My Supports

There are many things and people who supportive of me in my daily environment. My parents, best friend, and my boyfriend are probably some of the most supportive people there are in my life. They are always there for me, even on the bad days, and I know I can count on their support and help to get me through the day. Since school is in session, my coworkers also provide much needed support as well. I know if I have a problem or need help with something, I can count on them for the help. I find these supports all beneficial because these people can help me emotionally, practically, and physically. They are ones that I can turn to when I need the support in these areas. Without these people in my lives, I feel that I would be out on my own in this world. I would feel lost, and that I wouldn’t have anyone to count on or to go to for help. These people are my rock, and help me as I have challenges throughout life.

I have a heredity nerve loss in my hearing, thus I have been wearing hearing aids for the past 4 ½, so my challenged I imagined was the my hearing got worse which could make communication more difficult. Obviously, I would need support from everyone I have mentioned to get me to overcome this challenge and in addition to technology and hearing professionals. My family, friends, and co-workers would provide the support of realizing that they may have to talk louder and slower in order for me the hear them and be able to read their lips. Technology and hearing professionals will provide the support of finding the right device to help with my hearing issue, so I can continue on with my daily life. Without these supports, I think communication would be difficult. People would not realize that I have a hearing issue, and just play it off as if I was weird, and not fully understand my situation. I feel without these supports in my life, my life would be different because I would probably not participate in conversation because I can’t hear, thus my social life wouldn’t exist, and I wouldn’t be able to continue to teach and develop relationships.

My Connections to Play

Two Quotes about Play

"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning." --Fred Rogers

"When children pretend, they're using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero." --Fred Rogers

Both quotes from Fred Rogers represented what play was for me growing up. I remember playing with my kitchen set and making/baking things the way I saw my mom do it. It showed what I learning. The 2nd quote from Fred Rogers shows that children can think beyond reality, and have the ability to imagine the impossible. I believe I did this several times during play with friends and my brothers. We could be anything we wanted to be!

Play Items

Some of the most common play items that were apparent of my childhood were Barbies and K'nex!

 

People Supporting my Play

I feel my parents and my brothers were key people in supporting my play during my childhood. My parents didn't let us watch a lot of TV so we were forced to play. Growing up with 3 brothers, I was constantly roped in to play sports, such as hockey, baseball, and basketball. In return for playing sports with them, they had to play house or dress-up with me. 

Similarity/Differences of Play Over Time

I think play today has a lot of similarities compared to when I was kid. Kids still imagine they can be whatever they wanted to be, imagine cooking in their kitchens, and playing sports. However, the biggest difference I noticed over time is the amount of play that actually happens. I feel children today watch a lot more TV then when I was a child, and thus they are experiencing less time to play, thus not developing imagination or creativity skills that are some important during early childhood. When children do play, they will act out what they have seen on TV, not really using their imaginations. 

Final Thoughts 

I feel play has been an important part of my childhood. Because of the amount of time I spent playing sports as a young child, lead to playing sports in high school, and continuing playing from time to time as an adult. I remembered playing school a lot as a child, which is part of the reason I am a teacher now. Play also taught me have fun with life. As adults we sometimes forget to have fun, or just sit down and play with each other. I remember a few years ago, I found all the Barbies I used to play with, and started going through them and playing with them (changing their clothes, doing their hair etc.). I realized that even though I was past the Barbie playing stage, I still enjoyed the time to play with time. Without play in my life, I don't think I would be where I am at currently in life without it. 

Relationship Reflection

 

I believe that relationships and partnerships are important for many reasons. They give us a sense of belonging, security, and loving. Without relationships, I feel a person will just feel lonely all the time, and wouldn't have anybody to turn to when they need help. Relationships also teach us communication skills. To me, the relationships I have with people are the ones I can turn to in the time of need, they are people I can truly trust my life with, and give me the sense of belonging. 

My Parents 

One of the relationships that I value the most, is the relationship with my parents. This relationship is important be me because I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. They have taught me so many things in life, and are continuing teaching me things. They are also always there when I need them, with often times making sacrifices to help me. In order to maintain my relationship with my parents, I have to remember that it's a two way road, something I sometimes forget. Meaning, just because my parents do something certain ways, doesn't me I have to do it their way, but I can take their suggestions, and let them know I value their suggestions and help. 

