Personal Childhood Web

The People Who Helped Make Me Who I am Today!

- My mom has been one of my greatest supporters. My mom always made sure my needs were meet and pushed me to new heights. I remember being so nervous I cried for my dance audition and my mom was right there telling me everything would be okay and that she believed in me. Sure, enough those words gave me the confidence to do great in my audition and I gained a spot at a performing arts school.  I felt loved because my mom sacrificed a lot for my sister and I and she always put us first. She made sure we were able to have meaningful and memorable positive experience. My mom always says how proud she is of me to this day.

- My dad, in my opinion is the greatest dad in the world. Not only does he take care of me and my siblings, but he helps take care of others. My dad has shown me how to be selfless and how to give back. My dad has cared for me by helping me with paying my bills when I was making next to nothing and he never fussed or made a big deal out of me paying him back. He would always say give me what you can or don’t worry about it. This has taught me to give from the heart. My dad is always impressed at how I handle myself in tough situations and I tell him I learned it from you. 

 – My younger sister, my first best friend, and someone who I love to pieces. My sister and I have been through a lot over the years and we always manage to lift each other up. My sister graduated with her degree before me because I let life’s distraction get to me and I chose to work instead of finishing my degree at the time. My sister helped with my decision to go back to school and one Christmas, she even bought me a laptop so I could finish my courses. My sister always has a listening ear for my venting and always gives an encouraging word when her big sis is going through hard times.

 - Both of my sweet grandmothers are praying women. They encouraged me to always go after your dreams and never give up. My grandmothers would take care of me and my sister during the summer. My father's mother living in NC and my mother's mother living in NY and then VA. We would spend  1-2 weeks with each grandmother and they would teach us life skills. To this day my grandmothers are very hopeful for me to be successful and I know their prayers have gotten me this far. 

- My best friend is like a sister to me with almost 20 years of friendship we have been through a lot together. My best friend played a big part in me getting help when I started showing signs of depression. She reassured me that things will get better and that talking about my problems will help me to understand why I feel the way I did. My best friend helps give me that balance of work life and living life. She always says stop burning both ends of the candle. I love my best friend and I am blessed to have a friend like her in my life. My best friend is truly a selfless person putting everyone before herself. Always lending a helping hand and I hope to follow in her footsteps and be able to pour into her as she has poured into me. 

A Child's Work of Art

This is a picture of one of my students demonstrating a positive approach to learning. I chose this picture because myself and co-teachers have been working really hard to help this child attend and engage in an activity. She often jumps from one activity to the next but she stayed with her picture of a snowman and then attempted to write her name when she was finished. I am so proud of her progress! My passion is giving back and sharing experiences. After she said she drew a snowman we expand on her experiences by finding books about snowman and asking questions such as "how does a snowman feel and can we make a snowman now that it is hot outside?".

References
 Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The Passion for Early Childhood. Baltimore: Author.

Just Me!

Same charismatic personality no matter what age I am! I think it is what helps me relate to the children I work with. We have to enjoy life while we can and share experiences with others (such as my best friend, whose arm is in the background).

Someone I Admire

Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund. She created the Children's Defense Fund in her advocacy of disadvantage Americans. The Children's Defense Fund mission "is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities"(Children's Defense Fund, 2019). I admire her work and the mission of her organization which led me to inquiry a teaching position at an early head start program. My work impacts the lives of many and I'm grateful for such an opportunity. I hope to ensure a fair start for all children.


References
Children's Defense Fund. (2019). Leave No Child Left Behind. Retrieved from https://www.childrensdefense.org/about/who-we-are/our-mission/

My Purpose

We all can learn, we just need to be met where we are.