Where Did All This Lead?

It has been several years since I posted to Miss Michele’s Adventures in Early Childhood, the blog that was created during my Master’s Degree program. Within just a few weeks of graduation, I transferred my new skills and degree into a Director’s position at a non-profit, play-based preschool, my dream job. I have had great success in that position; ensuring play-based practices, improving the learning space and solidifying its anti-bias curriculum. I also got to begin giving focused training and workshops to the staff. This was something I had done for both teachers and parents prior to having my own children and stepping away from the field for a few years. Now, in addition to being a Director I have starting offing my services as a trainer, workshop leader and consultant. I began Early Childhood Strategies for Professional and Parents. 

Check out my new blog http://earlychildhoodstrategies.blogspot.com/

And website https://sites.google.com/a/earlychildhoodstrategies.com/home/

I would love to have you come visit and leave your comments or reach out for my services.

Time Well Spent

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             This is one of those moments when feels like it took so long to get here while simultaneously I cannot believe my course work for Grad School is complete. We have all traveled on this path towards a Master’s degree, but like the students we teach every day we come from many different backgrounds. Many of you I was fortunate to have in several classes, others I was privileged to meet in this class.

               Developing an understanding of deep culture and creating an anti-bias classroom is one of my deeply felt learnings from this program. Our class on diversity and equity provided me with greater insight and resources to accomplish this in my work, in the early childhood field. The diversity of our classrooms and our willingness to share contributed greatly. I learned from all of you each week, and I thank you!

               A second learning I got from this course is that time must be spent building the adults that will care for the children. Those adults, teachers, administrators, support staff and parents must work as a team for the success of the children in their care. We in the field must advocate for proper training, meeting and planning time.

               The third learning I received is our role in the EC Field is as big as we can dream it to be. DREAM BIG my fellow classmates. I have been amazed at your insight, thoughtfulness and passion. Let’s go out there and create change.

               My long term goal is to work as a consultant in the field so that I can bring my knowledge of best practices to a larger community.

  

Thank you to all my fellow students and Walden Instructors that helped me to develop the skills I will need to move forward in my EC career!

I hope we will remain in touch and continue to be part of each other’s community of practice.

REMEMBER TO PLAY EVERY DAY!.

  

Feel free to keep in touch mfortier86@gmail.com

International Roles/ Jobs in the ECE Community

                 As I explored the international early childhood community, I found the work of the International Step By Step Association (n.d.) intriguing. “ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives” (International Step By Step Association, n.d.). The primary focus is on birth through primary school. They website provides access to many resources for ECE professional and focus on the creation on high quality environments.

               Although the association is global, there is a heavy concentration in Central and Eastern Europe. Recently, I found that my biological family traces back to that area, and I have been doing research on several countries there. Lithuania and Poland in particular!

                I would enjoy a position for the ISSA that would allow me to work as an international advocate for children’s rights or in the area of professional development. I believe I have the qualifications needed to work in the area of professional development. In order to work as an international advocate, I would need to research the region or country I would be working in to gain an understanding of the needs. Studying the culture, funding sources and governmental regulations would also be necessary. My knowledge of the ECE field would serve me well.

               The second organization that I would be honored to work for is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2012). UNESCO (2012) works on behalf of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty.  I would love to work in either the education or gender equality areas. I see these areas interrelated in many countries as it is often the girls that are denied access to education. In order to work for UNESCO as a professional, I would need to be able to take the expertise I have in the field of ECE and apply it to global issues. This would take more experience than I currently have now. There is the possibility that I would be able to fill a temporary consultant position which would provide the experience I am in need of.  Additionally, my limitation of speaking one language would once again work against me.

               The third organization that interests me is the World Forum Foundation (2011). The World Forum Foundation sponsors gathering around the world for early childhood professionals. There are currently 4000 members from 95 countries. The forums have different topics as their focus. They have ranged from Men in Early Childhood education to Managing Multi-Site Programs. The World Forum has national representatives from each country. The training and previous job descriptions for each of these representatives varies greatly. The role of these National Representative is to share suggested topics of concern and potential presenters with the World Forum program planners. Additionally, spreading the word about the World Forum is part of their role. This sounds like an interesting role in the field. I learned a great deal from my contact in Kenya earlier in my studies and to have the opportunity to network with ECE professional around the world would be exciting.

                

References

 International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2012). Retrieved April 11, 2013 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

World Forum Foundation. (2011). Retrieved April 12, 2013 from http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/

Communities of Practice on a National Level

          National communities of practice provide opportunities for those who share a passion to be able to share knowledge across the country. As Wegner (2008) stated the community does not have to work together on a daily basis, but they must interact and learn from each other. Working together to solve a problem, the combined efforts of many members across the nation can have a greater impact (Wegner, 2006).

            The field of early childhood has many communities of practice that work on a national level for the well-being children and families. As I consider roles that I might like to take on in the field outside the role of a classroom teacher or program administrator, here are three of communities of practice that interest me.

            The National Institute for Early Education and Research (2013, ¶1) whose mission is to conduct and communicate “research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children” is a national community of practice I would enjoy being a member of. I already follow their blog and check their website frequently for national news in the field of early childhood education.

            The National Institute for Early Education and Research (NIEER) is looking for research assistants on a rolling basis. Because they are affiliated with the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University in my home state of New Jersey, I have already sent my resume. I may not be the typical graduate student they are looking for, but I needed to at least try.  With my Master’s degree, I would be qualified to work as a research coordinator for NIEER and to write for their blog. I will follow their job postings.

