In some ways I think it is easy to leave a high performing team because you know you have been successful in your goals and may have resolution to what you and hoped to accomplished. When clear norms are established it may be easy if all members disband but if it is only a member the remaining people can feel a little lost and unsure how to replace the component of the vacating member. The group which I participated in that was hardest to leave was the team I formed in the first year as a Director. While the first year was extremely difficult I worked with a wonderful assistant Director and Center board and together we were able to save and reform a struggling school. After seven years together it was hard to relocate and face new challenges wondering if I would have that sort of performance in another group. I think it was toughest because we had overcome so much. As a closing ritual I was given a going away party which was sweet but difficult for me. I tend to get nostalgic and I prefer goodbyes to be quick and without a big to do. I have enjoyed getting to know and interacting with many of the same people from class to class in this Master’s program. I hope to keep many as contacts and would love to network with them in the future. I think adjourning is necessary as it closes a chapter and frees us to meet new challenges, which is the way we can grow as professionals

A conflict I recently experienced at work was a situation in which a parent was upset because she felt her child was not enjoying Kindergarten and was upset at drop off. The parent stated the child felt the teacher was mean. Observation of the classroom showed that the child appeared to enjoy class but was in need of fairly constant redirection and struggled with following directions. Despite this she gave her teacher hugs frequently and seemed to have bonded. One conflict resolution skill we were able to employ in this situation was compromise. After meeting with the parent and teacher together we chose to change the behavior tracking system so that it reflected and rewarded the whole class behavior rather than each individual child. The class earned a pom pom in the jar when any one group of children did something praiseworthy. This we felt would help the child feel less like she was being singled out for negative behavior and may not feel as anxious at drop off. It also accented the positive behaviors of the class rather than negative. Another conflict resolution tool we used was one of the Gerber’s three R’s, responsiveness. When the parent brought the concern we listened responsively, set up a meeting immediately and responded in a way that she felt heard and didn’t have to dwell on the concern for days. The situation seemed to be resolved quickly and the child and mother appeared much more comfortable and at ease immediately afterwards.

For the most part, I felt that my self-evaluation matched well with those who evaluated me. I am aware that I have communication anxiety in public speaking and large group situations. I think what surprised me most was that those who evaluated me scored me a bit higher in competence in this level. Perhaps I am more effective than I think, or maybe we are just more critical of ourselves. Of course I am aware I am anxious but possibly this is not as apparent to those who I present to. In terms of verbal aggressiveness I fell in the moderate category in all cases. I also scored fairly well in listening although there was indication that I trust too much. In the second two surveys my colleagues scored me equa with my own. My colleagues also choose to evaluate themselves for fun. I was interested to find that they scored similar to me as well. Those one who did score with less communication anxiety also grew up as one of 5 sisters and was a performer. It was insightful to consider maybe even a larger family may help us feel comfortable speaking to groups. I found it interesting when reading the text this week that we can become aware of our own mindlessness by certain signs such as reduced cognitive activity and inaccurate recall. I also found it insightful that we can sabotage our own communication through self-denigration. This information can be helpfully to me professionally by reminding me to be cognizant in meeting with faculty and to use positive thought in self-preparation for speaking engagements.

                In general I do not find myself communicating differently with people in different cultures or different groups. I typically am just myself and try to speak to everyone in a respectful manner. One exception would be that I do speak differently to the children in the center than I would to an adult. I think every good childcare educator has a “child speak”, from the words “walking feet please”, to getting down on the child’s level and using a pleasant tone. Of course when I am in situations where I do not know anyone I can initially be quieter than with friends and family. I have been lucky in my travels that many of the places I visited have spoken English and I was able to communicate fairly well. The slang can certainly be different and confusing and I have experienced a bit of culture shock but not to the degree that is severely hindered communication.

