Time Well Spent

The first deeply felt lesson that I have taken to heart during my matriculation at Walden University’s Early Childhood  program is to be aware of my own internal biases. Even without knowing it, we are raised and learn some types of bias that we may not even realize. We have to make ourselves aware of this so that it will not affect our decision making or the way we treat others who are different.   A second deeply felt lesson that I have learned is  about  diverse culture. It is so important to know and understand the cultures, family structures, religion and beliefs of the children and families that we teach and care for. This will help us to understand what is important to them and how we can better assist them. A third deeply felt lesson I have learned is to not limit partnerships when looking at a Community of Practice. When in a field of helping others, there should not be any lengths to far to go in order for us to help other people.  If we have to advocate and lobby to the President of the United States, then that is how far we should be willing to go.

My long term goal is to complete the doctoral program in Early Childhood Education.  I want to be able to make a difference and be an advocate for children that need a voice.  I want to be the person that the children can trust and depend on and someone that they will see as a great inspiration, motivator, and role model.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for the support, advice and experience that have been shared throughout this program.  It was a great learning experience being able to draw from the knowledge of those that are already educators in the early childhood field. I pray for your continued success and professional growth for in the early childhood field.  My quote to you is to” keep the passion fire lit in the early childhood field”.

I would also like to thank Dr. Darragh for her guidance and corrective criticism in this course and throughout this program. You have given me valuable information that I can apply to my teaching practices in my classroom in the future.  Because of your guidance I believe that I am now more confident that I can become an effective early childhood educator.

My favorite quotes are:

“No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure." – Emma Goldman

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." – Nelson Mandela

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community-Internationally

              

 

                       The first international organization or COP that appealed to me is  Children International.  The web address is http://www.children.org. This organization is an international organization that operates through sponsorship of children.  It gives ordinary people the opportunity to help other families have a portion of what many people who aren’t suffering from poverty have.  I chose this organization because it gives and promote hope to children who are suffering from poverty.

            The second international organization that appealed to me is Rainbows for all Children.  The web address is http://www.rainbows.org.  This is a children’s international grief organization.  There focus is to heal children who have been affected by grief.  I love what this organization stands for and how they have discovered a need for service that many people aren’t aware of.

            The third international organization  that appealed to me is Help the Children.  The web address is http://www.helpthechildren.org.    This organization provides global relief of food, clothing, personal items, and even over the counter medication.  This organization is funded by donations and it gives everyone an opportunity to contribute.  

            The job opportunity that interest me is entitled Regional Director (multi-unit management).  The responsibilities are to play a consistent role in communicating and connecting the initiatives between the centers and its organizational goals.  She/he will be instrumental in creating and supporting a unique culture for our centers and the staff and families at each center.  The ideal candidate must have multi-unit management experience, be an innovative thinker, an operational expert, and a team motivator with a high degree of instinct and a passion for customer service. He/she will:

             •Implements operational plans to accomplish center goals.

            •Ensures consistent delivery of quality educational programs.

            •Coaches unit managers and holds them accountable for daily and ongoing operations.

            •Represents an operational perspective at the unit/center level and provides pertinent                        information to leadership.

            •Develops direct reports. The Regional Director is responsible for training and career                       development for Center Directors. She/he provides coaching and performance                                 management for the Center Directors and is accountable for achieving/exceeding the                          center's turnover goals.

            •Owns P/L responsibility and manages centers appropriately.  Is accountable for revenue                 targets  and expense control as well as focusing specifically on challenging issues such                     as staff management and enrollment.     

            •Supports ethical conduct and professionalism through all actions and communications.

            •Creates and maintains a unique, high caliber center culture through involvement and                       understanding of organizational expectations.

            •Holds center management team accountable for active compliance with all federal, state               and company policies and regulations.

            •Plans for recruiting and retaining the best in class teachers, and provides a training plan                 to support current and future goals.

                •Facilitates the implementation of appropriate curriculum on an ongoing basis.

