Time Well Spent

Important Lessons I have Learned in my Early Childhood Education Masters Program at Walden University

Leadership

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jarretjackson/2020/08/05/do-you-have-a-leadership-strategy/?sh=3496e9b71ab3

By taking this course I learned that their are different types of leaders and different leadership styles. You need to know your group members and tasks that need to be done in order to figure out what type or combination of styles needed. “Leadership is not a "one size fits all" thing; often, you must adapt your approach to fit the situation” (Mind Tools Ltd. 2020). 

 I learned that the type of leader I aspire to be a magnetic leader, "magnetic leadership stems from a deeper concept of connectiveness–where all beings are inter-related on an energy level, beyond the connections of a social system, or by proximity, or even by values system... Magnetic leadership is based on the understanding of co-creation: you and I are here as co-creators of our shared experience" (Routh 2010).  I wish to improve the type of energy I am putting out into the world and to those whom I work with and spend time within my life. 

Self-Reflection and Self-Awareness

                                        https://www.notebookmentor.com/what-is-self-reflection/

    Throughout this course, I have been doing much self-reflection such as learning and uncovering hidden biases, privileges, and characteristics I possess to be an influential role model to the students and families under my care. I have learned what makes me fit into the dominant American culture and what makes me an outsider. I've learned that there are many different communication styles and what may seem a "normal" communication style and tradition for me may differ from people are used to using different customs and forms of communication. Having this awareness of the self helps improve the teachings of anti-bias education. Looking through a new point of view and through new lenses can help teach a diverse group of students and allow for all to be welcomed and included in the classroom environment. 

Collaboration

https://pro.harman.com/insights/enterprise/education/practical-collaboration-how-to-actually-achieve-collaboration-in-an-organization/

    In any field that you are a part of the concept of togetherness is an important characteristic to help achieve goals and come up with new ideas to better the group of people or causes that you are working towards. It is important for educators to team up and collaborate with other educators and family members of the students under their care to create a nurturing and dual partnership of learning for children. We must all come together and share a similar idea and concept of what we want our children to learn, rules to foster, and ideas to understand and learn. There is a shared connection between a child's school life and culture along with their family culture. Educators should look to caregivers for the guidance of the way the child is being raised at home and incorporate those lessons and ideas with the classroom culture.

Advocacy  

https://slideplayer.com/slide/6534905/

Advocacy is the ability to find your voice, stand up and speak on what you believe is right, fair, and just in society and the world. It is up to educators to help children define what is fair, speak up when things are not fair, and know what social justice is (Derman-Sparks & Edwards).

                                                   

                                         Future Plans

    For the future, I plan on continuing to stay up to date on current issues and trends in the Early Childhood Education field. I also plan on embarking on my new journey of learning more about social and emotional learning because I believe this will help me with my goal of impacting the way empathy, diversity and inclusion are taught and incorporated into the ECE curriculum.

                                            Thank You

I would like to end by saying thank you so much to all my colleagues and professors here at Walden University. I have learned so much from all of you and you have all shaped and formed the direction I wish to go in my professional field. Feel free to keep in touch with me at kirsten.manley@yahoo.com. I wish you all the best of luck with your future endeavors and hope to work with you in the future.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Mind Tools, Ltd. 2020. Authentic Leadership: Becoming a leader people want to follow. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_43.htm

Mind Tools, Ltd. 2020. Leadership styles: Using the right ones for the situation. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm

Routh, Z. 2010. The magnetic leader as crucible- How to create a transformative space without scorching people. Integral Leadership Review, 10(3), 1-3.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 International ECE Organizations 

Which Pique my Interest

                                                        

 "In UNICEF we know that playing is a key element of child development, but this is also true for adults, playing develops our 'happy person”'

                                                            -UNICEF 2021

    I have known and learned about UNICEF since my primary school education years. Our school would read articles from the UNICEF catalog and raise money to donate to the organization to feed children in areas of food shortages and third-world countries with limited resources. I learned about giving back and helping others with this organization at a very young age and would be honored to be a part of this organization now, as an adult. I found it challenging to find jobs and careers in the early childhood field on the UNICEF site however I was able to find a link to UN jobs that partner with UNICEF in different parts of the world. One article that I found very inspiring was of a woman who works with UNICEF in the Panama office as an inclusive educational specialist and her story of working at home during the pandemic being an only parent of a child who has Asperger syndrome. She shared her challenges of working at home during the pandemic and gave inspiring and helpful advice to those who are struggling to keep their head above water during these challenging times. She says to "Find the three to four things you love the most about the work you do, it is important that you can name them and become very concrete about those things. Schedule some activities (meeting/writing/reading) that will engage/involve/stimulate those things you love about your work. Feeling passionate about what you do has always been the key ingredient for successful outcomes" (Brizuela C. 2021). 

            

    In terms of what I see myself doing in the future of my career path, I want to remember to keep doing activities that make me happy and give me energy and a sense of self-worth and content. Some things that I incorporate in my teaching style and classroom environment that eases my anxiety and heighten my sense of happiness are music, dancing, and art. In times of frustration or chaos, I turn to singing songs and moving my body to help students refocus and center themselves in the classroom environment. A job that I came across in my search for international careers in the ECE field was Physical Education and Health Teacher at Dwight School in New York City New York.  

