Time Well Spent

Now that this course is done, I feel like I have grown as a teacher and a person. I learned that I have passion in areas that I had never given much thought too. I learned that I am good under pressure and I am a determined person. I have a drive to do better for myself and others.

The only long term goal I have is to retire and  teach at a college in Key West, FL. I would love to live out my days doing two things I love, one is to teach and the other is to be near the ocean and beach. I will accomplish this one day!!

I would like to thank all my colleagues and Dr. Terri for guiding me through this course, I learned so much that will be with me forever.

Good Luck to everyone and CONGRATULATIONS!!!

International Organizations

The international organizations that I researched are FHI 360, Unicef and Save the Children. These organizations are all about one thing and that is helping children. The importance of these organizations amazed me. I found them all to be so wonderful and I am glad I took the time to read about them.

The Save the children organization "gives children in the US and around the world what every child deserves- A healthy start, the opportunity to learn and care when disaster strikes"(Save the Children).  The job that I found I might be interested in is a Specialist in Early Childhood development. This job provides technical support to country offices, implementation and monitoring of ECD programs. The job requirements are a masters degree with 3-5 years in early childhood development, lots of travel and fluent in English and Spanish.

Unicef is another great organization. They "advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a persons future"(UNICEF). They help children with so many issues such as hunger, aides, disaster, poverty, immunizations and many others. the job that I found would bw of interest to me is a Help desk for field level protection. I would need an advanced degree experience in child protection. The job would be to ensure child protection coordinators have access to training and technical assistance.            

The Academy cor educational devolpment  is an organization that "improves lives by advancing integrated locally driven solutions"(Academy for educational development) The position I would be interestes in is a Director, school and community services. This job fesigns and manages comprehensive educational reform youth development and community improvement initiatives , conducts research and evaluation for education youth and community programs

References

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/index.htm

Save the children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildreb.org

United nations children fund (Unicef) . (N.d.) retrieved December 5, 2013 from http://www.unicef.org/

Jobs and roles in the ECE Community

The 3 agencies that I can imagine myself working at are, The Arc of New Jersey, New Jersey Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and The National Association for the Education of Young Children. These are all worthwhile places to work that help children and families.

The Arc of New Jersey "promotes and protects the human rights of individuals with intellectual and development disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion" (The Arc). This agency is committed to helping families through education and empowerment. They are located near me and help the families in my community. The job that I would like to have in this organization is a Family advocate. By working in this position I would help "support family members of individuals with intellectual and developmentally disabilities"(The Arc).

The next job would by with the NJ Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies. This agency has two goals. The first is to "improve the quality of infant/toddler early care"(NJACCRRA).  The second is "to increase the availability of quality care programs for families with infants and toddlers". This agency also gives trainings to childcare providers and parents. The role I would like with this agency is that of a trainer. I feel that I could help providers and families learn many skills that will assist them with children

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the final place I would like to work. NJAEYC mission is  "to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources"(NAEYC). This agency provides many resources to educator about children. I would like to work as a program coordinator. This job works with childcare center to obtain accreditation. By working with center to obtain this accreditation I would be able to teach them about how to create an environment that is wonderful for children to learn in.

Resources

The Arc of New Jersey, 2013. Retrieved from www.arcnj.org

NJ Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies, 2013. Retrieved from www.njaccrra

The National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2013. Retrieved from   www.naeyc.org

Exploring roles in the ECE community

There are 3 different places that I would like to work, but my first choice is at any local community college around my home. I live 20 minutes from 3 local community colleges. My 20 years experience in the field will help me when I begin looking for a job. I currently own 2 childcare centers and I have taught in the school system. The one thing that I need is to gain experience teaching adults. This will help me get the job I desire. I have so much knowledge in the field of ECE, and working directly in the field gives me valuable insight. This insight will help me teach others about what to expect in the field and how to teach.

The other agency that I would consider working for is Quality Care Resource and Referral agency. I am already qualified to work at this agency. The job that I would want is a trainer. They hold many training's for parents and other ECE professionals. This is a wonderful way to become involved in the community and help others. This agency not only trains other ECE professionals, they help children and their families.

