Time Well Spent

One deep learning I have gained from this program is how much hard work and dedication other professionals are willing to put into the field to help the families and young children.  Without them, early childhood education would not be as strong and as well acknowledged as it is becoming today.

Another deep learning that I have gained is how much communication truly helps strengthen any argument or point.  By using resources and talking with other peers from the class, I was able to find additional resources or change my Community of Practice. They showed me different perspectives on the argument I was trying to make and how to alter it to make it more appropriate.

The third deeply felt learning from this program is that with the support of colleagues and other professionals, anything is possible.  Talking with my classmates and other professionals, I was able to identify what the key problems are in the field.  It has given me inspiration to keep working hard and never back down from something I am passionate about.

One long term goal that I have for myself is to strengthen my ability to be a better advocate.  I want to do as much as possible to help young children and their families. It is important to fight and remain positive about making changes within the field.

A farewell message to your Instructor and colleagues.

It has been a pleasure working with each and every one of you.  I have not only grown as a professional but have learned a great deal from each of you as well.  Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and responding in thoughtful ways.  I will take the information that I have obtained and will be a stronger professional as a result.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

One international organization that I would love to get involved with is Save the Children.  They have been around since 1919 and are still striving to accomplish the goal of saving the children.  They start with children at birth and work with them to ensure that they stay strong and healthy.  It allows children of all ages to get the fighting chance that they may not have otherwise received.  Although they do not currently have any opening, I found one that interested me a great deal.  The organization has a position called International Field-Based.  Individuals involved recruits a limited number of qualified individuals to support field-based programs in a variety of International locations. In addition Save the Children International and 30 national Save the Children organizations around the world also recruit for positions overseas.  The skills and experience needed in order to fulfill this position would be the desire to help the children all over the world.  It doesn’t matter where you live, there are always children who need help.

Another international organization that I would like to get involved with is UNICEF.  They are an organization that most people are familiar with, usually around Halloween.  Their ultimate goal is to help children overcome obstacles and help them survive.  They offer ways for the children to receive protection and social inclusion as well as an education.  A position that they offer that interests me would be the good will ambassador.  I would like the opportunity to talk with people from all over the world and fill them in on the struggles that the children in the United States are currently having.  Every country has their share of problems, but together we could find a way to fix it.  The skills needed for this experience would be a good people person who wants to help children all over the world.  They must have the desire to want to help keep children safe as well as get them an education.

The final international organization that I would like to get involved with is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).  They research and find ways in which to help improve the quality of life for people whether it be through taxes or social security.  This organization would help the working middle class and help find ways to make life easier for them.  Although I did not see it offered, I would like to work in researching the different economics around the world.  It may be interesting to see what countries are succeeding and what they are doing to make it work.

 

References

http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

http://www.unicef.org/

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

The first national organization that I would like to join is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  They inform anyone who is interested about the latest trends, trainings, and journal articles that pertain to young children.  Grandparents can look up advice on how to get their grandson to sleep on the same site that teachers may utilize to find additional resources for helping with English language learners.  This organization appealed to me because they have information regarding every aspect of young childhood education.  They do not only focus on one component such as behavior or English language learners.  They have up to date articles and journals that are geared towards helping everyone, not just educators.  They do not have any job opportunities currently available but they do offer membership into the organization.  That would be a useful tool to help me get all the current information they have to offer.

Another organization that I would like to join is called Child Care Aware.  It is designed for individuals who are looking to work in the early childcare field or parents who have young children.  They put people in contact with each other with regards of how to recognize high quality programs and what to look for in schools.  This appealed to me because many parents are not aware of what to look for when placing their children in preschools or day cares.  This site informs them of what to spot and what to ask.  One job that would interest me from this site is something that is not currently listed.  I would like to go into the programs they have listed and see what classifies them as high quality programs.  One skill that I would need to fulfill this role would be  understanding of what sets high quality programs apart from the rest that simply open up to make money.

The final group that I would join is the National Head Start Association.  The organization offers various articles about the Head Start program as well as professional development programs.  The site also offers current research that is being done in the field of early childhood education. This site appealed to me because I understand the important of Head Starts in low income programs.  Many families need the additional support and resources that this program has to offer in order to help their children.  There are no current job openings listed but I would like to be a program director for one of my local Head Start programs.  This would allow me to stay current in the field of early childcare education and help those who need it the most. The skill that I would need is the desire and drive to help.  Without that, the families would not be receiving the services and would not be benefiting from their experience at the Head Start.  My experience as a teacher in my town’s Head Start allows me to fully understand how the program works and how much it can impact families in a positive way.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

The first local organization that I found is the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey.  I chose this one because it is to help at-risk youth.  Organizations such as this always catch my attention.  These are the children who would benefit the most from extra positive attention.  I enjoy working with at risk children of all age groups and showing them different ways in which they can turn their lives around.

Although they currently have no open job opportunities, I would still like to be apart of the Intensive services program.  It is designed to help educate parents who have had their children taken away from them.  Being part of that program will allow me to see a different side of the education process and what steps are taken to help the families become a whole again. The skills that I feel that would be needed to fulfill this role would to keep myself educated about the child abuse laws as well as how to inform parents about the steps they can take if they start to feel overwhelmed and feel as though they need help raising their children.

Prevention First is an organization that teachers many different lessons to school age children.  They start at kindergarten and stay with the children until the end of third grade.  They teach them life skills such as peer pressure and conflict resolution.  This appeals to me because they are helping children with common everyday problems.  The children need assistance and often the individuals who work for this company go into low income or poverty stricken areas that could use this help the most.