Dwight School

"Dwight School is the first school in the Americas to offer all four International Baccalaureate programs from preschool to grade 12. Guided by our philosophy of igniting the spark of genius in every child, Dwight is an inclusive school that aims to meet the unique needs, abilities, and interests of each student"   

This write-up on the school is what piqued my interest in joining their school's family and legacy. I admire how their vision incorporates my challenge of teaching others about empathy, inclusion, and diversity. I am interested in becoming a PE and Health teacher for preschool students because I love exercising with young children and believe in the benefits of exercise to live a healthy and happy life. I am also interested in teaching children safe health practices such as handwashing, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and being in charge of your own choices, and not following others. In terms of qualifications for this job, I am about to achieve my master of diversity in early childhood, I have had over two years of experience in teaching and I have strong written and oral communication skills.        

Early Head Start Teacher Natchitoches Louisiana

"The Early Head Start Teacher develops and implements individual and group educational plans for infants and toddlers, designed to promote social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth in a manner appropriate to their stage of development. In each Early Head Start classroom, two Early Head Start Teachers work together to lead child development activities with support from Program Aides and Volunteers."

I believe I have strong qualifications for this position because I have been teaching and working in the ECE field for about three years, I participate in yearly and monthly training to stay up to date with procedures to keep young children safe and supported, and I am aware of the Early  Headstart mission to help children and families of low-income community and providing them with tools and resources needed to ready them for primary school education and developmental progress and success. 

Resources

https://dwightschool.applytojob.com/apply/lzmXVsQnMu/Physical-Education-And-Health-Teacher?source=INDE

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/programs/article/about-early-head-start-program

https://sites.unicef.org/earlychildhood/index_documents.html

https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1623867771696

https://www.unicef.org/careers/stories/feeling-passionate-about-what-you-do-has-always-been-key-ingredient-successful-outcomes

                    

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community National/Federal Level

                                                Where I See My Future Self

                                                            A Brief Update of My Life

    This past weekend has been a wake-up call for myself and my loved ones living in Philadelphia PA. I have always known this city has a high crime and violence rate but have never been amongst the violence myself. When I was younger I had my car broken into one night which made me fearful that they would come back and break into my house. Luckily this fear has never happened. In high school and college, I endured being verbally harassed on the street while walking, jogging, exercising, or going out with friends. Which made me fearful at times to even leave my house or dorm on my college campus. This weekend my boyfriend, his brother, and I were attacked and robbed after a small fender bender on the highway. We were jumped by several cars and robbed of our possessions. Last year around this time I was hit by a Septa bus on my way to work yet this incident has shaken me up even more than that. It has made me lose fate in people and lose fate in my own race. For my capstone challenge, I chose to focus on raising awareness of teaching young children and their families about empathy, inclusion, and diversity. After experiencing this traumatic event I now see more than ever that we MUST teach the next generation of society how to be caring, loving citizens, and how to take care of one another. I refuse to watch the news because I know every day there is some type of crime, assault, and murder going on in my home town and it makes me feel unsafe. I have come to a realization that it is time for me to make a move and go to a safer community with more protection and security to give me a safer sense of mind. I am fortunate and privileged to have this realization and start making the necessary arrangements to move to a safer community. However, others do not have this privilege or possibility available for them. I want to make a difference and help others that are least fortunate than I but for now, I need to put myself first and in the right state of mind to make these changes and keep my vision and passion of teaching empathy, inclusion, and diversity within the ECE field. To make these changes I have decided to start therapy and discuss all of my anxieties and fears in an effort to start feeling more confident in myself and begin making connections with others who share my interests and passions of promoting and spreading the word about empathy, inclusion, and diversity. 

                       Locations I Long to Live in and Start my Career in SEL in the ECE Field

                                                                        California

                        Partnership for Children & Youth: https://www.partnerforchildren.org/

    This CoP focuses on connecting people skilled with high-quality academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being to help all children in their community regardless of their economic class or location. This organization sparked my interest because it values SEL and they place a heavy emphasis on the inclusion of all. As of now, there are no currently available positions however, I will keep up to date on if any openings appear or if organizations similar to this have any opportunities in the field of SEL for children and youth such as Alameda County office of education (https://www.acoe.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=49)

                                        CASEL (Collaborative for academic, social, and emotional learning)

                                   https://casel.org/systemic-implementation/sel-in-communities/

        This organization is one that I learned about during my research of the history behind SEL. It links together school and community organizations to teach children the importance of social and emotional well-being along with allowing opportunities for children to speak about their emotions and feelings in a safe environment. Locations, where CASEL organizations are currently fostered, are Boston MA, Dallas TX, Denver CO, Palm Beach County FL, Tacoma WA, and Tulsa OK.  A position available which I am interested in is Digital Communication Specialist. I have my B.A. in media and communications and have had experience with managing and running social media accounts. I also believe I have the communication skills to connect people together over an internet platform via email, PowerPoint presentations, and hold Zoom conferences. 

                                                                           Florida

                                                       Creative Child Learning Center

        The center focuses on the social and emotional growth of young children. Florida like California is another destination I would love to live and start a career in. This school's focus and mission are similar to my challenge and my goal of teaching and promoting empathy in the ECE field. "Our mission at Creative Child Learning Centers® is to provide children with a loving, nurturing, environment allowing for social and emotional growth. Hands-on learning is accomplished through creativity, self-expression, and good old-fashioned fun! We believe interaction among children, parents, and staff is the key ingredient for providing a comforting and secure home away from home" (https://www.creativechildlearningcenter.com/)

I would like to take on either a lead teacher or administrative role at one of these schools. I believe I have the necessary experience and educational background to take on either of these positions in this school's organizations.