Words of Inspiration and Motivation

This page consists of motivating quotes from a variety of respectful early childhood professionals. Throughout my study of the early childhood field, I will be adding more quotes to this page, so please feel free to revisit this post for more inspiration.

"The legacy I want to leave is a child-care system that says no kid is going to be left alone or left unsafe."
             Marian Wright Edelman


"Being considerate of others will take you and your children further in life than any college or professional degree."
             Marian Wright Edelman


"Parents have become so convinced educators know what is best for children that they forget that they themselves are really the experts."
             Marian Wright Edelman



"Probably the most important single determinant of a child's growth is the behavior of the parents."
             Edward Zigler, Ph.D.



"If you can get that mother involved and maker her a better socializer and teacher to her own children, that benefit will accrue to the younger children."
             Edward Zigler, Ph.D.



"I'm not sure that its moral to segregate children along socioeconomic lines. I'm not sure it meets John Dewey's notion of educating children to live in a democracy. If you put kids from all social classes together, they get the benefits of learning about one another. And research now indicates that poor children's education accomplishments are greater when they are in classes with middle-class children than when they are in classes only with other poor children."
             Edward Zigler, Ph.D.



"Conception, not birth, is when development starts. The Early Head Start findings demonstrated that when mothers are pregnant, they're extremely interested in information and instruction. After laying that foundation, we also need to have a good, solid, high-quality preschool program for 3s and 4s. And when they get to school at age 5, don't quit. You have to have a program that goes up to 3rd grade. That's a turning point in children's lives and their school performance. If children are behind then, their chances of ever catching up are next to nil."
             Edward Zigler, Ph.D.


Tiffany Booze

Personal Childhood Web

There were several people who have mentored and raised me throughout my childhood and have contributed to the person that I have become today. Listed below are a few of those important people in my life and description of how they are related to me and the impact that they have had in my life. I hope that by reading this post you will be able to learn a little more about my background and see where my personality comes from.

• My mother, Lynn, has always been a strong role model for me. Up until the birth of my younger sister, she was a stay at home mother. She was always there to provide the love and support that my siblings and I needed. She was the one who helped us with homework whenever we needed it and she was always in the stands for all of our sporting events. I can only think of one basketball game (I was a cheerleader) that she missed and it was because she was ill. She regretted it terribly, but I reminded her that she has been there for me whenever I have needed her. When she did start working again, she started teaching preschool. As I entered college and decided to pursue education for a career, she simply told me to follow my heart and do what I was passionate about. She is still my biggest fan!
• My father, Vaughn, has always been the main breadwinner of the family. Even when my mother started working full-time when I was in elementary school, my father continued to work two jobs to make sure that the bills were paid and we had everything that we needed. My father would attend my sporting events when he could, but most of the time he was working whenever I had a game or competition. My parents divorced when I was in my Sophomore year of college and that is when I actually became closer to my dad. We started a yearly ritual where we would have a father-daughter outing when just the two of us would go out and explore something new. I cherished that one-on-one time with my father because I rarely had it growing up. Now that I am married, my father gives my family space, but is always there for me whenever I need him. He loves my daughter dearly and she looks up to him with love and respect.
• My maternal grandmother, Eileen, was such a loving and caring person. Whenever we went to grandma's house, it was her house that we went to. She was the person who introduced me to God and I loved attending church with her when I stayed the night at her house on a weekend. I felt so special sitting in the pew next to her during the service and she would always share her Certs mints with me. My grandma's house always felt like a refuge where I could turn to whenever I needed someone to listen. I lived with her for a while when I attended Ohio State and it was one of the best decisions I could have made. During my stay with her, her dementia began to develop and she was always repeating herself. As crazy as it was to listen to the same stories again and again, I loved those moments sitting at the kitchen table with her. Her dementia took a turn for the worse literally the day that my daughter was born and I always joke saying that my grandmother checked out because she knew that she couldn't handle my daughter, but I know deep down that my grandmother loved each and every moment that she was able to spend with my daughter, even though she didn't know who she was. My grandmother passed away this past December and I miss her dearly. Whenever I am feeling down, my mind always wanders to the moments that I shared with her and I can feel her presence with me.
• My paternal grandmother, Frances, is a very strong, loving woman. She was always a homemaker who did all of the cooking and cleaning around the home. For the longest time, I thought that she was soft spoken until recently. She always followed my grandfather's orders and did not do otherwise. She has outlived two of her children and her husband. She is definitely a person who is set in her ways and does not like a change in routine. When my grandfather passed away (by his own hand), she found the note, called the people that she needed to call, and then proceeded to make herself breakfast. She sat at the table and ate while everyone was working around her. She is 98 and living in an nursing home now, but she is still very independent. She refuses to be late to church or a meal and don't even think about pulling her out of Bingo for a visit. She is never afraid to tell me that she doesn't like how I have let the curl go out of my hair or let me know that I've gained weight. That's what I love about her. She notices the details in life and doesn't let life get in her way. I see a lot of her in myself. I am a perfectionist and very determined. Once I set a goal, I do everything that I can to make sure that I reach that goal to the fullest potential. Simply meeting the goal isn't good enough. I have to do my best work at all times.
• My brother, Steven, is my older sibling. Growing up, he had a lot of behavioral issues and I learned what not to do by watching him. However, he was always the big brother that I needed him to be. He has always been very protective of my and he let me know if he didn't like somebody that I was dating. I was able to turn to him for advice when I entered high school. When I entered high school, he and I became more like friends. He is very independent and goal-oriented like I am. He is also a very loving father to my nephew. There have been times when he has turned to me for advice, which in turn showed me that I have gained his respect as an adult. As I continue to pursue my education career, he asks me questions about school and expresses interest in my life. He may be my big brother, but he has become one of my best friends.

