Growing up I was an only child for the first 8 years of my life. I was the definition of a girly-girl. All I played with was Barbie dolls and probably had about 100 of them. All members of my family including parents, aunts, and cousins would play with me. The reason I loved Barbie dolls so much was because it allowed me to be creative and imaginative. I would always make up some new situation and have so much fun acting it out among the Barbie dolls. I think play is the same when it comes to imagination, but I have noticed I don’t see Barbie dolls being advertised or sold as much as when I was younger. I see more electronic forms of play these days. Play is a very important factor in growing up. It allows us to take our imagination to new levels and helps children to be creative and express their inner feelings. Now that I am older I don’t get to play with Barbie dolls any more but I do find it very important to escape reality once in a while and dive into the world of imagination and creativity. I usually do this by reading different fiction novels. Currently my favorite series is the Twilight saga.

Relationships are important to me because I need a strong support system behind me to help celebrate with me in times of joy, and help me cope in times of need. I have made a collage of the people in my life that are important to me and that I have strong relationships with. This collage has pictures of my mom, dad, brother, friends, and one of my past classes. In order to maintain positive relationships the lines of communication must remain open. If something is bothering me or I have a concern I always address it calmly and as soon as possible so anger doesn’t build up. A challenge to developing and maintaining relationships is not having an open mind. As discussed in this week’s video presentation bias’ can have a large impact on the way me think, act, and feel. It is important to be open minded when meeting new people and forming relationships. My picture with a past class represents a partnership. I made sure I tried to build a relationship with each of my children and their families in order for us to work together for the common goal of their child’s education and success. Past experiences with relationships and partnerships impact my work as an effective Early Childhood professional by learning from past experiences and using best practices to continue to build positive relationships and partnerships.