Quotes

Dr. Thomas O'Connor - In discussing whether nutrition or inattention contributed to the psychiatric conditions of the Romanian orphans, he felt "it may well be the psychological features of the institutional environment that are more important." Nurturing them, he felt, was more important that what the children ate! 

Jonathan Kozol - "Segregated schooling has never been equal to the schooling that's given to the mainstream of this nation, and it's sheer folly to pretend that they will suddenly become equal in the century ahead. It ain't gonna happen."

Louise (Passion for early childhood) - "Adults finding their voice as a result of doing this work. It's like they reclaim and heal things that happen to them in their childhood....maybe no one had helped them work with from when they were younger."

Raymond (Passion for Early Childhood) - "My passion comes from wanting to make a difference."

PERSONAL CHILDHOOD WEB

The five most influential people who nurtured me and made me feel special throughout my childhood are my mother, first grade teacher Mrs. Parcels, godmother Aunt Ronnie, Uncle Jim, and sixth grade teacher Mrs. August. 

My mother was named Johanna McKenna but was called Judy. She was always focused on our education. She encouraged me throughout my entire academic experience - from kindergarten up to grad school. When I started graduate school at Montclair University a few years back, she was very proud and told me so. She became ill when I was halfway through the program. I lived 7 houses away and would help my dad take care of her. Life became very difficult with being a single mom, 2 kids in college, work, grad school, and a mom with terminal cancer so I stopped going to school just so I could get some sleep. When she found out she was a bit upset and made me promise that I would finish some day. I intend to fulfill that promise. She continues to influence me because she made me feel like I could do anything and be anybody. 
 
Mrs. Parcels was my first grade teacher and she was both very kind and very strict. I can remember being afraid to go to the auditorium for lunch (I don't remember why) and would say everyday that my stomach hurt and could I go to the nurse's office. After a few days of this she recognized what was happening. I can still remember her putting me on her lad and saying,  "What's the real problem Jenny?" I cannot remember what I said but I do know I never ate my lunch in the nurse's office after that. She and I always kept in touch. She sent me a gift when I was pregnant with my son and another gift when I completed my AA in Education. She passed away shortly thereafter. She was always pushing you to go the extra mile in whatever you did. She was truly a remarkable early childhood teacher and one I seek to exemplify. 

My Aunt Ronnie always took it upon herself to make sure I was having a fun-filled childhood. That's what aunt's are for! She took me and her twin daughters who were my age to the beach and pool parties in the summer. I was a quiet sort of child and I believe she took me along with them to draw me out. It worked. My shyness melted away due to her. When I had to take public speaking in college she gave me pointers and would wave off my insecurities. I now have no fear of public speaking. I was the one who eulogized my mother at her wake in front of a very large crowd with no problem, all the while thinking of the pointers she gave me many years ago about how to speak in front of people, when to pause and let a comment sink in to the crowd, etc. She showed me that confidence I had deep down. She continues to impact my life by staying in touch and taking a genuine interest in my life. She knows my goals and makes me realize I can do anything if I put my mind to it. 

My Uncle Jim was my mom's oldest brother. He helped take care of me when my bother, sister, and I were younger. He was not married at the time and has said he had a ball with us! He would take us to the beach and boardwalk in the summer. Every time I see him, he tells me the story of the night I was born. My mom went into labor during Christmas dinner and I was born the next day. He stayed with my older brother and sister. He was trying to feed my sister dinner and she threw spaghetti all over him. My brother, with a slight speech impediment at the time, said to him, "How do you like that Uncle Shim?" He and his wife, Aunt Joan, always gave me books for my birthday inscribed with the date and some words of encouragement. This is a tradition I continue with my nieces and nephews. I still have all the books they gave me and read them to my class. He was the one who encouraged me to go to college and even helped me financially when I could not squeeze the money from our family budget. We talk on the phone every few weeks and he always asks, "What are you reading?" because he knows I always have a book (or 2 or 10 lol) going. We don't have cable and rarely watch television and some people might find that odd. He understands me because he's the same way. He has learned how to text and I get surprise messages every now and then - "Just checking in" he will say. He loves to remember the good memories of the past with regard to my mom and late husband. He impacts my life today with all the small things he does like the annual birthday card with a handwritten note inside and $10, the flotilla of flowers he places in the pond near his summer home in Maine on my mom's birthday and texts me the pictures, and mostly by reminding me each time that I talk with him that I possess the ability to go as far as I can imagine with regard to every aspect of my life. 

