Time Well Spent

I must first say that am not sure if am happy or sad! I think it has come to a sweet bitter moment. I am happy that I have achieved my biggest educational goal and that it is over. Congratulations colleagues, we did it!! I must let you know how proud I am every one of you, and of myself of course. We embarked upon this journey not knowing for sure what it would be like but with a community of practice that shared a similar vision, I want to say with heartfelt gratitude, thank you! There is no way that I could have succeeded with all the challenges had it not been for your advice and suggestions and words of encouragement and your help. Your shared wisdom, full support and inspiration took me through some hurdles when I thought it was the end. I want you to know that I am truly grateful.

On another important note, I would like to take this time to thank my instructors. You took us seriously when we began, even when you realized that some of us needed a little more than others. You made yourselves available, some even beyond classroom time, and guided us through with challenges that we would not have approached ordinarily. You saw more than we thought we had in us and challenged us to discover our strengths and face our weaknesses, using them as opportunities to grow. Your positive encouragement and insightful feedback have helped me to become a better writer, sharpen my critical thinking and to realize that I can face the challenges of life and not be afraid of failure. Over the twenty two or so months, I had hiccups along the way, but it was during this class that I had the most personal challenges, almost everything that could happen in my family did. At times it was hard getting the assignments done. I could have been experiencing burnt out syndrome with all that I had to face. Dr. Johnna, thank you for your understanding and exercising patience and tolerance when you recognized what was taking place. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.

One very important insight that I have learned over this course, and in this class in particular; is that I need to have people around me that sees my vision and believe in me. Here in my class I have found a great community of practice who supported and informed me, having the same vision for social change and advocating for it in the early childhood field. The journey was long, but it was made easier because of the source of help and strength that we were for one another, today we are stronger and wiser and are armed with knowledge ad insights that gives us some degree of expertise in our specialized area of study. I hope that as we continue to grow in the field, we will become advocates and experts who will guide new professionals. Mentors that will guide others to get up, stand up, and speak up for families and children and whole communities to demand and benefit from quality education and services.

As I reflect on this life-changing journey, I see a different person in me, in terms of the knowledge and experience that I have gained, I realize that the expert I thought I was, is a far cry from who I have become. I realized that the course was not easy but challenging, forcing me to think and operate beyond my capability. I also realized that there were others like me, my colleagues were facing similar challenges, but with the help of the professors with their support and open line of communication, help was a click away whenever we needed it. I discovered a little more about who I am, apart from the caring, compassionate and nurturing individual that I am, I am an advocate who is determined to be an agent of change in the lives of young children, one child at a time.

Before I started this Master’s program, I was very conservative with how I felt about different issues in the field and the work place. Throughout the program I have learned that I have a voice to speak up on behalf of those who depend on me as a professional in the field. Each course led me deeper into understanding my calling as I read and researched, and interact with materials. I    discovered new goals in the early childhood field, becoming more focused on becoming an agent of social change.

My Walden experience is life changing and, my connections are lifelong. That is why I would like to stay connected with everyone, you will always be my support system. Please do stay in touch I may be reached at:

Smcfarlane59@gmail.com

678 830 9615

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The international websites that appeal to me are; Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), Children’s Defense Fund and, Division for Early Childhood (DEC).

ACEI is a charitable organization whose mission is; “to promote and support the optimal education, development, and well-being of children worldwide”. This organization was first started as the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) in 1892, and was established by educators who were worried about the training and professional preparation of kindergarten teachers. In 1931, the National Council of Primary Education joined with the IKU, hence the name change to the Association for Childhood Education (ACE). Then in 1946, the need for advancing childhood education throughout the world was realized, thus association for childhood education became the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). (http://acei.org, 2014).

The association’s focus area for all children in the world includes; access to education, equity in educational settings, quality educational content, and the child's right to education.

ACEI’s main purpose is to promote international and intercultural understanding through much dialogue while showing respect to all people. The members of this organization have pledged to be agents of social change, addressing critical issues in society, in an efforts to ensure that children everywhere are protected, supported, and given the educational opportunities that may help them reach their full potential.

The second organization website that I chose is Save the Children Fund (SCF). As you open the website the most touching statement pops out at you, it reads; “Every child has the right to grow up happy and healthy. The SCF invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future”. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours. Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with a staff of more than 14,000 people working in over 120 countries, including the United States. SCF says that their aim is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities.

