EDUC 6163: Final Reflection

Wow! I can't believe we've made it through.  At the beginning of this course, I was overwhelmed at the thought of creating a research simulation.  Just the word "research" made me want to yawn and skip it because it's overally complicated terminology, statistics, and so much more.  But now that I'm in the final week of our course and reflecting on all that I've learned about research, I feel proud and confident in my abilities to craft a research simulation as well as to read research.  I understand the basics of research and learned some time saving techniques when it comes to reading others research so I can get to the good stuff that will be useful to me as an early childhood teacher.  I've learned quite a few new vocabulary words to add to my bank of knowledge as I know understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative and even how to mix them up.  But even with this growing bank of knowledge, I sometimes struggled to understand our text chapters.  Sometimes they were wordy and difficult to understand but through our discussion posts and responses, all of you helped me to understand the content. So I want to say THANK YOU for being so helpful.  There are times when it takes just simple ordinary conversation for understanding to occur that a text book can't explain or explore. 

As a side note, I also wanted to share that I have successfully completed my very fist trimester of pregnancy during this course.  My husband and I are very excited as we begin our journey as new parents.  Also, I wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! It has been truly a blessing to work with all of you during this course and hope to see some of you in future courses to come. THANK YOU!! 

Research Around the World.

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): This international early childhood organization publishes a well respected journal. All back issues are accessible from this site and are fully searchable without charge.
http://www.eecera.org/
 
• What are some of the current international research topics?


Play seems to be one of the top current international research topics with research being done on outside play, nature-based play experiences, make believe play vs. academic skills, and how the context of play affects adult views of risk-taking behavior during outside play are just a few to name.

Early childhood policy is another current topic ranging from methodologies to pedagogy to curriculum to ethical concerns.

• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

There was an article about make believe play versus academic skills that explored Vygotskys’ idea that children can learn academic skills prior to school through make-believe play that is structured by adults. The article grabbed my attention because my research simulation has been focused on similar idea that play-based curriculums yield the same academic achievement as teacher-directed approaches to learning. I find it interesting that European nations are also debating the effects of teaching academic skills formerly at a younger age is not the best approach. I’m wondering if Europe and the United States are the only countries concerned with this issue or if this is a global debate.

I like that this international early childhood website allows you to search back issues although not all of them are free.

Another issue dealing with play that caught my attention was the number of research articles that dealt with outdoor or natural environments for play. Nature-based play curriculums are interesting to me because I grew up and live in a rural area. Much of my childhood was spent outdoors playing in the dirt with the rocks and sticks or playing in the barn and building forts with the hay bales. Building upon nature-based learning, I think may develop more scientific thinking if adults can help scaffold the learning that takes place.

• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

They provided links to other organizations that have the same goals and missions. The one link provided was to the Korean Institute of Child Care and Education. While exploring the link to Korean research, I found it interesting that there were very few research articles from 2010-2011. Most articles listed were from 2008-2009 and focused on the developing of early childhood programs, practices, and policies.

Research that benefits children and families

If I had the abilities to research anything in this world, I would research childhood cancer.  It's the most depressing and disheartening image to see a young child battling cancer.  It seems so unfair to them and their families.  Finding a cure for childhood cancers would give young children their childhood back and their parents the pleasure of watching them grow and learn while being healthy.

Here is a link to a video of:

Parents of child with cancer video

Allow it a few seconds to load to the correct video.  There are also several more videos that follow this one as the parents discuss the journey from diagnosis to recovery. It's very touching and they are very thankful for the doctors and the research that had been done.

Maggie

My Personal Research Journey

A research simulation projects is new to me.  During week one of our course, I shared that I was interested in the impact of play has on cognitive skills.  As part of our application assignment, I had to narrow my topic down into three subtopics which included the effects of structured play versus direct-instruction practices in a child's cognitive and/or social development.  I'm also curious if there is any correlation to high-school drop-out rates.  However, I think would like to focus on the impact play versus direct-instruction impacts our children's cognitive and social skills.

