HI！This is Shantelle Zhou
I am an ECS student at TMU
Lovely Little Things
Introduction
I was born and raised in Beijing, China, and Mandarin is my first language. I immigrated to Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, with my mother when I was 15 years old. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and crafting. I also love to see the happy faces of children when they receive my support and care. My dream is to become a professional educator and bring joy to children's lives, give them an unforgettable childhood.
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My preferred pronouns are she/her. Currently, I am a third-year student in the Early Childhood Studies program at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). During my first year, I participated in a virtual placement via Zoom, where I conducted observations focusing on children aged 0-8. Additionally, I had the opportunity to volunteer at an early childhood center called "Stepping Stone" when I was in PEI. Furthermore, I gained valuable experience through class placements, wherein teachers at my high school brought their children into the classroom. We collaborated to design learning plans and implement them with the kids. Overall, I had great experiences in the past, and I am looking forward to realizing my potential in the field. In my third year placement, I had the opportunity to teach first graders, who are typically 6-7 years old. This experience allowed me to gain a significant amount of real-world experience in a classroom setting. I developed and implemented lesson plans, engaged with students through creative and interactive activities, and learned to manage a classroom effectively. This hands-on experience taught me valuable skills in communication, classroom management, and lesson adaptation to meet the diverse needs of young learners. It was an incredibly rewarding period where I could directly apply my theoretical knowledge and see the positive impact on the children's learning and development. Next placement, I am excited to be going to a bilingual placement where I will be teaching in both English and Chinese. This opportunity is particularly meaningful to me as it allows me to utilize my native language in a professional setting. I am eager to teach Chinese to the best of my ability, incorporating both linguistic and cultural elements into my lessons. This placement will not only help me develop my teaching skills further but also enable me to connect with students on a deeper level by sharing my heritage. My goal is to create an inclusive and engaging learning environment where students can thrive in both languages, fostering their bilingual abilities and cultural appreciation.
Statement of Philosophy
I believe that every child is born as a blank sheet of paper and needs acquired love to become a kind, rich in mind and independent individual. To give a child a bright childhood is to give the child enough strength to face the future.
Goals for this term and future
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Establish connections with diverse families within the program.
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Familiarize myself with the location of emergency kits in the program room.
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Take my initiatives in the program room
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Able to share my knowelege regarding children to their parents.
Personal and Professional achievement and activities
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Voleenter/helper at childhood centre in PEI
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Volunteered in the EarlyOn program at a government community center
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Placement in a high school early childhood education program involved not only contributing to the decoration of the program room but also entailed the design of diverse learning plans tailored to various age levels.
Inclusive and free of bias
No matter the gender, race, or other differences, every child has their own personality and the opportunity to shine, and inclusivity and equality form the foundation for unlocking their potential.
My Learning Plans
Ideas parents/kids would love
01
Egg Decoration Line Practice
02
Taco Card Craft
To engage children in exploring different line patterns inspired by an Easter egg worksheet, an inviting art station will be arranged, equipped with markers, crayons, colored pencils, and ample sheets of blank paper. The activity will begin with an introduction to various types of lines, such as straight, curved, wavy, bumpy, zigzag, curly, and spiral lines. After the brief introduction, the worksheet will be shown, expressing excitement about the decorated egg with its diverse patterns. The children will be encouraged to create their own decorated eggs using any style or pattern they like, emphasizing the importance of their individual ideas and creativity. This activity not only fosters artistic expression but also values the children's unique perspectives and inquiries.
This is a taco art craft activity. Begin with a carpet time to introduce the activity. Ask the children what they know about tacos and what ingredients they think go into making one. This encourages curiosity and sets the stage for the craft. Show a finished example of the taco craft. Explain the steps briefly, emphasizing that their tacos can look however they want.
