Time Well Spent

Well, this is it, my very last assignment for my Master’s program! I cannot begin to express, in words, what I am feeling right now, but I will do my best. The last 16 or so months of my life have been a complete blur and I am looking forward to finding my old routine, or perhaps a new one. After taking this Capstone course, I am feeling relieved, joyful and most of all accomplished. I am the first person in my family to earn their Master’s Degree and my friends and family have been so great in sharing their kind words of congratulatory remarks. I took on this program in September of 2011 while working full-time. The beginning courses made me feel at ease as they were manageable. When I began this last semester taking two courses alongside my full-time job, I literally thought that there was no way I was going to finish this program successfully. With the support of Dr. Teri, my peers and my work colleagues, I was able to get through these last two courses. I have learned so much about myself throughout this Capstone course. I have persevered through the most stressful of times and I am proud of myself and my fellow classmates. I have always been nervous about online programs and was worried that I might not feel as accomplished in earning an online degree as opposed to a degree from a traditional college. Regardless of the setting I was in, I feel absolutely accomplished and am happy with my decision in choosing Walden University. In the future, I hope to become the division chief for Child and Youth Programs for all of Air Force. This is a long-term goal that will take lots of work but I feel confident that I can achieve it. I would like to close out my blog my saying thank you to Walden University, all of my professors, specifically Dr. Teri and most of all thank you to my classmates. You all have taught me so much about the early childhood field and what else is out there in terms of careers and programs. I am so pleased that we all share the same passion for working with children and I do believe that because of people like us, children do have a brighter future. Good luck to everyone in their endeavors and please keep in contact!

International Jobs and Roles in the ECE Community

Looking for International organizations in the Early Childhood Field was an exciting adventure. I was fortunate enough to grow up overseas and know the joys of working internationally. When I was in High School, I was a part of the Junior United Nations team where we traveled to the Netherlands to meet at the actual United Nations and do a mock meeting. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I was first exposed to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the beginning of this Master’s program in my foundations course. UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. UNICEF believes that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. I believe that UNICEF is such an admirable organization because they really focus on the child as a whole. From education, to sickness prevention, they focus on it all. There were several open vacancies on the UNICEF website that were short term positions. One specifically was an Education Specialist in Sierra Leone. The position will be used for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the national education sector systems strengthening component of the Basic Education program. The qualifications for this position include an advanced university degree in any of the following: Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, Education, or other fields related to the work of UNICEF. Knowledge of Rights-based and Results-based approach and programming in UNICEF, knowledge of UNICEF program policy, procedures and guidelines in the Manual, knowledge of Mid-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP), five years progressively responsible professional work experience in social development, project administration, monitoring and evaluation, some at the international level, fluency in English and another UN language as required and knowledge of local working language of the duty station an asset.

            I also looked into the Save the Children organization. This organization is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world. The position I found interesting within this organization was the Information and Documentation Specialist, Education and Child Development. The Information and Documentation Specialist is the point person for Education and Child Development program documentation and dissemination.  S/he writes, edits and designs promotional and informational materials for internal and external audiences; coordinates reporting on specific projects; acts as liaison to the Resource Mobilization Department; updates education information on the external / internal websites; coordinates information sharing within headquarters and with the field; and provides technical content support for proposals, reports, and surveys.  The position is based in Washington D.C. Requirements for this position include a Master’s Degree, with at least 5-8 years’ work experience in education and/or child development, a background in communications, strong writing, editing, and analytical skills, strong publication design and layout abilities, flexible and able to effectively manage multiple tasks among subsectors, with frequently competing deadlines, strong willingness to learn new skills and commitment to Education for All, and PC skills including MS Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher (SharePoint is a plus).

            Lastly, I looked into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO strives to build networks among nations that enable this kind of solidarity by mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development. One position I found particularly interesting was the Director of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development. Qualifications for this position include an advanced university degree in education and/or social sciences, experience in administering and developing research and training programs in fields related to peace education and education for sustainable development (ESD), and experience in resource and partnership mobilization.

