Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Janet Gonzalez-Mena's research focuses on the role of diversity and cultural differences in the early childhood field. In her article "Cultural responsiveness and routines: When center and home don't match," she writes an example about time. It is a cultural concept.

"It occured to me that the problem was that my culture puts a strong focus on time-not just on clocks, but on the concept of time as a commodity - as something real that can be lost or saved. I spend time like I spend money. Sometimes I waste it, too. Not everybody in the world looks at time that way."

--sometimes I waste my time too!

I also relate this quote to what I have learned thus far in this program:

"We think our profession as based on research and the basic ideas as universal. We may also consider cultural differences, but we don't think of the whole profession as culturally specific. I've learned to ask the question, who did the research and on whom?"

Passion, Motivation and Wisdom:

"When I think of the word passion and the meaning to the word passion, what comes to mind are what are my values, what are my beliefs, what are the ideas that lead me to action, what do I do so naturally that perhaps seems natural to me but my be challenging to others? What's in my heart?"
--Leticia Lara, LCSW

"Passion comes from wanting to make a difference."
"There's more to life than what's in the neighborhood."
--Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed