the boss in our home.  Unfortunately he was not able to help us with our schoolwork because he only had an 8th grade education himself.  However, my father's contribution to our success was that he instilled in us, sometimes by whipping it into us, the importance of having a good education.  We lost him when I was 13, but I knew from an early age that he loved me and would do anything he could to help me. 

My siblings; Lynn, Vicky, Jeremy and Melanie.  We always had each other. My older siblings we very dependable, and they took care of us when my Mom and Dad were away.  Because of the strict expectations my father had for us we would help one another to keep from getting into trouble.  Although we may not always get along, they were and are always there for me when I need help.  Yes, as old as I am sometimes I have to pick up the phone and ask for their help with an assignmnent.  The best thing is that I can always count on them to encourage me and boost me up.  They are the best people to have on your side. I love them so much!

Mrs. Mabry, what can I say about her.  She was the greatest teacher I ever had.  As a grown up looking back, I wonder if she was as great as I perceived her to be.  As I work with my own students I notice that the little, unintentional things, mean so much to them.  Do I care about them, sure I do. But I am just being me. But Mrs. Mabry seemed to care about my education a lot.  She knew my siblings who were her students before me and I was so shy.  But she helped me to feel safe and confident in myself.  I can remember thinking that her class was so fun that I never wanted to go home. But of course, I did.  She would keep me behind during recess or music class to help me with skills I had not mastered.  I know now that that was her free time, and she cared enough about me to sacrifice some of her time to work with me.  To me she was love. She always smiled and hugged you.  I felt as if I was a part of her family.

Mrs. Hentchel was my 1st grade teacher.  She was fun! Something about that year seemed so magical.  I do not remember to much just that her lessons were energized and she taught me the alphabet using the Letter People.  They all had funny names and we would stand up and sing along while holding pictures of them.  It was not intimidating to learn because we were all up singing along.  As a person she was a strong personality that cared about us and encouraged us to keep going and not give up. A wonderful person.

Because of all of these people, my early childhood years were wonderful.  Sure I had a few instances that made me embarrassed or just made me want to quit, but one of these people would always re-energize me to do my best and keep going.  I had the feeling that I was safe, I was loved and I could do anything and be anything.  I owe a lot to them.

Today I know that having a good early childhood experience allowed me to develop all the skills and tools I need to be successful.  I am who I am today because of all the wonderful teachers that I had throughout my school and college careers.  I am a life long learner because my parents and teachers taught me that the sky is not the limit, that I should reach for the stars and beyond. I enjoy learning and I enjoy teaching young children. I want to share with children the same motivation that others shared with me.  I have been and continue to be blessed by great people.

Hello!

Hello to all.  I am still trying to get used to the "blogging", please be patient. 

I am creating this blog as a tool for my graduate classes.  I am looking forward to learning the in's and out's of blogging as well as utilizing it as a sounding board to hear from other professionals in the early childhood education field. 

I am very passionate about education and helping children discover their own abilitiy to be successful.  I have recently decided that I most definately would be able to make a larger difference if I could work in the early childhood education field.  I want to help children see that we all have the ability to succeed because it is inside of us all.  Our backgrounds, neither cultural or economical, do not determine the level of success we will achieve, but instead it is the determination that we have to reach goals that we set for ourselves.

I look forward to sharing ideals, articles, and conversations with you all.

Jennifer