TIME WELL SPENT

WOW!! I don’t think I can find the words to explain the excitement, relief, uncertainty and all of the other emotions I feel when I think about the end of my Master’s Journey as I have so affectionately called my walk towards a goal I never thought I would have enough energy or zeal to complete.  I have learned so much from the wonderful instructors of Walden University but especially from my colleagues who have walked this path with me.  I would like to sincerely thank all of you for all you offer the field of education.  It takes an abundance of love, commitment and compassion to work in this field and I commend us all for being consistent in the fact that we want to make a difference in the lives of children and their families.  I pray many blessings over you all in your walk in this wonderful field of education. 

               As I reflect on what I have learned from this program, the three things that radiate in my spirit are described in the quotes from some of my favorite people, who have poured into society and some who have passed on while I have been going through this journey: 

Nelson Mandela:  ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’

THE PASSION AND ZEAL OF EDUCATORS

Nelson Mandela was one of the strongest men in the history of this world.  To have been through so much in his life and remain so positive and give so much back to society really encourages me and reminds me of all of the wonderful educators in this world.  Those who weather so many disappointments that can occur in this field but still pour into the children we teach.

Maya Angelou:  ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’

DIVERSITY

Maya Angelou is my absolute favorite poet.  This quote epitomizes my thoughts about the relationships we enter as people but especially the relationships formed with children.  Educators invoke the feelings of children and open their minds to learning and…yes even loving others no matter their differences.

Mahatma Ghandi:  ‘If you want to reach real peace in this world, we should start educating children.’

My Views of Early Childhood Education

It’s amazing to me how wisdom always prevails.  Starting with not only educating young children but teaching them to respect and love for everyone, not matter their differences is the key to reaching real peace in this world.

MY LONG TERM GOAL:

Dr. Maya Angelou:  ‘Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.’

LONG TERM GOALS

Dr. Angelou quotes my long term goal! My desire is to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. This is my life’s desire. To help others achieve their goals and reach their ultimate destiny in life.  I want to leave a legacy in this world that is filled will love and determination.  I would like people who may not have taken the "normal" educational path to look at my life and say, "If a wife, mother of four, grandmother and full time teacher can do it, then so can I."  I am so proud of myself and I leave you with these words:      GO GET IT!!

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The goal of my Community of Practice is to help eradicate poverty of young children and their families. There is a great need to end poverty here in America. However, an even greater need lies in other countries.

The three organizations that peaked my interest and I would like to learn more about are;

Save the Children- Save the Children is an amazing organization that works to help children and their families all over the world with food, shelter and good health. They assist children in times of crisis as in many ways as well as assisting child development centers in providing quality care for children from all walks of life. Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When disaster strikes, we put children's needs first. We advocate for and achieve large-scale change for children (Save the Children, 2011).

There are 85 job opportunities available in many different capacities of the Save the Children organization located here in the United States and abroad.

The position that I am interested in is the Advisor, Basic Education and Literacy.

Job Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in education, child development, international development, or other related field
• 10+ years program experience in education; significant experience working with educators and education systems in sub-Saharan Africa, preferred
• Experience in program design and proposal development, including private and public donors.
• Strong proposal writing skills
• French speaker highly preferred
• Ability to travel up to 40% of the time

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. I share the same vision as UNICEF because I believe children thrive when their basic needs are met and it is important to provide them with all of their needs so that that infant mortality rates decrease as well as child poverty (UNICEF, n.d.).
I would be interested in working on what they refer to as a Talent Group which is very similar to a Community of Practice because it is a group of people with different specialized focuses that work together towards a common goal.

Job Qualifications: Vary depending upon the area of expertise one brings to the table.

Academy for Educational Development – Founded in 1961, the Academy for Educational Development is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to solving critical social problems and building the capacity of individuals , communities, and institutions to become more self-sufficient. AED works in all the major areas of human development, with a focus on improving education, health, and economic opportunities for the least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throughout the world (Academy for Educational Development, 2011). This organization is very relevant to the focus of my Community of Practice in their efforts to eradicate poverty through educational development on many levels (AED,2011).

The position I would be interested in would be Technical Advisor I, Child Protection, Care and Wellbeing through Economic Strengthening.

