Farewell Message

There are many things that I have learned from this program.  From the first class to the last I learned the important role that passion plays in whatever it is that you do.  Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus, Pacific Oaks College, CA expressed this in week 2 of class 1 and again in the video in week 1 of this course. She said that her passion now is “perhaps greater than it was when she began her journey in early childhood” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  It is passion that is one of the driving forces that keeps us going as we advocate for children and families.

Another important thing I learned was the important role that families play in children’s education.  Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory was eye opening for me in that it showed me the varied resources that can influence a child’s development (Lepuschitz, 2011).  Before this program I had a very narrow view of the extent of influences on a child’s life.  It just proves the ancient African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”.

A third important thing that I learned was the importance of building relationships.  Relationships are key to creating trust and respect with staff and families.  Using the Platinum Rule instead of the Golden Rule is extremely valuable when building relationships (Bennett, 1980).  This was a revelation to me because it has helped me to try and see things from the perspective of others to better understand their viewpoint.  If you recall, the Platinum Rule says that you should do unto others as they want you to do unto them.  What a novel concept!  When staff approach me about something they do not understand, it has been extremely helpful to remember the experience that they have had and that those experiences will affect how they react in different situations.

The fourth thing that I learned was how essential collaboration is in early childhood or in any organization.  Establishment of a Community of Practice helps to give more credence to any issue that arises because support from many organizations presents a unified message in a community (Wenger, 2008).  A Community of Practice also is able to give constructive criticism when a person or group is misguided.  The Community of Practice that I have in Williamsburg has been supportive on this journey of education.  My family has also played a critical role in my success.  The church that I attend continually asks about my progress and offers prayers of support. 

My long term goal is to establish a high quality early childhood preschool for children with disabilities in our Mechanicsville community.  There is a committee at Mechanicsville UMC that is exploring this possibility.  We just completed a renovation of the Educational Wing of the church.  In doing the renovation we considered that the building might become an early childhood preschool center.  First, we will investigate the need for a specialized preschool such as this one.  Then we will have to go before the Church Council and get their support.  Marketing will be another important step.  Finding a small, dedicated staff will take time.  We plan to start small with just one three year and one four year class if there is a need.  Another consideration is before and after school care.  The committee will have to determine which route is more feasible.  It will probably take another 18 months before a center is ready for opening.

I have truly enjoyed this final course.  It has taken an intrinsic fortitude to complete the Capstone Project.  I cannot begin to tell Dr. Teri and my fellow colleagues how crucial your input has been in completing this project!!!  Without it, my project would not have been nearly as rich and deep as it turned out to be.  Thank you so much for the wonderful resources and comments you made!  They really helped to strengthen me as a person.  I hope that our paths will cross again at some point.  Should you wish to contact me in the future, my personal email address is panzer53@hotmail.com.  That is the best way to reach me!  Best of luck in your future endeavors!!!  I look forward to hearing about the great things you are doing for children and families in education!

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood “. Fred Rogers
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/fred_rogers.html#6hFqTjKiJ2kOkhgy.99

References

Bennett, M. (1980). Overcoming the Golden Rule: Sympathy and Empathy. Retrieved from

            http://www.library.wisc.edu/edvrc/docs/public/pdfs/LIReadings/OvercomingGoldenRule.pdf

Feinberg, J. (2011). Wordle. Retrieved from http://www.wordle.net/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2011). Merging Vision, Passion and Practice. Baltimore,

            MD: Walden University

Lepuschitz, J. K. (2011). Brofenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Laureate Education Inc.,

            Baltimore, MD.

Wenger, E. (2006).Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Retrieved

            from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

International Opportunities

International Opportunities

            Stop Hunger Now is an international organization that interests me.  In an earlier class we learned about the plight of third world countries in relation to hunger and lack of adequate water supply.  This organization interests me because our church has just recently been engaged in packaging events twice a year.  For twenty-five cents a child can receive a meal.  A minimum goal of 10,000 meals or $2500 brings the group to your organization.  The most two most exciting things about this program is 1) children receive the food by attending school to better themselves, and 2) there is a new component to this program-a water filtration system- which will reduce the chances of water-borne diseases.  One filtration bucket can filter up to 250 gallons of water a day.  At this time the only openings they have is a Certified Hunger Event Facilitator (CHEF).  This is a part-time position that I could do except for lifting 50-75 pound bags of food.  Sharing the program, setting up the stations, selling material related to Stop Hunger Now, and getting the boxes loaded onto the truck are the other responsibilities.  Other jobs that become available are Assistant Program Manager, Program Manager, Regional Program Manager and Staff National Director.

