Time Well Spent

This week my post marks the end of my journey.  The past 20 months have been challenging but the time has been well spent.  I started on this journey afraid of the challenge of earning a Master’s degree-just hearing the term caused me to feel unsure about my abilities to complete the coursework.  However, each week I went farther on my journey and I could not have made it through without the encouragement of my colleagues and instructors.  It has been your support that has encouraged me to keep going and complete this educational journey. 

The course work for the Master of Science degree in Early Childhood Studies have helped me to understand more about a child’s culture and how we as educators should take more time and effort in learning about diversity.  Every child comes to us eager to learn but if we have not dealt with our biases-we can do more harm to the child then good. 

 The course work has also helped me to realize that I can be an advocate for early childhood concerns.  Children and families depend on us as educators to speak for them in the areas in which they need assistance.  Just by showing support and guiding them with resources can make a difference in how they receive resources and the help that will make their struggles easier.  My Capstone challenge was involving developmentally appropriate practices in Infant & Toddler classrooms.  All of the coursework completed at Walden University prepared me to complete a plan to conquer the challenge.

 The course work has also taught me that child care administrators have various jobs that equally require their attention.  My degree specialty is Administration, Leadership and Management.  The specialty courses taught me a lot about the business side of center-based childcare.  The job of an administrator is very challenging but it also rewarding and achievable now that I have received exceptional training in the field. I feel better prepared to accomplish my goal of managing an educational program that serves children during the early childhood years.  My program will focus on providing continuity of care to children during the first 3 years of life with a goal of continually offering quality education until they finish grade 3. The course work provided at Walden has prepared me to enter the field of Early Childhood Education prepared to be an effective administrator.  I recently had an interview and the questions asked to me were answered with well-prepared answers because I was able to reflect back on my studies and answer them with intelligent answers. 

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their support and excellent discussion and blog posts you have made throughout this time period.  Many times I depended on your contributions to help me to understand the coursework and you have never let me down.  I feel bittersweet because I know this might be the last time I communicate with you but I am also proud of what we have accomplished together.  To Chere’e and Berdetta; you have been in the most of my classes and it has been a definite pleasure to realize that we have made it to the end together.  I remember seeing your names in my first course at Walden and it is so special to know that we are completing our journey together.  I wish all of my colleagues the best of luck and I pray that all of your dreams and goals become realities.

To Dr. Darragh-it has been a pleasure having you as an instructor.  You are very insightful and an excellent source of encouragement.  I wish you all the best in your future classes and all that you inspire to do.

I pray that everyone advances further in their education and realizes all the goals you have set for your professional careers.

Janine Campbell

janineecampbell@gmail.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/janinetinsoncampbell

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

              

 It is easy to only consider what happens in early childhood classrooms in the US because it is home.  However, there are many organizations that consider early childhood classrooms on an international level.  This week’s blog is intended to detail three of these organizations and discuss available jobs in the early childhood field that are on an international level.

    ACEI        The Association for Childhood Education International is a not-for-profit organization “is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approached are delivered in  ways that enhance children’s individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life”(acei.org).  Their slogan is Bright Futures for Every Child, Every Nation and they are reporters of international news regarding every aspect that concerns early childhood education on an international level. 

            ACEI is a global community of educators and advocated who unite knowledge, experience, and perspectives in order to exchange information, explore innovation and advocate for children.  Their mission is to promote and support in the global community the optimal education, development and well-being of children, from birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and efforts others who are committed to the needs of children (acei.org).  They have a vision that every child will be provided a quality education to prepare them to be responsible citizens in a world that constantly changes.  Membership to ACEI is available in 7 different levels in order to meet the individual needs of educators.  ACEI is also the promoter of a campaign called Love me, Teach me that is an advocacy effort to raise awareness of the needs and rights of children.

OMEP

World OMEP or World Organization for Early Childhood Education is a not-for-profit organization that has national committees in over 70 countries.  They have a committee in USA that is concerned with the children’s rights, education and care in the US.  Their slogan is “making a difference for children at home and around the world” (http://www.omep-usnc.org/).  The organization is a made up of “college professors, preschool teachers, primary-grade teachers, school administrators, social workers, psychologists, doctors, nurses, policy makers, administrators, journalists, physical therapists, librarians, lawyers, policymakers, college students, volunteers, parents, grandparents, advocates, and activists.” (http://www.omep-usnc.org/).  They have a goal of ensuring that children from birth to age 8 are well taken care of, rights are enforced and are recipients of an education.  OMEP is the oldest and largest international organization focusing on early childhood.  OMEP has Consultative Status with the United Nations, UNICEF, and UNESCO.

