The DEC ideals were new to me and I was not familiar with them until I read the article. The three I have chosen are:
Professional and Interpersonal Behavior
3. We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and
using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to
the suggestions of others.---This is important to me because teachers should be life-long learners. As an educator, I feel your learning is never finished. In order to stay on top of current research and different teaching methods that are out there, educators should always be seeking new knowledge through training, continuing education classes and collaborating with other professionals.
Professional Development and Preparation
1. We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the
purpose of continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children
with disabilities and their families.----I don’t feel like I do enough reflective inquiry and this is a great way to look at your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. I also feel I need to learn more about services in my area available to young children with disabilities.
Enhancement of Children’s and Families Qualities of Lives
3. We shall recognize and respect the dignity, diversity, and autonomy of the families and children
we serve.---All families are different and it is important to understand this to best serve our children. Some things that are common knowledge to me as an educator may be unknown to some families based on their experiences and it is important to respect the differences in family structures.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
NAEYC IDEALS
The NAEYC Core values were familiar to me because we are required to read through and sign the core values every year at work. We are only given the Core Values though and not the ideals along with them, so it was interesting to read through them. The three NAEYC ideals I choose were:
Ethical Responsibilities to Children-I-1.5
that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and
physical development and that respect their dignity
and their contributions.------All quality childcare programs should include the four main components of a child's development. When I worked in the classroom, I tried to plan activities that covered each of these developmental areas daily. I also like how the ideal states, "respect their dignity." Even though I'm working with children ages 6 weeks- 5 years, they are still people too and their ideas and feelings should be respected.
Ethical Responsibilities to Families: I-2.2—To develop relationships of mutual trust and
create partnerships with the families we serve.
Developing positive relationships with parents is a key part of being an early childhood educator because it allows you to get to know the children you are interacting with and create a link between their home and school life. A teacher is an important part of a child's early life and providing consistency between home and school helps the child flourish in both environments.
Ethical Responsibilities to Co-workers-I-3A.1—To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and
cooperation with co-workers.---This is important to me because I feel the environment I work in now could use more collaboration and cooperation amongst co-workers. Collaboration with your fellow co-workers is a great tool to continue learning new things and gaining new ideas. If your work environment lacks respect and trust among co-workers, the overall moral is lowered, which affects everyone, including the children.
Reference: Article: NAEYC. (2005, April).
Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Ethical Responsibilities to Children-I-1.5
that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and
physical development and that respect their dignity
and their contributions.------All quality childcare programs should include the four main components of a child's development. When I worked in the classroom, I tried to plan activities that covered each of these developmental areas daily. I also like how the ideal states, "respect their dignity." Even though I'm working with children ages 6 weeks- 5 years, they are still people too and their ideas and feelings should be respected.
Ethical Responsibilities to Families: I-2.2—To develop relationships of mutual trust and
create partnerships with the families we serve.
Developing positive relationships with parents is a key part of being an early childhood educator because it allows you to get to know the children you are interacting with and create a link between their home and school life. A teacher is an important part of a child's early life and providing consistency between home and school helps the child flourish in both environments.
Ethical Responsibilities to Co-workers-I-3A.1—To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and
cooperation with co-workers.---This is important to me because I feel the environment I work in now could use more collaboration and cooperation amongst co-workers. Collaboration with your fellow co-workers is a great tool to continue learning new things and gaining new ideas. If your work environment lacks respect and trust among co-workers, the overall moral is lowered, which affects everyone, including the children.
Reference: Article: NAEYC. (2005, April).
Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thank you to all my classmates!
This blog has been a true learning experience. Before this class, I had no experience with blogging and never really followed any blogs regularly. I'm now finding myself looking at resources or materials and thinking, "Hmmm, I could post this to my blog." I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with all of you and I have enjoyed all of the positive feedback. When I get more time in the near future, I'll work to update my blog, so it looks as awesome as all of my classmates, with fun pictures and backgrounds. I'm still learning about all of that. Again, thanks for the feedback and good luck to everyone with their future classes and careers.
Holidays: Time of Joy (and stress!)