My Best Friend

Amanda and I have been friends for many years. She is practically a sister, and someone I am quickly to turn to for help and advice in situations. In order to maintain our friendship, we have learned that we need communicate with each other and also listen to each other. We have learned to talk about our problems, especially when we become upset with each other, and often times come out of the situation with a stronger relationship. She is someone I can truly count on in a moment of need and vice versa. 

Reflection

This relationships are important in forming relationships and partnerships in the early childhood profession because they show me that I need to be respectful, taking the time to get to know the families and the children, and realize that we all have different opinions. As professionals, we have to realize that we may not always be right, and that in order to form effective partnerships we have to be willing to work with the parents. I feel the more we can communicate and form relationships and partnerships with parents, the more involved parents will be. 

 

 

Leaving You WIth a Thought

I found this quote/picture and it really hit home to me, because it is so true! Children are so precious and such a gift that as adults, parents, caregivers, and future early childhood professionals we need to advocates for them and help them develop to the best of their ability. Life is so precious, and what happens early on in a child's life and affect the rest of their lives! So we have to make sure we are doing things right!

I want to thank all my colleagues for the past 8 weeks! With being back in the classroom teaching this fall and trying to take this class, it has kept me pretty busy, but you guys have made it a wonderful experience and I enjoyed learning from each and everyone of you. I wish you nothing but the best as we continue through this journey together, and maybe our paths will cross again in future classes! Good luck!

Abby

Testing for Intelligence

As educators, I think it is important we measure and assess young children in different ways in order to really find out their intelligence. I do believe standardized testing does help measure what a child knows and doesn’t know, but that shouldn’t be the sole factor. I do believe that we have to make sure our students know how to read, write properly, and know basic math. That’s what we use in the real world. I still don’t understand (and I’m already a teacher) why we to do standardized tests on sciences and social studies because in reality, how much of that do we use in our everyday lives? Unless you do it every day for your job, those are the things kids tend to forget. I think the focus should be on reading, writing, and math, because those are skills you use every day!

I chose to look at how students in China are assessed because it’s a country that the U.S. is competing with when it comes to scores in math and science. In a classroom setting, students are assessed based off of performance based assessments, self-assessments, peer assessment, teacher observations, portfolios, quizzes, and tests.  Some standardized tests Chinese students take are Early Language Learning Oral Performance Assessment which is a face-to-face listening and speaking assessment for primary grades children. From the Center for Applied Linguistics, and the Chinese Proficiency Test, which is China’s national standardized test to evaluate students (Asia Society, 2014).

I think it is important we assess our students, but I feel there needs to be a better way besides standardized testing, because there are people out there that know the content and material but are just not good test takers, or you be like me, I’m a slow test taker. So, I often rush through tests that are times, and then end up scoring badly because I didn’t have the time to really read it. We need to be able to assess our children in many different ways, and not solely relying on standardize tests.

References

No Author. (2014). Assessment. Asia Society. Retrieved from
      http://asiasociety.org/education/chinese-language-initiatives/assessment

Stress on Children

I guess I was pretty lucky growing up, because I didn't have too many stressors impact my childhood. Of the stressors I did have (my grandma dying and have seizures) I was too young to really remember them, or how they impacted my life.

So, for this assignment, I turned to by best friend, Amanda. Amanda and I have known each other since kindergarten, and are practically sisters. Amanda went through a very stressful period when she was growing up. Her dad was diagnosed with leukemia when we were still grade school. I know the stress that it put on Amanda and her family as they were going through this very difficult times. Amanda has always been very good at hiding her emotions around people, but not around me. She was constantly worrying about her dad, who was 3 hours way from home getting treatment. I had asked her later on how she was able to cope with it all, and she said it was the family support that helped the most. She said her grandparents, aunts, and uncles were all there to help during this stressful time. It all ended good though, Amanda's dad has been cancer-free for about 18 years now! I think through this stressful time, I think it made Amanda realize how sometimes we take things for granted and we really have to treasure our time with our love ones because you never know what's going to happen!

I chose to look at West Africa because of the recent Ebola outbreak there. Not only are children dealing with losing loves ones to this disease, but there is now a food shortage because people are being restricted from delivery food to the hard hit areas. Whole towns have been shut down because of the outbreak, and people are being force to stay inside, which is making it difficult for families to go out and farm, sell their goods, make money, and buy food. Not only that, but food is so scare that if they did find it, they probably weren't going to be able to afford it (Sheahen, 2014). We all know how important it is that children are getting the proper nutrients in order to develop proper, and the consequences for not getting the proper nutrients. Church organizations, groups, and volunteers have been working tremendously hard to help those areas hit hard by the disease outbreak by bringing food and raising funds to fight the disease.

