About me!

• A current photograph of yourself or one of you as a young child:

This is a photo taken at Christmas of me with my nephew.

• A quote about children, childhood, families, early childhood, etc. that is especially meaningful to you:
  I had a professor while I was working on my Associates Degree who told us to "never ask how smart a child is, but to always ask how a child is smart". This has stuck with me throughout my professional and educational careers. This quote is important to me because it takes into account the individuality of each child and reminds you appreciates the efforts and characteristics that each child brings to the table.
  
  
  
  

  • The title of a children's book you love and what you love about it:
    
    
    It is hard to choose just one children's book that is my favorite, but one that I always really enjoyed as a child was The Big Green Pocketbook by Candace Ransom. I think this book was always one of my favorites because it was a book that my grandma had at her house. I still read it to children I babysit and to my nephew and second cousin sometimes. I think the book is still special to me because my grandmother passed away when I was 13. When I read the book now, it brings back memories of climbing into my grandmother's lap and hearing her voice read it to me. 
    
    
    • A story about a child that touched your heart:
      
      
      During my student teaching experience to complete me Associate's Degree, I had the privilege of completing the field experience at an inclusion program that serviced, children with special needs, head start children and typically developing peers. Synching the interaction between these children was an amazing experience! It taught me so many valuable lessons about life as well. I was in a classroom with 3-4 year olds. I will never forget the one day when a little boy defended one of his peers with cerebral palsy. Some of the children were commenting on how slow Mario, who has cerebral palsy, was talking during story time. Another little boy, Noah, who was enrolled as a typically developing peer, quickly spoke up and said, "Sometimes people talk different. Sometimes they Are just different. It doesn't mean we have to talk about it. We can listen to what he has to say if we turn our listening ears up." This warmed my heart for a few reasons. First of all, it was wonderful to see a child coming to the defense of another child. It was also important to me to see how Noah understood the concept of everyone being different and yet it still being important for the children to hear one another out and work together. It was also really cool for me to see the benefits of inclusion at work! 
      
      
      
      
      • An image of a child's drawing, and why you chose it:
        This is a picture a little girl I babysit painted of her and me. I always loved this picture because she put a lot of though into and was so proud to present it to me.e she painted it when she was about   3 . I started watching her when she was 20 months old and I still babysit  her to this day. She is 8 years old now and we have a very close bond. The picture is still special to me, simply because she made it and seeing how proud  she was of it. 
        
        
        
        
        Anything else that fuels your passion for the early childhood field:
          
        I think one thing that fuels my passion for working with young children is that at heart, I'm really just a big kid. I love learning with young children and seeing the world through their young innocent eyes. Everything is new to them, they see things with wonder and amazement. I was told once that a child's mind is like a forest that you need to make a path through. If you only go through the forest once there will be a small path but it will eventually become overgrown and the path cannot be found anymore. Instead, the path should be walked continuously, so that a well defined, clear pathway is created. In the same way, teaching young child is something that requires repetition and patience. If a concept or activity is only shared with a child once, yes the path is walked, but it is not reinforced and will not be a well defined path. This is honestly one of the most important concepts I've learned about early childhood development and I want to share it with others as well.