Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"We as professionals in the early childhood field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better!"~ Sandy Escobido, Deputy Field Director, Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy

"The passtion to create a safer more just world is there..." ~ Louise Derman Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oak College, CA

"All parents are vulnerable and need our support!" ~ Dr. T. Berry Brazelton

"The best economic development strategy is investment in early childhood." ~ Art Rolnick

"Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge." ~ John Locke

"I cannot be a teacher without exposing who I am."~ Paulo Freire

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

"When we know better, we do better!" ~ Maya Angelou

Personal Childhood Web

The first five people that come to my mind when I think of influential people in my life are: my mother, my father, my Aunt Linda, my Uncle Otto, and my fourth grade teacher Ms. Sharon. 

My parents have been the most influential on me and have always made me and my siblings know that we are special and truly loved by them.  We have a very strong sense of loyalty in my family.  It was always known that you may disagree with your siblings, but they are still your sister / brother no matter what!  We have all always been there for one another and support each other even when it may be difficult to do so.  I always felt truly loved and special and know that my parents truly cared about me. 

My Aunt Linda was actually my aunt by marriage and I remember her fondly to this day.  I remember my Aunt Lind making everyone feel special.  She had the softest voice and never seemed to loose her patience or temper.  I am fortunate to still be able to stay in contact with her today. 

My Uncle Otto lived in Germany and when I was little my sisters and I were able to take a trip over to visit with my grandmother, aunts, and uncles.  I remember my Uncle Otto the most and became very close to him. He made me feel safe and secure in a world where we did not speak the language and my mother was not with us.  Even with the language barrier he made me feel safe, loved, and cared for during our entire stay.  When we were older and stationed over there I was still close to him and we often took walks through the woods near his home.  I miss him dearly.

Ms. Sharon was my fourth grade teacher and she made school exciting for me again.  Unfortunately, I had a terrible third grade teacher and by the end of that year I hated school and felt horrible about even going.  I remember entering her classroom and being greeted so warmly and she was so excited to see me.  I'm sure she greeted all the children that way but I felt special and wanted in her classroom.  Since I was a shy child this was very important to me.  She made coming to school and learning exciting and fun and she always had time to listen to me.

Parent's As Teachers Training (PAT)

I just returned from my week long training on Parent's As Teachers Curriculum (PAT).  It was very inspiring!  I love this curriculum because it is so geared for home visiting.  Often program's like mine (EHS) use the same curriculum that they use in the classroom which is not really functional for home visits. Often it is very difficult to get supervisors and upper management to realize that home based programs are not the same as the classroom.  While it is still the same program, the home-base program focuses more on the family and the child.  Sometimes it appears the supervisors and upper management want us to focus on just the child.  I am so excited about beginning this curriculum! It really educates parents on child development, health, nutrition, parenting skills, and brain development of young children.  The training was so inspiring!

Unfortunately, I did miss some of the training due to a very bad flu bug I came down with in the beginning of the training.  I was just glad that I was able to finish the rest of the week.

If anyone else is using, or has used this curriculum I would love to read your comments and thoughts about it.

Inspiration

In this post I would like to continue to add things that INSPIRE me to continue the work I do in Early Childhood.

September 11, 2010

This morning I received a phone call from a very excited young man who was yelling into the phone "Ms. Toni I POOP IN THE POTTY!!!!  I POOP IN THE POTTY!!!"  I immediatly knew who this young man was, it was one of my students, Nicolas, who is 2 1/2 years old.  Mom has been working with Nicolas on potty training and I had offered several suggestions and offered Mom some suggestions on how to stay calm and not to worry or try to force it.  I told her this would be one battle she would loose if she tried to force it.  She tried one of my suggestions and this morning after sitting on his potty for 5 minutes he had pooped in the potty.  Mom apologized for calling me on a weekend but said that Nicolas was so excited when he did it he grabbed the phone and told her to call me.  I told her that was fine and I was so excited for him!  I congratulated Nicolas and told him how proud I was of him!  These are the types of moments that really inspire me to continue my work with young children and their families.

Artwork

Chinese Devil Dragon Scarecrow By Troy Keith, age 7

This is my son's art work.  He told me it was his "Chinese Devil Dragon Scarecrow".  He was very proud of his work and asked if he could give it to one of our local police men who is always helping the kids out but who does not have kids of his own.  I told him that would be fine.  The officer really enjoyed getting it and got a big kick out of it.

