Time Well Spent

The three lessons I learned during the Capstone Project and this course, are:

Stay dear to issues in my heart concerning education, young children and families.  Despite opposition I know I must continue the   commitment. Completing the program at Walden is a perfect example of the need to remain committed and consistent in the fight for children and families. 

Prior to this course I knew nothing about the term community of practice; however I learned that building a community of practice is vital to any changes I desire to make, and see in the field of early education. Changes can never be made by one person alone. Truly, we need one another.

A great educator is a life- long learner.  There will always be new knowledge I need to obtain, and I will never stop seeking ways to make the lives of young children and families better.

 

One of my long term goals( hopefully in one year) is to open my own child development center, where I can, through the  knowledge I have gained from formal and informal education experiences, exercise wisdom and discernment in choosing high quality staff ,to assist me in providing quality care to children in poor communities .                                      

I cannot believe we have made it to the end! There were times during my journey at Walden, when trying to balance my personal life and produce quality coursework became almost impossible to do. I thank God for all of my instructors and their willingness to show mercy towards me, and their ability to push me and squeeze me until a spirit of excellence was manifested. I did not always like what I received from my instructors, but I am so grateful for your correction and discipline, because I have been prepared to go forth and make you proud! I would also like to say thank you to all of my colleagues. Your words of encouragement were at times the push I needed to keep going. The knowledge and expertise you shared, in the field of early education is greatly appreciated. My prayer is that each of you see your dreams and desires for young children manifest , and that we will one day meet at the white house where we will be invited to speak on behalf of young children and families all over the world !                                                                                                                         

Job/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

This week I learned that there are many international organizations committed to advocating for young children and their families. I was especially drawn to companies and agencies that promote issues on education equality. Below are three companies and a few employment opportunities I located.

Educational International

Educational International represents organizations of teachers and other education employees across the globe. They also promote the principle that quality education, funded publicly should be available to every student in every country. They believe in representing the interests of teachers and other education employees on the international level. They advocate for equity in our society.

Adding Educational International to my community of practice would give me an opportunity to draw from the experience of those (members of the organization) already fighting for the rights of young children.

I did not find any employment opportunities on their website at this time.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Consider themselves the leading professional association and they are committed to international education. Some of their commitments include: promote professional development of United States colleges and university officials responsible for assisting and advising the foreign students.

Current employment Opportunity: Academic Director-Chadron State College

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Managing the overall student academic experience

Manage and build high-performing instructional team

Provide professional development opportunities

Ensure the quality and integrity of the curriculum and program

Act as the contact person for outside parties

Qualifications

Master’s degree

Minimum of three years teaching adult English learners

Minimum of one year managing high performing instructional teams

Customer focused and sensitivity to other cultures

You Global

Employment Opportunity: Nursery Manager

Responsibilities for the position include:

Good curriculum and leadership practices

Abreast on relevant current pedagogical practices

Excellent communication skills

Build healthy bonds with children, families, and staff

Qualifications:

BA in early childhood

Five years of education leadership experience

Knowledgeable of modern theories of learning, development, curriculum, evaluations, planning and management   

My education and skills  in management would have to be addressed before I would quality for the positions mentioned above