Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"Parents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply"
  -T. Berry Brazelton
Retrieved from: http://www.quotes.dictionary.com


...the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity, as often happens in old-time discipline...
     A room in which all children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without committing any rough or rude act, would seem to me a classroom very well disciplined indeed
  -Maria Montessori
Retrieved from: http://www.amshq.org


"I had a built in passion that is was important to make a real contribution to the world and fix all the injustices, and to do that through teaching."
  -Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oak College, CA
Retrieved from: http://www.waldenu.edu/coursemedia

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Personal Childhood Web

My childhood was pretty interesting, but there have been a few people than helped to shape me into the person I am today.

My mother was a great woman.  I went to live with her as a foster child when I was five years old and she adopted me at the age of eight.  I was taken away from my biological mother when I was around three or four because of neglect.  I have read that children do not remember anything from their childhood prior to the age of four, but I am proof that this is not true.  Throughout my entire life, I could not remember how my biological mother looked, but I do remember being on a porch and clinging to her legs, screaming hysterically for her to not the "bad people" take me away.  However, being taken away from her was a blessing.  My mother who raised me was very strict, did not tolerate disrespect, and kept us sheltered.  With that being said we did a lot of things as a family such as traveling, game nights, bible study, and lots of outdoor activities.  For a long time, I use to wonder why my parents adopted my siblings and I because they were so strict and it appeared that they did not love us.  After reading the assignments for this week, I realize that they raised us based on how they were raised and because of how people raised their children at that particular place in history.  I do know that it takes a strong person to have raised three of their biological children and then adopt five more that were from different backgrounds and families.  Some type of order had to be in place or I imagine they would have gone crazy.  I am forever grateful to my mother for making me a strong woman and a person who treats others with respect.  Without her I do not know where I would be today.  One of the events that makes me smile when I think of my mother was when I passed my driver's licence test.  She gave me the biggest hug ever and I could tell that she was genuinely proud of me.  These types of moments did not happen to often in my house, so this is one that I cherish.

My aunt Lily was a very sweet woman and my neighbor while growing up.  She was the woman that gave us snacks after school and was there to listen and give us sound advice.  Her house was like my escape from life and she was loved by everyone who came into contact with her.

My sister Sharon is one of my best friends.  In our household with so many children at times, we stuck together through it all.  Although, we are not biological sisters, we are adopted sisters.  We have been through so much together and it is great that we have are still one another's confidants and can be ourselves with one another.  My military lifestyle keeps me away from family most of the time, sometimes in two year stretches.  When we see one another after so much time, it is as if we've seen each other everyday.  I love her and am thankful for her.

My sister-in-law Audrey is truly a God-send.  I was in the sixth grade when she married my brother Carl.  She and I became very close.  I could not talk to my mother about anything personal, so Audrey was that life line for me.  She became that mother-like figure to me.  I would spend many nights with her because my brother worked nights.  She showed me things like how to wear makeup properly, fashion, and gave me advice about boys and drama with friends....the list goes on.  She is no longer married to my brother, but we still keep in touch and I am her children's favorite auntie.    

Thursday, May 16, 2013

" Children are great imitators.  So give them something great to imitate."

-Anonymous

A couple of my favorite children's books


There are several children's books that I love, but Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss and I Love You, Good Night by Jon Buller and Susan Schade are just phoenomenal! My sons love these books.  Dr. Seuss's book is a fun one to read because you can be dramatic with the animal sounds and so forth.  The children also learn animal sounds and rhyming.   I used to read the book by Buller and Schade when my first son was in the womb so that he would learn the sound of my voice.  This book is short and sweet.  After a while we all remembered the book verbatim which makes it all the more sweet and memorable.  My son is three and he still loves that book as well as my 11 1/2 month old.   


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

I'm excited about becoming a blogger.  I have often thought about it; now I have a slight push because it is a requirement for my graduate program in Early Childhood Studies.  I will start with a small introduction.  I am 37 years old, born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina.  I am a military spouse with three little boys; ages   11 1/2 months, 3, and 12.  I love my family dearly and am blessed in that I am able to be a stay-at-home mom.  My vision for owning a daycare came to me about two years ago while I was holding my sleeping son.  I figured I stayed at home with the children, so why not make a career out of something that I absolutely loved.  I decided to attend school so that I would have the proper training to teach and understand the minds of such precious gifts.  My undergraduate degree in psychology has helped tremendously in understanding why people do what they do.  The furtherance of my education in early childhood will hopefully help me to gain all the tools necessary to run a daycare where parents will feel great about sending their children.