There is currently a job opportunity in my local organization for an education specialist.  They are the educators who enter the schools and give the presentation on various important topics.  The skills needed are someone who is willing to help children, have a bachelor’s degree, and have a desire to assist those who need it the most.

The final organization that I found that appealed to me is Ocean Inc.  The organization is rather large and does many different things around the community.  Ocean Inc has preschool programs that are open to low income families as well as has various programs that help them pay their utilities.  They do various things around the community to help the families live a better life.

There is currently an opening for a Head Start director who is also a part of Ocean Inc.  I would love to be able to have this position because it assists more people and families than any other organization.  The director is in charge of the local Head Start program and decided who enters and who doesn’t.  They initially have the final say on everything that occurs within the school building.  I know I would excel at this position because I would be able to help the families since I am from the area I know what they are currently facing. I feel I would bring the necessary experience needed to fully understand the families’ situations and what can be done to solve it.

se roles 

Profile of a Volunteer

Describe the volunteer efforts of the person you have elected to profile.

There is a woman who volunteers every week at my job.  She often brings art supplies to donate to the school such as ribbon, yarn, and paper.  This allows the school to earn inkind or money off of her generosity.  Kathy is a retired school teacher and a stay at home grandmother.  She loves children and looks forward to working with the children.  She is very excited to enter the classrooms and often looks for extra projects to do while she is there.  Kathy sits at the tables with the children and helps them with whatever art project the teacher has set out for the day.  She is very eager to help and finds ways to contribute to the lessons whether it is through supplies or explaining different activities that may work with the day’s lesson plans.

Identify how you feel this person's work has positively impacted others.

Kathy’s efforts have made a positive impact on other members of the community as well as her friends.  We often have parents who watch Kathy and see how often she volunteers in the school.  As a result, we have had a higher number of parents and guardians come into the school asking how they can help.  It has been nice to see how the work of one person can impact many others. Kathy has also helped the school by talking with her friends outside of the school setting about ways in which they can help without having to enter the school.  The local organizations have come together and donated teddy bears to the school around Christmas time.  They ensure that every child receives one and even spend the time to crochet clothing for each one.  They do not look for any recognition but simply a picture of the children smiling with the bears.

Describe what you feel is a vital "take-away" message relative to this work in terms of your own volunteer efforts and advocacy work in fostering the well-being of children and families.

The most important take away message relative to this work in terms of my own volunteer effort is that spreading the word of how people can help is very effective.  Kathy spreads the word to her friends about her efforts working in the school and as a result they have found ways to volunteer their time in a setting that makes them more comfortable.  This helps spread the message about the well-being of the children and how they struggle around the holidays.  This will help my advocacy work and volunteering.  I know can see how a community, even a small one such as the school, can be impacted by the dedication of one individual.  I want to strive to be a strong volunteer like Kathy who looks forward to giving back to the community, even if it’s through cutting out shapes for the classroom.

Using Social Media to get Connected

Provide a brief overview of your past and present experience with social media.

I utilize different forms of social media such as youtube and facebook.  I have often found both useful tools for different reasons.  Youtube has allowed me to share short clips in my classroom to my students about topics that we had been discussing.  It allows me to show them the topic in a different approach helping the more visual learners understand.  Facebook has also introduced me to local business that I could use as well as keep in touch with old friends.  I have not used it for any educational purpose but do know that many useful organizations are beginning to use it.

Describe what social media tools you feel lend themselves to effective advocacy.

The tools that lend themselves to effective advocacy are newsletters and facebook.  Since many people are on facebook now, it would benefit many organizations to create a page and keep it current.  They could post about upcoming events as well as important information that they want others to know.  Newsletters would be a useful tool for the individuals who do not like to utilize the computer to find information.  Some people still utilize newspapers and handouts to find their information.  Using both resources will help reach more people.

Identify how you might use these social media tools to educate and inspire others in your advocacy work.

I have many professionals on my facebook page.  I would be able to post information that pertains to them on there to help promote important causes and organizations.  This will hopefully inspire them to pursue more advocacy work and help find a cause that they are passionate about.  By me posting information about steps that I have taken to help others and children, hopefully people in the field will take what I am doing and use it to help others as well.

Ask your colleagues for their suggestions and/or their help with using social media as a tool to promote advocacy efforts.

Many of my colleagues have also suggested utilizing facebook as a means to get the most information about advocacy efforts out to the public.  Out of the 4 people I asked, all of them said that since many people and companies are on facebook, it would be the fastest way to get the message and information out to others.

Advocacy Messages

One of the most recent advertising campaigns that I believe to be inspiring actually comes from the beer company Guinness.  The commercial is about six men who are in wheel chairs playing basketball.  When the game ends, five of the men stand up and one remains sitting.  It shows how they were all able to come together and not use anyone’s disability as an obstacle.  The slogan that can be heard is “The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character.”

Another inspiring advertisement is from the United Negro College Fund.  Their message is “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”  This reminds everyone of how important it is to think things through and to think for yourself.

Though you most likely won't be able to find research data, your analysis of why these messages are so effective in creating action

These messages are effective in creating action because they are clear to the point.  They express that we must think for ourselves and not base someone by their appearance.  The first one regarding the men in the wheel chairs truly shows how people should not be judged based on what we see.  The guys were helping a friend and participating in an activity that they all enjoyed.  The second message explains how important it is to think for ourselves and not to waste our brains. We must use it or we could lose it in a sense.