Quotes from early childhood professionals

"Students not only need to know how to use a skill but also when to use it. They need to learn to recognize for themselves the context in which the skill might be useful and the purposes it can most appropriately serve."
                                                                                                          - Sylvia Chard


"The greatest enemy of children today is poverty. We're not doing enough." 
                                                                                                          - Edward Zigler

"I had a built-in passion that it was important to make the real contribution to the world, and to fix all the injustices that existed in the world, and i wanted to do that through teaching...So the passion I had when I started is just as great now, as it ever was, maybe greater, because I've seen the wonderful impact that using when I call it "Anti-bias" approach has, not just on the children, but on the teachers, who have to kinda figure out who they are, and understand themselves and uncover their own discomforts and missed information. So I fought, I see adults finding their voice, as a result of doing this work. It's like they reclaim and heal things that happened to their own childhood that maybe no one had helped them work with when they were young. So the passion to create a safer and more just world for all kids is there, and I suppose I will be there until I die..."    

                                                                                                       - Louise Derman-Sparks

"We, as professionals in the early childhood field, have the opportunity to shape a child's life for the better so that's what makes me passionate about this work." 
                                                                                                       - Sandy Escobido

My favorite quotes, my favorite book, and an artwork from a child

I actually have two favorite quotes that I want to share them with you...

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." By Frederick Douglass
"Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." By Roger Lewin

We always encourage children to develop their sense of self, skills/abilities such as self-help, self-esteem, self-discipline, self-control and so on. However, sometimes children are over-protected and parents tend to do everything for them, which makes children too vulnerable when standing up for their rights, thoughts, and feelings. If we just give children answers, sooner or later they may lose their abilities to seek out solutions for problems; they may lose their curiosity about the environment and things happening around them. That's why I always keep in mind these two quotes and support my children to be strong and confident individuals.

One of my favorite books is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr and Pictures by Eric Carle. I like it so much because it has beautiful pictures about different animals with vivid colors. The repetition of the words allows children to pick it up quickly and they can start repeating the words after 3-4 pages. It also provides opportunities for teacher and children interaction. It's easy enough for children to just read it by themselves and show it to their friends - a good way to build up their self-confidence. I really enjoy reading this book with my children.

This is a picture from one of my not-yet-3-year-old student. I was amazed by the details she put on this work.

"I can see you draw a very beautiful picture. Can you tell me about your picture?"

"This is me. This is hair, two eyes, nose, and this is my mouth."

"I see, but how come I don't see your ears?"

"My ears here." pointing at her own ears.

:)

My first post

Hi Everyone,

This is the blog for my ECE master degree at Walden. I'm so excited with my new blog. Please come and visit this site to share your stories with me.

Regards,
Karie