Words of Inspiration and Motivation

For my discussion this week, I have selected Hillary Clinton and Ann Turnbull.

One quote from Hillary Clinton that resonates strongly with me is “Let’s build a village worthy of our children” (Clinton, 1996, p. 295).  It is true that it takes a village to raise a child; however, what good would those efforts be if the village is not worthy of children or does not fit their needs.

One quote from Ann Turnbull that resonates strongly with me is “I think many of us learned how many amazing resources are available if only you take the time to research them out” (Turnbull, Zuna, Hong, & Hu, 2010, p. 53).  What Turnbull states is extremely too. There are so many resources and data available to people in the early childhood field. However, too often professionals and parents do not take the time to research them or search them out.

References

Clintion, H. (1996). It Takes a Village. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J., & Hu, X. (2010, January). Knowledge-to-Action Guides: Preparing Families to Be Partners in Making Educational Decisions. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-54.

In week 2, we were asked to watch a video segment on passion, motivation, and wisdom. Two quotes resonated strongly with me from this presentation.

The first quote was from Louise Derma Sparks when discussing her teaching experience with under-privileged children (Walden University, 2010). Sparks insisted that “It made me feel whole, it made me feel creative” (Walden University, 2010). This is exactly how I feel when writing social stories for autistic children. Not only do I feel like I am fulfilling the needs of the children, I am motivated in becoming more creative and feel like I am fulfilling my purpose in life.

The second quote was from Renatta M. Cooper (Walden University, 2010).  She insists that working in the field of early childhood is “not all about you. You have to take your ego out of it and think what’s best for this child” (Walden University, 2010). . This is often I trap that I and many others fall into. It is so easy to focus on you and how you are feeling; however, it takes a trained professional to put one’s ego aside and do what it is the best interest for a child.

References

Walden University. [producer]. (2010). The Passion for Early Childhood. Retrieved November 27, 2010 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4603357&Survey=1&47=2983454&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.

Personal Childhood Web

Sadly, I do not have a picture from my childhood in digital format, but I do have a picture of one of my favorite places that me and my family went for fun when I was growing up. It is the lighthouse in St. Joseph Michigan. We lived minutes from the beach and we frequently went to the lighthouse to spend time as a family.

There are five people that really supported me, nurtured me, and cared about me as a child. I have listed these individuals below.

1. My Mother, Linda. I think one's mother is always the first person on most people's list :0). In addition to caring for my basic needs, my mother influenced my development in a postive manner. She always encouraged me to be independent and live out my dreams. Education, sports, and writing was also of interest to me at a very young age. In order to support these passions my mom always encouraged me to learn, praise me for my accomplishments, and allowed me to express my creativity through writing short stories and song. My mom always told me that "Girls could do anything boys could do better". She always would tell me how she regretted that she lived in a time that would not allow her to pursue her education and forced her to raise a family.  It is for that reason, she wanted me to put me first and start a family when I was ready. To this day, my Mom is the shoulder to cry on, my cheering squad, and my best-friend.

2. My Step-Dad, Symon
Even though Symon became my step-dad later in my childhood, he had no problem supporting me financially, emotionally, and being the father figure I never had.  He was the one that taught me how to drive when my father was not around. He was the one to make me his wonderful chicken soup when I was sick. He was the one in my life that would see my logical and less emotionally way of thinking. He was the one person in my life growing up that appreciated my sense of human and got my subtle sarcasm. Symon still provides me with both intellectual support today when I need it.  He also continues to play the role of my father.

3. My Brother and Sister. My brother Steve and my step-sister Kim were always there to support me on an emotional, physical, and intellectual level. My brother would not hesitate to stand up for me at school against teachers and bullies. My brother, being my polar opposite, would always help me become more street smart (I was always book smart). My brother and sister Kim were the ones that I played with, laughed with, and cried with. Although I don’t spend much time with them now that we have grown, we always have no problem getting back into our roles as children when we get together.

4. My First Grade Teacher, Mrs. Bookout. Of all of the teachers that I had in my life, I believe Mrs. Bookout to be the most supportive, caring, and influential. In addition to allowing me to excel beyond the class, Mrs. Bookout was always supportive for my talent in Math and Writing. Most girsl at me school hated math and were not that good at it. I also was a young child during the time that it was believed that girls did not have mathematic capabilities. I was the exception. Mrs. Bookout constantly encouraged me to be different than the other girls in the class and embrace my intellect for the subject. She also encouraged me to write and share my short stories for all of the members in the class. Even though she is not part of my life today, I do not believe that I would be half the person that I am without her. Because of her, I embrace who I am and I am afraid to be different than others that I am surrounded by.

Picture of Me

I added this picture to my profile, but I also wanted to post it formally on my blog.  This is a picture of me and my babies---the inspiration of my writing and so much more. The dog that I have my arm around is my Mom's dog Barney.  He is a Brussells Griffon.  The tiny black dog is my baby girl Fionna (Yes, I spell her name with two "N"'s instead of one-she like to be different) who is a Pomeranian. The other fluffy tan boy in front is Foxy who is my oldest and is also a Pomeranian.

Children's Book that I Love and Why

Since you know a little bit about my background, I bet you would not be suprised to hear that one book that I love the most is a book that I have authored. That book is The Case Of The Missing Bone by Mary Sanders (this is my pen name).  I love this book because it entertains children, keeps them engaged in the reading process, and encourges them to use their cognitive and problem-solving abilities. It also teaches a few valuable life lessons in a playful manner. In all fairness, I know that this cannot be my formal answer to this assignment. However, what kind of author would I be not the take the opportunity to explain why I love my books and how beneficial and fun they are to children.  That said the book that I love the second most would be Charlotte's Web. Not only is Charlotte's Web entertaining, it also teaches children many important life lessons. In addition to gently teaching children about the cycle of life and death ;-), this book also reinforces the importance of looking past one's differences, diversity, communicating with loved ones, and the power of friendship and love. This book has been so effective in teaching these life lessons that it is been commonly used in classrooms and hopitals. According to Zarboch (2010), Charlotte's Web is used in many medical enviornments to help explain to cycle of life to children that have parents suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses. Zarboch (2010) also explains that the JAAPA and many children's hospitals often use the book and the film to explain one's own mortality to ailing children.

References
Zarbock, S. (2010). Charlotte's Web: Lessons Learned from a Pig and a Spider. Journal of American Acadamey of Physician Assistants. Retrieved November 12, 2010 from http://www.jaapa.com/charlottes-web-lessons-learned-from-a-pig-and-a-spider/article/167106/.

Quote About Children

I found a quote that I thought really summarizes my feelings toward children and the importance of the M.S. Earlly Childhood Studies program.

That quote is "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future" - John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Personally, I feel as though this quote supports my decision to become more educated in the discipline that I have chosen and it embodies everything that we are about to be taught in the program. Children are such a valuable resource and we need to educate and train them properly to ensure a bright, diverse future.

A Little Nervous...But Ready to Go!

You would think that with being a writer that I would not be nervous about writing a blog.  But that is not the case.  I am sure the nerves will settle once we get into this a little more.  But, non-the-less...I am ready to go!