Meaningful NAEYC & DEC Ideals

The following three ideals from the NAEYC and DEC Codes of Conduct that are significant to my professional life are as follows:

From NAEYC
In Section I of the Ethical Responsibilities to children
    I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.  
            In order to give children the highest quality education program a teacher needs to know as much as they can about each individual student.  Once this is recognized the teacher can tailor lessons to each student's individual needs.  It is also important to apply this knowledge to everyday interactions with the students.

In Section III of the Ethical Responsibility to Employees
    I-3C.2—To create and maintain a climate of trust and candor that will enable staff to speak and act in the best interests of children, families, and the field of early childhood care and education. 
               This is significant because a happy work environment with plenty of trust and respect helps to ensure that children are in a safe learning environment.  If the teachers are not happy, classrooms will not thrive and the children and their families suffer.

From DEC 
In Section I Professional Practice
    4. We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities  and their families and for the   
    professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance 
    the quality of their lives.
                 Educators and administrators need to work together collaborating with the professionals that work with children with disabilities.  It takes everyone working together to serve the best interest of the child.  At my center we have a lot of early intervention specialists and therapists that are regularly in our center. 

• Article: NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
• Article: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Favorite Resources

I love to read!  There is something about the feel of an actual book that I will never give up.  I would really like to read the following book about education The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch.  I fall victim to sometimes choosing my next read on whether it has an interesting cover or not.  This one does and it has great reviews. 

As an educator I have fallen in love with the website, Pinterest.  It makes educational activities and resources more accessible format.  I also enjoy using www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers.  There are videos and activities to enrich your classroom curriculum. 

Know Your Stuff!!

Interesting Early Childhood Resources

 
NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf


Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being  
UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

• World Forum Foundation
  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  
  World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
  Read about OMEP's mission.
  
  Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/
  Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
  

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

A quote from Susan Bredekamp’s Children’s Play: The Roots of Reading

"Like virtually every other aspect of development, mature

play does not happen naturally or occur automatically

as children get older. Rather, children must learn how to

engage in satisfying sociodramatic play, which means that

adults or more capable peers must take responsibility for

assisting them in this learning."

Quote from “The Passion for Early Childhood”

“I had a built in passion to make a real contribution to the world.”  Louise Derman-Sparks

“Whenever I get bogged down with all of the paperwork I have to do…take twenty minutes to go see the children, so you don’t forget what you’re doing all of the for.”  Raymond Hernandez 

Personal Childhood Web

These are the people that were most influencial when I was a child:

My Mom

My mother is the text book definition of “mom”.  She has always shown my unconditional love, guidance, and support.  She told me daily she loved me and was ALWAYS there when I needed her.  To this day, my mother continues to show me this love.  I know how to love and give unconditionally because of her.

  

My Dad

My father is the hardest working man I know.  When I was a child and even to this day my father told me every day he loved me.  He was home for dinner almost every night and no matter how tired he was, he made sure he was at every game, dance recital, or school function.  My father talked to me, never at me, and believed in making sure I understood “why”, whenever I asked.  As I get older, I try to harness his good work ethic and compassion for the ones I love.  

My Younger Brother

My brother and I were so close growing up.  We did everything together!  Each afternoon he would wait outside with my mom for me to get home from school.  He looked up to me and it felt good! Now that he is growing into a young adult he shows me he cares in his own quiet way. 

My brother taught me to try to be a role model in all I did.   

 

My Grandparents

My grandparents have always been there for me and continue to always be there for me.  They told me they loved me all of the time and were supportive in everything I did.  They taught me to look past a person’s appearance and get to know them.  You can be surprised how wrong your original judgments were.

My Community

I could not pick just one person for this spot.  I grew up in a very supportive community.  Each and every person I encountered at school, in my neighborhood, and town had an influence over me.  My teachers were my biggest advocates aside from my family.  My neighbors watched over me as if I was their own.  My town worked together to ensure we (the children) had what we needed in order to thrive and become productive members of our community.