Time Well Spent

It is time to finally say thank you.  Our journey is at an end.

To my colleagues, thank you for being inspiring early childhood educators.  Your passion, knowledge, caring, and commitment are markers for my own continuous improvement.

To Dr. Teri, thank you for your exceptional teaching.   I smiled at your light heartedness, and craved your feedback for it was insightful and challenging.  I am so very glad that I was one of your students, and was able to benefit from your stellar instruction.  

My future work will be guided by a sustaining goal to be an advocate for play for children.  Another long-term goal is to stay abreast of current research in the field of early childhood education.

As I look back upon this degree program, three things stand out as having made an impact on me.

First, as an early childhood educator, I am obligated to be an advocate for children.

Next, the promise of childhood makes it a unique time in our life cycle which should be cherished and safeguarded.

Last, early childhood educators put in place the building blocks for a child’s lifelong love of learning.

International Roles in the ECE Community

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the only UN agency specifically mandated with the responsibility for promoting creativity and safeguarding the world’s diverse cultural heritage.  This organization caught my attention because of its project in Southeast Asia to document traditional children’s games to preserve intangible cultural heritage.   The project is documenting the “process of play” and using it for a child-centered curriculum in the country of origin.  Because my Capstone project focuses on preserving play in American classrooms, this international effort appealed to me.  Although the project itself is staffed, there are “general staffing” opportunities available in the fields of business and education.  Qualifications include a graduate degree in either field, which I have, a working knowledge of French, and familiarity with Spanish.  I studied Spanish for many years, and could brush on my skill set.  French would be a language I would need to learn to qualify for the position.

FHI360 is an international nonprofit human development organization with a mission to improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development.  The organization advocates for playful interactive early childhood education classrooms, which naturally appealed to me in light of my Capstone challenge.   An available job opportunity was as a graduate level intern in the field of economic development.  The project is working to advance mircofinancing opportunities.  With my undergraduate economics degree, this work appealed me.  With my early education degree, I was interested in possible microfinancing opportunities for women to support efforts to establish educational cooperatives.  I am qualified for this position since I have a Master’s degree and am proficient in Excel.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is charged with the mission to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. This organization appealed to me because of work at the Transfer Center.  Here, researchers are studying play and investigating the effectiveness of learning games as part of successful learning.   An available job opportunity is as a research assistant in Paris contributing to the analysis of education policy.  I am qualified with my Master’s degree in education, but would need to work for two years in educational research before I could apply for the position.

National Roles in the ECE Community

KaBoom! is a non-profit organization based out of Washington, D.C.  Its mission is to improve the lives of children by ensuring access to playgrounds.  The organization was voted as one of the top 50 non-profit places to work by The NonProfit Times.  I chose to look for job opportunities at this organization because of its reputation as a high-quality workplace, and because its mission focuses on play and children, which is the focus of my Capstone challenge.    One of the current job openings that appealed to me for some future point in my career was Director of Foundation Partnerships.  I would first need experience working and developing relationships with foundations, for which I would need a minimum seven years of experience.

I also looked for employment opportunities with The Children’s Defense Fund.   I chose this organization because I admire Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF).  I also admire the organization’s mission to ensure that all children have a voice and are supported by caring communities and families.  One of its current job openings is for Chief Development Officer for gift fundraising.  I would need at least five years fundraising experience for this job.

The last organization I looked at was Zero To Three, whose mission is to  ensure that all babies and toddlers have a “strong” start in life .  I chose this organization because I sincerely believe in its mission.  Current job openings are for a Development Manager of Grants and Proposals.  Again, at least five years of experience in seeking and writing grants is needed.  

Each organization embraces worthwhile missions, and I would be honored to work for any of them. 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

I am interested in the work being done by the University of Connecticut in its Child Development Laboratories because its mission is to foster child development through play-based experiences, which is the topic of my Capstone Project.   Staff qualifications include a Master's in Early Childhood Development, and an active presence in the community as a consultant or presenter on topics of early childhood education and development.  To work in this laboratory, I would therefore need to gain experience as a community resource presenter or consultant, which will simply come with time.

In the state of Connecticut, The School for Young Children at the University of Saint Joseph is known as being one of the oldest preschools  and child development laboratories in the State.  Its reputation is well-respected for the care and education it provides to students, and for the professional development opportunities it affords to all educators in the State.  This is why the school interests me.  To work at this preschool, all of the teachers meet NAEYC criterion.   Once I have a Master’s in ECE, I will meet this criterion and be qualified to work at this school.

