Saturday, June 29, 2013

Time Well Spent








                                             
This program taught me:
            The first thing that I learned from this program of study was that we have passion about
an issue inside us for a reason and we need to take that passion and use it.  Once I recognized
the passion that I have to help children and I was able to identify the ways that I can use
that passion to become dedicated to a cause and make a change in society, then nothing could
stop me.  I have become a person fueled by this passion and committed to making the world a
better place first for the children and families in my community and then for the children and
families in the world.  I learned that I was not aware that I had this kind of passion within me
but now it has changed me and I’m ready to use it to change the world.

            The second thing I have learned is that I had a complete misconception as to what
diversity is before this program.  In the words of Ola Joseph, “Diversity is not about how we
differ, it is about embracing one another’s uniqueness” (Laureate Education, 2011).  I have
learned that diversity is something that we need to reflect and celebrate in our classrooms
because diversity is what makes each child and person what he/she is.  In my opinion many
teachers see diversity in the same way that I did and that is when someone is from another
country or of another race.  I was wrong about diversity but I have had the chance to take
learning and use it to change my misconceptions and now I will be able to do the same for
others.  

          
            The third thing that I have learned is that self-reflection is a major part in learning.
 If we want to become true anti-bias educators, then we have to be able to look within ourselves
and uncover the hidden biases that we may be harboring.  Self-reflection allows us to examine
our thoughts, feelings, and actions in order to become better educators, learners and people
day by day.  In order to successfully learn anything, we must first learn about ourselves and
be willing to encompass not only our strengths but our weaknesses as well.  Knowing our
weaknesses can help us to change them so that then they can become a part of our strength.

         
            The final and most important thing that I believe I learned during this program is that
I have the ability to be an inspiration.  I have been inspired by so many people in my life and
also during the course of this program, but I never believed that I could be someone like that.
Julie Benavides said that “everyone has the ability to inspire” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).
I now agree with this statement and I know that with the knowledge and support I have gained
through this program I CAN become an inspiration to someone else. 

Long-Term Goals
            The first long-term goal that I have is to keep learning.  I want to keep studying about
early childhood education and all of the many ways that I can be an agent of social change
within the field.  I haven’t decided for sure yet but my future plans could involve gaining my
doctorate in the field and maybe someday teaching some courses in early childhood education.
            My second long-term goal is to open and operate a Christian-based preschool/daycare. 
I want this school to be a reflection of all that I have learned in this program because if it is, I
know that it will be a success.  I want my program to be one that is rich in diversity, is
welcoming to everyone, and inspires others to want to make a change in the world.  I now
know that if I even make a difference in the life of one child and family, then I can be proud
of that.  What I would not be proud of is never trying.  I will take this precious gift that I have
been given and use it help change the world. 
 

Farewell Message     
            I don’t really like to say goodbye so I will just say “until we meet again.”  I really hope
that I will have the chance to work with all of you again in the future.  Each person that I have
had the chance to interact with I consider a blessing to my life.  I completely believe that the
people that we meet are put in our lives for a reason and I know that all of you were gifts to me. 
Thank you for all of your wisdom, encouragement, support, and advice as we have traveled
down this road together.  Each one of you is in my prayers and I will be praying that many
blessings will be added into your life for the blessings that you have brought to mine.
Always know that you have someone who is willing to be a support for you and I will
help you in any way that I can.  Take care and I know that the future is bright because
you all are shining lights!
            Dr. Teri – Thank you very much for all that you have given to me during this course.
It wasn’t until this course that I finally believed enough in myself to realize that I can and want
to be an agent of social change.  Your wisdom, expertise, guidance and especially your
encouragement is something that I will treasure always.  You are a wonderful teacher who
strives to bring out the best in her students.  I thank you for showing me what inspiration looks
and feels like because you have been a great inspiration to me.  God Bless You!       

                             


Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Merging vision, passion, and practice [Multimedia    presentation]. Baltimore, MD: Retrieved from: http://mym.cdn.laureate- media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6990/01/mm/ec_pres/index.html

  
 

Saturday, June 15, 2013

International Roles in the ECE Community



There are many international organizations that support the welfare and protection of children.  The following are three that I found that were of interest to me and to my challenge topic.  