The Technical Advisor will take a leading role in the design and assessment of the two field projects, as well as in carrying out desk-based and field research to develop guidance on household-targeted economic strengthening. The role requires technical and programmatic expertise in child protection, particularly the reintegration of separated children into families (e.g., street children, institutionalized children, children separated during an emergency, former child soldiers), and in providing technical assistance, capacity building, and training to donors, practitioners and other organizations (Academy for Educational Development, 2011).

Job Qualifications:
• PhD or Master’s degree in international development, economics, social sciences, or a related field
• Successful candidates in this role typically have 12+ years of total experience, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in child protection programming. Experience with child reintegration into households desired.
• Significant programmatic experience in or demonstrated knowledge of household-level interventions to address social protection and/or economic strengthening. Demonstrated understanding of issues and programming approaches related to strengthening household capacities to provide adequate care and protection for vulnerable children.
• Experience working in or deep understanding of multi-sectoral interventions, especially those incorporating economic strengthening, is highly desired.
• Experience in research management or project management would be valuable in this role.
• Strong analytical, writing, and representational skills are critical for this position.
• Willingness to engage in ongoing learning about new approaches and technical areas outside of core expertise areas, including actively pursuing training and informal learning opportunities.
• Ability to manage projects, set realistic priorities and plan for the successful implementation of activities.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, and strong intercultural communication skills. Fluency in French is a plus.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to coordinate diverse stakeholders to achieve common objectives.
• Experience working in developing countries, especially in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Relevant computer software skills (including, at a minimum, the standard applications in MS Office).


References:
Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm
Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/ 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level-Week 4

I am so excited about website I have found which contains many different resources on both National and Federal levels.
The Children's Bureau is an contains eleven different Children's Resource Centers

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the Department of Health & Human Services. We promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities (Administration for Children and Families, n.d.).

Since Kingdom Kids Child Development and Youth Activity Center will serve families in low income areas, these resources will be vitally important. Here are a couple of Resource Centers available to help us serve our families:

National Resource Center for Youth Development - Provides states with CFSR assistance, including promoting stakeholder involvement, T&TA, and information services, and offers states, tribes, and other youth-serving organizations assistance in effectively implementing the Chafee Foster Care Independence and Education and Training Voucher programs, and supporting youth engagement in child welfare policy, planning, and program development.

National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement - Offers technical assistance, training, teleconferences and publications to assist states with CFSRs, including strategic planning, quality improvement, evaluating outcomes, facilitating stakeholder involvement, and improving training and workforce development.

As with most Children's agencies; these bureaus are always in need of sponsors and volunteers in various capacities. Paid employment opportunities include social workers that will be assigned families to assist with various services offered and counselors to provide counseling to children and their families as needed.

References:

Children's Bureau. (n.d.). Children's Bureau Administration for Children and Families. Retrieved May 31, 2014 from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three organizations that I choose for this week's assignment are as follow:

1. Gaston County Health Department Parent Counseling Services - The position I would like to obtain would be as a Parent Counselor with the responsibilities of talking with new parents about the importance of early child development which helps children get a great start in education and how it also helps with early detection of any exceptionalities. I would also be responsible for guiding them to programs that would help them find great preschool programs for their children.

2. Childcare Resources Incorporated - The position of a Case Worker would intel helping parents find the resources to assist them in finding and affording quality childcare for their children. The person in this position would also be responsible for ensuring that once services have been granted that the children's attendance is consistent.

3. Department of Children's Health and Resources - The position of a Clinic Nurse is in charge of educating parents on the importance of vaccinations as well as administering vaccinations. Healthy children afford parents the opportunity to work outside of the home. I would also work with the mobile unit that will go out into the community to provide minor care to children.

BEST WISHES!!

To my instructor and colleagues,

I feel as if I am living what we have all learned throughout the past eight weeks. We are here at the "Adjourning Phase" of our collaboration!! I am so excited for all of us to be moving forward on our journey towards our Master's Degree. However, I will miss each of you so much! I wish each of you the very best and I look forward to seeing you all at graduation because we are one step closer to our destiny. Keep up the wonderful work and I will see you soon.

Kindest Regards,

Berdetta Clark

IT'S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE!!