Below are some pictures of the people that I listed above, plus a description of the photo. Enjoy!

 

Here is a picture of my maternal Grandmother, Eileen, during one of my visits to the nursing home after her dementia set in. My mother, Lynn, is also pictured holding my daughter.

 

 

Here is a picture of my paternal Grandmother, Frances, at her 98th birthday party just last month. My husband, daughter, and I are also pictured here.

 

 

This is a picture of my mother, Lynn, holding my daughter one week after she was born.

 

 

This is a picture of my brother, Steven, holding my nephew during a family gathering.

 

 

Here is a picture of my father, Vaughn, and I when we attended my sister's high school graduation.

 

Tiffany Booze

My Favorite Children's Book

My favorite children's book of all time is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. My husband was the one who introduced me to this book and I am so glad that he did. It was his favorite book growing up and it is now my favorite book to read to our 3 year old daughter. Madelynn loves sitting on my lap and rocking to the story. I also love how I can completely relate to the mother in the story. There are definitely times where my daughter or students are "driving me crazy" or making me want to "sell them to the zoo" (Munsch, 2010). But at the end of the day, my love for them continues to grow and erases all of the negative moments away. This story catches the true love that a parent has for their children and I hope that I can pass this love on to all of the children in my life.

Tiffany Booze

Resources:

Munsch, R. (2010). Love you forever. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, Inc.

Quotations about Early Childhood Education

Included below are some of my favorite quotations about Early Childhood Education and Teaching. I hope that you are able to find a few that you can relate to or that encourage you to think more deeply about interactions with young children.

"We worry about what a child will become, yet we forget that he is someone today."
-Stacia Tauscher
 

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." - Dr. Hiam Ginnot

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." -Sydney J. Harris

All of these quotations ring true in my classroom. With Stacia Tauscher's quote, I have to admit that there are times when I am teaching that I forget that I am working with children. Each child is a unique individual that is actively learning in the present. I may be focused about what I want them to learn and how they will demonstrate that they have learned these skills, but I know that I need to step back and focus on what my students have already accomplished and praise them for that. With Dr. Ginnot's quote, children are very observant and will pick up on anything that they see or hear, whether it is good or bad. Unfortunately, bad experiences can quickly erase any good experiences that a student has had, so a teacher needs to make sure that positive praise and teaching occurs all of the time. Sydney Harris made a great analogy to education. Many students who have grown up in disadvantaged homes enter school thinking that their future is dim. A great teacher can help these students understand that they can do whatever they set their heart to do and then provide these students and their families with resources to help these students succeed.

Tiffany Booze


Resources:

Success Degrees, Inc., (2012). Inspirational quotes & quotations on early childhood education for teachers. Retrieved from Success Degrees website: http://www.successdegrees.com/inspirationalquotesaboutearlychildhoodeducationandteaching.html

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Portrait

Every year, my child care center brings in a professional photographer to have pictures taken for all of the staff and students. For some families at our school, these are the only professional pictures taken of their children every year. Here is my staff picture for this 2011-2012 school year, which was taken in May of 2012.

Tiffany Booze

Students Learn, I Learn...Repeat!

One thing that I have learned as a teacher in a child care center is that students can do an endless amount of learning. The more that I show them or expose them to, the greater the chances that my students will pick up on the lessons that I want them to learn. However, I have also learned that I am  a student in my own classroom. I am constantly amazed at how well my students pick up on things or how they do not like an activity that I thought they would absolutely love. As a teacher, I have learned that I need to be an "open book". I need to be able to show my students that they can also possess a love for learning, but understand that my love for learning and their love can be completely different.

As a student at Walden University, I am forced to step back and view the classroom from the perspective of my students. I have to absorb what I am interested in and simply listen to what I may not be. However, as an adult, I know how to filter my interests and change them so that all of the information that is presented to my in my degree program can be applied to my career as an early childhood educator and administrator. I have always joked that I would love to be a lifelong student, but in reality, I already am!

Tiffany Booze