Time Well Spent

The first deeply felt lesson that I have taken to heart during my matriculation at Walden University’s Early Childhood program is to be aware of my own internal biases. Even without knowing it, we are raised and learn some types of bias that we may not even realize. We have to make ourselves aware of this so that it will not affect our decision making or the way we treat others who are different.   A second deeply felt lesson that I have learned is about diverse culture. It is so important to know and understand the cultures, family structures, religion and beliefs of the children and families that we teach and care for. This will help us to understand what is important to them and how we can better assist them. A third deeply felt lesson I have learned is to not limit partnerships when looking at a Community of Practice. When in a field of helping others, there should not be any lengths to far to go in order for us to help other people.  If we have to advocate and lobby to the President of the United States, then that is how far we should be willing to go.

My long term goal is to complete the doctoral program in Early Childhood Education.  I want to be able to make a difference and be an advocate for children that need a voice.  I want to be the person that the children can trust and depend on and someone that they will see as a great inspiration, motivator, and role model.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for the support, advice and experience that have been shared throughout this program.  It was a great learning experience being able to draw from the knowledge of those that are already educators in the early childhood field. I pray for your continued success and professional growth for in the early childhood field.  My quote to you is to” keep the passion fire lit in the early childhood field”.

I would also like to thank Dr. Embree for her guidance and corrective criticism in this course and throughout this program. You have given me valuable information that I can apply to my teaching practices in my classroom in the future.  Because of your guidance I believe that I am now more confident that I can become an effective early childhood educator.

My favorite quotes are:

“No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure." – Emma Goldman

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." – Nelson Mandela

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community-Internationally

The first international organization or COP that appealed to me is Children International.  The web address is http://www.children.org. This organization is an international organization that operates through sponsorship of children.  It gives ordinary people the opportunity to help other families have a portion of what many people who aren’t suffering from poverty have.  I chose this organization because it gives and promote hope to children who are suffering from poverty.

          The second international organization that appealed to me is Rainbows for all Children.  The web address is http://www.rainbows.org.  This is a children’s international grief organization.  There focus is to heal children who have been affected by grief.  I love what this organization stands for and how they have discovered a need for service that many people aren’t aware of.

       The third international organization that appealed to me is Help the Children.  The web address is http://www.helpthechildren.org.    This organization provides global relief of food, clothing, personal items, and even over the counter medication.  This organization is funded by donations and it gives everyone an opportunity to contribute. 

       The job opportunity that interests me is entitled Regional Director (multi-unit management).  The responsibilities are to play a consistent role in communicating and connecting the initiatives between the centers and its organizational goals.  She/he will be instrumental in creating and supporting a unique culture for our centers and the staff and families at each center.  The ideal candidate must have multi-unit management experience, be an innovative thinker, an operational expert, and a team motivator with a high degree of instinct and a passion for customer service. He/she will:

        •Implements operational plans to accomplish center goals.

       •Ensures consistent delivery of quality educational programs.

•Coaches unit managers and holds them accountable for daily and ongoing operations.

•Represents an operational perspective at the unit/center level and             provides pertinent information to leadership.

•Develops direct reports. The Regional Director is responsible for training and career development for Center Directors. She/he provides coaching and performance management for the Center Directors and is accountable for achieving/exceeding the center's turnover goals.

•Owns P/L responsibility and manages centers appropriately.  Is accountable for revenue targets and expense control as well as focusing specifically on challenging issues such as staff management and enrollment.       

•Supports ethical conduct and professionalism through all actions and   communications.

•Creates and maintains a unique, high caliber center culture through involvement and understanding of organizational expectations.

•Holds center management team accountable for active compliance with all federal, state and company policies and regulations.

•Plans for recruiting and retaining the best in class teachers, and provides a training plan to support current and future goals.

•Facilitates the implementation of appropriate curriculum on an ongoing basis.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

          My first choice for a National organization is the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  The web address is http://www.naeyc.org/. NAEYC.   This organization is the world’s largest organization in assisting children and it is instrumental in building and setting policies.  Each year annual conferences are held that assist in educating teachers and other professionals.  This organization meets with Senators and other leaders in society to build public policies and focus on the interest of children and families all over the world. This organization and its contacts will make a great addition to a community of practice that assists children.

