Quotes I Like

“Consider that a severe shortage of qualified staff coexists with exceedingly low wages, and that ideal candidates for jobs have completed postsecondary education, yet most states require no preservice training for employment in child care” -Marcy Whitebook

“Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.” - President Lyndon B. Johnson 

“I am making a collection of the things my opponents have found me to be and, when this election is over, I am going to open a museum and put them on display.” - President Lyndon B. Johnson

“Working intently with children and families is almost like getting a doctorate. Because every year there was always a specific challenge” - Renatta Cooper

“One little sparkle will make a difference for me throughout the whole day” - Raymond Hernandez 

Personal Childhood Web

I have been blessed to have several people influence my life. But there are four people who made and continue to make an impact on my life. Take a moment to get to know the people I love.

MOM- Where would I be without my mother? She is the person who had the most influence over my life as a child and still today. My mother is the most determined woman I know. She sees what she wants out of life and does whatever it takes to get it. I was not raised in the nicest neighborhood, nor did we have a lot of money, but I had no idea that I was living such a “poor” life. My mother created an atmosphere in our home that made me feel like we were millionaires. There were things that I wanted and she would be truthful if we could not afford it, but somehow, someway, she made a way. It may not have been when I wanted it, but she put in the extra hours in order to give me the special things that a little girl wants. My mother has taught me that there are no limits to the things that I can have at my finger tips. She taught me to go after my dreams and to keep the faith. To this day my mother still have a very strong impact on my life. We hang out all the time. I am so proud of all of her accomplishments. She moved us from a small one bedroom apartment in New York City to a four bedroom house in Atlanta. She shared with me that her life changed the day she found out she was pregnant. To this day my mother tells me “everything I do is for you.” I admire her strength and commitment to being my mother. 

NEAL- Neal is the son of my mothers best friend. Our moms had us 5 months apart. We were raised to believe we were cousins, but have a brother/sister relationship. Both being extremely younger than the rest of our family members, we had to rely on each other as playmates. Because Neal’s family lived in a house with lots of space and I lived in a small apartment, lots of my belongings were at his house. I could not go outside and ride a bike in my neighborhood but I could at Neal’s house, so my mother left my bike there. We both we go through our week waiting for the weekend. We couldn’t wait to go outside and ride around together. Every Friday night my mother would get us Happy Meals at McDonalds and we would watch TGIF together. Saturday mornings we woke up to a huge American breakfast made by his mother Elaine. After breakfast we ran straight for our bikes so that we could ride around until we were called in for lunch. Sunday mornings we would wake up and go to church and come back to a traditional Jamaican breakfast. Our mothers wanted to ensure that we were aware of both cultures at an early age. These little details are the things that made our childhood so special. Neal and I grew up together. Today we support each other in every way we can. We talk often about our goals and dreams and do whatever we can to help one another progress. While he lives in New York and I live in Atlanta, it seems as if we are right next door. There is never a time that we have not been there for one another. 

ELAINE- Elaine is my mothers best friend, my aunt, my second mom, and the woman I tell the things I am afraid to tell my mother. She is my supporter, and my voice of reason. My Aunt Elaine is one of the most special people in my life. Growing up my aunt lived in the house that was “THE” house. Every birthday party, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and just because we want to, event was held at her house. Aunt Elaine had an open door policy. She believed that if she kept everyone at her house there would not be much room for drama or mischief. She would allow our friends to come over and spend hours just hanging out. She took care of everyone who set foot in her house. You would never leave hungry, because she would feed you until you could not eat anymore. I asked her if the traffic ever got on her nerves, she said “ sometimes it did, but knowing that you and Neal were safe and not roaming the streets was way more important to me.” I knew then that she really cared about me. She would compromise her house just to ensure my safety. Through the years she has given me great advise. She gives me so much love and I love her back. I am so blessed to have a woman like her in my life. 

JOAN- My mother has another friend named Joan. Auntie Joan is the one person who took such a huge interest in me and my education. Every summer Auntie Joan would buy me workbooks for the grade level I was about to enter. She would call and ensure that I did at least 1-3 pages in the books daily. And every Saturday she would come to my Aunt Elaine’s house and we would sit down and go over the things I was having trouble with. To this day Auntie Joan encourages not only my educational development but my professional development as well. Auntie Joan helps me see that even as an adult we can never have too much knowledge. I appreciate her for care for me and pushing me academically. 

Passion

Passion comes from your heart. It is clear that I work with children and love them dearly. But my passion is not limited to them. I have a passion for people. I have a heart for those in need. When I am not working on my craft which is working with children, I am offering my services to others. Sometimes these services are limited to friends and family, but I jump at every opportunity to help others, especially those that I do not know. It's such a rewarding experience when you have the chance to give yourself to someone who you know will not be able to return the favor.

Ethan's Mirror

Our 4 year old class was instructed to paint a picture of themselves on a piece of foil. The foil was supposed to be symbolic of a mirror. The children painted how they thought they looked. I was so intrigued by the detail that Ethan put into his picture of himself. He took his time ensuring that he added every detail. He even added something that most would say is inappropriate. But what's important is that he followed instructions and painted a picture of how he saw himself.

The BLESSING of teaching

I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful children during my 11 years of working with children. I had one that truly touched my hear. She came from a broken family and she had gone through a lot in her first three years of life. She may have been the hardest child that we worked with in the school. She came in hitting, biting, spitting, and being very disrespectful to the teachers and her friends in the classroom. But there was something about her that made me fall in love. This little girl had my heart. No matter how much of a challenge she was I wanted to help her overcome her problems.  I learned that when we was not acting out she had a huge imagination. She thought about things that most of the other kids were thinking about at the age of three. I used this imagination as an outlet to help with her misbehavior. When I saw her in situations where she could act out I quickly stepped in and changed her focus. I talked about the time machine she told me she made. We would travel around the world and back in the matter of two minutes. This Blessing to the world had no idea that I was working on her behavior. She got to the point where her behavior was no longer a concern. She played with the children well and was no longer disrespectful to the staff. She was an angel! As soon as the staff and I knew we had reached this child, social services arrived at our school to take her from us. We never saw her again. I often wonder how she is doing. The staff and I make so much reference to her when we tell our newer teachers that the behavior issues they complain about have nothing on the things we have seen. But we also tell them with a lot of patience and a huge heart that behavior can be corrected (without resorting to  medicine).

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is my favorite children's book. This book was read to me when I was a child. I remember my mom taking me to get the book signed by the author John Steptoe. This book taught me the importance of treating all of God's creatures with respect. Being a mean person will make the prettiest person ugly. And having a bad attitude can prevent you from being blessed. What a huge lesson to learn from a children's book!

100 Years From Now

"100 years from now it will not matter the type of house I lived in or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." -Unknown