Time Well Spent

    The last two and a half years in this program have been a busy and challenging time for me. At times it has been a real struggle to juggle all that life threw at me with my career, my young children, and this master's program. If I'm being honest, there were many times that I didn't know that I would make it through it. However, now that I'm almost done (yay!) with this program, I think back on all of the classes I've taken, ideas learned, discussions had, and assignments completed and I know that I walk away from this a stronger professional, better leader, and more diverse learner. The biggest takeaways that are really resonating with me right now from this program are the following:

1. Communication is everything. Literally everything. But beyond communication, it's about being an effective communicator which entails so much more than I ever imagined. 

2. Equity and equality are two very different things. I always knew what the words meant, but I guess I never really stopped to think about what that looks like in an educational setting and how this plays into my role as a leader and educator. Equity acknowledges that each person has a different set of circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Equality means each individual is given the same resources and/or opportunities. This is so important in the daily work that we are doing for our children, families, and staff. 

3. A leader will make a break a program. Leaders have such a huge responsibility to lead their team and it is crucial that they have the right character traits, intention, goals, and leadership style to lead effectively. Leaders have to find the balance of giving directives but not micromanaging. They have to set high goals, expectations, and accountability of their staff, without causing a negative and toxic environment. They have to allow teachers to feel like they have buy in and a voice without losing the vision and mission of the program. It is a daily and constant balancing act. 

Some long terms goals that I have for myself:

• I want to advocate more for the field overall. I want to become active on boards and begin the work to make a positive difference in the field and in the lives of the children, staff, and families that I serve. 
• I'd like to teach college courses in early childhood. I have a diverse background in the field and I think that I could offer valuable insight to others going into this field. I love leading others, and I'd love the opportunity to teach adults wanting to learning more in this field. 
• Big goal... I want to be involved in bringing big change to this field. I want to work to bridge the pay and funding gap between early childhood and elementary education. I want to work to bring cohesiveness to early childhood goals and objectives to Kindergarten skills. I want to be a part of that, so so bad. 

A few of my favorite quotes relating to early childhood...

“If you’re going to equalize the academic playing field, you’ve got to get the kids in early childhood programs.”

– Paul Vallas

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

– Margaret Meade

“This state has put a lot of concentration on reforming the K-12 system, but we’ve done very little with early childhood education. We can’t wait until they get to kindergarten because then we’re just playing catch-up.”

– Evelyn Keating

I want to take a minute and say thank you to each peer and professor that I have interacted with in this program over the last two and a half years. I have learned so much from each and everyone of you and you've all inspired me in ways I could never imagine. Each of you bring so much experience, perspective, and passion into this field and I can honestly say that THAT has been the best part of this program for me. It has renewed my faith in the future of early childhood and many days it has been what has kept me going on the days that were hard and tiring and I questioned everything I was doing. Best of luck to each and every one of you. On the good days, always remember to encourage others... they likely need it. On the hard days, remember WHY we do this and hold onto that until the days get a little easier. Thank you all, you've impacted my journey in so many positive ways for me and for that I am so grateful. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

UNICEF-

The first thing that I noticed on this website was this very simple but SO meaning statement..."UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child". Honestly, as I read that sentence, I got chills. This company is working throughout the world to protect the rights of every child. That work is so important and something that inspires me more than words can say. I decided to dig a bit deeper to truly learn how they complete this work in the day to day. According to their website they go to work in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents. They do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. They are also the world's largest provider of vaccines to children and help to support health and nutrition by providing safe water, education, skill building, and work to protect children from violence and exploitation.  https://www.unicef.org/

Save the Children-

Save the Children is an organization that works in 100 countries to help provide children what they need. Their website says, "As the world's leading expert on childhood, we believe that every child deserves a future. This belief is at the heart of everything we do".  The website goes onto say the following...

"We are global leaders in child  health, education and protection.

We have a proven track record of using donations efficiently and effectively to change children's lives. 

We’re transforming the way emergency care is delivered, putting world-class health professionals to work for children in crisis anywhere in the world within 72 hours. 

We champion gender equality, recently earning the first nonprofit Gender Fair certification. 

We work in the United States, helping more children get ready for kindergarten than any other nonprofit and as the national leader in protecting children in emergencies".

