Time Well Spent

I can honestly say this program has been a blessing in disguise. I have learned the importance of working as a community. I have always felt that I needed to do things on my own; when in reality I don’t know everything and that I should take the time to learn from other professionals.

I have also learned from this program the idea of staying on task. If it wasn’t for this program I don’t think I would truly know what it is like to be time oriented and organized and how important it is to stay with a routine.

Lastly I learned that I am not the only one fighting for the cause of children. There are advocates and professionals all over the world who believe that Early Childhood is the key to a better tomorrow. I am grateful to have chosen this profession with so many other great professionals.

A long term goal I have is to be a great advocate for the Early Childhood Field. I want to leave a lasting impression on the field that will eventually lead other individuals down the same path. I want the world to see that the greatest developments happen in a child’s early years.

As a farewell message I just want everyone from my colleagues to my instructors to know how much I have enjoyed learning and growing over the last year and a half. I have become a better person professionally and personally. I have learned about the advantages of leading an anti-bias classroom and how it will not only benefit myself, but the families that are involved.

If over the next 20 years anyone of my peers has a need that they think I may be of an assistance to, please feel free to email me at donsheapittman@yahoo.com and I will do everything in my power to provide you with help.

 Some quotes that made me smile.

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”
― Oscar Wilde

“When you know better you do better.”
― Maya Angelou

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
― Margaret Mead

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”
― Malcolm X

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first international organization I would like to work with is UNICEF, United Nations Children's Fund. Throughout my courses here at Walden, UNICEF has always provided useful and positive information that I have been able to apply to everyday classroom situations. At UNICEF I would like to work at one of their preschools in another country. I believe that early childhood education is the foundation for a great educational career. In order to do so I would need to have at least bachelors in early childhood education, and lots of experience working with young children.

The second international organization I would like to work with International Step by Step Association or the ISSA. The things I like about ISSA is that they not only provide resources for those seeking it, but they also offer ECD classes for those that are looking to get more knowledge under their belt. I personally would like for my COP to have the same concept; To provide resources and also the tools to learn and be self sufficient. I would apply for their office manager position in Leiden/The Netherlands. Not only do I get to live in a different part of the country, but I get to see how an ISSA office is ran by being hands on. I would of course need people skills, experience in being an office manager, a degree in a field that is relevant and some basic computer skills.

The last international organization I would like to work with is the American Red Cross. I like how the American Red Cross not only provides assist to those countries that have natural disasters, but it also provides a Health and Safety Training. This is a great tool to pass along to others, for when these disasters happen, people will know what to do in order to help others until the medical professionals come. I would like to be a Trainer in one of these Health and Safety Training classes. I am all about giving back to the community. I believe that everyone has the right to be and do better and I want to be able to provide that to them. I would need the skills of health and safety, so courses on that, I would need people’s skills, and the ability to be versatile.

 

References:

American Red Cross. (n.d). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.redcross.org/what-we-do/training-education

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

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

The first national organization that appealed to me was Stomp Out Bullying. This organization appealed to me because it wasn’t just for one type of victim. It is for everyone. There is a section for adults and teenagers. It is also a nonprofit organization, which to me speaks volumes. Plus, it has celebrity participants, which also can help with publicity.

The second national organization is Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.  This program appealed to me because it not only looked to help end bullying, but they also focused on teaching children how to establish relationships with other individuals. I think that is such a great aspect to have, which is the goal not only to end one thing, but provide a way to help out in another form. Another great aspect of the program is that it is available for others to implement in their communities. I feel this is how we make the world better. Once we find something that works use it and then pass it along.

The third organization I found was Utterly Global. As I was reading through this website it provided ways to prevent bullying. Yet it showed that there isn’t just one way to do so. They provided an opportunity for each community to “create” their own prevention plan. I think this is great, because it recognizes that not every community is the same.

I would like to know what it is like to work at Stomp Out Bullying. Even though they are located in New York, I could help establish an Oklahoma branch. I have never worked for a nonprofit organization and it would be interesting to see what it feels is like to work for a cause that is all about the cause and not worrying about if people are getting checks coming in.

I would also like to experience being a superintendent of a school district. I would like to have my hands in some of the policies and programs that would truly make a difference to the children around me. I would like to have one of the deciding says.

For these positions, I would need to have leadership skills, be very driven and have a passion for what I am doing. I would need to have experience as a educator to be superintendent and maybe even some board member experience, just so I know not only the educational side, but the political side of the field.

http://www.stompoutbullying.org/contact_us.php

http://www.clemson.edu/olweus/

http://antibullyingprograms.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

The first organization is National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. This organization appealed to me because it has programs that involve prevention. I understand that situations need to be handled after the fact, but I would like to help find ways to prevent certain situations from happening in the first place.

