PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT

Illustrated by Abe Gurvin.

Times are changing rapidly and in order to meet today’s social, environmental, economic, political, and spiritual urgencies, extraordinary changes must be made. In an age where we focus more on product development rather than on child development, we now find our civilization at great risk. Furthermore, in an over-stimulating and polluted environment, issues such as child obesity, Attention Deficit Disorders, Autism, Nature Deficit Disorder, sensory integration, violence, and other maladies are increasing at an alarming rate. It is urgent we find solutions to these problems. We can begin the remodeling and reconstruction of society by working with our children in new ways--encouraging and developing in them a sense of respect, interconnectedness, unity, empathy, and understanding about the importance of community. As educators and global visionaries, our first priority must be to invest in our children's future and provide them with the life-skills and sensitivity they will need to confront world tasks. For this reason, and because I have faith in the future of this planet, I have dedicated my life to helping children develop into their full potential as the youngest members of our society. Although there is much work to be done, I believe that there is hope and we can do it by starting small: one child and family at a time.

INSPIRATION

The story I wish to tell is about my own growth and self-discovery as a human educator. After many years of questioning my self and reflecting upon ways in which I could positively influence the world around me, I finally was able to concretize those thoughts. Realizing how important Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is to an individual’s overall success in life, I wanted to come up with a method for teaching young children tools that could aid them in their own personal development and set the corner stones for the rest of their lives.

Escuela Rural #44. Punta Negra, Uruguay. 2012.

At age 16, during the Summer of 2003, I first began developing and implementing a unique technique I now call Sensory Stimulation and Deprivation (SSD). As an evolving pedagogical method, the SSD techniques in conjunction with developmentally appropiate practices, enhance children’s social and emotional development and foster Creative Intelligence (CI). I first introduced this material at a Teacher’s Training Workshop at The Chopra Center in Carlsbad when I became involved in a Deepak Chopra-sponsored educational project in San Diego called CosmiKids (www.cosmikids.org). There, I worked with Founder and CEO Judy Julin at the Chopra Center as a Trainer, Facilitator, and Curriculum Developer in the initial team. Since then, CosmiKids has opened multiple franchises around California and is rapidly expanding. As part of the Initial Curriculum Developing Team, I trained lead teachers and children in these activities; focusing on perceptual development and integral body movement through poi-ball skills, dancing, and storytelling. Thus promoting hand-eye coordination, left-right brain association and creativity in children through play. Additionally, I have also adapted these lesson plans for Spanish-speaking ESL learners, and continue to expand upon them on a regular basis.

Several years later, in January 2007 I began my formal career and worked for a year-and-a-half with infants and preschoolers at the Early Childhood Lab School at Orange Coast College and at The Harry and Grace Steele Children's Center in Costa Mesa. There I began learning about Emergent Curriculum and was first introduced to elements of the Reggio Emilia Approach. When I moved to San Francisco to complete my undergraduate degree, I worked at the Associated Students Inc. Early Childhood Education Center at San Francisco State University. These experiences reinforced my passion and work with children and I became inspired to delve further into Early Childhood Education and develop my own methods of teaching through PLAY.

During Spring of 2010, I had the honor of interning at Cow Hollow School (www.cowhollowschool.org), one of the most phenomenal early childhood educations centers, where I worked side-by-side with children, families, educators, and pioneers in the field. Cow Hollow’s mission emphasizes a child-centered, rich inquiry- and play-based curriculum based on the principles of the Reggio Approach. They integrate global, ecological, multicultural perspectives in their daily emergent curriculum and relationships with children, and I have learned and grown much personally and professionally from that experience. I deeply treasure the time I have spent there, and am inspired by the work Director Darcy Campbell and the Cow Hollow team members have created within the school and community.

Now that I have completed a Bachelors’ Degree at San Francisco State University in Child and Adolescent Development with an emphasis on the Young Child and Family, I am looking forward to making a positive and significant impact in the educational system, as an advocate and voice for ALL children. In the future I envision opening alternative schools around the world that will focus on celebrating and nurturing children’s individual needs and diversity so that they can learn to follow their dreams with an open heart and explore all the beauty this world has to offer.

EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY

Growing up in Huehuecoyotl (http://www.huehuecoyotl.net), I was exposed to a colorful gamete of cultures, languages, values, and belief systems. Co-founded by a group of international performing artists, musicians, and activists from countries around the world including Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Argentina, the U.S.A., and Mexico, I attended bilingual, alternative, and active schools that practiced emergent curriculum and inspired children to reach their full potential as individuals. It is from this strong foundation that I have found the strength and courage to follow my dreams, exploring this world with an open heart and mind.

As most teenagers, I began searching for my own identity and under Hollywood media influences, I became inquisitive about the glorified portrayal of American high school. I had the opportunity to explore that curiosity my Junior year when I attended Laguna Beach High School in 2003. After observing the lifestyle and value system this Southern Californian “material world” possessed, I realized how fortunate I was to have received such a phenomenal education and upbringing during my most formative years. After graduating from SOCSA (www.socsarts.org) in 2005, a performing arts school within Dana Hills High School, I attended Orange Coast College. There, I immersed myself in Early Childhood Education classes and worked at several preschools while obtaining my Associate of Arts degree in 2007. During that time I realized what my dream was. Although I had a strong interest in fashion, photography, theatre, dance, music, and fine arts, I realized that becoming an educator could combine all my talents. I could share them with others, and also continue my own personal growth as an artist. What better way to combine my interests than to simultaneously enrich my life while supporting other children’s lives?

Later in 2008 I transferred to San Francisco State University to complete my Bachelors of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development with a concentration in Young Child and Family from which I graduated in May 2010. I always had an interest in and love for kids, so it was natural for Child Development to become my calling. From that point on, I pursued Early Childhood Education classes and gained experience working with young children in the United States, Mexico and Uruguay. NOW my commitment is to assimilate all the skills and education I have acquired throughout my life; ranging from my upbringing and worldviews to my professional certifications in Leadership Training, Waldorf Education, Reggio Emilia Approach, and pedagogy, in order to help, support and guide children and families through this paradigm shift and regeneration of our Earth.