Time Well Spent

When I first started my journey at Walden the end seemed so far away that it is hard to believe it is here.  Although this may be the end of my studies at Walden, I have been reminded that in order to remain an effective leader in this field that I must always continue learning and remain current. 

This experience has also showed me the importance of being aware of and even if I do not fully understand a different perspective to take the time to learn from it and respect it. 

Lastly, during my time at Walden I was taught the power of self-reflection and how the way I was raised and what I think can both impact the way I teach.  I can say that this was the first time that I was really asked to take the time to genuinely self-reflect and it was very difficult in the first few courses but it became easier to do and I have grown from it. 

One long term goal that I have which is derived from the leadership week is to take better care of myself.  Sounds simple enough but I do not always do that, I often take on too many projects, wanting to do everything and I have a hard time saying no.  I want to be the most effective leader and teacher that I can be and in order to give the best version of myself I need to make sure that I am taken care of.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues and professors that I have meet and worked with during my time at Walden.  The feedback, comments, and questions that I have received from you along my journey here have helped me to become a better person and in return better teacher and leader.  I wish you all the best of luck and that someday our paths might cross again!  Congratulations to you all, we did it!

I would also like to thank my two little office assistances (Mojo & Remi) who dedicated numerous hours of support during my whole time at Walden.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The three organizations I looked into were United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children.  I found my research of these multinational organizations to be particularly enlightening because I had no idea some of them even existed. I would be proud to work at any of these organizations because of the work that they do and their missions.  I also selected these organizations because they all have jobs that are available in countries where my husband and I could end up being stationed (my husband is an officer in the Navy).  Below are some of the positions that stood out to me along with the skills and education that the positions require.   

UNESCO, Professional job within education

Education: An advanced university degree in education, culture, science, social and human sciences, communication, business administration or a related field.

Languages:  Fluent English or French (the two working languages of UNESCO) and a good working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of Arabic, Chinese, Spanish or Russian is an additional asset.

Prior experience:

•Junior level (P1/P2 or NOA/NOB): 2 to 4 years of experience;

•Middle level (P3/P4 or NOC/NOD): 4 to 10 years of experience;

•Senior level (P5 and above or NOE): 10 to 15 years of experience (including management experience).

Values:  Integrity, professionalism, respect for diversity and a strong commitment to UNESCO's mission.

 

UNICEF, Communication for Development Specialist, P-3, NETI, Various Duty Stations - Generic Vacancy Announcement

The New and Emerging Talent Initiative (NETI) is an entry point for dynamic professionals interested in an international career with UNICEF. Aside from the qualifications indicated in the below job description for this post, all NETI Programme applicants must also meet the following minimum requirements:

1.Completion of an advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) at the time of application;

2.Proficiency in English and working knowledge of another official language of the United Nations;

3.Readiness to be assigned to any UNICEF office worldwide, including hardship duty stations;

4.At least 5 years of relevant work experience for functions at the P-3 level.

 

Save the Children, Operations Support Advisor (Asia) Location: Singapore

Role Purpose:

The role holder will provide consistent operational support to targeted country programmes (Myanmar and Afghanistan) to improve operational delivery by supporting the strengthening of leadership, management capability, structure and systems (through the coordination of Operations Platform Strengthening (OPS) plans), operations advisory support and direct support. S/he will also support country offices and regional offices in the management of the OPS budgets.

Qualifications:

Relevant academic qualification (Masters or equivalent) in the field of international development or social/political science.

Experience:

•Experience of senior operations management with extensive people management experience, and core processes (project, awards/grants, finance, logistics management), including in insecure, fragile and/or emergency contexts.

•Excellent analytical and strategic planning skills.

•Experience in change management, organisational development or management consultancy.

