Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Teacher, Student

"When I see parents learning how to share their voice." -about what keeps her motivated Sandy Escobido Deputy Field Director Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative California Community Foundation

"It was like the most joyful experience where I felt everything in me was being called on to teach. And also, it was very rewarding." -on working with 4 and 5 year olds Louise Derman-Sparks Professor Emeritus Pacific Oak College, CA

“There is ‘No Single Ingredient’ that will enable us to achieve effective teaching.  It’s not education or mentoring, it’s both.  And it’s compensation too.  So what am I doing to combat the attack on higher education for teachers of young children?  What’s feeding me and what am I doing that I hope will catalyze change in the field?  I am trying to break the silence about the attack on education…challenging it in my writing and speaking and encouraging others to do so as well.” –Marcy Whitebook "We know that teachers are the key to good child care - and as long as teachers are undervalued, American children, too, will keep getting less than they deserve" ~ Marcy Whitebook

Personal Childhood Web Mom-Kathy Whatley My mom was a single parent for most of my childhood. She taught us that family is important and that it is the little things that count; that you never give up; that you try as hard as you can to accomplish your goals. Being a single mom, she was busy and stressed most of the time. My mom struggled at times and we did not know it until we were grown. I have a better relationship with her now that I am an adult and understand her more. We live 1200 miles away from one another and we talk or text several times a week. Grandmother- Lorrayne Seeley My grandmother believed that children learn by doing. She allowed us to play and learn with logical consequences. She was very nonjudgemental. She did not believe in spanking so it was different at her house than it was at my mom's. She attempted to teach me patience one summer by making me sit in a chair and wait for the things I wanted. She would set a timer when I said I wanted somet

This piece of art reminds me that everything with children is a process. They learn through exploring the world around them and in their own way. Just as this piece of art. It may have handprints, but it is much more than just handprints. 

Edwin Edwin was three years old when he came to my classroom. He arrived in a specialized chair; with a feeding tube and two ventricular peritoneal shunts. Developmentally he was about 9 months, at least that is what we were told. We were told not to expect much from him and that he pretty much could only sit in the chair and lay on the ground. Well, I did not listen to “them”. When we painted, Edwin painted. When we played with playdough, Edwin played with playdough. When we played with blocks, Edwin was taken out of his chair and provided blocks to play with. Edwin got to know us and got to know our routine. He began to expect to be taken out of his chair to play on the floor. He would squeal with delight. The children in our class would offer him toys to manipulate. They would play peek-a-boo with him while he sat in his chair while we were outdoor. Edwin would giggle and squeal. He would squeal to get everyone and anyone’s attention. By the time Edwin “graduated” from our cl

One of my favorite children's books is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. I fell in love with it originally because it is a story of a parent loving a child unconditionally and a child caring for a parent as she ages. Then I found out the real story behind the meaning of the book and it touched my heart even more. Please go to the link to learn more. https://robertmunsch.com/book/love-you-forever#

Hi, I am Rebecca Clark. I earned my Associates in early childhood at Austin Community College, and then earned my Bachelors in Human Resource Management at Concordia University Texas. I have been working in early childhood for 16 years. Currently, I am a Center Director for Early Head Start/ Head Start. My center has two Early Head Start classrooms and two Head Start classrooms. The biggest challenges I have experienced working in early childhood are centered around working with adults. Adapting to a variety of communication and learning styles with adults has proven to be more challenging than working with children. Earning my Masters poses several challenges that I am determined to overcome. Time management, family responsibilities, and focus are at the top of my list of challenges. I am utilizing the weekly schedule to minimize the time management concern as well as keeping track of my family responsibilities. I will establish a study zone with rules in order to keep myself focuse