I have also recently become interested in working for The State of New Jersey Early Intervention. Once I complete this program I will have the necessary qualifications. I have met many people that work for this agency and I think that with my interest and experience working with children with behavior issues I would be an asset to this agency. I feel that there needs to be the right people working in this agency that are dedicated to helping children and their families.

Were almost there!!

Hello to everyone! I am sure that everyone is excited to complete our program and graduate!! I wanted to say that this experience has been an enlightening one. I have learned so much from every classmate and I look forward to learning from everyone of you. We all have so much knowledge to share.
I look forward to chatting with everyone in the discussion forum.

Good Luck,
Lisa Copley

Thanks!

To everyone that has enriched my learning during this course, I would like to thank. There are many times that I feel I know everything there is to know in the field of early childhood. Then I read the many post by everyone and realize that no matter how old you get or how many years you have been in the field someone can teach  you something. That is what has happened during this course. I would like to wish everyone the best, and I look forward to speaking with you again.

Teamwork

Working in a trusted team takes time for me. The word trust is a BIG word. I do not think that trust can be built in  a short time that a team may work together on a project. A team that works together for years can truly build a trusting relationship. I understand that there needs to be basic trust built on every team and sometimes this needs to be done quickly. I tend to have a harder time doing this.
The one team that I worked with on many different tasks took place early on in my carrer. This team consisted of three other teachers and we collaberated on many things. The trust was built over time. We all felt that we could say whatever we needed with no fear of insulting anyone, because our goal was always the same. I would consider us a high perfoming group. We have all moved on to different things, and leaving this group was very sad for me. I do not think I have felt such a connection with any other group since. It was hard to leave becuase not only did we trust each other, we were friends. We have not seen each othe over the years, but occasioanly i run into one of them. I truly miss working with them.
This assignment has made me think about them alot. I would like to find that same trust with the groups i work with now. I didnt relaize that because of the trust we built and eventually friendship we accomplished many great things. I have been thinking about why that happeded within this group and not others i have worked with. I think the reason is we all had such a passion for what we do, our excitement about our work was what brought us together. This made me relize that the reason a group works well or doesnt is that passion. Is there heart really in it? If it isnt they will not be a productive member of the group.
I think that the adjourning part of team work is important. Everyone needs closure to all aspects of there life. We need to celebrate our accomplishments. I realize how important that is now. I am planning a night our for my staff (I am paying, since I am the owner). I am doing this to acknowledge everyones hard work throughout the year and their accomplishments. It may not be much, but I feel that we need to put closure to the old school year and prepare for the new. Sometimes with the stress of everyday taks, we can forget to appreciate one another, this is my way of telling everyone what a great job they did and thank you.

Conflicts with Communication

I dont usually have conflicts with anyone since I seem to avoid them. Since conflict is "a negative interaction between two or more interdependent people, rooted in some actual or perceived disagreement"(O'Hair & Weimann, 2012. p. 220). The biggest issue that I deal with is not a disagreement or conflict, it is usually just different ideas that are being discussed in a meeting, and compromise is neccassary. I find myself using negotiation strategies to get my point across. I also use cooperative strategies. "Strategies that benefit the relationship, serve mutual rather than individual goals, and strive to produce solutions that benifit both parties"(O'Hare & Weimann, 2012. p.236). I have always been the peace maker, I tend to see both sides all the time and try to come up with a solution that makes everyone happy. This prevents many conflicts or disagreements in my life.

Most colleagues that I spoke with agree that using compromise is the most effective form of solving conflicts and disagreements. This tends to make everyone feel like they have had an input in whatever problem they are facing.

References

O'Hare, D.m Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin.

