Contributors to Early Childhood Education

Public Early Childhood Sector: 

Jean Marc Gaspard Itard- He is considered to be the "father of special education" (Sectors of Early Childhood media file) 

He is known for his research and development with the "Wild Child," also known as Victor of Aveyron. Itard was born in the 18th century (Constant J. 2014). Many studies and research on children with developmental differences were not practiced or studied yet. In the case of Victor, many saw him as a child who could not be taught to fit in with society because he grew up in the wild and was not equipped with the skills and cues to interact with other people. Itard did not agree with others he believed that Victor could be taught. Itard "kept hoping (an illusion that opened the doors of posterity?) He argued that the idiocy of Victor was the result of human contact deprivation" (Constant J. 2014). If it wasn't for this historian we may not have the researches and child psychologist of today giving children with special needs the fighting chance and skills needed to be an active and successful member in society. 

Research and Academia Sector:

Ann Turnbull, Ed. D. - She is a professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas. She leads the path in enhancing the education and “quality of life for persons with intellectual disabilities” (Sectors of Early Childhood Field). 

A quote from her in an article that was written after the death of her son that I found very inspiring and intriguing is, “My father used to say, ‘It takes an awful lot of knowledge to make a little bit of wisdom.’ I have many sources of knowledge but very few sources of wisdom,” (Roddy 2009).

The reason I admire this quote is that many people believe that wisdom and knowledge are the same things. One can argue you need to have knowledge to be wise. That may be true that a wise person knows many facts however a wise person also knows their environment when to do various things or say certain things in different situations. I've heard the saying that a person has a lot of book smarts but not many street smarts. A wise person has the ability to do both. In terms of the field of working in childcare, you have to have both knowledge and wisdom. With wisdom comes experience. A teacher or administrator has to know their facts about child development and know what words and tone to use while speaking to their students and families. 

References

Constant J. Groupe Hospitalier de Chartres. (2014). Jean Marc Gaspard Itard (1774–1838) Neuropsychiatrie de l'Enfance et de l'Adolescence, Vol 62(2), Mar, 2014. pp. 128-130.

Roddy. Eileen. Aug 18, 2009. Son’s death reinforces couple’s commitment to research. LJWorld.com. Lawrence Journal-World. https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/aug/18/sons-death-reinforces-couples-commitment-research/

Sectors of the Early Childhood Field. Required Media. https://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6005/04/mm/Sectors/Main.html

Quotes About Passion

References
Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The passion for early childhood. Baltimore: Author.
Hagel John. November 2009. Pursuing Passion. Edge Perspectives with John Hagel. Exploration of emerging innovations on a broad array of edges that are rising up to challenge the core. http://edgeperspectives.typepad.com/edge_perspectives/2009/11/pursuing‐passion.html

Personal Childhood Web

Kirsten's Childhood Web of Love and Support 💗

Mom and Dad

My mom and dad were the first people in my life I learned would always be there for me. They showed me support in everything I wanted to do. They constantly encourage me to go the distance and challenge myself when various tasks grew difficult. They broadened my horizons by constantly taking me to new places. Taught me about Black culture and other world cultures as well. They always have a listening ear and are willing to challenge their own beliefs and views to see things in a new light the way I see things. We often have discussions at the end of dinner about various events that are occurring in both our personal lives and current worldly events. We have a shared sense of giving and learning with each other.

                                  

Grandmommy and Granddaddy

My grandparents are my second pair of parents. They helped raise me and grow into the person I am today. Like my parents they always showed support in me and wanted me to be the best me that I can be. They always attended my dance, music, school performances, and other extracurricular events. I spent many of my summers at camp Grandmommy and Grandaddy and instead of having a babysitter they were my caretakers whenever my parents were at work or on their own mommy and daddy getaways. I would go on walks in the neighborhood with my grandfather and he would introduce me to neighbors in their neighborhood.  My grandfather told me stories about his family in North Carolina.  My grandmother would show me pictures of her family and what life was like growing up with many siblings in Virginia. A constant in my life growing up was going to their house after ballet and eating my grandma's famous mac n cheese while watching Scooby-Doo with her and my grandfather. 

Flute Instructor

My flute instructor helped me find my musical voice. Growing up I was very shy and music was an outlook for me to express myself. She helped me grow in my talent of music along with my artistic expressive voice. She not only taught me how to play music but also the history behind the music as well. She was my flute instructor from second grade to my senior year of high school. Not only did she attend my performances but I went to some of hers as well. She introduced me to baroque music and played tunes for me on the baroque flute. She also introduced me to the piccolo. She showed support in me throughout the years and encouraged me to challenge myself and push forward to overcome my musical challenges. 

My Kindergarten Friend
Hayley was the first friend I met in Preschool. We went to preschool and kindergarten with one another and we were "partners in crime" in the words of our teachers and parents. If I were to get in trouble I would get in trouble with her. We were constantly trying to think of ways and come up with inventions that would take us to Disney World. We were also obsessed with the Powerpuff Girls. We would play Powerpuff Gils every day during free play. She would be Blossom and I was Bubbles.

My Elementary School Friend
Olivia was my best friend from first grade to high school. We were two peas in a pod. She was my first friend I had a sleepover with and from there we would go on beach trips together and attend various fairs and carnivals with one another. We would constantly play make-believe in our own fantasy worlds. We would be detectives, animals, or whatever tv duo we were watching at the time. In our friendship I would look to her to be the tough one who always spoke her mind and wasn't afraid to get in a fight with someone if they crossed either her or me. If we were cops she would be the one who would get the answers from someone while I played more on the emotional and empathetic side of a person.

