“Most everyone knows that young children need to be challenged academically, and they need to be exposed to literacy, letters and sounds, and literature at an early age—(however) we really need to have an emphasis on all areas of development (cognitive, social and emotional skills).”- Samuel J. Meisels
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Personal Childhood Web
My personal childhood web consists mostly of my family. I come from a large, close-knit family that remains close today in terms of relationships and distance. I am the youngest of five children. I have four older brothers. We grew up together on a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania, very close to where I live today. My relationships with my parents and siblings has had a large impact on who I am now as an adult.
The first relationship that I will describe as part of my childhood web is the relationship that I had with my mother. She was a stay at home mom so I spent many days and hours with her as I grew up. Although we didn't always see things the same way and at times we would argue, I could always talk with mom about almost anything. She would listen and offer her opinion. As an adult, I still talk with my Mom almost daily over the phone.
My Dad has always been the one who pushed me to do my best. If I received an A in school, he would ask why it wasn't an A+. As a farmer, he worked long days farming beginning at 3:00am and ending when the sun went down. He was (and still is) a hard worker and he expected the same from all my brothers and I. That is probably the reason that I am a bit of a perfectionist as an adult.
My oldest two brothers, John and Jeff, were my protectors when I was growing up. My oldest brother, John, was always very patient and caring as I followed him around wherever he would go. I have always looked to him as an example and for help. But unlike my relationship with my protective older brothers, my relationship with my twin brothers, Denny and Dan, who are were only three years older, is the one that kept me grounded in reality. This was especially true of my realtionship with Denny. My brother Denny and I played together often and we were at times very competitive with each other. I believe that it is from this relationship that I learned perserverance as I was usually the one who lost our battles but it never stopped me from trying. Today, we are very close. We have left the competitiveness behind as we have developed a mutual respect and have grown to be very supportive of each other.
The first relationship that I will describe as part of my childhood web is the relationship that I had with my mother. She was a stay at home mom so I spent many days and hours with her as I grew up. Although we didn't always see things the same way and at times we would argue, I could always talk with mom about almost anything. She would listen and offer her opinion. As an adult, I still talk with my Mom almost daily over the phone. My Dad has always been the one who pushed me to do my best. If I received an A in school, he would ask why it wasn't an A+. As a farmer, he worked long days farming beginning at 3:00am and ending when the sun went down. He was (and still is) a hard worker and he expected the same from all my brothers and I. That is probably the reason that I am a bit of a perfectionist as an adult.
My oldest two brothers, John and Jeff, were my protectors when I was growing up. My oldest brother, John, was always very patient and caring as I followed him around wherever he would go. I have always looked to him as an example and for help. But unlike my relationship with my protective older brothers, my relationship with my twin brothers, Denny and Dan, who are were only three years older, is the one that kept me grounded in reality. This was especially true of my realtionship with Denny. My brother Denny and I played together often and we were at times very competitive with each other. I believe that it is from this relationship that I learned perserverance as I was usually the one who lost our battles but it never stopped me from trying. Today, we are very close. We have left the competitiveness behind as we have developed a mutual respect and have grown to be very supportive of each other.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
My Favorite Children's Book
It is hard for me to pick just one favorite children's book because I have enjoyed reading so many different books to both the preschool children I have worked with and to my own children as a nightly routine before going to bed. One of my favorites though has to be The Napping House by Audrey Wood. I love this book partly because of the beautiful illustrations by Don Wood. Being a visual learner, I have always enjoyed books that are visually appealing. The silly story of a snoring granny is also just plan fun to read. I believe that learning should be fun. This funny story can be used as a means to introduce learning concepts like sequencing and also explore predictions about what will happen next as the story builds. 
Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles is also another favorite of mine. Although not as visually appealing, I love the concepts of self esteem that can be discussed as the children go on a journey with Edward through the zoo. The surprise ending also always makes me smile. I feel the underlying lesson to be learned is that it is good to be exactly who you are. Peer pressure is something every child will deal with at some point in their life. I feel that the children should be comfortable being who they are and not made to feel like they have to be someone else for the sake of being popular. Hopefully, this concept introduced in preschool will carry with them as the grow and help them to embrace themselves as a completely unique individual who is loved and valued for who they are rather than what they pretend to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)