            OMEP-USA has current projects like a collaboration with UNICEF entitled WASH that seek to ensure that there is water, sanitation, and hygiene efforts in international early childhood settings, projects in Haiti and Japan after major earthquakes, Jamaica, Liberia, Belize, and a sponsors a Volunteer Service Day that is held in New Orleans.  

ISSA-The International Step by Step Association

            This is an international network that seeks to connect “professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development” (www.issa.nl).  Their aim is to “ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old” (www.issa.nl).  ISSA is involved with the formation of the Early Years Regional Alliance that is an international body of combined organizations that seeks to advance the agenda of early childhood while assisting in the promotion of education and the wellness of children from birth to age 8 and their families. 

The search for an International job was very scary for me; especially with the militia activity overseas.  However, I did find a job posted with World Vision International (WVI) that I am interested in applying for.  I am sure everyone has seen a commercial that World Vision International has aired for assisting children in foreign countries.  Well, WVI has a position open for an Education Transition Project Manager in Washington, DC.  The position is contracted for two years and the posting would include help for a family.  The project manager would serve as the coordinator and communication lead for World Vision’s three-year education transition for National Offices (NOs) projects. This job requires the applicant to have a working knowledge of field operations, 2-3 years of project management, strong social and relational skills and a BA or MA in International Education.

The job posting can be viewed at https://jobs.wvi.org/webjobs.nsf/WebPublished/FA42C2816DFF5F3388257CDD005AA9D4?OpenDocument

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

This week’s blog is focused on identifying national and federal organizations that appeal to me and why I chose them.  I also would like to identify additional job opportunities that interest me and the skills and experience required for these jobs.

The first organization that I would like to highlight is NAEYC.  NAEYC (The National Association for the Education of Young Children) is a leader in advocacy in all areas for early childhood education.  They are also the national organization that promotes developmentally appropriate practices in the education of young children.  Becoming a member of NAEYC is a goal of mine because of their support, conferences and professional development to early childhood teachers.  Another area of interest in NAEYC is their accreditation process that I would like to go through when I have the opportunity to open my own center.  NAEYC offer memberships to their organization in several levels and most states and counties have associations that educators can join.

Further information about NAEYC can be found at http://www.naeyc.org/

The next organization is the Association for Early Learning Leaders.  They are a not-for-profit organization that is previously called the National Association of Child Care Professionals.  Their goal is to strength the knowledge, skills and abilities of early care directors, owners, emerging leaders and other early learning professionals to ensure quality child care programs for young children.  They focus on networking and collaboration, training and education, program quality and accreditation, and resource access (Early, 2014). 

I think this is a great resource because they offer accreditation, conferences, and ways to help teachers and families through their web-based service that allows for customization according to a teacher, child or family’s needs.  My staff would be able to earn their CDA online and access training resources via webinars and publications offered on the website.

http://www.earlylearningleaders.org/

NAECS-SDE

NAECS-SDE (National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education) is a national organization for state education agency staff members with major responsibilities in the field of early childhood education.  The association promotes high-quality services to young children and their families through improvement of instruction, curriculum, and administration of programs. 

http://www.naecs-sde.org/

The National and Federal jobs that I found online this week that interests me are:

Early Childhood Researcher/Technical Assistance Specialist position with SRI International. 

 

     The job will involve providing technical assistance with collecting and imputing childhood data for children in Pre-K programs to Grade 3 in order to improve the quality of child outcomes in States.  The Specialist will also guide in the use of technology and help with Dual Language Learners and children with disabilities.  The research portion of the job will involve developing and leading new projects, maintaining client relations, designing research and evaluating studies and presenting the findings to outside audiences.

Required education is a Ph.D. in education, early childhood special education, child development, developmental psychology or related field. Candidates without a Ph.D. that have strong content in the areas defined above also will be considered.