References:
Sheahen, L., (24 Sept, 2014). Ebola-hit West Africa faces food shortage. Caritas Internationalis.
     Retrived from http://www.caritas.org/2014/09/ebola-hit-west-africa-faces-food-shortages/

Breastfeeding

The topic I chose is breastfeeding. This topic is meaningful to me because I feel that an important bond is created between the mother and child when breastfeeding. It gives infants that sense of security and love. Also, research has shown that by breastfeeding increases the infant's immune system and reduces the risks of allegories and respiratory diseases (Johnson, Sternberg, 2014). It has also shown to reduce the risk of the mother develop heart disease in the future (2014). So in the end, it's a win-win for both the mother and the infant.

In Afghanistan, women don't understand the important of breastfeeding in the first few days of life because of the lack of trained midwives to help (Dehn, 2009). Instead, they are often feeding newborns tea instead of the colostrum. and are waiting until their milk comes to start breastfeeding (2009). The tea can cause the infant diarrhea, and can hinder breast stimulation in the woman, resulting in the infant not getting enough calories. (2009). Due this concept, the mortality rate is very high in the first 2 weeks of an infant's life (2009).

I feel this information will impact my future work because if I am working with infants, I need to understand the importance of using breast milk. I know that when the woman goes back to work, it's often hard to keep up with giving the infant breast milk and pumping so they can have it while the mother is at work. I could support these mothers to continuing pumping in order to provide milk for their infants and explain to  the benefits of the wonderful thing they are doing for their child and themselves.

References
Dehn, B. (03 Sept 2009). Breastfeeding around the world. The Huffington Post. Retrieved
     from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-dehn/breastfeeding-around-
     the_b_249887.html

Johnson, M., & Sternberger, S. (12 Sept, 2014). Why breast-feeding is important mom's
     heart-health. U.S. News.  Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-
     wellness/articles/2014/09/12/why-breast-feeding-is-important-for-moms-heart-health

Birthing Experiences

I haven't really participated in any birthing experiences besides my own. It was actually kind of nice talking to my mom about how I was born, because I really never knew the whole story, just vague details. Mom was originally due on December 10, 1987 with me. However, she woke up the morning of December 3rd in labor. She said she remembered dropping my older brother off at the sitter's house, and told my dad that she wasn't going to work, and that they were going to the hospital. So her and dad headed to Joint Township Memorial Hospital in St. Marys, OH. (A little background information, mom was in labor for over 24 hours with my older brother (her 1st child), and ended up having a C-section because she wasn't dilating.) After a few hours at the hospital, and trying the drug synthetic prostaglandin to help her dilate, they decided to go ahead with a C-section. When I asked mom why so early, because at this point she has been in labor for about 6 hours, she was like this wasn't my first rodeo, so why lay around and be in labor when it wasn't going to go anywhere. So, she had a C-section, and I was born, a healthy beautiful girl, at 10:39 AM on December 3, 1987.

This led to Mom and I having a discussion about due dates. You see, my older brother was born on December 1st, I was on December 3rd, my younger brother, Craig, was born on October 15th, and my youngest brother, Mark, was born on December 3rd. Mom said we all came about a week early, expect my older brother. I have always asked mom if it was intentional that Mark was born on my birthday, and if she had planned that. She said that she actually had a C-section schedule for December 4th for Mark, and she said she remembered asking the nurse why the doctor was waiting that long since she was a week early with the last two (Mark's due date was also December 10th) and she didn't want to go into labor. The nurse informed my mom that the reason the doctor scheduled it for the 4th was because he was going to be out of town until then. You probably can figured out by now what happened. Mom went into labor on the 3rd, had a C-section, and I was blessed with a baby brother, who I now share my birthday with.

I chose this example, well because, it has been the only birthing experience I have ever been a part of. Obviously, I don't remember my own birth, or those of my brothers. However, I have had a bunch of cousins who have recently had babies and all had different experiences. But they all said the same thing, they will all do it over again, because nothing beats the feeling of meeting your child for the 1st time, and you are just overwhelmed with joy and love in that minute. I think child birth is a trying and can be a difficult time, but in the end, it's so awarding, and you can say you have brought this beautiful baby into the world and you can give it all the love you can and help it start developing in the instant.

