My
husband, Chris and I (we are big St. Cloud State, MN Gopher, and MN Wild hockey
fans).
“Childhood
is the most beautiful of all life’s seasons.”
-Author
Unknown (The Quote Garden, 2012)
“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we
forget that he is someone today.”
-Stacia
Tauscher (The Quote Garden, 2012)
These quotes
are meaningful because they state my feelings on how precious childhood is and
the effects it will on a child for the rest of their life. We must live in the
moment and help children by starting each day fresh, so that we do not become overwhelmed
and put too much pressure on young children when they should be concentrating
on their creative and social developments.
(Bookworms & Bicylces,
2012)
A Bad Case
of the Stripes by David Shannon is a book I read to my
students each year. I love this book because it teaches children the importance
of being true to themselves, yet in a way which is simple for them to understand
since it uses humor. This book has allowed me to learn so much about my
students as I have them draw me pictures of what gives them ‘stripes.’ I find
out who is being bullied, what things give them anxiety, and what I can do
differently to help my students feel safer in our educational environment. The lessons
children learn from such a simple picture book helps me to develop meaningful,
life lessons for each of my students.
(Abigail & Dolley, 2011)
I chose this picture of a child’s
drawing because it demonstrates a child’s exploration of color as they begin to
draw people for the first time. The child has emerged from drawing circles of
people to drawing legs, arm and facial features. This picture shows the child
is becoming more aware of their surroundings and applying it to paper. The
excitement shown in the use of color and movement in the picture reminds me of
a happy child who is enjoying their artistic creations. The more creativity we
can include within an early childhood setting, the more likely students will be
to develop a passion for learning.
The most memorable story about a
child happened two years ago at my school and to this day, continues to fuel my
passion for teaching diverse groups of students. Two autistic boys had recently
enrolled into our school after never being fully mainstreamed. We thought we
would give it a try and the boys did wonderful. After about three months into
the school year, the boys’ father was tragically killed in a construction
accident and the mother was terrified on how the children would react. My
fellow colleagues and I banded together to create a support system for the
family and through these troubling times, the children continued to succeed due
to the stability and compassion their educators provided for them. This story
touches my heart because each day these little boys go up and down the hallways
giving each staff member a giant bear hug and we understand that even though
they cannot vocalize it, they appreciate the difference educators are making
within their lives. Although we may not always see an immediate impact we have
on a child’s life, it is important to acknowledge how important we are as educators
in the lives of children.
Reference
Abigail & Dolley. (2011). Abigail & Dolley’s Children’s Drawings. Retrieved
September 13, 2013, from
http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2011/10/childs-drawing.html.
Bookworms
& Bicycles. (2012). A Bad Case of the Stripes. Retrieved September
13, 2013, from
http://bookworms-are-cool.blogspot.com/2012/01/bad-case-of-stripes.html.
The Quote
Garden. (2012). Quotations about children. Retrieved September
13, 2013, from
Children: http://www.quotegarden.com/children.html.
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