Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I choose early childhood education as my field of study because I love children and I
want to be able to help them develop and learn. One of my strengths in this role is knowing
how to work with diverse individuals. Everyone is different and I will teach the children how
to embrace individuality and how to appreciate their classmates culture and traditions. One
of my challenges in this role is having a partnership with each parent. A lot of parents today
are not involved in their childrens education because of busy schedules and careers but I will
do everything I can to work with them so they can be involved in their childs education.
Growing up my parents were an important part of my education and I know my students will
need their parents support as well. My future goal is to be able to shape the minds of all my
students and inspire them to follow their dreams. I plan to achieve this goal by believing,
The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is a guideline for the expected moral and ethical
behavior of educators. The code helps educators resolve ethical dilemmas encountered in
early childhood care and education. I have used this document to get a better understanding
of my responsibility to the children, their families, my colleagues and the community and
society. It aligns with my beliefs because I know that the family and community have an
effect on children.
Some of the regulations I learned this semester are that Pennsylvania mandates a ratio of
1:4 for children from birth to 1 year of age, with a maximum group size of 8. Required ratios
for 1 to 2-year-olds are 1:5 and 2:10, with a cap at 10. For 2- to 3-year-olds, the required ratio
is 1:6, with a maximum of 12. Groups of preschool-aged children (age 3 to their entry into
kindergarten) should never exceed 20, and one caregiver may care for 10 children at most. In
centers accommodating children of mixed ages, the ratio and maximum group size are
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dictated by the youngest child present. Regulations are important because they are for the
safety and benefit of the child. I am following the regulations by getting the mandatory
Ive used Early Learning Standards to create developmentally appropriate lessons for
children. One challenge in using this these standards is that not every child is at the same
level of learning which can make the lesson more difficult (but not impossible) to
accommodate each child. My future goal is to get every student to the development level
During this semester I worked with peers to create a debate focused lesson for primary
grade children. One challenge I had with this assignment was communication. Because it is
an online class it is a little harder to communicate with my partners to create the lesson. My
attached to my father as a child and would cry when he would go somewhere without me.
B.F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning also influenced me, especially the positive
reinforcement. While in the preschool classroom my host teacher had a system where the
children would get a pom pom to put in a cup for their good choices. When they filled the
cup with pom poms they would get a surprise. This really encouraged the children to make
good choices.
Young children learn by doing and by example. Its important to use the standards that
each state provides to education children. These standards are made to be developmentally
appreciate for children but also fun for them to learn. Its up to use as educators to use the
standards to create lessons that are engaging for children. We as educators also have to model
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good behavior so children can follow and understand why its important to always use good
development and education. A students childhood is very important because it shapes who
they will grow up to be. The most interesting thing I learned is that children in Head Start
Programs learn though play. What surprised me the most was that the children dont have
tests or worksheets but the teachers still create lessons and follow standards and the children
can still be assessed. The most useful thing I learned from my work with children and
families is that we are a team working to educate the child. I work with the child in school
and the families work with them at home. I will listen to the parents to understand what
works for their child and what doesnt and use this information while teaching.
My goal as a teacher is to educate the minds of children, inspire and motivate them to
grow up to be whoever and whatever they want to be. I will encourage children to believing
in themselves and know they can do anything they put their minds to. No matter what
culture, ethnicity or environment they come from all children have the right to a proper and
fair education.
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Resources:
https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
http://www.dhs.pa.gov/provider/earlylearning/childcareregulations/
https://www.slideshare.net/6770luhrig/child-development-14487267
Jeffrey Trawick-Smith.