Time Well Spent

Time Well Spent

I'm not good at goodbye's. Farewells. See ya later's. However, I am excited to be finished with this program. There were times I was not sure I would make it to the next class, let alone to the finish line.
I have learned that I am committed to my work and advocacy for Early Childhood Education. This program has not only cemented my passion for young children and families, but it has also given me colleagues that have shared their wonderful experiences with all of us.
I realized that I am stronger than I once thought... I still cannot believe that I finished my master's degree and was a damn good mother at the same time! The program taught me to think deeply about issues and trends that exist in the world of Early Childhood Education. With these thoughts, I was able to apply them to my children and what they might encounter in the future world. These thoughts also pushed me closer and closer to my goals.
But more than anything, I learned from the program that Early Childhood Education is a topic that should be talked about more and more within our federal and state government. Furthermore, I learned that we cannot more forward and better our field without research.
My long term goal is to continue to make a difference. In a large way. In a small way. One child at a time. This field is not about money, prestige, fame or recognition. This field is a selfless one. Therefore, even though I wrote my paper about imaging my future from the perspective that I could accomplish anything, I would be happy and satisfied with just continuing to make a difference. If all my dreams come true, then so be it.
I'm glad that I took this program online. With excitement, I can report that I have read about people from all over the world just by being in this class. More importantly, I have learned about other states in the U.S. and what their Early Childhood Education programs entail. I realized that CA has a long way to go to match the success of other states. Unfortunately, none of us have ever met face to face. However, you have rewarded me with your experiences, stories and thoughts about the ins and outs of our professional field. Reading your postings has allowed this stay at home mom of three year old twins a lifeline to the Early Childhood Education field. For that I am grateful.
Good luck to you all...

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Save the Children: "Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When disaster strikes, we put children's needs first. We advocate for and achieve large-scale change for children. We save children's lives."

On the site, there are plenty of positions that are available that I could apply for: Assistant teacher for Head Start and Early Head Start Program Manager. Although none of the positions are available in CA. Each requires a BA in Early Childhood Education or Child Development and experience working with infants and toddlers.

UNESCO: "UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’S mission and activities."
On the website, there are currently no positions available.

OECD:"The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. We work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. We measure productivity and global flows of trade and investment. We analyse and compare data to predict future trends. We set international standards on a wide range of things, from agriculture and tax to the safety of chemicals.
We also look at issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. We compare how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age."
On the site, at this time, there are no positions that I could apply for.

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

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

National/Federal Organizations:

1. National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education

• The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education has a mission to advocate the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and to foster relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of all our nation's young people (National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education). 
• The coalition seeks to: serve as a visible representative for strong parent and family involvement initiatives at the national level, conduct activities that involve the coalition's member organizations and their affiliates and constituencies in efforts to increase family involvement and provide resources and legislative information that can help member organizations promote parent and family involvement (National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education).
• Job posting: no postings on website

2. National Education Association

• The National Education Association has a mission to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world (National Education Association). 
• Furthermore, the National Education Association is dedicated to research on parental involvement in education.
• Job posting: no positions that I qualify for and no positions in their state affiliates 

3. Parent/Teacher Association

• The PTA has a Family Engagement Commission that acknowledges parents as the first teachers of their child and realizes the integral role that parents play in the total development of the child (Parent Involvement).
• Furthermore, the commission supports parents/guardians and family caregivers by: strengthening/teaching parenting skills and encouraging involvement in schools and at home, supporting the understanding of childhood development stages,  providing resource materials and networking with agencies and groups focusing on parent involvement (Parent Involvement).
• Job posting: no positions are posted on the PTA website at this time

References:

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2014, from National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education: http://www.ncpie.org/AboutNCPIE/

National Education Association. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2014, from National Education Association: http://www.nea.org/home/19583.htm

Parent Involvement. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2014, from California State PTA: http://www.capta.org/sections/parents/parent-inv.cfm

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

            My first organization is based locally, but it a funded by the State of California. The overall organization is called First5, but each office is located in a specific county. First5 offers all different types of programs to anyone with a child under the age of five. Not only do they provide new parents information and avenues to local resources, the offices also provide developmentally age appropriate classes for families to attend each week. Furthermore, the organization offers home visiting services, parent support, literacy programs, child care quality information and preschool scholarships. Within the organization I was able to find two positions that are within my county of residence. One job title is a Family Support Specialist and the other one is a Program Supervisor of the Family Support Specialists. Both require a bachelor’s degree, 12 ECE units, two years of experience in the field and bilingual in Spanish.

