Success Comes In Cans, Not Can'ts

Success is a mindset that can turn into a lifestyle. Often times we have to have the wondrous belief of a child to get things done, solve problems, and work together. I believe these thoughts are contagious. If I didn't..... I wouldn't have lasted very long as a teacher.
And if I did last long without that belief, I couldn't possibly be a very good one.
Have a great day everyone! Let's keep working and have a successful day!

It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes. ~Sally Field

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.

We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. ~W.C. Fields

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. ~Henry Ford

Success comes in cans, not cant's.

I'm not old enough to play baseball or football. I'm not eight yet. My mom told me when you start baseball, you aren't going to be able to run that fast because you had an operation. I told Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast. When I play baseball, I'll just hit them out of the park. Then I'll be able to walk. ~Edward J. McGrath, Jr., "An Exceptional View of Life," quoted in Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, 1993

So....what do you teach besides curriculum?

learning from my mistakes

"Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will."

 ~Vernon Howard

I have the power to set kids up for failure or success. I am always thinking ahead and figuring "what if" scenarios. I suppose in a way it is setting me up for success as well.
Sometimes we learn better from mistakes. But if I can find out the mistakes others have made and simply not do them I would prefer to learn that way. Some days...yes, some days...things will happen.
Finding humor in it while learning helps me remember, too.

The New Poor

“I’m just trying to get my life situated to where I can look beyond the day to day, I hope it all falls together the way it all fell apart.”

The is a very touching artical in this months the NY times examining the parents struggle with job and childcare situations while trying to recover from the widespread strains of the Great Recession. We hear many stories and situations that are very similar...

Excellence

 "Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude." 

~Ralph Marston

I can really appreciate how young children love repetition so much. While I spend most of my day trying to manage my time to get all my errands and tasks done as quickly as possible, they spend their time mastering skills by taking time to do them over and over again.

A built in attitude for mastery and excellence.

Some parts of my childhood I hope I never lose....

wrestling a gorilla.

It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired."
~ Robert Strauss

I am so glad that often times when I am just feeling like a plumb out of what to do in a situation, plain determination is a great substitute for creativity.
How about you?

Changes in Routine in Early Childhood Education

 
“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
-Bruce Lee

How flexible are we when it comes to changes within our own early childhood environments? How about routine changes. If I am having a bad day…do the preschooler know it? Should they know it?
I really like quotes for this reason….they make you think.

Anything but Small

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

~M. Kathleen Casey

I had the honor of working with a little girl with Spinal Bifida. At the time I was a director of an after school program and she came in with the school aged kids after school.
Sometimes the kids would turn their noses up at the healthy snacks the teacher’s provided. I would hear ‘Winnie’ stand up for the teachers explanations while I was at my desk.
“Yeah, guys…come on, even the doctors tell me I have to eat right. If you ever have as many surgeries as I do-you will heal faster and feel better.”
All the kids liked her. Winnie walked with crutches and frequently had pins put in her hip. She was small in stature...petite. Her favorite shirt was pink and had pink rhinestones encrusted on the front saying, SMALL BUT MIGHTY. It’s difficult for me to write about it now…but all I really remember about her was her strength and courage. She was always smiling, laughing and quick to cheer someone up. She once told me that the surgeries she went though were hard on her parents…
“I ask them if they are going to be okay.”
Why are children like Winnie called, ‘special needs’? The ‘special’ part I understand….so selfless and courageous.
I stub my toe you would think I have squirrels juggling chainsaws in my head for those few seconds….did we get it wrong? I mean…who really are the ‘special needs’ people?

You've Got a Friend in Me

“A friend comes in when the whole world has gone out.”

~Grace Pulpit

If you're alone, I'll hold your hand. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your arms. If you need joy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll be there.

The Heckman Equation-Ground Breaking Work for Our Kids

The price of ignorance is far greater than cost of an education.
~ Anonymous

Professor James J. Heckman is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development. Professor Heckman has proven through his equation that quality early childhood programs (birth-five) heavily influence social and economic outcomes. By investing early in our children…economic outcomes will flourish. I have been seeing more bills passed in favor of children because of this work and the dedication of those that love and care for children.
Invest+Develop+Sustain=Gain

INVEST in educational & developmental resources for disadvantaged families to provide access to successful early human development

DEVELOP cognitive skills, social skills, & physical well being in children early-from birth to five when it matters most

SUSTAIN with early development with effective education through adulthood

GAIN a more capable, productive and valuable workforce that pays dividends to America for generations to come

It is exciting to see quality programs come into fruition, especially quality programs for young adults like those at Lifeskills 411. Isn’t it wonderful, when bad news refuses to leave, good news comes right on time?

