Farewell

Wordle link:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6626306/MY_MS_in_Early_Childhood_Ed.

It's hard to believe that this is my final blog post for this program.  When I first began this program in September, 2011, I can remember crying my eyes out because I had no idea how to make a blog or what an RSS feed was. That seems like so long ago. Throughout my time in this program, I have learned so much. Three things that will stick with me forever are:

I am always capable of insighting change.  I may be one person, but change can start with just one.

I am capable of far more than I ever thought I was. This program has made me work harder than I ever imagined, but I have accomplished more that I would have imagined as well!

Collaboration is key! I have worked with so many individuals who have shared their wisdom, whether it was professors, other students or my own colleagues who have helped me with interviews.  I have learned that I cannot do it alone and working with others is so much better!

A long-term goal I have for myself is to never stop developing as an educator. Before I started this program, I only attended professional develoment opportunities in order to renew my teaching license.  I have seen how much I have grown and changed through this program and I don't want to stop now!

To Dr. Teri and my colleagues,
Thank you for joining me on this final leg of our journey.  However, I don't feel like this is an ending, but just a beginning. This course pushed me to do more, think more and in different ways. I am grateful for that! Thank you to all of my colleagues for your input and help throughout this course. It's been quite a ride. Some of you have been in my classes since Day 1 (Sally Brooks). I wish each of you continued success and passion for the Early Childhood Field. "Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel" ~Augustus Hare (Brainy Quote, 2001-2013).  Sail on my friends, sail on...

With appreciation,
Rachel

Reference:
Brainy Quote (2001-2013). Retrieved on April 23, 2013 from: http://brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational2.html

International Organizations and Job Positions

This week I researched several early childhood education international organizations. First, I found information on The United Nations Children’s Fund or UNICEF.  I was intrigued to learn about UNICEF as I have heard this name many times, but I really didn’t know much about this organization. Between the years of 2006-2013, UNICEF has five major focus areas. These include child survival and development, basic education and gender equality, HIV / AIDS and children, child protection and policy advocacy and partnerships (UNICEF, n.d.).  UNICEF works with countries all over the world to help protect basic human rights through advocacy, emergency help, fundraising, policy advising, statistics monitoring and providing medical supplies, just to name a few. Upon researching job opportunities within UNICEF, I looked for jobs available in the United States.  These were quite limited.  I did find an administrative assistant position.  This position would be a good opportunity to get a foot in the door if one is desiring to become a larger part of the UNICEF organization. No formal degree is required, but a knowledge of UNICEF and its regulations and good organizational skills are required.

The next organization I investigated was The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO for short. The purpose of this organization is to create opportunities for different cultures, civilizations and people to find ways to respect shared values. Their goal is to create and build peace, end poverty, build global lifetime learning, build on gender equality and addressing various social challenges (UNESCO, 2011). There is currently an opening for the position of Educational Program Coordinator. However, this position is only available in Bangkok, Thailand. The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to acting as an educational liaison on a daily basis with the regional bureau of education, coordinate educational opportunities in Myanmar and will contribute to the office management in the UNESCO project office in Yangon (UNESCO, 2011). Applicants must have at least a master’s degree in education and at least 7 years of experience in the education field. One must also possess excellent communication and organizational skills. While I feel I would be qualified for this position, I would not desire to move to Thailand.

Next, I looked into the organization, Save the Children.  This organization is set forth with the goal to create lasting change in the lives of children through advocacy, working with families and communities, government agencies and policy-makers. They are also somewhat of a Red Cross for children.  When there are disasters around the world, they are there to provide relief such as food, clothing and shelter. This organization appeals to me because they are there 100% to help children. Being an educator, I feel strongly about this topic. They do have a job opening as a coordinator for the Early Steps to School Success (E.S.S.S.) program. The person doing this job would be responsible for in-home visits and preparing families for their child’s social, emotional and developmental success.  They would also provide developmental screenings for developmentally delayed children as well as providing assistance with school readiness programs and book exchanges (Save the Children, 2011). The qualifications needed for this position are an Associate of Art degree in Early Childhood Education, 2-3 years of experience in leading families and communities in early childhood programs and experience and training with in-home visitations.  I think I would be qualified for this position with the exception of the in-home visit experience as I have never performed an in-home visitation.

  

References:

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2013, from http://www.unicef.org/

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

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

The first organization I looked into was the National PTA (www.pta.org) . This organization appeals to me because it works to unite schools and families through educator development programs, community outreach and policy reform.  They are advocates for the educational system as a whole. Within the PTA, there is a job opportunity that interested me. The job is that of Leadership Development Manager. The duties of this job include, but are not limited to: developing an e-learning plan for the National PTA, developing online course work, evaluating course feedback, conducting staff training and leadership meetings.  The requirements of this job include exceptional management and organizational skills, understanding of adult learning and its methodology, knowledge of key issues in education, being able to travel and at least a bachelor’s degree in adult education and at least 5-7 years minimum of experience in the planning and implementation of adult education.  I think this job sounds interesting and challenging.  I have most of the requirement, especially in the area of adult education as that is my specialization.  However, I would have to have several years of experience in order to qualify for this position.

Next, I chose the NAEYC (www.naeyc.org).  This organization is the largest in the world of its type, working on behalf and for the welfare of young people.

