Quotes from Early Childhood Prefessionals

"Parents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply."
-T. Berry Brazelton

This quote is perfect for his work with parents and newborns. His research on how parent's behaviors affect children really comes out in this quote because you can tell that he cares not only for the children but trying to help the parents and educate them as well as the children.

"Children benefit most from teachers who have skills, knowledge, and judgment to make good decisions and are given the opportunity to use them." NAEYC, Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (2009).

This quote is from the book that Sue Bredekamp wrote for NAEYC. These guidelines are used in schools all over the nation who are accredited or are wanting to be accredited by NAEYC. They are the standards that are set to help further educate the children as well as the teachers.

"But as I grew up, I think I wanted to be-continue to be a teacher because I had just a built-in passion that was important to make a real contribution in the world and to fix all the injustices that existed in the world, and I wanted to do that through teaching."
-Louise Derman-Sparks

I chose this quote from the multimedia presentation because her passion for teaching and children just screams from the page. Educators underestimate how much of an impact they have on these young lives. Some teachers are the only consistent thing in these children's lives and if they can not only teach and educate the curriculum but life lessons as well, that is the mentor that they need and crave to look up too.

Personal Childhood Web

This assignment really threw me for a loop. I have never thought about who influenced me in my childhood and it seems so strange to do so. I have always been very independent even as a child. ( I know that contradicts things I said in my previous blogs/discussions but I am talking about learning life experiences not monetary independence). I sat down and really thought about it and was surprised by the results that I came up with. So here are my five people that I would consider to have helped me grow up into the woman I am today.

Tom Smith-My dad. Even though he was gone most of my life he is still one of the people I respect the most. As a young child I understood that he made the decision to be the bread winner so my mom could stay at home and take care of the children. Most would call it old fashion but I understood that he sacrificed watching his children grow up to make sure that we had everything and more than we would ever need. He is the most kind hearted and caring man I have ever met even to this day. He always made sure that I knew even though he wasn't around that he loved me and supported me in everything I did. When I had a dance recital he would "send flowers" and mail a letter telling me how proud of me he was. I loved getting those letters with stamps from all over the world. He always requested my mom take video of events and when he came home, I would sit on his lap and we would watch these events together and it was like he was there. When I was a child I always felt that he loved me even from a world away. He also protected me from the world until I was old enough to understand his work. He never wanted me to be worried about him because he wanted me to concentrate on my education. I was and still am the definition of a daddy's girl. He continues to support me and push me because he believes in me which is all I could ever ask for. He is the best man I know and I continue to try and make him proud.

Ann Martin- My grandmother. (My mom's mom) My mother and her family are from England so when I was growing up I spent a lot of time there. As her only granddaughter, she took me under her wing and showed me the world, or as it seemed when I was a little girl. She had a picturesque English cottage with a creek and a field with blackberry and raspberry bushes. She would take my hand and we would stay out picking berries until it was tea time. She taught me how to make tea and biscuits (cookies) and through that taught me about different cultures. She went exploring with me and took me all over her village showing me how people lived and explain why it was different than my home in the states. She showed me that there is more to life than just what is in front of my eyes. When I was in middle school my grandfather passed away so she came to Tennessee to live near her grandchildren. Even though we didn't see each other that much before it was an instant bond again. We would watch golf and ballets together and she continued to teach me about the world through her travels and pictures which seeing I was older I understood more of what she was trying to instill in me. Never settle is what her lesson was for me. Explore and see as much as you can she would say. I miss her daily and always think about her when I eat berries. She gave me amazing experiences and I am so grateful for that.

Bobby King-My cousin (My dad's older cousin) When I was young I always looked forward to visits with "Cousin Bobby" I remember when I was a child he had this huge round belly and he was always smiling. He just seemed like he didn't have a care in the world and put everyone around him at ease. His laugh and just his general energy was something I gravitated to when I was young, which is why he donned me his favorite ;) When I got older he taught at Coone Creek Science Camp. I wasn't into science persay but my parents made me go because it was different than dance which is what my life was consumed with. I remember he would get so excited about the smallest things like if we found a rock and correctly named it or if we finished an experiment in the field or found "dinosaur fossils" seeing our excitement would fill him with joy and I remember because of his enthusiasm in turn made me excited about not just science but life in general. He taught me to be supportive of the little things because that is what builds people's confidence.

Mary Lay-My great-grandmother (My dad's grandmother) She was a spit-fire of a woman. When I was a child I remember going to her house and picking crabapples from her apple tree and she would make the best apple pie. We played with her rotary phone and watched As the World Turns and The Price is Right. I remember her being so patient. Especially with myself and my brothers. We lived in the house beside her (and my parents still live there today) so we were close with her and always went up to her house after school and ate zebra cakes and drank country time lemonade which she hid in the bread box knowing we would find them. She was so calm yet stern way of speaking to us, and if anyone messed with the "Smith kids" she was the first on the scene as a neighbor kid found out very quickly. She loved so big and she was so kind. She showed me that I can get what I want without being mean. (even though that lesson didn't reach my brain until many many years later). I stayed with her for the last year of her life and I will never forget the bond we created. She gave me her opal ring as a gift before she passed for staying and taking care of her and she told me that it was my compassion and giving spirit that would take me far in life. I still have that ring tucked away in a safe place with all of my other precious items and it will be the first thing I grab if there is a fire.