•Substantial experience of capacity building and coaching in an INGO, ideally at both HQ and programme levels, and familiarity with a range of approaches

•Excellent representational, influencing and diplomatic skills to enable the post holder to operate effectively within Save the Children and support in-country change management

•Excellent project management skills, including proven track record of resource management and managing concurrent activities/deadlines

•Proven writing and numerical skills and experience in budget monitoring, editing of learning materials and drafting of summary reports and briefing documents

•Proven attention for detail and ability to effectively manage a high volume of data and information

•Excellent verbal and written communication skills in order to deal tactfully and sensitively with a wide range of people in a large organisation, very often at a distance

•Collaborative with a strong interest in providing support to others

•Willingness and ability to travel abroad for up to 35% of the time, sometimes at short notice

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

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1185-careers-at-zero-to-three

The first organization I selected was Zero to Three, and the available job that best fits something that I would be interested in is the Regional Field Specialist position.  This organization appeals to me because it has always been one of the top resources for me as an early childhood professional.  The Regional Field Specialist's primary focus is to support ACF RO staff’s work with Head Start/Early Head Start programs and other early childhood programs, in particular efforts related to the design and delivery of comprehensive school readiness services for children birth-to-five.  

Some of the skills and experience are:

Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field preferred

Minimum of seven years of experience in the field of Early Care and Education

Strong knowledge of early childhood development birth to five;

Strong knowledge of CLASS Pre-K observation tool and other program, teacher and child-level assessment tools commonly used in early childhood preschool programs;

Strong knowledge of Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, Head Start Outcomes Framework, and HS technical assistance resources;

Strong knowledge of CCDF and Public Pre-K programming trends and regulations in states and territories;

Excellent conceptual, written and oral skills;

Experience with organizing, developing and providing technical assistance resources to a variety of audiences;

Ability to work with a team as well as independently;

Strong oral, written and computer skills;

Strong interpersonal skills;

Ability to read, analyze and interpret complex documents

https://www.naeyc.org/about/jobs/overview

The second national organization that came to mind was the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  From my perspectives as an early childhood professional, this association sets the standards along with thoughtfully and professionally addressing current issues in the field.  To my surprise all of the NAEYC jobs are located where I live right now in Washington, DC.  Although there are not many jobs that are available, the one that most stood out to me was the Membership Sales Representative position.  One of the primary responsibilities is to promote and sell NAEYC group membership to school districts, child care centers and other employers of potential NAEYC members. I think that this would be a great opportunity to get my foot in the door with an association I completely respect and believe in.

Some of the qualifications are:

Bachelor's degree in related field with a minimum of 3-5 years related experience in a membership association or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Understanding of the NAEYC’s purpose to promote high-quality early learning for all young children

Extensive experience with customer service and outreach success.

Strong attention to detail with ability to multitask with the ability to perform duties with minimum supervision.

Proficiency in operating Windows/Microsoft Office is a requirement.

Excellent interpersonal verbal and written communication skills.

Fluency in written and spoken Spanish.

 

https://www.nhsa.org/our-work/professional-development/careers

          The third national organization that interests me is National Head Start Association because I have worked within the program before and they are a model program.  One job that stood out to me, although it is not available right now where I am, is the Head Start Education Coordinator.  This position is responsible for the education and early childhood development portion of the Head Start program.  It includes, but is not limited to, planning, managing, supervising and coordinating an early childhood education curriculum, providing educational resources for staff and parents, ensuring compliance with performance standards, child care licensing regulations, and recognizing best practices in the field of early childhood education.

Qualifications/Skills/Requirements:

Bachelor Degree in Education with concentration in Early Childhood education or if in a related field, two years’ experience in ECE.

Two years or more experience in supervision, parent education, and staff training.

Ability to converse, write and read Spanish and English fluently.

Commitment to dual language learning philosophy (English and Spanish).

Demonstrated knowledge of child growth and development.

Ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse parents, professionals, and community groups.

Ability to analyze and use data to inform decision-making.

Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with a team.

Strong organizing and problem solving skills.

Strong report writing and research skills

Ability to work flexible hours (evenings).

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I worked at a few different Head Start locations while I was on the East Coast, and I really enjoyed working within the Head Start programs and believe in what they stand for.