 

References

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

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

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

Week 4 Blog Assignment

Week 4 Blog Assignment: Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

This week I took a look at jobs and roles in the Early Childhood Education Community at the National or Federal Level. Three organizations that appealed most to me were the United States Department of Education, the National Education Association and the National Afterschool Association. I chose these three organizations because they all three share the same goals and are all at a national level. I particularly enjoyed reading about the National Afterschool Association since I work with school-aged children and I often feel like this age group gets over looked when focusing on the early childhood field. One job that I discovered was a Educational Program Specialist for the National Institute of Health through the department of Health and Human Services in Montgomery County, Maryland. Requirements for the position are as follows:

·         Reviewing and recommending action on requisitions for curriculum equipment, furniture, supplies, and other materials.  

·         Assisting with the development and organization of program information used for a variety of purposes, to include the preparation of regular and ad hoc reports and development of annual operating budgets.

·         Participating in ongoing efforts to improve program services.

·         Monitoring approved contractual agreements and monitors contractor activities to ensure services are delivered in accordance with the terms.

·         Attending and chairing meetings, attending conferences and serving on committees

This job can be found at www.usajobs.gov

The link to my blog is: http://amandaecs.blogspot.com

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local or state organizations that I chose to research are Boys and Girls Clubs of America (Alaska Branches), the Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children (AAEYC), and the Alaska Head Start Association. Although I am very firm on working for the military throughout the duration of my career, I wanted to take this opportunity to branch out and look into a few other organizations that could be of potential interest to me. I also think that it is important to be aware of other organizations in the state you live in to build communities of practice. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Alaska was an obvious choice since my current place of work is basically a military version of a Boys and Girls Club. Some significant differences between a Department of Defense organization and a Boys and Girls Club are the funding, staffing and demographics. The Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children is a local affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The AAEYC serves the needs for early childhood education professionals in the state of Alaska. The Alaska Head Start Association is a branch of the national program that is so well known amongst early childhood professionals.

One position that sparked my interest on the BGCA website was the Dragonflies Assistant Teacher. This position seeks an Assistant Teacher for a Pre-K classroom. The organization is seeking someone with at least 6 months of experience tutoring, mentoring, or supervising children.

One position that interested me on the Head Start website but was not open in Alaska was the regional field specialist. This sounded interesting because the position was a part of a regional team that assessed early childhood education practices at various Head Start locations.

Most of the positions that were available for the organizations I looked up required an Associate’s Degree or a CDA. Some also required several years of experience working in the early childhood field. I am thrilled to almost be completing my Master’s Degree, but I am so concerned about the transition I will face. All of my work experience has been primarily with children and youth ages 9 and up. I do not have a whole lot of experience working with younger children. I do, however, have a passion for advocating for all youth which I why I chose to work towards my Master’s Degree in this specific field. I hope I made the right choice.

References

www.akheadstart.org/

www.akaeyc.org/

www.bgcalaska.org/

Thank You

Wow! I cannot believe another class has come and gone! What an experience it is been having all my classmates follow me on this journey. I want to thank all of you for your kind words and  positive opinions. I wish all of you the best of luck and hope to keep in touch!

Week 6 Blog Assignment

I believe that the hardest groups to leave are the ones you have been through the most with. I worked at a job for three years with a wonderful group of people who I attribute a lot of my professional success to. They weren’t only wonderful because we eventually grew so close, but it was a great experience because we learned so much from, one another, even when the lessons weren’t so easy to learn. At the end of our journey together, I was mostly saddened because I had so many memories that bonded us. We were like a family. I feel like I will feel similarly when I complete my Master’s program. Earning my Master’s Degree has been a goal of mine for a long time now and it was something that I contemplated on completing back and forth for some time. When I first started, I was immediately reassured that I made the right decision by the support from my fellow classmates. Now that I am a little closer to finishing, I can already tell how the adjourning stage of this journey will be. I sure know it is something that I never will forget.

Week 5

When thinking about conflict resolution, several work scenarios come to mind. I have a staff of 8 who rarely take me seriously due to my age. I have had to call several meetings where this has been addressed and most of the time things get resolved through communicaton. There really is something to be said for "talking it out".

Week 4 Blog Assignment

The thing that most surprised me this week based on our communication assessments was how I scored myself. I expected the differences in scores from my colleague and friend; however I was surprised to see my hidden communication anxieties come out in my score. I also learned that I am far more verbally aggressive in my mind than I am in person. Meaning, I do not actually say what is on my mind in confrontational situations. I do not know if this is a good or bad thing. I am mostly this way at work. I am most likely fearful of getting in trouble from my supervisor and am always cautious about maintaining a professional persona.

