A Moment of Thanks

This past 8 weeks have proven to be extremely challenging to me in many ways. My life has continued to remind me that I am not in control and that I must learn patience and how to let others help me. I have learned so much and am grateful to so many people for showing me and encouraging me how much we can do when we work together.
I have found that in life you can look and any and every situation in two different ways. You can look at life in a positive way or in a negative way. By choosing to look through a positive lens your mind and heart get opened in a way that never could happen otherwise.
I would like to take this time to say a special Thank you to my classmates. You have been an encouragement to me in your posts and your blogs. I have enjoyed your insights and words and have gleamed a lot from you ladies. Thank you for supporting those around you in a positive and new light. It is an uplifting difference from what the rest of the world can be like.

Thank you!

Code of Ethics

The NAEYC has a specific and strict Code of Ethics that they follow. There are three ideals that stuck out to me in their code of ethics that I would like to share with you.

• Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle

 • Base our work on knowledge of how children develop and learn

 • Appreciate and support the bond between the child and family

 



These core values that they base their code of ethics on are important and interesting to me because I believe these are a fantastic foundation for our field to grow on. Without these values our field would be like any other type of for profit organization. But instead we can be focused and driven.

I appreciate childhood as an important stage in human life and believe that without understanding the importance of this stage many children can be set behind.

Children develop and learn in very specific ways and if we take the time to understand and learn how they learn, our goals will be accomplished easier and they will learn and retain information much better.

One must remember at all times the bond between child and family. Many teachers take the place of a parent ole and it interferes with the family bond. This can actually do harm to the child's development. By understand and accepting this bond a teacher and educator can use their classroom time and the home life together and can find ways to encourage both school and family life together instead of one taking away from the other. This will be the most effective way of teaching, utilizing each area of a child's life.

These ideals are important in my professional life because without a strong foundation is it easy to get caught up in lingo and policies that we miss the purpose of our work and the reality that the child represent. By understanding development we can create better policies and situations for children. I have seen this done poorly for far too long. And lastly I appreciate the bond because I see so many people criticizing parents and families without understanding their situation fully and I see the harm that this does to children, parents, and the family as a whole. Some people need to stop trying to parent children that are not theirs and instead become a support to the family as a whole. This is a much more effective way of changing behavior and encouraging parents to do their best with their children.

Tell me your thoughts on this matter. Please!

Early Childhood Resources 2013

Early Childhood Resources

In our field resources are so incredibly important to staying up to date with issues and policies that constantly change and come up. It is important to have a great spread of resources that are trustworthy and constantly updated. Below are some wonderful resources that have been useful and validated in the field of Early childhood development and education from Walden University.

World Organization for Early Childhood Educationhttp://www.omep-usnc.org/


National Association for the Education of Young Childrenhttp://www.naeyc.org/The Division for Early Childhoodhttp://www.dec-sped.org/

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/

National Center for Research on Early Childhood Educationhttp://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
National Child Care Associationhttp://www.nccanet.org/
National Institute for Early Education Researchhttp://nieer.org/
Pre[K]Nowhttp://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067 Voices for America's Childrenhttp://www.voices.org/

Additional resources

www.earlychildhood.com

www.earlychildhoodeducation.com/resources

www.eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/eecd

www.earlychildhood.org

This week I want to take some time to focus on inspiring and passion filled quotes that motivate and encourage me in my field of early childhood development and education.

Raymond Hernandez said "I have an intrinsic motivation to the field of early childhood education. I have a commitment to the services I want to offer to children because of the experiences I had growing up and the opportunities that people offered me and doors that they opened for me. I want to create that for families today."

•  This quote is important to me because it reminds me of why I was drawn to the field. I had a wonderful family support system and I do not know where I would be with out. I want to be that support system to families who do not know their rights, or are unaware of the services that children can utilize to have a more fulfilling future.

Renatta M Cooper "There are many things that draw me to my field (early Childhood education) but what keeps me engaged is that we are not there yet, with many of them (progress with families and services) we have a very long way to go."

• This quote is important to me because it shows me that no matter how I got started in the field, my motivation still comes from making a difference for children I work with today and those that I may not have a chance to work with in the future. I want to help put systems in place that allows children in the future to have the chance and tools to be whatever they want to be.

Marian Wright Edleman said that she is "Motivated by one thing: an insatiable desire to leave this place called America better than the way she found it."

• As with the last quote I mentioned this one is important to me because I believe I have the responsibility to the children I work with and my faith that I stand for to leave this world better than where I found it. Tough this seems an impossible task, I know that changing one life, or influencing one person for the better has a much bigger impact than I will ever see. This gives me hope that one person really can make a difference.

Lilian Katz "But we are all equally human in that we all have dreams, hopes, wishes, fears, and fantasies, and we all want and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. So let us all do what is in our hands to do as wholeheartedly and as well as we know how - and the rest will follow. And even if it doesn't we will be doing what is right! Carry on doing what is right!"

• As you can imagine this quote is meaningful to me because it reminds me that doing what is right, treating all those with respect and doing your best to give each child an equal opportunity and chance to accomplishing their dreams and hopes, is all that really matters. Whether I am remembered or not is not as important as doing what is right!

 

 

My hope is that as you read these quotes, no matter what your field of study is, that you will be motivated and encouraged as well to do your work to your best ability and never give up on what you know to be right. 



Week 2 Edu 6005

My favorite children's book of all time is "Are you my Mother?" I enjoy this book because of the simplicity of it. It is a classic and will never get old. This book tells the story of a baby bird born while his mother is out collecting food for him. The baby is then on a quest to find who his mother is and goes around by himself searching. He finds many other types of animals and ask them all if they are his mother. The other animals tell him that of course they are not his mother, the bird continues on his quest. He eventually finds his mother and the reunion is classic. I love this book and read it every night as a child. I hope to read t to my children one day as well.

My favorite children's quote is one from John F Kennedy, He said "Children are the worlds most valuable resource and it's best hope for the future." This quote means a lot to me because it reminds us of the abilities and hope that children offer us. It also encourages me that if I want to make a true difference in the world I can start by affecting the next generation and focus on children. They truly are our best hope for the future.

Hey All,
I am excited about blogging this semester for EDUC 6005-8.