Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they to teach me about myself.  The older I get, seemingly, the wiser I become. The wiser I become, the more I realize that I attract who I am.  The word relationship is so broad in that it describes almost any interaction, ie. waiters/customers, parents/children, husband/wife, police officer/speed demon, etc.  As far as meaningful relationships go, I have two relationships that mean the most to me. My relationship with GOD is imperative to my well-being as is the relationship that I have with my child. What maintains my relationship with my 7-year-old daughter is open communication. If she were asked about the importance of communication, she would respond by saying that communication is the key to successful relationships. My daughter motivates me to be a better person. I am still a bit self-centered but I have learned to care for someone more than I care for myself. In many ways, my daughter has taught me to be humble, patient, responsible, reliable, sensitive and nurturing. While being a parent is such a rewarding experience, it an also be challenging. My baby and I overcome the challenges of our relationship by acknowledging that we have a partnership. This is my first time being her mommy and this is her first time being my baby. That being said, we learn through trial and error.  We keep what works and revamp what doesn't.  I believe that my parenting skills would definitely be a contributing factor to my career in early childhood education.  Armed with real-life experience in what it takes to understand children, teach them, love and nurture them, I will have an advantage over other early childhood professionals that rely solely on their academia degree to help them achieve success.

New Beginnings

Your life is a result of the choices you make... If you don't like your life it is time to start making better choices.  

-Unknown

I will not forget......

Are We There Yet?

Omg! I cannot believe that we have reached the last day of our Early Childhood Education Foundation Course! I have learned so much that I will carry with me throughout the remainder of my academic career and into my professional career. To all of you that take the time to read my blog......

THANK YOU 4 EVERYTHING!

Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self

NAEYC and DEC Code of Ethics                

1. We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work. 

2. We shall use individually appropriate assessment strategies including multiple sources of information such as observations, interviews with significant caregivers, formal and informal assessments to determine children’s learning styles, strengths, and challenges. 


3. We shall recognize our responsibility to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to provide services and supports in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children.


The aforementioned codes of ethics really spoke to me in that they sum up what lending a helping hand is all about. We must be accountable for our own actions. We must treat each other with respect and dignity. In order to be an effective teacher, one must listen effectively. We must exercise what works and modify what does not work. 

Additional Resources

I listed an article that I found to be interesting, along with some websites that may be helpful tools in parenting and child advocacy. I chose to reference sites that serve my community because I feel that is the best place to start in redefining my community. Please visit the following sites as you will find loads of useful information.......

Mental Health America. (2012). What every child needs for good mental health. Retrieved July 29 2012, from (http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-health/what-every-child-needs-for-good-mental-health

www.chicagocac.org

www.chicagoparent.com

www.chipublib.org

www.sos-usa.org

Course 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, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
  • NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
  • NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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.

  • 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 media segment 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/
      Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

  • 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/
  • 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/