Time Well Spent
As I think about my journey into the field of Early Childhood Administration/Education, I can truly say that this experience has given me the ability to transform personally. The decision to further my education was one of the best choices that I have ever made. The university that I choose was also one of the best choices I have made. Walden University and its staff has been nothing short of the best, I always had continuous support from my advisers, instructors, and especially my colleagues. Throughout this program into this wonderful field of education, I expanded in ways that are and were unimaginable to me. Grasping and understanding the psychology of people and how we see and gather information differently was one of the most influential aspects of the program to me in terms of development. As I have had the opportunity to study and learn about cultural and diverse differences, it made me recognize my own weaknesses and biases that I once had and acquired growing up. Being able to reflect on my own thinking and understanding has shown me how to be more open and receptive of others and acknowledge/respect their values, thinking and behaviors. Along with that I thoroughly enjoyed being able to interact with other professionals in this field, as it has taught me valuable lessons as to what it will be like and what it will take to successfully operate a childcare facility/program. To add, learning about what and how certain issues effect children and families gave me a platform to focus on where I would direct my energy towards most. I found my passion and my purpose in how I will be a leader and advocate for children and families well-being and success through education.

As I continue on into this field one of my many goals that I hope to attain in the near future is to successfully operate a childcare program, specifically catered toward children and families that reside within the inner city of Cleveland. My goal for this program is to have a quality program and environment for children and families, that will teach and work with families that are considered under-privileged in the eye of society. My main goal is to help single parents, that struggle to afford a quality atmosphere and education for their child/children. I also want to obtain a position sometime within my future to teach ECE in a university or community college within my city. I believe that these goals are attainable and they will come to pass, if I strive and dedicate my time and resources for them.

To close this chapter and start writing on the next, I would like to extend my gratitude to all the Early Childhood Education instructors at Walden University. You all have done an exceptional job in helping me and challenging me to develop my confidence and assurance that I have chosen the right field to go into. I appreciate all that I have learned from you all throughout this program as it has made me think, evaluate, research, and obtain clear thoughts to the past/present issues of today. To all of my colleagues, I thank you for always being encouraging and supportive: giving me your tips, and advise. I thank you all for giving me insight and new ideas towards subjects that I had no experience in. That alone is one of the best gifts I have ever received. Again I thank you all (((my team of support))) and May God Bless All of Your Endeavors in the Future in Jesus Name! Amen!

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally
This week I had the opportunity to research international organizations that advocate for early childhood development. Organizations such as the Association for Childhood Education International is dedicated to promote, help develop and advocate for access to education and equality of every child (ACEI, 2015). What excited my interest in this organization the most was their efforts and commitment to bring about social change and global initiatives. They promote intercultural understanding , which this world needs in order to combat against judgment and bias behaviors amongst cultures and diversity. They are focused on children as a whole, which to me is what ECE is all about. Another organization that I found to be exceptional was the Save the Children Organization. This organization has a long standing since 1919, and has helped children in over 120 countries worldwide, fight against poverty, hunger, and ill health (SC, 2015). Their work to combat against these issues are ongoing, they have made and continue to make programs that are state of the art, to encourage and instill healthy, productive and a positive future for children across the world! The last organization that I think is profound is the International Step by Step Association. This organization connects professionals working within the early childhood development field. Their goals is to implement and promote inclusive, quality care and educational experiences for children (ISSA,2015). They strive to promote equal access to education for children across the globe.
As I did not find many job posting for these organizations, I found that many offered supportive measures that we can take to ensure that their organizations flourish to help children. All of the organizations had ways in which one could help towards their efforts and vision. I found that all of the organizations gave a way for people who want to be informed and to advocate for children’s well-being the opportunity to become a member through sponsorship, donations and fundraising .
As I continue along this journey into the field of early childhood education, I know that many opportunities will be. I hope that one day my efforts will take me to various locations in order to lend a helping hand in countries less fortunate. I can only imagine the possibilities!!
References
http://www.acei.org
http://www.savethechildren.org
http://www.issa.nl

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

This week I had the chance to explore National  and Federal organizations that have and are helping children, families and the community become and choose healthier options of living. Through my search I came across a few organizations that I thought were very beneficial to my passion in the field of early childhood education. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service is a federal organization that has fostered toward the development of healthy families. Their mission is closely related to what i want to achieve in regards to my profession within the ECE field, which is to improve upon people/children health and well being, by making resources attainable. This organization also has many employment opportunities which I currently do not have the qualifications for but, they are very interesting! The one employment opportunity that I felt resonated with me is the Lead Public Affairs Specialist. This careers primary focus is to improve access to healthcare in under privileged communities. My qualifications have yet to compare to this position as it is for federal employees only!

