Time Well Spent

 

 1.  What is one important thing you have learned from these 8 weeks in the Capstone Course?

 Throughout the past 8 weeks I have learned many valuable things from the assignments, Dr. Teri, but most importantly my colleagues. I learned the importance of networking and building relationships with people who have a similar passion as me. If I say I made it through these 8 weeks I would be lying. My classmates have supported me tremendously each week. I learned from them and I hope they were able to learn from me.

2.  If you could change one thing about this course, what would it be?

One thing I would like to change about this course is for us to have an actual internship where we can begin implementing our Capstone Project. Although, I know that I can begin implementing on my own, it would be great to share our progress and success with our classmates. A section of the Capstone Project could be the beginning stages of our challenge/solution and if we are able to achieve any of the goals.  

3.  What is some advice you would like to pass on to future Capstone students that will help them be successful in this course?

I would advise future students to read, read, and read. Everything you need to know is in the announcements, emails, and newsletters. If you have any questions do not be afraid to ask Dr. Teri. Also, make sure to be active in the discussion groups and check back on a regular basis. Your colleagues help you answer the questions you might have. Do not wait until the last minute to do assignments. Do them in advance so if you have any questions you will receive feedback in time. Lastly, when thinking about your challenge, choose a topic in an area you are passionate about.

4.  Something I'd like Dr. Teri to know:

Dr. Teri, I want to thank you for your support and for making this course easy and comfortable for me. I’m sure I felt nervous just like most of my classmates when this course began, but after the first two weeks I was no longer nervous. Your videos and announcements were very detailed and I can tell that you truly want us all to succeed. Thanks for being a kind, caring, and encouraging professor. It has been great ending this journey with you!

Wow! I cannot believe I have come to an end on this journey towards receiving my Master’s degree. Looking back over the course of this program, I smile because I feel accomplished. I remember how excited I was in the beginning, yet anxious and nervous. This would be my first online program and I worried that I would not do well. When I began this program I was planning my wedding and a year later I became pregnant. I almost thought of taking a break, but I wanted to challenge myself and I am glad I did. I met great people and had a great support team. This program was not difficult due to the help and support of all my awesome colleagues and professors.

I have learned so much throughout this program, but there are three learning's that meant the most to me.

1. Building Relationships. I have learned that I cannot do everything on my own. It is important to share and learn with others. Building relationships with colleagues is important and beneficial. From the beginning to the end, I felt a connection with all my classmates. You have all inspired me in a way and reminded me why I chose to take on this journey. The relationships that I made through this program, I would love to continue. This lesson has also helped me in my career to work at making better relationships with my colleagues and any one I meet with similar interests as me.

2. Never stop learning. Every week I learned something new in this program. I not only learned more about the early childhood field, but I also learned more about myself. There is something new that comes up in this field and it is important to stay on top of the changes. I learned to read and engage myself on current issues and trends in the field.

3. Passion. From our Foundations course to our Capstone Project, passion is one thing that has remained constant. It is important to be passionate about the field you are in. Having passion will motivate you to do the best in what you. Passion will also push you when it seems to be challenging and frustrating.

Long Term Goal

One long term goal I have is to travel to Nigeria and work on setting up a school for special needs children.

Dr. Teri, Thank you for being such a great professor. You have made this course go by smoothly. Your thoughtful announcements, newsletters, emails, and advice on every assignment have been very helpful. Thank you for always responding to emails on time and explaining any confusion I had. I appreciate it very much!

To my colleagues,

I am very grateful for each and every one of you for helping me complete this journey. There is absolutely no way that I could have done this one my own. I have learned so much from each of you. You all have been so kind, encouraging and supportive. Your kind words inspired me and encouraged me to not give up. I wish you all much joy and success as you continue on this journey in the early childhood field. I know that you all will be great in all your future endeavors. Once again, thank you so much for everything!

