"The Passion for Early Childhood"

"I see adults finding their voice as a result of their work.....the passion to create a safer, more just world for all kids is there."~Louise Derman-Sparks

This quote speaks to me because I have learned so much about myself since I became a teacher. With each milestone in my life, I became a different teacher and person. My personal encounters....they all made me learn something about myself , however, the day to day learning experiences I have with my students has changed me more than anything. My passion grows stronger and stronger each day with each encounter I have with the children. Seeing the kids learn drives my passion and fuels my soul....

".....and having people offer me opportunities and opening doors for me as I've gotten older. It's my turn to be able to create opportunities for parents and children to have those opportunities prestented also..... I wanted to keep doing more..... There is more to life than just what is in their neighborhood."~Raymond Hernandez, M.S. Ed.

Dr. Hernandez's remarks were the most poignant to me. He seems to have a passion for helping others because of  the people who helped him. Giving back is important to him. It is important to me as well. He seems like the kind of director that all programs need....a director who still has passion and wants to share it with families, children, and staff.

Quotes from the True Pioneer of Early Childhood

" I mean that few people fully appreciate the immensity of trying to really get a child who lives in poverty ready for school. The idea that you can do it in a year of Head Start or a year or two of preschool is just not realistic. Poverty is worse today than it was back in 1965, when I started out. These kids are growing up in the midst of neighborhoods where poverty is intense and you have to have an intensive effort to conquer that, to overcome it and get children ready for school. That's why you have to have home visits and support for families, starting at birth. This isn't pie in the sky. It's realistic. And the goal of all this is clear. It's Goal One of the Educate America Act, that every child will arrive in school ready to learn."-Dr. Edward Zigler


" Kids do better, frankly [when the economy is strong]. Jobs make great years for kids. The best children's program I know of is the Earned Income Tax Credit. Get kids out of poverty. Poverty is devastating.
I'm really not a partisan political person. I remember when I was in Washington they kept trying to get me to say whether I was a Republican or a Democrat. I just said, my politics are children. That's all I know anything about."-Dr. Edward Zigler

Dr. Zigler is a true hero in the field of Early Childhood.  What an amazing man and inspiration to educators all over the world! Love him!! His comments about poverty cut me to the bone. Poverty is the sharp edge of a sword cutting society in two. We need a solution and we need it for the children.....

Personal Childhood Web

My Grandmother "MeMe" ~ She has been the most influential person in my life. My parents divorced when I was 6 years old and we came to Louisiana to live near my grandparents. My MeMe was the definition of a true Southern Belle. She taught me about manners, respect for my self and others, and to never settle for anything for less than I deserve. She always had a smile and she never had so much as a hair out of place. She was my best friend, my confidante. She taught me that there are some people who say they love you and some people who act like it and that I should always HONOR the ones who act like it. She went to heaven on March 31, 2011. I miss her so much and my heart will never be the same.



My Grandfather "BigDaddy"~ The rock. The strongest, gentlest, most caring man I have ever known. He treated my grandmother like a queen and he treated us like we were the most important people in the world. His 3 grandaughters were his world. He worked to provide cars, clothes, and educations to my 2 sisters and me. He always talked to us about the value of hard work and dedication to your dreams. He is a man of God and when he was able to prayed for us diligently. He just turned 98 this past Wednesday. He knows who I am most days but all days he knows I am someone he loves. The most important thing he taught me was to care for others. Do not hesitiate to feed, clothe, love, and reach out to your fellow man. He taught me ways to be smart about helping others but he always said we are not to judge their needs. If someone needs help, you simply help them. My grandfather, my Big Daddy, is the man I knew I could trust no matter what!

My Mother~My mother did not get the chance to be the mother she always dreamed of being....she was left without a choice to go to work to support us. She always dreamed of being a stay at home mom but that did not work out. She was very nurturing and loving. I remember her singing to us and reading to us. She was never too busy to let us help her in the kitchen or anything else she was doing. My mother believed in hugging and rocking us and the healing power of touch. She always scratched my back and rubbed my feet! Those were the days :) I had a free massage therapist and did not appreciate it like I would now! I will always feel like Mom got the short end of the stick when raising us. She worked and my grandparents got to spend alot of time with us. I think we had the best of both worlds!! My mom is talented and creative. She encouraged us to use our creative talents and let us explore our world. Mom also encouraged us to be our own person. I remember she let me color my hair (Cyndi Lauper stage of life), dress creatively, and explore creative ways to manipulate my world.  My mom also made us appreciate nature and instilled in us a tremendous respect for the environment. Her talents are many but being a loving, stable force in my life is her strongest talent.

Selena~my Grandmother's Housekeeper~What a woman she is! I love Selena with all my heart. She showed me the value of working hard and being true. She was true to my grandparents, true to her own children, true to us (her 2nd family) and true to herself. She raised 4 children while working 40 hours a week for my grandparents. She was in abusive situation and instead of staying for the financial secutiry, she chose to take care of her well being. I remember wondering how anyone could hit her or hurt her. Her gentle loving hands and her even gentler sweet, enduring spirit.  She treated my grandmother with such love and respect. I learned so many lessons from her on love, mutual respect, prejudice, and life from her. Selena opened my eyes to the treatment of others based on the color of their skin. I remember her stories about how others sometimes treated her children and the love and determination in her eyes about how it would all be okay......Selena taught me tolerance and understanding. How people don't stray far from what they are taught unless they open their minds. She taught me that you can go anywhere in a book and to heaven in the bible. She taught me that education is what opens doors and hard hearts are what closes them.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaiama~my lifelong bestfriend's mother~What in influence they had in my life! This was the place I could go to see a family in action! They treated me like I was "one of them". They still to this day call me their "hauli girl". They showed me how families cooperate and work together to get things accomplished. They showed me that families support and nurture one another. Laughter is the best medicine for ANYTHING that ails you and home remedies for bo-bo's work. Life lessons that can never be replaced were found in that little house in the big pasture. I recall a feeling of unconditional love. I knew that no matter what, they would still love me and be on my side. They cheered me from the sidelines when my own parents could not be there. The one lesson I know I got from them is to never, ever quit. Keep going until you finish whatever it is you started because you started it for a reason. That reason must be important to you in some way so validate it by finishing what you started. They taught me that when you love someone, you never, ever give up on them. Never. I am still a big part of their life and they are a big part of mine. I cherish the memories we have-the absolute best of my childhood were with them.


A little side note...writing this blog made me laugh and cry. It really made me think and reflect on who were the 5 most influential people in my childhood. There were many more along the way...Ms.Davis, my 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Waldrop, my 6th grade Social Studies teacher, Coach Foshee, Mrs. Lenahan, Mrs. Taylor and countless other educators who touched my life. Thanks to those who believed in me.....

My favorite quote about parenting and children....they ALL matter!

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard

Where the Passion Came From...

My little sister had a baby when she was a Senior in high school. I had never loved a human being so much in my life as I did that little red haired baby girl that my sister gave birth to that cold Februaru day. My sister, niece, and I got a house together and I decided to find ways to make her life the best it could be. This is where my journey into Early Childhood edudation began back in 1989.....All the things I read were related to educating the young minds of babies and children. I could not get enough of this information. I started taking college classes and 22 years later, I graduated with my Bachelor's degree. I took classes on and off for 22 years. I got married and had 3 children in the process. My passion grows stronger each day......

Newbie!

This is my first post as a blogger. I created this blog as a part of my life's newest journey. I am now a student in a Master's Program at Walden University. This is a completely new experience for me to be a part of an online learning community. I am looking forward to this part of my life and seeing what direction the future holds.