Thanks and Support

The last 8 weeks have introduced us to many new concepts and new people.  It has been an eye-opening experience.  I did not realize how much I still had to learn, especially in regards to advocacy and working with families.  "Meeting" new colleagues in the field of early childhood has been great.  I have appreciated all of the feedback on discussion posts and blog assignments.  Learning together online was a whole new experience for me.  Even though we were not in a traditional classroom setting, I appreciated that there was still interaction between colleagues.  Thank you for the support and good luck in all your future endeavors.

Significant Ideals

Ideal I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

I believe that we are meant to be lifelong learners.  It is important to stay informed and up-to-date on issues relating to your profession.  Students need to know that the important adults in their lives are learners as well.  I want the children in my classroom to see how passionate I am about learning new things; hopefully it will ignite their passion for learning, too!  There is always something new to learn and try.  I strive to have a humble attitude and readily admit that I have a great deal of room to learn and grow.

 

Ideal I-1.7—To use assessment information to understand and support children’s development and learning, to support instruction, and to identify children who may need additional services.

When you start out as a new teacher, it is sometimes difficult to know what to do with assessment data.  You assess because you are required to, and you want to know what children know and still need to learn.  Then what?  I think it is important to use assessment data for a purpose.  Analyzing data will tell you what you need to re-teach, what children are struggling, and what children need more of a challenge.  Data can also be tracked to monitor the progress of a student who may need special services due to a learning impairment.

I-1.12—To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and families move from one program to the next.

Having strong connections with families is important.  When children are moving from grade to grade, I think it is great to have open communication about the transition.  I take parents questions and comments into account when thinking about the teacher that will get their child the next year.  Spending time deciding the teacher who best matches each student that transitions out of my classroom ensures them a great start to 1^st grade.  It is important that these transitions occur smoothly so children know they are well cared for, no matter where they are in the school community.

Early Childhood Resources

My resources:

• Parents as Teachers
• http://www.parentsasteachers.org/
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• http://www.aap.org/en-us/Pages/Default.aspx
• Safe Kids Worldwide
• http://www.safekids.org/
• Center for Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
• http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/
• Play for Keeps: Resources on Play
• http://www.childrensmuseums.org/programs/playingforkeeps.htm
• Let's Move: Healthy Kids
• http://www.letsmove.gov/

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

• 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.

• 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.pdWorld Organization for Early Childhood Education

• 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/
• 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.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Passion, Motivation, & Wisdom

This week I read about the contributions of Deborah Leong and Marian Wright Edelman.  Below are two quotes that I enjoyed from my readings.

Speaking about developing literacy skills through play:  "To read, children need to realize, for instance, that c-o-w represents the word cow, and the word cow represents the animal.  Play that promotes this understanding involves children in using their imaginations with open-ended materials - a marker might become a magic wand, a block can turn into a boat." - Deborah Leong

Speaking about child care and health services: "The Lord didn't tell us to take care of every other child.  I think he really did mean for every child to have a fair shake." - Marian Wright Edelman.

In week 2, Raymond Hernandez's presentation was the one that spoke to me the most.  I loved the following two quotes:
- "Passion comes from wanting to make a difference."
- One little sparkle will make a difference for me."