Darius Kalvaitis
Early Childhood Education
Ph.D. in Education
ECE 1 Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children
ECE 2 Child Growth and Development
ECE 5 The Child in the Family and in the Community
ECE 6 Child Health, Safety and Nutrition
ECE 9 Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood Education
ECE 18 Teaching in a Diverse Society
ECE 23 Literacy & Language Development of Young Children
I was born in California and always wanted to return here after 40 years of living in many different places in the USA and abroad. CR charmed me not only with a small and student-centered program but also with the natural beauty that the North Coast provides.
My teaching philosophy has grown and evolved over the past 18 years of working with young children, youth, and adults. I feel blessed to have had the opportunities and believe teaching is a gift that one can share with others when it is done in a way that allow learners to be actively engaged and fully present in their own personal and professional growth. The ultimate outcome of teaching is to provide ideal opportunities for learning to take place.
21st Century Teaching and Learning is here to stay, and I take every opportunity to enhance my instruction with technology. My classes are multimedia rich environments that have gone past the textbook approaches that were previously the norm. This allows my students to stay in the lead with the newest advances and methods.
Teaching is in my blood. My grandparents were elementary school teachers and my father, and three brothers (including my twin) have all worked in education. I think I see it as a way of working to make life better for children and adults alike with positive early experiences. My favorite part of teaching is seeing students develop into the educators they were meant to be.
My advice to students who want to be successful is to take your education very seriously. It is one of the opportunities provided to you to both grow personally and succeed economically. Get really organized with your schedule and educational workload and carve out dedicated chunks of time to focus on your studies.