 

 

Remote Professional Development Specialist

This job will allow me to work anywhere, travel, and requires me to partially telecommute.  The job requirements are to:

• Support kindergarten teachers professional development in early mathematics through on-site facilitation
• Plan, schedule, and conduct on-site coaching visits
• Participate in research activities, including collection and scoring of data on teachers curricular implementation and teaching practices

Position Requirements Include:

• Bachelors degree in early childhood or elementary education, or related field, special education, child development, or related field
• Experience working on early intervention projects
• Experience providing professional development to kindergarten teachers preferred
• Experience teaching and implementing content-based curricula in early elementary school
• Knowledge of early mathematical development and curriculum

http://www.virtualvocations.com/job/remote-professional-development-specialist-212892.html

The Navy Child  & Youth Programs have a job opening as a Child and Youth Assistant Director.  This job would require me to live in the Washington, D.C. and work with the Navy Child and Youth programs which are among the highest quality in the nation.  They are NAEYC accredited and certified by the Department of the Defense.   Top of Form

Major duties and responsibilities of the CYP Assistant Director include program management, budgeting and financial management, personnel management, program operations, interactions and relationships, and compliance. Educational requirements are High school diploma, or higher level degree.  Must have a CDA or 3 years of experience working with children; or a 2-yr degree in Youth or Child Development or related field and 2 years working with children; or a 4-yr degree and 1 year experience working with children or youth.

This job can be found at:

http://careerforum.naeyc.org/jobs/6201559/child-and-youth-assistant-director

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

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       This week my blog will focus on the roles that I can play in the Early Childhood Education Community via Communities of Practice and choosing job opportunities that will allow me to help bring social change to my community.  Communities of practice can be associations, groups, clubs, or just co-workers that work together to help each other grow or to meet a need in the community.  The goal is to help someone else do a better job as their passion is shared with others.  

      The local and state organizations that appeal to me will help me be a better administrator and keep me up to date with all legislature and changes in the ECE field.  They all have levels of advocacy that I can participate in but the most appealing aspect of them all are that they will help fuel my passion for ensuring developmentally appropriate practices are being used in every area and stakeholder involved in the early childhood field.

      

       My three organizations of choice are the following:

       1.      FLAEYC.  This is the Florida Division of NAEYC.  Information about FLAEYC can be found at flaeyc.org.  I believe that being involved with FLAEYC will benefit me as an educator because it is the largest professional organization for people working in the early care  and education field in the state of Florida. They have a mission to benefit children and families by providing leadership, advocacy, and professional development for early childhood professionals (flaeyc.org).    The organization offers resources, professional development and the opportunity to purchase CEUs on their website. 

      2.      ECPC.  This is the Early Childhood Personnel Center.  This community of practice’s mission is to “facilitate the implementation of integrated and comprehensive early childhood systems of personnel development (CSPD) for all disciplines serving infants and young children with disabilities” (http://ecpcta.org/cspd/leadership.html).  The center plans to meet all of the needs for young children in 8 states; with Florida being one of the states.  There are trainings and resources available to assist parents, grad students and administrators of the legal and ethical issues surrounding children with disabilities.  I believe that this organization will help me in my professional career as an administrator by helping me make the right decisions about children with disabilities that are enrolled in the center I will direct.  This organization will assist me in ensuring that I am offering developmentally appropriate practices to children with disabilities.

      3.      The Early Coalition of Manatee County.  (www.elc-manatee.org)

      This is the local child resource and referral organization for my county.  This organization conducts trainings, provides technical assistance, and partners families and child care centers together to provide services to the families in the area.  ELC of Manatee is proponents of developmentally appropriate practices and makes it mandatory for all childcare providers to follow these practices.

      As I approach these last weeks on my road to mastery, I sense the need to find employment that coincides with my level of Mastery.  Therefore I have looked at the various Internet career assistance websites and found three jobs that I am interested in applying for. 

      1.      CYS Administrator.  This job can be applied for on USAJOBS.gov.  This position is a civilian job with the Department of the Army.  It requires a 4-year degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education or an equivalent.  The duties of the administrator are the same as a regular child care center but the difference is that the center is located on the base.  The jobs on USAJOBS.gov are of interest to me because they would give me the opportunity to live in other states or countries and educate the children of our soldiers. 

      2.      Child Care Administrator.  The job requirements are that I have a Director’s Credential which only requires minimal courses in education.  Many of the positions require that I have at least a Bachelor degree and several specific Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) courses and/or training that will provide me with a VPK endorsement for my Director’s Credentials.

      3.      Certified Kindergarten Teacher.  The requirements for certification are to have a Masters or Bachelor degree with courses in specific areas of Early Childhood Education.  The qualifications for certification are to pass the Professional Knowledge and subject area exams.  This job is of interest to me because it will allow me to provide children with an extra push towards developmental standards before they enter into the First grade. 

      4.   College Adjunct Professor.  Qualifications are to have a Doctorate or Masters degree in Early Childhood Education.  I have an interest in teaching new educators what they will need to know to become skilled and qualified to teach children. 