I just wanted to share the most recent articles I received from Bright Horizons Family. These are sent to my email and are short, yet informative reads. I thought this was perfect for this time of year.
Subject: Holidays: Time of Joy (and Stress)
e-family news | Bright Horizons Family
SolutionsR<http://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/images/efam/header.gif>
Holidays: Time of Joy (and Stress!)
Holiday meltdowns often happen because of the sheer weight of good times and
good things. Add all the very real complications of family life and the
challenges that shadow many of our lives, and holidays can become times to
remember for the wrong reasons.
Here are some low key "shoulds":
* Try to maintain the basic routines of young children.
* Try to set realistic expectations and help children understand what
is expected of them.
* Avoid too many surprises or sudden spontaneous changes in plans.
* Try to turn off the television, get some exercise, get a little more
sleep and try to eat some healthy meals and snacks.
* Find time to laugh together.
There can be a danger in even offering the above helpful tips and advice,
even after including "try to" over and over. If taken too seriously, the
advice becomes just another item on the holiday to-do list and another set
of expectations to live up to.
Sometimes, all the "shoulds" will fall apart, making it impossible to avoid
the effects of holiday stress. It may help to realize that there are no
perfect families that completely avoid snippy exchanges, pouting, moments of
self righteousness or indignation, and the sad feelings that can sometimes
overpower the happy holiday memories. After all, we are talking about
family!
The best remedy: relax, talk to each other, share expectations and feelings,
and use common sense. It also helps to capture the moments of joy, disaster,
or silliness in pictures and family stories.
More on this
topic<http://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/images/efam/email/more-on-this
-topic.gif>
> NewsForParents.org offers Ten Tips for Reducing Holiday Stress
> <blockedhttp://www.newsforparents.org/expert_ten_tips_reducing_holiday
> _stress.html>
> Cooking Mom realizes that holiday stress affects children
<blockedhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/momtomom/2010/12/dear-santa-please-w
ork-your-holiday-magic/> too when her daughter utters the heartbreaking
words - "I hate myself"
> News Mom offers ideas from her sisters that make holiday shopping
> simple
> <blockedhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/momtomom/2010/12/holiday-shopp
> ing-made-simple/>
> Our Online Community members discuss holiday challenges such as how to
> handle the advertising overload
> <blockedhttp://community.brighthorizons.com/t5/Toddler/How-to-handle-t
> he-holiday-advertising-overload/m-p/2582> and how to split time with
> family
> <blockedhttp://community.brighthorizons.com/t5/Family-Fun-Activities/S
> plitting-time-with-family-over-the-holidays/m-p/2465#M137> when
> celebrating this season
Share with us at Mom to Mom Blog
<blockedhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/momtomom/>
Find us on Facebook <blockedhttp://www.facebook.com/brighthorizons> Find us
on Twitter <blockedhttp://www.twitter.com/brighthorizons>
Subject: Holidays: Time of Joy (and Stress)
e-family news | Bright Horizons Family
SolutionsR<http://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/images/efam/header.gif>
Holidays: Time of Joy (and Stress!)
Holiday meltdowns often happen because of the sheer weight of good times and
good things. Add all the very real complications of family life and the
challenges that shadow many of our lives, and holidays can become times to
remember for the wrong reasons.
Here are some low key "shoulds":
* Try to maintain the basic routines of young children.
* Try to set realistic expectations and help children understand what
is expected of them.
* Avoid too many surprises or sudden spontaneous changes in plans.
* Try to turn off the television, get some exercise, get a little more
sleep and try to eat some healthy meals and snacks.
* Find time to laugh together.
There can be a danger in even offering the above helpful tips and advice,
even after including "try to" over and over. If taken too seriously, the
advice becomes just another item on the holiday to-do list and another set
of expectations to live up to.
Sometimes, all the "shoulds" will fall apart, making it impossible to avoid
the effects of holiday stress. It may help to realize that there are no
perfect families that completely avoid snippy exchanges, pouting, moments of
self righteousness or indignation, and the sad feelings that can sometimes
overpower the happy holiday memories. After all, we are talking about
family!
