Having successfully completed my summer internship at the Building Blocks Early Learning Center in Stamford, Connecticut, I wish to reflect and share my experience. As a floater/teacher’s assistant intern, I was given many responsibilities. First and foremost, I was responsible for maintaining the safety and health of all children. Moreover, my responsibilities included observing the children in the classroom while monitoring them and interacting with the children, using developmentally appropriate communication to promote cognitive skill-building. I also assisted in the creative curriculum goals and objectives, as well as abiding by State of Connecticut Preschool Assessment Framework. However, and most importantly, I was responsible for helping to create and maintain a nurturing environment in which the children could thrive, learn, and of course, have a lot of fun! This internship was designed to provide an individual with the experience to pursue a career working in early childhood education.
While working at Building Blocks, I was given the opportunity to work in every classroom, gaining experience with children in the age range from infancy to age five. This internship taught me about the use of age-appropriate communication, as well as professional communication, which improved my overall interpersonal skills. I also learned a great deal about the education process through creating and implementing curriculums with different age groups. Additionally, Building Blocks Early Learning Center follows an active learning approach, otherwise known as the Reggio Emilia Approach (first developed by teacher Loris Malaguzzi), which encourages the children to learn through their own exploration and direction. This approach references the use of many "languages," including art, dramatic play, music, both oral and written communication, and much more. Becoming familiar with this approach is yet another takeaway from my experience.
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Working hands-on with the children was truly rewarding. Out of the three objectives I completed, the accomplishment I’m most proud of is the implementation of the shapes activity in the Panda room which I completed for my second objective. I spent most of my time in this classroom and established relationships with each child. Throughout the activity the children were very engaged and enthused while successfully following my instructions. Observing them complete this activity allowed me to witness the cognitive and motor skill processes in this specific age group (age three). To see their inquisitive minds and imaginations at work made me feel as though I played a significant part in their learning process. Upon completion of each shape, the children would look at me with such pride in their work, which gave me the assurance that I was making a positive contribution to the children’s lives in addition to their overall learning process.
This experience further validated my aspiration to pursue a career in the field of early childhood education. Over the past ten weeks I’ve had the opportunity to observe the growth and development of young children, which included the privilege of experiencing the precious developmental milestones as they play, learn, touch, and move. I'm so thrilled to say that I was able to watch and help as an infant learned how to sit up straight for the first time, as well as when (after much practice) a one year old began walking on her own. These exciting moments exemplify why I am passionate about working with children in the early stages of their lives and why I love being there each step of the way to help them as they grow. Ultimately, my professional goal is to be a director of a day care center. I hope I can first become a full-time teacher and have my own classroom to gain the proper experience needed. I also plan to return to school to earn my masters degree in early childhood education in the near future.
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I look forward to my future in this field and the contributions I aim to make towards the enrichment and nurturing of young children. They are the future of our world and I know I can truly be a positive influence and make a difference in their lives!
• Internship Experience Summary •