Please keep in touch:

My personal email is Dorcas.adekola@gmail.com

I also have a personal blog, which I haven’t had time to keep up with, but now I have time to resume blogging. The link is www.kemichronicles.blogspot.com 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

This week I explored international early childhood organizations. I enjoyed looking at what others are doing outside of the United States of America to make a positive change in the lives of young children.

The first organization I looked at is the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP). I was interested in OMEP because I have heard about them before and the projects they do are geared towards improving early childhood education worldwide, but also improving the overall well-being of children worldwide. OMEP was established to improve the interests and well-being of children all over the world. They also aim to advance early childhood education and care. OMEP has national committees in over 60 countries. Some of the projects they partake is supporting a preschool in Jamaica by sending books and materials, creating journal books for children in different countries, contributing to a library in Jamaica, and collaborating with UNICEF in the development of OMEP’s water, sanitation, and hygiene initiative in early childhood settings. There are currently no job opportunities, but there are opportunities to become a member.

Another international organization I am interested in is UNICEF. I always knew about UNICEF because as a child I used to collect money to help children all over the world. I did not know what they did exactly, but I knew that they were an organization that helped children. UNICEF believes in nurturing and care of all children. Their purpose is to work with other people to overcome obstacles of poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination in children. They promote girls education, and advocate for all children to be immunized. One job that interested me is the position for Child Protection Specialist. The Child Protection Specialist is responsible for for the planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the UNICEF MENARO Justice for Children component. Some of the skills I would need are fluency in Arabic and eight years experience in national and international levels in child protection. The position is for placement in Jordan and is a full time and long-term position.

The third international early childhood organization I am interested in is the Early Childhood Development Institute (ECDI). ECDI is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote optimal child development for children in Nigeria. This program interests me because their work is focused in Nigeria which is my home country. Some of their goals are to promote public awareness of early childhood development, provide pre professional development training for teachers, promote parent capacity to support their child’s development, and develop community resources to support early childhood.

Working internationally would be a great opportunity and learning experience for me. I have always wanted to help children on an international level. Working internationally would also allow me to learn what others are doing to make a difference in the lives of children outside the United States. 

Website Links

http://www.omep-usnc.org/

http://www.unicef.org/

http://ecdinitiative.org/

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

The early childhood field goes beyond the local and national level. There are opportunities at the national and federal level as well. I researched a few, but there are three that really interested me.

The first is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The NAEYC provides opportunities for early childhood educators to develop professionally and improve the quality of early childhood programs. They also create public awareness on issues affecting the lives of young children and their families. One thing they value is collaboration, which is important when belonging to a Community of Practice. One position they have available is to be on the Council for NAEYC Accreditation. Council members serve for a three year term and monitor the work of the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation. They did not list any skills or prerequisites needed, however, I am certain that I would need to know and understand NAEYC’s criteria for accreditation.

I am also interested in ZERO TO THREE, National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. ZERO TO THREEE is a nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policy makers knowledge on child development. They also promote the understanding of issues affecting children and their families. ZERO TO THREE interests me because their work focuses on all aspects of development of children, which is physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and language. I researched job positions available and I am interested in the Senior Program Associate position. This position is for the Early Head Start National Resource Center department. The Senior Program Associate provides training and technical support to Early Head Start programs. The Senior Program Associate will also support marketing efforts, provide administration support to Conference and Meeting teams, and work with the Senior Training Specialist. One skill that I would need for this position is knowledge in HTML4 and CSS2. I would also need to brush up my Photoshop and Illustrator skills. 

Lastly, I am interested in the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI). The NBCDI collaborates with leaders, policy makers, professionals, and parents around issues that impact African American children and their families. This organization is committed to improving the quality and life of African American children. I chose this organization because I never knew it existed, and being of African descent I am also interested in the issues concerning African American children. Currently, they have one job opportunity available for the position of President and CEO. I am not interested in this position at the moment, but I will still list the skills I would need if I were interested. To qualify for the position, I would need to have and advanced degree and 15 years experience in a leadership role. I would also need experience in resource development, experience in public policy impacting low-income children, and knowledge of historic and current issues related to child health and development, family development, and educational outcomes.

