A note to thank my colleagues

To the five colleagues that began this experience with me,

I extend a gracious and sincere thank-you to you all for the level of professionalism and support you have shown my blog postings during this term. I have learned much about each of you as an early childhood professional and a few of you, I have learned about you personally. I am excited to know that this field is supported by others who share my value system on early childhood learning and hope that each of you continue to post to your blogs periodically.

With kindest regards for your future endeavors,
Liz

Importance of Ethics in Early Childhood

In many fields of educational study, ethical practices are highly respected, reviewed and enforced. When working with the littlest of people ethical measures need to be held at a much higher state and represented by all working in this field. Young children often cannot speak for themselves or often do not know what is well and just practice in their every day. When I review the NAEYC code of ethics, I am inspired to hold my center to these regards daily. These codes are in place not only to protect the child but also to guide teachers in teaching the whole-brain child so we are creating well-adjusted people in our world.

Three points that I identify with as an early childhood professional are the NAEYC’s ethical responsibility to children, ethical responsibility to families and ethical responsibility to the community and society. Although theses points are broad, it is important to value a child’s safe learning environment and provide him or her with knowledgeable and research driven developmentally appropriate activities that challenge and inspire young children to continue to inquire about the environment that surrounds them. However, teaching and learning cannot stop with just the child but needs to expand into the home environment of the child. Respecting the parents values and practices allow an early childhood professional to invite the parents to become an active teacher for their child. Furthermore, creating a community of teachers that surround the child and embrace their experiences so each child feels like all people values his views, experiences and questions who surround him. By doing this, we all work to create a better living environment for all people and children.

Inspirational quotes to live by...

“Without a skilled and stable workforce, efforts to provide growth-enhancing experiences for children are severely constrained. Compensation for those who care for young children must be increased dramatically and quickly.” – Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D

“If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it.” - President Lyndon B. Johnson

"Create opportunities for parents and their children to have those opportunities presented to them also, helping them learn about the resources for their children to be able to go to school and know that there's more to life then whats just in their neighborhoods and that they realize that their children can do more in life."- Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed

Personal Childhood Web

A childhood web of influential people create such an impact in the early stages of developing one's personality. For me, automatically my aunt comes to mind. She is my mother’s older sister and was always someone I remember wanting to be like. To be honest, her career was running a home daycare and she still does to this day. My aunt nurtured me through compassionate conversation and always giving me the complements that built my self-esteem as a young girl becoming a woman. Although, my aunt and I have grown apart I still find her early childhood passion to be something she instilled in me from an early age and I still hope to make her proud.

Another early childhood influence of mine is someone who, at the time, I did not know made an impression on my life until now—my maternal great-grandmother. My fondest memories are of her home, and I have the strongest memories when seeing the photos of me taken at her house. I can remember how I felt being that age there and the strongest feelings of that childhood innocence and happiness that we grow up and forget. I also found out much later in life that I was the little person who changed my great grandmother’s racist views. Her words when I was born, quoted to me much later in life, were, “how could I hate something so innocent.” My great grandmother passed away a few days before my twelfth birthday, but I can still feel her presence in my heart to this day.

Finally, my biggest influence is definitely my step-father. The list of important life changing moments including him is endless. First at 17 years old, he chose to love and take care of some other man’s daughter (me) and proposed marriage to my mother. I have since seen him cry for me (really only twice or three times), stand up for me against his own family, dedicate his life to rising me well and he will be the first person at the hospital when I have his grandson. He is who I aspire to be like every day when I wake up, a good person like my dad. These are the relationships that foster my continued growth and there is not one day that passes that I do not think of at least one of these wonderful people.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, 1964

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, 1964

I thought long and hard about this post, not because I couldn’t think of my favorite children’s book but because I was afraid my public discussion of it wouldn’t give its’ contents true justice. I am sure this is a story all know well, but if you do not or cannot remember the message please take 10 minutes to visit the link below and listen to Shel Silverstein read the original version to you. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZCP6OqRlE

My initial passion for the love of childhood innocence originated, unbeknownst to me, the first time I heard this story very young. As I have grown, I have realized how disconnected I have become from what life is truly about and I have worked very hard to regain that connection in my life. Like all people, I need to work, pay bills and I too grow older. This story reminds me of how one can take and take from nature and those who love us to fulfill what we call is our destiny. It is a sad story, but doesn’t have to be if we realize that we can change our outlook to become more like the tree instead of the boy. 

I chose to post this photo of my grandfather’s dog and me. Although I do not remember this Siberian husky, I am told she followed me everywhere. In this I am also exploring a dandelion and assume I am in total awe of seeing it for what, maybe, the first time ever. Now, as I await the birth of my first baby, I try to remember that children have all the answers about life’s true importance, and it is I that will teach him to close windows that he innately has open to become accustom to the world in which we live. My hope is that I am able to teach him to keep those windows wide open and to grow to be caring and giving like the tree.

Liz 

What fuels my infant, toddler and two-year-old educational drive

Childhood is especially exciting because all things are new. Watching the wonder of discovery on a little face as they taste a new flavor, or seeing a child marvel in the excitement as they begin to understand they can make a sound and control their own movement helps to drive my passion for infants, toddler and two year old education. Laughter is true with a toddler and life is so simple. Young children connect to the world differently than we do as adults. They are innocent and see the world in rich and true color. I believe I am drawn to education for children under the age of three so I can learn how to continue to embrace that same innocence as I grow older, how to become less judgmental of others and how to express emotions how they are supposed to be expressed without causing harm. At no other time in my life have I been so excited about a career as one in early childhood education.

My Master's

Greetings to all!

I'm just beginning on a new journey. A new career, and a new degree. I have recently enrolled in my Masters of Science in Early Childhood Education, and I hope to share my experience and growing passion for early childhood education with you. Education is a lifelong process that never ends. It is amazing how much we can learn if we begin to listen to one another.