      My ultimate career opportunity is to use all of my education and work experience to open my own educational establishment that will serve children from 0-8 using levels of continuity of care.  Continuity of care will help children to form nurturing relationships with staff that will be with them for at least three years.  These relationships will help create an environment that is educationally friendly and encourages learning without having to adjust to a new teacher every year.  

Play

My Capstone Wordle

Reactivating my blog through my Capstone course

Hello all.  This week I start my Capstone course that will finalize my journey.  The Capstone class will bring together all that I have learned so that I can reflect on a topic that I would like to change.  Walden University is all about social change and as a Graduate student my focus is on changing an issue in the Early Childhood Education field.  

Follow me throughout the next 8 weeks as I bring together my Capstone project to invoke social change in the lives of young children, families, child care staff, and the community.

Appreciation of Others

This week’s post will focus on my appreciation to my colleagues, instructors and my enrollment adviser.  I have come to the end of my core courses on this Road to Mastery.  Wow it’s been a journey but I never would have made it with the encouragement of my colleagues.  Every week of every course was filled with encouraging words and inspiration that enable me to believe in myself and my abilities.  I started off on this Journey to Mastery scared and unsure that I had what it took to be successful at this level of education.  

As every new course started, I always looked for familiar names.  I am ecstatic that there has been at least 5 names that I have seen in every course.  But now I feel bittersweet because I am happy that we have completed our core courses but sad at the same time because I know some of my colleagues will be completing different specialty tracks.

I will like to thank all of the colleagues that I have had the chance to collaborate with in all of my courses.  It is not a matter of time but a matter of quality that matters to me when it comes to my relationship with others.  All of you have been an inspiration and I wish you the best of luck.

I also would like to thank every instructor that I met on this Journey.  You have given me great feedback and encouragement with each comment that was attached to my work.  I also thank you for your support during the tough times that I had throughout this experience.  I wish you the best of luck with each new course that you instruct in the future.

I would also like to thank my enrollment adviser, Donna Shands-Island.  She was the greatest because she encouraged me from the time that I called into the University up until now.  I would email her when I felt like giving up and she would say that I could do it and she did not see me as a failure.  In return, I would inform her of every grade that I received.  I recently sent her a message telling her how proud I was of myself for making it this far. 

I look forward to seeing my colleagues that I have established contacts with in my specialty track of Administration, Leadership and Management.  I also look forward to meeting others at our graduation ceremony when we have all completed our journey.  

Saying Goodbye

This week my blog will focus on the last stage of team development.  There are five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.  The adjourning phrase is when a “project or task has come to an end.”  (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012)  Most of the groups I have been involved in had an easy adjourning phase.  I was happy for the group projects to be over because the entire process was very stressful.  The stress often came from others not doing their part for the grade or from others trying to control the assignments given to another person.  Those teams just disbanded without conversation or reflection.  However, I can recall an adjourning phrase of a team for a project in one of my Early Childhood education courses.  Our team cooperated effectively and we planned a dinner to celebrate the ending of the project.  During the dinner, we had the opportunity to discuss our “accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will dissemble or take on another project” that was due to start in the coming week.  (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012)  Our team chose to continue to work together but we had to add some other people to our group which made the new project more challenging.

            I believe the adjourning phase is essential because it allows for team members to reflect on the assignment they have just completed.  The things that were accomplishments have provided experience for a new assignment for what to do to be successful.  The failures have provided experience for determining what not to do or what to steer away from in the future.

I am facing an adjourning phrase in my journey towards receiving my Master’s degree.  I began to feel sad as I read the instructions for this assignment and I realized that I will not be communicating with some of my colleagues in the future.  We have all reached a point in our degree process in which we will start our specialty tracks.  I will miss communicating with those that will be heading on a different track but I would like to take this opportunity to thank those that have been inspiring to me.  However, I am looking forward to meeting new colleagues that are seeking the same specialty area so that I can create new collegiate connections that will be essential in the future.  Although I will be saying goodbye to some colleagues in the next two weeks, I plan to maintain a connection via the blog posts that I have subscribed to during the past year.  It is amazing how fast the year has gone by and I am so proud that we have all made it thus far.  I encourage my colleagues to continue their journey even when the courses may seem overbearing.  We have made it this far and we can make it to our expected end!  As we all fly off in our separate directions, we will always remember where we have been and the people that we have met.