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

          My first choice for a National organization is the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  The web address is http://www.naeyc.org/. NAEYC.   This organization is the world’s largest organization in assisting children and it is instrumental in building and setting policies.  Each year annual conferences are held that assist in educating teachers and other professionals.  This organization meets with Senators and other leaders in society to build public policies and focus on the interest of children and families all over the world. This organization and its contacts will make a great addition to a community of practice that assists children.

            The job opportunity that might be of interest to me is the Editor-in-Chief's position.  The salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.  Some of the responsibilities include:

·         Expanding the quantity and range of products published

·         Acquiring publishable material of high quality

·          Lead the developmental editing work

·         Collaborate with the other departments on collateral materials (e.g., webcasts, online   chats, journal articles, brochures)

·         Identify high quality books by other publishers to resell.

            My second choice for a National organization is the U.S Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children & Families.  The web address is http://www.acf.hhs.gov/index.html.   This organization is another great resource to add to a community of practice. This organization also has a broad scope and  a great out-reach. The focal issues range from childcare, disabilities, parenting, family and ways to acquire temporary assistance, just to name a few. The employment opportunity within this organization that I found interesting is a Contact Representative.  The salary ranges from $38,790 to $50,431/ Per year.  Some of the major responsibilities of a Contact Representative include:

·         Identifying patients who are eligible for alternate resources and assist families and individuals in applying for alternate resources.

·         Provides coordination of benefits to patients, Contract Health Service and Business Office for accurate Third Party Billing.

·         Works with local County Department of Welfare and Human Resources, Tribal Offices, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Supplemental Social Security, Social Security

              The third National organization that I chose is the Georgia Early Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS).  The web address is http://www.geears.org.  It was created to promote school readiness for children from birth through age 5. This organization leverages strategies informed by research policy and practice our organization will enable success in school. GEEARS was created to help lead the charge to fill the great need in the state. I did not find a job opportunity with this National organization selection but I went back to the NAEYC and I found an interesting job opportunity.  The employment opportunity that I found interesting to me is the NAEYC as a Consultant.  With this job I would be required to have a background in child development/Early childhood education to conduct a series of individual and group assessments of children in select Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms. At minimum, assessors will be expected to 1) coordinate testing schedules with classroom teachers, 2) complete a total of 10 group assessments in classrooms across two schools, and 3) complete individual assessments for each child in four classrooms in the same two schools. There will be opportunity to conduct assessments at additional school sites, as assessor and site availability permits.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

          The first state organization that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field is The Early Childhood Development Coalition.  The web address is http://www.earlychildhoodswi.org.  The Early Childhood Development Coalition consist of 175 members from 73 organizations in Indiana working in partnership to bring research-based, high quality opportunities to families, children and teachers.  Their strategies include partnering with businesses, schools, nonprofits and libraries to educate and support families, develop the capacities of caregivers and teachers as well as improve our community's knowledge and practices.

            The second state organization that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field's address is http://earlychildhoodmeetingplace.indiana.edu.  This is a centralized Indiana website to find news, professional development options and initiatives and research briefs to the Early Childhood Field to keep people informed about current events.

            The third state organization that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field's address is http://www.doe/state.in.us/primetime/pdf/foundations/indianafoundations.pdf.  This site provides the foundations to the Indiana academic standards for young children from birth to five (5).  By providing specific skills and concepts and giving examples of instructional strategies, these foundations will support teachers, parents and caregivers as they develop appropriate experience for young children to help ensure success in kindergarten.

            The jobs that I would apply for are an Instructional Strategist/Consultant and an Educator for Adult Learners in the Early Childhood Field.  These jobs require training in the Early Childhood Field and the experience and knowledge to be able to reach out and develop professional relationships so groups can form and meet on a regular basis to meet a goal that will provide positive outcomes for young children and their families. 

