Personal Narrative: Childhood Education

In the beginning of this educational journey I thought I knew a lot about Child development. Factor man is that there is a lot about child development that I did not no. Most of the few youth theorists Word known to me and I study some of them however most of what I have read I have forgot. I’ve always Love Learning, so I find the journals and discussions extremely interesting. Some other things about child development I knew but did not know the technical terms for them. For example, I understood that kids learn at different rates but I didn’t have a a good understanding on how the brain develops. Brain development is an element that I overlooked. My perspective and understanding of child development has evolved because I always knew or

My experiences working with children officially began in 2012 when I started working for One of A Kind Progressive Early Education. I worked with children of all ages, primarily toddlers and preschoolers. While working at One of A Kind, I assisted the lead teachers as much as possible. I helped develop daily routines of activities, lesson plans, nap, and toilet-training times that seemed most effective for the students. I worked with parents during pick up and drop off times to make sure they were happy with the schedule and care their child was receiving. I was in charge of maintaining a safe environment for the students at One of A Kind.

As the famous Eleanor Roosevelt Once said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” This is very true to my story. When I was little I thought that I would always go to my charter school, LCCS until I graduated to high school. I never thought that I would change schools, that thought never entered my mind until I heard about the Advanced Enrichment Program. Then all my visions of what it would be like to stay at LCCS were thrown out the window and I transferred all my effort into preparing to take the test to get in. This the story of how I tried my best to get in, even though I thought I couldn’t do it.

I have worked with children that are a few months old to 17-years-old. Although I have had many experiences with elementary school students by being an Early Elementary and Special Education major, my main experiences have been through Junior Achievement, volunteering at a Sunday school for children with disabilities, and being a Resident Assistant.

Preschool was really cool I made a few friends I remembered their faces but not too many memories. One thing that stood out was when I had to get my mouth washed out with soap it was the worst thing ever I can still the taste of the soap as I type this, yuck. Cleaned my mouth up literally and figuratively. I can remember graduation from preschool I was super excited but I think my mother was much more excited than I. She was so happy and smiling so big I can tell she was proud of me to this day she has that same feeling as I accomplish things in my life now.

Like many people everyone wants to find their calling and figure out where they belong. My parents moved to the United States risking their lives on a boat from Haiti but soon separated while in america . My mom did a great job raising four kids on her own and I being the second child took part in raising my two younger siblings. In elementary school I struggled in many subjects but excelled in art, when I finally learned to read and went to middle school my grades were high enough to have honors reading and social study classes and even apa classes in highschool. I continued to excel in a lot of my classes, turns out I was smarter than I thought and all I need to do was learn to read and have people who took the time to teach me.

When I first arrived at Cornerstone Youth Center, I had an unrealistic expectation that the children and teenagers at the center would be somewhat well behaved, and interested in exploring their faith. The fact that I was volunteering in Lancaster County led me to believe that because the town seems so calm and safe that it would reflect how the youth behave. I could not have been more wrong.

Every day at school working with kindergarten children filled with lesson’s around the student’s interest, passions, and abilities. We as educators recognize when our student is falling behind in learning, so with taking advantage of every teachable moment imagine how far the student could go in this world. In my eleven years working with kindergarten children, I have had experience working children with ADHD. They run around or climb, have trouble paying attention to a task for more than a few minutes, not seem to listen when spoken to, and easily distracted, and don’t follow instructions no matter how clearly you present them.

My sisters and I were huddled around our father, impatiently waiting for the resolution of the previous night's cliffhanger. It was a cold winter night, and we were beginning our nightly tradition of reading a chapter of our favorite book series, The Hardy Boys. The dog was snoring lightly in the corner, the grandfather clock signaled the beginning of a new hour, and our mother was in the rocking chair, rocking gently, just as curious as we were. My father scratched his beard and then began to weave a story of mystery and wonder. As the words surged forth from his mouth, satisfying our curiosity, I was left wondering if I’d ever be able to discover these adventures by myself. This would be the first step to literacy.

A long time ago back in Alton where I used to live there was going to be a big change for me. I was little didn't remember much, but i do remember the move van. I remember the men carrying my things rom the car to the house. Me and my father were standing out side, he got me villanelle ice cream and I was trying to make it last on that hot summer day. “Dad why did we leave our home?” I asked with ice cream running down my hand. H said “ We didn’t leave our home, home is where your family is.” I realized that day that we didn't leave our home, home is where you make it.

One thing that was important to me as kid was Halloween. As a kid dressing up as scary characters and getting candy from like 5pm to around 9/10pm. Running around with my parents and saying trick or treat was a blast.Also seeing the older kids egging other people's houses.Sometimes the other kids would scar me with what they had on. While I was getting older I started getting less interesting in the dressing up part. I really just wanted the candy, but in order to get the candy I had to dress up. 2013 was my last time dressing up for Halloween. Now i just buy my candy at the store and get some of it from my sisters. This year I plan on going with my friends that go to Mundy's Mill high.

This semester, I was honored to be placed in Mrs. Dellinger’s kindergarten classroom at Amboy Elementary, in North Little Rock. I explained to Mrs. Dellinger my modification assignment. She immediately suggested I work with a student named Julian. Julian is a young boy that is an English language learner, Spanish being his first. Julian came into kindergarten not knowing any letter names, letter sounds, or sight words. Julian is in one of the lowest reading groups in class. While observing Julian in class, I noticed that he writes his entire first name backwards, starting from right to left. Julian rarely participates in classroom discussions, carpet time, or sing-a-longs. For the most part, Julian sits quietly throughout the day. Julian can speak some English; however, he struggles communicating with others. Unfortunately, for Julian, he is technically behind on the very first day of kindergarten, which is actually very sad for him, since it is only the beginning of his academic career.

Growing up yes it happens to everyone. Each one of us grow like a rose from a seed to a blossomed beauty. As i was blossoming i realized that i didn't just grow up like that. Each day was a new adventure . All of us has had a few days that are still yet proud of to have accomplished. I as well had many successes throughout growing up

I learned about CTE seven years ago when I was home schooled. I was excited that such a school existed! I asked my parents when I could enroll. They answered: “According to CTE, you have to be a high school student or at the age of 16 to attend any of their two year tech programs.” Since that conversation, I continued with my home school education provided by my parents for another three years before they reintegrated me back to public education.

I have been a preschool teacher, teaching mixed age children from 18 months to 5 years, for over 10 years. I started as a work study employee, while attending the Community College of Philadelphia in 2006, to a part-time teaching assistant while attending Temple University in 2010. This led me to a lead-teacher position after graduation and then to a program coordinator. I have developed effective working relationships with children in the past years. This position has helped me improve my teamwork and interpersonal skills by cooperating with other teachers in planning teaching materials according to the Reggio Emilia approach and by sharing teaching resources. I decided that working with children, understanding and assisting in their education,