Resource

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

Conflict Strategy

     This week my blog post will focus on conflict.  “Conflict is not simply an argument or a struggle: it’s a negative interaction between two or more interdependent people, rooted in some actual or perceived disagreement.” (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012, p. 220) 

      Conflict is something that everyone faces in life.  It can occur in any relationship and “is inevitable and sometimes cannot be resolve” but, it can be managed.  (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012, p. 220) This picture is representing how I feel about my conflicts.   I believe that conflict management is an art that has to be mastered.  I do not believe that I have mastered this art and I question my techniques of conflict management.  

     The conflict that I am currently engaged in happens to be with my ex-husband and his new wife.  There was a mis-wording in our agreement that is causing me grief.  This grief can be resolved when my ex signs an additional form that his new wife is not in agreement with him signing because (as she rightly stated) it should have been handled correctly in the divorce by my lawyer.  During of virtual communication via text messaging; she stated some things that really irritated me.  When I noticed that the conversation was really getting challenging, I decided to manage the conflict by using what I thought was a win-win scenario. 

     Since I am one that hate to be involved in conflict; I usually use the strategy known as the escapist strategy.  “In certain situations, escapist strategies can be harmless and practical, offering a quick resolution to issues that are relatively unimportant and can help maintain relationships that might be damaged if conflict erupted over every little thing.”  (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012, p. 220)   My goal was to get the paper signed not to create a problem in his home; so I stopped the aggressive responses.  I was reminded of a Biblical scripture that states to agree with your adversary quickly.  I started to state that she was correct in stating that my lawyer messed up and that it should have been handled.  Instead of being challenging and argumentative, I started focusing on the issue and how to get things resolved.  We ended the conversation on a good note with the expectation that the matter would be resolved during the next week.

     Although, I ended the conflict with her, I still was furious over the situation and the things that were stated.  Additionally, they didn't keep her end of the agreement and is not willing to return phone calls or texts.  What I thought was a compromising or win-win outcome to our conflict; has turned into the a lose-lose situation where all parties will eventually lose.  I have decided to stop having an inner conflict with myself and just place my trust in God’s hands to work everything out in my favor.  I've been told by others, when you stop trying to fight the battle yourself-life gets a whole lot easier.

     I don’t know if I handle my conflict correctly and that is why I did not get the desired results.  I welcome all comments and suggestions on this manner.   I challenge my colleagues to tell me what they would have done in this situation.  (My divorce was just final in Jan. 2013 and he remarried in Feb.  All contact with the new wife and my ex-on my part has been civil.  Only contact besides this time was when my monthly check was late without explanation.) 

Resource

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

My ratings as a communicator

My blog post this week focuses on my communication skills.  The purpose of this blog is to disclose myself to you, my readers, so that you will know a little more about me and how I communicate.  “When you reveal yourself to others by sharing information about yourself, you engage in self-disclosure.”  (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012, p. 56)   Therefore today, I am disclosing the results of the three screenings I took that rated my communication anxiety, listening style and verbal aggressiveness.  I am also disclosing how my son and boyfriend’s daughter rated me as they completed the same screenings to determine how others viewed me and how I communicate with others.  

To my surprise, all results of the screenings fell within the same perimeters.  I was expecting my son to rate higher for the verbal aggressiveness since I seem to have to yell at him more now that he feels he is grown and can make his own decisions or not listen to what I have to say. 

However, I was more surprised to learn that my boyfriend’s daughter had the same exact results as my son on all three screenings.  But in the end, they both rated me the same as I rated myself.

 

The results showed that I have a mild level of communication anxiety.  I completely agree with this result because I am used to public speaking and having conversations with people; including those that I have just met.  However, I do feel nervous sometimes when I have to speak publicly as the man in the picture above is feeling.  I always want others to understand what I am saying so I often feel uncomfortable until I start speaking.

  

  

The verbal aggressiveness scale revealed that I have moderate aggression.  I agree with this because I have the ability to communicate when I have a problem with a situation but not attack the person in which I disagree with in a situation.  I basically present the facts of the situation and stand my ground on what is right without making the person feel that I am personally attacking them. I chose the picture above because as an Early Childhood professional, we must make sure that we do not verbally attack the children although we might not be happy with their behavior.  

My listen style showed that I was a people-oriented listener.  I am very empathetic and that helps me build relationships easily.  However, I can be very trusting and have a poor judgment of others.  I have had many situations in which this has proven to be true.  I also declare that I will change but I never do and therefore I become hurt by the untruthful actions of others. 

I find it amazing that a screening can tell you so much about how you communicate with others.  I find it equally amazing that the people that I communicate most with have rated my skills in the same way that I have rated myself.  

Resource
O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction (2nd Ed.). New York:
Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.