            The job opportunity that might be of interest to me is the Editor-in-Chief's position.  The salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.  Some of the responsibilities include:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Expanding the quantity and range of products published

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Acquiring publishable material of high quality

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]--> Lead the developmental editing work

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Collaborate with the other departments on collateral materials (e.g., webcasts, online   chats, journal articles, brochures)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Identify high quality books by other publishers to resell.

            My second choice for a National organization is the U.S Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children & Families.  The web address is http://www.acf.hhs.gov/index.html.   This organization is another great resource to add to a community of practice. This organization also has a broad scope and  a great out-reach. The focal issues range from childcare, disabilities, parenting, family and ways to acquire temporary assistance, just to name a few. The employment opportunity within this organization that I found interesting is a Contact Representative.  The salary ranges from $38,790 to $50,431/ Per year.  Some of the major responsibilities of a Contact Representative include:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Identifying patients who are eligible for alternate resources and assist families and individuals in applying for alternate resources.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Provides coordination of benefits to patients, Contract Health Service and Business Office for accurate Third Party Billing.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Works with local County Department of Welfare and Human Resources, Tribal Offices, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Supplemental Social Security, Social Security

                        The third National organization that I chose is the Georgia Early Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS).  The web address is http://www.geears.org.  It was created to promote school readiness for children from birth through age 5. This organization leverages strategies informed by research policy and practice our organization will enable success in school. GEEARS was created to help lead the charge to fill the great need in the state. I did not find a job opportunity with this National organization selection but I went back to the NAEYC and I found an interesting job opportunity.  The employment opportunity that I found interesting to me is the NAEYC as a Consultant.  With this job I would be required to have a background in child development/Early childhood education to conduct a series of individual and group assessments of children in select Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms. At minimum, assessors will be expected to 1) coordinate testing schedules with classroom teachers, 2) complete a total of 10 group assessments in classrooms across two schools, and 3) complete individual assessments for each child in four classrooms in the same two schools. There will be opportunity to conduct assessments at additional school sites, as assessor and site availability permits.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

          The first state organization that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field is The Early Childhood Development Coalition.  The web address is http://www.earlychildhoodswi.org.  The Early Childhood Development Coalition consist of 175 members from 73 organizations in Indiana working in partnership to bring research-based, high quality opportunities to families, children and teachers.  Their strategies include partnering with businesses, schools, nonprofits and libraries to educate and support families, develop the capacities of caregivers and teachers as well as improve our community's knowledge and practices.

            The second state organization that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field's address is http://earlychildhoodmeetingplace.indiana.edu.  This is a centralized Indiana website to find news, professional development options and initiatives and research briefs to the Early Childhood Field to keep people informed about current events.

            The third state organization that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field's address is http://www.doe/state.in.us/primetime/pdf/foundations/indianafoundations.pdf.  This site provides the foundations to the Indiana academic standards for young children from birth to five (5).  By providing specific skills and concepts and giving examples of instructional strategies, these foundations will support teachers, parents and caregivers as they develop appropriate experience for young children to help ensure success in kindergarten.

            The jobs that I would apply for are an Instructional Strategist/Consultant and an Educator for Adult Learners in the Early Childhood Field.  These jobs require training in the Early Childhood Field and the experience and knowledge to be able to reach out and develop professional relationships so groups can form and meet on a regular basis to meet a goal that will provide positive outcomes for young children and their families. 

Final Blog for Communication and Collaborating in theECF Week 8

Hello Colleagues,

For the last eight weeks, I admit that I have finally found a common ground with all of you---Communication, which seems to be an on-going challenge for each one of us. I greatly appreciated each one of you and your willingness to share your experiences and opinions.

One thing I learned that communication comes in different form, sensation, and meaning for each one of us. This makes our lives more interesting and challenging in positive ways. To encourage the up keeping with communication skill, I encourage you to connect me through facebook.

I enjoyed working with you and am looking forward to continue.

