Never confuse excitement with education. Enlighten the child. That is education.
(http://teacherdavid.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/lunch-with-dr-lilian-g-katz/)
The other quote by Dr. Katz that I felt connected to and that showed her moxie is :
Remember that whoever might be president of our country in 40 or 50 years is likely to be in someone’s early childhood program today; and I hope she is having a good experience!" (Rothenberg, 2002).
The other influential person I chose to look at was Dr. Robert Cooke. He helped in the planning and development of Head Start. Dr. Cooke was a pediatrician and a parent of children with disabilities. In the 1960's when children with disabilities were still viewed as taboo, Dr. Cooke and his wife tried to adopt a child. Dr. Cooke was told this, " that we were unfit parents because we had retarded children in our home,” To Cooke, “That was a blow that I’ve never forgotten.”
(Grauer, N. http://esgweb1.nts.jhu.edu/hmn/F06/classnotes.cfm)
As a teacher of children with disabilities, I cannot ever imagine what it must have felt like to be told that you are an unfit parent because of your other children with disabilities. I am so thankful that because of people like Dr. Cooke, children with special needs are no longer viewed as a societal taboo.
From the multimedia presentaton in Week 2 I found that I connected to the passions of Louise Derman Sparks. She talked about how as a young child she would play school. I did that as well. As she grew older she knew she had a built in passion for children and she wanted to make a contribution to the world by teaching. After a few years she became interested in ECE she found joy in the three and four year olds. I am the same way! She also felt that ECE allowed her to be creative. I feel the same way too! The quote that really hit home with me was when Louise said that she now has the "passion to make sure all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurture their abilites."
Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The Passion for Early Childhood. (Video Webcast). In Foundations: Early Childhood Studies
Emily,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I love the quote about Dr. Katz. As teachers of young children we never know how much we can influence young minds and who they will become in the future. You picked two great people who contributed to Early Childhood and what it has become today.
Emily, this post really got me thinking. That second quote by Dr. Katz really struck me. It's a little intimidating to think that the future president is being educated in our classrooms right now! I was especially moved by the story of Dr. Cooke. It's heartbreaking that someone could deny a family the chance to change a child's life for the better. I don't understand how you could say someone is an unfit parent just because they have a child with disabilities! As educators and caregivers, it's our responsibility to support ALL children because every child deserves quality education and care.
ReplyDeleteBecca- I compl. agree with you about the overwhelming feeling from the second quote. It is so true though. Somewhere out there, a future president is in a preschool. I have always wondered about influential people and their early chilhood years. That is one part of their lives that we don't normally hear about.
DeleteEmily, I really love your collection of quotes and the format that you presented them in. Seeing the faces behind the quotes made them much more personal. I wish I had thought of that! :-) I especially connected with your second quote from Dr. Katz. Her comment about our future leaders being in an early childhood program today really hits home for me. This is something that I often point out when I am trying to explain to others why funding and support for early childhood programs is so important. Of course I absolutely love that she said "she!" I firmly believe that one day there will be a female president in the oval office and I hope she will be as intelligent and full of "moxie" as Dr. Katz!
ReplyDeletePenelope- I loved the "she" part in Dr. Katz's quote as well. I am ALL for a woman president. I wish more political leaders would consider the fact that the future "them" are in our preschools right now, and like you said, cutting funding will hurt children's chances to become those leaders. One thing we never hear from political leaders is about their early childhood years. I wonder how many of them went to preschool and had a positive young childhood. If they did, then they should be supportive of ECE!!!
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