Week 3 Blog Assignment

Think about the cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and also, possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

 •Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

                Fortunately, I have been raised in a multi-cultural environment. I also fortunately work in a very multi-cultural environment so I do not think that I communicate differently with diverse groups of people. Although after visiting my 90 year old grandmother in Ireland, who is losing her hearing, I suppose I communicate a lot louder with her than I would anyone else.

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

One strategy I also use is to treat everyone the same when speaking to them. My boss will speak in a nice tone of voice with one employee and the next second she snaps on someone else. This doesn’t make her look too good because of the biases present. Another strategy to help better communication is get to know who you are communicating with if possible. This way you know what could be offensive. Lastly, always follow the platinum rule!

Week 2 Blog Assignment

For this week’s blog assignment, we were asked to watch a television show once with the sound off and again with the sound on. Since I am not an avid television viewer, it was fairly easy to find a show that I do not frequently watch. The show I chose to view is “Keeping up with the Kardashians”. This is a reality tv-show about a large glamorous family in Los Angeles. While watching the show with the televisions volume turned off, this is what I observed:

•What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? Just by watching the family members communicate without any sound, I could definitely tell that the people on the show were family. There seemed to be a sense of closeness as well as some bickering going on.

 •What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing? I observed a lot of tension between some members of the family and lots of non-verbal facial expressions.

This is what I observed with the sound turned on:

 •What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed? I assumed that they were family members who were close and experienced lots of arguments on a regular basis.

 •Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well? I think my assumptions would have been the same. While I do not what this show on a regular basis, I know somewhat about the dynamic.

This was a very interesting assignment that I never would have thought to do on my own. What was particularly interesting is that I grasped what was happening fairly accurately without having the sound on. That just goes to show you how critical non-verbal communication is and how one can be affected by it.

Week 1 Blog Assignment

For this week’s blog assignment, we were asked to think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. I chose to think about the youth who come to my Youth Center. They range in age from 9 to 12 and they have some of the best communication skills I have ever encountered. They are always so honest with me as well as with one another. They are able to solve problems among one another before having to get a staff involved. I feel that as adults we have a tendency to become less honest because of the worry that comes with offending someone or hurting their feelings. It seems that children just want to be honest in communicating with others and this is very refreshing. Sometimes I do wish I could communicate as well as they do.

Week 8 Blog Assignment- Professional Hopes & Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I hope to make a life lasting impression on their lives by making them feel comfortable and wanted. Often times when people come to a new country, they feel shunned or unwanted. It is my hope that I can make them feel welcomed and allow them to see the true possibilities of being in our country. 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field in relation to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to give every child and family the same opportunity. After all, we are one world.

For this last blog assignment, I would like to take the time to thank Dr. Dartt and my fellow colleagues for making this course one of the most enjoyable ones I have taken so far. I have learned so much about myself as well as my peers and for that I am forever thankful. This has been such a great journey and I hope to have future courses with you all! Good luck and best wishes!

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I can distinctly remember when I was ten years old and my family moved to Hawaii. It was definitely a different environment than what I was used to. I had spent my ten year prior in Germany where there are also a variety of cultures, however that acceptance of diversity is far greater. On my first day of school, I was ridiculed by my peers who were considered “locals”. The local kids had many names for my kind and I became known as “whitey”. While I knew what prejudice was, I had never experienced firsthand, and I certainly was never a victim of if before. I can remember feeling so miserable and pretending to be sick so I could stay home from school. I did not have any friends and I was criticized daily because of the color of my skin. Luckily my parents only wanted to stay a year and we moved back to Germany. Although at the time it seemed like an awful experience, I am grateful that I went through it. I see prejudice in such a different light and I have become more appreciative of cultural and ethnic diversity. While my experience was not as awful as what others have gone through, I can understand the importance of equity.

Week 4 Blog Assignment

It was coincidental that we were learning about microaggressions this week. We were discussing which staff were going to attend next week’s field trip and work and one of my employees mentioned that she did not want to go on the swimming pool field trip. She is an African American and one of our Latino staff responded with a microagression. She asked “why don’t you want to go, are you worried about your hair”? While everyone giggled with one another, I thought to myself how insulted I would feel if I were in the shoes of the gal who didn’t want to go to the pool. In thinking about microagressions, there were so many things that I learned about the environment I work in as well as myself. The fact is that we are constantly surrounded by these prejudices and we don’t even realize it some of the time.

