Saturday, January 30, 2016

My Connections to Play

When I was younger my Barbie dolls were my
EVERYTHING!! Rather I had lots of company or none at all,
my Barbies kept me entertained for hours  



“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” -Kay Redfield Jamison

As I shuffle through the memories of my childhood, simply the idea of playing as a child brings me so much joy. I remember the care free times in my life when my biggest worry was trying to persuade my mom to allow me to stay up past my 9:30pm bedtime or choosing my clothing on my own. 

I think about playing hide and seek with lots of cousins and neighborhood friends, to random water fights with my dad when my mom was away at work and playing so many different made up games. Those times, those laughs, those memories have fueled me in my own adult life with my own family, to never forget to laugh. Even when life seems to be overwhelming and your heart and mind seems full, a good laugh is always exactly what the doctor ordered.


I used my bike, upside down, for transportation. The front tire 
was my steering wheel and with the right amount of imagination
 it could be any type of car I would like, a princess carriage even.

My biggest issue with today’s generation is that though technology is great, it has handicapped our children in many ways. So many children now consider fun as sitting in front of the television and playing video games or stuck in front of a screen of some sort on social media websites. So many children have no idea of what it means to use their imagination and it is very unfortunate. When I consider the places that one can go and the things that one can do simply by using their imagination, I want that for the children that I encounter because the possibilities are endless.

In my own home, I try my hardest to promote activities that ignite creativity within my children as well as my nieces and nephews when they visit. Fortunately, my husband and I are on the same accord on our idea of having a good time with family. Family quality time is priority to us. The children in my family love visiting my home because they say that we’re always doing something. On nice days, we get out and have impromptu baseball and football games, make up creative obstacle courses and random competitions. It will be those memories that we create that last long after we have departed from this earth.
 
 

My radio was great for karaoke though it only played the radio, some stations
clearer than others, and cassette tapes. I could use the music to sing on the Apollo,
in the choir, or even pretend to be my favorite artists Mya or Christina Aguilera.





“And at the end of the day, your hair should be messy, your feet dirty and your eyes sparkling.” -Shanti


Saturday, January 16, 2016

Relationship Reflection

I am a daughter, sister, mother, niece, aunt, granddaughter, godmother, and wife. Because of the many titles that are so important to me, I share many positive relationships with the people in my life. Some consist of relationships with God my husband, my children,my parents, co-workers and most importantly myself. The positive relationship I have with myself fuels my self confidence and empowers me with the courage to step out and build relationships with the people around me. It is my positive religious relationship that keeps me grounded and helps me to understand my shortcomings as well as others, from day to day. My positive relationship with Christ helps me to keep my sanity when it seems everything around me is falling apart. My relationship with my parents has molded me into a loving and caring wife and mother. It is our relationship that provides a daily blueprint for my own family life. My relationship with my husband motivates me to do the best I can at whatever I do and my relationship with my children gives me that additional push when I feel I have nothing left to give. (As a full time working mother, wife, student and everything in between, I have those days at times). When it comes to my relationships as they relate to Early Childhood Education, I believe the positive relationship with my coworkers is most important. The positive relationship that I share with my coworkers is most beneficial because they are able to support me when I have done well and correct me when I am wrong and vice versa. My coworkers do not hold back, but it is always done out of love and I appreciate the constructive criticism because it helps me to understand my faults and reminds me to take time to evaluate myself as well.
    Developing and maintaining partnerships can be challenging at times. Positive relationships can develop into partnerships. A true partnership though should never be one sided and will require lots of give and take on behalf of the parties involved. Successful partnerships require positive motivation, showing concern for one another and all parties involved working towards success.
Many daily experiences from relationships have an impact on my work as an effective Early Childhood Professional. I am able to collaborate with other coworkers as we provide motivation and guidance towards one another. Expectations are clearly understood. It encourages me to accept new tasks enthusiastically and give 150%. My relationship with my children helps me in the workplace because in any situation involving the children, lesson plans, daily interaction, etc., I am always sure to give the same things I would want for my own children. I work hard to make sure that I engage in positive interactions with the children in the classroom throughout the day. If I have a child who may be having a rough day, I may give that child a few extra hugs throughout the day because I would hope that someone could find just a little time in the day to comfort my own children in the case that they were having a rough day.