Quotes from the Professionals in the Video about Passion

Passion: "I always felt like I owed families my best".

Motivation: What keeps me engaged is that we're not there yet with any of them".

Wisdom:  "You've got to take your ego out of it and think about what's best for the child."

The three quotes above were from Renatta M. Cooper from the video "The Passion for Early Childhood".

Passion: “And as I grew up, it continued to be a teacher because I had a built in passion that it was real important to make a real contribution to the world to fix all the injustices that existed in the world.”  

Motivation: “And so it became my life long work; Early Childhood Education and the passion to make sure all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurtured their abilities to grow and to develop in their fullest abilities.”

Wisdom: “And children are learning very early that there are power issues and that there are some identities that give you more social power than others.” 
The three above quotes were from Louise Derman-Sparks from the video "The Passion  Early Childhood". 

 Passion: "We as professional in the early Childhood Field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better." 

Motivation: So when I go to these parent meetings and actually see parents learning how to speak to policy makers, learning how to write letters, learning how to tell their story and share their voice; that's what keeps me motivated regardless of the challenges going on."

Wisdom: "And so through that experience seeing how involved my parents were, it made me want to be involved in education in general."
The three above quotes were from Sandy Escobido from the video "The Passion  Early Childhood".

Passion: "I think my passion comes from wanting to make a difference."

Motivation: Everyday that I go to work I look forward to it because I know the services that I am providing for children it's to their benefit." 

Wisdom: "I truly believe that I'm not here to save the world" 
The above three quotes were from Raymond Hernandez from the video "Passion for Early Childhood".

Passion:"When I think about my passion as a person, I also embrace who I am." 

"Who I am as a woman, who I am in terms of being a Latino leader and um, what my family has taught me creates a foundation for my passion."

Motivation: "Parents need support".

Wisdom: "At a very young age, I recognized that families need support."
The above three quotes were from Leticia Lara from the video "Passion for Early Childhood".

My Personal Childhood Web

Above are just a few of the nurturing people I was so blessed to have in my life. 

1. My father and mother Julius and Shirley Tyler. My father is a very warm, gentle and patient man. He was a hard worker and provided well for us. He helped me with my homework and made us laugh when he would come home from work and enter the house with a silly laugh and funny dance.Other wonderful experiences with my dad included watching Roller Derby and wrestling together, going on Sunday drives to the park and visiting with his side of the family. My relationship with my dad continues to influence me today. From him I learned about loyalty and how to be a responsible adult. My mother was more caring than nurturing. She always made sure we dressed nice and when she was too frustrated to help me with my homework, she paid a retired school teacher in the neighborhood to tutor me in Math. She also provided us with a playroom. complete with a kitchen furniture set (she and my father designed and built)dolls, dishes and an old upright piano. Now this was in the 60's. My mother was ahead of her time. We had real running water in our sink! My mom cleverly came up with the idea to run a hose from an enema bag with a clip through the  faucet. When we released the clip, the water would run out into the sink which was a cake pan. My mother always made sure we had nice clothes and other material things and saw to it that we were involved in the community. She taught Arts and Crafts for Parks and Recreation, tap dancing and baton twirling and was a 4-H leader. I will always remember our trip to the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville, KY where I saw The Jackson Five! I believe that the creative environment my mother provided for me is what has influenced my creativity today. She taught me how to use my imagination. And since she was not nurturing, it nfluenced me to do the opposite.

2. My late grandmother Ocala Tyler was the absolute most nurturing person in my life. She was so loving, patient, gentle and kind. I loved being around her. She engaged me in helping her make biscuits, taught me how to set the table and how to sew a blind stitch and more. But the one thing I enjoyed the most, was when she would tell us stories at bedtime. The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, The Ginger Bread Man, and the list goes on and on.  She also taught us the prayer, Now I Lay me Down to Sleep" and told us bible stories. These wonderful experiences with my grandmother  influenced me to read and tell stories to my children and  grandchildren. And just last year I self published my first children's book titled Dragon Fruit. I also know for a fact, that it's because of my grandmother that I ended up working with children. 

3.The late Rosemary Winmon was the overseer of the youth choir at my church. She too was so gentle and warm. When she discovered that I could play the piano, she provided lots of encouragement by saying kind words and giving me verbal praise. Her favorite song was "Walk Around in Heaven". And even after I went off to college, whenever I came home for the weekend, she would ask me to sing her favorite song "Walk Around in Heaven". 

4. The Late Joyce Hodge (my aunt on my mother's side) always made me feel special with her smiles and kind words. She was warm, friendly and very caring. I was always welcomed to visit her. My aunt taught tap dancing and taught me how to tap dance. She always came to see me in church programs and she attended my high school graduation.

Photo of "Me"with my grandchildren and third generation cousins!

My Favorite Child's Drawing

My 5 year old grand-daughter drew and colored this picture while visiting me one weekend. I love the rainbow colored hair. 

My Favorite Poem

I really like this poem; " Just Playing" poem by Anita Wadley. Here is just a small portion of the poem.....

When you see me sitting in a chair
"Reading" to an imaginary audience
Please don't laugh and think
I'm just playing",
For you see, I'm learning as i play.
I may be a teacher someday.

My Favorite Children's Book

My favorite children's book! Oh my! I have so many of them. But I really like "The Gruffalo". I like how the mouse outwits all the other characters including the Gruffalo. My favorite part is when the mouse describes how the Gruffalo looks. And I love the elements of rhythm and rhyme in this book. But most of all, I like this book because my grand-daughter loves it when I read it to her. Oh my! I just discovered that there is a children's "Gruffalo" website with games and more! I can't wait to share this with my grand-daughter and my children at work!