03
My Lunch Box
04
Shoe Fish
This activity is intended to be an open-ended premise to get the kids to plan their own lunchboxes. Usually, parents help with the preparation, but this time the children need to use their own abilities to plan a lunch for themselves. The activity starts by gathering the children on the carpet: “Hello everyone, let's gather around because there is something exciting to do today. Let's come together and plan our dream lunch. Now you can explore these ideas! You can use crayons, markers, colored pencils, stickers, and cut-out pictures to create your own unique lunch boxes and backpacks. Think about your favorite foods and the foods you would like to carry to school and then design a lunch for yourself just the way you like it.”
To engage the children in the activity, they will be asked to sit on the carpet. They will share their observations about the interesting shapes on the soles of their shoes and imagine turning these shapes into something magical, such as a fish, to stimulate their curiosity. Each child will take a shoe off and trace the outline of the shoe on a piece of paper to become the body of the fish. They will be encouraged to be creative and add fins, gills, eyes, mouth, and scales to the fish outline. Once the drawing is complete, they can color the fish with markers or use crayons. They can also cut out the fish they have drawn and glue them to a large piece of paper to create an aquarium backdrop together.
My Assignments
Critical Reflection Paper
The financial and policy aspects explored in my reflection in this ASSIGNMENT resonate with my personal experience with OSAP. Just as OSAP has eased my financial burdens, policies that support low-income families and children with special needs aim to provide equitable access to education. My practicum reinforced my belief in the importance of these policies, emphasizing the need for a supportive and inclusive education system that takes into account the diverse needs of all students. This practicum experience enriched my understanding of these issues and prepared me to advocate and implement inclusive practices in my future teaching career.
Final Position Paper
This activity my proposal emphasizes the need for early childhood educators to develop well-trained teachers. Ensure that children go from being motivated to getting the best education possible. My proposal aims to help these issues by advocating for policies such as higher provincial wages (PWE) and increased funding for credentialing programs, ultimately benefiting both educators and students. This congruence between my practical experience and my academic proposal strengthens my argument that there is an urgent need for better compensation and support for early childhood educators.
Literature Summary
This ASSIGNMENT, which explores how different levels and components of parental involvement interact to influence young children's literacy skills, is critical to understanding the full development of early learners. During my third grade placement where I taught first graders, I witnessed firsthand how different levels of parental involvement impacted students' literacy skills. Children whose parents were more involved in their education through activities such as reading at home, attending school events, and communicating regularly with teachers generally demonstrated higher literacy skills. This experience reinforces the critical role of parents in their children's educational journey. Linking to my final position paper recommendation, which advocates for increased pay and support for early childhood educators, I recognize that educators are often the facilitators of increased parental involvement. Well-paid, well-trained educators can provide parents with the resources and guidance they need to effectively support their children's literacy development. By advocating for better compensation and professional development opportunities for educators, my proposal indirectly supports increased parental involvement and creates a more supportive collaborative environment for young learners. This integrated approach ensures that both educators and parents are empowered to make positive contributions to children's literacy, thereby improving educational outcomes.
Links/excerpts of select academic coursework
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/habits.html
The site provides parents with resources that offer insight into the importance of nutritional combinations of food at home, as well as practical advice to help them make healthier eating choices for their children. Through expert nutritional information and practical recipes, the site encourages parents to adopt a varied and balanced diet to ensure their children receive adequate nutritional support!
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/healthy-eating-physical-activity-for-life/helping-your-child-tips-for-parents
The website helps to provide comprehensive support to parents and caregivers to ensure their children's optimal health in terms of diet, lifestyle habits and physical activity. The site encourages parents to create a positive and rewarding environment for their children by sharing nutritional information, practical parenting advice and suggestions for fun activities.
https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/5-healthy-goals/nurture-healthy-eaters/resources/
The site provides detailed helpful guidance on growing, buying and supporting healthy eating for children at home. By providing guidance on growing and buying healthy food, the site encourages parents to choose high-quality, organic ingredients to ensure their children receive optimal nutritional support.
