Time Well Spent

I really can't believe it's over. We have actually completed this program and we are still alive, LOL. Three deeply felt learnings I will take from this program are 1.Wisdom comes with experience rather than knowledge and age. 2. Communication is not just talking and listening, but also understanding. 3. It is often times very necessary to incorporate a combination of leadership styles to be an effective leader.

My long-term goal is to find employment as a parent educator. It would truly be a career highlight for me to accomplish this.

Dr. Davis I would like to thank you for all of your guidance, support, encouragement, motivation, critiques, detailed feedback, advice, suggestions, patience, leadership, and shared knowledge. It has been a pleasure learning from you.

To my colleagues, it has been a pleasure learning with and from you as well. Thank you all for sharing in your posts as well as providing support and comments throughout this course. I wish all of you the best of luck in all of your endeavors.

My contact information is towanda00kyree@yahoo.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first international organization that caught my attention was Save the Children because the program focuses on the most vulnerable children while aiming for the safety and well-being of all children. Working with governments, international organizations, and local community partners, they strive to create lasting change with improvements in policy and services that protect children whether in a natural disaster, conflict, or development setting. In 2012, this organization helped 3.4 million children through their child protection programs. Some examples of the child protection program activities include creating Child Friendly Spaces in emergencies, reunifying separated and unaccompanied children with their families in emergencies, developing public awareness campaigns against child trafficking, piloting training programs for social workers to provide supportive care to families and children and advocating for more effective national protection policies and child welfare reform. An important part of all of Save the Children’s child protection work, however, is the participation and leadership of the children themselves. To this end, they actively support child clubs and other child-led activities that educate children on how to protect themselves, and empower them to call for action in their communities…….......I would enjoy being a part of this organization working in a U.S. Field position working with local and national partners to implement programs in Early Childhood and Education as well as literacy.

The second international organization that caught my attention was FHI 360 because they envision a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential and they work to empower individuals, families and communities to tackle their own challenges. Their staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender equality, youth, research and technology………Although I am not completely qualified for the position, I would enjoy being employed as a Senior Education Advisor (Technical Advisor I) to provide overall technical expertise on the expansion of equitable education services and well-being and stability components, provide technical support and guidance to staff and partners in the region and in country offices, implement and monitor technical strengthening initiatives, and work with communities and partners to maximize local capacity.

The third international organization that caught my attention was UNICEF because of the ways in which they provide advocacy for the protection of children's rights, help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. They also strive to  improve young children’s capacity to develop and learn, and to ensure that educational environments provide the tools they need to flourish. This organization wants to ensure that no child is at a disadvantage and that all girls and boys can realize their fullest potential, both inside and outside the classroom. In countries with a tradition of community childcare, UNICEF promotes community-based early childhood care and development programmes, as well as linking formal preschool programmes to primary schools, and using national standards for school readiness. This approach may also entail training traditional caregivers on the latest ECD practices. I also like the idea of the child-to-child approach where children actually learn from their peers……..I would enjoy being a Youth Engagement Specialist so that I could assist in the efforts to increase child, adolescent and youth skills and capacities – including with regard to self-esteem, cognitive abilities, peer support, communication, interpersonal and social skills, respect for others and critical thinking – through the practice of meaningful and effective participation.

 

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

1. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a national organization that interests me due to their focus on improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education as well as efforts to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education. Although no employment opportunities are available I could benefit from becoming a member to receive reduced registration fees for NAEYC sponsored conferences and training opportunities, voting rights in NAEYC elections to help shape the future of the early childhood profession, and access to members only area of the website which features exclusive digital benefits and content.

NAEYC Mission Statement is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources.

 

2. Race to the top: Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) challenges states to deliver better coordination, clearer learning standards, and meaningful education and training for early educators. This program represents an unprecedented opportunity for states to focus on early learning and development systems in their states and build a more unified approach to supporting young children and their families. The overarching goal of the Early Learning Challenge is to make sure that more children, especially those with high needs, enter kindergarten ready to succeed. I am interested in working with this community of practice because of the focus on building high-quality, accountable programs that align and raise standards for existing early learning programs, including Head Start, public pre-K, childcare, and private preschools, as well as provide information to parents about the quality of programs.    

 

3. The National Education Association (NEA) which supports Strong Start for America’s Children Act would promote high-quality learning opportunities for children from birth the age 5. This vital legislation would help states fund high-quality prekindergarten for 4-year olds from low-income families; encourage states to support prekindergarten from moderate-income families; and encourage learning opportunities for even younger children-for example, through partnerships with Early Head Start programs. Being a part of this community of practice interests me because the president of the NEA believes that high-quality early childhood education and full=day kindergarten are fundamental to a student’s long term success and shouldn’t be determined by their parent’s income….and promotes research which shows that providing a high quality education for children before they turn 5 yields significant long-term benefits.