*The Heckman Equation is a formula for success for policymakers and advocates in the field of childhood development, education, workforce development, social equity and economics.

Be a Well of Affection...

"The hardest of all is learning to be a well of affection, and not a fountain, to show them that we love them, not when we feel like it, but when they do."
~ Nan Fairbrother

Do I have a personal closet for my own hangups and attitudes? Can someone that doesn't even know me look at my face and know I am having a bad day?
If they do then kids surely do.
I would like to start each day fresh and polished....They deserve the best in me, so does everyone.....so do I.

A Higher Standard

"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself-and be lenient to everybody else."
— Henry Ward Beecher

A Pastor once said that his beloved mother said to him...."I simply won't trust you with these people (the parishioners) unless I see a random child run up and hug your legs."
So true, isn't it.
I hold myself to the same standard....and strive to remain worthy of those hugs.
By the way....
She trusts her son....

An Organized Mind

"Loyalty cannot be blueprinted. It cannot be produced on an assembly line. In fact, it cannot be manufactured at all, for its origin is the human heart-the center of self-respect and human dignity. It is a force which leaps into being only when conditions are exactly right for it-and it is a force very sensitive to betrayal
~Maurice R. Franks

As a preschool teacher-when I am with the children I am focused on them. When I am working as a team teacher I am conscious that their eyes and ears are on me….I and careful about the things I say and do. I don’t spend time yakking on my cell phone, text messaging, I spend time with the kids…I devote the time to the children and unless there is a pressing emergency-everything else can wait. During naptime or specific times of the day is playing catch up with “big people” stuff. Your mind has to be organized and you must make a decision every day to do it or it will never happen. A lot of these skills I learned through cutting edge programs called Life Skills 4ll and youareaceo.com.
The children bounce off the teachers’ vibe…there is nothing like feeling calm, organized and focused…then your classroom will begin to fall in line.

The Teacher's Reward

Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It's a state of mind-you could call it character in action."
~Vince Lombardi

Making conscious decisions everyday to put the children first speaks volumes as to what we as educators value. Creating variety in the learning environment is completely up to you…but that is the key to holding the children’s interest, sense of exploration, and enthusiasm about the classroom and how they feel about school. Our own mental energy is what will limit our children. Being the consistent person in the classroom is needful as well. You are the one person that holds the program together in that sense…providing consistency. Being the shoulder to cry on, the ear that will listen, and the cheerful face that provides a ready approving smile of encouragement. Yes, it’s difficult at times…and our payment is not visible on a paycheck. The reward is on the inward part of the heart….It’s just what good teachers do.

Encouraging Active Participation in Preschoolers

 “Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.”
Eddie Rickenbacker, World War 1 hero

I love positivism. It comforts me like a warm blanket. Within the preschool learning environment, one way to inject it immediately is through applause. Yes, applause. In my classroom we clap and cheer for one another constantly and for everything. We also take it a step further. Within the curriculum we will clap for the heroines in the stories we read, the coats we have managed to put on, the sticky little hands we have washed…The children are learning to notice and to respond to one another in positive ways. Individually and as a group.
I recall a little boy in my three’s class. He’s name was Marcus, and he loved ketchup. He elected on his own not to speak at preschool, but today was the day he decided to talk. One day we were all sitting at the snack table and he let out a low soft whisper, “Please, I have ketchup, please”.
Everyone froze. Some children even froze with spoonfuls of cheesy mac still in their chubby cheeks. Finally, Mei-Mei broke the silence, “Wow! You talk! Let’s clap for the man!” We all began to clap and cheer. Marcus smiled a big Cheshire Cat grin as he stood up and bowed. “Hey!” I suggested, “Marcus, may we show you how happy we are for you by giving you a ‘standing ovation’?” Marcus nodded in approval. I explained to the children that when you stand up and clap for somebody that means you think they did something great. They all agreed, and it was the start of something wonderful! At our circle time gatherings, we had children regularly report accomplishments that needed ‘standing ovations’. It built such a sense of community in the classroom; to see children so young learning to encourage one another to overcome heartbreaking obstacles in their lives. For children so small, it is such a great and wonderful thing!