For this week’s blog assignment we were asked to watch a television show we had never seen without sound and try and determine relationships by the nonverbal communication we saw. After doing so we were to watch it again with sound and see how our assumptions matched up. The show I chose to watch is Heart of Dixie. In the opening scene as the main character makes a graduation commencement speech we see her finishing and talking to a man in a suit who approached her. I understood this man to be a Professor in the college. The man seems to be proud of the graduate. After speaking with him she was approached by an older woman who seemed proud and hugged her. I assumed that this was her mother. After the ceremony the main character leaves with a man who has his arm around her, I guessed that this was her boyfriend. As she begins her career in medicine we see her again in conversation with a man weaning scrubs, I took this to be a coworker of hers. The older gentleman Doctor in the next scene I assume is her boss. In this conversation she seems to be very angry at the man or frustrated. I imagine her voice is raised and she has taken offense to something he has said. Later we see the woman leaving the city and taking a bus into the country. She appears to be very bored on this voyage. She also appears to be disgusted by the man sitting next to her on the bus. As she gets off the bus and begins walking to town we see a man, I assume a stranger in a pick-up truck who offers her a ride. This man seems to pleasantly surprise her while the other people she will meet in the country don’t seem to accept her. Once in town she is watched by a group of women in southern belle costumes and a group of older ladies who seem to be disdainful or gossipy about her arrival. It is apparent the character is out of place and she seems to be sad and tired. She enters a practice and is met by a receptionist.

                When watched again with sound I found that a lot of my assumptions were not far off the mark. The man I thought was the Professor however was a Dr., who had a practice in a small town and was offering the main character a job. Her mother was the woman who hugged her after the speech but was not as proud as she was interested in seeing who else was there she could talk to. She actually brushed her daughter off fairly quickly. The man she left the ceremony with was her boyfriend but so was the younger man I took to be her coworker. In this instance it was actually her boyfriend breaking up was with her. The gentleman who picked her up was not only a nice stranger but an attorney who had worked in New York, a point I would not have guessed with the sound off. The main character was in fact disgusted by the man on the bus next to her stating he “smells like stinky cheese” She was in fact angry at her boss as he passed her over for a fellowship because she was giving or caring enough to her patients. As she moved to the country to accept the only job offer she had she was feeling lost and out of place.

                This was an interesting activity, I was surprised at how much of the story line I could glean without words. Had this been a show I am familiar with I would have already known the relationships and would likely have had an even better understanding of the plot.

When I consider a person whose communication style I admire in terms of professionalism in my field, the person that comes to mind is Stephanie Andraisi. Stephanie was the Director of Children’s Ministries and the head of the Early Childhood Education board at the church where I held my first Director’s position. As a young Director and particularly one who was not strong in confrontation or communication I always admired how Stephanie was calm, cool and collected even in stressful situation. I can recall times when I would sit in her office in tears after speaking with a family who had a concern about the school. When we had a round of layoffs due to budget cuts in our center Stephanie sat with me as I had to let faculty go. Stephanie was a calming presence to the teachers when I had to take frequent teary breaks. Stephanie was very collected and knew exactly what to say. Even years later I am not at able to emulate her communication style completely although experience has gotten me closer.

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I will be able to teach them that we all have value and our diversity should be appreciated, celebrated and that we all have wonderful things to contribute. One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field in regards to diversity and social justice is that it will be a topic and continued conversation that will encourage all educators to evolve their programs to meet the needs of every student to the best of their ability. I would like to thank my colleagues for the kind words about my dialogues, encouragement and sharing your personal experiences on these topics.

A memory I have where I witnessed bias took place when I was about twelve years old and living in the small town of Exmouth, Australia. Having traveled a lot around the country I had been exposed to members of the Aboriginal  tribes and learned about their history and traditions. The small town I lived in was primarily Caucasian of Irish background and an Aboriginal family had recently moved there as well. The family had two children. While at the pool I noticed the children were basically shunned and did not join any of the other students. I also heard several adults openly spoke disdainfully and prejudicial of the Aboriginal family. I found this strange as I had associated the aboriginal peoples as eh heart of the country and those who most belonged. This diminished equity by marginalizing  the family and potentially hurting the children's esteem and confidence. I recall feeling very sad and offended for the children but at twelve I didn't step in or do anything to welcome them myself. I think I was unsure of what the next step was and I was bothered by my own lack of assistance. If I could go back, I would have invited the children to join me and done what I could to help them feel included.