Last but definitely not least is Doris Smith-My grandmother (My dad's mom) I did not get a lot of time with her and that still makes me sad because like my dad she was such an amazing woman. When I was little I went to dance classes about an hour away from my house. She volunteered to take me sometimes when my dad was gone and my mom had my brothers. It was our special little treat. She would take me to Little Ceasers Pizza (when the pizza was long and only square) and we would share a pizza on the way back. She watched me dance with so much love and I always felt safe with her. For as long as I can remember her favorite past time was being Director of Volunteer Girls State. When I was a little older but still in elementary school she would take me on her yearly trip. It is a week long camp for girls to learn about government and leadership. Seeing how much everyone looked up to her and how amazing she was when she stood in front of the hundreds of girls that attended every year with so much confidence and passion in what she was trying to convey to these girls (the age of the girls was between 16-17 it was always the summer in between junior and senior year and each girl had to be invited to attend) She taught me that if you have a passion then you have to have the confidence to stand up and believe you can change the world. Even when I was young and going with her she instilled a great work ethic. I would help her stuff boxes of envelopes and seeing how hard she worked and how happy it made her to see what she accomplished still sticks with me today.

I am SO proud to have had (and still have) these people in my life. They have each given me a part of who I am today and I am really proud of who I have become and I am thankful that we had to do this exercise because I think in all the hustle and bustle of the day to day activities I forget about the past and how I got here. It wasn't just me but the help of the people in my past and present who have made me who I am today.

Blog Assignment Week 2 Tia Smith-Personal and Professional

After a week of learning and reflecting, I am excited to start with a little personal information on my experiences in my classroom. First I want to start off my sharing my favorite quote about children:

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

Stacia Tauscher

 

The reason why I love this quote so much is because I feel as educators sometimes we are so concerned with what the child should know and keep planning for the future, which is a good thing, but we sometimes forget to stop and have fun with the child as they are today. My class is full, at a two teacher ratio. We separate the class into two groups to do circle time because some of the children are on different levels when it comes to learning. I have the younger group so to make sure that when they move up to my co-teachers group, I have a list of things they should know before they move up. It is hard to try and remember that they are still young and not on the level of the other children. When I see them get frustrated because something is too hard, I take a step back and give them something easier to boost their self-confidence. Even at a young age they still have esteem issues. This is when I have to remember they are here today and they are going to be here and if they do not get the lesson today then we will try again tomorrow. When the pressure is eliminated, they seem to do better.

 

My favorite children's book of all time is "Oh The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. This book is a favorite for many reasons but the main reason being that it was a gift from my brother when I went to collage. A little back-story, my family is not super close. I am the oldest of four with the rest being boys (refer to my profile picture, giant boys at that;) Our family is just not one of those emotionally close families so when he gave me that book as a graduation gift not prompted by my parents just a thoughtful going away to collage gift, it really meant something. To this day, I still have it on my bookshelf. It has traveled with me for years and even though it is a little tattered and worn the meaning behind it will never fade. I always at least once a year bring it in for my "show and share" and read it to the children who are leaving to attend kindergarten. I love the message of the book. Even though most do not understand it until they have experienced life, it is just a comforting and uplifting book.

 

Through my ten years in the early childhood field I have had lots of children come and go through my many classes. I have been children's pseudo-mom being with some more than their own parents. One child however touched my heart and I will never forget. When I worked with toddlers, I had a little boy in my class who while coming out of the birth canal had a stroke. He was semi-paralyzed on his right side which led him to have physical disabilities and speech disabilities. He had trouble opening his hand to grasp things especially to feed himself. As you can imagine, him being the first child, his parents were hesitant of everything. They were standoffish and believed that they knew best and were not afraid to tell me. Every day when they would drop him off they would give me a list of things I should or should not do for/with him and everyday when they left I threw the list away. Not that I thought I knew better but I knew their child and knew that he was a strong and determined little boy. One day while we were playing he decided to pull up and try to walk. We practiced all day pulling up on things, walking with and without assistance until he took three steps all by himself! When his parents came to pick up they were in awe when we showed them what he could and wanted to do. Soon after they had therapists come to the school to help with other difficulties but I will never forget that special day. His face lit up when he realized what he had done and how much I cheered for him. He has gone on to excel and is now in second grade but every year I still get a card from them with his school picture.

 

 I believe being an educator is one of the hardest jobs out there and there are days when I want to throw my hands up and walk out and never look back, but there are those shining moments that make everything worth while. The love and appreciation of the children and their parents is something that I will always cherish.



Hello!

This is my first blog experience so hold on tight because not only am I going to use this for my assignments, I am also going to use this as a make-shift therapy. I think every childcare teacher should have a place to vent their frustrations or boast about their accomplishments. Only we as educators can understand what each other is going through. I also wanted to mention that my blog title "Confused but Curious" describes me and the way some people would describe me. I swear sometimes I think I should have been a blonde (no offense) because I am ditzy and I rarely watch what comes out of my mouth. My mother always told me to think before I speak (in real British fashion she could never keep hers shut either and the facial expressions sheesh). So I am confused a lot and that makes me even more curious about things than before. I am excited for this opportunity and I hope it is as pleasant for everyone else also! Cheers!!