One job that stood out to me, although it is not available right now where I am, is the Head Start Education Coordinator.  This position is responsible for the education and early childhood development portion of the Head Start program.  It includes, but is not limited to, planning, managing, supervising and coordinating an early childhood education curriculum, providing educational resources for staff and parents, ensuring compliance with performance standards, child care licensing regulations, and recognized best practices in the field of early childhood education.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor Degree in Education with concentration in Early Childhood education or if in a related field, two years experience in ECE.
• Two years or more experience in supervision, parent education, and staff training.
• Ability to converse, write and read Spanish and English fluently.
• Commitment to dual language learning philosophy (English and Spanish).
• Demonstrated knowledge of child growth and development.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse parents, professionals, and community groups.
• Ability to analyze and use data to inform decision-making.
• Ability to secure clearances for Child Abuse, Criminal History, and  FBI (required).
• Awareness of Puerto Rican culture/community (preferred).
• Possess or ability to secure state Driver’s License and insurance (preferred).
• Ability to secure health clearance every two years and TB once (required).
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with a team.
• Strong organizing and problem solving skills.
• Strong report writing and research skills
• Ability to work flexible hours (evenings).

Navy District Washington, Fleet and Family Readiness Programs, Department of Defense

 When my husband and I were stationed in San Diego, CA I looked into the Fleet and Family Services Child and Youth Program Center for a job.  The job that I wanted was not available, however I did end up working within the program in a different position.  I enjoyed my time that I had there in the program and I am still interested in the original position – so much so that I keep an eye on openings and if it was to become available I would apply for it in Washington, DC.

Child & Youth Program Training & Curriculum Specialist- The purpose of this position is to provide and deliver a comprehensive training program to CYP employees, to assist with the implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum/program that fosters the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language development of children and youth, ages 6 weeks to 18 years, and to promote school readiness and support ongoing school success.  You are assigned responsibility for providing training to CYP employees based on needs of the CYP. 

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

o   Must have Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Elementary Education, Special Education, Home Economics (early childhood emphasis) or related field of study and 3 years of full time experience working with children and/or youth

OR

o   Master’s degree in the related field of study and a minimum of 1 year of professional experience working with children

OR

o   A combination of education and experiences – courses equivalent to a major in a field (24 hours) appropriate to the position, plus appropriate experience or additional course work that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4 year course of study and 3 years of full time experience working with children and/or youth

o   Knowledge, skill, and ability to independently manage a developmentally appropriate program for the age groups served.

o   Knowledge and background of child and youth programs including principles, practices and techniques of child and youth development

o   Knowledge of Federal and State laws governing the detection and prevention of child abuse and/or neglect

o   Knowledge of the NAEYC, COA and NAFCC accreditation criteria and process, the required programs of the BGCA, 4-H, and the skills and knowledge to implement the Department of Defense (DoD) certification standards

o   Knowledge in interests and motivation of individuals and groups

o   Skill in planning, organizing, and implementing a variety of programs

o   Skill to develop curriculum outlines, courses of study lesson plans/guides, and to conduct training workshops

o   Ability to provide guidance and leadership to employees and providers.

o   Ability to identify and respond to emergency situations including evacuations, child illness, and physical and emotional disorders

o   Must possess a valid state driver’s license

o   Must pass a pre-employment physical, provide evidence of immunization and be free from communicable disease

o   Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, and possess strong interpersonal communication skills

o   Must successfully complete background investigation. Background Investigations are conducted using fingerprint identification and completion of background inquiry forms.

Community College Instructor

I had the opportunity to complete some of my undergraduate practicums within the child development center at the university that I attended.  I enjoyed that experience so much that I got a job right out of college as an assistant to the professor that I had, to finish out the rest of the child development center’s school year with her.  To this day I have always wanted to teach in that environment again.  Although nothing fitting that exact description is available, I did see some jobs that piqued my interest on https://www.communitycollegejobs.com/