An example of microagression I observed this week was when a person commented that one mom in a lesbian partnership at our center was certainly the man of the relationship. The comment was made randomly as the couple had left the building. I was offended by the comment for the couple and I felt that it was ignorant and rude.

                This observation showed that the person making the comment obviously had stereotypical views regarding relationships, assuming that there had to be a masculine and feminine person in a couple. It also seemed that the comment was hostile and the person commenting was judgmental or not tolerant of the lesbian partnership. I felt this observation would have been very hurtful had the couple heard. I was surprised to see a discriminatory view projected so openly as in the day and age we expect more consideration.

I spoke to three of my faculty members and asked them their definitions of culture and diversity. Katie who is Hispanic/Norwegian, Madison who is Caucasian, and Tieanna who is African American. The aspects of culture that I’ve studied which were present in their definitions are the set of customs, family history, beliefs, norms and traditions. The aspects of diversity that I have studied in this course which were present were a blend of different races, religion, and appreciation of differences all together in an area. Katie found it difficult to define culture beyond customs; I feel she was worried about saying anything offensive. She spoke about diversity in terms of how it exists within a particular community. Madison linked culture as a byproduct of diversity rather than a separate idea. When describing diversity she mentioned the varied aspects of diversity but included meshing with the main (dominant) culture and assuring that everyone fit in. Tieanna’s definitions of both were short and precise, beliefs, traditions and a mixture of race, peoples and religions. The aspects that have been omitted are the ones that may be perceived as more negative, cultural discontinuity, prejudice, cultural blindness. The way that these concepts were defined was fairly similar to the way that I would have defined them initially. I noticed that the ‘deep’ culture was not mentioned as much as the ‘surface” culture. After having been in this course the past few weeks that is something which I would now add to my definitions.

              If evacuated to a new country the three items I would chose to take with me are my box of photographs, my laptop and a book. I would hope the box of photographs was considered one item because it would be difficult to narrow it down to one and it would be a challenge to limit myself to one book as well. It would be easier to bring three collections of things! The box of photographs is important as it reflects my family, my culture and the things that are most important in my life. I love to look back and reflect and I feel I could share who I am and where I came from with others if I had them with me. They would serve as a connection to the life I had before the move. I would bring my laptop as I assume most areas now have internet connection. If this is the case it would allow me to access information I may need to adapt to my new community and hopefully maintain contact with others I may have lost along the way. I would bring a book because there is nothing that brings me more comfort than a physical book and it would give me an escape when times are challenging. Like the photographs it may also allow me to give other insight on my home culture. If I were told I had to give up two items I would choose to keep the photographs as these would be the item I found hardest to let go. In my past I have had to leave a negative situation with hardly any of my possessions so I feel I can give up 'stuff' fairly easily foe the most part. As long as I have those who are important to me near I can let go of possessions without too much difficulty. As I have had to adapt to change and varied culture often in the past I feel that this situation would not be as challenging to me as it may to others who have always lived in one area or who have not had the opportunity to travel. The insight that I gained form this activity is that as long as I have a tangible link to my past, in this instance my photographs, and those I hold dear I could view the move as an adventure rather than a hardship.

