Words of Inspiration and Motivation from Early Childhood Professionals

"You haven't seen anything until you see how early childhood teachers are underpaid." ~ Marcy Whitebook

"Mathematical understanding and understanding the building blocks for literacy- all those things start long before kids get to kindergarten." ~ Marcy Whitebook

"Early childhood teacher education programs may through instructional practices, pedagogy, and curricula reward and privilege the developmental and educational needs of certain groups of children over others thereby reproducing inequality." ~ Aisha Ray

" A growing consensus acknowledges that early childhood teacher preparation and professional development must help all teachers gain knowledge and practice skills that contribute to the educational achievement of all children." ~ Aisha Ray

" It's not all about you, you got to take your ego out of it it's what best for this child." ~ Renatta M. Cooper

My Personal Childhood Web

My Parents

My parents are very different people and influenced me and very different ways

            My mother is a very strong woman and has always pushed me to do the best I can. She also taught me that nothing in life is free and if you want something you have to work hard.  My mom was pretty sick throughout my childhood. When I was in fifth grade she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and then my freshman year of high school she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Amyloidosis. The strength my mother showed was unbelievable and inspiring. She never felt bad for herself and she never let people feel bad for her. She still works full time and receives treatment. She also went back to school and became a Physicians Assistant. They told her she was only going to live four years after she was diagnosed and proved them wrong. She is still with us today and is my biggest inspiration to life. She showed me that no matter what life hands you, that only you have the power to change it.

            My father is a quite man but also very funny. He does not usually have much to say but when he does it is usually funny. I am daddy’s little girl and I always know he wants the best for me. My father owned a store in Boston when I was growing up and worked seven days a week. My brother and I spent a lot of time there and saw how hard my father worked for our family. We also saw how loved and respected he was by the community. One of the best things I learned from both my parents is their strong work ethic, which I am very grateful for.

My Grandmother

            I spent many summers with my grandmother growing up. She lived on the Cape in Massachusetts. My parents liked to get me out of the city and be able to go out and do something than just stay at the store. My grandmother was very nurturing but at the same time did not let me get away with anything unlike other grandparents. She was a single mother of four girls because my
grandfather died while in the Navy. Having four girls she always had to be on her toes and that did not go away when she had grandchildren. We would go to the ocean almost everyday or do yard work together. My cousins lived down the street from her so it was nice to have a lot of family close by. She always told great stories and has an amazing laugh. I feel my mother is a lot like her, she is 82 and still mows her lawn, which is a little less than an acre. She is very caring and always likes to know what everyone is up to.

My Brother

         My brother and I are polar opposites, he is four years older than me, and growing
 up we always butted heads. My brother was never into academics and I was a bookworm. I was very involved in school music and sports and he was more interested in hanging with friends. Even though we did not get along my brother was there for me. If anyone gave me a hard time he would be there or when a girl in my class was killed in a car accident he had his way of checking in to see if I was o.k. As adults my brother and I are closer and actually spend time together. The reason for this is we actually have something in common, our love for his daughter, my niece, Gracie. Gracie was not necessarily planned but is definitely one of the best things to happen to our family. In the picture above she is two and the picture of my Grandmother is a more recent picture of her, now six.

Caitie

            Caitie is my best friend we have known each other since the third grade. We have done almost everything together from music and dance to traveling all over the country doing Drum Corp. She is fun and loud and tells it how it is and I am the opposite. We compliment each other traits. Caitie and I went to different colleges and became our own person but still stayed very close. Caitie was my confidant someone I could tell everything. She was my support person growing up when I was struggling with my mom’s illness. I live in New Hampshire and she is moving to South Carolina but we still dream of one day having houses next to each other and raising our families together.

About me!

Here is a photo of me that I just took today!

This is a picture my niece drew for me and the reason why I picked it is because she is my inspiration for what I do. She was born right around the time I had to choose what I wanted to do with my life and I was just fascinated by her abilities at such a young age!

This is my favorite children's book because I feel that no matter how old you are you can relate to this book in some way or another.

"For children, play is as natural as breathing- and as necessary." - Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld

This is quote sums up my philosophy on how I feel children should learn. Play is essential for every child!

New Beginning

Blogging is a new area for me and I welcome it with open arms. This blog is going to be where I can share with professionals like myself as I embark this new journey.... Grad School. It is intimidating and exciting at the same time. I hope to make new connections and learn new information in the world of Early Childhood Education. My goal is to share my wisdom and gain new perspectives and ideas from my peers. I look forward to this new beginning and can not wait to see what it brings.