Resources

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• World Forum Foundation
  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/

Additional Resources

·         http://www.fpg.unc.edu/index.cfm    

• http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-baby/  This is a Disney website that offers information ranging from babies – teen, as well as, health issues including Type 1 Diabetes.

·         http://www.learnnc.org/   This is a website that many North Carolina K-12 teachers use to access lesson plans, curriculum /teaching standards, multi-media materials, etc.

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"Take your ego out of it and think about what's best for this child."
     - Renatta M. Cooper
      
"Teachers can motivate students only if they themselves are motivated.  They can make students feel valued and secure only if they feel valued and secure; they can foster enthusiasm for learning in students only if they are enthusiastic about teaching."
       - Deborah Stipek, Motivation to Learn:  From Theory to Practice

This is the link to my personal childhood web: 
http://dianneecs.edu.glogster.com/my-personal-childhood-web/

QUOTE
A quote about children that is especially meaningful to me as a parent and as a teacher is:
"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children.  One of these is roots; the other is wings."                                                                                            
                                                                                                            Hodding Carter

CHILDREN'S BOOK
One of my favorite children's books, to begin the school year, is Tacky the Penguin.  Tacky is a very different kind of penguin.  He dresses differently, talks loudly, counts differently, etc.  In the end, Tacky saves the other penguins from some hunters who have come to hunt them.  As I am reading the story, I really get into the character of Tacky, and the students love it.  Afterwards, we discuss the story.  We talk about how Tacky is different from the other penguins, and we discuss how we are different from each other.  This leads to further discussions on accepting other people's differences whether it be their clothes, hair color, skin color, favorite sport's team, etc. 


SPECIAL STUDENT
There was a child who touched my heart during my student-teaching experience that I have never forgotten.  I was teaching in a kindergarten class and getting the students ready for their afternoon centers.  For the third day in a row, I was explaining what the expectations were for each child at each center.  Well, this particular week, at the "Housekeeping Center", the students were using plastic knives to cut cherries, pears, and bananas to make a fruit cocktail snack.  I was in the midst of going over the expectations when *Jonathon's hand shoots up in the air, waving wildly, as he calls out, "We makin' fruit cottontail today?"  Well, I just couldn't correct him, especially when he was so proud of his contribution. So I replied, "Yes, Jonathon, we sure are!"  A big smile spread across his face, and I dismissed the students to their centers.  That was in the spring of 1991.  To this day, whenever I see a dish of "fruit cottontail", I chuckle and remember a special student.
*name changed 

Assessments
This week, I have been completing my mid-year assessments in math and phonemic awareness.  With 21 students, this can be a challenging task, as well as continuing on with the regular school day.  Although, I would like for all of the students to show mastery of the skills and concepts taught, that is not always the result that is shown on these assessments. For the ones who have not shown mastery, I will reteach and review those specific skills and concepts and assess them again.