                In taking this course I have had several insights. I have become aware of the propensity to approach research in a male, Euro-centric, elitist perspective in the past. Before the course I would’ve considered many researchers as being more open to different possibilities and less stereotypical due to the nature of their profession but this is not the case. It was very informative to see the different techniques and styles of research. The sections on Qualitative and Quantitative were very helpful. My ideas on the nature of doing research have changed. The research design process is more extensive then I had previously considered. There are many considerations to take into account when planning research, what are the risks involved, is it an ethical project, do you have the proper permissions from guardians and participants? Design wise you must consider what type of process you will use, quasi-experimental, mixed method etc. Extraneous variables must be taken into account and issues of validity dealt with. If a project is not well thought out, designed and planned for the data will be affected and may not be viable. I did find the design and simulation process extremely challenging, there is so much to consider. I met these challenges as best as I could by reviewing the factors multiple times and working to understand them and how they affect the outcome of research and the well being of participants. As an early childhood professional I realize the value of research to our field. I am more aware of the ethical and design concerns that researcher’s face and what a delicate balance the process is.

I decided to explore the website Early Childhood Australia in order to examine research topics in that part of the world. There were many current research topics to see including:

·         Professional partnership in children’s services: working together for children

·         Learning Positive Behavior Through Educator-Child relationships

·         Play and Quality in Early Childhood: Educating Super-Hero’s and Fairy Princesses

·         Cultural Expression as a Tool for Change: Stories About Quality Improvement

·         Secure Transitions: Supporting children to feel secure, confident and included

     It was insightful to see a project that focused on sustainability, even at the young age of preschool. There was quite a bit of research on teaching greener living to the children. Also there were projects on nurturing spirituality in children which is a topic that you don’t see too often in mainstream childcare. Most of the topics I found were very similar to the types of study and research we see here in the United States. The topics were globally current.

            Aside from research there was a lot of good information on ethical codes, developmentally appropriate practice and best practice techniques. Much of the information is equally viable in our own country.

If I possessed the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies on any topic in the early childhood field I would conduct more research on treatment and eventual cures for early childhood cancers such as Nuerobalstoma. While this may not directly be an early childhood education topic we have had three students battling cancer at our center and that brings the cause close to our faculty’s hearts. I would focus on a treatment that was as effective and non invasive as possible so that the children could continue to enjoy a ‘normal’ lifestyle and participate more often in school. Often early childhood cancers are the result of DNA or prenatal cells that do not mature properly. There are many research and treatment studies on medicines that would help ‘grow up” these cells so that developed normally. Obviously, curing or halting childhood cancer would be a positive contribution to the lives of the children and families affected by the disease. Many typical treatments today can cause long term issues in the health of those children who do survive cancer.  Included in these issues is a higher likelihood of learning problems.  If we could eradicate some of the riskier current treatments children who have beaten the disease would be less likely to struggle educationally.

The subtopic I chose for my research simulation was the use of technology, specifically computers vs. Ipads and whether they were helpful in impacting preschool student achievement. I chose this topic as there seems to be a lot of pressure to include technology in the classroom, computers, ipads, smartboards and the like in the classroom seems to be a selling point of the school  to families and teachers alike. But..does this mean it is in the best interest of the child, especially when there are so many studies which encourage us to limit screen time and get back to exploring nature and hands on learning? So I am genuinely curious as to how and why we should implement technology. So far it appears that technology can aide achievement but mostly through peer and teacher interaction with the children while the use the devices.

Learning about the international early childhood field has been very eye opening. One consequence in terms of my professional and personal development is the awareness that as a nation we are doing a poor job in compensating our employees compared to our European counterparts. We have to work towards equitable pay and benefits for the faculty that bring quality to our schools and show that we value the contributions of our early childhood educators.

A second consequence and insight is that I have found we share many of the same dilemmas of the field. How do we support the families of our center during recession? How do they manage to pay high tuition in private centers when the economy is poor? How do we rectify that many children do not have access to quality care due to poverty or a lack of spots or quality early educational centers. We have a lot of work left to do in battling inequities.

