The Journey

Before I decided to join the Walden family, I did some research on the universities vision, and mission. This resulted in me discovering a particular the tag line that resonated with me, "A higher degree. A higher purpose." Walden's vision is to provide social change through education and inspire, influence, and impact diverse communities. This quote has inspired and mot

ivated me throughout my journey as a student at Walden. As a student this experience has deeply enriched my personal and professional life. Three main ideals that I learned and added to my professional repertoire while studying in this program are: 1. The importance of exploring personal biases. 2. Embracing Diversity and global perspectives of Early Childhood. 3. The beauty of collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds. More importantly I gained a working knowledge of how adults learn, including teaching strategies that can be used to enhance classroom instruction, in addition to invaluable wisdom from Adult Educator interviews where they shared the real life challenges of working with adults in the Early Childhood Education profession to which I can apply new knowledge to the current work that I contribute to in my community. As I reflect on my professional goals, aspirations, and professional expectations there are many thoughts that cross my mind. More recently these ideas have been in the forefront of my periphery as I ponder my purpose and what impact will my work have in the field of early education. One of my long term professional goals is to continue in my efforts to provide relevant and inspiring academic instruction to early ed teachers, increase parent knowledge and awareness of effective parental strategies, and to remain a life-long learner so that I am better suited to serve the profession of Early Childhood Education. I will also seek opportunities to connect with professional communities of practice, boards, and leadership institutes that will further enhance me as a professional. Lastly, I would like to thank the instructors for their guidance, and wisdom that inspired me to develop and evolve as a student. To my dear colleagues I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your discussion posts, and blogs. Some of you have inspired me by sharing your personal and professional experiences. It’s hard to believe that 2 years have gone by, and now this journey this moment of experience has come to an end. So many life changes have occurred during this time but I must admit that these changes have made me stronger, wiser, and I am so much better as a result of enduring this program in-spite of every reason that I was faced with to give up! Lastly, I wish all of you the absolute best and hope to see you in January at graduation! Blessings to you all! T. Banister

JOBS/ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY

Communities of Practice and International Organizations National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: http://nichcy.org/babies/overview North Carolina Infant Toddler Program: http://www.beearly.nc.gov/ International Society of Early Intervention http://depts.washington.edu/isei/ Job Vacancies/Interest http://careerforum.naeyc.org/jobs This website list a wide variety of jobs, I am so glad that I found this! NAEYC is the true hub for our profession. Thanks Dr. D!!!

JOBS/ROLES in the ECE Profession

THE NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION: The National Governors Association (NGA)—the bipartisan organization of the nation's governors—promotes visionary state leadership, shares best practices and speaks with a collective voice on national policy. Through NGA, governors identify priority issues and deal collectively with matters of public policy and governance at the state and national levels. The NGA provides policy information through their Education Division that serves the K-12 population of providers. I chose this organization because I was able to identify a direct correlation of what I see taking place in the state that I work in. Many organizations and school systems are adopting the Common Core Concept, and it is being widely used. This assignment afforded me the opportunity to explore the origin of the Common Core Standards. http://www.nga.org/cms/center/edu Click on this Link to see if your state has adopted the common core standards: http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN: I chose NAEYC because I believe they are the anchor for our profession, and continue to lead by providing standards, and policy supports that help us become more knowledgeable and to BETTER ADVOCATES for the issues that affect our profession. No matter what topic you are searching for more information on NAEYC can be a great resource. http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ProfPrepStandards09.pdf UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Office of Early Learning The U.S. Dept. of Education provides numerous services to those who service the field of Education as well as providing grant /loan opportunities for those individuals seeking to further their education. I also discovered that they sponsor grants for professional development initiatives that are specifically intended for low income families. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/eceducator/index.html PROFESSIONAL OPPORITUNITIES: https://jobs.davidsonccc.edu/JobPosting.aspx?JPID=287 http://www.childcareresourcesinc.org/about-ccri/employment-opportunities/ The Skills Necessary for these positions is as follows: documentation of excellent written communication skills; strong working knowledge of early care and education system; familiarity with current research and best practices in early childhood; and proficiency with computers and database systems excellent verbal and written communication; leadership, management and supervision skills; and strong working knowledge of CSEFEL Pyramid Model.

