Every person has had someone to influence their lives, whether if that was multiple people or just one person. We all have somebody that we look to for answers and guidance, when we are unsure of our own judgments. Well I would like to briefly introduce the people that have had an impact on my life when I was a child.

Kimberly

(My mom)

“The free-spirit working woman”

She has influenced my life because she is my mom. She works very hard for the things she wants and needs. She is very caring for the ones she holds dear and close to her heart. I love her so much because she has accepted and supported me through all my dreams and aspirations. She makes me feel special because she has been very supportive and showed me how to be a loving caring person as much as she has been.

(This is a professional picture of my mom and I when I was a couple months old)

Reggie

(My dad)

“The Breadwinner”

My dad and I did not have a “daddy’s girl” type of relationship. I looked up to him because he showed me how to be able to fix things on my own. He loved working on cars with his father and then he took what knowledge he received from his father and passed it down to me. My dad has many talents like fixing cars, being in expert in tiling and also a pet lover. He influenced my life because he nurtured me with self discipline and encouraged me to have many talents. He always said “you can never get bored when you try to make own talents.”

(Me and Dad when I was about 7 years old)

 

Ashley

(My sister)

“My Right Hand”

My sister and I are like night and day. However, we always had the relationship like Sally and Jillian off of the “Practical Magic”. We would absolutely go to war for each other. She has influenced my life because she taught me how to speak up for myself. I’ve never been the one to express my feelings. She always used to tell me growing “you need to stand up for yourself sometimes.” She encouraged me to be independent and not be reliant on anyone.

( This is a picture of my sister when she was younger and now at 27)

 

Mary

(My Nana)

“The Glue”

My grandmother is without a doubt my second mom. She has taken care of my sister and I since we were newborns. It was an every day trip to go grandmas’ house. We would have family gatherings at her house. Every day I went to her house, I felt like I was going home. She is a very warm loving person and it comes out in her surroundings. She has influenced me life because she was all about education. She encourage me to gain an enjoyment for reading. We would read together and do my homework together. She is truly the Mary Poppins of my life.

(This is a picture of my grandmother when she was younger)

 

Howard

(My grandfather)

“ The Realist”

This is my grandfather, the realist. Where to begin? He was so much fun to have around. At family gatherings, he was always the life of the party. Yet, he was the one who influenced me to always budget my money. He would always say “ save your money, that way you have it when you need.” I always struggle with this when I was younger because I would always spend my money on things I did not need. He was my best friend, that is why he is special to me. Even though, he is no longer here with us. I still treasure the deep conversations and the fun times that my family and I have shared with him.

(This is a picture of my grandfather when he was younger)

This is a self portrait that one of my children drew in my class. I chose this portrait because this is a reflection of how children from ages 3 to 5 view themselves. The child’s choice in colors shows the differences that we see in every child that comes within our classroom. Also, it shows how we can easily misinterpret others and their culture. How one views the world, another may view differently.

As a child, my favorite book- well, I should say books to read were the Arthur collection written by Marc Brown. Honestly, my favorite book was Arthur’s Tooth. I don’t really know if it was because I watched the episode on T.V or if it was because I was in the stages of losing my teeth too. Now that I look back in life, I think it is a good idea that children have different books that they can relate to. The fact the books have became more diverse and allow connect to be able to develop cognitive skills by making connections, recognizing and recalling is a great way to teach children. And then it encourages them to read . Two thumbs up!

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” -Angela Schwindt

It has been a year and a half since I have been in college. After making my career in teaching  at Head Start, I thought that it would be easy with just a Bachelor’s degree. Wrong. I realized that it was more that I wanted to do. I did not want to just work with children; I wanted to work with adults too however, I needed to learn and gain skills in how diversity impacts children. So, it was time for a really tough decision.

It was either going back to school or settling in just my teaching career. I wanted more than that. I thought long and hard about going back to school because it would have to fit into my work schedule, which meant it had to be an online school. I looked around at schools online that I was referred to but nothing really seemed to catch my eye, until I heard about Walden University.

I talked to members of admissions, an education specialist,  and financial aid advisers until I had all my questions answered. I became interested in the Masters in Science- Teaching Diversity In Early Childhood Studies Program. Then, I made the decision to enroll. I was nervous because I did not know what to expect nor was I financially stable enough to go back to school.  However, I was ready to go back to school and I wanted to take the opportunity to begin a new journey and start a new chapter in my life.