My Connections to Play...

  Quotes that represent my childhood:


“Children are deeply curious about odd behaviors and seldom offended or worried by them. What a remarkable gift to bestow on another person, it occurs to me, and so difficult for adults to accomplish.”
― Vivian Gussin Paley, The Kindness of Children


 “Pretend" often confuses the adult, but it is the child's real and serious world, the stage upon which any identity is possible and secret thoughts can be safely revealed.”
― Vivian Gussin Paley, The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter


 Toys from the 80s!!!!!

 

When I was a child, my parents encouraged my siblings and I to be outdoors as much as possible. We did not own video games and i do not even think we had cable television. I can remember my sister and cousins building campsites, and turning old tires into spaceships, and riding our bikes with the long seats, pretending they were school buses and giving each other rides to school.

My mom would always bring worksheets home from her school that were left over from the year she taught, my dad would always keep us stocked up on pencils and crayons which my sister and I used to teach our stuffed animals!

In today's play the similarities I  see would have to be the interactive video games that encourage children to move, dance, and jump. I also see games that encourage some level of cognitive thinking, and board games such as; Operation, which uses fine motor. I see a huge difference of outside play in today's society, because technology is so popular, thus leaves less time for outdoor exploration. The toys today encourage a lot more fighting and competition, (which competition can be healthy) and also television shows sometimes interrupt children's views of what is real and who is the good/bad character. When I was younger my siblings and I used our imaginations a lot, we would develop our own singing groups, we would pretend to be teachers, and community helpers, I believe this was so because we had very little exposure to television.

Building Relationships....

I have to start this blog off with a picture of my mother once again. This special lady raised my 3 half brothers from my fathers' first marriage as well as my half sister. Through out the years of raising my half siblings, I can remember mom telling me how much grief and trouble they gave her simply because she was not their biological mother whom had left them and was not her from until many, many years later.
My mother has always been there for all of us, she was the nurturer, the nurse, the psychologists, mentor, the daughter, sister, and wife. Through out my mother's life she has always taught me how to stand up for what I believe in, that is was okay to cry, but then I must always believe that there is a brighter light at the end of what may seem like the longest, darkest tunnel ever.
My mother was there for me through the birth of my 3 children, when I delivered my twins at 25 weeks, I can remember my mother calling every day saying there was a prayer train going, and the girls will make it home soon. About 1 month after my mother touched my children in their incubators, she died suddenly from renal failure. Her selflessness and strength has inspired me to be the mother, wife, educator, mentor, nurse, and psychologist I am today!

This Man, is my hero.. My father! My dad raised 7 children; I am the youngest of them all. My father is 73 years old, and believes in taking care of his health. He has always been a provider for my siblings and I. My dad worked for United Parcel Service for over 35 years before retiring. I can remember stories he told me from the early 70s just starting his job out, having to drive back and fourth through a town called Old Fort. In that time, Old Fort was not a very diverse area, in fact there were still restrooms labeled; "black and white".
 My father told me stories of how most of the citizens, as well as store owners would spout out negative words to him, asking him to not return and deliver at a place where he was wanted. 
This continued for many years, my determined and courageous father continued his deliveries in Old Fort, because at that time, the further you traveled, the more income you could bring in. When asked by his supervisor if he wanted to reroute, he stated; "this is my job, and no one will scare me away, or keep me from providing for my family".
 My dad has taught me to continue to fight for what you believe in, no matter how hard the fight may seem, and a very important lesson was to speak up and firmly if it is for a cause you strongly believe in which is a goal I am personally working on to the day.

 My husband and my children are my biggest supporters! No matter how my day goes, good or bad, my loves accept me the way I am. Partnerships and relationships are so good to have, maintain, and cherish. 

There are times when we as educators must bridge the gap between home and school by communicating daily too the families, building a trusting relationships so that they will be more inclined to ask for help or resources, but must importantly to be aware if there are any challenges with the child at home or school.