Farewell....

Three deeply felt learnings are pretty well described in my wordle. First, I do indeed have what is necessary to be an effective leader. Next, I will be a lifelong learner. I think I have always known that, but this course reinforced it for me. And lastly, I am amazed at the amount of job opportunities available to me. Since Dr. Teri had us do that assignment on international jobs, I am in awe of the possibilities!

            My long term goal is to always avail myself to learning opportunities. I do not ever want to stop learning or advocating for children, ALL children. I hope that obtaining my master’s degree avails me many opportunities to advocate and I am sure that it will. I look forward to it.

            It is hard to believe this journey is over… I will miss you all as my colleagues and I wish you all many blessings and success wherever the future leads you. I am sure that some of you will surpass your “dream speech” and I will be proud to say “ I knew them when…” And what words are appropriate for Dr. Teri? She somehow congealed us into students worth receiving our master’s degree! Thank you.

            I will end this with a few favorite quotes… “The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind. – Maria Montessori

            How one handles success or failure is determined by their early childhood. – Harold Ramis

            From birth to five, the brain downloads the world. – Daphne Ryser

 

 

 

Reference

Famous Quotes, Retrieved from http://www.famousquotes.com

oops! I forgot to post my references!

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

•  Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm
• International Consulting Firm. (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.icfi.com
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Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Save the children is probably my all time favorite website to go to. I chose this site because it is so encompassing. Anything and everything that can/will/does affect children is present on that site. World-wide issues and support is available. The position I chose to look at there is currently available.

Early Childhood Development Specialist

You need to at least have your master's degree in early childhood development or a related field, 3-5 years experience in early childhood program design, development or implementation. They prefer experience in developing countries, and materials development, excellent communication skills and the ability to travel 30-40% of the time.

The next site I chose was www.aed.org which promptly took me to www.fhi360.org and that website had several interesting jobs available. The position I chose was:

Technical Advisor I, Global Learning Group

You were also required to have your master's degree in education or a related field. 5-8 years experience with international education projects, experience in areas of literacy, strong research and evaluation skills, strong organizational and communication skills, strong research and writing skills and a professional demeanor. French language skills are a plus.

This was an interesting site and offered a variety of positions. The mission statement was to improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development. I will continue to follow it because I was not aware of it prior to this assignment.

The next website I chose was ICF International. This website seems to have a collection of different jobs. Their mission statement is they provide connections for their clients to build a better life, and implement solutions that protect and improve the quality of life.  They are passionate and committed to providing clients with expertise to provide the desired outcomes. I think that is quite a mouthful, and will be interested in following this site too. The position I chose was:

Head Start Grantee Specialist - Region X

The basic qualifications were a minimum of a B.S. or B.A. in a field related to program design and management, master's degree is preferred. Head Start experience, experience providing training at state, regional or national levels and providing technical assistance to private organizations. The ability to work independently as well as part of a team with excellent verbal and communication skills are also desired.

All three of these jobs sound like promising opportunities. It would be very exciting to travel internationally and make a difference somewhere!

National/Federal Organizations

My blog assignment for today was to post at least three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me and explain why I chose them.

The first organization I chose in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It seems like a standard, but it seems that if you cannot truly find a resource, NAEYC always has it. I admire their dedication and unaltered facts concerning the “real world” of early childhood. And the job that I did choose is currently available. “Senior Meeting Planner” is the job title. Duties include: Managing, coordinating annual professional development institute (2000+ attendees), assist with planning and support for annual city wide conference (10,000+ attendees). Coordinate at least 20 concurrent sessions during time slots in a day. Managing, setting up individual sites, catering, inventory, vendor contracts and all onsite management.

You must possess knowledge of Microsoft Office, databases, and have the ability to travel frequently, a BA/BS degree, and 5-7 yrs. coordinating logistics. Salary is commensurate with experience.

My second choice is the Zero to Three site. I have a great love for infants and perhaps this is why this choice is second for me. Zero to Three does a great job providing current information about very young children. I also chose a job at this site that was currently available. Development Manager is the title of this position that has interested me.  The duties are to identify and respond to funding opportunities from private foundations and government agencies. Coordinate and manage internal development processes, research the availability of foundation and government funding, communicate regularly with current contracts, grant officers and inform relevant staff, develop power points and other materials as the Executive Director sees fit. Serve as primary writer/editor for all applications and proposals, develop an accurate budget, support all reports and other duties as assigned.

            You must possess knowledge of Microsoft Office, have 5-7 years experience identifying public and private funds, knowledge of early childhood issues, build relationships and have strong organizational skills. Salary is commensurate with experience.

