Robin's Early Childhood Studies Blog: A New Chapter Begins

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A New Chapter Begins

A new chapter in my life has now begun with the decision to further my knowledge in the early childhood field. This is my first time using a blog and I am looking forward to using this tool as I begin my journey into the field of early childhood public policy and advocacy. Keeping the lines of communication open between classmates (especially with an online degree program) is essential as each of us works toward earning our Master's of Science in Early Childhood Studies.

Each of us who has enrolled in this program of study has chosen the concentration that will prepare each of us to reach our goals for the future. I chose the degree of Master’s of Science Early Childhood Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy in order to gain the knowledge I believe is needed to pursue my goal of becoming a full-time advocate.

I look forward to hearing from each of you, whether it be a personal reflection, a sharing of ideas or a source for other resources. Good luck to all.

3 comments:

Sarah HoltzMay 20, 2011 at 9:44 PM
Your Personal Childhood Web is wonderful. It ia great that you had such a good connection with your mother's boyfriend. I know a lot of children struggle with finding connections in these situations. You did a great job. I love the photos!
ReplyDelete
Replies
RobinMay 21, 2011 at 10:49 PM
Thanks so much! I have so many happy memories of times spent with my grandfather. He was definitely a character.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Margaret JordanMay 22, 2011 at 2:50 PM
Hello Robin,
You have a wonderful Personal Childhood Web. You had several great individuals around you that helped you to become the results driven and hard working person that you are today!
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

PERSONAL CHILDHOOD WEB

When constructing my personal childhood web I needed to remember those who contributed to a feeling of being loved, left me feeling special in some way, and cared about. This was a difficult task as my memories of my childhood, especially from the years of ten and up, were more of surviving this time instead of enjoyment.

Those individuals who did leave a positive impression in some way during the course of my early childhood and middle childhood are: my maternal step-grandfather; my mother; my father; my sister; and my mother's long-term boyfriend and father figure in later years.

My maternal step-grandfather, Monty Crytzer, was the one person in my childhood that I could always count on the keep me laughing and see the fun part of childhood. Even though we are not biologically related, I attribute my sense of humor and how I look at life to him. When times get tough, I always remember how he taught me the importance of being a kid at heart. One specific memory is of him pushing my sister and me around K-Mart in a shopping cart telling us to yell for our mom and grandmother. We had fun, they were totally embarrassed. I have many wonderful memories of my time spent with him.

My mother, Sarah, had her ups and downs as a parent. Most of my memories are not of fun times but to give her credit she did the best she could under the circumstances she found herself in during my later early childhood and middle childhood years. She took care of the basics in order for us to be healthy. She made sure we ate, had clothes, got up for school, etc... It was in the department of showing love that she had a tough time in. I always assumed she loved us but just did not know how to show it.

My father, Eddie, was a great father when we were little whenever he was around (which was not often because of work). He was very interested in technology and I credit him with my interest in all types of gizmos, gadgets, and computers of any type. The times I remember the most fondly were spent in his workroom as a young child being instructed on how to use his Ham Radio setup. Unfortunately, he slowly disappeared out of my life when I was around ten or so.

My sister, Wendy, is older than I am but we always shared a room. We were close later in early childhood and in early middle childhood due to the environment we lived in. Specific memories are painful to remember, but it was and is important that she was there when times were tough. We went through a rough time in later childhood but are now as close as ever.

My mom's long-term boyfriend, Ralph, was and still is a father figure for me. Since the age of fifteen, he has been the person who pretty much took on that role in my life. We never lived in the same house but do live only two houses apart. Aside from taking on some of the roles as father figure, he is a great listener as well as full of information that he loves to share.

There were others who had an impact as I progressed into adulthood but these are the five that came to mind for my early childhood and middle childhood. I do believe we are a product of our environment in so many ways and even though three of the five mentioned are no longer alive, the impact they had on my life is still present today.

Robin's Early Childhood Studies Blog

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A New Chapter Begins

3 comments:

Followers

Blog Archive