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Sarah Philos 2nd Draft
Sarah Philos 2nd Draft
Family
based daycare would mean that I can keep working with my own child with her developmental
skills while helping other children and families. I have this dream because I firmly believe in
being family orientated and treating all children and families the way that I would want with my
own daughter. Family orientated aligns with theorist Erik Erickson. Erickson believed the most
years of life. Erickson presumed that from age three to five years old children develop greater
social-emotional skills through play. I believe in children learning through play. Most children
learn best with hands on activities. Some of my favorite lessons with play include: making
homemade playdough, playing stop and go sledding, airplane center in dramatic play, and
These strong feelings toward play were reinforced when I implemented a homemade
playdough lesson. Throughout this lesson the children recalled measurements and how to read
directions with mathematical numerals. The stop and go sledding lesson demonstrated the
childrens cognitive abilities to recall what some of the road signs mean. For example the
children used stop, yield, walk, and go. Painting with nature and the dramatic airplane play
connected the childrens social-emotional abilities to plan and implement activities with their
peers. For example, the children planned and negotiated who was going to drive the plane, the
navigators, and the passengers. One of my favorite quotes is Childhood is not a race to see how
quickly a child can read, write, and count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and
develop at the pace which is right for each individual child (author unknown). To me, this quote
demonstrates that children need play because through play a child can learn at the pace which is
right for each individual child. For example with the lesson plans stated above, the children
played during all of them and little did they know that they were teaching something. Because of
that play however the children did learn but they each learned something different because it was
In the Early Childhood field an outstanding teacher is well organized and makes
individualized and interesting, lessons for the children. Also, the teacher is appropriately
prepared, has healthy family relationships, and implements a consistent schedule. These are
important qualities due to family relationships being crucial to working with children. Strong
family relationships ensure that the children receive exactly what they require for their growing
development. As a teacher we begin as a stranger, and then move into a friend, lastly to someone
that the child cares about closely. This relates closely to Erick Ericksons Trust vs. Mistrust.
Early experiences have a significant contribution in quality teaching as the children learn and
consists of a clean and organized room that is child interest based. I believe that a
clean/organized room with child-based interest items makes the room appear engaging while not
over stimulating the child. Over-stimulating the child may increase a childs behavioral concerns;
thus creating difficulties with their social emotional, physical and language development. For
example, during practicum the children were weary of certain centers, leaving only a few
interesting ones which created behavioral difficulties. Behavioral complications included social
learning center experience, I focused on specific centers that the children had decreased interest
in. Hence putting new child interest-based items into those specific centers. I created a broader
room for the children to play reducing the behavioral concerns of the classroom.
While in Guiding Child Behavior class, I developed a behavioral change project. My
project consisted of working with a little girl on brushing her hair. The little girl would tolerate
anyone brushing her hair. I learned proper behavior change methods. First, I learned to determine
the behavior and use of the ABC method. The ABC method starts by listing the behaviors. When
listing the behaviors, all of the behaviors must be listed for example: kicking, screaming, and
lying on the ground. By listing the behaviors it improves determining what behaviors to examine
and when the behaviors begin. To determine the antecedents; this entails what happens before the
behavior begins producing a positive outcome. During my project I used the ABC method to
determine the childs behaviors were biting, kicking, screaming, whining, running away, hiding,
hitting and crying. An example of this is when the child would see a brush she would run away
and hide, if the parents attempted to brush her hair she would bite, kick and scream. The parents
provided the child with positive consequence by allowing her hair to go un-brushed. The
antecedent was getting ready for school. Throughout my behavior change project I addressed
skills by having the child be a part of the hair brushing and having her show me how she wanted
her hair brushed. In the end the project was successful and I will continue to develop behavioral
My goal post graduation is to open my own in home daycare. I believe children learn
through play which encourages social emotional, language, physical and cognitive skills. I will
experiences will include abilities to create family involvement by building close connections
with children and families. Close connections with children and families should build child based
interest. The interests will be used to create a safe and interesting environment for the child as
well as for the curriculum. It is my belief that strong positive relationships will set the foundation