Another organization that interests me is UNICEF.  It takes me back to my teenage years when we would collect money at Halloween for children and families in need.  I also like the mission of the organization to promote the equal rights of children, and to support their full participation in the political, social and economic development of their communities (UNICEF, 2013).   In exploring the website, I discovered a job titled Chief Education and another titled Education Manager.  There are openings in Namibia or Sierra Leone.  It requires that a person be able to analyze data and inequities in education, develop advocacy strategies, create partnerships in the country, and use effective communication.  A master’s degree is required.  The one requirement I do not yet have is eight years of experience on the national or international level.

            The third organization that I researched is Save the Children.  Just the title was enough to further educate myself about the organization because children often do not have a voice on their own, especially in third world countries.  A job that I found intriguing was as an Education Cluster Coordinator.  The qualifications are extensive for this position.  I am not sure that there are many people who would qualify. I have many of the qualifications, but not the four years of experience in humanitarian response.   The qualifications are as follows:

o At least four years of senior-level experience in humanitarian response within the education sector o At least one year of experience of responding in the first-phase of an emergency o Master’s Degree in Education, related field or an equivalent qualification o Formal training in Cluster Coordination o Excellent English communication skills, both verbal and written.

* Value based o Commitment to the rights of children and youth to education in emergencies and recognition of the need for education in emergencies as a first-phase response o Ability to put aside one's own the organizational interests and work impartially serving all Cluster members on equal terms o Demonstrates integrity and strives to wards the highest personal and professional standards

* Facilitation and Coordination: o Demonstrable ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working. o Experience of high level coordination and chairing of meetings.

* Communication: o Effectively presents ideas in a clear, concise and convincing manner o Listens to and acknowledges others' perspectives and views

* Decision Making Ability o Identifies key issues in a complex situation and makes effective and realistic decisions based on logical inferences, experiences and implications

* Humanitarian: o Demonstrable understanding of international humanitarian response architecture, co-ordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action. o Understanding of the humanitarian funding mechanisms including (for example, the Consolidated Appeals Process [CAP], Central Emergency Fund [CEF] and Flash Appeals). o Understanding of humanitarian principles and ability to apply these

* Advocacy: o Excellent advocacy skills particularly in relation to advocating for education provision in humanitarian crises.

* Planning and Strategizing o Ability to work and plan at strategic and operational level. o Understanding of opportunities to provide integrated or cross-cutting humanitarian interventions with other sectors and clusters o Able to identify and make the relevant links between emergency response, recovery, transition and development (Save the Children, 2013).

References

Save the Children. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.net/jobs/job-details/739

Stop Hunger Now. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.stophungernow.org/

United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). (2013). Retrieved from

                     http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/

National Organizations and Job Opportunities

National Organizations and Job Opportunities

            This week I have had the opportunity to explore some new websites and review one that I visit more frequently.  I am a member of the National Head Start Association, but I do not visit their website as often as I should.  At this time they have a job posting for Training/Technical Assistance within the United States (NHSA, 2013).  Because I have worked with Head Start for eight years, this interests me.  To obtain this job I would have to be willing to travel, have examples of how new material might be presented successfully and answer questions that might arise in relation to the material that is presented.  At least 5 years of experience working in the Head Start program is required.  An acquaintance of mine actually applied for and got a job as a Training/Technical Assistance worker.  She just graduated from Walden in June.

            Another job that interests me is being a Consulting Editor for Young Children and NAEYC Publications (NAEYC.,  n.d.).  This job interests me because I love learning new things in the early childhood field.  I also love to read!  Being a consultant requires reading material that is submitted and writing your thoughts about what has been written.  Being able to objectively critique writing is an important skill.  An applicant also must seek out writers that could submit work for publication in the publications listed above.  Once I have completed graduate school, this is a job I might seek out.  I might also like to collaborate with other people to write an article for a publication.

