Time Well Spent

“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.”

--Henri Matisse

When I first began the program, I was uncertain as to where I would end up when all was said and done.  I remember choosing diversity studies because I was suddenly working in a community that was diverse on all fronts, race, culture, language, socio-economic status and gender.  I was excited to be serving my new community, but I also knew in the back of my mind I was a novice when it came to knowing about other people.  What I thought I knew really turned out to be very little with regard to differences.  I really was an outsider and although I too grew up in a culturally diverse family and environment, I was sheltered from other cultures and people.   Different than most of my peers, what I did understand however was the importance of my family in my life and the influence they played in shaping me and to some degree shaping some of my ideas.  The course work has taught me the following –

-Children need to be honored and valued for more than their academic strengths, they need to be valued as individuals with a background, a culture and a way of life.  “All children have a home culture” and when “…programs foster comfort and respect with regard to differences, they create a foundation for children’s ability to thrive in our culturally complex world” (Derman-Sparks,  & Olsen Edwards, 2010, pg.66). 

“Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.” 

--Albert Camus

-Children are not born with bias and prejudice.  They learn bias and prejudice from their family and educators need to understand and be more open minded when children are asking questions that may seem inappropriate. Adults must not place adult thoughts and values to what children are saying rather view their comments as a “…desire to make sense of the world” (Derman-Sparks, et al., 2010, pg. 33).  

“Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. “

-- Marin Luther King, JR.

We are all capable of being leaders, however in order to be good leaders who truly lead, coach and model appropriate practice, we must be willing to collaborate with others who have both similar and differing opinions.  In addition, as leaders we must clearly state the goals and vision we have for particular projects and undertakings. 

“To lead people, walk beside them … As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate … When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘we did it ourselves!”
--Lao-Tsu

A long-term goal that I have for myself is to work with impoverished mothers and children, volunteering my time to help make their life more manageable and livable.  I would like to provide them resources for empowerment, work counseling, parental counseling, and relationship counseling.  Another long-term goal I have for myself is to continue my education by pursuing a doctorate program in human development.  Learning has always been important to me and I feel there are still things I want to learn.  “Knowledge is power…knowledge gives you tools to act powerfully” (Derman-Sparks, & Olsen Edwards, 2010). 

It has been quite a journey!  I find it hard to believe so many of us started this program about 2 years ago and we have finally arrived at our destination.  Thank you to all of you for making the road so easy to travel on, and not once did I feel lost or alone in this journey of self-discovery—all of you were right beside.  I wish all of you the very best in all that comes your way.  Thank you for contributing to who I am; I will carry with me all that I have learned from all of you.  

A very special thank you to Dr. Davis—you have been extremely supportive of me during these last 8 weeks and I thank you for being so understanding as I enter a new phase of my life—launching my youngest child into the world of higher education!  Just as you have taught us what we give young children is important and acts a as a base for all future experiences, I too must believe I have given my own son that same strong base as he begins his college career. 

“In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.”

--Friedrich Nietzsche

“Do not…keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play.”

Plato

References

Derman-Sparks, L., Olsen Edwards, J. (2010).  Anit-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.  NAEYC, Washington, D.C.

International Communities of Practice

The more I expand my information base with regard to organizations designed to promote healthy and successful outcomes for children, families and educators, the more I find that I am connected to these organizations by my desire to learn and facilitate change.  I am also amazed at the work so many people do to ensure all children around the world are well cared for and are getting all the privileges and rights they deserve.  For me the key elements to my work are children and their families as well as the teachers who work with those families.  Without proper information and resources, we cannot do justice by the people we serve so I therefore am seeking to find ways to help teachers learn more so as to give back in way that serves the many rather than the select few.  The organizations I looked into serve children, families and educators, and I wouldn’t mind working for or being involved in any one of these organizations. 

Save the children, http://www.savethechildren.org

Save the Children is an organization designed to empower poor, marginalized and vulnerable children and families.  The organization works to provide food, medical care, and education to assist with the rebuilding of communities through long-term recovery programs.  The organization not only trains teachers to utilize more effective teaching practices, but the organization coaches parents to engage their children in the learning process so as to be ready to go to attend school.  In addition to parent and teacher training, Save the Children introduces children to the arts as a means of expression and healing after trauma.

There was a job posting for the Washington, D.C. area, Coordinator, Early Steps to School Success and I am actually over qualified for the position.  The coordinator would assist pregnant women and their children with early childhood education services. The job requires an AA degree in Early Childhood with 2 to 3 years related experience; experience leading parent groups, experience reporting and maintaining accurate documentation on program activities, and experience working with early childhood programs in the community.  The only experience I lack is the required experience working with pregnant women.

FHI 360, http://www.fhi360.org/en/what_we_do/index.htm

I checked into FHI360, which is a human development organization that focuses on finding local solutions for individuals and communities; the goal is to improve lives in a long term, lasting manner.  Their approach is all encompassing and covers areas such as health, education, nutrition, environment, gender equality, economic development and peace building.  FHI 360 conducts research, strategic planning, clinical trials and training to cover various perspectives with regard to human development needs.  Information and knowledge sharing is key to their success. 

A position of interest is Project Manager I (Region XI Early Childhood Specialist).  The project manager provides technical assistance and training to Head Start programs with regard to school readiness and training.  I do meet some of the job requirements; a BA or BS in Early Childhood Education, Master’s degree preferred, 5 years experience in programs that serve young children, knowledge of child development, experience working with education managers and teachers.  I lack the skills in working with American Indian Alaska Native and I lack experience in T/T A.

International Step-by-Step Association, http://www.issa.nl/index.html

International Step by Step Association connects organizations and education professionals working in early childhood development.  Their goal is to provide equal access to education and childcare for all children.  They offer educational services, advocacy tools to promote policy reform for families and children.  International Step by Step Association promotes family and community involvement in children’s lives as well as promotes developmental growth for the individual child through discovery and exploration.  Children are viewed as capable beings. In addition, the organization provides resources and training for teachers in a wide variety of interest areas such as diversity, parent empowerment, bilingual education, social justice and child centered programming.  This organization embodies the type of work I want to be in. 

I could not find any job postings, but the organization is open to membership.  As a member one has access to professional development, networking opportunities, publications, grants for various projects, as well as invitations to annual conferences. 

This type of resource activity can open many doors, and although I lacked a few of the requirements for the job postings, I feel if I had the opp9ortuntiy for an interview, I could perhaps market myself in such a way that indicates I am capable of learning and growing.