A friendship blossomed in 2006 between Viktoria and Elliott in the early childhood program at the Child Study Center, an accredited laboratory school at East Tennessee State University. They were both five years of age and from very different backgrounds. Viktoria, accompanying her mother on a post-doctoral sabbatical at the Center of Excellence in Early […]
In 2006, I received an inquiry about the possibility of a professor from Denmark embarking on a six-month sabbatical with me. At that time, I served as the Director of the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Learning and Development at East Tennessee State University. We had never sponsored a person to do a sabbatical […]
Each day you have many opportunities to be creative. Do you respond in the same way you always have? Is this safe and predictable? If you use your creative capabilities, you can try new options, respond in interesting ways, and feel more confident in your abilities to deal with difficult challenges. Trying new things and […]
This week the town of Jonesborough, Tennessee, created a Story Trail behind the International Storytelling Center. I am thrilled that they have selected my children’s book Everyone Has a Story to Tell to be displayed throughout the trail. There you receive an invitation to read each page of the story about the fabulous tellers who […]
Today we are featuring an early childhood educator who works with children, birth to three, through the Great Start Pathways to Success program in Sanford, FL. She provides parent education specifically related to the development of essential early literacy skills of their children. In addition, Tenesha serves as a Resource Teacher for the VPK program. […]
In early childhood, music has long been an important element of our programs. Music has been personally meaningful for me from four years old to now. First singing in church and later in choirs and then with young children. We can also observe how important music is when the infant in the crib moves their […]
Today we continue to recognize “Creative Teachers.” I would like you to meet Beverly (Dugger) Wigington. Early in her career, she was a toddler teacher. I have often said, “Working with toddlers takes a very special person.” They must be very flexible and able to go with the flow of the changeable toddlers. Beverly was […]
Early Childhood is a profession that includes many strong and influential women. These amazing women have established the field of early childhood and set high goals for us to achieve. They have been strong advocates for the field as it grew. We must continue to move forward to secure more quality and expanded programs for […]
When reviewing articles and books about nurturing creativity, there is often the suggestion to “do something new.” Doing something you have never done before activates your thinking and challenges you to adjust to new experiences. For the past week, I’ve been taking a break and visiting Beaufort and Charleston, SC. In looking at the historical […]
Over the years, I have worked with many early childhood teachers and future teachers. It has been something that has given me great joy as I watched these folks grow and gain confidence in their capabilities. Many have taught me much about being creative and influencing young children. In January of 2023, I began an […]