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Community

NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards: http://www.naeyc.org/ncate/files/ncate/file/faculty/Standards/NAEYC%20Initial%20and%20Advanced%20Standards%203_2012.pdf NAEYC has been an intricate component of my professional development since my undergraduate studies. I have found them to be a great resource for myself as well as to the professionals who work in day care centers who are seeking opportunities to increase the overall quality of their program as well as guidance and direction regarding the professional aspect of early childhood education in the 21st century. The professional standards serve as a tool and or guide for practitioners in the field who are seeking to establish and or enhance professional development initiatives. The employment opportunities associated with this organization (NAEYC) include but are not limited to professional development coach, professional development coordinator, community college instructor/advisor. NC Infant Toddler Program: http://www.beearly.nc.gov/index.php/ The NC Infant toddler program interests me due to their commitment to providing early intervention services that are designed to change the course of children with disabilities. As a habilitation specialist you get the opportunity to work with the parents as an advocate, while creating solutions and coordinating services for children ages birth to three. NC Institute for Early Childhood Professionals: http://ncicdp.org/about-us/ The NC Institute for Early Childhood Professionals is a non-profit organization committed to increasing the education and compensation or early educators working with or on the behalf of young children ages birth through twelve in early childhood educational settings. This initiative has been vital to my professional development, and has afforded me several opportunities to expand my experience in the field and to grow as a professional by participating in professional development opportunities. Some applicable skills might include the following: the ability to perform multiple, highly complex, technical tasks with a potential need to upgrade skills in order to meet changing job conditions. Specific skill-based competencies required to satisfactorily perform the functions of the job include: operating standard office equipment including using pertinent software applications; performing standard bookkeeping; planning and managing projects; preparing and maintaining accurate records; effective listening and communication; facilitating meetings; guiding others; instructional techniques; problem solving; record keeping; and training.

This semester has been filled with challenges and joys. Each of you through your positive, supportive, and reflective feedback have encouraged me to learn even more through your personal stories, and the research that you have done. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and I hope that we can stay connected.

Parting Can Be Sweet Sorrow

I believe the hardest groups to leave are those groups which are high-performing, action driven, and those who accomplish the task at hand. These types of groups are hard to leave because over time you build and establish bonds that often extend over a life time. This is impart due to team dynamics and collaborating with each other on task and building trust over time, and in some cases you can become like family developing a tight bond.
I have participated in groups over the years such as Girl Scouts, Leadership Cohorts, College Projects, Advisory Committees, Boards appointed by the Governor, and when we part there are closing rituals that we do such as exchanging information, hugging, going away parties, and recapping accomplishments through multi-media presentations with photos. When thinking of adjourning from my colleagues I hope to meet them face to face during the graduation ceremony and activities, and there is always social media that would allow us to remain connected. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it brings closure, and allows the group to recap their accomplishments, and lessons learned through their experience.

Conflict

Recently I had a discussion with a co-worker regarding some tough decisions she was facing and how she would communicate to over 100 parents that they would no longer be receiving subsidy due to budget cuts, etc. She struggled with the idea of talking with an irate parent who demanded to see her based on the letter she received in the mail notifying her of termination. I expressed to her the importance of learning the dance of communication, learning when to speak, and when to listen. My co-worker and I then began to get in a heated discussion about how she would handle the situation. She felt like this particular parent had been on subsidy “long enough” and she didn’t need it any longer, and she felt that she was telling untruths regarding her income and she should have been terminated some time ago. I expressed to her that it was NOT our responsibility to judge when families are in need and if they really need assistance. If they are not telling the truth it will eventually catch up with them. So I kindly suggested that she try her best to keep her personal feelings out of the equation and try her best stick to the script of telling her, the reason for the termination was due to federal funding that would be ending soon, and it was out of our hands to issue monies for day care vouchers at this time. In this particular situation there is no compromise between the parent and case worker, however she and I resolved to ensure that the parents feelings and needs should come first and to find alternative ways to help her pay for day care. Once she met with the mom she later discovered that her husband had abandoned their family leaving her with no housing, or financial means to take care of their family which left ALL of the responsibilities on her. My co-worker expressed that she was so thankful that she did not fuss her out, or divulge her assumptions, and she also stated that she told the parent in the future to refrain from using profanity with her. This situation really embraces the skills sets of the Non-Violent Communication Skill set mentioned:

1. Differentiating observation from evaluation, being able to carefully observe what is happening free of evaluation, and to specify behaviors and conditions that are affecting us;

2. Differentiating feeling from thinking, being able to identify and express internal feeling states in a way that does not imply judgment, criticism, or blame/punishment;

3. Connecting with the universal human needs/values (e.g. sustenance, trust, understanding) in us that are being met or not met in relation to what is happening and how we are feeling; and

4. Requesting what we would like in a way that clearly and specifically states what we do want (rather than what we don’t want), and that is truly a request and not a demand (i.e. attempting to motivate, however subtly, out of fear, guilt, shame, obligation, etc. rather than out of willingness and compassionate giving).