International Foster Care Organization                     IFCO: International Foster Care Organisation
            This organization is a world-wide nonprofit & charity organization that is volunteer-based.  The mission of this organization is to find family based solutions for children who are in out- of-home care (International Foster Care Organization, n.d.).  Their aim is to support family based care by providing information to people and organizations of different nations and they do this by organizing conferences and trainings that are international (International Foster Care Organization, n.d.).  Their belief, like mine, is that foster care should be a team effort between the children, foster care families, social workers, placing agency, birth parents, and others who are contributing to the well-being of the child.  They also run under the philosophy that the care should be child-centered and family-focused while providing support through consultation, networking, publications, and assistance for all those involved.
            This organization is run by an elected board that consists of 15 members from around the world.  They do not allow any more than two members on the board from any one country which allows for the organization to represent all of the many diverse countries of the world and their children and families.  Due to the fact that this organization is run by volunteers, there are not any jobs available but they do accept volunteers and expert trainers and consultants.  For a fee you can become a member which entitles you access to all of the services and publications that they offer.  Members are given access to discussion lists where they can become a part of a global foster care network allowing them to exchange thoughts and ideas with others (International Foster Care Organization, n.d.).   This organization accepts volunteers from any country but if a person would want to become a volunteer he/she would have to write to them and tell them what he/she could offer them.  There is also the option of applying to the Training Bureau or in assisting with the making of the website or magazine.  This company is also looking for professionals who can share expertise from around the world at their Training & Development Bureau (International Foster Care Organization, n.d.).  This part of the organization works in exchanging information among different countries and consists of children who have been in care and experienced foster care parents.  If someone would like to become a member of the training and development team they would also have to apply to become a member of this Bureau.   
            I think that becoming a member or volunteer of this organization would be beneficial to the challenge that I am working on.  In order to do this I would have to write to them and tell them what I feel I could offer their organization.  I believe that my master’s degree in teaching diversity and all of the knowledge that I have gained in this program would be very beneficial and could make me an asset to their program.  Knowing about and or being a member would also provide me with resources that I can share with foster families that I would be working with and maybe they would want to become members or part of the Training and Development team.  This is an organization that I would use in my training workshops and I would provide information from it on the day/night that I hold the trainings.  Although there are not monetary job opportunities through this organization, there are opportunities to become a part of an organization that is making beneficial social change for children and families all over the world.  