The country I chose to look at about how births happen is China. During labor, women would often drink a strong herbal potion that helps ease the pains of labor, and that the women should not fear the birthing process, because they see this as their career. Women will also give birth in an armchair our a futon, and not a hospital bed like most people in the U.S. does. Fathers are normally not involved in the first birth, but may be involved in later births of other children. This is a big difference from the U.S. where most fathers participate in the birthing experience and helping when they can. Researching the Chinese birthing experience made me realize that there are many different theories and assumptions about the birthing experience. Some based the experience off of science, while others believe God is in charge. However, the one thing we all have similar, is that we are all striving for the same ending. A healthy baby to love and see grow.

References:

Brown, L. (NA). Childbirth Traditions Around the World: China. Retrieved from
     http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor-and-delivery/childbirth-traditions-china_70703?
     page=2

Code of Ethics

Three ideals from the codes of ethics that I found meaningful to me were:

1) We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning. This code is significant to me because all children and families are different so we have to tailor to their needs so we are helping them the best possible ways.

2) To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful. This code is significant because I feel ALL children have rights to services to help them be successful, even those with special needs. As early childhood professionals we need to advocate those with special needs even more, because they deserve to be successful as well.

3) To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve. This is significant to me because in order to help families and their children we have to develop a relationship with the parents. Parents are expecting us to teach their children, and put their trust in us. We need to keep the parents informed on what's going on and happening in order to build a partnership.

Foundations: Early Childhood Resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
  
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
  
• Websites:
  
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
  
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
  
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
  
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
  
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
  
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
  
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
  
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

Professional Journals

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional Resources

• Ohio Early Childhood Standards and Kindergarten Readiness: http://rec.ohiorc.org/
• Obama Calls for New Steps to Prepare America's Children for Success in Colleges and Careers: http://www.educationcorner.com/prepare-for-success.html
• Murpy, S. (July 2014). Finding the right fit. YC:Young Children, 69(3), 66-71. Retrieved from Walden University Library Database.
• Ireland's President, Mary McAleese from the 2011 World Fourm Foundation: "We get one go around with our children, so we who are the engravers on their lives, we have to engrave well, and we have to know, and be taught how to engrave well. God knows we have plenty of experience of engraving badly. But there is good news on the horizon and that is the capacity of the human person to change, learn and to do what you (early childhood professionals) are doing here, and give each other the benefit of your wisdom and experience so we we have this global resource of good practices, best practices, things that work and things that don't work to share with one another."
• Great Resource for Classroom Activities for any level: http://www.uen.org/k12educator/corelessonplans.shtml 

Quotes

Quotes from the people I researched this week:

"The right to play on any field. You have earned it. The right to study in any school. You have earned it. The right to hold a job. You have earned it. The right to be anyone’s neighbor. You have earned it.”  — Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS), Special Olympics founder

“You are the stars and the world is watching you.  By your presence, you send a message to every village, every city, every nation. A message of hope. A message of victory.”  –Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1987 Special Olympics World Games)

"Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it."- Marian Wright Edelman

"If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time." - Marian Wright Edelman

Quotes from the Weed 2 video:

"The passion to make sure that all children were taught in environments, and in ways that truly nurtured their ability, to grow and develop to the fullest of their abilities." - Louis Derman-Sparks

"We as professionals in the early childhood field, have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better." - Sandy Escobido 

Personal Childhood Web

#1: My Parents
 I guess I am lucky enough to have two really awesome parents. They were the ones that have loved me since the beginning. They taught me right from wrong, installed the values I have today, and supported me in whatever I decided to do throughout life, even if they wanted to roll their eyes. Without my parents, I most for sure wouldn't be the person I am today! I know we might have not always have gotten along, but in the end, they are always there! The best part is, they are always still supporting even as an adult (such as letting me move back home at then end of the month to save money)!

Dad and I at Christmas in 1988. I had just turned 1.

When I was 5, I spent the Christmas of 1992 in the hospital. I had my appendix removed on Christmas Eve night. Mom and Dad took turns spending time with me at the hospital, while the other took the boys to the Christmas parties. I had received this game for Christmas, and had it mastered by the time I left the hospital. The boys eventually gave up playing it with me because I always won!

