Words of Inspiration and Motivation

      As an educator, there are times when I get discouraged or question if I'm in the right field. During those times, I reflect on my passion and motivation. I evaluate the following quotes and see if they still apply to me and my feelings about being an educator.  These quotes remind me of why I am in the field of education and I am inspired and motivated to persevere through the difficult days. I hope they can do the same for you.

"Passion comes from within each of us; it cannot be imposed or mandated from the outside. At the same time, it compels us to move outside, to engage within the world around us."

                                                                                              -John Hagel

"When I think of passion I think of ....what's in my heart."

-Leticia Lara

(These two quotes help me to examine my passion for early childhood education by determining if that is what's inside me. And every time my answer is overwhelmingly "Yes, every since I can remember!")

"It's my turn to be able to create opportunities for parents and their children."

-Raymond Hernandez

"It's not all about you; you got to take your ego out of it and think about what's best for the child."

-Renatta M. Cooper

(These two quotes provide motivation for me because they remind me of why I do what I do everyday; help children and their families. At the end of the day that's what's important.)

"This is why, in the end, focusing on honing and improving specific techniques is the fastest route to success, sometimes even if that practice comes at the expense of philosophy or strategy."

-Doug Lemov

"Early childhood classrooms are meeting grounds that reflect modern American society in all its complexity."

-Aisha Ray

(These two quotes motivate me to be a lifelong learner and to continue to perfect teaching strategies.  My classroom is the first taste of the "real world" that my students will encounter so I need to make sure that they have the best experiences possible. )

If these quotes have inspired or motivated you in the field of early childhood education, I encourage you to SHARE them so another educator can LEARN and GROW.   



Personal Childhood Web

  My personal childhood web consists of five people who contributed to my development as a child and influenced my adulthood. These five people are my mother, father, grandmother, uncle, and childhood pastor.  All of them made me feel special as I was growing up and they taught me valuable lessons.  I truly appreciate the time I spent with each of them and the postivite characteristics I developed while with them.  Each of them encouraged me to SHARE, LEARN, and GROW!

I dedicated a section of my page to each person mentioned above.  Please take a look at the bottom of my  page to learn more about how they all contributed to my life.   

Take Me Home, Please?

  One afternoon before dismissal a student asked me if I could take her home and babysit her over the weekend.  I responded by saying, "Do you really want to go home with your teacher?" She enthusiastically said, "Yes!"  Then she told me that she would pay me $5000 to take her home with me.  By this time the rest of my students joined the conversation, and they all began bidding for my babysitting services.  I realized how much they really liked me not just as a teacher, but as a person too.  Throughout the school year I had built a relationship with them.  That day my student decided to SHARE the desire she had to go home with me, and I LEARNED that I really did make an impact on my students' lives.  And, from that experience I GREW.

Share Learn Grow

Being an educator has taught me that the more I share my experiences with colleagues, the more I learn from them and I learn about myself.  After that learning takes place I grow.  It is my hope that once you read this blog you too will share, learn, and grow.