I began working in the early childhood education field in 2004, and I have been with the HIPPY program since 2009.
What brought you to work with children? Have you always wanted to or did it just happen?
I have always had a passion for helping little ones learn and grow. There's nothing better than seeing a child learn something for the first time and seeing that "aha!" moment happen.
What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy playing Xbox, watching The Golden Girls, planning travel, listening to music, and watching movies.
What is your most treasured accomplishment?
Being the first person in my family to get a college degree. I was 34 years old when I got it, considered "non-traditional" because I wasn't right out of high school, had to take college algebra 3 times, and wanted to give up multiple times - but I kept pushing on and couldn't have done it without the support of friends and family.
What is your favorite thing about working with families?
Every family is completely different and it's a very eye-opening experience. I have learned to leave all opinions and ideas at the door and take each family as they are and where they are in life. We are all out here trying our best, and that looks different for each person and each family. It's very surprising sometimes and I have learned more from the families I serve than I ever imagined I would.
What has been the most significant or memorable moment in your job?
I had a military family and the father was deployed. He wanted to be a part of our visits, so he woke up (because the time zones were very different) and Mom skyped him in for every visit. It touched my heart to see a father giving up his much-needed sleep while in the middle of an overseas combat mission every week just so he can be a part of our HIPPY visits. The internet connection sometimes was wacky, and the mother only spoke Spanish (which I don't) so the visits were unique every week but we stuck with it, did our best, and we tried to teach each other common words and items in our languages. The family made it through
2 years in the program before starting Kindergarten. Every time I see this family around town, it never fails that Mom will say "Thank you for the HIPPY".
Do you have any dreams or aspirations you want to share?
I'm always looking for ways to be more efficient and to be able to "leave my mark" on our program. I want to develop better leadership and organizational skills and I would love to learn other languages in order to help serve the multi-language or other language families better. I also hope to keep growing our social media sites and make sure our community knows about all of the services we provide.
If you are an educator and want to share your story, contact Deborah at deborah@curricualconccepts.com!