Blog Assignment – Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

For this week’s assignment, I spoke to three different friends regarding culture and diversity. I asked them what their definitions of culture and diversity. All three of them had the same response for the definition of culture. They said they thought of culture as something that a person displays because of where they come from. As for diversity, they all had similar ideas but described diversity as a term in differences in how someone looks, where they come from, their language, place of birth, and their ethnicity. All three of my friends that I spoke with are different than me in some way. I asked an African American, one is in a wheelchair, and the other is Jewish. This was great because it gave me a different perspective from all angles and what is encouraging is that we all sort of see things similar.

I think all of my friends did a great job including the major differences in culture and diversity in relation to what I have studied so far in the course. For example, diversity can be something the physically seen whereas culture is something that is an action of display.

Week 2, Assignment 3

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

The three items I would choose in this scenario are:

A photo album full of photos of my family and friends

My bodhran, which is an Irish drum that represents both my culture and my love of music. I would take this with me because I believe that music makes the world come together regardless of cultural difference.

I would lastly bring my Seattle Seahawks Pillow Pet. American football is a huge part of my culture and the pillow is extremely comfortable. I may end up in a country where there are no beds or pillows so this would come in handy.  

 I would discuss in detail why all of these items are dear to me. I would be able to discuss many aspects of my culture and teach others about it. I would be upset and angry if I had to give up two items upon my arrival since I already had to leave everything behind and only choose three items. I would probably be pretty stubborn and argue my way out of giving anything up. However, my photo album is something that is irreplaceable so giving up my drum and pillow would be a little easier. I can make those things, I can’t remake memories.

This exercise was interesting because I think it would be extremely difficult to only choose three things. I do think that the items I chose are practical, heart-felt and slightly superficial.

When I Think of Research...

Since taking this course, I have gained and immense amount of knowledge regarding research. While I was extremely overwhelmed when learning of the content in this course, I am extremely pleased with the outcome and with all I have learned and am still learning.

I have a completely changed idea regarding the nature of research. While the term research seems tedious and exhausting, I have learned that it is indeed complex however, worth putting in the work and the effort.

I have learned detailed descriptions of research designs and planning and implementation. I have learned to always keep ethical issues as a priority of what to avoid.  

Throughout the duration of this course, I struggled with my applications and getting my content to meet the criteria of our professor.

As a result of this course, I have a lot more respect for research in the early childhood field. It was not until this course that I realized the amount of work and effort that goes into research studies.

I want to take the time to thank all of my peers for supporting me throughout this course. I was very overwhelming for me and the support, comments and feedback has been a great help! I look forward to working with you all again.

Final Blog Assignment- Issues & Trends

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field are knowing about the struggles in other countries as well as worrying about our own struggles, avoiding a specific profession due to knowledge of issues and trends in a specific field, and not wanting to develop professionally based on fear of inadequacies in the field.

One goal for the field of international awareness is to be able to globally advocate for every child and not just our own nation.

On a final note, I just want to thank all of my colleagues for making this course such an enjoyable learning experience. I look forward to working with you all in the near future!

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

In speaking with my professional contact in Ireland, I was able to receive great responses to many of the questions listed in this week’s assignment. Like in the United States, Ireland is focusing on affordable quality childcare for every family. They are also focusing on professional development in hopes that with will contribute to quality programming.

It is interesting to see, that although we are in different countries, many places struggle with the same things that we struggle with in the United States. It is also reassuring to see that there are early childhood activists all over the globe. I believe that together, we really can make a difference!

Sharing Web Resources

This week, I decided to explore, in detail, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). While I have been on this site many times, I have never taken the opportunity to truly explore it and understand it. I was first introduced to NAEYC when I began my professional career as a government employee. On military bases, child development centers are required to be accredited through the NAEYC. The NAEYC's mission 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. Their website provides early childhood professionals and advocates with tons of information pertaining to issues and trends in the early childhood field. Not only in this site a news-worthy site, it is full of information pertaining to profession development as well as accreditation.