Career opportunities- One position that I found available, for which I feel am qualified is: Education Specialist, Head Start. The job requirements and skills are a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, 3 years’ experience supporting teaching staff, supervision skills, strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.

The third organization that I found that touched my heart with the work that they are doing is The Children Defense Fund (CDF). Their mission of ‘No child left behind’, is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. The CDF has a campaign going against child poverty: ‘Ending child poverty now’. It was alarming to me when I read a statement that said, “report shows that by investing an additional 2 percent of the federal budget into existing programs and policies that increase employment, make work pay, and ensure children’s basic needs are met, the nation could reduce child poverty by 60 percent and lift 6.6 million children out of poverty” (CDF, 2015). It is heartbreaking to learn that we are reported to have the second the second highest child poverty rate among 35 industrialized countries despite having the largest economy in the world. You can read more about this at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/#sthash.NGXijjHW.dpuf

References

http://www.acei.org/

http://www.childrensdefense.org/   http://www.childrensdefense.org/#sthash.NGXijjHW.dpuf

http://acei.org/global-action/worldwide-teacher-shortage-regional-and-global-implications#sthash.6ABqjHg1.dpuf.

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

Last time we blogged, we looked at State and local organizations, this week we are researching National and Federal employment opportunities. The three organizations that are of interest to me in the early childhood field are, National Child Care Association, Center for Child Care Workforce (CCW) and, National association for the education of young children (NAEYC). 

The National child care of Association (NCCA) is an organization with our nation’s children at heart; the NCCA supports policies that are beneficial to children and always seek to find out if policy or regulation is good for our children (National Child Care Association, n.d.). That is why I chose them, and the fact that they stand behind educators; “NCCA is committed to a high quality, skilled, and trained work force with the highest salaries and benefits based upon the free market place, demographics and competition”(National Child Care Association, n.d.). I really do believe that we are better off because of them.

The Center for Child Care Workforce (CCW) mission is to ensure that all children receive quality early care and education by promoting policy, research and making sure that the professionals and caregivers in early care and education are highly educated, receives appropriate salary and benefits and are heard in their workplace. They see to leadership and advocacy skills development so that there is respect and value to those in the work force (Center for Child Care Workforce, n.d.) I chose the CCW because I see it as an organization that stands for the welfare of children and the empowerment of early childhood professionals by building their leadership and other necessary skills.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization whose major goal is to promote high-quality early education for all children, birth through age 8. They do this by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. They embrace a diverse and vibrant early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children ((NAEYC, n.d.). I chose them because I see where they bring about the needed change in the lives of children and families, and those who dedicate their lives to serving in the field.

Upon earning my degree I would like to pursue employment for jobs such as:

Director of an early childhood program

Family/ classroom counselor

Family and community liaison personnel

These jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree with skills ranging from: knowledge of early childhood field, leadership/ management skills, experience working with young children, experience working with diverse population, computer skills, excellent communication skills, knowledge of early childhood codes and regulations, and strong knowledge of code of ethics and behavioral standards.

References

Center for Child Care Workforce. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.ccw.org/

National Child Care Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.nccanet.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.naeyc.org/

This week my blog assignment was to choose three organizations /communities of practice, either state or local, or in a state I would like to live. When I started teachers’ college I wanted to do early childhood education, by the time I was registered the EC program was discontinued. I wanted to connect with students in a life changing way so I chose Home Economics. A couple years after college, one of my professors informed me that I should apply to do the bachelors program in ECE at another college. I was excited but was turned down because I was not an early childhood teacher. A few years later I got the opportunity to attend an exchange program and was placed at Minneapolis Head start program for my field experience, I loved it and that is why I am here at Walden doing the Ms in ECS.

I am getting ready to move to Washington DC and is very excited about seeking employment in one of those organizations that supports EC. My choices are; Head start, NAEYC and Zero to three .I have learned a lot during this program, about various organizations that support early childhood. I have membership with a couple of them and will join others as I go along. I quickly came to trust and depend on the resources and information that I am able to get from the NAEYC of which I have the longest membership, a trustworthy community of practice. The websites for these organizations carry a wealth of resources, also information about professional development and training opportunities.

The first organization I choose is The Georgia Head Start Association, Inc. (GHSA, 2015) I believe in the work that the organization is doing to provide the kind of leadership that supports the delivery of, a high quality education and advocacy to children and families in the state of Georgia. Being a nonprofit organization, many families who would not otherwise benefit is able to receive the kind of quality services that is second to none. There are 31 Head Start and Early Head Start agencies across the state of Georgia, providing services to over 25,000 low-income preschool children birth through five-years-old and their families. Apart from its mission that is reflected in its work, I also trust its vision of being that positive voice for low income families all across Georgia (GHSA, 2007). There are no current job openings but I will continue to monitor the website for opportunities for employment in this great organization.

          The second organization that interests me is the NAEYC. I believe whole heartedly in the mission and vision statements, and I also believe in their values and beliefs. NAEYC is committed and determined to see that every young child is given the opportunities to reach his/her full potential. The organization promotes high-quality early learning, and they support all professionals care giver and educator that work with young children. The NAEYC website provides a link that can connect its readers to many valuable resources. There is a link that connects us with all the available positions for those of us who are seeking jobs to work for the NAEYC organization. I am excited because most of these positions are located at the headquarters in Washington DC. Positions available were; Communication specialists, Program Analysts, Early Childhood Education Specialists

Some of the required skills listed included; experience working in programs serving children, leadership skills, communication skills, experience in community organizing, and computer skills/ IT skills.

The third that I chose is Zero to Three, which is a national, nonprofit organization that is concerned with the wellbeing of babies in the 0 -3 age range. The organization is a source where parents are able to gain knowledge and expertise in nurturing their children’s early development appropriately and confidently. The organization does not only support parents but is also for policy makers and other professional who seek knowledge in their efforts of nurturing early development. I choose this organization because they believe that if babies succeed, then this contributes to building stronger families, more productive communities, and an overall strong economy. Their mission, their focus is for all babies to have equal opportunity for a strong start from the beginning of life. For thirty years they have been doing a yearly national training institute to meet the needs of those working in early childhood education with infants and toddlers , early Intervention, mental health, early head start, child welfare, parent education, and pediatrics (Zero to Three, 2015).

With reference to job opportunities, there were limited available positions which were mostly outside of my interest.  Senior Policy Analyst, Communications Manager. Again required skills included, experience in serving children, leadership skills, communication skills, experience in community organizing, and computer skills/ IT skills.

References

GHSA,(2015).Georgia Head Start Association. Retrieved from www.georgiaheadstart.org/

NAEYC, (2015). The national association for the education of young children. Retrieved

     From www.naeyc.org

Zero to Three, (2015). Zero to Three. Retrieved from www.zerotothree.org

A heartfelt thank you and deep appreciation

I would like to pause at this moment and say a very special note of thanks to you Dr. Johnna, for the way you guided and encouraged us along this leg of the journey. Thank you for your wise counsel and expert advice as you gave your feedback and input each week, I appreciate every bit of your help. I wish all the very best in life for you. A special note of thanks to all of my colleagues, for your insights, encouragement and constant motivation as we took this journey, not knowing what was up ahead. You have supported and helped me expand my understanding and knowledge of critical areas in the Early Childhood field.

Communicating through our discussions and blogs have been really edifying and educational. It has been a great experience for me as we collaborated our ideas and have explored new endeavors. We have been a team working toward similar goals. This class will close a chapter in our studies toward our degree, many of us will be going on to completing our masters in various areas of specialization. I will be continuing in the area of Management, Administration and Leadership, I hope that I will be seeing some of the familiar names as I move forward. For those wonderful colleagues that will be in different areas, I wish you well and all the very best in all of your endeavors. Please feel free to stay in touch via this blog as I will be keeping it active, my email address is smcfarlane0416@gmail.com.

A very Merry Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous New Year when it comes

Adjourning, sweet and sad

Oh wow, this week’s assignment has caused me to reflect on different aspect of past times good and bad. I have reflected as far back as high school in looking at groups that I have been involved in over my adult life. I did not even remember how emotional some of these connections were, and how they have affected my life and impacted who I am today. Looking back at my group experiences, I believe that when the people in the group are focused on the common purpose, it makes for a harder adjournment. Sometimes it is not about the success of the group but the journey that was experienced, the connections, the challenges that we faced together and of course the outcome that most times results from the efforts of everyone.

