Time Well Spent

At least three deeply felt learnings from this program

I have learned three important things in this class, which include leadership, how to develop a community of practice, and how to respond to a challenge.  I learned that leadership is an important part of responding to a challenge.  A leader must be able to direct the community of practice and address unexpected consequences of challenge goals.  I also learned how to develop a community of practice using people and power agents in the community.  I further realize the importance of being a social change agent and an advocate for children in early childhood education.  These three important lessons helped me to develop a solid response to a problem and challenge within my own community.

At least one long-term goal

My long-term goal is to become an administrator at the local Head Start center in Indianola.  I believe that I can create more change in an administrative position.

A farewell message to your Instructor and colleagues

I would like to thank the instructor and my colleagues for their continued support and feedback throughout the course.  I have enjoyed working with everyone.  I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and goals.  I bid you all a fond farewell and I hope to work with you in the future.  Thank you.  Debra Morgan.

Images that reflect my experience

Contact Information

Debra Morgan

Email: debra.morgan@waldenu.edu

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The mission of the “Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world” (OECD, 2013). The OECD offers a Young Professionals Program to help new recruits join the organization. The company has a position of program assistant, which would be great for me.  The company also offers part-time positions and flexible work hours.  A program assistant works with a program manager.  The skills needed for this position is a degree in business, management skills, and communication skills.  Thankfully, the Young Professionals Program is designed to help new recruits build the skills needed to be successful in the organization.

Save the Children

Save the Children is “the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world” (Save the Children, 2011).  The organization is dedicated to combating poverty and hunger for children, and the organization provides disaster relief.  One of the career positions available at the organization includes a Resource Development manager.  This position requires a person with communication skills, who is able to work with international contacts.  The Resource Development manager must have management and leadership skills, and capable of finding available resources to assist the organization in meeting its goals.  I have always wanted to work for Save the Children.  I have donated money to this organization in the past, and its work to reduce hunger and poverty aligns with my personal and professional goals.

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO works to “create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values” (UNESCO, 2011).  The organization works to create peace and to combat poverty.  UNESCO has field offices located around the world.  The positions in these offices require personnel with bilingual skills and resource management skills.  Based on the organization, I would rather join as a member. UNESCO provides opportunities for members to work together to collaborate efforts in research and program development.  As an international organization, UNESCO works to create programs that can be used around the world to combat poverty.

References

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2013). Retrieved June 12, 2013, from http://www.oecd.org/about/

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

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

AFT - American Federation of Teachers - A Union of Professionals

The American Federation of Teachers, “an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.5 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide” (www.aft.org/‎).  The AFT has an open position for an Organizing Director. This position requires an individual to help organize events for the organization.  This is a great position that requires planning and organizing skills.  The benefit of the AFT is that the organization is a union of professionals who advocate excellence in education. The members of the AFT can help provide resources and assistance in developing programs to address community challenges.

National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators

The National Association of Federal Education Programs (NAFEPA) is “a support organization for educators who work with federally funded programs in their local school districts and in their states” (www.nafepa.org/). The NAFEPA provides assistance and programs to make changes in education.  This organization would be a benefit to the Community of Practice because educators can gain access to funds to help create programs to create change in the schools.  This organization accepts memberships, and is currently active in 28 states.  Mississippi is one of these states, and teachers are welcome to join and receive newsletters and information.

National Parent Teacher Association

The National PTA comprises “millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools” (www.pta.org).  This organization governs Parent Teacher associations in the country.   The members in the organization can share resources and help to develop research strategies that enhance the quality of early childhood education.  The organization has career opportunities that I would love to explore.  One of the most interesting jobs is the Advocacy Coordinator.  This position is currently open, and it requires a person who is willing to coordinate events and programs for PTA organizations. The Advocacy Coordinator also “coordinates with public policy, strategic communications, and technology staff to create and disseminate e-newsletter on federal policy and effective advocacy strategies” (www.pta.org).  I would love to work in this position because I would like to develop new policies to enhance advocacy efforts in early childhood education.

