Introductions

A teacher that is always learning

            My name is Celeste Guinazu and I am from a small town in Connecticut. Professionally, I have been involved in Early Childhood Education since my sophomore year of college. I started working in the before and after school care program of a local preschool, and from then on I was hooked into preschool! I earned my bachelors degree in Child study from Saint Joseph College (West Hartford, CT; now known as the University of Saint Joseph) in 2002. I have taught preschool, infants, toddlers, and kindergarten. I have also been an assistant director and later a director of a child care center. I had the opportunity to teach the extended school year program for Special Education preschoolers in my school district twice, and there I found a true passion! I truly believe in UNICEF’s children’s bill of rights, and while I support all of the articles in the bill of rights, Article 23 is one that truly speaks to me:  “Children who have any kind of disability have the right to special care and support,…, so that they can live full and independent lives.”  Our mission as early childhood professionals is to provide that special care and support, beginning as early as possible, so that all children can enjoy a full and independent life. It has become my mission to educate all the children in my classroom, not just the “typical” ones, to develop the skills necessary to fulfill that goal. I believe that part of our job as educators is to teach ourselves how to get out of the mindset that just because a child has a disability, that he or she cannot learn everything typical children can learn. All children can learn, it is just the way they learn that may be different.  As a teacher, I pride myself in being a warm, caring teacher that students know they can come to with a problem, as well as patient and kind. However this does not mean that I am a pushover when it comes to handling difficult situations. Over the years I have learned to manage a classroom that emanates both caring and clear expectations. This was and still is a challenge for me, as every child is different and the dynamics of every class is different. It is something that is constantly a work in progress. As a result of constantly trying to become a better teacher, I am always on the lookout for additional lectures, workshops, and courses to further my professional development. I created this blog as part of my courses at Walden University. This is going to be a very exciting learning experience!