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community

Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral (MCCR&R) is an organization with Mississippi State University that appealed to me because they offer services to parents by referring them to local high quality childcare providers and help them select the provider that best meets the needs of the family. They also assist early childcare professionals with continuing education units, training opportunities, licensing requirements, information on obtaining Child Development Associate certificate, etc.  The job opportunity that interests me is the Regional Technical Assistant Supervisor. The necessary skills are as follows:

1. Knowledge of federal and state financial regulations, and university financial policies and procedures.
2. Ability to use technology and experience with Microsoft Office software suite. Interview candidates will have to demonstrate their ability to use a computer to create a PowerPoint presentation and share that presentation with the hiring committee.
3. Ability to work with and adapt research materials for educational use which can be effectively communicated orally and/or in writing.
4. Good verbal and written communication skills
5. Demonstrated ability to work as a team player

Ability to travel out of the local area; Overnight travel will be
required; Use of personal car required; A travel allowance will be provided.
Frequent - Externally imposed deadlines set and revised beyond one's control; interruptions influence priorities; difficult to anticipate nature or volume of work with certainty beyond a few days; irregular hours may be anticipated; meeting of deadlines and coordination of unrelated activities are key to position.
Job frequently requires walking, sitting, reaching, talking, hearing, handling objects with hands.
Job requires standing, stooping/kneeling/crouching/crawling, and lifting up to 30 pounds.
Vision requirements: Ability to see information in print and/or
electronically.

 Pinebelt Association for Community Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) appealed to me because they, like me, believe the parents are the child’s first and most important teacher. The job opportunity that interests me would be an Early Headstart Home Visitor. The requirements for the position are to be able to provide in-home education, support and monitor for Early Head Start participants and group socialization experiences, conduct weekly home visits of at least 90 minute duration to Early Head Start children and their families, encourage parental involvement in curriculum planning, program governance and other aspects of the Early Head Start Programs.

The Barksdale Reading Institute appealed to me because along with their attempts to improve literacy skills in Mississippi, deepening teacher’s knowledge of reading instruction and enhancing the quality of Mississippi’s early childhood education programs they stress the importance of parental involvement in the schools in which they work. No job opportunities are currently available or interest me. Employees with this organization focus on several other areas that are of importance, but not the one in which I am most interested.

 

 

Looking Back

During our past 8 weeks we have forged a collaborative learning community, shared information and insights as well as supported each other. As I prepare to move on into my specialization I would like to take a minute and thank all my colleagues for the support, encouragement, and sharing on great ideas and personal stories. I wish blessings on each of you as you continue on your professional path. It has been a pleasure networking with all of you

Adjourning Stage

In the "adjourning" stage the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving off into different directions. This stage looks at the team from the perspective of the well-being of the team rather than from the perspective of managing a team through the original four stages of team growth. The hardest thing about saying good-bye in the group project I participated in was saying good-bye to my co-workers. We work from home throughout the state so we look forward to seeing each other when we have to meet for trainings and meetings. Yes, in my experience high-performing groups are harder to leave because you can accomplish so much within the group, gather great ideas from the group members, and share your ideas as well. There is a greater sense of accomplishment and everyone feels as respected as contributors. Closing rituals I’ve experienced is all the ladies have dinner together the night before our last day of meetings, on the day we depart we all hug each other and wish each other safe travels back home. I imagine that I will adjourn from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on my master’s degree in this program with a wealth of resources and great networking opportunities. Adjourning is such an essential stage of teamwork because it allows the team the chance to reflect on the project, determining what actions were productive as well as unproductive and find ways for resolution.

 

 

 

Conflict experience

I don’t associate with many people and I avoid conflict at all times with the few people I do associate with because with all the responsibilities I have, there is just no room for confrontations and disagreements. The one incident I can remember which involved conflict happened last year at a local Chinese restaurant. The waitress was upset that my guests and I remained too long at our table after eating. It was strange behavior on her part because this is an all you can eat buffet which means if I wanted to eat, wait thirty minutes and eat again, I could have. Also, there were only two other tables occupied in the entire restaurant so we weren’t stopping anyone else from being seated. When we decided to leave she came over and began cleaning our table before we could stand up. In the process she slung something from the table and it almost hit my son. I immediately brought to her attention that I was not aware of the reason for her rude attitude but it would be wise of her to lose it before I gave her a reason to have one. She began speaking Chinese which let me know she wasn't saying anything nice so I gave her a lesson in English profanity. I approached the manager and informed him of the problem as well as the fact that I wasn’t going to pay. He attempted to explain to me that I had already eaten and should therefore pay my bill. I proceeded to inform him that if he wanted his money I suggest he take it out of his waitress’ paycheck because he would not be receiving a dime from me because I’m not giving money to be treated the way she treated me. He threatened to contact authorities and I stated that I would be right there waiting until they came. After he saw I wasn’t backing down he agreed not to charge me. I thanked him, advised him to have a meeting with his waitress, told him to attend classes himself on how to treat customers, and informed him that he never had to worry about me revisiting his restaurant. I don’t feel I could have done anything differently other than lower my voice because I was pretty loud. When it comes to my children there just aren’t any boundaries to me protecting them. I was upset that the manager actually tried to make me pay after his waitress acted in such a manner and I have been a loyal customer for years. He never apologized, didn’t offer a free meal on my next visit or anything. Maybe if the situation didn’t involve my child I wouldn’t have begun by getting so verbally aggressive. I may have just quoted a bible verse and told the waitress whatever she was going through would get better I’m sure.