Inspiring Quotes in Education

Inspiring Quotes in Education

Itard and Montessori:

"If we consider human intelligence at the period of earliest childhood man does not yet appear to rise above the level of the other animals. All his intellectual faculties are strictly confined to the narrow circle of his physical needs. It is upon himself alone that the operations of his mind are exercised. Education must then seize them and apply them to his instruction, that is to say to a new order of things which has no connection with his first needs. Such is the source of all knowledge, all mental progress, and the creations of the most sublime genius. Whatever degree of probability there may be in this idea, I only repeat it here as the point of departure on the path towards realization of this last aim" 

 - Jean Marc Gaspard Itard 

After studing Victor (The Wild Boy) Itard said, "The progress of teaching may, and  ought to be  aided, by  the  light of  modern medicine, which of  all the  naturla sciences can co-operate the  most  effectually towars the amelioration of  the  human species, by  appreciating the  organical and  intellectual peculiarities of  each individual;and  by that means determining what education is  likely  to do for  him and  what  society  my  expect  from his  future character.

- Jean Marc Gaspard Itard

“We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.”

-Maria Montessori 

“Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.”

-Maria Montessori 

“Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment.”

-Marie Montessori

Quotes from Multimedia Presentation - Week 2:

"My passion comes from my intrinsic motivation that I have for the work that I do."
-Raymond Hernandez MS ED
Executive Director of School of Early Childhood Education
University of South California

"It's not about you.  You have to take your ego out of it and think about what is best for this child"
-Renatta M. Cooper
Program Specialist - Office of Child Care
LA County Chief Administration Office

Personal Childhood Web

There have been a lot of people in my life who have supported me and made me feel special.  The list below is five of the most important figures during my childhood.

My Mother - She has always been my biggest fan and my best friend. Growing up she took care of everything and made sure my sister and I had whatever we needed.  She has always encouraged me to pursue anything that I had an interest in.  I can remember spending a lot of time in the car after school going from one activity to the next.  We were always busy and she made sure to keep us involved. As I have grown up she is still as encouraging as ever.  I moved home when I was pregnant to be close to her and my father.  She watches my son whenever I need her to and she is always more than willing to help out with anything.  I hope that I am half the mother she is, to my own son.  I couldn't ask for a better mother.  She has always put everyone before herself and is such an outstanding example of a selfless human being.  She truly is my hero and role model.

My Father - He is the best example of a hard working man I have ever seen.  Rarely has he ever even taken a day off of work.  He has always been our provider and a wonderful example of a man.  He has always been there for me no matter what I needed and I can say I am definitely a "daddy's girl."  Whenever I need a shoulder to cry on or some uplifting words he is the one I call.  I can remember one particular trip we took when I was young, just he and I, went to Atlanta to see a Falcon's game and we stayed at a nice hotel and I was even allowed to drink "Shirley Temple's" in the bar area.  We toured Atlanta and spent a few day together.  It was one of the funniest trips of my childhood and I am so excited to recreate it with my son in a few weeks.  We are going for his Spring Break and I couldn't be more thrilled.  I hope he always remembers this trip the way I always have.  My dad also spends a lot of time with my son and helps him learn "manly" things.  I love my daddy and I couldn't imagine my life without him.

My Sister - She is five years younger than me but we have always had a super strong bond.  She recently got married and was promoted to Philly so I'm not able to see her as much as I used to but she still means the world to me.  My life would not have been the same growing up without her.  Of course we fought, like siblings do, but we also shared a lot of wonderful memories.  As she grew up she always came to me with any problems she was having and I always tried my best to give her advise or insight from my own experiences.  She is a wonderful aunt to my son and my best friend.

My Grandmama - One of the things I remember most about my childhood was being at my Grandmama's and Grandaddy's house.  They helped raise me when I was little and I spent almost every weekend there.  They lived in a very small town and it was so nice to get away and spend time with them. I was the first grandchild and my Grandmama loved me very much.  I can remember her always showering me with love and affection.  Unfortunately she passed away from a brain tumor when I was only eight years old.  I wish I could of had more time with her but I have never forgotten the love she made me feel.

My Grandaddy - He was one of the funniest people I have ever known.  He was always there and would do anything for me.  As I grew up he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and moved to Columbia to be close to my mom.  We began taking care of him but really it was him who took care of me.  Although he forgot a lot over the years he never forgot who I was and he relied on me often to help him make sense of situations.  I learned so much from him and I value all of our time together.  My son reminds me a lot of him.  He has my Grandaddy's laugh and seems to have a lot of his spirit in him.  I wish they had been able to know each other.  They would of been the best of friends.   

Another person, who loves and cares for me, is my son Mason.  Obviously he was not there during my childhood but he supports and loves me everyday.  He has thought me so much about life and what it takes to truly love another.  He is my reason for breathing and I honestly don't know what I did with myself before he came along.  Having a child also make me appreciate those other five people because I could finally understand what they had each sacrificed for me during my childhood.  I can not imagine my life without the bright light of my son each day.  He makes me happy when I am down and he loves me no matter what.  We  have such a close bond and I hope we will be able to keep it that strong always.  Although, in a way, it is sad to see him grow up I also can't wait to see him grow into a man and someday have children of his own.  

More About Me

This is a picture of me when I was about 3 years old.  It has always been of my favorite!  This was taken at our summer beach house. Growing up in the hot state of South Carolina, I spent a lot of time as a young children running around in a swimsuit.  I still love the beach and enjoy taking my son there now and making fond memories.  

Where The Wild Thing Are by: Maurice Sendak has always been one of my favorite stories.  I loved it as a child and I bough it for my son before he was even born.  I love how the simplicity of the scene, his bedroom, evolves into such a dramatic story.  I think it is a wonderful example of how a child's mind works.  Their imaginations are amazing and I find that this book really exemplifies this.  

I love the quote... 

                 "Education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions."  

from Ken Robinson's The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.  I feel like if we, as teachers, could do more of this in our own classrooms it would help build a better future and society of individuals.  I believe each child should grow and develop at their own pace and not be lumped into a "group" during their early childhood years.  This leads to labeling and sometimes, no matter how hard a child tries, it is nearly impossible to break out of these "label" given at such a young age.  

Introduction

I have set up this blog as a way to chronicle my journey to becoming a teacher of Early Childhood.  This is my first blog but I am excited to learn about blogging.  Hope you all enjoy watching my site grow as my knowledge increases.