Mrs. August was my 6th grade teacher and she was phenomenal! i still remember so many of the things I learned in her class such as verb usage and diagramming sentences. She made learning fun everyday. Projects were interesting and she encouraged cooperative learning. She liked the fact that it would get very loud in the classroom. She said it was sound of learning! She influenced my life because I wanted to be an energetic and inspirational teacher like her. I kept in touch with her because she became the principal when I was in high school. You could always go into her office and talk about anything. Her accessibility is what I think made her stand out to me. She passed away at a young age from cancer when I was in my late 20s. I was so sad when I heard the news. I want to be he teacher that continues to come to mind as my students get older just as she was to me. 

  

I had a little girl in my class a few years back I'll call Sally. She was such a sweetheart and then out of the blue started having behavior issues. Our social worker called the mother and she came to the school to talk. It turned out that her husband started drinking again and was hitting her in front of the child. This mom cried and cried. We made it a point to visit as often as we could. I went to  church with Sally and her mother, had dinner at her house, and we became friends. She found a good job so that she could provide for Sally.The father was eventually deported and Sally and her mom returned to stable ground. 

At school Sally was now not only not having behavior issues but she also became a very serious student. She asked me 1000 questions a day about becoming a teacher and the process of becoming one herself one day. She was more than ready for kindergarten by the time she left and after they tested her she was actually moved up to 1st grade so that she did not get bored. On her last day of school her mother wrote me a beautiful note (in Spanish) that I have saved and Sally hugged me goodbye and cried that she would miss me. 

I have since her a few times as she comes to the school to visit and each and every time she always tells me that she will never forget me and asks, "Where will I be able to find you when I get big?" I told her, "If I am not here in this classroom I will make sure you know where I am."  I love that not only did she touch my heart but that I touched hers. We keep tabs on the family and my social worker gives me updates. I still show up at the church now and then to keep in contact. I hope I showed her that not only was I her first formal teacher but someone who cared a great deal about her home life. 

What fuels my passion for the early childhood field is the fact that I am a child's first formal teacher. The impression I have to make so they grow up to be lifelong learners is, to me, immense. I want them to wake up and be excited to go to school! I can't wait for the Sallys of my past to come back to see me, all grown up and well prepared for the future. It was said by our bilingual master teacher that we are actually harder on our students because of all the barriers they have to overcome and I think this is very true. After their 2 years is up with me, I want them to leave with not only the academics to continue but with confidence in themselves. 

The photo on my blog is of my son and I. I am holding up a picture of his sister who was living in Florida at the time and she did not make it home for Christmas. My blog is linked to my Google+ account and there are some other pictures of us 3 as well. 

Some personal info - My husband died a few years ago and it has just been the 3 of us for a while and we get along very well. I had my son when I was 17 and my daughter when I was 19. My son lives in my house which has just been declared sold (yay!!) and my daughter and her fiancee just bought their own house. I took the independent step to move to the Philly due to L-O-V-E. I have known Joe for almost 5 years. We went on 2 dates years back and after the second one I knew I wasn't ready to date and just concentrated on my family. We remained good friends through phone calls and emails. I did find myself dating people and got back into the swing of things but kept it light. Last year Joe emailed me that he was going out to dinner that night with a woman and I became so upset and jealous which is not me at all! So we met up one afternoon and found out we both had very strong feelings for the other for quite some time. Complete soul mates! Our wedding will be on 2-14-14 :) If anyone can get a date out of my daughter for her wedding so I can plan it, I will pay upwards of $100! 

My favorite quote about children comes from my personal hero Lev Vygotsky -

"Through others, we become ourselves". I love this because to me it sums up teaching perfectly. 

My favorite children's book is "Press Here" by Herve Tullet. It is an interactive book which I love! Here's a link if you want to know more about it http://youtu.be/Kj81KC-Gm64.

Below is an image of me created by one of my students. Typical tadpole drawing for a boy of 3 years 3 months. What I loved best was how he got my eye and hair color correct and also the big smile on  my face!

 

 

 

Welcome to my blog!

This is my very first blog and I am trying to get the hang of how this all works. I actually have my son coming over tomorrow to make sure I have done everything correct. Computer-literate I am NOT :)