Welcome to my blog!
I hope to share with you helpful information, let you know my story, and share my love for teaching.
"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about" ~Angela Schwindt
I've come to many realizations over the years when it comes to my education and caring for children. I went back to school to receive my Masters degree when my son was about 4 months old. I wanted to create a better life for him and myself. (For those of you who do not know, I am a single mother) I've always had a love to care for children, even at an early age, I can't remember a time when I was not babysitting. I have taught in many settings with many people and diverse families but going to school, I was thinking of helping children with special needs, because I wanted to help people who were struggling in some way. I feel maybe it has been my mother's influence, since her profession is a social worker, so it may have been passed down from her then. ;o) I then found myself wanting to be in my own child's life more during the day while he was at a young age. I ended up with the realization that there was a love for being with both him and other children and helping everyone involved. When going through exercises in my classes, I found I had more and more reason to advocate for an issue I always thought was a small part of myself; my hope for less negativity towards diversity.
I learned how to create an anti-bias learning environment for children, to educate myself and others on issues around the world, and most importantly the importance of focusing and looking inward at yourself and who you are and celebrate it! Once you see the inner workings of who you are as an individual, it makes you more open minded to others. By educating yourself on your history, your family's background or country, it will help you understand why certain cultures do certain things, or at least make you more aware. I've read many stories of how it feels like to be blind, or to live in a wheelchair and how it feels when people insult them and the fact that they are in a wheelchair or can not see. (I will have to somehow post these stories as well) There have been a lot of "turning points" through my education that has opened my eyes, just a bit more and just some of these instances are just a few examples. I was also reminded through my schoolwork of how much of impact certain children with medical issues have effected me throughout my own life. Years ago, I had a child in my care who had Chromosome 18, a totally foreign syndrome to me at the time. This syndrome has worse case scenarios such as deformaties, disabilities or can't walk or talk, to just mild developmentally disabled issues. This child who was in my care, the doctors said she would not be able to walk, talk, do anything that was "typical normal behavior", well this child later proved these doctors wrong. It was such a joy and privilege watching this child grow and talk, walk, making huge strides in her development and wow-ing those doctors. Truely amazing... After becoming a mom myself, I became close with fellow moms in various groups. I made great friends with a family who later had to lose their child too early to a rare disorder, Mitochondrial disorder. This beautiful little girl was just a month younger then my own son. My heart is still with those friends and it only has caused me to focus more on disorders, diseases, and delays. It has also shown me how precious life is, how precious time is and how much I'd want to help any family in this situation or similar situation.
Now that I have gone through these past few years of my transition into having a Masters, I made the move to start my own daycare center (home-based) and I know what kind of issues I want in my center, what I want to teach children, having a warm environment and well rounded curriculum for their development, wither it be delayed or not. I've always felt that "the arts" are hugely important in education, especially since I was originally an art major.
When I was working at one daycare center location, they had a music and movement program come in on a regular basis. Working in the Infant room, I saw children grow and blossom with songs associating with puppets or movements or even dance moves. I honestly, was in complete awe of how much it positively effected their development. I ended up using these songs and fingers plays with my own son, and he started singing them earlier then expected. So I have seen the importance and the positive effects of music in development and as well as being creative with art in any way shape or form. Being creative utterly exercises the mind. I personally, was never fond of history or science in school but I always was drawn to art, and I have witnessed many young individuals like this as well, so I truely want to keep a focus on arts, music and literature of course. (We love reading books!)
I have realized that overall, the commonality in my interest is to help families in any way I can, share stories of my experiences, talk with fellow moms to create bonds and trust, especially with their little ones, having compassion to change negativity into positive when it comes to diversity or learning... I long to help families.
I have now been working with a lot of business people in my small town of Holliston and surrounding towns. My current project is putting together events for families or moms and children initially to grow, to bond, to educate them for the better. I have created many "Mom & Me Date" events with themes from being a happy mom with yourself so you can be a happy mom for your children, to music & movement, to proper early dental care, to even mom and baby fitness. I'm super SUPER excited for these opportunities to work with businesses and families! I have also taken part of many groups and committees with having a single mom support group and celebrating families that way to creating unity and positive diversity in the town of Holliston and focus on the love of it.
At the end of the day, I want to look at what I'm doing and say that I've made a difference and have helped someone today grow and have brought positive energy and focus from myself to someone else. I do know, realize, and will always remember, that this life, everything one does, is a "work in progress" and I continue to look and learn more through experiences, and people who I meet, and will want to share that, and of what I have learned and how I can help others. Stay tuned... :O)
I learned how to create an anti-bias learning environment for children, to educate myself and others on issues around the world, and most importantly the importance of focusing and looking inward at yourself and who you are and celebrate it! Once you see the inner workings of who you are as an individual, it makes you more open minded to others. By educating yourself on your history, your family's background or country, it will help you understand why certain cultures do certain things, or at least make you more aware. I've read many stories of how it feels like to be blind, or to live in a wheelchair and how it feels when people insult them and the fact that they are in a wheelchair or can not see. (I will have to somehow post these stories as well) There have been a lot of "turning points" through my education that has opened my eyes, just a bit more and just some of these instances are just a few examples. I was also reminded through my schoolwork of how much of impact certain children with medical issues have effected me throughout my own life. Years ago, I had a child in my care who had Chromosome 18, a totally foreign syndrome to me at the time. This syndrome has worse case scenarios such as deformaties, disabilities or can't walk or talk, to just mild developmentally disabled issues. This child who was in my care, the doctors said she would not be able to walk, talk, do anything that was "typical normal behavior", well this child later proved these doctors wrong. It was such a joy and privilege watching this child grow and talk, walk, making huge strides in her development and wow-ing those doctors. Truely amazing... After becoming a mom myself, I became close with fellow moms in various groups. I made great friends with a family who later had to lose their child too early to a rare disorder, Mitochondrial disorder. This beautiful little girl was just a month younger then my own son. My heart is still with those friends and it only has caused me to focus more on disorders, diseases, and delays. It has also shown me how precious life is, how precious time is and how much I'd want to help any family in this situation or similar situation.
Now that I have gone through these past few years of my transition into having a Masters, I made the move to start my own daycare center (home-based) and I know what kind of issues I want in my center, what I want to teach children, having a warm environment and well rounded curriculum for their development, wither it be delayed or not. I've always felt that "the arts" are hugely important in education, especially since I was originally an art major. 
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