When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Three consequences of my experience being part of a caring, collaborative learning community for my professional growth and development would be the knowledge I have gained about headstart and early childhood systems. I did not realize that there wasn't a universal system in place. I also realize more and more that being a student is easier when you have like minded people in your circle. I may not know my classmates personally but knowing that they are all on the same track I am on professionally helps me to connect with them.  Last but not least, I know that if I need advice or have questions, I can reach out to my classmates because they understand what I am going through professionally and with my education.

One goal for using this collegial experience my advocacy, policy, and/or system development work on behalf of young children, families, and the early childhood community would be to learn how to use my resources to become a better advocate.  I need to realize that there are people and other resources available to assist me with advocating for the children and families I work with.

My Hypothetical Family Situation

I am a single mother of a two year old and I am currently pregnant with my second child. My two year old daughter has down-syndrome and it is sometimes hard for me to afford her medications. I work five days per week and am also a full-time student.  We are barely over the poverty level but I am making it work some how. I don’t want to have government assistance but it is the only way I can get by and be able to provide for me and my family.  

I never thought I would be a single mother or would have to struggle like this. I married the love of my life when I was 21 and the day after our daughter’s second birthday, he was tragically killed on his way home from work. Three weeks later, I found out I was pregnant again.  Once he died and the household was down to just my income, I could no longer afford to keep up with the bills so, we moved in with my mother and father.  Once I complete my Bachelor’s degree, I know I will be able to find a higher paying job so that I can get my own home again and support my children on my own. 

Questions for my classmates:

Am I missing any important details needed for the successful completion of this assignment?

What websites would you recommend I use to help me complete this assignment?

Does anyone have any thoughts, based on my specific family situation, that will affect the childhood system I am creating?

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

• One strategy I have discovered as I have worked on the assignments in this course that is currently being used by advocates and organizations that influence the political will toward improving early childhood systems in order to foster the well-being of young children and their families would be the use of media including internet, television, radio, and print. Using different media types helps put issues and concerns out there so they can not be ignored. It's hard to ignore issues when they are constantly being shown to you or brought to your attention.
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• What appeals to me the most is the fact that the work I'ld be doing would be helping young children and families. I think sometimes the needs of those involved in the early childhood field get pushed aside so it is important that someone stand up for their needs.
  
  

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

The professional and personal significance I drew from these stories is how beneficial we, as educators, are.  Until you hear it from either a parent or family member, or you see it in the progress that the children are making, you may not realize how important this job is.  

Involvement opportunities for parents and family members benefit young children, families, and the early childhood field. When families are involved in a child’s early childhood experience, it makes the child feel more comfortable and it shows them that they are loved and supported. It is also a way to bring the family together.  Last but not least, it benefits the early childhood field because shows support of the experience that we are attempting to give each child and it also gives the families a better understanding of the early childhood field as a whole.

Hearing such stories motivates early childhood professionals, the public, policymakers and government officials to work harder to make the early childhood field a continued success. It also gives more awareness of the field and the good it does.

Parent involvement is an essential system element for all stands of service in the early childhood field. In order for the early childhood field to continue to thrive and continue to be successful, parents and families must be involved in every aspect of the educational process. Without parent involvement, there would be no early childhood field. It takes parents, families, children, teachers, advocates, and the community to make this field a success.

Quality Programs for All Children

In my opinion, there is not enough emphasis  placed on the value and importance of providing quality services for young children and families.  I hope in the near future, people see how important early childhood education really is. We help prepare children for headstart, preschool, and all other educational endeavors. There is not enough funding available to for adequate early childhood programs and there is not enough assistance to help parents pay for quality programs.  I think one of my main concerns is the fact that, in my city at least, early childhood educators are some of the lowest paid. It is hard to find quality educators when the pay is not right. Without qualified teachers, we can not provide the educational needs that need to be met. 

What Resonates With Me About Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy?

Part 1: I chose this specialization because I am currently and Early Childhood Educator and I see children and families who need assistance or atleast someone to speak up for them and I currently don't feel as though I am able to do that. I know that as a teacher there are resources available to me but I want to more knowledgeable on the subject of advocacy.

Part 2: Advocates are essential in the early childhood field because they are the voice for families, children, and those in the field.  Without advocates the needed changes in the field or potential issues would never be brought to the light and changes would never be made. 

Part 3: I hope to learn where to look when I need advice about public policies and advocating. I also want to learn how to be a better advocate for the families and children that I am currently working with. Last but not least, I want learn about professional organization so that I can become more involved in the field of advocating.

Profile of a Volunteer

 The volunteer I have elected to profile would be my great grandfather. Before he passed away, he volunteered in church and at many community events. His presence was truly amazing and he has always been my hero.  He mentored many young kids over the years and gave them the love and guidance that they were not receiving from others.  He gave selflessly of himself every day.  Even when he was in pain or down on his luck, he took the time to help others. Without him, I feel as though a lot of young people's lives would have been completely different. He helped many see that they were valued and loved and that through Christ, nothing was impossible.

