This last class by far has been the toughest for me during my journey. I learned more about myself these last 5 months and my feelings toward the field of education. This program has taught me 3 things;

1. Always start with a goal and then build upon it. Having a goal makes any challenge achievable and in the end rewarding.
2. The field of education varies so much from state to state in resources. Through the discussions and/or blogs I am able to learn about how other educational systems work. This in turn has helped me to appreciate the amount of resources I have in my state and use them more.
3. Before you can fully be ready to meet the needs of children and families you must have a self-care checklist for yourself. Take a minute to focus on yourself first to ensure you are able to handle the additional emotional load. I put others first in my personal and work life and it took the pandemic to realize how much I neglected my own self care.

My long term goal is to set boundaries with myself and how invested I become in the field of education. I love to help people but need to practice self reflecting more before I take on too much without having a mental break.

This program has allowed me to grow in the field of education that I know will benefit me greatly. I want to thank professor Darragh-Ernst and your kind words of encouragement and support during this class. To my colleagues I wish you all the best during these unexpected times due to COVID. If your centers are closed like mine I hope that there are opportunities available in the meantime. We have completed another step to better ourselves in the field of education. It was great taking this class with you all and I wish you nothing but success in the future.

Jobs/Roles in the Community Intl.

UNICEF https://www.unicef.org/early-childhood-development

Is an international organization which supports child development. With government funding along with donations they are able to provide resources unavailable to them without assistance. I choose this organization because they focus on the needs of the child can family in various roles.

UNESCO https://en.unesco.org/themes/education

Is an international organization whose primary focus is education. They are globally respected in their decisions surrounding education which is why I chose this organization. “UNESCO provides global and regional leadership in education, strengthens education systems worldwide and responds to contemporary global challenges through education with gender equality an underlying principle” (UNESCO, 2019).

OECD http://www.oecd.org/about/

Is an international organization that focuses on policies in education. “Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges” (OECD,n.d.). I chose this organization because part of my challenge is working with state officials and the government.

A current role I am interested in is a Site Management position for an early childhood site. The qualification for the position are bachelors but preferably masters, experience in curriculum, supervision, and own transportation. I have the requirements needed to fulfill the position I just have to wait for the program to reopen.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community

NAEYC https://www.naeyc.org

NAEYC is a national accreditation that programs can obtain by paying a fee and presenting a portfolio of their center. “Together with our members, community partners, and network of Affiliates across the country, we proudly ensure that the early childhood profession exemplifies excellence and is recognized as performing a vital role in society” (NAEYC, n.d.). I chose this agency because they provide opportunities for networking locally, statewide, and nationally through their events and trainings.

Zero to Three https://www.zerotothree.org

Is a federal program that assists children and families from zero to three. “Our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE, we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential” (Zero, n.d.). I chose this organization because they have a strong presence on the state and government level when it comes to advocating for early childhood.

Head Start https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides the majority of funding for childcare centers in the nation. I choose this program because it has a lot of built in services to meet the needs of poverty stricken communities and families.

A job opportunity I am interested in is the early childhood education specialist. The requirements for this job is a bachelors with background knowledge in curriculum and experience in the classroom. I have the skills and experience needed to fulfill the position I would just need to apply.

 

Exploring Roles in ECE

CTAEYC

The Connecticut Association for the Education of Young Children is the state affiliate under NAEYC.  The association is a huge support for childcare centers, families, and the community when it comes to training and resources.  “The Connecticut Association for the Education of Young Children promotes high quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8 by connecting practice, policy and research” (Home, 2020).  I choose them because they have helped me at my childcare center to provide training and support.  I also attend their state trainings, seminars, and conferences which are highly informative.

The Child and Family Guidance Center

This program works with children and families to provide mental health care.  Their mission states, “We provide children and families with culturally-informed mental health care and complementary supports, regardless of ability to pay” (About, 2020).  The support they provide to the families referred from the local childcare centers has been a huge benefit to families.  I choose this center because they are non-profit and rely heavily on grants to provide services to those who can’t afford it which aligns with my topic.

Care 4 Kids

Care 4 Kids is a state provided assistance to working parents around childcare.  “Care 4 Kids helps low to moderate income families in Connecticut pay for childcare costs” (Search, 2020).  For a childcare center to benefit from receiving state money is yearly training by the state.  I chose this organization because it assists in supporting childcare centers financially and we encourage all parents to apply. 

Job opportunities I came across that I am interested in are:

Senior Manager of Infant/toddler education and Infant/toddler and budget coordinator.  The qualification for both jobs is a bachelors but masters is preferred along with supervisory experience.  I would need to have more experience around budgeting of a full program.  I choose these positions because I love working with infant/toddler and supporting teachers and parents.

Reference

HOME. ctaeyc. (2020). https://www.ctaeyc.org/.

Search for Child Care. (2020). https://www.ctcare4kids.com/.

About. CFGC. (2020, July 30). http://cfguidance.com/about/.