References

www.aft.org/‎

www.nafepa.org/

www.pta.org/‎

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The National Education Association is a community of practice of educators who share a common goal to improve the quality of education. The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education (nea.org).  The NEA offers members to teachers who share and provide research in education.

The PTA is a local community of practice where parents and teachers work together to enhance the school environment for teachers.  In the PTA, I work as a collaborator.  I help to organize meetings and events for the children.  I also help to raise funds for field trips and activities. 

The Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) has been at the cutting edge with productive accomplishments for educators and public education in Mississippi (maetoday.nea.org).  The Mississippi Association of Educators is a state level organization under the National Education Association.  The organization is dedicated to improving education in Mississippi.  Members are teachers from Mississippi schools.  The members work together to create better practices to be used in the classroom.

References

http://www.nea.org/

http://maetoday.nea.org/

Reflecting on Learning

Hope for Early Childhood Education

My hope as an early childhood educator is to provide the best learning experience for all children.  My goal is to estabish effective relationships with families to better understand their needs and the needs of children.  I plan to teach anti-bias education, and to act as an advocate for all children.  I believe that children need to understand and embrace diversity.  Therefore, I will apply what I have learned in this course to improve the quality of my classroom.

Personal Thanks

I would like to thank every one of my fellow scholars for contributing to my blog. I wish you the best in your future courses and your goals as early childhood educators.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to investigate the regions of West and Central Africa.  These regions are exposed to high rates of poverty and disease.  The site reported that “nearly 2 children out of 10 never reach their fifth birthday. They die from malaria, diarrheal diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, and Malnutrition is widespread in the region” (UNICEF, 2013).  I chose to review this region because of news and information I had previously studied about Africa.  After visiting the site, I have learned a lot of information about the area.  As a result, I was shocked to learn how disease and poverty has limited the educational opportunities for children, and poverty and traditional beliefs keep 40% of children out of school” (UNICEF, 2013).  Thankfully, UNICEF is working to combat these challenges.

Poverty and disease impact children’s health and wellbeing.  As an educator, I have seen how poverty and disease affects children in schools in Mississippi.  Educators have to step up as advocates for children and work with families to connect them with services to help them overcome poverty.  Poorer families do not always provide the best nutrition or health for children.  This impacts the physical, emotional, and mental development of these children.  Therefore, reviewing the site helped me to understand how these challenges can stifle the development of children.

Reference

UNICEF. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Working with a diverse group of children and families, I encounter various consequences when "isms" surface in the classroom and in parent interactions.  In one case, a child used classism to degrade another child. Classism occurs when people discriminated against others because of social status.  In this case, the child told the other child that his clothes were cheap and dirty because he was poor.  The child comes from a low socioeconomic background and does not have the best shoes or clothing.  As a result, the child’s feelings were hurt.  I immediately addressed the young girl who made the comment and explained that it was not nice to talk negatively about other people.  I also explained to the class that bullying and teasing was inappropriate behavior.  Although I addressed the situation, the child was still hurt.  I attempted to comfort the child and explain that he was a good student; therefore, he should not allow others to tear him down.  I also explained that his parents were doing the best for him and that some people will always have negative things to say. 

Another “ism” is LGBTism.  Sue (2010) stated that “LGBT-ism creates oppression for LGBT parents” (p. 187).  I can relate to this because I have had subconscious thoughts about gay parents.  This can hinder my ability to communicate with them, especially when I have hidden issues about homosexuality.  I do not openly discriminate against homosexuals; however, I do not agree with the lifestyle or practices.  I have learned that I must accept others and create change in myself.  Therefore, I must continue to work on this to avoid negative situations in the classroom.  I understand that slang and slurs can occur in the classroom, and children are often brutally open and honest about things they have learned at home.  As a result, I have heard children call other children’s parents “homos”.  I have always addressed this as bullying and made every effort to explain the differences in society to children.  Therefore, I must become more aware of diversity for myself to become a better educator.

Reference

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. New York, NY: Wiley