Save the Children - Official Site
Save the Children                        
            Save the children is an organization that is dedicated to changing the lives of children in the United States and around the world by working with other organizations, partners, and governments (Save the Children, 2013).  Save the Children is an organization that is there when disasters strike and provides food, medical care, and education to help children and communities get through the devastating effects of these disasters.  Some of the issues that they help deal with are poverty, disease, natural disasters, civil wars, illiteracy, and hunger (Save the Children, 2013). 
            This organization was of interest to me because there are so many devastating events in the lives of children all over the world and often times these places do not have the means to help themselves.  Save the Children and the people who work for them are committed to helping these people and children and are great advocates for their safety and well-being.  Since this is why I went into the field of education, this organization and its efforts appealed to me. 
            Save the Children is an organization that has many ways to become involved.  If you do not want to have a job with them, you can be a volunteer, help fundraise, or spread the word.  Some of the ways that they listed to become involved, were to join the network and receive the newsletter, participate in Advocacy Summit in Washington and take action against current issues that are affecting children, help to promote Foreign Assistance reform, learn about legislation and campaigns that are available, and by writing to elected officials or editors and speaking out for children (Save the Children, 2013).  They said that you can spread the word about their organization by sending an eCard to introduce the organization to someone, follow them on social networks, and but a banner on websites and blogs that provide links to the Save the Children website.  A final way to become involved would be to become a fundraiser.  They actually give you steps on different kinds of fundraising you can do and how to go about it.  These are many different ways to become involved with this global organization and all very worthwhile. 
            There were two job openings available that interested me.  The first was an Emergency Child Protection Senior Specialist.  This person is responsible for leading child protection assessments, working with team leaders to develop child protection plans, supporting fundraising, identifying child protection staff needs for emergency programs, identifying  training and learning opportunities,  ensuring that the organization’s work is implementing other agencies and governments, and working as a spokesperson with the media when required (Save the Children, 2013).  In order to fill this job, I would need a master’s degree in Social Work, Human rights, International Relations, Developmental Studies, or similar field experience, ability to identify gaps in child protection, knowledge of inter-agency standards and guidelines in relation to child protection, experience in monitoring and evaluating programs, experience in building and training, ability to write clear assessments and proposals, excellent communication skills, high skills with spoken and written English and skills in other foreign languages, and political and cultural sensitivity (Save the Children, 2013).  Although this list is extensive, it sounds like a job I would really enjoy because I know that I would be working towards the protection of children.
            The second job that they had posted that I found of interest, was Early Childhood Development Specialist.  This position focuses on the area of early childhood care and development.  Since this has become my area of expertise, this job appealed to me greatly.  The responsibilities of this person were to provide programming, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation support to country offices, assist in the analysis of strengths and weaknesses and develop plans to improve effectiveness, assist in the making of peer mentoring support, help to strengthen Save the Children’s program portfolio with proposal development, monitor new developments, and regularly review and implement programs that will provide best practices and innovations in the Early Childhood Development field (Save the Children, 2013).  The requirements needed for this job is a master’s degree in early childhood development, education, or a related field (which I will have soon), three to five years of prior experience in developing/designing programs, experience with developing countries, materials development experience, great communication skills and willingness to travel (Save the Children, 2013).  I would definitely have to gain some experience to apply for this job but it sounds like a job that I would enjoy.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)                     
            The third organization that I chose is UNICEF.  I chose this organization because it works very hard globally (in over 190 countries) to improve the lives of children and help improve health care, immunizations, clean water, nutrition, education, and emergency relief (UNICEF, 2012).  This organization not only works for these things but works to protect the rights that all children should have.  UNICEF works closely with government leaders, celebrities, corporations, civic figures, campus groups, churches, teachers, and anyone willing to help advocate for the safety and protection of children and their rights(UNICEF, 2012).  I became a teacher because I want to make a difference in the lives of the children that I come into contact with.  This organization interested me because it also strives to make a difference in the lives of as many children that it can reach with the help of advocates. 
            Just like Save the Children, UNICEF has many ways that people can get involved in its efforts.  One way is to get email updates that will fill people in on the current issues affecting children around the world.  Another is to become an advocate and volunteer by telling legislators about children’s needs and how they can address them and by educating , advocating, and fundraising (UNICEF, 2012).  One other way is to join a monthly campaign to give money that will be used to minimize the expenses that are incurred and to help deliver all of the services that UNICEF provides around the world.
            In reading through the job listings that they had available, I saw two here that also interested me.  One was called a Major Gifts Officer.  This person would help to manage the portfolio of high donors, help with getting more people to donate major gifts, provide correspondence with major gift contributors, work closely with internal business groups, maintain records, and be a part of any other special projects or responsibilities that may arise (UNICEF, 2012).  The qualifications needed for this position are a bachelor’s degree and 5 years of work related experience, self-motivation and a success record in fundraising, strong work ethic, be a team player, excellent communication and written skills, strong commitment to international relief and to the UNICEF mission, technologically proficient , and flexible to travel as necessary (UNICEF, 2012).  This job sounds appealing to me as raising money and or giving gifts is how this organization stays running and therefore is very important to the children. 
            The second job I found of interest was Global Programs and Field Manager.  Some of the responsibilities with this job included developing materials for departments, knowing the programs and initiatives of UNICEF, serving a lead role in developing training for staff members, managing events and meetings, operating day-to-day focal points for departments and regional offices, supervising interns and giving tasks to them, helping to develop a budget, and perform any other duties that are asked (UNICEF, 2012).  The qualifications for this job included bachelor’s degree but Master’s degree in social sciences or related field is preferred with a minimum of 5 years related experience, ability to work under pressure and a deadline with multiple projects, excellent communication, writing, organizational, and diplomatic skills, display an interest in global issues, knowledge of the United Nations and UNICEF, experience with technology, and core values of trust, respect, innovation, and teamwork (UNICEF, 2012).  I would really be interested in this job because I feel that I have most of the qualifications with a lack of diplomatic skills.  This type of job would certainly help to expand my global and diversity awareness and would help with my goal to change the world for children and families. 
References:   
International Foster Care Organization. (n.d.). Mission statement. Retrieved from http://www.ifco.info/
Save the Children. (2013). About us. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/
United Nations Children's Fund. (2012). About. Retrieved from http://www.unicefusa.org/about/