Week 8

This week is the final week of my first class in a two year journey.  I don't know where I will be in two years.  I don't know what I will be doing then.

Right now I am teaching in a two year old class with 2's and 3's.  It's not what I wanted to be doing, but I know that God has called me here for a purpose.... just not sure what yet.  After 3 months of teaching, I knew that I wanted more than the classroom experience.  I always have, but I've never been sure what that more was.  So this 2 year process of working on my masters will help me discern where and in what means I am supposed to leave my imprint on the field of early childhood.

Thank you for everyone in my class who has supported me and my journey these past 8 weeks.  I look forward to more learning and conversation with you through our blogs!

Ethics

I started this blog for my first class of my masters degree.  These past few weeks, I have learned so much and am really excited about the rest of the journey.  This week we are asked to post ideals contained in the NAEYC code of ethics that are meaningful to me.

NAEYC Ideal 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.
To me this just makes sense.  There are so many people out there that think that preschool teachers are just babysitters... and anyone can do it.  Yes, anyone can do it, but only if they care enough to do their best.

NAEYC Ideal 2.8 - To help family members enhance their understanding of their children and support the continuing development of their skills as parents. 
NAEYC Ideal 2.9 - To participate in bulding support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.
Families are key to children.  They are the child's first teachers.  Luckily early childhood educators have the privilege of working alongside parents and other family members as they raise their children.  It is important to remember that I am only a piece of the puzzle and I need to diligently work to help support the other pieces.  

NAEYC Ideal 4.1 - To provide the community with high-quality early childhood care and educational programs and services.
No matter where my journey in early childhood leads me, my goal and focus will remain to do my best to meet this ideal.

To read the entirety of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct head here.

All work and no play . . .

Found this article on play. He takes a strong stance ... Don't agree with everything, but it gives a lot too think about!
Best quote: "Society is increasing expectations. Parents need to be the buffer,"

"What is play? Neufeld defines it as "not work." Play is expressive and it’s not "for real." There are no consequences to messing up, and the child is playing for the joy of the activity, not because of an outcome. It’s like playing marbles, Neufeld says. You can play for fun and take your marbles home when you’re done, or you can play for keeps, where the winner takes all. Only playing for fun is really playing."

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/work+play/6109961/story.html#ixzz1litkJoBN

Resources

This week I added a new page to my site.  It is a collection of resources presented this week in class.  I have added a few to what the course provided:

North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education
North Carolina: Office of Early Learning
North Carolina: Infant - Toddler Foundations
Pennsylvania Early Learning: Keys to Learning
Pennsylvania Early Learning: Keys to Quality: Early Learning Standards: Infants and Toddlers

Thank you to Christelle for getting me hooked up with the Pennsylvania standards.  If your state has some as well, please send me the link!