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.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

I am currently dealing with a disgruntled parent. It seems like everything I do for her child is not up to her standards.  Instead of communicating her issues with me, she emails the managers. This irritates me beyond measures.  If you have an issue with me or the way I run my classroom, bring it to me so that we can come to an understanding. Going to the managers is actually pointless since they are not in my classroom 24/7.  

One way that I have tried to fix this situation is by attempting to talk to her when she arrives. Although she says I do not communicate with her, I do try but it seems that no matter what I say, no matter how much or how little I say, she finds something wrong with it. 

Another solution I have tried is using written communication. I think it is easier to communicate with her through writing because then I have a record of what I have said. This ultimately gives me the upper hand because then she can not lie or change what has been said.

I also tried using here emails to the managers to my advantage. When ever she has an issue with me, I have them email her back. This also helps me because then the managers have all the information about every situation I face with this parent. 

What would you all suggest as a way of peacefully handling a parent who seems to have nothing but negative comments about everything that happens in my classroom? It honestly makes me want avoid her child because I know that no matter what I say or do, she will find some kind of issue with it.