                The third consequence towards my professional development is the recognition that it is very helpful to interact with colleagues in the field locally and internationally. It is beneficial to hear the perspective of those not directly involved with our own program and examine the differences and similarities. It is also helpful to have someone who can empathize with our professional dilemma and hare insights. Collaboration is very valuable.

                My goal in regards to international awareness and sharing of issues is to add to my international contacts and attempt to keep a dialogue going. I really enjoy hearing the unique perspectives and insights. I hope that I can impact my own nation’s policies with the information and insights I have gained from other areas and perhaps I can support them as well.

Inclusion, much like the US, has become a hot topic in Italian childcare. Specifically there is much discussion of the inclusion of Roma children, many of whom are migrant and impoverished. In Italy migrant children are guaranteed inclusion by law and Roma children are encouraged to attend school. While teachers’ salaries appear to be higher in general, $40,000.00 per year for preschool educators additional funding and stipends have been put into place to compensate teacher s who work in schools with a high number of disadvantaged children. There is an active movement to recruit more teachers as numbers in the profession are not as high as they should be. A majority of education in Italy is state funded and provided free of charge from nursery school and beyond but there are long waitlists, lottery systems and it is difficult to obtain spots at times. Teacher qualifications are high and education and professional credentials are required to teach even in preschool. Since 1998 a four year degree has been a requirement to teach nursery school. The requirement of education is one reason that teacher compensation is significantly higher then here in the US. There was a push for more privatization of schools to increase quality but poor economic conditions and high unemployment means that state schools are the primary employer and quality can vary greatly. Kirstin, my international contact plans to continue teaching preschool as she earns a good wage. She has no aspirations to administration or higher position, she enjoys working with the children. Her main challenge or concern is that she is teaching at a private school and as more families choose disenrollment as children are older to save money there is always the concern that it will lead to layoffs.

 On the zero to three website I took some time to explore the link to the Military Families Project. This link is of interest to me as I am a Military brat myself.  I would imagine quality child care and consistency of program can be a challenge with frequent moving. Our family typically move every one to two years up until I reached junior high. My mother did not work so we did not take part in an early childhood program.

                The military family project is funded and developed with the help of the zero to three organization.  Recently the project provided training to caregivers who worked with military families. The training looked at ways in which caregivers can help children who face challenges unique to military families such assisting families with a deployed parent, helping children through the transition in moving and providing the consistency they need. The project also assists in helping veterans who have young children. With many veterans facing tribulation and mental challenges after deployment the young children of veterans are at risk. The program seeks to offer aide in any way it can from assisting in obtaining medical care to giving families a template in which they can write about the unique experience of their family to share with caregivers. There are many links to ongoing training in this area and information on how we can take part.

                The military family is actually trending this month on the site as April is the month of the military child. Last month’s issues trended on prenatal influences on development. This is interesting as researchers are beginning to look at autism as possibly developing prenatally.

     In speaking with Kirsten I have learned al little bit more regarding how many early childhood centers work in Italy. While Kirsten’s school is private there are many public options for early childhood which have become more accessible overall. In fact she explained that from three years old and up regulation falls under the Minister of Education who is also head of primary schools. For children under three, regulation falls under the Ministry of health so they face the challenge of trying to align policy form two different departments. This seemed similar to what we studied here in regards to trying to align ECE goals and standards with Elementary and High schools. Like the US there is also a great amount of variance in pram quality. Low quality programs are certainly a concern. There are also issues of availability, many families who pay for early childhood services through payroll taxes cannot access preschool due to limited availability of spaces. Many programs are waitlisted in the hundreds and there is concern that while the schools are doing better in attending to the needs of the impoverished paying families may be pushed aside. Many of the paying families if they can afford it chose to pay higher tuition and attend private preschools such as the one Kirsten teaches at rather than chance a lottery type system. Generally these families will still choose public primary school over private as they are still feeling the recent economic recession.