The best remedy: relax, talk to each other, share expectations and feelings,
and use common sense. It also helps to capture the moments of joy, disaster,
or silliness in pictures and family stories.
topic<http://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/images/efam/email/more-on-this
-topic.gif>
> NewsForParents.org offers Ten Tips for Reducing Holiday Stress
> <blockedhttp://www.newsforparents.org/expert_ten_tips_reducing_holiday
> _stress.html>
> Cooking Mom realizes that holiday stress affects children
<blockedhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/momtomom/2010/12/dear-santa-please-w
ork-your-holiday-magic/> too when her daughter utters the heartbreaking
words - "I hate myself"
> News Mom offers ideas from her sisters that make holiday shopping
> simple
> <blockedhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/momtomom/2010/12/holiday-shopp
> ing-made-simple/>
> Our Online Community members discuss holiday challenges such as how to
> handle the advertising overload
> <blockedhttp://community.brighthorizons.com/t5/Toddler/How-to-handle-t
> he-holiday-advertising-overload/m-p/2582> and how to split time with
> family
> <blockedhttp://community.brighthorizons.com/t5/Family-Fun-Activities/S
> plitting-time-with-family-over-the-holidays/m-p/2465#M137> when
> celebrating this season
Share with us at Mom to Mom Blog
<blockedhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/momtomom/>
Find us on Facebook <blockedhttp://www.facebook.com/brighthorizons> Find us
on Twitter <blockedhttp://www.twitter.com/brighthorizons>
Monday, December 12, 2011
All course resources from Foundations: Early Childhood Studies
Multimedia Program:
This interactive presentation illustrates the reciprocal connections among students, their colleagues, and Walden University.
Video: “Blogs in Plain English”: http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs
This is a short introduction to blogs.
Article: Elearners.com (n.d.). How to be a successful online student. Retrieved May 26, 2010 from http://www.elearners.com/guide/how-to-be-a-successful-online-student.pdf
Optional Resources
Multimedia: National Public Radio. (2008, February 8). Six-Word memoirs: Life stories distilled [Article and podcast]. Retrieved May 27, 2010, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430
Web Article: Widdicombe, L. (2008, February 25). Say it all in six words. The New Yorker. Retrieved May 27, 2010, from http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/02/25/080225ta_talk_widdicombe
Tom Beech, President and CEO, Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo, Michigan, discusses the value of reflection and self-examination. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_g38WZZgGA
Walden Websites:
Walden University and College of Education Vision and Mission Statements:
http://www.waldenu.edu/About-Us/33598.htm
Video Program: “The Passion for Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals share passion, motivation, and commitment to the early childhood field.
Multimedia Program: “Interconnections, Part 2”
This program features a new set of interconnections, “Course(s)/Program.” Pay particular attention to the descriptions of all of the courses in the Master of Science in Early Childhood Studies program.
Article: Hagel, J. (2009, November). Pursuing passion. Message posted to http://edgeperspectives.typepad.com/edge_perspectives/2009/11/pursuing-passion.html
Article: Rosengren, C. (2010, February 4). Does having passion for your work even matter? U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved May 27, 2010, from http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2010/02/04/does-passion-for-work-even-matter
This interactive multimedia presentation demonstrates how the life of one child, Mahaley, is embedded in the context of those who care about her.
Please note: The segment featuring Mahaley’s grandfather, Mr. Yutaka Yufuku, includes subtitles. Mr. Yufuku’s native language is Japanese.
Article: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young children develop in an environment of relationships (Working Paper No. 1). Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp1/
Book Excerpt: Keenan, T., & Evans, S. (2009). Theories of development. In An introduction to child development (pp. 35–43). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Note: The following articles can be accessed using the Walden University Library databases.
Use the ProQuest database, and search using the document title.
Article: Woodhead, M. (2005). Early childhood development: A question of rights. International Journal of Early Childhood, 37(3), 79–98.
Use the Education Research Complete database, and search using the document title.
Multimedia Program:
This interactive presentation reviews the history, goals, major accomplishments, and some important contributors to the five sectors of the early childhood field.
In preparation for this week’s Discussion: Choose two major contributors from different sectors of the early childhood field about whom you would like to learn more. Conduct research about their lives, accomplishments, motivation, the context in which they work or worked, and other aspects that interest you by reading at least one scholarly article (for each individual), either from the Walden Library or from the Internet.