  
#2: Older Brother Daniel
Daniel, beginning the older brother he is, was (and still is) very protective of me. If he knew I was going to get hurt or be in danger, he sure was the one that stopped me, even though he did it himself. Daniel was very smart and very athletic, so growing up, I wanted to be just like him! Following in his footsteps was tough, but I think I did a pretty good job. The one thing I remember most about Daniel telling me how much he loved me was when I was in a really bad car accident in 2006. I was on my way on from college on the day of his birthday. Once I was able to get my phone back, I had this message waiting on me: “Hey sis, I love ya and always will. I’m sorry I’m not there tonight and do my big brother duties, but get well and I will always be there for ya and call me when you get this. I love you forever.” We may not always get along, but we still love each other, and I continue to want to follow in his footsteps!

One of our many weekends we spent at the ball diamonds rooting on Dad's softball teams!

#3: Younger Brothers Craig and Mark
Although younger, Craig and Mark still played an important part of my childhood. I am sure without them, Daniel and I probably would have killed each other. With being the only girl in my family, I had to hold my ground with my brothers. I would often bargain with them in order to get them to play what I wanted. Craig was, and still is the happy go lucky guy. He always reminds me that there is always a good that comes out of a bad time. He lives life the fullest. Mark, is by far the brains and the athlete of the family (He played DII basketball, and starts medical school in the fall). Although, I don't think he would be where he is today if it wasn't for his older sibling paving the path for him. Ever since he was little, he was always so goal oriented. He taught me to never give up on things and to continue to work hard towards them! Without them, I probably wouldn't be the the laid back, goal oriented, and bargaining person I am today!

I got them to play dress-up one night! Order: Mark, Daniel, Me, and Craig

 #4: My Godparents
 Growing up in a Catholic family, my parents selected my Uncle Randy and my Aunt Shorty to be my godparents. These two people played an important part in the childhood because they were the ones that encouraged to me have fun. From the new toys they got me, to spending time with them, we always had fun! They still constantly remind me to have fun in life even now when I'm an adult!

Uncle Randy at my 1st Birthday Party

Aunt Shorty was my Confirmation sponsor 

#5:Grandma and Grandpa Frilling
I grew up just a little over a mile from my grandparents. So, as you can imagine, I spent a lot of time over there in the summers. My brothers and I would often times ride our bikes to their house and spend the day there helping Grandma and Grandpa. They were both loving grandparents, and always excited to have us over. Sometimes, Grandma would be cooking for like 15 of us cousins on any given day during the summer. Being the oldest granddaughter, I was always Grandma's helper in the the kitchen. Probably one of the reasons I love to cook today! They also taught me to live life to the fullest and have fun. They both past away very sudden. Grandma died in August 2006, and Grandpa died in July 2008. I think they're love for me still shows even though they are gone. When I was in a really bad car accident December of 2006, I remembered crawling out of the car and searching for my cell phone to call home. After Grandma had died, I had change the screen on my phone to a picture of her. I found my phone flipped open laying in the middle of road, and the 1st face a saw was my Grandma's face. To this day, I believe Grandma loved me so much, she's the reason I survived that car accident. They a deeply missed, but we all know their love still shows every now and then.

Grandma Frilling and I and their house!

Grandma and Grandpa Frilling after I made my 1st Communion in 2nd grade

#6: 1st Grade Teacher: Mrs. Daughtery
 When I entered 1st grade, I was blessed with having Mrs. Daughtery as my teacher. She is probably the reason I love to read and try new things. She encouraged me to be friends with people I may not has associated with. She was also my OM coach. In OM we were on teams, and had to create a skit relating the a series of prompts and requirements that were given. Mrs. Daughtery taught me how to be creative and how to work together as a group! She is still teaching today, and I always enjoy running into her, just because she had such a huge influence on my life, and is one of the teachers I am greatly thankful for!

Our OM team! 

#7: Best Friend Amanda
Amanda and I have known each other since kindergarten when we went to the same baby sitter. Although we weren't in the same class, we became friends quickly at the sitter's. Through the early grades we weren't super close, just because we weren't in the same class, but by 3rd grade we were best friends, doing about everything together. We actually started challenging each other to be better than the other, so it made us try just as hard. Amanda taught me to always stand up for myself, and to always follow your heart. Besides calling my parents, she was the next person I called after my car accident, because she was waiting to pick me up! She is my go to person when I need help with a problem or issue or to just vent! We often say we are sisters, just from different parents! 