Sharon

Team Building Week 6

            Not all groups make the adjourning process difficult to do.  However, I remember one in particular that made me very sad when it ended and that was the planning of my 5^th year class reunion.  I can recall at the end of reunion everyone sharing stories of planning the reunion and how everyone began to laugh at the various hurdles we endured throughout the planning process.  Although they were not funny at the time, we were able to look back over them and laugh.  The entire process took about a year to plan and during that time we  created new memories that I had not realized until the last night of the reunion.  We had begun to connect not only with each other but with each other's families as well.  It was very difficult to tell my friends good-bye and watch them go back to their individual worlds after staying on the phone until early mornings, attending long planning sessions as we drank numerous cappuccinos,  and   hours and hours of licking envelopes, making phone calls and searching the web trying to contact over 300 hundred classmates. 

            I feel that high-performing groups are hardest to leave because they represent unity.  Everyone on the team was dedicated and motivated; thus, striving for a common goals.  We had an awesome leader who promoted mutual trust and respect.  She shared her vision for the reunion and was open to suggestions from all the team members.  Everyone respected what the others had to say and in the end we voted on any and all major decisions before they were implemented.  

            At the end of the reunion everyone exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses so that they could stay in touch.  Some of us hugged, cried, and vowed to stay in touch as well as visit if we were ever in each other's area. We also took photos to remind us of our time together. 

            I imagine my adjournment from my colleagues will be very emotional for me, because we have encouraged each other, shared our experiences and knowledge and supported each other’s ability to learn, grow and develop both personally and professionally.  It is one thing to express our inner thoughts on the discussion board or through our blog, but it will be another to finally meet face-to-face at graduation.  I look forward to meeting each and every one of my colleagues so that I am finally be able to put a face with the personality behind the words of articulation.  I think that adjourning is essential because of the need of closure.  The adjourning process gives the members a chance to conduct an after action report so that they can discuss what was effective and what was ineffective for future projects.  This also gives them the opportunity to say good-bye and wish each other well in their endeavors (Abudi, 2010).

Reference

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from             http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Conflict Resolution Week 5

           My conflict was with the center's director who had been running the center for some time.  I came aboard because of a merger that took place between the two centers.  The director was still in charge but I was asked to train her on some of our practices at the old center.  She was not too acceptable to my ideas and our practices and became a bit upset that I had to train her.  I explained to her that I was not there to take over and I thought that it would be in the best interest of the center if we put our ideas and goals together to reach our goals.  Although she was still very short and she was not at all an effective listener she eventually came around. 

            She had developed an inaccurate perception that I was there to take her job.  After some time she saw that her perception was incorrect and that her unproductive conflict between the two of us was making a negative impact on our relationship (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  She then decided that a productive conflict where both of us agreed and worked together would be the best approach.  In the mean time I did everything that I could not to provoke her by aggression, a lack of fairness of any kind, or by being incompetent on purpose. I did everything in my power to avoid conflict with her and when there was a conflict I chose not to show an attitude.  When I avoid conflict according to the authors this is known as escapist strategies (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). 

            The director gave up challenging me and became very cooperative so that we both could assist the center in reaching its ultimate goal which is to provide quality childcare to all of our students.  According to the authors of our course book these strategies used were challenging strategies and cooperative strategies.  I feel that I communicated effectively with the director and used several strategies that I have learned in this lesson that I was not aware of at the time to reduce and resolve conflict between the two of us.

Reference

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M.O. (2012).  Real communication: An introduction. Boston:    Bedford/St. Martin's.

Who Am I as A Communicator

           As I wrapped up this week's assignment for my blog post I believe that constantly assessing my competence level for strengths and weaknesses is very important steps (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).   According to the authors there are three ways to evaluate your expectations, executions, and outcomes.  These three ways are through self-actualization, self-adequacy, and self-denigration.  In my assessment I have found that I am an effective communicator but not a 100% communicator.  I can always tell when self-actualization has taken place when I am communicating.  The feeling of fulfillment comes over me and this makes me feel great.

                There are also times when I know that I have not communicated my best and what I have learned from this week's lesson is that in these situations I am feeling a sense of self-adequacy when I have not communicated my best with others (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  The one thing that has surprised me the most about how I have assessed myself as opposed to how others assessed me is that they feel that I am a great and effective communicator.  They replied that I paid full attention to them as we communicated and that they could see me giving thought to what was asked before I answered back.  This surprised me because I know that I am a great and effective communicator but I also know that there is room for improvement.  The other two that assessed me led me to believe that I did not need improvement. 

