Words of Inspiration and Motivation

In reading the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and the DEC Code of Ethics this week, I could have written most of the ideals here as words that mean something to me. So many of the ideals strike a cord in me, but below, I've posted three that really stuck out.

I-1.1     To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

I am very upfront about the fact that I feel I've regressed during my time at my current school. I don't feel like I've grown as an educator or advocate. Since starting classes at Walden University however, I have an urge and passion to start becoming more familiar with my own knowledge base and to keep that base growing. I'm making it a point to find as much professional development as I can.

I-1.2      To base program practices upon current knowledge and research in the field of early childhood education, child development, and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child.

This correlates a lot with my reasoning for the first ideal. I want nothing more than to provide the best educational experience as I can for my students. In order to do that, I need to base my teaching off of current practices and knowledge of the best strategies.

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 & education programs.

In my eyes, this should be my main goal. I need to educate myself enough so that all of my students are getting a high-quality education in my room. To do that, I need to work harder to learn as much as I can and provide it to them.

Early Childhood Education Noteworthy Resources

Throughout my career, I've used a lot of early childhood education resources. In my studies this week, I also found a few that I bookmarked to be able to go back to time and time again. I've shared them here for you:

NAEYC - www.naeyc.org

Franklin Porter Graham Child Development Institute - https://fpg.unc.edu/

Administration for Children & Families - https://www.acf.hhs.gov/

Children's Defense Fund - https://www.childrensdefense.org/ 

Pre[K] Now - https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/archived-projects/pre-k-now

Additionally, I have some of my own resources that I use often, whether it be in my classroom, in my schoolwork, or in advocacy. They are:

The Kindergarten Collaborative (Member Only) - https://www.thekindergartencollaborative.com/

Dr. Ruby Paine's The Aha! Process - https://www.ahaprocess.com/

Strategies for Children - http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/

Ultimate Early Childhood Education Resources - https://www.alleducationschools.com/resources/early-childhood-education/

North Carolina DPI Guide to the Early Years: - www.dpi.state.nd.us/earlylearning/resources/

Quotes with meaning to me...

But more classrooms and more teachers are not enough. We must seek an educational system which grows in excellence as it grows in size. This means better training for our teachers. It means preparing youth to enjoy their hours of leisure as well as their hours of labor. It means exploring new techniques of teaching, to find new ways to stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation.

-Lyndon B. Johnson

"For young children, play becomes the first activity in which they are driven."
- Elena Bodrova

"As I grew up, I wanted to continue to be a teacher because I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution in the world and to fix all the injustices that exist in the world."
- Louise Derman-Sparks

"Parents need supports and with access to resources, parents can thrive."
-Leticia Lara LCSW