Plagiarism:
http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/63.htm
http://scholar.google.com/
Infomine: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections:
http://infomine.ucr.edu/
Article: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004, Winter). Children's emotional development is built into the architecture of their brains (Working Paper No. 2). Waltham, MA: Author. Available from Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University website
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp2/
Article: Shonkoff, J. P. (2006, November). A promising opportunity for developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the interface of neuroscience, psychology, and social policy: Remarks on receiving the 2005 C. Anderson Aldrich Award. Pediatrics, 118(5). 2187–2191. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-1728. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/5/2187.full.pdf+html
Article: The World Bank. (2010). Early childhood development. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTCY/0,,contentMDK:20246241~menu
PK:4697089~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:396445,00.html
Article: Bang, Y.. (2009). Helping All Families Participate in School Life. YC Young Children, 64(6), 97-99. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1908826341).
Web Article: The National Institute for Play. (2009). Play Science—The Patterns of Play. Carmel Valley, CA: Author. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.nifplay.org/states_play.html
Walden Resources:
Ask a Writing Tutor
writingsupport@waldenu.edu
ESL Resources
http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/Grammar-and-ELL.htm
Optional Resources
Podcast: Spiegel, A. (2008, February 21). Old-fashioned play builds serious skills. NPR Morning Edition. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514
Web Article: Alliance for Childhood. (n.d.). Play resource list. College Park, MD: Author. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/play_resources
Video Program: “Professionalism, Advocacy, and Leadership in Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals share their views on what professionalism, advocacy, and leadership mean for the field of early childhood.
Article: Rigby, E., & Neuman, M. (2005, January). Making a difference: Leadership in early care and education policy. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200501/Rigby.pdf
Article: Scott, D. M. (2005, January). Early childhood leaders on leadership. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200501/Scott.pdf
Excerpt: NAEYC. (2004). NAEYC advocacy toolkit. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/toolkit.pdf
Article: NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Article: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/
Multimedia Program: “Interconnections, Part 3”
This interactive presentation features a new set of interconnections, the "EC Field," related to the field of early childhood.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Course Resources
- Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood” Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.
- NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
- NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
- NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
- NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
- NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
- NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
- Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
- FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
- Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.
Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being
- Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
- Websites:
- World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage
- World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Read about OMEP’s mission.
- Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/about/
Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.
- World Forum Foundation
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/
- The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.)
- 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
The first session I went to was put on by Diann Gano, who has runs an at home day care, Under the Gingko Tree, in my area. The unique part of her daycare is that it is all run outside. Her children eat, play, learn and even nap outside. She is so passionate about her day care that she has done further research and now speaks throughout the state on the importance of letting children enjoy and learn from nature. Here are some of the resources she shared with us:
www.arborday.org/explore/ -Nature Explore outdoor certified classrooms
www.allianceforchildhood.org/publications -great articles on a variety of early childhood issues
www.ooeygooey.com/ --ideas for hands on activities
Book-"Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv--I have not had a chance to sit down and read this book, but it look amazing.
eyesonnature.blogspot.com --interesting blog about outdoor learning
Another session I attended was about Yoga in the classroom. Very interesting and what few poses I worked on with my kids, they loved it.
www.yogaed.com
Magazine-Below is a magazine that I follow. You can sign up and they will send you articles from the magazine to your email. The article I just received today was entitled, "Giving Books: A Great Holiday Tradition"
http://www.brighthorizons.com/
http://www.nifplay.org/states_play.html
Friday, November 25, 2011
More quotes
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around" Leo Buscaglia--A mother of one of my favorite little girls gave this to me on a magnet when her daughter moved to the Pre-K room. I loved the quote and I keep it in a spot in my office where I can see it everyday. It helps me remember why I do the job that I do and also reminds me of one of my favorite little girls.
Louise Derman-Sparks-"The two main reasons to be a teacher.....I wanted to fix injustices of the world and I always loved kids."
Raymond Hernandez-"I wanted to keep doing more, so that is why I became an administrator. I felt like I would have a larger impact on managing programs and to be able to shape programs. Being able to look at how to best design a program to benefit a child."