            The second community of practice that interests me is Zero to Three (2012). Their work in the area of infant and toddler development is needed as we learn so much more about the amount of brain development that occurs at this stage. They work to support parents, educators and policymakers as more and more infants and toddlers are being care for out of the home (Zero to Three, 2012).

            Zero to Three (2012) is currently seeking technical assistance specialists to provide support services to grantees. My Master’s degree would qualify me for the positions, but I do not have the specific experience they are requesting. I have not conducted home visits or worked in Head Start programs. Unfortunately, at this point in my career the eight and 10 years of experience they are requiring may be out of my reach.

            HighScope (2013) is the third community of practice that interests me. My first preschool teaching job was at a school that used the High Scope curriculum. This is when my foundation in children directing their learning through play was forged. I still use a version of the plan-do-review sequence in my classroom today (HighScope, 2013). HighScope and the Perry Preschool Study have had a profound impact on the field of early childhood education by demonstrating the lasting effects of high quality early education (HighScope, 2013).

            For my last job, I thought I would just dream. On the HighScope (2013) website, there is a job posting for an early childhood teacher with HighScope training in Milan, Italy. It is a bilingual school looking for a native English speaking teacher. I would need to get a valid work permit and be willing to work there for two years. I would receive free Italian language classes! I will check back again in two years when my son graduates high school!

           

References

HighScope. (2013). The HighScope difference. Retrieved March 29, 2013 http://www.highscope.org/

National Institute for Early Education and Research.  (2013). About NIEER. Retrieved March 29, 2013 from http://nieer.org/about/vision

Wenger, E. (2006).Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

Zero to Three. (2012). Early experiences matter. Retrieved March 29, 2013 from http://www.zerotothree.org/

Communities of Practice

I realize that my desire to earn my Master’s Degree and gain further knowledge in my profession was in fact a search for a community of practice. I had a need to share knowledge with others and gain access to expertise (Wegner, 2002). During my studies I have gained fellow students and instructors as a community of practice. Our shared passion for excellence in the field of early childhood is was has brought us together. I am hopeful that this somewhat fragile community can remain intact as after graduation.

After taking several years off to parent my own children and moving to another part of the state I needed to establish new connections to a community of practice when I returned to the early childhood field. I joined the closest state NAEYC affiliate, Northwest New Jersey (n.d.). I chose this community of practice because I had been a NJAEYC member in the past. I recognize the excellence of the resources provided and conferences held annually.

Another community of practice I am interested in is the NJ Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (2013). In addition to providing workshops and conferences for teachers, NJACCRRA also advocates for effective policy on a state and national level. Parent Voices New Jersey, part of NJACCRRA lobbies to address child care access and affordability issues of parents across our state.

Professional Impact N J (2013) is associated with Kean University. Its mission is to coordinate systems of education for professionals working in the early childhood field. Training in all areas of early care and education are offered. They have created a registry for Childhood Professionals. You can register your credentials and become an approved instructor for workshops.

This leads me to job opportunities that interest me. I am looking to make a shift in the direction of my career. Registering with Professional Impact N J and becoming an instructor would be a dream job. I have provided workshops on a small scale before. I am even more confident now in my knowledge and ability. The desire to share with those in the field is strong. Completing my Master’s Degree and passing their online assessment is what I would need for this position. I already have the required year of experience in the field.

I am seeking director and assistant director positions now that I am nearing graduation. There is a school being built very close to my home that has advertised for an educational director.  I have applied and am waiting to hear back. This job appeals to me because it provides me an administrative role that is directly related to curriculum and staff training. And would be a five minute commute!

I am preparing for a phone interview for an assistant directors position for which I have already taken two online assessments. I was grateful for my recent class on budgeting and my high school algebra teacher when taking one of the assessments.

I will continue to seek out communities of practice as I make a career shift. I am well aware that as I take on a new role I will need a support network.   

References

NJAEYC. (n.d.) N J association of education of young child northwest affiliate. Retrieved March 14, 2013 http://njaeycnorthwest.org/

NJ Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. (2013). About our organization. Retrieve March 14, 2013 from http://www.njaccrra.org/

Professional Impact N J. (2013). Advocating growth for early childhood educators. Retreived March 14, 2013 from http://www.pinj.org/index.php?cat=home

Wenger, E. (n.d.). Cultivating communities of practice: A quick start-up guide. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/start-up_guide_PDF.pdf

Sense of Accomplishment

I cannot believe there are only eight more weeks to this adventure. I am looking forward to working with all of you and helping each other reach our Master's degree goals!

Thank You

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” ~ Carl Gustav Jung.  Retrieved from http://personalexcellence.co/blog/101-most-inspiring-quotes-part-4/#growth

Someone shared this quote with me many years ago. With it they said, those that you find the most challenging to work with are holding up a mirror to behaviors you don’t like in yourself. This quote came to mind often as learned about effective communication in this course. So often we blame others for communication breakdown and once again I have learned the only person I can change is me. I am responsible for part of every communication I have with others. The lesson of the Platinum Rule will remain with me (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011). Learning to treat others as they want to be treated has helped me improve the effectiveness of my communication with many people already.

Thank you to all of my colleagues that once again helped me learn and grow as an early childhood professional. We certainly developed a level of trust that allowed us to share very personal stories, enabling us to learn from each other’s experiences. It has been invaluable to be able to read the various perspectives of what we were learning. I gained insight from each discussion and blog post and was able to reflect on the information from a view I may have never considered on my own. 

I am optimistic that with our new understanding of effective communication we will go on to influence the field of early childhood in many positive ways. To my colleagues that will continue on to the Administration, Management and Leadership specialization, I look forward to studying with you again. To the rest of my colleagues I wish you continued success, please stay in touch.  I hope to see everyone at graduation next August!

Reference

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon