Time Well Spent

Hello Dr. Darragh and Colleagues,

I am excited and honored to have made it this far by completing my master's. It has been a struggle working two jobs , having a baby, and going to school. I thought about giving up and starting back later, but I push through it and finishing up strong. As our journey comes to a close, I am happy because I can say that I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I thank God, my supportive and encouraging husband, mother, sister, family and friends for supporting me and letting me hear those positive words daily. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to communicate with some wonderful classmates through out the program and wish you all nothing, but success.

My learning experiences from this program are:

As professionals, effective communication is the main factor in early childhood that is essential for children and families.

All leaders has his or her own style and the way they want to lead, but however knowing the team, methods to succeed, positive influence, and helping others to achieve is what I would want to stand for as an effective leader.

Our community is better with resources and communicating with other early childhood professionals to create a strong learning environment.

My long term goal is to continue with my education and pursue the next step which is a degree in education specialist, but for now apply for the early childhood specialist position and stay advocating for young children.

To my classmates that I have interacted with over the last two years thanks for your opinions and ideas during the discussion and I wish you guys well. I feel this is an exciting time in our lives and we should be happy.

To all of my professors these past two years, I just would like to say thanks for the feedback on all my assignments because without those my discussion, applications, and blogs would not have improved.

Good Luck to all of you and your professional growth in the early childhood field and feel free to contact me by email to keep in touch. Nice communicating with you all and if I decide to attend graduation I hope to see you guys there.

vonecia.west@yahoo.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The Three international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are: United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF), Save the Children, and Academy for Educational Development.

The reason I chose UNICEF is because this organization protects and defends the rights of every young child. I also love that this organization because it has spent years working to improve the lives of children and their families. All children have rights to fulfill their highest potential to make the world a better place to live (http://www.unicef.org/). My second chose for an international organization that appealed to me was Save the Children. The reason I chose this organization was because they invest in childhood everyday. They also give children the opportunity to learn and be protected from harm are danger. I feel that every child deserves a healthy start and this organization makes sure that they save children lives and for the well being of their future Retrieved from (http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm). The third international organization that appealed to me was Academy for Educational Development(AED) because they stand for making a positive impact on people's lives to create and implement solutions to critical problems. AED aims to strengthen the environment for a positive development. I love that AED is a nonprofit organization working globally to create solutions to issues in health, education, social and economic development (http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm).

A job opportunity that I found, on an international level that I am interested in is: U.S. Field Base Position working with local and national partners to implement programs in Early Childhood and Education, Literacy, Nutrition, and Exercise.The main function of this job is to implement the development of appropriate strategies to achieve Literacy, Writing, and all other developmentally appropriate subjects in early childhood. Most of the skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfill this role I already have especially knowledge in child development and 8 years of experience in the early childhood field. I am confident that I can carry this job out and obtaining my master's will also prove my knowledge in the early childhood field.

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, from http://www.unicef.org/

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

For this week's blog assignment,I will select three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me and explain why I chose them, job opportunities that are currently available, and skills/experiences needed to fulfilled the roles.

One of the national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me was Childcare Resources of Alabama. Childcare Resources makes quality child care happen by partnering with families, child care professionals, and the community. The strategic goals of Childcare Resources are: Training Child care professionals, helping families locate child care, providing parent education services, and offering child care financial assistance to low-to- moderate income working families. To learn more about this organization please go to this website ccr-bhm.org.

The second national/federal organization or communities of practice that appealed to me was United Way of Central Alabama, Inc. United Way has a rich history in helping neighborhoods and communities in Central Alabama. Education is one of their main focus and the cornerstone of individual and community success. The strategic goals of United Way include expanding access to high quality Pre-K, providing resources to meet the basics needs of children. United Way also fight for a positive, community impact by improving lives of others through quality education, financial stability, better health, and access t0o services. To learn more about this organization please go to this website uwca.org.

The third national/federal organization or communities of practice that appealed to me was The National Head Start Association. NHSA is a nonprofit organization committed to the belief that every child regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life. The strategic goals of NHSA is to lead so that every child is served with the Head Start model support for the whole child the family and community. They also will advocate to work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed. To learn more about this organization please go to this website nhsa.org.

The reason I chose all three of these is because they all provide some type of advocacy for children and families. I feel this interest me because I have a background in Early Childhood and looking at all these different organizations helps me to expand my knowledge in this field.

A job opportunity that is currently available that is of interest to me is an Education Specialist working for the Department of Early Childhood Education. The reason this job interests me is because I still will be working with the Pre-K program I just want be in the classroom, I will be supporting the teachers in anyway possible. I would love to be an education specialist I want to see what other teachers are doing in their classroom and things that we can support them in. As a successful education specialist, I could reach many young children and families by teaching teachers and supporting them on how to provide a high quality educational program.

After completing my master's on April 30, 2017, I will have the education and experience to carry out this job. I hope to get this job. I still want to work with children, but not in the classroom I just want to come in and support the teachers with any issues they may be having. I am confident that I will have everything met in order to pursue this job effectively and successfully. I wanted to let my classmates know that this job is posted on children.alabama. gov under careers.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

As an early childhood educator, I feel as if my first responsibility to my community is to be an educator to young children so that they are able to learn from me and get that Head Start in life. I have to teach young children and help them understand effectively. The first community of practice that appeal to me is Purpose Built Communities Woodlawn United " Changing neighborhoods Changing lives" is a local organization that has practices that appeal to me. I chose this community because its purpose is to grow a safe and healthy community where young children learn and play, family live in quality housing, parents work in stable jobs, business thrives and everyone participates in the greater Birmingham community. As an early childhood educator, I would like to make sure that I stay updated on different state, communities and other organization that will help young children. I am confident that I can teach young children and their families about taking care of their community and being part of a positive environment. purposebuiltcommunities.org

In addition to, local community of practice that appeal to me is the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama supports home away from home for families and their children who are receiving medical treatment at local hospitals. They provide a support network that can focus on their children's healing. I like this organization because it is a way to advocate for children and families. I also think this organization is good because families find comfort, care and support without leaving their child's side. www.rmhca.org

The third local organization of practice that appealed to me was TEACH Early Childhood Program. The TEACH Program is a scholarship program that is developed to increase the level of education and effectiveness of early learning professionals. I chose this program because this is important for future educators who might want to pursue a teaching career. I feel this program is much needed. This program also helps with books, tuition, travel stipend etc. I feel this is a great program for future teachers. smart start Alabama.org

A job opportunity that is currently available that is of interest to me is an Education Specialist working for the Department of Early Childhood. The reason this job interests me is because I still will be working with the Pre-K program I just want be in the classroom, I will be supporting the teachers in anyway possible. I would love to be an education specialist I want to see what other teachers are doing in their classroom and things that we can support them in. As a successful education specialist, I could reach many young children and families by teaching teachers and supporting them on how to provide a high quality educational program.

After completing my master's on April 30, 2017, I will have the education and experience to carry out this job. I hope to get this job with the Lord will. I still want to work with children, but not in the classroom I just want to come in and support the teachers with any issues they may be having. I am confident that I will have everything met in order to pursue this job effectively and successfully.

My Journey

I am very excited to finish yet another course towards my journey to completing a mater's degree in Early Childhood Studies. I can not believe how time has past. I remember when I first started and now I am down to four classes left which are my specialization courses. I feel taking this class has taught me how to become an effective communicator and how to hold an effective conversation with others. I love when we get to the end of each course because we are able to reflect on what we have learn. My colleagues I have met through out my journey have been great resources, sharing ideas/opinions, and expressing encouragement. I know I have been the same back to them on the student lounge,discussion board,and blog assignments. I feel this class has really helped me because one day I want to come out the classroom and move up to being a coach for all teachers. I am confident that I am ready to speak in front of a large group as an effective leader in early childhood.I feel this course has helped me personally and professionally. My confidence in having effective communication skills has made me collaborate within groups and help me to really realize that early childhood is for me. I am passionate and motivated about early childhood and I know the closer I get to obtaining my master's degree will increase my knowledge in early childhood.

Adjourning Reflection

I have been working with Head Start/ Pre-K for over seven years and I must say I have met so many people along the way. I have never worked in the classroom with someone that I could not get along with because I can work with anyone. We are both their to do a job and teach to the best of our ability the children that walk in our classroom daily. I have always had a great relationship with coworkers because we all work as a team. When I started working at another center my coworkers were even better. We all knew what the definition of team work was and we strived to help each other when there was a problem. I was so lucky to have coworkers like them. When we would have staff meetings or trainings they were never boring because we made it fun and talked about different issues that went on during the day. We all voiced our opinions about different things and what we could do as a center to solve issues and make it better for staff, children, and families. The discussion this week I talked about being in groups which I do not like to be in because I love working by myself and sometimes I just feel like all the work is thrown on me. Even though we had group problems they still were some nice people to work with. We always liked working as a team, but group things we froze up sometimes.

