Grateful

As you may remember, Porch and I packed up & moved to Wisconsin this past winter. What I don't speak much about is that I still commute to Chicago every other week for my seminar sessions as I am in my final months of my internship at Erikson Institute. After I am done with the program, I will be considered a specialist in infants and toddlers. (I know, right?)

I am not only grateful for this opportunity because Chicago Public Schools granted me a scholarship, but for many other reasons as well .

My course work prepared me to become a mother. I knew everything that was going on in utero and annoyed my ob/gyn with my abundance of knowledge on the topic of pregnancy and fetal development. It was incredibly empowering to be so aware of what baby was doing each week, beyond the snapshot those baby apps provide. I know the developmental milestones to watch for as Charlotte grows & what is considered developmentally appropriate. I know what best practices are & how to adapt them to work within the context of our family.

I had the opportunity to work with some incredible instructors who shared their knowledge and experience in a way that enhanced my learning. I am so thankful to call many of them colleagues and mentors. The experience of being a student was changed when an instructor pointed out that we are all in the classroom to learn from each other, that she was not there simply to fill our heads with knowledge. This experience has helped me refine my concept of higher education and has inspired me to reexamine my work with adult learners. I would absolutely welcome the opportunity to facilitate coursework with adult learners.

I have also been challenged by other students, some with similar backgrounds and others from different sectors of education. I am thankful for the friendships that have emerged from the experience and the knowledge that I can look to these peers for support in the future.

My own understanding of infants and toddlers has grown  (obviously), but most importantly, my understanding of myself as a professional in the field of early childhood education has changed. I now perceive myself as a competent director of an early childhood center. Somewhere along this journey, I stopped questioning my "right" to be titled infant toddler specialist and embraced that I AM an expert. It's not with a sense of arrogance that I state this fact, but rather with a sense of pride.

I am so proud of the journey I've experienced while enrolled at Erikson and I am so grateful that this opportunity was afforded to me. I hope to inspire others the way Erikson has inspired & influenced me.