With our changing education system, developmentally appropriate practices are being pushed aside to make room for academic learning through direct-instruction.  The expectations in the public school where I have been working for the past four years has increased yearly.  It used to be acceptable that children left kindergarten knowing their letters, sounds, and a few high frequency words.  In year four, they are expected to know all of that before they enter school and by the time they leave kindergarten should be reading and comprehending a Guided Reading Level C book.  I'm not saying that our children can't do it but at what cost?  The pressure of No Child Left Behind is ridiculous this year as it's nearly impossible to make Adequate Yearly Progress. I really want to know the long-term impact of this academic push over developmentally-appropriate practices is really helping us "get ahead".  Will our children graduate with 21st century-skills such as creativity and inventiveness if they are always instructed instead of being guided?

I found our research chart as part of APP1 to be very helpful in understanding research.  It allowed me to see the overwhelming research article in smaller sections.  Understanding what sections are important and what sections I can ignore was a great time saver and relief. Also, I have found our discussion board to be very informative this week.  Are there any quality research sites that you use outside of our Walden Library?
If so, please post those links. I would like to a research link page.

Thanks for reading!  I look forward to helping all of you and receiving help through this research simulation.  It's still a little daunting. 

Maggie
    

Change, Contexts, Consequences, and Constraints Revisited

Consequences of learning about the international early childhood field include:

1. We expand our network of professionals;
2. We learn about early childhood education from another context;
3. We learn about programs and initiatives around the globe that are being used to promote early childhood field; and,
4. We learn to be grateful and thankful for our education.

My goal for international awareness and collegial relations is for professionals around the the globe to collaborate on issues and trends in an effort to provide and improve education for all children.

Our country in comparison to many others like Mali has accomplished much more in education.  We need to work with international colleagues and share our experiences and knowledge while still fostering respect for culture. It might just save them a lot of headaches in trying to figure out what to do!

Getting to know your international contacts-Part 3

This week I asked my contact, Dani, in Mali about her hopes, dreams, and challenges with her work in education. She said,

"I hope that my time spent here in Mali, working with the education system in my village will prove to not only beneficial to the current teachers and students, but also the many students yet to come. I hope through my work here that Malians will begin to understand the importance of education, even the simplest things we (Americans) take for granted like reading, and writing. To have my villagers, especially the ones that work closely with the school to support girls education would be a dream come true! Professional challenges I will face will be along the lines of cultural differences, because it is hard coming from a culture where women work outside of the home, to a culture where the women's' only jobs are in the home. Myself, being female, and trying to convince male elders of the village the importance of education will be a challenge in its self."

Dani brings to light many issues in Mali's education system as well as the challenges of working in a diverse culture.  In America, we have a functioning education system that is funded and provides for all children despite gender.  It's important for us to keep this in perspective.  We are so lucky especially as females to have had the opportunity and right to a free, fair education.  I am so glad that there are men and women like Dani who dedicate their time, money, and energy to improving the lives of others around the world.


This week we've been discussing equity and excellence in the early childhood field with a specialized focused on high-quality teaching.  Like Dani, I hope she can improve the understanding of the teachers, staff, and villagers so they know why education is important in our global society.  There is inequity in Mali because not all children can afford to attend school, mostly boys attend. There are limited learning materials and/or school supplies.  Excellence depends upon the teachers content knowledge and elder villagers willingness to support education.  It's obvious to me this week that our issues of equity and excellence are completely different than those in Mali however they are significant for each us.

Sharing Web Resources - Equity and Excellence in ECE

There are not many outside links on the Harlem Children’s Zone website. Many of the articles, newsletters, and videos are embedded within the site. Several links that I followed connected me to additional HCZ websites such as individual schools or projects. For instance, I was able to explore Promise Academy at an outside link at http://www.hczpromiseacademy.org. Promise Academy is partnership between Harlem Children’s Zone and local schools. It is offered from elementary to high school and seeks to provide high-quality, well-rounded education for children in a caring, safe environment. There is a wait list and a lottery for entrance.
I have signed up for an e-newsletter but have not received a single newsletter, other than my confirmation one, since the beginning of this course.

One thing I’ve learned from HCZ about equity and excellence in early care and education is that every neighborhood is unique and therefore the need of each community is different. Therefore, one program may work here but not somewhere else. For early care and education to be equitable and excellent, the community must work together to meet this goal. HCZ offers several policy recommendations as suggestions for improving early care and education that include: identify the exact location – neighborhood – you are targeting, 2) create a pipeline of best practices/services – essentially create a one stop shop for families to find information, 3) build community through partnerships between businesses, schools, families, etc… 4) evaluate – are the programs/practices meeting the expected outcomes? , 5) create an environment that instills passion, accountability, leadership, and cooperation (HCZ, 2010). Equity and excellence in early care and education is going to taken vision, persistence, and commitment for long-term success.