Most of the early childhood teacher education instructor jobs required the following:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a depth of knowledge in the discipline and broad preparation for teaching in the discipline. In addition, the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Ability to work effectively with colleagues in an environment that promotes innovation, teaching, learning and service to a diverse student population;
• Ability to effectively work with students from diverse backgrounds who have a wide range of skills, motivations, preparation, and academic and career goals;
• Ability to work effectively in a participatory governance environment;
• Ability to develop curriculum, including curriculum delivered via various instructional modalities;
• Ability to participate in recruitment and articulation activities with local schools, colleges, and universities;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to maintain subject matter currency;
• Ability to develop Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and to determine their effectiveness in helping students achieve their desired learning outcomes;
• Ability to utilize technology in the delivery of instruction and willingness to explore new technologies for instruction and learning;
• Knowledge of institutional accreditation, planning, and continuous quality improvement;
• Knowledge of and commitment to the California Community College mission;
• Demonstrated sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students and the community at-large.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Early Childhood Education Minimum Qualifications
Master's degree in Child Development, early childhood education, human development, home economics/family and consumer studies with a specialization in child development/early childhood education, or educational psychology with a specialization in child development/early childhood education OR Bachelor's in any of the above AND Master's degree in social work, educational supervision, elementary education, special education, psychology, bilingual/bicultural education, life management/home economics, family life studies, or family and consumer studies OR the equivalent.

6165 Communication and Collaboration, Week 8

During the past 8 weeks, you and your colleagues forged a collaborative learning community; you shared information and insights with each other and supported each other. As you prepare to move on into your specializations, take a minute and think about how your colleagues have supported you, how you have supported them, and what you wish for your colleagues as they continue on their professional path. If you wish, share your contact information so you can stay in touch and continue to encourage and support each other as you move through the program.

             

            During the past eight weeks I have had the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions to a wonderful group of colleagues.  I hope that the comments and feedback I have given them have encouraged them to think more deeply about their discussion posts.  I have appreciated my colleague’s comments and questions on my posts, as they have enabled me to see situations from a different perspective.  I would have to say that the most thought provoking insights I received from this group of colleagues were the personal situations/experiences, which really helped me to understand alternate points of view and to consider how it relates to other situations.

I still enjoy looking at blogs of previous colleagues and sometimes leaving comments, as I have found significant value in the input of my peers throughout this program.  I plan on keeping this blog after the completion of my degree and my email address is jill.stein@waldenu.edu for anyone who would like to keep in contact.

6165 Communication and Collaboration, Week 6

This week you read about the five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye. Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program? Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

I can definitely say that it has been very difficult to leave high-performing groups, and I still remember all of the emotions that were involved each time.  The most difficult group to leave was the first high-performing group that I was a part of as a teenager, my 4-H club.  I was on the board with a few other teenagers and we worked extremely hard get the club to where it was, and we even started a mentorship program.  We had the club running very productively and recruited more members than any other year.  It was a bittersweet experience because we were ready to move on but unsure if the club would be as successful in the hands of a new board.  Every year we held an event called Achievement Night, where part of the evening was spent saying goodbye to the old board and welcoming the new board.  It gave anyone in the club an opportunity to say thank you, retell a story of a time when someone helped them and what it meant to them, then included a photo montage of the past year.  It was so touching to hear how we helped and impacted others, I have never forgotten it and it was over twenty years ago.

              I would like to keep in touch with the group of colleagues that I have formed through the process of obtaining my master’s degree, and I think that technology allows us to do this successfully.  A blog, email and social media are wonderful, easy tools to utilize for the purpose of staying connected with others.  I still enjoy looking at blogs of previous classmates and commenting, it is a way for me to learn something new and stay connected with other early childhood professionals.  Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it allows for closure, a chance to say goodbye, and an opportunity to celebrate the team’s successes. 

6165 Communication & Collaboration, Week 5

Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?

One conflict that I experienced recently is within my personal life.  My husband and I are in the process of moving across the country, and we left our condo in San Diego yesterday to head to Washington, DC.  After reading the resources for this past week I feel that I have applied some of the strategies.  One of the articles I read from the Center of Nonviolent Communication suggests not just saying “no,” but instead thinking about, processing and even discussing it if possible with the other person with whom you are communicating why you cannot say “yes.”  I used this strategy as we were working on getting all the things done for our move.  I was very busy and my husband asked if I could do something else, instead of just saying “no,” I stopped myself and thought of why I could not say “yes.”  I told my husband why and he responded “ok, I can run a different errand if you need more time.”  The communication was very pleasant and he came up with an idea that I had not thought about. 

