Examining Code of Ethics

DEC Code of Ethics

II.  Professional Development and Preparation

1.  We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the purpose of     continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children with disabilities and their families.
Being able to self reflect and know what trainings I need to be a better professional is important to me.  Staying current with new developments, attending necessary trainings and learning is important to me and can help me grow as a professional.  Being stagnant with what I know as of today isn't going to help me but continuing to add to my knowledge base as it relates to my profession can only benefit my professional performance and the services I provide to children and families.

NAEYC Code of Ethics

1-1.9-To advocate for and ensure that all children including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful.

This is the main reason why I chose this profession, because I want to see children become successful.  A lot of times I have seen children who don't have a support system and have seen where even parents aren't involved in their child's education and to be a child's advocate, to be their voice because they don't have a voice of their own yet is important to me. 

I-2.2-To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve.

Parents need to trust me in order to seek my help, so I try to get parents to understand what my job is and to build a level of trust with them.  Sometimes parents don't understand what's going on and I have found in my personal practices that if their is a foundation that has been set that parent's are more apt to come to you and ask you for their help or when you offer them your help they are more apt to receive it.  I have also come to understand that when children see that their parents trust you it's easier to build a trusting relationship with the child.  Trust is a biggie in this field and without it I don't feel that I could be successful with in I do.

Growing My Selection of Resources

Adding to Week 5 Resources

ECRP(Early Childhood Research & Practice) http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v14n2/gleason.html
Lasting Benefits of Preschool Programs. ERIC Digest.  http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/lasting.htmNation
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities   http://nichcy.org/babies/overview     

Week 5 Class Resources

National Association for the Education of Young Children  http://www.naeyc.org/
The Division for Early Childhood     http://www.dec-sped.org/
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/
WESTED  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
Harvard Education Letter http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85 
FPG Child Development Institute  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/ 
HighScope  http://www.highscope.org/
Children's Defense Fund  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
Center for Child Care Workforce  http://www.ccw.org/
Council for Exceptional Children  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Institute for Women's Policy Research   http://www.iwpr.org/
National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
National Child Care Association http://www.nccanet.org/
National Institute for Early Education Research  http://nieer.org/
Pre[K]Now http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
Voices for America's Children  http://www.voices.org/The Erikson Institute   http://www.erikson.edu/

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"All children have within them the potential to be great kids.  It's our jobs to create a great world where this potential can flourish". -Dr. Stanley Greenspan

"If your child is going to develop a healthy personality with the capacity to remain intact and grow, she must learn how to test reality, regulate her impulses, stabilize her moods, integrate her feelings and actions, focus her concentration and plan". -Dr. Stanley Greenspan

"If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is doing the thinking".  -President Lyndon B. Johnson

"Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time".  -President Lyndon B. Johnson

"The passion to create a safer, more just world for all children is there and I suppose it will be there until the day that I die".  -Louise Derman-Sparks

"We as professionals in the Early Childhood Field have the opportunity to shape a child's life for the better and that's what makes me passionate about this field".  -Sandy Escobido

Personal Childhood Web

Five of the people who nurtured and cared for me when I was a child were:

Peggy Jones/Mom- My mom has supported me and continues to support me throughout my life.  She continuously praises me for becoming the person that I am today; however she still tries to put me in check when she feels I need it.  She always has an encouraging word and would never allow me to use the word can’t, and would always remind me that I could do anything that I set my mind to do as long as I was passionate about it.

Steven Jones/Dad- My dad has always showed me unconditional love.  I am the baby of the family so I was definitely a daddy’s girl.  He was the authoritative figure in my life.  Rules were very strict but they were his rules and I had to abide by them.  My freshmen year of college I called my dad and told him that I wanted to come home, that I didn’t like school and I just wanted to find a job but he encouraged me to hang in there and to be positive about the experiences that I was going through.  I know that if I would not have talked to him that particular evening I probably would not have stayed in school.

Christee White/Sister- Christee is only two years older than me but has always encouraged me to do my best and to go after my dreams.  Christee stuck up for me in school and always had my back no matter what.  She is truly a big sister who I love very dearly.

Renee Jones/Oldest Sister- Renee is three years older than me and as a child taught me to stick up for myself and to be the person that I wanted to be, not what others dictated me to be.  She encouraged me, would remind me that I was smart and did the things that older sister do for their younger siblings. 

Harvey Jones/Grandfather- My granddad was the best.  He would always tell his grandchildren he wanted to see us do big things in our lives.  He encouraged us, reminded us of how much he loved us and showed us how to give love; he was a good man who truly cared about his family.  Sitting back thinking of him at this moment has me on the verge of tears but I know in my heart that he is proud of the woman that I have become. 

All of these people have shown me unconditional love throughout my life.  They continue to encourage me to this very day.  I was the first child and the first grandchild to graduate from college and it’s because of these five people and a few more that I am who I am.  My sisters are the ones who encouraged me to go back to school and get my Masters Degree.  Since being in school they all call me to ask if I am staying on top of my work or just to ask how my classes are coming.  I thank God for such a loving, supportive family who has always showed me unconditional love and support.

Parental Involvement fuels my passion

I have heard a lot of people make negative comments about Early Childhood Programs.  What's the purpose of them?  Why do they need them?  Why does a child so young have to have a IFSP?  When I began teaching per-kindergarten I was so discouraged because of these comments and I felt that Early Childhood Programs weren't being taken seriously by parents.  A lot of people are close-minded.  What they fail to realize that a child can began to learn as early as in its mothers womb.  We don't have to wait until a child goes to kindergarten before we start to teach them.  It's important that we encourage families to began  teaching their children from birth, reading to them, listening to age appropriate music, letting them explore age appropriate things, all of this is a apart of a child's learning.  I wish that I could get parents to understand that it's not just the teachers job to teach their children because I honestly believe that parents are their child's first teacher.  I have said so many times that a teacher can go in a classroom everyday and give her students 100% of herself but if parents are not reinforcing it at home what is the likelihood that it's going to stick with them, a child's attention span is only but so long so parents need to get more involved with the early learning of their children so that they can continue to grow. 

When I see parents who take interest in their child's learning I see a difference in the child's work, their educational assessments that we provide and in their behavior.  I can also tell those children who are not get that support from their parents, these are the parents that I want to reach.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."

-Benjamin Franklin-

 

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