The end of our first class, how awesome! One down! I am trying to just take the whole program class by class and not look at the whole thing at once.  So hooray for us making it to the first checkpoint! Thank you to everyone who commented or posted.  It is a new experience for me to have an open diary of sorts but it is fun to read everyone's posts and learn more about you all.  I know some of us will be continuing on together to our next classes and I look forward to watching us all grow together.  I have never met people with such a passion for children and it is refreshing.  I think that is what I enjoyed the most about this class, that there are other people who want to make a change in early education and the lives of children. That has inspired me to pursue my dreams even more, so thank you!

Code of Ethics: A set of principles, values or standards that guide decision making and behavior

As we learned the code of ethics of two prominent Early Childhood organizations this week, I was inspired to consider my own personal code of ethics.  What are my values or principles and what is my ideal way of being.  To flip the concept and see it another way, what do my current behaviors say about my principles, values or standards?  How do these two compare? Hmmm self-reflection as we have learned is essential for growth!

Three selections I made from the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment and the Division of Early Childhood Code of Ethics are as follows:

DEC Code of Ethics
Section I.1
We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child.

I could not agree more and am excited to see this as first on their list.  I feel that without this concept in your heart, in your core, the rest of what we can learn and do as teachers is a waste of time.  We must truly be sculptors looking to bring out the most amazing traits in every child.

Section III.2

We shall recognize our responsibility to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to provide services and supports in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children.

It is our responsibility as those who "know" to show and help others who have various experiences and backgrounds and possibly little to no knowledge on child development.  This is particularly important to me because it is my personal goal to provide parent and teacher education classes and services.

NAEYC Code of Ethics

Section IV. I-4.4

To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs.

 

This is my ultimate goal and why I began this program of study, a society where all people have an equal start.  This is what quality early care and education provides, an equal opportunity to live to your fullest potential.  

 

 

 

 

 

Motivation

The video we watched on "The Passion for Early Childhood" had professionals whose passion for their work was clear.  I will share here with you some things that were said that stood out to me:

"We as professionals in the early childhood field have the opportunity to shap a child's life for the better"    ~ Sandy Escobido

"Working with children and parents was like earning a doctorate"  ~ Renatta Cooper

"With a little bit of information...able to then accomplish the tasks of being a parent"  ~ Leticia Lara
"Families need support"  ~ Leticia Lara

Inspiration

Caregiver Tips provided by Janet Gonzalez-Mena in her article
Compassionate roots begin with babies
"Predictability helps build trust and gives the baby a sense of security.

Caregivers at the Pikler Institute slow down and wait for some kind of sign that the child has heard and understands what will happen next before they proceed.

The optimal time for relationship-building is during caregiving activities: those essential activities of daily living that meet infants’ physical needs.

Caregiving becomes the curriculum when done with careful, focused attention in partnership with the child.

Magda Gerber [Infant Secialist] always met aggression in infants and toddlers with gentleness.

Rewarding the victim of aggression with a great deal of attention can result in the child seeking further opportunities to become a victim.

The toddler who causes pain needs reassurance that the adult will be there to stop her next time if she can’t stop herself."

"Caregiving becomes the curriculum when done in the way that Gerber and Pikler taught. Not only does the caregiver meet physical needs, but she takes into consideration emotional, social, and cognitive needs as well. It’s a way of empowering infants and helping them feel significant. All this happens with tenderness and gentleness — compassion!"   ~ Janet Gonzalez-Mena

What an amazing way to view the day to day care of a young person!

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Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of the Children Defense Fund, is an advocate of children and the importance of early education and quality childcare.  She refers to the thousands of disadvantaged children swept into the criminal justice system as getting caught up in the

Cradle to Prison Pipeline

"We're spending three times more per prisoner than per public school pupil in all of our states. That's the dumbest set of investment priorities I can think of, and we're standing for it." 
                                       ~ Marian Wright Edelman

In an interview with UpFront magazine's Editor-in-Chief Glenn Cook and Senior Editor Lawrence Hardy, Ms. Edelman discussed what schools can do to break the pipeline:

"The most important thing is to have students be able to read and compute and stay at grade level.  When we looked at teen pregnancy a number of years ago, the two largest predictors of who was going to become a teen mother - and I would also say, a juvenile delinquent- were basic skills level and poverty.  If you held those two variables constant, you had identical rates between white, black and Latino children."

Ana's "Favorite Things"

Similar to Oprah's Favorite Things, but without the awesome free gifts and well millions of fans but anyway... here are some of my favorite things!

Quotes! Here is one for us to keeep in mind as educators



Having fun while learning is a must! Here is a book for kids to play with sounds, learn about jazz music and enjoy reading!




Here is the thing that fuels my passion... the pure joy and innocence of children.  I also love this video because it reminds me there is happiness and joy even in situations we may perceive to be stressful

The international language of passion

"It became more of a passion, an eagerness to search to locate the hidden treasures ...  I was no longer just looking, but starting to see differently. And I also started to uncover my new identity.Knowledge of what you love somehow comes to you; you don’t have to read nor analyze nor study. If you love a thing enough, knowledge of it seeps into you, with particulars more real than any chart can furnish. Jessamyn West "
http://gothamgirlchronicles.com/photography-2/photography-as-a-healing-art-chapter-three/

I was searching online and came across this very interesting blog http://gothamgirlchronicles.com and had to share the above with all of you. (I am really loving this new blog world!)  I enjoyed the recent discussion on the importance of passion and thought of it as I read Gotham Girl's blog.  You could sense the author's love of photography just emanating off the page.  Passion. Passion. Passion.  I find the words equally apply to our passion for working with children.  Here's to our quest for hidden treasures... in the eyes of every child arrgh!

A quote that caught my eye...

"A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back."
Arthur Miller
American playwright, 1915-2005