Pioneers in the field of Early Childhood Education

Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D.





Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D.

"We know that teachers are the key to good child care - and as long as teachers are undervalued, American children, too, will keep getting less than they deserve"

Reference:

Marcy Whitebook.  (1992, May 19). Child-Care Workers Deserve A Raise Well-Trained Employees Are  Leaving The Field In Droves :[5* Edition]. St. Louis Post - Dispatch (pre-1997 Fulltext),p. 3B.  Retrieved October 1, 2010, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 53059478).

Janet Gonzalez-Mena, M.A.

"[P]art of being who you are has to do with feeling your feelings, which means you'll have a wide range of emotions--not just constant sunshiny happiness."
— Janet Gonzalez-Mena (Child, Family, and Community: Family-Centered Early Care and Education)

Raymond Hernandez, M.S. Ed

"My passion comes from wanting to make a difference...I truly believe I'm not here to save the world, I am here to make a difference in the community I live in."

Video Program: “The Passion for Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals share passion, motivation, and commitment to the early childhood field.

Personal Childhood Web

• Identify up to five people who fit that description.

The five people that impacted my childhood are my mother, father, sister and two brothers.

• Describe each person and briefly state your relationship to each person, in what ways each one has influenced your life as a child, how they nurtured you, cared about you, and how they made you feel special.

Schery Bailey is my mother, she taught me a lot growing up.  One of the biggest lessons learned from her was how to be responsible with money, which is HUGE!  It has helped out so much as an adult.  She always made me feel special by supporting me in what ever I decided to to (and still does). 

Joseph Bailey is my father, he embrased my athletic talents and taught me how to play ANY sport I took interest in. We always went fishing on the weekends and spent a lot of quality time together.  He nurtured me by teaching me any and everything that he could think of; how to fix cars, riding a bike, or playing soft ball.  He too made me feel special by supporting my many interests.

Ravonda Randolph is my sister, she is 9 years older than me.  However, we did not get a long too well growing up because I was the nagging little sister. She did teach me a lot when we did not argue, such as how to dress like a lady and keep my hair looking pretty. She also helped me with my homework when I needed help and made me feel special by giving great gifts for my birthday.

Joseph Bailey Jr. is my oldest brother, he is 6 years older than me.  Even though he was not athletic growing so we did not have much in common he took up for me when I needed help.  If I was being bullied he made sure that no one would hurt his little sister (non-violent, of course).  He always remembered my birthday and is concerned about my needs.

Lonelle Davis is my youngest older brother, he is 3 years older than me.  He made sure that I was tough, he is a great competitor when it comes to sports and he taught me how to be a better basketball player.  He always took the time to play with me when I did not have any friends in the neighborhood to play with.  He also taught me how to play a few video games too. 

• Describe in what ways their influence continues to impact your present life.

My family continue to influence me today, they are always supportive of me and they are always there for me when I need them.  They influence me to do better for myself everyday and are very encourging. They still give great advice and are very emotionally connected to my two sons.

This is a great book!

Petunia by Roger Duvoisin

I did not read this book until last year, my mother got it for my two little boys.  This book teaches everyone, not just children that there are not any short cuts in life.  If you have a desire to do something do not try to take the easy route because it may just come back to bite you.  Petunia wanted to be smart so she thought that if she carried a book around it would make her smart.  Her friend ended up believing that she was smart because she was carrying a book; boy were they wrong.  I'll let you read the book yourself to find out what Petunia did to her friends because of her desire to "look" smart.

Educator for Kids

Touching The Future

I don't wear power suits,
make speeches,
or drive a fancy sports car.

I've never talked on a car phone,
made a big sale,
or been elected to the Senate.

I don't "do lunch",
have a big impressive office,
or carry a beeper.

I spend my days wiping away tears,
giving hugs,
and serving chicken nuggets.

A good day is when I go through a whole day
without a temper tantrum,
bite mark,
or a toilet training accident.

My "office" is a room full of brightly colored toys
and laughing children.

You may not think that what I do is very important
and you may even whisper behind my back
"What a waste of a good mind"
But I know better.

I make a difference
because I'm changing the world
one child at a time.

Everyday I'm getting the once in a lifetime chance
to touch the future.

I'm proud to say "I'm a child care provider".

~ by Marti Doyle