Stimulating and Appealing Discoveries

 

This picture describes itself. There are a million words that can describe how these little boys are feeling.  I can tell that they are really having a great time exploring with the finger paint.  I love the fact that they have it everywhere.  I once was that child that loved to get messed and had no worried.  Absolutely love the big happy smile.   

Here are two quotes that I found to be true……

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato

“This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”

― Alan Wilson Watts

I have chosen these two quotes because the first I feel like I learn more from my students when they are engaged in play at center time and outside time.  The second quote is how I viewed life when I was growing up.  I told my parents I always wanted to stay a child and never grow up.  So the only way I decided to stay young and never grow up was to became a teacher and play with the children all play. 

 

I feel that this course has been one of my most challenging courses since I have been enrolled at Walden University.  Overall, I have learned a lot not only from the instructor by also from my colleagues.  Reading, responding, finding articles and sources to help improve their current study topic for their research topic has been a BIG challenge because I did not want to let anyone down. 

Throughout this course I feel like a lot of us have bonded by technology. LOL!!!  But serious some of us talked on a daily basis trying to figure out what was due and what to do.  Even though we have not physical meet in person it seem like we have created a relationship and friendship that will last for a life time.  I have learned so much from everyone in this course.  Reading and responding to everyone post have increased my knowledge about different social change in the world. 

I would like to personal thanks everyone in this course for you support and encourage words throughout this course.  But a big thanks to Susan, Dan, Avis, MyTra, and Randi.   

 

References

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/play

http://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/boys%20with%20fingerpaints.jpeg

Resources for Fostering Early Learning

One real-life examples that I think represent innovative or inspiring approaches to fostering learning during early childhood is incorporating technology.  With the way technology is expanding through the world, children need to have access to it whenever they can.  School systems, teachers, and other facility that caters to a child’s needs, needs to provide the materials that help enhance that child’s learning ability. For instance, I think that every school and classroom needs to have a smart board in the classroom.  Children can learn so much more when things are much visible to them.  As a teacher, they are able to reach every child learning ability.

According to the Huffington Post, there are many states in the USA that falls below nation ranking of Math and Science education.  Incorporating technology in the classroom will be a good way to give the students an opportunity to see math and science from a different point of view.  There is a program called Building Blocks.  Engaging Young Children in Mathematics: Standards for Early Childhood Mathematic Education, Building Blocks is a new Pre-K to Grade 2, software-enhanced, mathematics curriculum designed to comprehensively  address  the year 2000 standards of the National  Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (Clements, D, et. al. 2004).  Building Blocks is designed to enable all young children to build solid content knowledge and develop higher-order, or critical, thinking (Clements, D, et. al. 2004).    

By applying this program in young children’s lives, I feel like they will have a better chance of have higher math skills.  Founding ways to that are creative for young children are important, especially in math and science.  Often children get discourage when trying to learn math and science skills. 

Reference

Clements, D, et. al. (2004). Engaging Young Children in Mathematics: Standards for Early Childhood Mathematic Education.  Lawrence Erlbaum Associate, Inc.

A Child Development Issue

ADHD, is it real or just prescribed??

While talking to a friend (Bobby Mack) about ADHD, I found that our perspective is somewhat the same.  We both feel that when children at a young age are placed on medication for ADHD, it hold them back to allow maturity development.  I feel that a child should not be tested until the first or second grade.  Over the past years, we have seen the curriculum change throughout the grade levels.  Bobby and I feel that the curricula are based on the European style.  Testing should be more applied science to learning styles.  As educators we are taught to say that a child has ADHD or their attention span is where it supposes to be. We are pushed so much to and not teaching, we are shortchanging the child when it comes to learning.  Now days we teach a child to read by memory not to read to understand what is being read. As we continued to talk about ADHD, we come across the question if children were getting enough exercise and if the classroom overload?  Bobby stated, “Not the lack of exercise but the lack of engagement of materials and the terrible routines”. 

In contrast to our opinion about ADHD, I found a blog about ADHD.  Here is the website http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/when-the-diagnosis-is-a-d-h-d/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0.  After reading through some of the comments that were made about the article I feel that many people have different perspective about ADHD, some say medicate and some say do not medicate. 

Bobby Mack is a motivation speaker.  He is co-owner of a non-profit organization called M-Powering Choices, Inc.  “M-Powering Choices is created to design and present programs to young men and women that will empower them to make responsible choices in their lives. M-Powering Choices targets all young men and women, with a special emphasis on “at-risk” individuals, from third through twelfth grade.  The programs emphasize making responsible choices, such as dressing responsibly, which leads to positive performance in the classroom and ultimately a successful life” (M-Powering Choices, 2013).  Here is his website check it out its really good http://mpoweringchoices.net/index.html.   

 

References

M-Powering Choices, (2013). http://mpoweringchoices.net/index.html     

The New York Times Company, (2014). http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/when-the-diagnosis-is-a-d-h-d/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Introduction for my Specialist in Early Childhood Education

Hi my name is Felecia Towler. I am from Statham, Georgia, a small rural area outside of Athens, Georgia. I am pursing my Specialist Degree in Early Childhood Education at Walden University. I have recently completed my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies with a specialization in administration, management, and leadership. I have found Walden University convenient with my busy schedule which includes me working full time and part time, caring for three children and a husband, house duties, and life itself.

This is my fourth year teaching in a Head Start. I have been the lead teacher all four years. For three and half years I taught Georgia Pre-K ages 4-5. At the Head Start, I work for we are a dual program receiving both federal and state funds for the program. So it is twice the paper work with a dual program. This year 2013-2014 has been an interesting year already. First with a classroom combined with three, four and five year old children, second with children entering and leaving in the last few months (8 new students), and finally work itself.

When I begin my first year of teaching I was fresh out of college. I graduated December 2009 and was hired March 2010. Coming in the middle of the year of 4 and 5 years was the toughest thing I have encountered in my teaching career so far. I cried for two weeks trying to figure out how I was going to get these children getting for kindergarten in the next few weeks. My assistant and I did not see eye to eye, and on top of that I did not have any idea about Head Start beside the few hours that I observed in college and when I attended myself. I felt like my undergraduate degree which was Bachelor in Early Childhood Education did not prepare me for this. My stress level was beyond what I could handle. However, by the end of year I had a little understand of what I was supposed to do as a Head Start teacher.

I enjoy what I do as a teacher, but I feel like I would benefit more if I was able to share it with others. Recently I have applied for a new position within the job of an Education/Disabilities Specialist. My fingers are crossed that I receive the position.

As a child in third grade, I always wanted to be a teacher. From that day, that dream never changed. I had the biggest imagination a child could have. I would play with my stuff animals and even pretend that they were students in my bedroom when I would play school at home. I remember teachers given me worksheets and notebooks to play with over the summer. I used to make my cousins play school with me until I got tired of playing with them.

I had mentioned before that I was a Head Start kid. I feel like I had a great experience when I was in Head Start. Here is a picture of me in Head Start in 1991 and a picture of me in third grade. To me Head Start was the foundation that was needed to be successful as well as the great experiences my teachers gave me throughout my elementary, middle, and high school years. I have to say that all my teachers in some way have impacted my life to push me farther to continue my dream to become a teacher.