Last, I would like to learn more about the Branford Early Childhood Collaborative.  Its mission is to ensure that all children in the town of Branford are happy, safe and successful, and love learning and life!  The Collaborative has earned major state and private fund endowments because of its worthy work.  It partners with state organizations I admire like the Read to Grow program and the United Way.  I want to learn how this organization is so successful.  To work for the Collaborative, I would be a part of the Advisory Board.  The Board spans professions from kindergarten teachers, preschool directors, board of education members, and university professors.   By working toward my goal of owning and directing a preschool and by becoming an active community member, I increase my chances of becoming a member of the Board.

Thank You

To my classmates, we have completed our final core class together and should be proud!  Our journey has reached one milestone because of our commitment and hard work.  Please continue to carry your perseverance with you as you begin your specializations.  I sincerely wish the best for each of you as you pursue your degree.  Thank you for helping me to learn and grow on my own journey.  I am grateful.

Adjourning from Teams

When I think of the groups that I have been involved in, it has been hardest to say good-bye to the groups where the team united over a personal and vulnerable experience that was ultimately successfully.  The first group that comes to mind was the team of doctors and nurses that cared for my first daughter, Annalise, during her first days of life.  Annalise was born preterm.  My first experience with motherhood was that it took a team to keep a baby healthy and safe.  After four days and three nights in the NICU, we were told all was well and we could take Annalise home.    I felt incredibly indebted to the team that cared for my new baby, and found it very difficult to say good-bye to them after our experience together caring for Annalise.   After the many hugs and words of thanks, the staff sent Annalise home with the homemade blanket and hat that she had used in the hospital, which had been knitted and donated by a kind person.  This closing ritual was a tangible way to hold on to the team experience, to keep their kindness close at home.  Adjourning is completion.  It acknowledges an accomplishment, or the end of an effort, and is the last step needed to move on from the experience. 

This is why graduation ceremonies are so important.  But, as I look back at the two other degrees I have obtained, I did not walk in those ceremonies, and know I will not walk for this graduation.  I have not really thought much about why I have avoided these adjourning moments.  I suppose the accomplishments were made to seem very ordinary without an adjourning phase, which is opposite of how I felt.  I cannot explain my reluctance to participate in such ceremonies, but I acknowledge their importance. 

Conflict Management

I had a disagreement with my husband tonight about whether or not he should go into work tomorrow.  The State of Connecticut is preparing for a blizzard that is to hit Friday morning and continue into Saturday.  Notifications of school and community event cancellations were issued a day in advance due to the severity and timing of the storm.  My husband said he planned to go into work to attend two meetings.  Incredulously, I asked if he had heard the weather reports.  He said he did not want to be an alarmist, and would take precautions as necessary.  I became very sarcastic and said that I was unaware that he was so important that the blizzard weather advisory did not apply to him.  How was it that he knew more than the weather advisories?  When did he go to meteorology school?  I continued on like this while my husband sat quietly during my verbal assault.  When I was done, he simply said, “I had planned on being home before noon.” This made me feel slightly better, but I wish he had decided to stay home.  I could have handled this disagreement much better.  First, nonviolent communication recommends honest expression of feelings, and not sarcastic expression of our feelings.   I should have eliminated the sarcasm from the disagreement, and instead told him that I was concerned for his safety and wanted him home safe.  If I had done this, it would have been clear to him that I was worried about him.  I would be expressing love rather than anger.  Next, I could have listened better.  I could have asked my husband probing questions about why he felt his meetings were important to attend, or why he was not concerned about weather reports.   If I had done this, I would have learned that he planned on leaving for work in the morning, and also planned on leaving work early.   I did ask him later how he tried to resolve conflicts at work.  My husband said he tries to keep in mind that he is communicating with a rational person who is collecting information in a way that makes sense to her, and so, he tries to “seek to understand, rather than be understood”.  This is a very good strategy according to “The Third Side” website (http://www.thirdside.org/), our book, and other class resources which encourages us to become other-oriented in our conflict management.   Placing myself in another’s shoes, or being empathic, is not usually my primary emotion during conflicts, but it is a perspective that I recognize is valuable, and is something I want to work at.