I have been in many groups and have made many connections and formed different relationships, but it was my first year group in college, that was the hardest to leave. Going to teachers’ college was my first real experience of making connections with total strangers, people I never met before. (Stage1 Forming). It was amazing that we were almost all in the same position, new to everybody and new to everything. We had to get out of our shells and get to know each other, be bold and put ourselves “out there”. We realized that we had to connect and find our niche. (Stage 2.Storming). We became roommates, classmates, teammates and other kinds of group members, we began to work in formal and informal groups, making friendships. (Stage 3. Norming). We had to do the preliminary program to qualify for our areas of specialization. It was a rigorous and intense year in which we experienced all kinds of emotions and challenges together in our different focus groups. One of our teammates had a mental breakdown and had to go home, we were anxious and devastated. We had gotten to know each other well, we developed trust, respect and understanding of who each one of us were. (Stage 4. Performing). By the time we got to finals, we were not only students with common goals now, we had gone through many journeys, many triumphs, many trials, many struggles and many victories. Now the end of this phase was coming to a close, we would leave not knowing who was going to make it back. Each student left as soon as their finals were over so we did not have a closing ritual, we just cried each time one was leaving. It was an emotionally charged period and it was hopeful and sad. (Stage 5 Adjourning).This was the perfect experience of going through the five steps of team building, (Abudi, G., 2010). even though I was not aware of the name of this process I can identify with each step.

Even though we have not met face to face as colleagues, we have been journeying together in this program for over a year now. Some of us have been in every class together up to this point, and I now realize that we will be saying goodbye in a couple weeks, according to our specializations! I am going to miss those classmates because we have establish a bond, friendships even and I hope that we can stay in touch after this program ends, even for a while. Adjourning is crucial, necessary and needed to provide closure to this journey that we have been on together because we connected in ways that we do not even realize. We had a common vision and common goals in which we committed to working together, whatever it took and we acknowledged and respected each other as we journeyed for success. Now as we near the end, we are reflecting on the past year and I am thinking that it would be good for us to keep in touch. We may have connected for more reasons than this, and will probably be in a group of some kind in the future.  

Reference

 Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Conflict Resolution

I am always quick to avoid conflicts because I know that some people take everything as a personal attack. They would get mad and totally defensive if there was a disagreement on any point or matter. Someone with a more assertive personality would almost always overcome the other by using strategies for the desired outcome. O’Hair and Wiemann (2012) states, “conflict cannot always be resolved, but every conflict does eventually have some outcome” (p.241).

The conflict that I would like to present is as follows; my family and I went out of town to spend thanksgiving with my dad and his family. On our way, I heard that my brother’s mom, who I also love was in the same area visiting my brother, and she heard that we were in town. She went ahead and made plans for us to stay at their house, without even discussing it with my dad or with us. We stayed with my dad and went to visit her on Friday and she was very quiet. I asked her what the matter was, and she replied that we were very selfish, and that she made all these arrangements, cooked and waited for us since Wednesday and we were just showing up on Friday afternoon.

I waited until she was through with her disappointments. I then told her that first of all, we did not come there to see her. I asked her if she or my brother had discussed this with my dad. I also asked her why when I spoke with her on Wednesday evening, didn't she let me know about the plans that she had made. I told her that Secondly, my husband pledged that he wasn't leaving the house until Friday and thirdly, how could we be selfish when we had already planned our visit in its entirety and I that I had no clue that she had plans for us. She mumbled something about her plans not being important because she was not a part of our family. I told her that we were all together now and that’s what should matter, that yesterday was already gone and we do not know what tomorrow will bring. I then asked if we could move on to enjoying the visit. She concluded that it was an all-round lack of communication but she was still disappointed. I told her that it was not a personal attack on her but that we just felt so relaxed after the eleven hours, hot chocolate and brownies and biscuits (sweet pastry, English cuisine), that we chose not to move. We then hugged and went into a friendly conversation, food and family fun.

I believe that I handled this personal conflict fairly, at first I was upset about MS Williams’ statements. I felt that she was attacking me for something that I knew nothing about or had no part in. However I compromised with her in the situation as I thought about her feelings and expectations.

The strategy that I have used is the act of Compromise. I believe that as early childhood professionals, we will have many opportunities in which to use this strategy. We guide the children by offering two choices to accomplish an outcome that we want them arrive at.  It is a winning strategy because everyone gets what they want. Another strategy that I could have used is the win –win situation, whereby both parties have a discussion and come to a favorable outcome with both are satisfied. (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).

Reference

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.            Martin's.