Words of Motivation and Inspiration

Through this course, I have been introduced to a variety of child care professionals who are very passionate the field.  Listening to their words of passion has really fed my own motivation.  As I learned more about Lilian Katz I was impressed by how much of an impact she had on Early Childhood Education. She is a wonderful resource for teachers of young children as well as researchers in the field. Katz has often described her role as, "that of translator and interpreter between researchers and educators" (Rothenberg, 2000).  I also admire Marian Wright Edelman who has been a crusader for children's rights. She believes that education and health care is the key to keeping youth out of the juvenile system. She states, "The most important thing is to have students be able to read and compute and stay at grade level" (American School Board Journal. 2007).  These two women are major contributors in my field and it is clear that they serve as motivation to us all. 
In one of our course multimedia resources we were introduced to working professionals who shared their passion.  Sandy Escobido a child care deputy said something that I really agree with, "As professionals int he early childhood field we have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better" (Walden, 2010).  I say this time and time again to my teachers.  It's so important to remember what an influence we are and what an impact we can make in a child's life. Raymond Hernandez, another interviewee, stated that he was "not here to save the world, (he's) here to make a difference in the community (he's) working in" (Walden, 2010).  I say what we do to make change in our community will change the world!

References
Rothenberg, D. (2000). Proceedings of the Lilian Katz Symposium. Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting.

American School Board Journal, (2007, June). Five Questions for Marian Wright Edelman.

Walden University (2010). The Passion for Early Childhood. A Multimedia production.