Quotes!!!

"The type of information children receive have a great impact on who they become"-- Louise D. Sparks

"I'm not here to save the world, just here to make a difference"-- Raymond Hernandez

"Early Childhood Education is a civil right issue"-- Renatta M. Cooper

 

 

"Education is the only thing no matter how hard it tries, life cannot take away from you"--Pierre Jacquelin Paraison (father)

"Before early childhood programs can tap these fathers' or families' potential to enhance children's development, research needs to define father and family involvement more precisely and to examine the culturally rich dimensions of children's early care and education experiences"--Aisha Ray (& Vivian Gadsden)

"...In the future any proposed economic development list should have early childhood development at the top. The return on investment from early childhood development is extraordinary, resulting in better working public schools, more educated workers and less crime."-- Art Rolnick (& Rob Grunewald)

Annie's Childhood Web

EdUcAtOrs EdUcAtE, pArEnts pArEnt!!!

My Fellow Early Childhood Professionals, In the midst of all the information I am soaking in in the Foundations of Early Childhood class I am now able to understand some of the observations I've made in my short time working in the field. We use the words "meaningful", "supportive", "connections", "respect", "love" and lots of other words that we assume holds the same definition for us when in light of Bronfenbrenner theory, the family system theory, the life course theory, the attachment theory, these words may not hold the same meaning and definition for us. My definition of what a meaningful connection with my families and their little ones looks like, might look completely different from Druesilla's, Robin's, and Sharon's definition. Our ages, life experiences, relationships, cultural backgrounds are four of many aspects that will cause the difference in what "supportive" looks like. One of us may value independence... allowing a child to learn through his/her own mistakes, while the other might forewarn the child because of a slightly overprotective nature. Is either approach good or bad? No just different. The attachment theory states that the quality of the relationship we form with our primary caregiver is a precursor for other relationships (Theories of Development p. 40)(Keenan & Evans, 2009) and it's important to keep that in mind when referring to our parents. They parent the way their parents parented and as educators we have a duty to" respect" those family dynamics and provide activities to help children develop beyond their parents' abilities. It is not our job to "judge" parents for what they feel is the right form of parenting. I'm not making excuses for parents who clearly show no support for a child, but teachers can be hard on parents who are doing the best that they can with the resources they have. As educators we should be looking for ways to broadened that parent's resource pool and educate them as well as their child. I want us to keep in mind that WE are the trained professionals, not the parents so we should seek them out not the other way around. Annie P.

Concepts of the IMPOSSIBLE...

When thinking of why I do what I do it would be daft to think the children aren't the majority of my motivations... From parent testimonies, remarks from co-workers, and my interactions with the children, the stories are countless.... But for the purpose of time I'll only share one of the stories that touched my heart. When I got my first teaching position all the classrooms in my school included both typical and disabled children. I met this little girl that taught me new things about MYSELF and provided many opportunities to grow in the time we spent together. Due to confidentiality, we're going to call this little girl "Precious". Precious was born with a cleft brain (a hole in her brain that ran to the roof of her mouth) and her parents were told she wouldn't live past the age of 2. PAUSE... I met the little girl before I met her mom and I remember thinking, wow, how does a parent deal with that... I even prayed for a situation like that never to touch my life... PLAY...She was 1 1/2 when I met her and was able to do a lot of things doctors said she would never do. She learned to feed herself, walk with a brace, understand teachers when spoken to... She lived past her second birthday and did a number of things doctors thought impossible. She taught me that just because something seemed "humanly impossible", didn't mean it couldn't happen. I think of her whenever I tackle a task that overwhelms me. I am a better person because of Precious.