The next federal/national organization that I thought was interesting is the U.S. Department of Defense. This program is catered around military children, ensuring that they receive quality care, also it is the largest employer sponsored program in the country( DOD, 2015). What caught my attention with this program is that they have and still are fighting against the war on childhood obesity. This organization has made initiatives such as Let’s Move! Child Care obesity, which has taught many children and families of the importance of eating well balanced meals and incorporating physical play daily! I did not find a job opportunity within this organization, but if I had the chance I would like to volunteer and support in their efforts to create and establish healthy eating/physical choices within the family.

The last organization that I thought stuck out to me is the Zero to Three organization. This national organization provides parents, professionals, and policy makers with the knowledge they need to nurture and care for childhood development (ZerotoThree, 2015). They want to ensure that every child has a strong start off in life, which every child deserves! The emphasis that made me recognize that i would like to be apart of this organization is that they involve everyone (i.e. community,parents, professionals, policymakers, etc) who can and have made critical decisions within the field of education and the World! (Lol),,, I found many opportunities that may fit into my credentials from being a teacher assistant to research developer and the list goes on! They have so many opportunities that I could not just pick one! If you are in search of employment opportunities within the field of education or other professions that deal with the development of children, I suggest you take a look at their website @ http://www.zerotothree.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Hello everyone! It’s been awhile since I last put a post, but It’s a new class and I have an interesting assignment that will help me further my steps into the field of early childhood education! I’m So Excited! 🙂 I was assigned to look for prospective careers/jobs that would be in line with what I would like to accomplish within the field. As I am only to look for three opportunities, I found many that matched my passion/desire; and that is to help children and families that have or are dealing with any type of hardships. So to inform you all of the careers that I found, I will start off with the most influential one in my thoughts, which is the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center. This organization helps to empower, educate, and advocate to and for individuals and the community that suffer from abuse. Their mission/vision is for all people who have suffered from abuse to live peaceful and enjoyable lives after the affects of mental/physical/emotional abuse.
The next two career opportunities or searches that I found that were of interest was The Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association and The Children Hunger Alliance. Both of these organizations help with the financial needs of households that are less fortunate, schools, communities, home-based and small structured childcare programs. These organizations seek and find resources that will help families and children learn and develop positive and enriched living, that will ultimately change their current conditions. All 3 of these career opportunities are located in the state of Ohio.
These 3 careers I found are of most interest to me because my passion/ desire is to help families/ communities learn and adapt new, enriching and positive behaviors that they will keep and pass down to other generations to come. As I look at the careers available I would need extra training in economics, the current challenges people are facing as it relates to finances and health. I would also need training in noticing and understanding signs of abuse/ neglect. My goal is to educate, provide resources and knowledge for people and families that want to see a change in the dynamics of this world. Poverty and lack are a condition but people with the help of others can overcome this issue. l hope this gives you all an insight of what I would be striving for in my future as any early childhood education advocate. If you have any information or resources that you know that would be of any help please feel free to share!

Circle Of Support

As I have traveled along this journey into the field of early childhood education I have had the best support there could be from my colleagues at Walden U. You all have giving me great ideas as I plan for my goals into this field. I appreciate everyone’s thoughts, opinions and experiences that you all have shared with me in regards to educating our youth. I can only hope that I have been the same in regards to your growth! I pray for nothing but success for all my colleagues and I hope that we all will meet face to face one day, but until then keep striving for your goals. Happy Holiday Season may you all be blessed as we come into a new season and a NEW YEAR at Walden U!

Adjourning

It’s always hard to say good-bye when working with people that have brought you new insight, ideas, and plans into your life. When you are a part of a group that is committed to achieving a goal and have reached that goal, I believe are the hardest good-byes. You suddenly realize how much each person has put their knowledge and skills to the test. You realize that each obstacle has been over-come and you acknowledge that everything that has happened while pursuing goals have made you as an individual stronger.

