Words of Inspiration and Motivation

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This is a very proud occasion for us today, because it was less than 3 months ago that we opened a new war front on poverty. We set out to make certain that poverty's

children would not be forevermore poverty’s captives. We called our program project Head Start.    

                                         President Lyndon B. Johnson 

                                                     May 18, 1965       

This means that nearly half the preschool children of poverty will get a head start on their future. These children will receive preschool training to prepare them for regular school in September. They will get medical and dental attention that they badly need, and parents will receive counseling on improving the home environment.

                                     President Lyndon B. Johnson 

                                                     May 18, 1965

“The promise of America is a simple promise: Every person shall share in the blessings of this land. And they shall share on the basis of their merits as a person. They shall not be judged by their color or by their beliefs, or by their religion, or by where they were born, or the neighborhood in which they live.”

President Lyndon B. Johnson

May 18, 1965

Just as we need to define what is meant by the term high quality early childhood personnel for teaching and serving young children, we need to define the competencies of the individuals who play a critical role in preparing and supporting those personnel.

Pamela J. Winton PhD

Senior Scientist and Director of Outreach

2013

Louise Derman Sparks reminds me of the passion I have for teaching the “whole child” and wanting to work with low income children and families. 

“The passion was that all children were taught in an environment that truly nurtured their ability to develop and grow.”

.Professor Louise Derman Sparks

Pacific Oak College

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Passion comes from within each of us; it cannot be imposed or mandated from outside, At the same time, it compels us to move outside, to engage with the world around us.

John Hagel

Perusing Passion

Personal Childhood Web

Personal Childhood Web

A Dedication to People in my Life that Nurtured and Cared about Me as a Young Child and Helped Me to Become Successful in School and Life.

Mary W.   (Mother)  My mom was an amazing woman with so much love in her heart.  She dedicated all her time and energy to making sure that my needs as a child were met.  She taught me to be respectful, and that I could be successful in anything I wanted to do or be.  Her motivation and influences helped me to build the strong values that have made me the happy competent and confident person I am today.

Robert W.  (Father)   My dad was an amazing man who dedicated his time to me when he was not working at the restaurant he owned.   Growing up he taught me strong moral values, he taught me about personal responsibility, he taught me about honesty and trust and he taught me to be compassionate and respectful to all.  The significance of my father’s influences growing up has made me realize the values I want to pass on to my children and the children I teach.

Gail K.  (Aunt)   My Aunt Gail was very dear to my heart and loved very much.  She treated me like a daughter and was always there from me.  I spent countless hours with her and my cousin and we had a lot of fun, but throughout those years she also instilled strong values and determination as well as responsibility in us. 

Mrs. Lefferts   (Teacher)   Mrs. Leffert’s was my high school Child Development teacher.  Her love and enthusiasm for teaching young children was felt through her teaching.  She was always encouraging, motivating, respectable, and sincere, and she made her learning environment a fun filled, beneficial and memorable experience for all of us.  I will never forget what she instilled in me that year that made me realize that Early Childhood was the career path I wanted to take.

A poem that I truly love and that I think is important to share in my classroom with parents because children learn what they live.

We are our children’s role models; we are caring for our future!

Children Learn What They Live
By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

www.loveourchildrenusa.org

I strongly believe that children need support, guidance, and understanding as a part of their everyday lives. It is important to me to always be positive and give praise.  It warms my heart to see the smile on a little child’s face when they have explored, learned or accomplished something new.  It is very gratifying and rewarding to me to know that I am making a positive difference in their young lives. I am caring for our future!

(A very special poem given to me by a parent a couple of years ago that touched my heart)

The Hand Holders:
A Tribute to Caregivers
There is no job more important than yours,
no job anywhere else in the land.
You are the keepers of the future;
you hold the smallest of hands.

Into your care you are trusted
to nurture and care for the young,
and for all of your everyday heroics,
your talents and skills go unsung.

You wipe tears from the eyes of the injured.
You rock babies brand new in your arms.
You encourage the shy and unsure child.
You make sure they are safe from all harm.

You foster the bonds of friendships,
letting no child go away mad.
You respect and you honor their emotions.
You give hugs to each child when they're sad.

You have more impact than does a professor,
a child's mind is molded by four;
so whatever you lay on the table
is whatever the child will explore.

Give each child the tools for adventure,
let them be artists and writers and more;
let them fly on the wind and dance on the stars
and build castles of sand on the shore.

It is true that you don't make much money
and you don't get a whole lot of praise,
but when one small child says "I love you",
you're reminded of how this job pays.

Author Unknown

The Rainbow Fish

By: Marcus Pfister

North South Books, 1992

The Rainbow Fish is one of my all-time favorite books to read to my class and the children love it.  Its moral has so much meaning about the value of being an individual and teaching young children about friendship and happiness.  It is wonderful and I feel that the children really understand and relate to the story especially as I watch them work together to make their own Rainbow Fish creative art or through engaging in play.  This book definitely is one that supports their social emotional development.  I highly recommend this book to parents when they ask me about books they should invest in. 

Some of my Favorite Quotes

"It is not what is poured into a child that counts but what is planted." -Linda Conway

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." -Albert Einstein

“An apple for a teacher… It’s really nothing new…

 Except when you remember.. Parents are teachers too!” –DLTK-Kids.com