Another important concept for realizing success in early care and education requires securing funds. According to HCZ (2010), a lead program needs to secure funds through grants, government aid, and/or donations. With the current economic situation, I believe this is something that needs to be considered and explored deeply when trying to improve equity and excellence in early care education.

Reference
Harlem Children’s Zone. (2010). HCZ white paper. Retrieved on August 5, 2011 from http://www.hcz.org/images/stories/HCZ%20White%20Paper.pdf

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I did not receive any responses from either of my international contacts. Therefore, I moved onto the alternative assignment.


World Forum Radio
I listened to the World Forum podcast with Maysoun Chehab. She works with the Arab Resource Collective (ARC). As part of her work with ARC, she promotes early childhood awareness in the local communities. She also provides training for early childhood caretakers. Another passion for Maysoun Chehab is providing psychosocial interventions for children and their families after devastating events such as war. Because I was waiting to hear from my previous international contacts, I was not able to establish contact with Maysoun Chehab. However, if I were able to communicate with her I would be interested in finding out if early childhood programs in the Middle East are equitable. Can anyone attend regardless of income or gender?

Maysoun Chehab. Episode 4. Retrieved from
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio
Harvard’s Global Children’s Initiative
While exploring the Global Children’s Initiative by Harvard University, I learned that Latin America is only in the beginning stages of implementing high-quality early childhood programs. Chile will be the first country to implement Un Buen Cominezo which means “A Good Start” program that provides teachers with professional development, healthcare interventions for families, and socioemotional development.
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ubc/

I liked the Global Children’s Initiative’s mission to bring awareness and change to the early childhood field by supplying resources, programs, and support around the world. I think what I’m learning this week about early childhood programs around the globe is that people are becoming aware. They are aware that the early years are an important time for development (physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively). Their awareness is leading to social change through policies and programs that promote early learning opportunities. But we have a long way to go in bringing equity and excellence to all children around the world!

Harlem Children's Zone

Harlem Children's Zone http://hcz.org/home

As I was exploring HCZ's website, I was particulary focused on learning about the Project Pipeline.  The best way I can describe it is as a continuum of learning from birth to adulthood which is built upon connections and partnerships.  Project Pipeline is divided into five sections - early childhood, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.  All these sections are built around family, community, and health.

The Early Childhood sector of the Project Pipeline offers free programs which include Baby College, The Three Year Old Journey, Get Ready for PreK, and Harlem Gems. For a description of these programs, visit http://hcz.org/the-hcz-project-pipeline/early-childhood .

This week we've been learning how economists, politicians, and neuroscientists are contributing to the early childhood field.  HCZ's Geoffrey  Canada particpates in many national educational reforms along side local, state, and federal politicians. HCZ philosophy and work is supported by  President Obama.

In 2008, HCZ began collaborating with Policy‑
Link, a national research and action institute.As the concept of the federal Promise Neighborhoods and Choice Neighborhoods programs take shape for the Obama administration, HCZ and PolicyLink have provided ongoing information and counsel. In 2010, the Obama administration allocated $75 million in the federal budget for the two federal programs.

http://www.hcz.org/hcz/downloads/path_to_sustainability.pdf


HCZ is an investment in the eyes of economists with outstanding paybacks.

HCZ has invested $300 million over 10 years for programming in the Harlem community and an additional $43 million in capital.

• Unprecedented results—painstaking, regular evaluation shows our children are thriving.

• We are providing critical data to a field with a dearth of research.

• HCZ is a powerful economic engine in the neighborhood—with 2,000 employees, 800 full time, we are one of the largest employers in Harlem.

• About half of all HCZ employees live in the community or surrounding neighborhoods, creating economic opportunity in areas that typically have two or three times the unemployment rate of the city and nation.

• In 2010, HCZ’s free tax-assistance program helped nearly 5,000 residents receive refunds totaling $8.54 million—resources that they can spend in the community, improving the neighborhood economy.

