Famous Quotes About Passion, Motivation, and Wisdom

'The teacher must orient his work not on yesterday's development in the child but on tomorrow's'
Lev Vygotsky

“The way we teach teachers should be congruent in many basic aspects—but not all—with the way we want them to teach children”  Dr. Lilian Katz

"I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world;to fix all the injustices in the world.  I wanted to do that as a teacher."   Louise Derman-SparksProfessor Emeritus

'Teachers - like children and everyone else - feel the need to grow in their competences; they want to transform experiences into thoughts, thoughts into reflections, and reflections into new thoughts and new actions. They also feel a need to make predictions, to try things out, and to interpret them...Teachers must learn to interpret ongoing processes rather than wait to evaluate results.'

Loris Malaguzzi

' If formal instruction is introduced too early, too intensely and too abstractly, the children may indeed learn the instructed knowledge and skills, but they may do so at the expense of the disposition to use them'

Lilian Katz

Here are my ABC's for teaching young children in today's world.

A is for aptitude. A teacher must have the ability for understanding young children.

B is for benefits. Teachers deserve fair compensation.
C is for compassion, understanding the social, political, and economic contexts that frame each family.
D is for developmental. We all need to have knowledge of the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of each child. E is for environments, taking advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces as learning places.
F is for family. It's imperative to involve the child's family in the educational process.
G is for growth. Good teachers are committed to their ongoing professional development.
H is for highly qualified. Teachers should meet the highest educational level of the profession.
I is for innovative, interactive instruction, bringing new ideas into the classroom.
J is for Jones. Betty Jones has written extensively on developmentally appropriate practice. She feels adults should have the kind of learning experience that they are expected to provide for children.
K is for knowledge. Excellent teachers are on a continual quest for knowledge.
L is for literacy. We must learn all we can about literacy to provide a stimulating blend of activities.
M is for mathematics. We must understand how to teach math to today's young children.
N is for narrative story structure. Understanding what a story is encourages the enjoyment of reading.
O is for "outside-in domain." Children must connect concepts we introduce to their own experiences.
P is for phonics, phonemic awareness, and phonological sensitivity. A teacher must know what role each plays in the development of literacy.
Q is for a quality learning environment, one that provides opportunities for self-directed activities.
R is for research. When we know how children learn, we can help them reach their potential.
S is for a society that recognizes the right of all its children to achieve their potential.
T is for teachers. We hope to see a renewed interest in the teaching profession.
U is for "user friendly"-educational advances must be accessible with minimal frustration.
V is for vocabulary development-assess each child's vocabulary and make sure children feel good about the vocabulary they come to school with.
W is for words-pay attention to how children pronounce their words and note if the child's language lends itself to a standard phonemic structure.
X is for xenophobic, something a teacher cannot be. She must embrace the richness and pluralism that is part of the changing national landscape.
Y is for young at heart-never lose the wonderment and excitement of learning.
Z is for the zoo. View this old standby field trip through new eyes and think about possibilities for literacy and numeracy activities.  By Renatta M. Cooper

Personal Childhood Web

My mother Bobbie (Tab) was a very special part of my life.  I watched how she worked and supported I and my brother as a single parent. Unfornately, at that time I didn't understand why I couldn't have what others had, but now I realize the hard time she had trying to work and take care of us. She taught me to be thankful for what I did have.  My mother was a very energetic, outgoing, smart, intelligent, and beautiful woman.  She encourage me to continue to strive and do all that I could to get an education.  One of her goals for me was to complete high school.  However, I went a little farther in persusing my education. I know that she is proud of me.  I have not only obtain a higher level of learning but I have develop and is continuing to develop in ways that I know makes her proud of me.  I have accomplish some many things.  I thank God for the opportunity we spent together. May she rest in peace.

My grandmother Essie has been a great help in continuing to support me.  She is an outstanding woman that goes out of her way for me.  After the passing of my mother she stepped in and ensured that we continued to proceed in life.  She took very good care of me.  She taught me to trust and depend totally on God.  The encouragment from both grandmother and mother is what gave me the desire to be all that I can be to be able to take care of my very own family.

My cousin Carloyn is a great influence in my life. She is a very smart, intellegent person that desire and expect great things out of life.  She is the type that let nothing stop her from accomplishing things that she set forth.  She works hard, to maintain stability.  She taught me how to work hard and be the independent woman that I am.  She taught me about being a woman of worth, setting standards and not to settle for less than the best.


My history teacher Betty inspired me in so many ways.  She has been like a mother to me.  She has taken the time out to explain to me the importants of getting a good education. She has shown me support as a teacher and a friend.  I have learned various of techniques from her teaching skills that I incorporate in my classroom.  

My Pastor Chris and First Lady Regina has played such a huge role in my life of teaching me how to live a life that is pleasing to God.  They have shown me so much love and support.  The love they gives I know is the love that God wants all of us to give.  I am glad to have them apart of my life. The things that I have learned will continue to help me be a better person and to not only focus on myself but know and understand that there are others that need help to.  

The Best Is Yet To Come

Expect great things.  This is the year to fly like the eagles.