Another strategy that we used was compromise as we decided on only driving one of our cars across the country so we could drive together.  Since we will not have our household goods for over a month, we needed to work together to figure out what we had to take and what would fit in the car.  We picked out our “must haves” which included my laptop to be able to keep up with school work, my husband’s uniforms for his job, room for our dog and our everyday clothes.  After we figured out how much room was left in the car we had enough room for both of us to have a small box of our own things that we didn’t necessarily need but that we wanted to have with us.

Gary Baran & CNVC, 2004, 10 Things We Can Do to Contribute to Internal, Interpersonal, and Organizational Peace. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/Training/10-steps-peace

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

6165 Communication and Collaboration, Week 4

For your blog this week, think about the similarities and differences between how you evaluated yourself as a communicator and how others evaluated you. What is the one thing that surprised you the most? Why? What other insights about communication did you gain this week? Choose at least two to share with others through your blog and consider how each might inform your professional work and personal life.

              The two people that I had evaluate me are my husband Adam and a previous coworker of mine, Danielle.  Danielle and I worked many years together, first at a private child care center and then at a charter school.  One thing that surprised me was that both Adam and Danielle scored me lower in the Communication Anxiety Inventory than I rated myself.  I feel that in some situations that I have anxiety speaking and I do not like confrontation, however I am happy to know that even if I feel anxiety ridden in some situations, I am not necessarily showing it.  The other thing that surprised me was that both of them for the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale and the Listening Styles Profile were in the same scale range that I came up with for myself.  My husband sees me in mostly social settings communicating and my coworker saw me mostly in professional settings, so to have both come out in the same range, makes me believe that I am pretty consistent in both settings.

6165 Communication and Collaboration, Week 3

Think about the cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and also, possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

•Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

•If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

I find myself communicating differently when I feel I need to.  For instance, within my classroom I have many families who do not speak English.  I have learned some very basic and elementary words in Arabic, such as hello, goodbye, bathroom and sick, but I am not conversationally fluent.  Fortunately, I have a translator as one of my aides and I am able to communicate through her.  In the few instances that she is not with me, I have resorted to using Google Translate, pointing to pictures and reading body language, or a child who speaks both Arabic and English has helped.  It is not ideal but I feel that the families know that I am taking the time and trying to communicate with them even when I do not have a translator.    

Based on what you have learned this week; share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

One strategy that I read about and will help me to communicate more effectively is to change my thinking, feeling and behavior.  I can change my thinking by learning more about different cultures and co-cultures.  I can change my feelings by working to have more pleasant, less anxiety ridden intercultural interactions that feel more comfortable.  By working to change my thinking and feeling I then can accomplish the goal of not only changing my behavior, but also becoming more mindful of what is appropriate (O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullen & Teven, 2015).

The second strategy would be to become more aware of my nonverbal behaviors, and be able to pick up silent messages in the way that they are intended.  I also need to be aware when learning about and trying to understand unwritten cultural rules of nonverbal communication that it will take time (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).

The last strategy is in the form of a goal “A worthy goal is for teachers and other early care and education specialists to become culturally sensitive and begin looking for the meaning of parenting behaviors and beliefs they run across in the families they serve” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).  This idea makes me reflect on situations where I may not have looked for the meaning and motivation behind parenting behaviors.  The example of the child having a bottle in their lunch bag made me reflect on how important it is to be looking for the meaning of the parental behavior first, instead of making assumptions.  Before I understood this goal, I would have just thought that it was completely inappropriate.  Now, having taken the time to look through the lens, that the book suggests, I learned that the family may strongly believe in teaching dependency because they feel that the child will eventually learn to be independent on their own.   

References:

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.