Professional Resources

I  am listing my three new resources here so that my classmates may leave comments. Please see the left side bar for a complete list of professional resources.

Additional Resources

NORWESCAP -Northwest New Jersey Community Action Program

NORWESCAP is a private, non-profit corporation originally established in 1965 under the Economic Opportunity Act to serve the low-income population of Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren Counties. They provide services for children and families that include Head Start Programs, housing assistance and training. They also provide trainings for local child care center staff. http://www.norwescap.org/help_childrenservices.php

Intellectual Emergencies,  Some Reflections on Mothering and Teaching Author: Lilian G. Katz, Stephen J. Katz ISBN: 978-0-88076-688-3 Publisher: Kaplan Press

A coworker recently shared a quote from this book and it is now on my reading list. I had the pleasure of meeting Lilian Katz during my undergraduate studies when I had the privilege of introducing her during a lecture series at my school.

Book description: Lilian Katz has spent many years conducting workshops for teachers, parents, and students all over the world, and during those workshops she has often referred to her son Stephen, and what she has termed the "intellectual emergencies" she experienced during the years he was growing up. Her responses to these "emergencies," the moments when he analyzed her actions and challenged her decisions as a parent and a teacher, are pulled together in this book.
With music and words from Stephen incorporated into the book, Katz presents an inspirational work for making the right choices.

Evan B. Donaldson Institute- I am a Late Discovery Adoptee, I was not told I was adopted until I was 40 years old and my adoptive mother had passed away. My perspective of adoption immediately changed and I have done much research on the subject. As early childhood professionals we will interact with adoptees and their families often and are not prepared in any way for doing so through our general training. I encourage you all to educate yourselves on how children are affected by adoption and foster care so you may have a deeper understanding and betters skills to help them and their families. I have chosen this particular site because they are not affiliated with an adoption agency but conduct research to help form policy.  http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/index.php

What the Leaders in Our Field are Saying......

“Most school districts put a premium on success at third grade, when high-stakes tests are first administered. It’s a strategy very much like waiting until you’re 60 before getting serious about retirement savings.”

Samuel J. Meisels, Erikson Institute, Early Ed Watch, July 11, 2011

“We now have scientific evidence to support a belief that many of us have held for a long time: that children’s environment of relationships in the first years of their lives shape the architecture of their brains, influencing their abilities long into adulthood. This brain research tells us that adults---not just parents, but teachers and providers too, function as either protective or risk factors in children’s development. And that means we must, as a society, do whatever we can to ensure that the teachers and providers who spend their days with children have the preparation, support and reward that allow them to play that protective role in children’s lives.”- Marcy Whitebook from her speech No Single Ingredient: 2020 Vision for the Early Learning Workforce Early Learning Tour, Denver, Colorado, April 26, 2010

 "I had just a built-in passion that it was important to make a real contribution in the world and to fix all the injustices that existed in the world, and I wanted to do that through teaching" -Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oak College, CA

" We as professionals in the early childhood field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better, and so that's what makes me passionate about this field." -SandyEscobido, Deputy Field Director, Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative, California Community Foundation

Personal Childhood Web

My Dad......he was my protector.One of my strongest memories of my dad was when I first started kindergarten. I am left handed and my teacher, a nun, wanted me to either write with my right hand or turn it so it curled all the way around. He walked me to school early one morning to speak to her explaining that he was also a lefty who made it all the way through Catholic College without a problem and I was allowed to be a lefty!
Today I am advocate for the underdog, a lesson learned for my dad.


Aunt Nancy......aunt was a title of respect, she was really a close friend of my mom. When she and her family moved to South Carolina when I was young my family began vacationing at their home. We were often there for my birthday and she would bake me a red velvet cake from scratch. I loved spending time in the kitchen with her. My entire family spends time in the kitchen and all of my children have their own cooking specialties.


The Billimeyers.....they were actually my friend's grandparents, I had no living grandparents after the age of 9 so they took on that role in my life. They lived within walking distance and I spent my summers in their pool and was included in just about everything they did for their grandchildren. Today I know that my children have many families they feel apart of, their biological family, their church family and their scouting families. All filled with adult who nurture them in different ways.


Miss. Soriano......she was my 6th grade teacher and was the most creative teacher I had ever met. Her classroom was the first one where I felt everyone was equal member of the class. After being her student was when I knew I wanted to be a teacher and that I wanted to emulate her style in my own classroom.

Education Quote

“If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Ignacio Estrada


This quote touches me because two of my children had difficulty learning to spell and write. Fortunately our school district had wonderful resources and they were instructed differently and given many tools to be able to learn the way they needed to. That is not to say that all staff were immediately on board with necessary accommodations and that being a strong advocate for what my children needed was not necessary. 


Being a good teacher means being able to vary your teaching style so all students in your care can learn.

A Philosophy I Agree With

Children Learn What They LiveBy Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Copyright © 1972 by Dorothy Law Nolte

Very early in my teaching career someone shared this with me. It mirrors my thoughts that the way a child is treated is how they will view the world. It helps me remember that every word, every facial expression and every movement I make in the classroom or with my own children is a model for their behavior.  

A Favorite Book From My Childhood

I still own my original copy!

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton is a story I remember from my childhood. In this story a  beloved  little country house watches the world change around her.  As years pass progress encroaches and she is forgotten by her family. But of course there is a happy ending! I love the illustrations in this book depicting the seasons and the passage of time. I shared this book with my three children when they were younger and now I share it with my students!