            A third job that interests me is an Education Program Specialist (U.S. Department of Education, 2013).    This position interests me because it requires writing of federal policies in regard to education.  It also requires that the individual gather and disperse data in relation to school performance.  An Education Program Specialist also focuses on key educational issues in order to inform others of the importance of that issue to the future success of the U.S.  They would also prohibit discrimination.  To apply, a person must be a U.S. citizen and have experience and postgraduate education in education or experience working in the field of education and government.  I would enjoy this position because there are changes that I would like to see implemented in regard to education.  I would welcome the opportunity to speak to groups about the data collected.  The one area in which I lack experience is working for the government.

            I am looking forward to making some changes in my professional life once my degree is complete.  I have applied for a local Head Start Director’s position nearer to where I live and am working to update my résumé so that I can apply to teach either at a community college or on the college level.

References

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (n.d.)  Retrieved from

            http://www.naeyc.org/getinvolved/consultingeditors

National Head Start Association (NHSA) (2013). Retrieved from    

            http://www.nhsa.org/?e=jobBoard.index&categoryFilter=1

United States Department of Education. (2013).  Retrieved from

            http://washingtondc.jobing.com/education-program-specialist-gs-1720-14-ed/job/employment/49644034

Job Opportunities in Early Childhood

Opportunities in Communities of Practice

            I am excited about the opportunities that will be afforded me once my degree program is completed.  One opportunity is to become a preschool director.  A position just opened in Hanover County, VA for a Head Start Preschool Director (Hanover County Public Schools, 2013).  I am hoping that I can be considered for this position.  The qualifications include a teacher’s license, a master’s degree in early childhood with a specialization in Administration and Supervision, recent successful experience as an early childhood teacher or experience as an administrator.  Because I have been the Education and Disabilities Coordinator for nine years and for one and a half years acted as the Director where I am currently working, I am excited about the prospect.   It would also shorten my commute which my family would appreciate.

            Another opportunity is to teach at a community college, a college, or at an online university.  A Master’s Degree is required to teach at the college level.  Some online universities require a Doctorate to teach, but Averett University only requires a Master’s Degree for some classes.  I could also teach evening classes at University of Richmond (2013) or Virginia Commonwealth University (2013).  At this time there are no openings in the areas of administration or education at the community college or college level closest to where I live.  I am working on my résumé to include all of the activities in which I have experience.

            A third opportunity is to become a mentor for the Virginia Star Quality Initiative (Virginia Star Quality Initiative Mentor Toolkit, 2012).  To be considered for this job, a person has to have at least a Bachelor’s Degree in early childhood, be certified in CLASS observation tool and ECKERS, have at least five years of experience in early childhood education, and have good interpersonal skills to help guide the practice of teachers and teacher’s assistants.  Our program has been through ratings twice, and I am currently the chair of our local Smart Beginnings Program.  These skills give me experience and a working knowledge of the Virginia Star Quality Initiative.

References

Hanover County Public Schools (2013, September 11). Retrieved from

                http://hanover.k12.va.us/human_resource/vacancy%20flyers/Coordinator%20Federal%20Progr

                ams%20(2).pdf

University of Richmond (UR) (2013). Retrieved from  http://education.richmond.edu/faculty/index.html

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) (2013). Retrieved from

                http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/facjobs/facjobNew.asp?Item=5193

Virginia Star Quality Initiative (VSQI) (2012). Virginia Star Quality Initiative Mentor Toolkit.  Retrieved

                from http://www.smartbeginnings.org/Portals/5/PDFs/VSQI/Mentor_Toolkit

Farewell and Best of Luck

Farewell and Best of Luck

            I do not know about you, but the last seven classes have gone by so quickly.  When I began the Master’s Degree program in November of 2011, it seemed that obtaining my degree would take a long time.  It is hard to believe that we are at a point of working on our specialization.  I have enjoyed getting to know you in this class.  I have appreciated learning from you by reading your discussions and blogs.  I also have gathered knowledge from your responses to my discussion and blog posts.  Your individual perspectives have helped me to see things from a different viewpoint.  Seeing things through someone else’s eyes has helped me to look at problems from many different perspectives.   Thank you so much for sharing!   I hope that the information shared in posts that I made were helpful to you as well.