• Hundreds of our high school and college students obtain invaluable work experience in summer jobs and internships every year through HCZ.

• More than 600 students are now in college, a cohort that will increase by the hundreds each year, preparing themselves for the highskills job market.

This return on investment is overwhelming evidence that we have begun to break the cycle of generational poverty in our community.



http://www.hcz.org/hcz/downloads/path_to_sustainability.pd %20And

And where do the neuroscientists fit in the picture? Well, poverty affects the development of young children and HCZ is committed to healthy development of children and their families. 

This website has so much information on issues and trends in Harlem that are relevant all across our country.  I find myself getting lost in the magnitude of information that HCZ offers about their community organization.  And, the most surprising part of HCZ is that all their programs are FREE!  People, businesses, politicians, and etc... are donating to this organization and it's working. Their investments are returning rewards!

Poverty and the wage gap

During my local search about poverty, the Fulton County Center for Families emailed me some information that included the following link:
http://www.circlesadamscounty.org/wagegapvideo.html
On this website,  you'll find a youtube video about the wage gap and why it is so hard to get out of poverty. This really made a lot of things click together so I could see the whole picture.

International Contacts

I was unable to establish contact with any international educators via our website resource list. However, I have a friend, Dani, that is working with the PeaceCorps in Mali as a volunteer with a local school.  I'm able to keep in contact with her through Facebook.   She is working with the school board, teachers, and willing parents to help them understand their role in education.  When I asked her about poverty in Mali, she wrote:

"...Education is not something of importance to most villagers, especially when it come to girls education (because their place is working in home, cooking, caring for children, etc.) Parents send their children to school when they have the money (equal to about $3/student/year for 1st cycle).-meaning in some families only one or two children are able to go. In my village, the money goes to the school board, who is responsible for seeing that all the teachers' houses are well kept, and they also pay the two teacher's salaries. At times, the money can be supplemented for bags rice, students doing chores, fetching water, planting, rebuilding walls that have fallen down in the rain, -pretty much anything... The school year is from Oct- June, working around the planting season, however most of October is consumed with harvesting, which is a priority over attending school.

From personal experience, I have found the education system, and the school in my village a huge challenge. ...Seeing 80 students in one classroom crammed four to a bench, broke my heart, because I knew there was no way all of those students were learning, and no way to have one on one time at all, ever with the teacher-that is just not the way things are run here. Once I was working with a third grader writing letters in the dirt. When asked the letter, he couldn't tell me unless he started reciting the alphabet from the begining to reach that letter. In the 2nd, and 3rd grade classes, USAID provided a board with removable letters I have found that the students can identify the letters when pointed to if they are in the correct order, but not if I mixed up the order."

Also, she wanted me to share her blog link with you. http://bygollymali.blogspot.com/

My other contact is the International School Educators which I contacted through Facebook, too.  I'm not able to discuss independently with a single educator yet but I am receiving responses to my posts. In regards to poverty, ISE responded that the effects of poverty for educators varies from country to country but teachers needs are almost always meet.  They also stated that teachers may find it difficult to see the poverty in the village they are teaching but the villagers adapt by relishing in their culture and heritage. https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/International-School-Educators/126726737416062

This week I've learned that poverty in America is very different from poverty in other parts of the world.  I've learned that poverty tends to be generational but with the recession many first time families are being disadvantaged because of job loss.  There are local, state, and federal resources available to help individuals and families that suffer from generational or temporaray poverty.  It's not always easy to escape the hardships of poverty but there are organizations and/or programs that are dedicated to helping individuals become self-sufficient. As an early childhood educator, there are many resources in my hometown as well as on the worldwide web at my disposal for helping the children and families that I work with that may be disadvantaged for any amount of time. The effects of poverty on a young child's development can be negative and long-lasting so it's important that we provide the necessary support to counteract the negative effects of poverty.

Check out Harlem Children's Zone

Check out Harlem Children's Zone

"Harlem Children's Zone is an organization dedicated to offering education, social services, and community building programs to childrens and families in an effort to combat poverty and its effects on families and the community." Their moto is "Do whatever it takes to educate children and strengthen the community."  Their issue is not really changing demographics and diversity but poverty.