Thank you for a great group of blogs to read during the course. I valued and learned so much from everyone and am glad we have all made it to the end of the course with more knowledge to assist us in our next classes and in the workforce.

Adjourning

As I reflect on the times I have worked in a group I realized the groups I have been part of don’t complete the adjourning phase. The majority of the groups I am in tend to be collaborations where everyone does their part we put it together present and then we go back to our routine prior to the project. We tend to speak to each other professionally but there aren’t any bonds or relationships built. Majority of the groups I am in are work related or school related and I tend to look at group projects as assignments and once they are complete I check it off and move on to the next project or assignment.

I am an introvert so I am not a person who gets excited about being in a group and like to complete tasks on my own. I wish their was more of a close out by the team leader when I do work in groups compared to the usual packing up and saying see you around before leaving. Through theses classes I am starting to see familiar names and as I read the blogs begin to get to know others. I have three more classes left before I complete my master and have thought about this exact question. To me it feels natural to leave a message on my blog along with the blogs of the people I have taken this journey with. I am big on leaving memories in a way that you can always reflect on and look back on. I think leaving something inspiration would be fitting so it can always be looked at and reflected upon when people lease expect it or need to be uplifted during the journey and after.

Manage Conflict

When I first started in my position as a site manager there was a serious bug issue going on. Until we were able to get to the source having parties were kept to a minimum. The person who use to plan the monthly staff birthday party was fired a few weeks after I started. Recently it was brought to my attention that the staff missed having the monthly parties for their birthdays and did not feel appreciated. They were under the impression that I stopped all parties due to the bug concern especially the monthly birthday party.

I then held a staff meeting in which I apologized for the miscommunication. I let the staff know that it was only temporary while maintenance completed its job but never meant to be stopped. We then had an open collaborative meeting to discuss how to start is back. At this time staff realized that the one person they relied on to do it was no longer there and hasn’t been for a while. With her not being there no one stepped up to continue her duties of planning. I explained to the staff I had a lot on my plate and the task would be too much for me to take on but I would gladly bring the cake every month. I also let staff know that I have never been big on celebration but I will support the staff anyway I can. The staff’s body language began to be more relaxed and more staff started to speak up and continue the dialogue. Last week we had our first non-birthday party that was planned by staff and it was a great bonding moment for everyone to honor a staff that was retiring. I supported the staff by providing classroom coverage so each teacher could get food and the staff really appreciated that.

Self Assessment

Upon completing the three self assessments of communication anxiety inventory, verbal aggressiveness scale, and listening style profile. There were two self assessments that myself and the two other people who completed it scored almost the exact same. The scores varied by less than two in both skills such as listening style and verbal aggressiveness. I was surprised that they scored and viewed me the same way I viewed myself. I tend to be very hard on how I feel I present myself and knowing I don’t communicate well in large groups. I realized that I am overthinking a lot about how I communicate and just need to practice and not obsess over it. My listening skill and verbal aggressiveness is rated at a moderate level. I am happy with being at this level because it works perfectly in the field of education by having the build in customer service skills. This was a good assignment to learn more about our individual styles and how people view us. Which can support changes that can support stronger communication in the long run.

Communication

Reviewing all the aspects that make up cultural diversity in my life I feel I do a good job in that area. I’ve found that I treat everyone the same no matter the group because it just who I am. I respect the fact that people have their own opinion that may not mix with mine. Also, that our ideas may be the same but the outcome to get the answer was completely different. Three strategies I use are being an active listener, asking questions, and being respectful to others emotions or viewpoints. By listening that is how you get to know someone to ask follow up questions which builds rapport. By being respectful with others opinions when there is a disagreement it is typically discussed without voices raised but more of a conversation of understanding others viewpoints. By making this a general habit for me I don’t change who I am or how I respond based on the setting i’m in. It was very interesting for me to sit back and self reflect how I am in different environments with different people and that I don’t change based on where I am or who i’m with.

Long Lost Family

Long Lost Family was the show I chose to watch to look at how people communicate.  Now having sound as the man walks to the door, he is greeted with a handshake from the women who opened the door.  Due to no embrace I assume they are not family or know one another.  Looking at their faces there seems to be a lot of pain being discussed due to the tears, but it seems they are telling a past story because there are smiles in between the tears.  How the camera is focused on each person it seems they are being interviewed.  Based on their body language and the title of the show as the episode goes on there is still tears but now more nodding yes and smiling with tears.  This makes me think that the person is feeling hopeful or affirming past information.

Watching the episode again with the sound on the assumptions I made were spot on.  The person who came to the door was the person who was going to help her find her child she gave up for adoption.  As they collected data to help find their children updates were given which is where I saw the nodding and crying as they were informed that their adopted children were found.  In one story she was looking for her adopted mother and her adopted child.  This person is was the one I viewed as hopeful when watching with no volume.  I consider myself an introvert and tend to watch more than participate.  I believe if this was a show I was familiar with I would already know what to expect.  Watching the show without volume it felt normal because I was able to read and piece together what was going on as the show progressed through their body language.