Communication Evaluation

Doing these evaluations was a challenge. I had to really think about the question and make sure that I was answering it honestly. The way I percieve myself and the way I actually communicate are different. I scored in group 1 for listening styles and this did not surprise me I often trust everyone no matter what and get burned because of it. The one thing that surprise me  was my verbal aggressiveness score. I don't agree with it, it says that with little provacation I might cross the line from "argumentativeness". I don't think that I do that but I will definatley take notice from now on. This is a charecterisitc that may very well affect my professional and personal life. I do not want people to view me this way. I am thinking thaty maybe because I have always been so trustworthy of people that maybe my defense is up and this makes me a little argumentative. The other evaluations were similar to how I evalluated myself, I am going to take this information and improve on areas that need it.

I have learned through this exercise that there are many aspects within communication. How others percieve you is very important. I want my staff, children and family to feel that they can talk to me and would not be judeged or ridiculed. I am going to make sure that I do this and become a more effective communicator.

Strategies to Communicte

There is so much cultural diversity throughout the world it is impossable not to see it. Trying to communicate with someone from another culture can be difficult becasue you do not want to insult them. I think a conversation with someone from a different culture that you may not fully understand would not convey all the intended information.

The three strategies that could be used to help communicate better are. Perceptions, self concept  and
stero-typing. Perceptions is "a cognitive process through wich we interpret  our expierences and come to our own unique understandings"(O'Hare & Weimann 2012, p.36). To be able to use perception I would be thoughtful when I seek answers don't let first impressions be the last. Sterotyping an individual or group can be damaging. The saying dont judge a book by its cover is true in stereotyping. An open mind needs to be kept to be able to effectivly communicate. I know many people that ride Harly Davidsons. Most people sterotype them as criminals, mean, dirty and uneducated. Many of them are very educated, and have influential jobs, such as lawyers, doctors, police. Also a persons concept of themselves influences conversations. If you do not feel good about yourself, you will portray that in a conversation.

By having a better self concept, perception and sterotyping you can have a more effective conversation.

References
O'Hare, D., & Wiemann, M, (2012). Real Communication. New York : Bedford/St. Martins.

Week two "Happy Endings"

For this blog I watched a show called "Happy Endings". First I found it very difficult to watch without sound. I could not concentrate on the program without the sound, I kept looking away, looking outside at my dogs, and everywhere but the tv. I needed to really think about what I was doing to be able to watch.

While watching the show without sound, the characters seemed to be friends that worked together, but by watching their facial expressions and body language they didn't all seem to like each other and they were sarcastic and patronized each other. Their facial expressions were not nice and there seemed to be certain characters in charge of the group, of they led the group.

When I watched the show with the sound my assumptions were partially right. They were being sarcastic to each other but they cared for one another. Their facial expressions were more for teasing each other than being mean. There wasn't a leader in the group just some of the characters were more prominent than others. Their body language expressed what they were saying most of the time, other times they were being sarcastic.

I found this assignment interesting. I realized that paying attention to someone or something even without sound is more important than I thought. I found that I seem to listen without looking. My A-HA moment is, I thought back to my professional life and discovered that I tend to look at other things while having a conversation. I multi-task too often and I need to be look at people when we talk. This is an area of my communication that I really need to work on. When I was young I didn't trust people that didn't look at me when they spoke. I don't want to be viewed that way, I am going to be very conscious of my future conversations with others.

Communication week 1

When I try to think of someone that is a good communicator, there is no one in my family that I think of. Journalist and great communicators, the only celebrity I think of is Oprah. I feel that her understanding of others, the way she uses her words, her body language make her a good communicator. She rarely takes sides, she may give advice, but doesn't judge anyone. She listens to everyone, and is patient until they are done. She also makes good eye contact with whoever she speaks too.

I would like to have her patience to listen to people. One problem I have is that some people are long winded and it is hard for me to be patient and listen to them. Especially when they are talking about something that I either have no interest in or is off topic.

Being a talk show host or even a journalist takes very special skills. Listening is one of them and I think one of the most important. This makes us knowledgeable about a topic we will be discussing or writing about, and gives us more credibility.

"GENIUS IS ETERNAL PATIENCE"
                                 MICHAELANGELO