A position I found interesting is a board member seat. While this is not considered a career, there would be much involved and a large time commitment to this job. The governing board acts and makes decision in the best interest of the NAEYC.  The qualifications to become a sitting member of the board include, but are not limited to candidates who have demonstrated leadership and advocacy in the early childhood education field. They will also need to have expertise in whatever field has been left vacant on the board. One must be nominated for the board.  While this position sounds quite interesting to me, I have many years to go before I feel that I will have made the necessary contributions to early childhood education that are required to be in this position.

Finally, I looked into the Division of Early Childhood or DEC for short (http://www.dec-sped.org/). This organization is an international membership organization that cares for the well-being of children with special needs and disabilities. The DEC is currently hiring an executive director. The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to planning. Developing and administering the goals of the DEC. The executive director will also have fiscal responsibilities for the organization and will work to support the board of directors. The requirements of this position are that candidates have experience running a non-profit organization, the ability to handle the finances of a non-profit organization and a demonstrated ability to achieve the desired outcomes of an organization. No where is it listed that a certain degree or form of education are required.  While I think this could be a very interesting job, I do not have any experience with running a non-profit organization.  I hope in my future to add this to qualification to my list of abilities.

References:

Division of Early Childhood (n.d.). Retrieved on March 28, 2013 from: http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC/Career_Center.

NAEYC (n.d.). Retrieved on March 27, 2013 from: http://www.naeyc.org

National PTA (n.d.). Retrieved on March 27, 2013 from: http://www.pta.org/index.cfm.

Exploring roles in the ECE Community:Local and State Levels

After some searching, I found three local or state organizations, or communities of practice that appealed to me. First, I found the non-profit organization, Meals till Monday. You can access them at http://www.mealstilmonday.org/. Their motto is “Meals till Monday: Because hunger doesn’t take the weekend off” (Meals till Monday, 2013).  They are a grass roots organization that pools together efforts from community volunteers to obtain nutritious, “kid fixable” food that is sent home every Friday with children in need to provide for them over the span of the weekend. Their goal is to raise awareness about hunger within the community and to make sure no student is distracted or at a disadvantage due to hunger. The program has expanded immensely since its creation and they hope to continue to stamp out hunger in the local schools.

Next, I chose Big Brothers/Big Sisters of West Central Ohio. This local organization serves a three county area, providing mentoring opportunities for area youth. You can visit their website at http://www.bbbswco.com/. Big Brothers/Big Sisters appeals to me because I feel that so many children, unfortunately lack a strong role model at home.  Big Brothers/Big Sisters allows for that relationship to develop where it otherwise may never.

Then, I chose a more non-conventional organization and that is the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.  The Boonshoft Museum, is a child-friendly, “please touch!” museum.  I have a very strong passion for including hands-on activities and play into the learning environment.  I feel that is when children do their best learning! What is great about this museum is that it is operated by the Dayton Society of Natural History.  This is a group of volunteers that come together to run this museum with the combined goal of educating children in the area of science!  I love this!!! Seeing children excited about learning something new is what teaching is all about to me!  You can discover the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery at http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/about-us/leadership.

As far as job opportunities, there are two job opportunities that really interest me.  The first job would be an adjunct professor at a local college. In my last course, I interviewed the chairperson of the Early Childhood Education program at Rhodes State College. I have to have my masters degree in an early childhood related field and they prefer a person with past teaching experience.  She encouraged me to apply when I am finished with my degree (yay!). While I would love to do that in the evenings, I’m not sure I am totally ready to leave my child centered classroom yet.

Next, I think having the position of the Early Childcare Education instructor at our local vocational school would be great. The position actually came open last summer. The only qualification that was needed was a degree (associates or higher) in Early Childhood Education. I think it would be a great opportunity to influence young adults and teach them the importance that early education has on a child.

References:

BBSWCO (2013). Retrieved March 14, 2013 from: http://www.bbbswco.com/

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013 from http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/about-us/leadership

Meals till Monday (2013). Retrieved March 14, 2013 from: http://www.mealstilmonday.org/

Hello!

It has been since October since I have last blogged, so I feel a bit rusty!  I cannot believe that I have finally made it to the Capstone class! This has been quite a journey for me as I am sure it has been for all of you! I am looking forward to learning from all of you!

Warmest regards,

Rachel

Farewell

I would like to take some time to thank all of you for being a part of this class with me for the past 8 weeks.  I enjoyed reading your thoughts, opinions and insights each week in our discussions and I really loved reading everyone's blogs.  You all really opened up and shared personal accounts from your life which helped me to understand the communication process in a deeper way.  Best of luck to all of you as we move on to another stage in this process.
~Rachel

Adjourning and Adjusting

Adjourning from a group is a part of life. However, this stage can be difficult when the separation comes from a group that has worked so well together. A group that I had a terrible time adjourning from was my 2nd grade class from last year. As a group, we went through all of the stages. But by the end, I have to say they were the best class I've ever had. We all worked as such a team and there were almost zero behavior issues. To help with the impending separation, as a class, we took a walk down memory lane and remembered our wonderful year together. It really helped in saying goodbye. I can't say I didn't cry on my way home though!  In the end, I was able to look back and say that I had accomplished all that I wanted to with my group.

It's hard to believe that I only have three more courses after this one with Walden University. This was such a nerve-wracking journey for me when I first started. There have been many colleagues that  were such a wonderful support and help when I began. Now that I am further along and not crying all of the time and worrying so much over every little assignment, I feel more at ease and really appreciate all of the honest and helpful feedback I get from my colleagues. While I will be filled with joy to graduate, I wish all of them nothing but success!