At this point in my professional development I am training faculty, observing and coaching my wonderful team of teachers. I am always looking for tools that will be useful in growing and supporting my faculty. I really liked "Little Kids, Big Questions" a parenting podcast series. While it is not teacher specific the series has a lot of great information and touches on topics that parents may come to us for advice on. I also found the public policy links to be interesting.

There was not anything I would say that I felt was controversial. I did find new ways to view things however. I have not had much in the way of experience concerning home visits. I found the link to Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood home visiting technical assistance very interesting. I also liked the educational supports provided for families, friends and neighbors who care for children. I think it helps such caregivers view their assistance as vital and allows them to be professionals in their care.

The website contain links to journal articles written by early childhood experts but also by scientist, economist and other contributors who are interested in the success of the ECE field. It is obvious that quality programs and the results they bring are attracting the interest of other vocations who are willing to invest in our future.

            There are so many ways to see this site. One can find the latest trends and information on early behavior and development, statistics on abuse and neglect, latest policies and many training opportunities.

I was finally able to connect with a foreign colleague through a former employee of mine, Holly, who had a friend who resided in Italy.Holly's friend was able to obtain for me the email of a Preschool teacher Kirsten Scriven who teaches in Rome. Kirsten's school is not directly affected by poverty. The area in which she works and resides is relatively tranquil. Her school is a private Catholic school which caters to a community that is primarily elite and well to do.These families prioritize a Catholic and bilingual upbringing for their children. Like the United States, Italy does not provide much in the way of public childcare. Although there are obviously those who face poverty in the surrounding areas it is not something that is readily discussed in her community other than in charity events and such situations. That being said Italy is facing an economic crunch. Kirsten tells me this is even felt by the well to do families of her school who have been eschewing enrollment in Kindergarten and upper grades of the school in favor of free public primary education. Italy seems to be similar to our own nation in terms of discussion about Universal preschool and such opportunities. This who teach in Italy however seem to fare better salary wise. The average preschool teacher in Rome earns about $42,000.00, basically equal to Administration pay here.

Zero to Three

I choose to follow the organization Zero to Three.
http://www.zerotothree.org/

The organization was founded to share insight with parents and care providers on the best practice of nurturing early childhood development. The mission of the organization is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start to life.

One item that caught my eye was an article on a survey on state child welfare agencies in 2013. The study highlighted the lack of alignment with state practices to infant toddler development goals. Most of teh policies and programs were geared to older children and did not meet the unique needs of the young infant and toddler. The survey shows that states have quite a way to go still.

I also was able to find an online zero to three issue from 2007 devoted to the subject of cultural diversity.There was a wonderful article on learning to 'walk the talk" and really bring cultural inclusion into the classroom.

Making Contact

     For this course we are required to make contact with two early childhood professionals in other countries. I attempted to contact several of the emails listed on the Global Alliance website however I received error messages on each stating it was rejected by the server. I may have to do the alternate assignment however I am first attempting to contact my friends in other areas of the world to see if they can provide me with a good contact. Just playing the waiting game as of now. I hope I can achieve a connection as it would be interesting to speak to someone in another nation.

     I looked briefly at the various websites for my childhood education focus and have chosen to concentrate on the Zero to Three site. I have chosen this site as prior to becoming a Director my main area of expertise was with the Infant and Toddler age group. Children of that age hold a special place in my heart and I feel that health development during the first three years of life is so important. It is at this time that children really set the foundation for the person they will become.

My Supports

My Supports

                 In my daily environment I would consider my hour of quiet and solitude in the morning with a cup of coffee a support to helping prepare me for the day ahead actually get up and hour earlier than I need to  get ready so I can enjoy this time before everyone else awakens. At work am lucky enough to have a wonderful on site center owner and an Assistant Director who are great supports during challenging times. We bounce ideas and solutions off of each other and though we do not always agree we never have to be the sole decision maker in tough questions. They are also great for venting as it would not be appropriate to share some information with staff. Technology has become quite a support in many of the day to day aspects of the position, so much so that we tend to feel a little lost when the internet as down as so much of the business/paperwork end of the job cannot be done without it. At home I consider my family as the most meaningful support of all.