Saying, "Goodbye" is always so very difficult for me. I can remember how difficult is was to say to my Comrades when leaving Basic Training, and just recently when we relocated to North Carolina from Virginia and I had to leave my team from the Child Development Center and Academy I managed for six years. Our team had gone through the forming, storming, norming and performing stages and now the adjourning stage was upon us. I can remember when I was first hired as the Director. I came into a situation that was very volatile. There was a high turnover rate and many of the staff members didn't take pride in their work. Then there were those with very strong personalities that almost took on a dictator role in the center. They felt since they had worked there for so long, they were in charge. I must admit, the forming stage was very difficult because I had to evaluate the team's current performance and decide if a new team was necessary or if we could continue with the current team. Depending upon how you look at the process, we had to form a "new" team which meant keeping some of the current team members but changing their mindset and hiring new staff members. The storming stage where, "They have different opinions on what should be done and how it should be done - which causes conflict within the team. As they go progress through this stage, with the guidance of the team leader, they learn how to solve problems together, function both independently and together as a team, and settle into roles and responsibilities on the team (Abudi, 2010)." was especially difficult for those who were very opinionated. I can remember having to have several one on one conversations with individuals in order to curtail the intimidation of others their strong personalities caused. In the end the norming and performing stages were very successful. The employee turnover rate decreased tremendously which caused the enrollment to increase. During our adjourning stage, there were a lot of tears. I felt as if I was leaving my family. When I go back to visit, many of the same team members are still there and I can proudly say that they had learned so much from my leadership style because in essence, they had moved on to their various areas and appreciated how I made the vision clear, managed very difficult situations and was never afraid to model expected behavior for them. I miss them so much but it is like a reunion when we all get together. I can honestly say this team was one of the most challenging but most rewarding teams I have every worked on.

When I think about my team at Walden University, I have had a wonderful experience with this group of wonderful people. I think those of us who will meet face to face for the first time at our graduation will be super excited and experience a new level of unity. I never thought I would feel such a closeness from attending an online University because I am a face-to-face person however, I was so wrong. This has been a very unique experience for me.

Adjourning is a very important stage of a team because at some point the individuals must branch out and put what they have built to work. We must learn from one another and move out to teach others. Also, adjourning is important because sometimes we must be careful not to establish cliques and splinter groups that will deter others from appreciating the teams contributions to the project.


References:

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Non Violent Communication

This week we are learning about nonviolent communication. As I thought about my week, I realized I am experiencing a very unusual conflict in my personal life. I must admit, I was perfectly content with severing ties with this person simply because I feel as if I have been struggling to have a meaningful relationship for many years. I have tried many strategies, to no avail. So, I had finally resolved to just severing ties. Realistically, this would certainly be one to the hardest things to do because this person is my mother. Yes, my mother. For so many years I have been in conflict with my mother concerning how she enables my older brother. I personally believe it to be a generational habit that has been passed on through our family. For some strange reason, the women in my family have enabled the men in my family. They deemed it necessary to take care of them well into their adult lives which, has made it impossible for the men to take the role as the head of a household. Therefore, there are men in my family who are well into their forties and fifties who have never been married and although they have moved in with several women, have quickly moved back in with their mothers simply because they did not want the responsibilities. I find this to be very unfair to the health and well being of my mother because of the stress that she is constantly under as well as the stress it puts my sister and I under due to the fact that she wants us to “understand” why she continues to bail him out even to detriment of herself.

I honestly thought I just needed to give up on ever having a “normal” relationship with her until this week. “It is important that we do something because whether we like it or not, conflicts demand our energy. In fact, an unresolved conflict can call on tremendous amounts of our attention. We all know how exhausting an unresolved conflict can be. It is not always easy to fix the problem but a great energy boost can come when we do (Conflict Resolution Network, n.d.).” I decided to resolve the conflict by calling and talking with my mother after five months. I decided to use these two strategies:

1. Win/Win which states: “I want to win and I want you to win too (Conflict Resolution Network, n.d.).” I decided to take this approach and in the end, we both felt so much better about the decisions we made to make life much better for ourselves.

2. Go back to needs states: “The most important win/win maneuver you can make is to change course by beginning to discuss underlying needs, rather than only looking at solutions (Conflict Resolution Network, n.d.).” I understand that my children want and need their grandmother in their lives. I also realize that I want and need to have a relationship with my mother. Her feelings were mutual and she realized that she needed to allow my brother to stand on his own two feet so that she will have the time and energy to do exactly what she should be doing at this phase of her life which is enjoying herself and her grandchildren.

I am so thankful for this course and I am excited about the start of a new journey in our lives.


Reference:
Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3