They are doing so much good work for children across the world. I love the diverse range of work that they do for the lives of children worldwide. https://www.savethechildren.org/

Children International-

Children International is a wonderful nonprofit organization that helps children worldwide. Their website states, "they are a humanitarian organization that works to help children in poverty. To overcome living in poverty, Children International focuses on early intervention for kids. It provides health services, nutritional needs, counseling, and other avenues of care. The organization also offers training programs so that children and youths can learn skills to earn employment". What I really like about them, is that in additional to helping give young children what they need to be healthy and happy, they focus on early intervention as well as providing them the skills needed to be successful later in life to get a job. They are giving real like skills needed that I think we so often take for granted. Without those skills, they have a very limited future. With those skills the potential is endless and really gives them a chance to get on their feet and have a happy future. https://www.children.org/

As I read through these difference websites, I had an overwhelming urge to want to be a part of their work internationally. I have a passion for helping young children and families and love the opportunities that I am given each day to do that. But I hope that at some point in my life and career that I'll be able to do some work overseas with young children in great need. I want to be there to love and support and help them. I want to be given that perspective, and I think that opportunity would strengthen me as a professional but also as a human. Being able to help those in such great need, is a privilege and it's such important work. Work that I know would break my heart in many ways, but would also fill it in ways I've yet to experience... and that excites me and gives me a new passion. 

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

Below are a few national and/or federal organizations/communities of practice that sparked my interested are below.

NAECTE- This is an organization from across the US to around the globe. It is a group of people who come together with the same single passion, they are all early childhood teachers and educators. I have never heard of this organization, but I am so glad that I stumbled upon it this week for this assignment. They provide conferences, journal articles, quarterly publications, ideas on grants, job announcements, and a community of likeminded individuals to grow and learn from. This is something that you have to pay for to join, but the cost seemed worth what you get from it. More information can be found here: https://naecte.org 

 U.S. Department's Early Learning Web Site- This is a sub-group of the US Department of Educations main page. This page is dedicated to early learning and providing information and resources that would be helpful in the field. I also was able to subscribe to a newsletter that provides information and updates right to your inbox that are relevant to new information and changes. On the website itself, they offer many different videos and articles with helpful information. This is a free organization/ resource and I am so glad that I found out about it as I think it will be helpful to receive weekly updates to my email on relevant topics. More information can be found here: https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/index.html 

Association of Early Learning Leaders- Their  goal is to strengthen 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. This organization was exciting to stumble upon because I often feel like there isn't a whole lot of support specifically in place for early childhood administrators. There are many resources specifically for teachers in the field, and then organizations for K-12 administrators, but I haven't found much specifically for us leading this THIS field. More info can be found here: https://www.earlylearningleaders.org/

In my searching, I found a landing page for a local university, that provides a ton of organizations that provide relevant support and resources for early childhood educators/administrators. I am going to share that landing page below, because I think it might be valuable for many other peers in this course and in the field: https://guides.emich.edu/early/orgs 

Job opportunities that interest me on the federal/national level. Though I didn't find any specifically, I think it would be awesome some day to sit on a board or in a role that works with the US Department of Education. I want to be able to be a part of the bigger picture that sets the expectations of early childhood from the national level. I want to be a voice advocating for the change that we need to see as a country in early childhood, because we need people who have been hands on in the field who really know where the disconnect is, and have the early childhood background and experience to know how to do it right and with DAP in mind. This is a lofty goal, but what an incredible position this would be for me down the road. 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Below are a few local organizations/communities of practice that sparked my interested are below.

Oakland Family Services: This is an organization run by the next county over from me. Oakland county is a very diverse area. They have some of the poorest areas in the area but also some of the most affluent communities in the metro-Detroit area. This is what interests me most about the programs and communities that they offer. They offer wide ranges of resources for families. From finding safe childcare, to helping parents find ways to pay for it, to parenting classes. For early childhood professionals they offer wonderful training opportunities as well as quarterly meetings where they invite people to come together and just connect, share, and brainstorm together. 

Great Start Collaborative- Macomb: This organization's vision is to provide a great start for every child in Macomb County: safe, healthy and eager to succeed in school and in life. They do this by offering resources for parents and families, as well as partnering with the community and businesses to work together to provide a strong and collaborative community to help support these families. They provide many resources and trainings for teacher, staff, and leaders in the early childhood field. Additionally, they have trainings and meetings regularly to bring professionals and the community together to share and collaborate on ways to help fulfill their organizations vision. 

MiNAEYC: They offer so many different opportunities and resources to early childhood professionals. I belong to the Southeastern MI chapter and am trying to get more involved in all that they offer. They have different advocacy groups that people can join based on what you're most passionate about. Also, they have director meetings every other month which are a great time to share and collaborate with other leaders in the field on important topics and decisions. 

MISD: Our intermediate school district for our county offers meetings for people to together and collaborate. They have times specifically for teachers, times for parents, times for the administrators, and then times when all parties are welcome to come together to work through current issues, concerns, etc. 

Job Opportunities of Interest: I have had many great opportunities to grow in my roles in this field over the last 18 years. I started my career as an assistant teacher, then lead teacher, director, and now multi-site administrator. Every step of my career has taught me so much, and really helped me to see the bigger picture of each role which I think helps me in my current role. I love that in my current role, I oversee my own program/school with almost 300 preschoolers while also getting to oversee 5 other latchkey sites held in our districts elementary schools. It provides me so many different opportunities to help families, students, and staff and quite honestly keeps me busy. 