                As I get older I notice I am having to reach for reading glasses more and more for fine print. I imagine how challenging my job and life would be with a significant loss of sight. I almost feel my position as a director would be impossible without sight. I would certainly need to take alternate transportation to the center. Our center is equipped with braille for sign such as the restrooms but not within the classrooms. The work done of the computer could be accomplished with the help of voice technology but I would probably need someone to handle the paperwork, faculty files I have that are not paperless. I do not feel that I would successfully be able to complete classroom observations although I could offer suggestions and interpretations based on another person’s observation. Without such supports I would certainly not be able to function in the position of Director can imagine that the condition could be overwhelming and isolating without proper support.

My Connections to Play

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” 
― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

All those hours exploring the great outdoors made me more resilient and confident.
David Suzuki 

            As a child I did not attend preschool or have supported play in a traditional teacher scaffolding sense. My play was supported mainly by my surroundings and I was lucky to experience many varied places. As a preschool age child my imagination took root in my grandma’s sun room full of white cast iron and glass furniture and the ‘secret’ loft in my Uncle’s converted garage apartment. I also enjoyed days at the beach and the thick St. Augustine grass jungle where I chased lizards. In Nebraska it was the big snowy hill behind my house which in the summer led to a playground and the lake with clay banks in which I honed ‘pottery’ skills. In California my friend and I were reincarnated witches who feasted on wild growing pomegranate potion. In Australia we mainly climbed trees and played marbles in the dirt fields by the school, and once again the beach.

                I did no need much in the way of equipment or toys, we were pretty creative. Although I really, really, enjoyed boxes as a young child. We would build anything out of boxes. I did have a few favorite toys though and they are in the photos.

                My daughter has not had quite as many opportunities to play outside and rarely did unless I was supervising. The world seems a scarier place but maybe we just hear about danger more often now as media is everywhere we go. She definitely spends a lot of time conversing to friend online, 24/7 it seems. Even with the constant connection and access face to face communication is lacking. It makes me a little sad am not sure she has formed the bonding and strong friendships we had but I hope she has.

                Play is critical to a child and important even as an adult. I have to remind myself to play at times and the style of play has changed but I am certainly happier when I include it in my life.

Relationship Reflection

 Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I believe that we all live happier when we have support, love and someone to laugh and enjoy life with. There are certainly times that I would have failed without my family and friends. I am lucky to have parents who raised me without prejudice and allowed me to see many cultures throughout the world. Even now as an adult they have supported me emotionally and some times even financially as I ended my marriage and began life as a single mother. Not sure where I wold be without Bank of Mom. I am very appreciative of them both. My daughter Raven is now 17 and a great source of pride. She is a Junior in high school and driven to succeed in life. She can drive me crazy but she makes me laugh. I am always striving to better in life so I continue to support her in her goals. My significant other Nick is my partner in life, parenting and living life one day at a time. We may not always agree on which path to take but the walk is better with someone you love. He is very close to his family which I consider to be a valuable trait and is willing to do whatever it takes to support those he cares for. My relationship with my parents is helpful to my career as an educator because they wee always accepting and supportive of people, even if they were very different. I grew up friends of many races and in several countries and I think this has helped me to connect more easily to families at my center. My relationship with my daughter has helped me to be patient. When I see ,myself or a teacher on the verge of frustration or a power struggle with children I can think back to her at that age. When I do I am reminded that this phase will pass, these children will succeed and also I think of how I would have wanted a teacher to react to my child in the same situation. She gives me perspective. My partner and I have very different parenting styles and we were raised very differently. This aides me in my work as it reminds me that we do not have to agree 100% to be a successful team. Teachers will have varied teaching styles. Parents may have unfamiliar discipline methods or a family life very different form our own. We can still work together to provide a better foundation for the children and merge the best ideas together.