The second organization is PRYD, LLC. This company deals with helping child understand and learn about different behaviors they are experiences. Such as finding ways to create self esteem, learning I Can statements and understanding that it is okay to be different and unique.

The third organization is Advocates for Youth. This organization is centered on being the voice for our youth as well as helping them to find their own voices. This is a great place to find different conversation starters for today’s social issues.

I would like to become a school counselor one day just to give myself the opportunity to not only work with children, but to have the skills and resources to know how to guide them into positive goals.

I think becoming a Case Worker would be an interesting job as well. I would like to give parents the opportunity to better themselves, so that they can provide better lives for their children.

To become a counselor and or a Case Worker, I think the skills I would need would be to have a passion for children, have tools to find resources and the drive to finish what is started. The experience needed would probably be based off community I chose to work with.

Reflecting on Learning

 

My most passionate hope for the future as an early childhood professional is to be successfully. I want for every child and family that I encounter to leave my class and presence with a better sense of themselves and the world around them. I want those who I come across to have learned ways to become better people and better educated. If this only happens to one child and family, then I will have succeeded in my goals.

I am one course away from graduating and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with each and every one of my fellow Walden colleagues. This journey has been a roller coaster and what got me through a lot of the courses is realizing that we are need in our profession to help others discover their goals. Thank you everyone for allowing me to grow personally and professionally with you, and if this is my last note to you, I want you to truly know how much I appreciate all of your input, comments and believe. It has made me a better professional and person. So Thank You.

Impacts on Early Childhood Development

 

I area of the world I chose to share is West and Central Africa. I chose this region because being an African American woman professional I would like to know what it would be like to teach and learn from their point of view. One of the places on my bucket list is to travel to Africa, and when I do, I want to visit every possible school type system possible.

One of the first challenges I noticed was how the children of the region have medical issues that have been cured or handled such as polio, AIDS and everyday things such as maternity services. Another challenge is food. The lack of food to feed the families and children plays a major role in their lives.

These experiences can affect the children in many different ways. When it comes to their emotional well being, the lack of health care and food, could make them feel as though they are not good enough to be healthy if they see others eating and getting better. If their family or themselves could not find ways to live their day to day lives as “normal” as possible it could cause them to have low self-esteem or not find value in their lives.

A professional reflection I have gained is that on a professional standpoint the children of Africa are lacking in the developmental department. This development could be emotional and cognitive. As a society or even just merely in our profession not matter where the child is, we should want to figure out ways to better the child. This website influenced me to continue to reach my goals, because I have the ability to be more to just one child.

My personal reflection is that children around the world need me. I know that sounds impossible, but it is not. Who is it know if one of the students that I provide anti-bias education to won’t be the next Ghandi? The insights I gained from looking through this website is that not one country is perfect. Every country needs becoming better. The answer I look to find is what generation will it be to make the greatest contribution to the society.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction to sexualization is like a light bulb going off. I did not realize there were separate words for the idea of sexuality. From the society we live in which makes the idea of sex such a glamour idea, it seems as though children are confusing the notion of healthy relationships with bad relationships. The notion of sexualization, which has to do with treating other people and oneself as objects of sexual desire, is becoming more common in today’s society.

One example of sexualization I overheard was early this week at school. A couple of 2^nd grade girls were discussing how sexy they were going to be for their husbands one day. It gained my attention because instead of these girls talking about what they want to be when they grow up or the latest show on Disney, they are talking about being sexy.

Another example of sexualization is looking through my personal facebook and seeing all of my friends post pictures of their 3-5 year olds, who are dressed like 20 year olds and even worse wearing make-up and fake nails like grown women.

The last example is of some guys thinking that women are only there for their sexual desire. This is best shown in bars and or clubs. Some men don’t go to find a woman of their dreams; they are looking for someone pretty and willing to have sex. This situation can be a very sad thing to watch and be victim of.

Examples like this may have negative implications on children’s sense of healthy development. Children may view themselves only on the notion of sex instead of actually viewing their self worth being and its value. Children could view today’s media as being the norm and once it’s time to have a realistic relationship they end up learning the hard way that it is not the same, which could lead to unhealthy developments.

This week’s topic helped raise my awareness that sexualization is not the same as sexuality and or sex. This clarification will help me in the long run know how to hand the different situation I may come across.