Unfortunately, at the end of the school year the agency made a lot of changes and moved teachers around to different locations including some of my coworkers. I was so upset because we were a great center who did not cause any problems. Of course we had disagreements, but we never did anything that would make administration come over and check our center out. I guess other centers were having a lot of issues and they just made a big change moving everyone around. In this week's lesson we discussed the adjourning stage which is the fifth stage of the five stages of group development. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman proposed this model and suggests that groups and teams move through a series of stages in order to achieve their peak level of performance. This stage is very important to achieve closure for the group on a positive note. This stage was actually difficult for me because half of my coworkers are gone from the center headed to another center and we go back to work on Monday which will be hard seeing them somewhere else. I feel a sense of loss and that our time together has come to an end. I also have a new center manager and office manager as well. I will have new coworkers, office manager, and boss which I hope will be great as well. I think about the good times we shared because at this stage that is important and also celebrating our success together, but we really did not have time to do this because these changes came at the last minute. Although I hate change it is a part of life. We may not want this to happen, but sometimes it has to be done. I guess the bright side is everybody still has a job working with children. I know that come Monday will be hard, but hopefully this school year is even better.

The closing rituals that I have experienced is the big changes that were made in the agency that I was not ready for. I hope to maintain communication with them and not let this affect our relationship that we have built over the years. I wish that we knew sooner that our center was breaking up that way we could have been already knowing the sudden changes. I imagine that I will adjourn from my colleagues who I have been communicating with while pursuing my master's degree will be bitter sweet. Even though I have never seen you guys the way we discuss on the discussion board and blog you would think that we have met face to face. I would thank them for their feedback, comments, and effective communication on the discussion board, student lounge, and blogs. I also will wish everyone good luck and would love to see them at the graduation. Time is getting close with four classes left to go I will feel sad because I do look to my colleagues as a sense of support by them responding to me and others by using our group discussions and blogs. It will also be a happy time because I have completed another goal and that is something to be glad about. I will truly miss you guys.

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because working with a group that is positive and is able to work together as a team, organization, and has goals set can adjourn with positive accomplishments and conclusions.

Reference

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

Conflict Resolution

I have been working for Head Start for four years and in the Fall of 2014 I got promoted to a Pre-K lead teacher. My first year was great. I was able to get additional resources to use in the classroom, go on unlimited field trips, and do a lot more other things. I was enjoying Pre-K and happy that I was chosen to be the lead teacher in this great state program. My second year was not like the first year administration got very strict and we could not do the same things that we did the previous year. I was not happy with this,but I still did my job and did not let this bother me. After all of this, my Head Start Director called me and said that they would have to decrease my pay due to human resources making a mistake paying the new Pre-K teachers too much money. My first response was you guys are just now figuring this out? It took you all a whole year to find this out? She told me to come by and sign stating that I agree to the changes. I told her I was not going to sign anything because I did not agree to this and I was always taught if you do not agree with something do not sign it. My mom drilled this in my head and my sister and she still does till this day. Unfortunately my pay still was decrease, but I took this matter to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and they could not do anything because the lady said that they were not discriminating because everybody did not get a pay cut. I asked could they take my pay after having this for a year and she said that sometimes it takes a year before they see what the problem is especially is they are getting audit. I was so upset, but I still taught my children to the best of my ability and did not let this get in the way of my job performance. I thought about my master's degree and told myself that this is my motivation to move forward in life. Pursuing a master's degree was the best decision I could have ever made and I remind myself daily and strive to do whatever it takes to keep pushing until I receive it. I am not mad at anyone because I know what my intentions are and what I need to do to get into a new position.

Conflict resolution is a way for two people to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. Eventually, I was able to meet with the Head Start Director and she explained to me in detail why the agency had to decreased my pay. Although I still was not happy, she told me to continue doing what God chose me to do and do not think that my work performance was not being notice because it was. I was thankful for that.I am glad that we were able to sit down and discuss the matter effectively and resolve a conflict that was growing between us. I am still unhappy with the agency, but I just pray that something bigger will come open for me soon. I feel that the 3 R's played a great part in this respect, responsiveness, and building relationships because we were able to create all of these in the conversation that we had with each other. I learn to resolve conflict effectively by treating everybody involved with respect.

I have a question for my colleagues what are your input and advice regarding how you guys have learned to be more effective communicators as it relates to conflict resolution skills?