My name is Melissa Donovan and I am a pediatric Speech Pathologist in the Georgia area. I have worked in private practices and have enjoyed every minute of it! I love my job and enjoy the population that I see. I am also currently pursuing an EdD in Early Childhood. Therefore, if you have any information related to child development, language disorders and poverty from experience or reputable sources I would greatly appreciate you posting.
I have known that children were my passion since I was a young girl. I can remember working at an in-home daycare at the tender age of 12 and being awed at the intricate minds of young children. I then went on to high school and assisted in Kindergarten and First grade classrooms throughout the school year. Each year I learned more and more new things about children. After high school I continued to college where I worked in the Child Development Center on campus. I enjoyed teaching the children simple concepts related to following directions, learning different languages and learning pre-literacy skills. After the Child Development Center I then found myself working with an older population of individuals' with intellectual disabilities. I acquired a new-found respect and sincerity for those that had special needs and worked diligently to make sure that I was providing the best possible care that I could provide. After all of the many experiences with working with children and adults with special needs I decided to venture into Speech-Pathology where I could work with a variety of populations. Once I started Speech Pathology I loved every minute of it. There was always a wealth of information to learn about the development of children, language delays, speech delays, and many other things. I have enjoyed the years that I have been working as a Speech-Pathologist and look forward to enhancing and expanding my knowledge related to child development by pursuing my EdD.
I have always had a passion for helping others, specifically children. However, I have always talked about my passion and not really done too many things to get involved. Since I have been at Walden University I have learned so many different things about the depth of the problems and difficulties that children in America as well as other countries face today. The problems are simply becoming larger and larger and unfortunately they are getting swept under the rug. My question to you is, what are you doing to make the situation of children better where you live? Are you truly doing all that you can do and going over and beyond the call of duty or do you simply go to your job every day and ignore the news. Unfortunately, I was one of those individuals that went to work every day and didn't really pay attention to what was going on around me. However, after performing expansive research and completing various assignments at Walden I now have a better idea of what is going on in today's society.
My goal is to become more involved in world organizations that work diligently to improve the lives of children, such as the Children’s Fund. The Children's Fund is an organization that does a wealth of things to improve the situation of children living in America today. Many other organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children ensure that our children receive not only education, but the type of education that is most beneficial to their development. I also want to educate my colleagues and friends around me about the many things going on with today’s children in the area of poverty and language delays. Last but not least my ultimate goal is to provide different workshops to parents of children in impoverished areas so that they may begin to stop the cycle of “losing our youth.” There is a lot of work to be done, but if we all work together the situation of our young children can improve in our small areas and gradually all over the world. Every little bit helps.
References
Children’s Defense Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2013 from www.childrensdefense.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2013
from www.naeyc.org
I think play is imperative for young children; it is a natural avenue for developing across all domains. I cannot remember a time in my early childhood years when I did not have play in my life. So many wonderful memories come to mind when I think about playing with my twin sister, my cousins, and my friends.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your question about whether relationships/attachments are more important than play, I would have to say no. I think they are equally important and both are necessary for children to have a healthy development. Relationships can grow even stronger through play, so they are even interconnected. I remember my mom playing with my twin sister and me, which strengthened our bond even more.
I agree - relationships/attachments and play are equally important. As one plays they are building relationships. Sharon Lloyd
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments ladies!
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the question you have posed as to whether or not we are doing all we can for young children. Like you, until I began studying at Walden, I just did my job. My eyes have been open to the importance of what we need to be doing for the young children of our society. I now have a different view of ways I want to advocate for children to help improve their learning. I also have begun working with food programs to provide meals for families with children. I want to get out of my routine and do something different.
Darla Tucker
That's right Darla!! The great thing about it is we learn more and more each day and with each interaction.
ReplyDelete