            As we move on to our specialization, some will continue together and some will take a different path.  I wish you all the best as you move through your specialization classes and into new career paths.  I also hope that I can continue to correspond with you.  As an Education Coordinator, I have discovered how important cooperation and collaboration can be.  It is my wish that we can continue to correspond through email and blogs.

Carol Justis

carol.justis@waldenu.edu

earlychildhoodadvocatecarol.bloggerspot.com

Closing Relationships

Closing relationships at the end of a project

            As I think about the groups of which I have been a part, those that were the hardest to leave were ones in which I developed a strong relationship.  These groups had a clear vision, communicated with each other ways in which to accomplish that vision, and trusted themselves and the other members of the group to complete the goal set forth (Learning Center, 2011).   Most of the groups in which I have participated have been ones that I have worked with for three or more years, such as teachers on grade level at a particular school or groups that I worked with while my husband was serving a church.  Some were easier to leave than others because now as I look back, there were some groups that never got past the storming stage (Adubi, 2010) (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).  In those groups I did not really establish a connection because I always felt that I was competing against others in the group instead of working as a team.  Finding common ground is a great way to begin moving from the storming stage to the norming stage.  Recognizing each person’s strength and allowing them to use their strength to solve a problem or work on a particular aspect of a project is another important element. 

            Each church that we left had a reception the Sunday before our departure.  For us, the reception was bittersweet.  I say this because in our situation while we were sad to leave the members of the church we were currently serving, we were excited about the new challenges we would face with a new church family.  The separations at the schools were a little more difficult because I did not always have a job waiting for me wherever our next church assignment was.  I was more hesitant to leave these schools because of the unknown.  Usually there were times for the grade level in which I worked to go out and celebrate the successes while I was a teacher there.

            This is the last of our general classes in our Master’s Degree program.  We will be taking different paths for our specialization; although, I get the sense that many will be continuing on with me in Administration, Management, and Leadership.  I am hoping that I will be able to continue to blog with some colleagues that I hold in high regard.  It will not be as difficult because we have not been able to meet each other face to face.  That is the one aspect I miss about not physically being in the classroom to read people’s body language, hear their voices for tone, and interpret their gestures and body movements (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 134-135).  For me, the connection is not as strong.  I will miss the intellectual stimulation however.  I will have to use the journals I read for that.

            Adjourning is an essential step because it gives the team an opportunity to evaluate what was accomplished and how it was accomplished (Abudi, 2010).  It validates the things that the team did well.  It also allows the team to determine changes that might need to occur should the team work together again.  Some groups disband before completing this important step.  They lose out on the insights gained by evaluating the project.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages to team development: A case study.  Retrieved from

            http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Learning Center. (2011). How to build a team using vision, commitment and trust. Retrieved

            from http://www.learningcenter.net/library/building.shtml.

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Boston, MA:

          
           Bedford/St. Martin’s.
 

 

Using Nonviolent Communication in the Workplace

Using Nonviolent Communication in the Workplace

            I have recently returned to work after being out for three months as a result of a car

accident.  Because I am still receiving two hours of physical therapy twice a week, I am only working part time.  I could sense some tension between myself and my co-coordinator.  I went to this person and asked if something was bothering him.  I listened while he explained the frustration that he felt because he and another coordinator had been taking on some of my responsibilities while I was out (The Third Side, n.d.).  He was worn out and hoping that I would have come back full time when I returned to work so that he could return to only his responsibilities.  I rephrased what he said to make sure that I understood him correctly.  I explained the reason for not returning to full time work at this time.  I also asked him what I might be able to do to help him feel more at ease.  He asked if I could begin doing one of the tasks that he was doing for me.  I agreed to reclaim that particular task.  I could see his demeanor change almost immediately.  Since that conversation, we are getting along well and joking with each other which we normally do.  By using some of the skills from nonviolent communication, we were able to have a dialog that was constructive and which gave both parties equal power.  We were able to attack the problem instead of each other (Conflict Resolution Network, n.d.).

            I am wondering if any of my colleagues have recently had success using these techniques and what you found the end result to be.  Are you feeling more at peace?  Can you feel the need for dominance dissipate?

References

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit.  Retrieved from

            http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3.

The Third Side. (n.d.). The third side. Retrieved from http://www.thirdside.org.