A vital "take-away" message relative to this work in terms of my own volunteer efforts and advocacy work in fostering the well-being of children and families is to always have a positive attitude and do it because you want to and not because you have to.

Using Social Media to Get Connected

Currently the only social media that I use is Facebook.  I use it to keep in contact with friends and family that I do not get to talk to often.  I feel like Facebook is a great media tool that lends itself to effective advocacy because it reaches millions of people at one time. It also makes it possible to reach people all over the world, if used properly.  I could post positive messages and concerns as a way to educate and inspire others in my advocacy work. I know that many people view my page and it is my responsibility to make sure that everything that is read on my page is positive and educational or at least not negative.

What do you feel is the best social media site to use to advocate for children and families?

Avocacy Messages

Autism Speaks:
Toni Braxton: Odds of having 3 multi-platinum albums  1/1,650,000
                      Odds of having a child diagnosed with autism 1/88 

Using celebrities causes people to pay attention to the message they are delivering. It cause them to want to learn more and to take action

Fatherhood Involvement:
Take time to be a dad today.

Messages that are short and to the point stick in people's heads and then they choose to take action whether conscientiously or subconsciously.

Bullying Prevention:
Teach your kids how to stop bullying and be more than a bystander.

My Own Capacity

I apologize for my blog being late but I have been battling strep throat and a 102.5 temperature for the last few days.

The issue impacting young children and their families and/or the field of early childhood that fuels my passion would have to be childhood abuse and malnutrition.  In the society we live in today, there are many resources out there for families and children so there is no reason why a child should go without in the United States.

I posses many skills that will contribute to my advocacy work.  The first is the ability to be patient followed by my determination.  I also have a need for knowledge and change.

I hope to grow to to become a more effect advocate by gaining a better appreciation for research and its process.  I currently hate researching so I hope to gain more knowledge and appreciation for it.

My Role as an Advocate

My motivation for becoming an advocate for very young children comes from my experiences as a young child as well as seeing my Mother advocate for children.  I also work with infants and toddlers on a daily basis so I see firsthand the difference that an advocate can make in their lives.
 
It is essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level because you never know when or if you will need some assistance from others.In order to be an effective advocator, you need to establish contacts and communication with others and the best way to do that is to acknowledge other people's hard work.

In order to be a community leader on early childhood issues, one needs to understand and have knowledge of the issues that are faced by children, families, and all those in the field. They would also need to be good listeners and communicators as well. 

The best resource a state leader on early childhood issues can have is parents, children, and educators.  In order to know what is really needed in this field, a state leader will need to go directly to the source, the people who live and breath in this field.

In order to mobilize others, an advocate needs to be strong willed and determined. They also need to make sure they are well respected by others and also be able to delegate responsibilities.

Personal Advocacy Reflection

My mother was the biggest advocator that I know. I can remember being younger and her bringing children home with her from the day care she worked at all because she felt in her heart that they needed someone to be there for them.  We did not have much to offer but she gave all she could to children who needed her. I remember one little girl in particular. My mom took her in and she practically lived with us. My mom kept her, clothed her, and fed her for  many years until my mother asked the girls mom to give her at least temporary custody. The girl's mother had major health issue which she died from a couple of years ago. I have not seen the young lady since the day her mother took her back. She is now 16 or 17.

After witnessing my mother advocating for young children, I realized how passionate I really am about being an advocate.  Now that my mother is no longer around, I need something to focus my time and attention on and what better than to focus on helping children and families. Advocating, at this point in my career, is very important to me because it makes me feel like I am keeping my mother's memory alive.   

Team Building and Collaboration, Part 1

 

Adjourning is usually easy for me because I do not allow myself to get close to many people. It is hard for me to form any kind of a bond with people. I do, however, believe that groups that have clear established norms are the hardest to leave.  The hardest group for me to leave would have to be my church. I grew up in my family's church but it got the point were we did not have the money to cover all the maintainance that we needed to take care of. We eventually had to let it go. It was the hardest for me because my entire family grew up in that church and most of my relatives, including my mother, are buried there. 

I have an issue when situations are not properly closed/ended or when I have unanswered questions.  That's the issue I've had with my mother's death. There were to many unanswered questions and so many things that did not make sense to me.  It would have been easier if I had had the opportunity to say good-bye.

In most of the groups I have have been in, there hasn't really been any official closing ritual outside of my high school and college graduations.  Those are the only official closing rituals that I have been a part of. 

Honestly I think the only thing I will say to my colleagues when I finish my master's degree is "good luck". It's easy to leave groups like this because you really don't take the time to get to know the other people in the group.

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it brings the entire experience to a close.  I think the most important parts of being in a team are the first and last stages where you get to know someone and then you say good bye. I is essential to everyone to learn ways of saying good bye and how to leave peacefully. It is also important to understand the importance of leaning while in the group and figuring out what important aspect can be taken and used in your everyday life.