            My second organization is Head Start. Although it is federally funded, each location is situated inside schools and child care centers that exist in every county. The Head Start organization for Contra Costa County provides full or part day programs, Early Head Start for children up to the age of 3 and a home-based model that provides home visits. The county lists quite a few different positions within the Head Start organization: infant/toddler teacher, master teacher, site supervisor positions and program manager positions. Each position has specific requirements. However, I have realized that I will need to start out teaching because all upper positions require teaching experience.

            My third organization is directly related to my Capstone Project. Parents As Teachers is an organization that provides resources and information on the topic of parent involvement and the benefits to each child. On the website, a specific job is posted that relates to acquiring funds from other organizations to continue Parents As Teachers goals each year. Although it requires three years of experience in the “art” of acquiring funds, which I lack, I would still love to have a position such as this one. I think it would be highly rewarding to know that I am a part of the funding process, which would bring the issues and topics of parent involvement to others on a larger scale. 

Thank you to fellow colleagues

Hi All,
I wanted to personally thank all of you for your wonderful posts and stories during this 8 week class. I realize that by reading about your experiences, I learn more and more everyday through each one of you. Our class on communication has also reminded me that collaboration with each other is a very important task in our professional field. We have to remember to stay open-minded in regards to different approaches on curriculum, classroom environment and children's behavior. I appreciate the depth of your sharing during this class, especially those who relay classroom experiences. It makes those of us who are not in the classroom feel like we are there with you!

Adjouring

Adjouring

Usually, when I think about how a group project or paper came to an end, they last thing I think of is a "sad time." I am so relieved and excited to be done that I don't think of missing my group members. Most of my group projects have awarded me with friends that would move on with me into other classes or at the very least a learning experience or two.

I remember that for some projects the instructor would ask for our feedback about how our group members did during the process. Sometimes we would even get the evaluations back from the other group members and be able to see our strengths and weaknesses. Again, it was all about learning from each other. Therefore, I would have to agree that in this case, adjourning in this fashion was an essential stage of the teamwork.

Honestly, I'm not sure what it will be like to finish up here at Walden. I wish that I could say that I have gotten close to all my colleagues, but the truth is that with online classes, it is harder to have that classroom environment that fosters camaraderie. Although, I will miss the stories and great personal experiences that others share in their postings and blogs. I know that I have already learned a lot from each of you and I appreciate your honesty in sharing.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution

Currently, I am a stay at home mom. So my conflicts are mostly between my twin boys and I or between David and Andrew themselves.

I have to admit that sometimes when it is a conflict between me and one of the boys, I tend to use challenging strategies. I fully know that this type of strategy is used to benefit my needs, but sometimes as a parent that is my only option. For example, if I am in the grocery store and one of them is having a melt down because they have sat in the cart, strapped in, for too long, I have to diffuse the situation so that I can finish my shopping. Some people might say that I should just up and leave the basket and exit the store! However, I look at it from the direction of....it was a challenge to get here in the first place and I am not giving up until I am done!! Therefore, I usually talk to them or reprimand their behavior if it needs it, but I always finish my shopping!

Most of the time, when it comes to conflict between the boys, I try to take a cooperative strategy approach. If I am aware of who took who's car and who was playing with said care first, I usually try to diffuse the situation by giving back the car to its' rightful owner and then discuss with the "stealer" how it is not okay to take other people's things. But I do try to make it a win-win outcome by giving the "stealer" a different car that is not being used by anyone. Compromise is tough but I do use it as an outcome when I do not know exactly what they are having the conflict over. Sometimes I come into the room too late and just see them tussling on the floor! I guess this is what boys do! However, I want them to understand that putting your hands on someone else does not solve the problem and that it is better to use your words. Again, tough for a 2 year old because they are just getting to the talking stage. Yet, I want them to learn that physical force is never the answer to a problem. In this situation, the nonviolent communication is the best tool because it promotes discussion of feelings in regards to the situation and then allows not only compromise but compassion for how the other person feels.