It has been a long journey in pursuing my degree. As I reach closer to my goal of graduating, I can look back and realize how much information I have acquired through the years. Learning begins at infancy and never stops. I have been taught the importance of maintaining a nurturing, loving, and supportive learning environment to aid in their development. Infants are highly dependent on caregivers and it is important to establish trust and attachment. The significance for teachers to attend to their needs in a timely manner will build security and ensure their premium development. In early childhood, a child transitions through many classrooms as they grow. Each move brings a new experience with the first being a new form of attachment. It is very important to be sensitive to their needs and make the child feel comfortable and secure in their new environment. Teachers should maintain a consistent schedule for them to help establish routines. This includes coming to work regularly and on time because children will look for those familiar faces to feel more protected. Learning goals and activities should be planned to promote growth and development in the areas of social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Children learn through play, and most of their development in the early years happens when they are playing. It is important to provide them with many opportunities to problem solve, develop large and small muscles, build language and make social connections. It is important to provide a clean and organized classroom so that the students are aware of the materials available and are able to play with them appropriately. Safety should be one of the most important things teachers consider. This includes hazards in the classroom, playground and health as well. Every effort should be made to provide an environment that is safe for learning and teaches the children about self-care, staying healthy and building positive relationships with one another.
I believe I maintain a very professional attitude and commitment to providing outstanding service. My level of professionalism is very evident throughout my work experience. I strive to be a dependable and flexible team player. It is important to me to work together with one goal in mind. Especially in child care, the purpose is to help children learn and grow so that they have a successful future. Through my course work I have learned many useful things to expand my professionalism. Taking a public speaking class has helped me to feel more confident when speaking to families about our school and the programs that may be beneficial to their child, or when conducting staff meetings. I have always been nervous when it comes to speaking to a group of people, and while I can’t say that this nervousness has been alleviated, the class has taught me techniques on how to present information in a positive and clear fashion. With the things that I have learned I feel better able to speak with parents about their child’s growth and development. It makes me feel more assertive in sharing information about the importance of early childhood education and how the experience can develop a love for learning.
My experience at Reynolds has been very rewarding and had its shares of highs and lows along the way. It was fun meeting new people each semester and hearing about their experiences working with children. It’s nice to be able to collaborate and share ideas that bring positive results. As a student, a mother and full-time employee it was very difficult at times managing the three. However, I appreciate all that I learned and the guidance that I received from my professors. In the end it was well worth every bit of the challenges I had to overcome. I feel that all of my classes influenced me in some way in gaining a greater knowledge of the importance of being an excellent teacher and providing outstanding care. It has all worked together to create the foundation of what I need to continue my career in early childhood.
As I move forward in my career path I will use all of what I have learned already to enhance my work experience. I plan to build upon this by taking classes to move towards a career in social work. I would love to work with families and children in many different aspects. It is my natural talent to help people achieve their goals and greater purpose in life and I would like to be able to offer support in those areas. It brings me great joy to see how I can have a positive impact and influence in the lives of others.
This portfolio will be very helpful to me when working with families and referring resources. It opened the door to finding a wealth of information and services that are available to families. The competency statements allowed me to reflect back on the things that I learned through my time spent at Reynolds. It is always good to go back and put it all in perspective.
In closing, I am so grateful for this long journey. It has been a long eight years but the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable. The best feeling I think I will get when I graduate is knowing that although I strive to be a positive and influential role model in my professional environment, I have been an even better mom and role model to my own children. They are just as excited to see my hard work pay off, and without their support as well this may not have been possible.