I couldn't find a good picture of us from when we were little, but here's a picture of us now! We have lived together for the past 3 years, although we are both moving back home to our parents house at the end of the month to save money for big life events! So excited to get to be her Maid of Honor next November when she gets married!

Me in a Nutshell

A Little About Me:

Hi all, and welcome to my blog!!! My name is Abby Frilling, and from the small town of Fort Loramie, OH. I have never really left the town besides going to away to Ball State University in Muncie, IN for my bachelor's degree. I graduated in 2010 from Ball State University with degree in Vocational Family and Consumer Sciences. Since graduating, I have been teaching Family and Consumer Sciences to high school students. I'm currently employed by the Upper Valley Career Center as a satellite teacher, where I teach at Piqua High School in Piqua, OH. In my free time I love to go camping, spend time with family and friends, going on walks and bike rides, and read books! I also have a secret obsession with quarter auctions and Pampered Chef items!

I grew up out in the country on a dead end road with my parents and 3 brothers. My parents have been married for 31 years! I am the 2nd child, so the order is Daniel, Me, Craig, and Mark. It was crazy growing up with 3 brothers, but I probably wouldn't be as big as a sports fan as I am if it wasn't for them. No worries, I held my ground with them...anytime I had to play basketball, baseball, or hockey with them, they had to play house, school, or Barbies with me!

My family at my older brother's wedding from June 2013. Excited to announce they are expecting their 1st child at the end of September/early October! Can't wait to be an aunt and spoil the little peanut!!

I don't quite remember how old I am in this picture, but judging by the looks of the amount of hair I have, i would guess I was about 1 1/2 years old. I was a baldy baby girl! I barley had any hair when I was 6 months old! Cool thing, riding bikes is still one of my favorite activities to do!

Favorite Quotes: 

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
― Nelson Mandela

 This quote was actually something I just found, and by already being a teacher it really shows the importance of education. Teaching high school students can sometimes be a struggle, because some of my students come from really rough backgrounds. I have known quite a few students who have dropped out when they turned 18, and I just wish they would truly realize how important education really is!!! It's something I lecture and lecture about everyday in my classroom!! I love this quote as well because it relates to all levels of education!

 This is another quote I feel is so true about young childern! They have such imaginations, and as adults sometimes we forget about this! I can't begin to remember all those times I played on the playground and we were imagining stories as we go. I use to play mermaids with my friends on the playground, and every recess, we continued with our story! Sometimes I was a princess, and other times I was capture and I needed saved! Oh, I could go on and on about these stories! I almost wish I could go back to those days. I feel we get so caught up in life and the future, we forget about the present, and I think we need to remember the young children live for the present. They aren't concern too much yet about future!

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

 Even when I'm upset with my family, I still find a way to love them. We may not always get along or be nice to each other, but they are still your family. Sometimes I feel that people don't realize that until someone is gone, and then you have ran out of time. 

Favorite Books:

The Berenstain Bears were by far my favorite books growing up as a child. Anytime I could get my hands on these books at the library, I totally would! Even too this day I still love them because they are always teaching a lesson of some sort. I may not have known it at the time, but now that I'm older, I totally understand them. My high school students thought I was nuts one day when I started reading a Berenstain Bears book...we were talking about how we spend on money and sometimes get greedy with it and that's what the book was a bout!

Story Time:

I haven't had a whole lot of experience with working with young childern, but I guess one story that has really touched my heart would be from my 1st grade bible school class last year. During bible school last year, we had a high school student in our community that was diagnosed with cancer. This student's younger sister happened to a friend to a lot of 1st graders. Throughout the week, I would always asked the students who we wanted to pray for for that day. Their responses changes each day...moms, dads, brothers, sisters, pets, grandparents, etc. The one name that kept coming up everyday however was Connor and his family. By the end of the week, students had created cards for Connor (he was scheduled to have a surgery during that week), and even created cards for their friend (his sister) because they knew she was going through a tough time as well with all of this. They might not have fully understood the situtation or how severe his illness was, but their compassion for him and his family is something I would never forget that week. Most of these kids didn't know who Connor was, but were willing to do something for him. I think this was one of the things the fueled me even further into getting a Master degree in early childhood!