Week 4 quotes

"When the family collapses, it is the children that are usually damaged.
When it happens on a massive scale, the community itself is crippled."
  President Lyndon B. Johnson


"Regardless of the history of IQ tests in the family, if I see nurturing, warm, interactive people who read emotional signals well and interact well, usually I see happy, competent and bright children.”
Stanley Greenspan


"Self-esteem is an inner feeling: Sometimes it corresponds with outer reality, and sometimes it doesn’t."
Stanley Greenspan


"Parents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply."
T. Berry Brazelton




"A grandchild is a miracle, but a renewed relationship with your own children is even a greater one." 
T. Berry Brazelton




Two quotes from the Week 2 video:


"The passion to create a safer, more just world for all kids is there and, I suppose, will be there until I die."
Louise Derman-Sparks


"I'm not here to save the world. I'm just here to make a difference in the community that I'm working with."
Raymond Hernandez

My Childhood Web

My father was in the Air Force and we moved every 1 to 2  years. By the time I was 12, we had lived in Japan, Texas, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Montana, Ohio, California, and the Philippines. Because of this, I can't say I had a web of friends or relatives who had a part in guiding me. Even though I had siblings, the constant nomadic nature of our upbringing pretty much left us all fending for ourselves. I believe the lack of stability was damaging to each of us, some more than others. Not a healthy, secure childhood, by any means.

Having said that, I do want to stress that we have gotten closer as we've grown older, had families of our own, etc. And none of us have jobs that require moving our kids around  :  ) We've all provided our children with the childhood webs that we lacked ourselves.

These are my children, Jake and Luke.

They have lived in the same small town their entire lives. Even when I left their father, we only moved around the corner and their lives went on much as before. They're both a lot more secure than I was at their age. I believe this is because they enjoy a childhood web of friends and family members who have each played a large part in their development.

This is my preschool.

We strive to provide the students with a consistent, encouraging environment, much like a childhood web. We make sure each child feels special, cared about, listened to, and loved. That's our job!

Discussion 1

During the first week, we posted on a discussion board about our education and employment experience. I would have to say the group has a real assortment of ages and experience levels. That's good- otherwise, we'd all be the same and wouldn't learn as much from each other's experiences. Plus, it just wouldn't be as interesting.

I'm hoping to have a lot of communication with my fellow Waldenites. I have been looking for a way to post a new thread in the Student Lounge, asking people to share where they live-curious to see if there are any other MA students, but no luck.  :  (

Walden University

This is the first week of the first class in my Master's degree program. I'm so excited!! I chose Walden University because my advisor at UMass recommended it. I loved her, so good enough for me  :  )

One of our assignments this week is to set up a blog. We'll be using this blog throughout the course, perhaps all through the degree program. That would be cool.