My Three Ideals from NAEYC and DEC

I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities,

abilities, and potential of each child.

This is a very important ideal to remember and respect because each year when children come to a program, they are like a clean slate. We have no bias about them and we are able to get to know them without influential information other than necessary. Each child is and always will be unique. 







P-3A.1—We shall recognize the contributions of colleagues
to our program and not participate in practices
that diminish their reputations or impair their
effectiveness in working with children and families.





Our program is taking on transformations this year with a new 4 year old teacher and 2 new assistants. Since I have been an assistant in a preschool, I have so much respect for my colleagues. It is not always an easy job to do and I welcome their presence in the classroom. I am hoping that we can all collaborate together and gather some terrific ideas for our school year.




We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers
of services for their children. 
Many families are not aware or are unable to find the sources needed for their children. When questions arise, families need to have that information available and accessible. As a teacher, I feel a responsibility to finding and providing sources to all families. 

Course Resources

• • World Forum Foundation
    http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
    
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
     
    
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/about/

• 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/

Additional Resources 

* Dr. Jean Feldman

http://www.drjean.org

* www.abcteach.com 

* www.kizclub.com

* www.makinglearningfun.com 

I Love Letters!: More Than 200 Quick & Easy Activities To Introduce Young Children to Letters and Literacy.

by Jean Feldman, Holly Karapetkova (2009) Gryphon House

Great book filled with fun activities

 

Quotes to Think About

"It is useful to think of the growth of teachers as occurring in stages, linked very generally to experience gained over time"


This is from an article written by Lilian Kratz entitled "The Developmental Stages of Teachers." I compare this statement to children as well as to teachers. Children develop in stages and according to research, the more experiences they have, the better their learning will develop. 


http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/pubs/katz-dev-stages.html. 




"I always liked kids. I liked babysitting and playing with younger kids." - Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oaks College, CA


Those words could have been taken right out of my mouth. This described me as a young girl but I never thought about becoming a teacher right away. It was after the birth of my first child that teaching became a thought, a dream, and finally, a reality.

Personal Childhood Web

My Mom - I was an only child growing up and my mom and  dad divorced when I was 3. My mom was there for me through my turbulent childhood and teenage years. I don't know what I would have done without my mom. She has been my best friend since the birth of my oldest son. She has given so much of herself to me and would do anything for my family. Her life was not easy and she always put me first.

My Grandparents - While I was growing up, my grandparents lived in the same town as I did. We lived on opposite sides of town and I had a special path that I walked to get to their house every day. My grandma taught me how to cook, sew, and bake and my grandpa taught me how to grow a garden. I have a special flower garden at my house that is planted in honor of them and we continue to have a vegetable garden every year as well. I have so many special memories of them because of the time I spent with them. I was probably at their house more than my own.

My Babysitter, Alice - Alice was my first babysitter and she began taking care of me when I was a baby. She had 5 older children that were like my brothers and sisters. They were all in high school and they took me to the movies, swimming, and generally allowed me to tag along with them everywhere. I learned to ride my tricycle at Alice's house and I have so many scars on my knees from falling into the bushes. She also had a great sand and mud pile where I used to play and get extremely dirty. My favorite memory from her house was baking with her. She made homemade bread every day and it was so delicious! We also used to exercise to Jack LaLane. She also took care of a Down's Syndrome child and she taught me that God creates everyone special. I accepted Stormy for who she was and defended her to other children in the neighborhood. Alice and Stormy taught me about acceptance and patience early on in my life.

My Aunt Esther - She was my mom's oldest sister. She was married to my Uncle Merle and he worked in a gravel quarry. They lived on a farm before moving to Charles City, Iowa. I used to stay at their house for several weeks during the summer. They lived along the river and I used to go down to play by the river with them. They have been gone for a long time now but a favorite memory is watching TV at their house and the commerical for Color 3 Mason City. Now, all these years later, my son will be working for this TV station as a TV broadcast meteorologist. Life has come full circle for us!

ME! - I think I had to grow up quickly as I had no siblings and a dad and stepdad who really wanted nothing to do with me. I had to find things to do to occupy my time and spent a lot of time reading and going to the library. My mom and stepdad worked 5 days a week so I was home alone after school by age 9 but I had my grandparents to go to. I have had ups and downs in life, from being a single parent to my son to losing my first husband in a car accident, and a daughter having a traumatic brain injury. I have found strength in myself and Christ that kept me going when I wanted to give up. I hope I have been a role model to my children as they grow and go out on their own.

I would not be who I am today if it were not for all these people who are and were a part of life. I am grateful every day for their presence and memories and hope that I can share these in my children and future grandchildren one day.

Help with Comments

Hey everyone,
I am having a difficult time with trying to leave comments on your blogs. I have contacted tech support, and every support I know, and I have not gotten any responses.

When I go to your blogs, and I want to post a comment, it keeps taking me back to log in on the Google account which I am logged in to already. I choose Google Reader as the profile choice, hit the Post comment and nothing....

Can someone PLEASE tell me what I doing wrong!

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poes corner: Picture

poes corner: Picture: "As a first year teacher, I do not have any drawings so this is the picture that I have chosen. I love this picture because this is an exampl..."

I love this picture! I tried to tape up every picture that a child drew, colored, or painted for me last year. It was like our own art museum!

Story for Heart

This story just happened on July 4th. We were at a local campground with my brother-in-law, his wife, and kids and assorted other friends and family. My daughter Shelby had been having car problems and was not able to drive her car so my great nephew asked his grandpa (my brother-in-law) if they could fix "Putt-Putt" the truck up for Shelby because "she needs a car to drive cuz hers is broken."

That just touched our hearts because he will be in first grade this fall and we thought that was such a great idea to come up with.

And no, she did not get "Putt-Putt" the truck to drive. We were able to find another car for her but it was the thought that counts!