Until We Meet Again

My current course is coming to a close. It has been so inspirational "meeting" and learning with some amazing people these past eight weeks. As we all had the opportunity to create a blog, I would like to share a couple of those with you as well as let each of these ladies know how deeply they have helped me grow throughout this course. 

Ashlee is an amazing woman who is super hard working. Maintaining a full -time job, raising a young child, as well as being a military spouse...all while working hard on her own graduate degree.  Her blog Early Childhood Through My Eyes has been just a joy to read weekly. 

Ashlee,
Thank you very much for the great insights not only through your blog but also in the weekly discussions throughout the course. I admire how you balance all that you do while still blossoming into the early childhood professional you are quickly becoming. Best of luck and I look forward to hopefully learning with you again in the future.

Another inspiring person I have gotten to know during this course is Diana. She is another amazing woman who is balancing quite a load while earning her graduate degree. Her blog Education + Psychology is full of inspiration and great information for any early childhood professional. Also, she is an excellent photographer which she highlights briefly on her blog. 

Diana,
The depth you have brought to assignments over the length of this course has helped me bring my thinking to another level. Thank you for bringing a new perspective to my learning as well as challenging me to be a better professional. I admire your handwork with your busy schedule. I hope to be in a course again with you soon. Best wishes on your journey.

These are not the only two ladies whom I have learned from but unfortunately it would be a very long post for personal thanks to all of my cohorts as well as a great instructor. So to all of them, thank you so much for the sharing of knowledge and I am excited to be on this journey with all of you. I hope we all encounter one another again soon as I feel we are only at the beginning of something amazing. 

Developing Myself - Now and in the Future

There are many dispositions to an early childhood professional and numerous values that each of us hold close to heart. When examining the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment as well as the DEC Code of Ethics, a professional has time to think about the role he or she plays in this area of development and learning. So many of these principles mean a great deal to me and I take them to heart simply because I entered this field with zero knowledge about the impact early childhood development holds so now I strive daily to help others understand its importance. Thinking of the three that mean the most to me in my current position, I have listed them below in no particular order.

First, it is my responsibility to a child to follow NAEYC's Ethical Responsibly to Children Ideal I-1.3 which states "To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child" (2005, pg. 2). I have always strived to have a relationship of mutual respect with young children. Each child is a small person with the same emotions and feelings as a grown adult so thinking of this, it is always something I strive to do. Each child is its own person and we all are unique and that needs to be emphasized daily with young children because that is how kindness and respect are taught and those are to attributes we all need in our lives.

Second, because it takes a whole community to mentor and raise a child it is important to always consider NAEYC's Ethical Responsibly to Families Ideal 1-2.1 "To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with families we serve" (2005, pg. 3). When I first entered this professional field, I was terrified to speak with parents. It was a top goal of mine while student teaching because I knew it was a struggle for me. Now a few years in I understand the importance of open communication with families. We all need to work with one another for the best of the child as we all want the same goal. This may even mean stepping back from my own beliefs and following what a family sees best for their child. 

Last, we need great professionals in this field to create the best outcomes for young children so looking to DEC Code of Ethics "we shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and ethically based services" (2009). I have been so blessed to have great mentors and cohorts on my journey as an early childhood professionals so now that I am in a position to share my knowledge I take this responsibility seriously. For me, this field of education works so well because we area group of kind and passionate people who are all working toward a goal of helping young children become successful. Anytime we can be positive and collaborate with one another it only builds a stronger professional field. 

As this current course wraps up it is important to remember to always preserve, not only for you but for the children you work with as well as the families. They each deserve our best so keep striving to learn more and do great things in the early childhood environment. 

Resources

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2009, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

When You Need a Little Help

As an early childhood professional, I always want the best for each child I am learning with. I find myself always referring to or consulting with previous cohorts, former and current co-workers, online resources, and even good ol' textbooks. Wanting to share many of these resources, I have added two new sections in the tabs on the left side of this blog. The first is a list of professional journals that  can searched for in the Walden University Library and the second tab contains links to many professional websites and articles. Both of these options contain a wealth of material that could pertain to many different areas in the early childhood field. These lists are not all inclusive as there are other wonderful resources, so below are some I refer to often. 

The book, Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem by Steffen Saifer addresses a great deal of situations that can arise in a classroom. It is a great reference tool to keep on hand as each class as well as each child is different. There will be year where may encounter a child with a completely different behavior and you are at a loss on how to assist this child but this book comes in handy there with the many topics it covers. 

The Fred Rogers Center

The Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media is a website that offers a great deal of material, not only about Fred Rogers himself but also relevant articles about technology and media in the world of early childhood. I know this topic is very sticky for many professionals so it is nice to have a guide to help make those decisions, plus it was Mr. Roger's passion to ensure children had quality media to learn from.

The Kindergarten Smorgasboard

The Kindergarten Smorgasboard is a blog that has been shared many times over on social media but is a great tool for professionals to come and find new creative ideas for ones own classroom. Mr. Greg just happened to land in kindergarten one year (many years ago) and quickly developed a passion for teaching young children. He now shares this enthusiasm all over the county with other educators. 

I will finish with this quote. I feel so strongly about children needing time to come into their own development so we as professionals cannot push this. When a child is ready he or she will pick up on concepts so quickly and without major frustration. I know parents fear their child will not be ready for kindergarten if he is not able to write his name or count to 100 but that is far from the truth. He is just not ready so allowing him the time to play and explore will afford him with the time develop the skill he needs to gain these concepts with ease.