Music is an essential apart of all of our lives. From the time I was in the womb in my mom's stomach she said music was a vital part of my life. Music is what keeps our focus, sparks our emotion, and helps guides us to the beat of our own drum while living our day to day lives. It is vital and essential to have music class and music times in our early childhood classes. Music and the use of songs help children learn and follow routines which will help them develop and become adjusted to structure in their lives. 

  A challenging task for teachers and students are transition times. Not many people are comfortable with change so we must come up with a task to help with these periods of transitioning from one activity to the next.

 In a PBS article various scholars and writers speak of the importance of music in our lives and how it helps our learning process. A particular topic that stuck out me was the section about how music "tie tunes to tasks" (Lucas 2012).  A writer in this article says, 

"Your child memorizes more effectively through rhythm and rhyme. Chants and raps improve memory of details and help the retrieval of information later" 

(Brewer 2012).

  

Reference

Boost Memory and Learning with Music. May 7, 2012, Cherri Lucas. Education.com. Pbs.org https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/boost-memory-and-learning-with-music

Kirsten Manley Age 5

Even from an early age I always had the desire to teach others. I used to love playing school teacher and camp director with my stuffed animals. I would plan activities for my toys to participate in that were similar to the activities I would do that day in class.     
  When I was in third grade I used to love reading to the kindergarten class which was a special program that we would do at my school. Although it was a required activity for all third graders to participate in I would take this activity very seriously and even create my own storybooks to help the kindergarten students practice reading in their own free time while they were home.

Although I was not always aware of my passion for teaching others it was always apart of me.

My all-time favorite childhood book is "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" by Laura Numeroff. I find myself quoting this book on a day to day basis. It has a very important tale and message. For those who are not familiar with this book, it is about a little mouse who visits a young boy's house and asks him for a cookie. The boy proceeds to give him the cookie and then ask for more and more things from the boy until he has reached full circle and ends with the mouse asking for another cookie. The mouse is not satisfied with the one kind gesture the child gives him and keeps asking for more and more things. I believe the moral of the story is to be grateful for kind gestures and not take advantage of people. It follows the old saying of "you get what you get and you don't get upset."
      This is a very challenging concept to teach to kids, it is even hard for adults to fully grasp this concept. This story plays on our desires as humans and as a society to keep craving and wanting more and more. Sometimes it seems as if there is just not enough material mater to satisfy us. We have to learn to be happy and grateful for the little thing and accept what it is that people are offering without the constant need of wanting more.
      Although this is a short and sweet children's book I believe that its message and tale can carry on throughout our lives. Every now and then ask your self the question am I being the mouse who keeps asking for more? Think about how the child, man, woman, animal, and even nature is feeling when we keep demanding more and more. At some point there will be no more left to give and we will regret not being grateful for the little treats we were once given that are now gone.

About Me

     I am a 24-year-old African American female preschool teacher. I am from Philadelphia PA.  I am an only child. I live with my mom, dad, and a black cat named Otto. I went to elementary and high school in the heart of Center City. I received my Bachelor of Art in media and communications at Ursinus College located in Collegeville PA. I am currently a preschool teacher at Primrose School of Center City in Philadelphia. I love working with kids and animals. I volunteered at zoos and animal shelters in high school. I was a camp counselor during my collegiate summers. Which made me realize my passion for working with kids. 

      

 Here is my journey of how I ended up where I am today working in a field of early childhood development.

        My first time living on my own was when I went to Ursinus. Living on campus was a huge adjustment for me. I started off in college being very timid and filled with a massive amount of anxiety and self-doubt. Not to mention I did not really know what I wanted to do after college. To be completely honest I didn’t know what I was truly passionate about and what I wanted to do with my career until after I graduated college and started working at a small daycare center in Kensington PA.

            I was fresh out of college with my BA in media and communications. I thought I had all the job opportunities in the world. I received good grades, was an active community member, being part of a local sorority, dance troop, and wind ensemble. I even made the Dean's Honor list my second semester of senior year. I could not figure out why I was having so much difficulty finding a job. Once I came off of my summer daze of just being illuminated by the fact that I completed college the notion of self-doubt and anxiety started to occur again.

        With the months rolling by and no such luck of being hired anywhere of desired interest, I decided to take an offer working for promotions at XfinityLive, a large sports bar located in the Philadelphia Sports complex center. I thought working there would be very amusing and similar to college with the party atmosphere. Unfortunately, I was looking at it through rose-colored glasses and when the glasses unshielded my eyes I realized that this was not the place for me. I yearn for working with kids again. I felt the most fulfilled when I could see the impact that I was making on people’s lives. Since then I have moved from working at a small daycare to a franchise school located back in, you guessed it, Center City Philadelphia.

            I adore working with kids and I truly value the golden rule of “treat others the way you want to be treated” Growing up I was bullied and didn't feel like I could fit in with my peers. This was the main cause of my anxiety and depression when I began my young adult years. I went to predominantly white schools and had a speech impediment. Not only could people not understand my cultural background but also not comprehend the words that were coming out of my mouth as well. This struggle of not being able to fit in and being ridiculed for my differences made me determine to help the next generation feel more connected with their peers and have a better understanding of diversity.

      Although I know I can't end bullying completely I want to be that teacher that students feel comfortable coming to and talking about their differences openly. I want to create an open discussion with my students, parents, and faculty on the necessity of having diversity and being able to have every voice heard so no one is left feeling powerless, not heard, or not celebrated in their community.

     I am currently attending Walden University to continue my pursuit to help bring up the next generation with empathy, curiosity, and respect for all of those around them. Even though we are all different we should all be able to come together with a listening ear and encourage each other to follow our passions and dreams.

Hello all my fellow Early Childhood Studies Colleagues. I am eager to begin my journey to achieve my MS in Early Childhood Studies. This blog will show my progress as an Early Childhood Studies grad student and feature helpful links and online sources about the professional field of early childhood development.