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)
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.
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