I watched a CNN newscast with Geoffrey Canada, who discussed the need for innovation in education.  He stressed the need for schools and educational professionals to have the flexibility to do whatever is needed for their students to learn.  It reminded me of Dr. Grace in our video who stated that changing demographics and diversity vary depending on the part of the country you live in.  I think they both make an important statement about the future of education and that is simply a cookie cutter approach will not work.  Every school district is faced with their own challenges and it's time for the education system to be reformed as needed to improve student learning.

Part 2: Expanding Resources

As I reviewed and clicked through the list of resources, I was familiar with many of them such as NAEYC and Zero to Three.  The purpose of this part of the assignment is to expand resources so I chose to expand my interest in the Harlem Children's Zone.  It caught my attention and I was drawn in by the website's organization of information.  I clicked on a few videos and learned about the Harlem Children's Zone and it's goals.  I think it will provide valuable information on current issues and trends in Harlem and the surrounding areas.

http://www.hcz.org/

Part 1: Foreign Professional Contact

I have found it very challenging to establish contact with any foreign educator.  Yesterday, I emailed five foreign contacts from Russia, Spain, Mexico, Haiti, and Germany.  Two of the five emails were returned as undeliverable.  Today, I used the Unicef website to obtain email addresses for Mexico, Russia, and Finland. My fingers are crossed and I'm hoping to hear from any of these contacts.  I think these contacts would really enrich my understanding or perspectives of global issues/trends.

Has anyone else established contact? I think I may have to start the alternate assignment which isn't as appealing to me. It'll be informational but not as exciting as being a "pen-pal."

My Supports

My daily supports consist of my faith in God and my husband.

• Without my faith in God, I would’ve given up on life a long time ago. It gives me hope and purpose in my life.

• Every morning I wake up to a loving husband who never leaves the house or goes to bed without an “I love you” and a kiss. I rely on him for so many things I wouldn’t begin to have enough room to write them all. Not having my husband in my life would be devastating. It would turn my life upside down and I would have to begin anew. It would be scary.


My weekly supports consist of my family, my church family, and my colleagues. I benefit from all of them in different ways.

• My parents are the most loving and helpful people I know. My parents try to make sure they are available to help in whatever way they can.

• My church family is unique. At my parent’s church, I’ve grown up before the eyes of many of the members. To them, I am one of their little girls. To me, they are like an extended family. I’ve moved on to a different church and have built new relationships where I’m still greeted and treated like family.

• My colleagues…I could not and would not survive without my colleagues. My teammate and I collaborate together on curriculum, student behavior, and so much more, while simultaneously building a personal relationship.

Supports that I use in my daily life to make it easier are electricity, running water, household appliances, tools, TV, computer, and my car. Without many of these daily factors, my life would be dramatically different. Things would take much longer and I would accomplish fewer things during my day.



Challenge

If I were hearing impaired, I would want to be able to communicate with my supports. I would want them to speak or sign to me. I would want a hearing aid or other devices to amplify sound.

My faith in God would not change. However, I might like to have a written version of the sermon on Sundays so I could follow along, or better yet an interpreter. My relationship with my husband would not be challenged as long as the communication was working. My communication with my parents may transpire to written communications versus using the phone. If I still had some hearing, I would want a phone that amplified the sound. Depending of the severity of my hearing impairment, I may consider finding an alternative setting for teaching such as a school for the deaf.

It would definitely be a challenge to transition from no disabilities to having a disability. Maybe I’m wrong in stating this, but if you’re born with challenges I believe you begin adapting to the world around you and they likewise begin to adapt to you. I think of my relationship and supports that I’ve built with my parents. They would’ve done whatever it took to make sure I was happy, safe, and successful.

My Connections to Play

Quotes

“Play is the exultation of the possible.” Martin Buber

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning."
        -Diane Ackerman, Contemporary American Author.

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. "
          --Plato, Greek philosopher
My Essential Play Items



Dirt Pile - My brothers and I would spend hours playing in the dirt with our shovels, dump trucks, tractors, cars, farm animals, etc.. My parents are still finding toys that were buried years ago. Oh, the memories!



Sheets - We used sheets to build forts and tents, for pretend picnics, for superheroes, and so much more. There were endless possibilities for the use sheets.



