Dear reader,
Welcome to my website! My name is Camila Padilla. I am an undergraduate student at Texas Christian University majoring in Bilingual Elementary Education, but my goal is to become a school psychologist. In my Children's Literature class, I have been given the opportunity to perform a multi-genre research to explore the importance of enhancing young children's self-esteem through the use of literature. As a future educator, I believe that teaching involves more than imparting knowledge and skills. As students enter school as unique individuals, molded by genes, environment, and a certain spark within themselves, a teacher also has the power to increase awareness of how special that unique spark really makes them as individuals, in order to help them retain that quality when the pressure is on to follow the pack. However, as young children wind their way through the curriculum, frequently a desire to fit in--to be like everyone else--grows, diluting the spark that makes them unique. I will have also the power to build self-confidence, encourage diversity, and support children through the path of discovering their unique SELF. Bringing up such difficult subject into an elementary classroom through literature and critical literacy can help minimize the negative effects of what society inputs in children's memory, bring positive effects that improve their physical and mental health, encourage them to love for their body and mind and provide a chance to have children feel love and accepted. I believe that I can make my classroom into a safe haven where I can nourish each student's individual soul. Like a traditional research, this website has been specially designed to communicate my knowledge on how to powerfully enhance your child's self-esteem through a variety of creative writing pieces, resources, videos, and literary pieces, filled with enriching information that will help YOU, as a parent and teacher, to counteract society's effect on your children's self-esteem. This website is just the tip of the iceberg that will enable you to use different tools to help young children build a positive self-concept and withstand the pressures of society through literature. You are the facilitator. Your children are the only purpose. April 20, 2015 Camila Andrea Padilla Bilingual Elementary Education Undergraduate Texas Christian University |