Website Links

http://www.naeyc.org/

http://www.nbcdi.org/

http://www.zerotothree.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The early childhood field is more than just daycare centers and preschools. Early childhood education is anything related to the care and learning of young children. Early childhood organizations can be found at the state or local level. Being new to Texas, I have been exploring roles and organizations in the early childhood field on a regular basis. There are a few organizations that I have found interest in.

The first organization is the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). DFPS works with communities in Texas to protect children, the elderly, and the disabled from abuse, neglect and exploitation. DFPS also helps protect the health and safety of children in daycare centers. They also do child care licensing and prevention and early intervention. This organization appealed to me because they do their best to protect the interests and needs of children. They do not only ensure child care centers are up to date with licensing standards, but they also ensure children in foster homes are protected. One job with DFPS that interests me is the Residential Child Care Licensing Inspector. One skill that I would need to completely fulfill this role is to have knowledge of the Texas Child Care Licensing Act, Family Code, and other laws and regulations I am not familiar with.

I am also interested in the Task Force for Children with Special Needs. The task force was established to improve the efficiency of services for children with special needs. They develop five-year plans to address the needs of children with chronic illnesses, mental illness, and developmental illnesses. They are administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. This organization interests me because they ensure to provide access to reliable information so they can receive the best support to meet their children’s needs.  They also provide referral and respite services for families.

The third organization I am interested in is the Texas Special Children’s Projects.  This is a charity organization serving special needs children and adults. Their mission is to enrich the lives of handicapped, disabled, and special needs individuals by providing various projects throughout the year. Some of the services they provide are activities for children in hospitals and facilities, and sponsoring field trips and special events. I was attracted to this organization because it reminded me of the autism organization I used to work for. They provide free services to all participants. They have not listed any employment opportunities, but they are always seeking volunteers.  

Website links

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Jobs/default.asp

http://www.txspecialchildren.com/page/Services-provided-3.aspx

https://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/about_hhsc/AdvisoryCommittees/TaskForce.shtml

Passion to Action

I created a Wordle for the first time describing issues I am passionate about in the Early Childhood Field. It was my first time creating a Wordle and I had fun playing around with fonts and colors.

You can view it here or below

Hope you like it...Thanks!

Thank You

Hi Everyone,

I just would like to thank you all for taking your time to read my blogs during this course. Sharing with you all was always great and receiving feedback was always encouraging. I am glad to have shared with you all and I wish you all the best as we continue on this journey. I know you will all be great professionals in the early childhood field. Thanks again!

ADJOURNING

The closing final stage of groups can be great or not so great. Depending on who was in the group or why the group ended may determine how hard or easy it will be to say good-bye. I have been involved in various groups where I have had to say good-bye. I do think that high performing groups are hard to leave because these groups have accomplished great things together. Sometimes in high performing groups you may not want to experience any other groups for fear of low performance in another group.

One of the hardest groups for me to leave was my high school track team. I was a member of the winter and spring track teams since I was a freshman. I got very close to my teammates over four years. We trained together, cried together, lost together, won together, had lunch and dinners together and much more. To make parting easier we had a senior banquet where each senior received their final varsity letters, pins, certificates. We also shared our accomplishments over the past four years. It was a great way to end the year and say good-bye to everyone before we all went off to college.

I think I adjourning from the groups of colleagues I have formed while working on my master's degree in this program will be bitter sweet. I have learned so much from my colleagues and I will miss interacting with them in the classroom; however I know that I can still keep in touch with them after the program. I will make sure to share my email and any other contact information so that I can continue to share and learn with my colleagues. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it is a time to reflect on accomplishments and failures (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012, pp. 257). Without adjourning there will be no closure and future groups will not know where they can improve if working on a future project.

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:Bedford/St. Martin's.