Brothers - I grew up between two brothers. So needless to say, I was a "tom boy" growing up.  I played with my brothers in the dirt with the typical boy things such as tractors and cars.  I don't remember being a child with an imaginary friend because I always had my brothers and cousins to play with.  Our extended family is quite large so there was never a shortage of fun playing with our cousins.

http://www.kidclipart.net/free_kid_clip_art_pictures/boy_and_girl_or_brother_and_sister_waving_0515-0910-2500-0018_SMU.jpg

Reflections of childhood play

As a child, I was always playing, inside and outside.  Typically I played with my brothers whenever we were at home in the evenings. However, during the week we would stay with our great aunt and uncle at the farm.  We would play in the barn and around the barnyard with our cousins.  Our typical games consisted of "Cops and Robbers" and "Cowboys and Indians." As an adult in the post Columbine School shooting era, I couldn't imagine letting my students play games like these at school. 

Play that involves guns is often looked upon unfavorably at school recess but is very natural for many boys in my observations.  Many times I see the boys more so than girls picking up sticks or using the baseball bats as guns to kill the bad guys.  I used to intervene in these situations because of the zero-tolerance for violence.  However, I can't justify telling them not to pretend play "killing the bad guys" because that's what our soldiers (and superheroes) are doing.  

Also, I remember being a daredevil. I don't know how I made it through childhood without a single broken bone.  I would climb, jump, and/or swing from anything. I can clearly remember jumping from the top of our basement steps to the bottom onto bean bag chairs several times with my brothers. Clearly, we could have easily hurt ourselves but that wasn't even a possibility in my mind. Either my parents didn't know what we were doing or they didn't care that we were pushing our limits. As a child, nothing was impossible.  As an adult, I reflect on the things I did and think about how dangerous some of those things were but at the same time how much fun they were at the time.

As a child, I rarely sat in the house playing games.  We had one channel on our TV during my entire childhood.  We didn't get a computer until I was in high school. And I really didn't have much interest in video games until I was in a teenager.  I think a big difference between my childhood play and that of children today is that I was engaged in play with other people, not things. I was making relationships and building friendships with my friends and family through play.  We were connected and disconnected.

My hope for young children today is that they have the opportunity to experience the joy of feeling invincible! And, that the experiences and relationships that they build through play will last a lifetime!

 

Relationship Reflection

I do not know how I would survive without relationships to enrich and support me through the thick and thin of life.

My husband is my most constant and evolving relationship.  We've only been married for two years but we are constantly changing and adjusting to each other's needs.  We first met through our mutual friends and family. He's the one I come home to at the end of a long day of teaching who listens to the stories about the kids on the great days as well as the challenging days. Likewise, I'm there when he's a long, hard day at work to comfort him and show affection. 

It may seem unusual but a positive relationship that I value is with my dog, Buddy.  He's the greatest listener. He makes me feel loved when I come home and see him looking out the window and then greets me at the door. He knows when how I'm feeling. If I'm sad, he's by my side. If I'm happy, he's wiggling like crazy and begging to play. Likewise, I know if he's not feeling well, tired, lonely, or happy.

My relationship with my parents is one that has changed over the years.  As a child, I looked up to my parents and wanted to be like them. As a teenager, I butted heads with them and didn't understand what the big deal was about hanging out with my friends.  Now, as an adult I value the advice of my parents.  I have grown to love and respect their decisions as parents. 

The relationships I have with my childhood friends continue to grow. As children, we rode on the school bus together and went to the same church from elementary school through high school.  We had sleep overs, movie nights, date nights, etc...As grown adults with families, it's harder to find time to "hang out" but we make it a priority to have a "girls night out" at least four times a year to vent about whatever and laugh about memories.  My relationships with my childhood friends provides a connection/attachment with someone who knows so much about who I am and where I've come from.

My teaching teammates provide me with support and guidance to be successful in my classroom.  They have also become close friends whom I can share my frustrations and concerns.  They understand the demands of our professions and offer invaluable advice.

I suppose from reflecting upon relationships in my life I see a reoccurring theme. I need relationships so I feel connected, supported, and loved.  There are so many other relationships in my personal life that I can't list them all but they are all my support. All of these relationships with a wide range of people help me as an early childhood educator because I can appreciate the differences and benefits from all relationships around me. Understanding the reason why I need relationships will remind me why I need relationships with families I work with in early childhood programs - engaged, supported, welcomed!