                I believe that self-adequacy and self-efficacy are two insights that I have learned this week that may inform my professional work and my personal life.  Knowing that I may not always give a stellar performance when I communicate to others helps me with self-improvement (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012) which will always help me in my professional work and in my personal life.

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M.O. (2012).  Real communication:  An introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Communicating with Different Groups & Cultures Week 3 6165

           I have on several occasions communicated differently with people from different groups and cultures.  I have found that I have had to listen more effectively when I am interacting with people from different groups and cultures.  When I am communicating with people from my ethnic background I tend to not listen because I can understand our language, but when I am communicating with people from another culture I not only have to listen, but I sometimes have to read their lips in order to make out what they are trying to say.  Another instance of me having to communicate differently from people from different groups and cultures is when I am calling a 1-800 number for assistance with my cable or telephone service.  It is sometimes really hard to understand the words spoken from people of different cultures.  I have had to speak a bit louder at times and I have also have had to ask the person assisting me to slow down as they spoke so that I could understand their language. 

            I have even found myself using my hands and body language in the place of using verbal communication.  I have also communicated differently with people from different groups and cultures who share a different belief than I do.  Some people are Atheist and I am a Christian.

When I communicate with them I try not to discuss religion in respect that their belief is different from mine. 

            The first strategy that can help me to become a more effective communicator when I am dealing with people from different groups or cultures is to develop better listening skills.  Also I must be able to pick up silent messages sent with or without words from people of different groups or cultures (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010 ).  I must be able to expand my ability to pick up silent messages in ways that they are intended (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).  The second strategy that I can use to assist me in becoming a more effective communicator is to learn more about nonverbal behaviors when dealing with people from different cultures.  The final strategy that I can use to assist me in becoming a more effective communicator when dealing with people of different groups or cultures is to practice not to judge people from other cultures long enough to gain a deeper understanding that first impressions allow us to (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).  As educators we all must be willing to accept differences in people who are different than we are.  Our children model after us.  So if they see that we are doing everything we can to help others they will do the same.

                                                                           Reference

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). Looking at nonverbal communication across cultures. River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Communication Activity for Week 2

            The movie that I watched that I had not previously viewed was Love and Basketball.  This movie show cased several characters and they all had various relationships which were from happy to sad, excited to not so excited, and from being in love as teens to breaking up and getting back together as adults.  From the way they communicated you could tell that the characters relationships were based on love and trust in one instance.  The two that I will discuss are the two children that grew up as friends and then become a couple before they left high school. 

 
            I believe that they felt and expressed love for each other based on their nonverbal behavior.  At first they showed that they did not like each other.  This was evident by the frowning that they did to each other.  They did not say this verbally but they did fight and look at each other while talking with their eyes to one another.  After watching the movie with the sound on my interpretations to my surprise was correct.  The two children actually loved each other even though they never said it verbally.  They actually showed friendship and unity in nonverbal ways. 
 

            I believe that my assumptions could be more correct if it was a movie that I had previously viewed.  Even though my interpretations were basically correct for this movie, I believe that with each movie or real situation that were either watch or encounter we can communicate without using verbal cues.  When the sound was turned down, I depended on the facial expressions to assist me with determining what was going on in the movie.
           This exercise was very helpful to me because t gave me the opportunity to look at the verbal and nonverbal side of communication.

Week 1 Blog Assignment 6165

            The person that I have observed demonstrating competent communication is the Director of a child care facility that cares for children from 2 to 5 years of age.  I have seen her interconnecting with other parents and their children to form relationships.  Having the help of parents can always help you achieve the goals that have been set.  She exemplifies what the authors call affiliation.  She shows that she loves the students that attend her center. 

            She also shows competent communication in the way that she communicates with the different diverse families and their children that attend the center.  Her actions give them a sense of belonging which makes the parents trust their children to her care.  She works really good with her staff and she influences them to work hard to achieve the goals that has been set for the center.  She makes certain that the goals for the child care facility are known throughout the center.  She has complete control of her staff and have formed great relationships with all of them.  She has truly shown me that communicating competently creates trust, accuracy, honesty, and accuracy (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). 

            I would model all of my communication behaviors after this person.  She is clearly a competent communicator and she enjoys communicating effectively with everyone that she touches.  I would model myself at Dr. Minor because she is clearly a great effective and competent communicator.

 

Reference

 

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:      Bedford/St. Martin's.