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What is the most important influence on child development | Tom Weisner | TEDxUCLA

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Kindergarten made a huge impression on me growing up. Even though it is my furthest memory of being in school it is still one of my strongest as being in kindergarten was my favourite part of growing up. Kindergarten for me was a time of happiness, I had a great teacher and loved playing and learning in class, I always saw kindergarten to have been very vital experience for me. Kindergarten is where kids start their education, it's where they first are put into a real school environment and I want to be part of that experience for other little kids to help them, grow and learn. Having such a stong rememberance of my experiances when I was small is the world's way of saying that I need to be apart of other lives and effect them the way I was at a young age. (picture is my kindergarten graduation)

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Growing up I've always had a big family. Not my direct family but I have several cousins on both parents sides and not to mention all of the extended step family. Growing up with so many people was great for me. I was always surrounded by little kids which made me so happy. I always loved playing with all of them as they varied from being 9 years old and playing soccer to being only 1 or 2 and loving blocks. Being around my young cousins was always something that made me happy growing up. This was special time for me as I was what was considered to be "baby sitting age" so I was regularly brought around for the job of looking after everyone kids. I thinking always having little kids around me was definitely the foundation for my personal legend.(picture is of some of the kids in my family)

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I grew up with 2 sisters my whole life, one 2 years older and one 4 years younger. As I'm the middle child and close in age with both of them I never really had the experience of taking care of a young sibling. That was until my grade 8 year my step mother announced she was pregnant, after no talk of considering having a baby, at least not one that involved myself or my sisters and later that year gave birth in October to my baby sister Leah. At first I was skeptical about having a baby around, yes I would only see her every two weeks but I had no clue how to take care of a baby. Now after 3 years I realize how much of a blessing having Leah is. Baby sitting and looking after her taught me so many lessons, that being with little kids isn't that much work and that it can be a lot of fun. Being with Leah always made me really happy and has helped me to realize how much I love being around little kids. having a little sister who is so much younger than me has really opened my eyes and shown me new experiences.
(picture is my younger sister Leah)

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An omen is like a sign we see in life, signs sent by god or by some other natural force that is meant to guide us. In my life I have recognized that an omen for me was my opportunity to work in the kindergarten room during my lunch hour at my elementary school. While I was attending that school my mom was hired to be the lunchtime supervisor in the kindergarten room. I started going in to help her as a way to stay out of the cold during the winter but ended up staying all year to help because I ended up loving being with the kids, being in that room always made me happy. I see this as an omen for me because not everyone gets the same opportunity to work with the kids and as it was presented to me I believe it was a sign to say that by taking this opportunity it is a way of moving towards my personal legend.
(picture is from a trip I took with the kindergarten class)

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When I'm older I believe that my personal legend is to help young children. Whether it is by becoming a kindergarten teacher or volunteering at a daycare. I think that this is my personal legend because throughout my life I've always been told I'm good at working with kids, good with interpreting what they are saying and learning how to handle children who have different needs. When I was going up my school had an IEP room where all the kids with special needs would go when they weren't being incorporated into regular classes. It was probably one of my favourite places to hang out. I always felt at home when I was in that room helping out and playing with the students. I love working with younger kids and kids with special needs and the opportunities to do so have always been put in my path so I see them as signs, as omens, that it is what I am meant to do in the future and the opportunities I have now are practice for what's to come.
(picture of kindergarten and some IEP students.)