And the last organization I chose is also a national organization, albeit a little less well known. It is the National Inclusion Project. This organization deals exclusively with my challenge, but on a broader scale. All age groups are included, not just young children. This organization is very young, 10 years old this year, and is still establishing funding. While they are not currently hiring, I do think this is the place I would very much like to work. I would like to apply for the position of Lets All Play Manager. This position would coordinate opportunities to implement this program with the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Park and Rec depts., community centers, and privately run programs. I would be introducing volunteers and toolkits to local communities to create inclusive recreational experience for ALL children ensuring comprehensive support and training through learner modules provided by the National Inclusion Project.

I hope that this blog has provided some additional opportunities for someone who did not know about some of these organizations and will help you in your future endeavors.

 

 

 

 

 

References

National Association for the Education of Young Children, (NAEYC). Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org

National Inclusion Project, Retrieved from: http://www.nationalinclusionproject.org

Zero to Three Foundation, Retrieved from: http://www.zerotothree.org

 

 

Farewell.....

For some of us, this is farewell... for others we will meet again and soon! I have so enjoyed working and collaborating with all of you. I wish you much success and happiness in your futures! Thank you for all the support you have given along the way!

Adjourning

The hardest group that I was a part of to say goodbye to was probably my fellow teachers at my last job. We all got along really well, participated in trainings, and collaborated well. We did have clearly established norms. Our closing ritual was a farewell lunch and exchanging numbers and emails.

How do I imagine I will adjourn from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on my master's degree in this program? Well, this is truly the first I have thought of this. I believe it will be difficult because we formed a tight group that was focused on a shared goal.

Adjourning is an essential stage of team work because separating is necessary to move into different directions and to celebrate your success (or learn your lessons for the future). It can be a bittersweet celebration because you will be sad, yet anxious to embrace new challenges!

Conflict Communic:

You could use the Platinum Rule and reflect on how the person you are conflicting with feels. Trying to see something from someone else's perspective can oft times be very enlightening.

Respect is always a key component. If you truly respect the person you may be disagreeing with, you will agree with  their option to have an opinion, whether you agree with it or not.

In asking a colleague, she suggested the Platinum Rule and told me how her life experiences had shown her that during a conflict, this method was the most effective in communicating.

Reference:
O'Hair,D & Wiemann, M., 2012, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, MA.

Evaluations

What surprised me the most on my evaluations is that both of my evaluators noticed me weakness just as I did. I guess I did not realize it was so obvious that I am too trusting. I am a people oriented listener and I tend to create and build relationships, and sometimes it does interfere with my judgement. I tend to be just a tad too trusting of people I have built or am building a relationship with. I do tend to think the best of people and I do think that has a lot to do with it. Both of my evaluators pointed that out to me, so one of my communication goals is to become more discerning when listening to people!

Comunciating Differently

I do find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. I feel from having been in this field for 30+ years has made me aware of how important it is to have a relationship with families in order to have a good "working" role in the lives of their children. I have been preaching treat children as individuals and get to know them and their families on an individual basis for quite some time now. It was probably decades ago I had my first international student. (90's) I embraced their culture and went on to develop a close, warm relationship with the family. The little girl really thrived in our classroom. We were in a public school setting,so she did receive ESL services because she spoke very little English. The family was from Japan and our class learned all sorts of things, had Japanese snacks, did Japanese arts and crafts, learned how to count to ten in Japanese, and even had mom read a "Japanese fairy tale" to us. That taught me early on in my career how important it is to learn all about each individual child and respect and respond to their cultures. I had a great time, it was only my third year of teaching and my children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, parents responded positively, and Uki thrived and went on to excel in school.

Week 2 Communication blog

I dvr'd a show called Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen. I like him and assumed it would be a funny show. The episode I watched had a woman all dressed in black and appearing to attend a funeral. Tim Allen was dressed in a black suit and looked like he was leaving the house with her. However, he did not leave his house with her. He stayed behind and sat on the couch. So far, not funny! When I watched it with sound, he and his wife were having a funny conversation about going to a funeral for one of her co-workers and her concern about why she got a promotion. It may have helped if I was a follower of the show. The wife went to the funeral without Tim Allen, who really did not want to go. She tried to bond at the funeral with another woman who worked there but did not get the promotion. That did not work out very well and when she talked to her boss, she found out she got the promotion based on her accomplishments. There were lighter moments in the show, but I did not find it funny overall.

Wk 1 Competent Communication

The person I have chosen to talk about is my executive director. She demonstrates competent communication and is well versed in many things concerning young children. She is effective because she is knowledgeable, calm and authoritative when she speaks. She consumes vast amounts of information constantly and interprets it easily. I would love to model some of my own communication behaviors after this woman because her leadership and communication skills seem to be inbred. It is a natural position for her to take and she excels at her ability to confer information appropriately and thoroughly through making eye contact, gesturing, and with a can do attitude. She uses the right words, is a well-paced speaker and adapts her communication to the current situation. I have great respect for her.

Thanks!
Deb