The past eight weeks has shown me how little I know about the early childhood field. I feel that I have grown in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of my purpose, what is expected of me, and what I am able to do. I take this opportunity to express my thanks to Walden University for allowing me into this course and making available all the resources that will help me become a better person as well as professional. Thanks to Dr. Kien, for guiding me through this course and asking the right questions to draw out answers I needed to build on. Dr. Kien, you are a great instructor and valuable asset to Walden University, God bless you. Finally to my fellow Colleagues, if I were in the classroom alone just me and all the resources; I would have failed the course. Group 1, I do not have words enough, to express my appreciation for you. All of the examples, experiences, and insights shared has helped me immensley in my career. Thank you so much.
If ever, I can support you in anyway, do not hesitate to contact me. I plan to keep this blog updated throughout the rest of my career as a journal, so I will always remember the value of reflections; the importance of interconnections and resources, and the passion that motivates me to continue. Much success to all of you.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Examining Code of Ethics
The
NAEYC and DEC code of ethics represents a high level of standards and core
values in the field of early childhood education. They ensure the purpose and
focus of the work done by caregivers, educators, and policy-makers remain
vibrant as they carry out day-to-day tasks. Because all of the ideals are valid
and appreciated, it was not a simple task to choose only three. However, here
are the ideals that are most meaningful to my profession.
Ethical
Responsibilities to Children
DEC
These
ideals are significant because I want above all else for the children I work
with to be safe and healthy. I want the work done with and for them to be
effective in preparing them to transition successfully into elementary school.
It is paramount that families are involved with the development of their
children at and away from home and that as professionals we continue to seek
improvements and research what is best for early learners. It is important that
lessons plans and activities are relevant to the needs of each individual and
most of all, it is important that children have fun, parents are happy, and
educators teach with passion.
a.
To
create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social,
emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity
and their contributions.
b.
To
work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and
families move from one program to the next.
c.
To
be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and
to stay informed through continuing education and training.
d.
To
recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each
child.
Professional
and Interpersonal Behavior
a.
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.
b.
We
shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by
seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while
also responding openly to the suggestions of others.
c.
We
shall build relationships with individual children and families while
individualizing the curricula and learning environments to facilitate young
children’s development and learning.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Resources for Early Childhood Field
Course Media: "The Resources for Early Childhood"
Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.
Position Statements and
Influential PracticesFive early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.
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.
Global Support for Children's
Rights and Well-Being
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
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
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
http://www.naccrra.org/ (Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )
Zero To Three: National Center
for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/ (May have to use http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ )
(Newsletters: http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/ and
http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/mlm/signup/ )
National Institute for Early
Education Researchhttp://www.zerotothree.org/ (May have to use http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ )
(Newsletters: http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/ and
http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/mlm/signup/ )
http://nieer.org/ (Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for
specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for
Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find
this search interface.)
·
YC
Young Children
·
Childhood
·
Journal
of Child & Family Studies
·
Child
Study Journal
·
Multicultural
Education
·
Early
Childhood Education Journal
·
Journal
of Early Childhood Research
·
International
Journal of Early
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Words of Inspiration and Motivation
This week has been very emotional for me. It was truly a week of reflection and self-evaluation. I was moved with compassion as I read the history of various early childhood contributors and it impacted their lives. Through their hearts, I saw a reflection of my own and I loved what I saw because the end result is good. Children, well nurtured become adults who give back. Here are a few quotes from contributors that were meaningful to me. I hope you are able to glean from them the essence of the early childhood profession as I did.
Marion
Wright Edelman is an American activist for disadvantaged children and the President of the Children's Defense Fund. She quotes:
- Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.
- You're not obligated to win, you're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can everyday.
- We must not, int trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
“Part of being who you are has to do with feeling your feelings, which means you'll have a wide range of emotions--not just constant sunshiny happiness.”
Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus support Families, Pacific Oak College, CA
"I had a built in passion that it was important, to make a real contribution to the world; and to fix all the injustices that existed in the world, and I wanted to do that through teaching."
Sandy Escobido, Deputy Field Director, Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative, California Community Foundation.
"We, in the early childhood field, have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better."
Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed. Executive Director. School of Early Childhood Education, University of Southern, CA.
"Passion comes from wanting to make a difference...I truly believe I'm not here to save the world, I'm here, just to make a difference in the community that I'm working and to me making a difference may sometimes mean helping one child to be able to be successful in the classroom."
Renatta M. Cooper, Program Specialist, Office of Child Care, LA County Chief Administrative Office.
- "I always felt I owe the families my best"
- "I had a child, his father died...I had no idea how to support a family through this but I knew I needed to learn."
"What are my values, my beliefs, my ideas that lead me to action? What do I do so naturally that perhaps seems natural to me but challenging to others."
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