School readiness involves more than just children. School readiness, in the broadest sense, is about children, families, early environments, schools, and communities. Children are not innately "ready" or "not ready" for school. Their skills and development are strongly influenced by their families and through their interactions with other people and environments before coming to school.
(Maxwell & Clifford 2004, 42)
Louise Derman-Sparks-"The two main reasons to be a teacher.....I wanted to fix injustices of the world and I always loved kids."
Raymond Hernandez-"I wanted to keep doing more, so that is why I became an administrator. I felt like I would have a larger impact on managing programs and to be able to shape programs. Being able to look at how to best design a program to benefit a child."
What Is School Readiness?
School readiness involves more than just children. School readiness, in the broadest sense, is about children, families, early environments, schools, and communities. Children are not innately "ready" or "not ready" for school. Their skills and development are strongly influenced by their families and through their interactions with other people and environments before coming to school.
(Maxwell & Clifford 2004, 42)
Quotes
"When asked to describe her job, a kindergarten teacher said that teaching 5-year olds is like trying to keep crickets in a basket: when you open the lid to put in a few more crickets, the others jump out." (Bodrova and Leong, 2008)
"For example, research shows that mature dramatic play promotes children's development of self-regulation and other valuable capacities. But many children have not reached mature play-dramatic play in which they act out specific roles and plan their play-and some will not acheive this level without teacher action. Defending underdeveloped and immature play as a valid part of the school day for preschool and kindergarten children often backfires, leading to general devaluation of play and its role in child development. It is important when using terms like play to carefully specify their meaning."-(Copple and Bredekamp, 2008)
"For example, research shows that mature dramatic play promotes children's development of self-regulation and other valuable capacities. But many children have not reached mature play-dramatic play in which they act out specific roles and plan their play-and some will not acheive this level without teacher action. Defending underdeveloped and immature play as a valid part of the school day for preschool and kindergarten children often backfires, leading to general devaluation of play and its role in child development. It is important when using terms like play to carefully specify their meaning."-(Copple and Bredekamp, 2008)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Explanation of my Childhood Web
Mom-To this day, my mother remains my best friend. I can talk to her about anything, she listens to me and is supportive of me in whatever I'm doing. In my early years, my mom worked full-time, so, while, she wasn't with me all day, I knew she cared about me and loved me. I understood from an early age that she needed to work to support our family and I think that is where I learned my strong work ethic from.
Dad-My dad was laid off from his job for a while when I was young and I had the priveledge of staying home with him during this time. We didn't have a lot of money to spend on different things, so many of my early childhood memories with my dad include fishing, feeding the ducks by the river and riding bicycles. One of my favorite childhood memories of my dad is when he entered me in a fishing derby at the local lagoon. I was able to catch a fish and after the day was done, mine was the biggest!! I won a bicycle and I think my dad was more proud than I was!
Grandma and grandpa-After my dad went back to work, I split time through the week with my grandma and grandpa and another babysitter. My grandma her hair done once a week and I loved going to the hair salon with her. She would let me go pick out a movie when we were all finished and watch it when we got home. We also watched the Price is Right and All My Children everyday. My grandpa enjoyed taking walks and working his garage and he let me tag along all the time. We would walk to the creek by their house and throw rocks in the water and look for turtles. He would also let me sit in his boat in the garage and pretend to fish. My grandparents spoiled me rotten and I loved going over there for all the attention they gave me!! They have both since passed away and I cherish those memories with them.
Robin-She was my other babysitter through the week and I was the only other child she watched, until my brother came along. She had two children and they all treated me just like I was another member of their family. They had a barn with horses and her daughter and I used to play out there all the time. I still have a birthday card Robin and her family made me one year for my birthday. They always made a big deal out of birthdays.
Gail-When I was in school and needed care in the summer, I went to an in-home daycare at Gail's house. It was wonderful!! She had other children, which included my cousins, and an awesome backyard to play in. I always loved going over there to spend time with my friends and cousins.
All of these people have helped shaped my life by giving me love, support, and unconditional love. I was taught from an early age to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, to be happy with what you are given and the value of hard work and working for what you want. I've carried all of traits these over into my adult life.