I chose this artwork for my posting because I was very proud of my son for thinking of someone else who is always very giving of his time and energy to others.  It demonstrated for me that my son can think of others, which is something I really hope to teach my children. 

Additional Blog

To those that are following this blog, I do have an additional blog: Child Health, Safety & Nutrition.  This is a blog I created while doing another class.  It has some good information, but please remember it was my first blog and was a work in progress.  I learned a lot from that course and continue to refer to much of the information I learned in it. 

Trysha K.!

Trysha K. Holloway was a little girl in my first classroom experience. To this day I remember Trysha K.! Trysha K. was a very precocious little girl in our classroom. She could be defiant, stubborn, and could display some very challenging behaviors but at the same time she could also make you laugh and would say some of the most outrageous things. When ever anyone came into the room that she was not familiar with, parent, staff, or volunteer she would walk up and promptly announce that she was Trysha K. (last name) and would plaster a very big smile across her face.

I was very disheartened when the Lead Teacher informed me that she was "manipulative" and not to "fall for her tricks". It was obvious that she had no patience for her what so ever.

Trysha touched my heart because I knew that she came from a difficult home life and had been physically and sexually abused in the past. Much of Trysha's challenging behaviors came from this abuse and her attempts at working through some very difficult emotions. I was also surprised that knowing this that the Lead Teacher still made it obvious that she had no tolerance for Trysha. This immediately made me want to form a bond with Trysha and try to help her work through some of her emotions. I was pleased that Trysha was eventually permanently placed with her father and aunt and knew that she would receive the counseling that she much needed.

On her last day of school, Trysha walked up to me and tapped me on the leg. I bent down to speak with her and she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed as tight as she could. She whispered "I love you Ms. Toni, you make school SO fun!" To this day when I see her in public she will come running up to me to give m a hug and tell me how she likes school. This was a very rewarding experience for me and one I will remember always.

Favorite Books

I have a real passion for books and to choose just one is difficult.  I will continue to update and add to my reading list but wanted to share a few of my favorites.

Love is a family by Roma Downey
    This is a story of a single mother and her daughter.  The daughter longs for a big, loud family like her friend.  After attending the Family Fun Night at her school she sees that not all families are the same.  This story touches my heart.  I have been a single mother and now have a blended family.  I think it is a wonderful story for children who may not have the "traditional" family.

The boy who wouldn't share! by Mike Reiss
    This is a story of a boy who refuses to share with his sister, Claire, and eventually ends tangled up in a pile of toys.  Claire helps her brother out of his tangled mess and shares her fudge with him, showing him how to share with others.  This is a wonderful book to teach children how to share.

Rumble in the jungle by Giles Andreae
     This story is fun and silly!  It is one of my son's favorites and he loves reading just before bed. This hunt for jungle animals ends with everyone going to sleep....including my son.

Bear feels scared by Karma Wilson
     I love this entire series.  This story is about how Bear gets lost in the woods and his friends who are worried about him form a search party.  Bear is very scared when he is lost in the woods.  The rhyming text engages children, and the illustrations are also very good.

I'm a little teapot by Iza Trapani
     The author shares her childhood adventures in this story with a flying a dragon kite as they row their boat to China to a final adventure in a game of hide-and-go-seek in the jungle! The story goes through several different countries and even into outer space.  It is a very nice twist on the nursery rhyme and very entertaining.

I love you sun, I love you moon / Te amo sol, Te amo luna by Karen Pandell
    I recently found this book while looking for bilingual books for my families.  It teaches basic concepts of taking care of our earth and each other.
These are just a few of my favorites, creating this list makes me realize I should go through my collection.  I'm sure there are many more I have forgotten about.

Favorite Quotes

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them.” ~ Richard L. Evans

"Parents are a child's first teacher!" ~ Early Head Start

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” ~ Unknown

“He who teaches children learns more than they do”~ Unknown

“You will always be your child's favorite toy”~Vicki Lansky

Week 1

This is my first week of the Master's Program of Early Childhood Studies.  I am very excited about entering this program.  For me, it has been a very long journey to even obtain my B.S. in Child Development, so the fact that I am now entering the Master's Program is truly a major accomplishment for me.  While the journey has been long, sometimes difficult and challenging, I truly believe it has been well worth the effort and struggles.  I have always had a love for learning and believe it is a life long journey.  I am looking forward to collaborating and networking with other professionals and students.