As I think about groups that I have had the pleasure of working with I find that the ones that completed the tasks at hand where the most influential. My undergrad group of friends I believe was the hardest to adjourn from. We as a group grew into adults together, we learned, we partied ;), we concurred our goals and graduated from college. I don’t believe I would change one aspect of those memories! As I think about adjourning from my colleagues at Walden U, I certainly can say that I will miss the support and encouragement that everyone has given me throughout this journey. I’m also not one that celebrates good-byes, I’ve always thought that saying good-bye was a forever quote. So with that being said I will say, SEE YOU ALL LATER because sooner or later we will cross paths again! 🙂

Non Violent Communication

When I think about any disagreements at work that I may have, I can only think of one but it does not directly affect me. At my second job there is a new associate that has ruffled some feathers of other associates. Our conversations have been very seldom since her arrival, but they seem to have stuck with me thus far. So to tell my experience, this colleague has the tendency to overstep her boundaries, asking questions as to why other employees have certain privileges or set of rules that does not apply to everyone. The questioning is not so much the issue, it is her body language and tone of voice that makes other employees including myself think why is it such an issue with her. Since she has been employed she has had conflict with other associates where voices where raised and phone calls have been made! I made suggestions to the employee in which this incident occurred with, in hopes that the next time that they work together it would be peaceful. The first thing I told my colleague ( not the lady) that he should do is listen, instead of reacting to her. I told him if he tried to understand her concerns that he would not feel threatened by her questions. I also told him to realize that this person is new to our store and hasn’t had the chance to bond effectively with anyone, so she may feel insecure at times. Giving him scenarios as to why this lady has had such an effect on how he communicates with her has in some ways helped the store run better. I also suggested that for the moment all conversations that he has inside of the store while she is present should be about business, so that the confusion of roles, rules and privileges are understood by all.

So the strategies that I learned about non violent communication is to be open minded. Having an open mind regardless of the situation can help determine where certain feelings and actions are derived from. I also learned that effective listening skills are truly needed for non violent communication. If you listen effectively you can clearly understand a persons wants, and respond accordingly.

Evaluative Communication

This week I had the opportunity to evaluate myself as a communicator. I choose two other people to also evaluate my communication skills, and compared the results. Comparing the results I found that the scores I did were slightly higher than the other two people I choose to do the test. What surprised me most is that the people I choose to do the test scored the same number for the verbal aggressiveness evaluation. I found that two people from different spectrum’s of my life viewed my verbal aggression in the same matter. As far as the anxiety evaluations my scores trumped the other two scores. I found that I have more anxiety then I lead others to believe.
What I found interesting this week is how self esteem and self efficacy plays a major part in how well people communicate with one another. People tend to define or create images of themselves that are blinding to the world around them. As a professional I feel it is a duty to help children find a positive self image no matter their circumstances in life!

Communicating Differently

When I think of communicating with other cultures and diversities I can see how I may interact differently. Many cultures are very physical, which at times differs from my own. I value personal space and think it highly uncomfortable at times when someone intrudes or oversteps my boundaries. In interacting with others I usually offer my hand or smile in gestures of gratitude, which in some cultures may be to vague. As I meet people from other cultures I have found that I now give hugs when showing my appreciation. I actually enjoy this gesture because it gives a sense of warmth and affection and signifies a deeper connection/bond with that person.

In recapping on what I learned this week, I learned how cultural myopia can hinder your personal growth. I am learning day by day to keep an open unbiased mind in order to understand and value others opinions and thoughts. The platinum rule has always been a platform in how I communicate with others. What I’ve learned is that I will have to keep abroad of the differences in cultures and diversities so that I can effectively use this “Rule”. Everyone does not operate or reciprocate that same way in which I do, thus creating an offense or misunderstanding, which I would like only if I can, to avoid.

Communication Skills and Styles

This weeks blog is based off my observation of a television show. I first viewed a episode of the Grim on mute. While watching this show I paid mush attention to how the characters communicated with each other. Based on my observation it seemed as if every character tried to solve a mystery! As the plot thickened some characters turned into other lively figures, which changed the dynamics of how each character acted. The only thing that I truly got from viewing this show while watching it on mute was that all the characters either had attitudes, was angered, or displayed acts of being fearful.

After I watched the show on mute, I replayed the episode and listened to the dialogue. I realized that this show was based on battles between good and evil. Some characters were fighters for the good collaborating together to fight against evil warfare. Many characters which were so called bad were the characters that displayed acts of hostility and brought fear to the people around them.

Given that I rarely watch television, I believe that my assumptions about this show were accurate in that the body language of the characters showed behaviors of fear, anger and violence. I think that the story line would only encourage negative behaviors and actions.