Dad-My dad was laid off from his job for a while when I was young and I had the priveledge of staying home with him during this time. We didn't have a lot of money to spend on different things, so many of my early childhood memories with my dad include fishing, feeding the ducks by the river and riding bicycles. One of my favorite childhood memories of my dad is when he entered me in a fishing derby at the local lagoon. I was able to catch a fish and after the day was done, mine was the biggest!! I won a bicycle and I think my dad was more proud than I was!
Grandma and grandpa-After my dad went back to work, I split time through the week with my grandma and grandpa and another babysitter. My grandma her hair done once a week and I loved going to the hair salon with her. She would let me go pick out a movie when we were all finished and watch it when we got home. We also watched the Price is Right and All My Children everyday. My grandpa enjoyed taking walks and working his garage and he let me tag along all the time. We would walk to the creek by their house and throw rocks in the water and look for turtles. He would also let me sit in his boat in the garage and pretend to fish. My grandparents spoiled me rotten and I loved going over there for all the attention they gave me!! They have both since passed away and I cherish those memories with them.
Robin-She was my other babysitter through the week and I was the only other child she watched, until my brother came along. She had two children and they all treated me just like I was another member of their family. They had a barn with horses and her daughter and I used to play out there all the time. I still have a birthday card Robin and her family made me one year for my birthday. They always made a big deal out of birthdays.
Gail-When I was in school and needed care in the summer, I went to an in-home daycare at Gail's house. It was wonderful!! She had other children, which included my cousins, and an awesome backyard to play in. I always loved going over there to spend time with my friends and cousins.
All of these people have helped shaped my life by giving me love, support, and unconditional love. I was taught from an early age to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, to be happy with what you are given and the value of hard work and working for what you want. I've carried all of traits these over into my adult life.
Friday, November 11, 2011
My Favorite Children's Book
I have always loved the book, "Where the Wild Things Are". It's story about a child not getting their way and having to go to their room, as a consequence, using his imagination to go to far away places, and then realizing, he's hungry and he needs his mom so he can eat dinner. At least that is what I think about as I read the story and I think it can be used as a great teaching resource when you read it to children. The children in my room last year, were really interested in monsters, so I did a one week lesson plan on this story and they loved it! After reading it everyday, they could pretty much read the story at the end of the week. They all got the chance to stand up and act out different parts of the story, we made our own forest and they all got to use their imaginations and create their own monsters. The book covers all of the four learning areas we look for at work (Social/Emotional, Physical, Language, and Cognitive) and the children loved to read it!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
My Favorite Quote
"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." -Dr. Hiam Ginnot
Outside the window of my office, they are currently working on a new emergency exit for our center. The day the men laid cement, my director came over and jokingly said, "Let's hurry and go write our names out there. It'll be there forever." We both laughed and went about our day and not long after that this quote appeared in our staff lounge. I thought it was the perfect quote to sum up children and, the early childhood field. I think about this quote when I'm stressed at work dealing with the children. We have a great power as teachers, mentors, coaches, or whatever your role in a child's life is. The things you say to a child, positive or negative, will stick with them forever. I am blessed with the opportunity to be able to make an impression on children each day and I intend for it to always be a positive one.
Outside the window of my office, they are currently working on a new emergency exit for our center. The day the men laid cement, my director came over and jokingly said, "Let's hurry and go write our names out there. It'll be there forever." We both laughed and went about our day and not long after that this quote appeared in our staff lounge. I thought it was the perfect quote to sum up children and, the early childhood field. I think about this quote when I'm stressed at work dealing with the children. We have a great power as teachers, mentors, coaches, or whatever your role in a child's life is. The things you say to a child, positive or negative, will stick with them forever. I am blessed with the opportunity to be able to make an impression on children each day and I intend for it to always be a positive one.
My profile picture
My picture is of me on vacation in the ancient city, Pompeii, Italy! My boyfriend deployed from May of 2010-2011 and we met in Rome in March of 2011. We backpacked for 16 days to different cities in Italy and it was amazing!!! A once-in-a-lifetime trip!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)