As I thought about job opportunities that are of interest to me, only a few came to mind. All of which would require years of experience in the field and in different roles and capacities to provide diverse knowledge in all things early childhood. I've always wanted to teach college courses in Early Childhood. Once I complete this degree, I believe it'll open up some options at the community college level or allow me to teach CDA level programs.  I'd also love to be an a role at some point that works at the state level to advocate for all things Early Childhood. I want to use my passion and experience to help further this field for many years to come. 

A Note of Thanks...

 As we wrap up this course, I want to take a minute and thank each of you for coming along with me on this learning process together these past 8 weeks. It has been such a joy to learn alongside and through each of you in blog posts, discussions, etc. I wish all of you the best professionally and as you work to complete your degree. I'm sure my path with cross with many of you again in these courses, and I look forward to it!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! :) 

The adjourning stage...

The adjourning stage of team development is the final stage. It is the final wrap up, the time for evaluation, recognition, and sometimes the celebration... it's kind of the final goodbye. As with any goodbye it is important because you need closure before you can move on. 

When I think about groups that I've worked in, whether it was personally, professionally, or academically, some have been harder to see end than others. When I think about why that is I think there are two factors that affect this for me:

1. How close was I to the group. In the groups that I made connections and developed trusting relationships, this was hard. In groups that I performed well in either as a group or even just personally, they are harder to see come to an end. 

2. Do I feel like there was more that I could of done either personally or overall? I struggle with the "what ifs", I like to know the plan, the options, really all the things that could happen or should've happened. So for me personally, I think these are harder to let go of, if I think there was work or ideas that we missed perusing. 

When I think about closing rituals for these groups, I think it's just important that you get closure. I want to have time to share with the group my thoughts as well as give and receive constructive (and hopefully) positive feedback so that I can learn from the experience to grow in the future. I am a pretty emotional person, so I get attached to others pretty easily when I am given the time and opportunity to know them, so goodbyes are usually pretty hard for me regardless of the setting. It's also nice to find ways to connect with others even after the group is complete. Sometimes they are people that you will encounter in your day to day without any thought or planning. Sometimes they are people that you connect with to network and grow through. And sometimes they are people that are now your friends who you will stay connected with moving forward. 

Conflict...

Conflict, unfortunately, is a part of our everyday lives. Even with our best of intentions, there will come a day, time, and or situation that will cause us conflict in our lives. Sometimes it may be professionally, sometimes personally, and sometime even an internal conflict. Though we can try to navigate around conflict and avoid it whenever possible, we still need to be prepared to handle and resolve it in the best ways possible when the situation presents itself. 

If i'm being honest, the biggest conflict lately in my life is on a personal level with my husband. There is a constant push and pull between us, and we are having times of conflict almost daily. I know that there are a lot of contributing factors that have us in this current spot, none of them being huge or terrible, but mostly revolving around both of us being busy, over-worked, stressed, and feeling under appreciated by the other person. 

This weeks learning, regarding conflict resolution has given me some pretty good insight into some of the disconnect between us, that is causing some of this conflict to occur. The first thing that I'm seeing is the need for mutual respect between us. Let me break it down a bit more though, because the term "respect" is pretty vague. There's respect between us, however there is NOT respect between us for how the other person is feeling. If i'm being honest with myself (and now anyone reading this) I don't respect how he's feeling, because I think that he should be doing and giving more. I'm not respecting his thoughts, feelings, and as a result it's causing conflict. And on the flip side (in my opinion anyways) he isn't respecting my thoughts or feelings either. 

If neither of us can acknowledge respect for the others person thoughts and/or feelings, how can we ever truly resolve this conflict? We cannot. As I shared in my discussion post this week, I am a firm believer that I don't to agree with someone else thoughts, beliefs, and/or opinions. However, I do have to show them respect for having strong feelings/opinions on different things. And this is something that he and I both need to work on. 

I also think that we need to work harder to come to compromises on many of our conflicts. We both passionately believe that we are "right" and the other person is "wrong". And that is our roadblock. However, generally speaking there is a bit of truth in both sides, and if we can come together, meet on middle ground and compromise in our resolution not only will the conflict go away but it'll show both of us that we respect each other enough to work through it in a positive way. 

It's interesting and maybe a bit "funny" how easy it is for me to come to this realization when I look at it in this way. Obviously when feelings and emotions are involved it isn't always so black and white and certainly isn't so "easy". I feel like the more you care and are emotionally invested in something/someone the harder it is to resolve conflict. Our passion and care makes resolution harder to reach... Anyone else feel this way?