Final Blog Post for Communication and Collaborating in theECF Week 8

 

Hello Colleagues,

            For the past eight weeks as colleagues we have communicated, and collaborated via this on-line course in discussions and blog posts that has allowed us to learn various new insights on communication.  So many of you have come with years of experience in the Early Childhood Field and a great deal of you has learned as I have from each other.  The one thing that I have learned from communicating through the discussions and blog post is that we each have had the opportunity to voice our own opinions.   I have learned that in order to become an effective communicator I must be an effective listener.  I encourage each of you to remember the important facts, techniques, and stages that it takes to be an effective communicator.  I have enjoyed communicating with each of you in this course and I hope that I will catch up with you before we complete the last three (3) required courses. 

I will not be returning for the next class because I am expecting my first child in July.  However, I will be back in September to continue my studies and I look forward to communicating with each of you at your pleasure via my Facebook account.  Contact me on Facebook my name is Kiara Shanice Williams.  I hope that each of you enjoy the rest of your summer and good luck in your future endeavors.

Team Building Week 6

               Not all groups make the adjourning process difficult to do.  However, I remember one in particular that made me very sad when it ended and that was the planning of my 5^th year class reunion.  I can recall at the end of reunion everyone sharing stories of planning the reunion and how everyone began to laugh at the various hurdles we endured throughout the planning process.  Although they were not funny at the time, we were able to look back over them and laugh.  The entire process took about a year to plan and during that time we  created new memories that I had not realized until the last night of the reunion.  We had begun to connect not only with each other but with each other's families as well.  It was very difficult to tell my friends good-bye and watch them go back to their individual worlds after staying on the phone until early mornings, attending long planning sessions as we drank numerous cappuccinos,  and   hours and hours of licking envelopes, making phone calls and searching the web trying to contact over 300 hundred classmates. 

            I feel that high-performing groups are hardest to leave because they represent unity.  Everyone on the team was dedicated and motivated; thus, striving for a common goals.  We had an awesome leader who promoted mutual trust and respect.  She shared her vision for the reunion and was open to suggestions from all the team members.  Everyone respected what the others had to say and in the end we voted on any and all major decisions before they were implemented.  

            At the end of the reunion everyone exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses so that they could stay in touch.  Some of us hugged, cried, and vowed to stay in touch as well as visit if we were ever in each other's area. We also took photos to remind us of our time together. 

            I imagine my adjournment from my colleagues will be very emotional for me, because we have encouraged each other, shared our experiences and knowledge and supported each other’s ability to learn, grow and develop both personally and professionally.  It is one thing to express our inner thoughts on the discussion board or through our blog, but it will be another to finally meet face-to-face at graduation.  I look forward to meeting each and every one of my colleagues so that I am finally be able to put a face with the personality behind the words of articulation.  I think that adjourning is essential because of the need of closure.  The adjourning process gives the members a chance to conduct an after action report so that they can discuss what was effective and what was ineffective for future projects.  This also gives them the opportunity to say good-bye and wish each other well in their endeavors (Abudi, 2010).

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 Week 5

            My conflict was with the center's director who had been running the center for some time.  I came aboard because of a merger that took place between the two centers.  The director was still in charge but I was asked to train her on some of our practices at the old center.  She was not to acceptable to my ideas and our practices and became a bit upset that I had to train her.  I explained to her that I was not there to take over and I thought that it would be in the best interest of the center if we put our ideas and goals together to reach our goals.  Although she was still very short and she was not at all an effective listener she eventually came around. 

            She had developed an inaccurate perception that I was there to take her job.  After some time she saw that her perception was incorrect and that her unproductive conflict between the two of us was making a negative impact on our relationship (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  She then decided that a productive conflict where both of us agreed and worked together would be the best approach.  In the mean time I did everything that I could not to provoke her by agression, a lack of fairness of any kind, or by being incompetent on purpose. I did everything in my power to avoid conflict with her and when there was a conflict I chose not to show an attitude.  When I avoid conflict according to the authors this is known as escapist strategies (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). 

            The director gave up challenging me and became very cooperative so that we both could assist the center in reaching its ultimate goal which is to provide quality childcare to all of our students.  According to the authors of our course book these strategies used were challenging strategies and cooperative strategies.  I feel that I communicated effectively with the director and used several strategies that I have learned in this lesson that I was not aware of at the time to reduce and resolve conflict between the two of us.

Reference

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