Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

As an educator and a future director, I have learned to seek help from others in the field of early childhood. Support systems are needed, because it gives the educators someone to lean on that is familiar with the joys and challenges of the early childhood field (EC or ECF). In most cities and states, there are organizations or communities of practices (COP) that are available for individuals in all professions. As I researched my local and state areas, I found three organizations or COP’s that appealed to me.

The Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) is one of the organizations that appeals to me. SECA was established in 1948, it rally’s all early childhood educators, administrators, and anyone who works with children and families to improve education and care for children in the southern region (SECA, 2015). It appeals to me, because they have conferences, at different locations annually to promote new ideas, tools, and techniques to assist educators and administrators in improving the overall quality of life for children and families.

The Mississippi Early Childhood Association (MsECA) is an organization that operates in the state of MS. It is a “non-profit, educational organization…concerned about the care and education of young children; it provides a means for persons interested in young children, increases knowledge, brings relevant issues to the attention of the public, and improves health and educational standards for children” (MsECA, n. d., para. 1). This organization appeals to me, because it is a local organization that supports the efforts of the educators and administrators in Mississippi. Often, MS does not have any positive affiliations related to children and families, with this organization within arm’s reach, I am able to provide others and myself with knowledge to help improve how we educate and care for the children in MS.

The Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) is a local organization that “Advocates great public schools for every child by empowering members, providing services and promoting parental/community involvement” (MAE, 2015, para. 2). This organization appeals to me, because it has workshops to provide educators with knowledge on common core standards for children, and it has other developmental workshops to increase the knowledge of educators and afford them with more opportunities to advance in the ECF.

These organizations provide me with a COP to support my efforts with any job in the field of EC. While researching, I found two jobs that interest me including being a Director of Educational Programs (Private School with Preschool Division) and Early Childhood Educator for Public Charter Schools. Both jobs require the applicant to have a Master’s degree in early childhood or a related area; the job for Director of Educational Programs, (Private School with Preschool Division), requires the applicant to have teaching or supervisory experience.

Overall, my education and experience in the field of EC affords me many opportunities; with a Master’s degree, there are many jobs that I could pursue in the ECF. Having knowledge and support through COP’s help me to foster new skills, education, and knowledge related to children and families; with this in mind, I will continue to gain knowledge to help improve the quality of life for the children and families I serve.

References

Mississippi Association of Educators. (2015). Great public schools for every student. Retrieved from https://www.maetoday.org/index.php/Professional-Development/professional-development-workshops.html

Ms Early Childhood Association. (n.d.). About MsECA Retrieved from http://www.msearlychildhood.org/welcome

Southern Early Childhood Association. (2015). An organization committed to southern issues. Retrieved from http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/

Wordle Creation

Here are some words that highlight issues in the field of early childhood. The top five most important ones for me include
Bullying
Affordability

Lack of Resources

Child Abuse

Compensation

The Blog is Back

I have taken some time away from the blog to complete other courses; now, I am back. I hope to interact with all of you once again. Have a great week!

Lah-Lah

Final Thoughts and Thanks

This is the final blog for my course in communications. I have learned so many new things to help me in my career as a professional in the field of early childhood education. I have learned how to be more empathetic with the individuals I interact with. I have learned how to improve my verbal and non-verbal communication skills with my fellow colleagues, families, and others. I have learned the importance of eliminating non-violent communication and incorporating the 3 R’s in my communication skills. Respect (R 1), will positively impact communication, because it allows one to show respect towards another, by actively listening, being attentive, and engaging in conversation. Responsiveness (R 2), allows the speaker and the listener to respond to each other when necessary; this will eliminate disruption between the two parties while communicating. Reciprocal (R 3), allows one to give information while the other takes in and vice versa. With these in mind, I now know how to be a better communicator and leader. Several of my colleagues gave quality insight into my post; they gave valuable feedback and encouraged me to be better. I would personally like to thank Mirla and Deon for always being insightful and encouraging. To all of those who view my blog, I wish that each of you would take the time to look at your life and career to see if it is rewarding for you. I strive to support each of you by encouraging you to think critically about your life and how you can improve the lives of others. Thanks for a great term.

Lah-Lah Devine

Adjourning: The Fifth Stage of Team Development

At some point in our lives, we will all become a part of a group; whether it is in a school, church, or work environment. Most of us have pride in ourselves when we are able to be a part of a successful team. Developing a group that will be effective and successful involves five stages including forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. For this blog, I will focus my attention on the adjourning phase of the five stages.

According to Abudi (2010), the adjourning stage is used to evaluate the success of a project, evaluate failures if necessary, and to say goodbye to the members of the team. I feel that the hardest aspects of leaving a group are if each of its members were able to form a bond through collaboration and participation. Sometimes, it will be hard to say goodbye to a great leader; it will also be hard to realize that a successful part of one’s life has ended. I feel that high-performing and clearly established groups are the hardest to leave, because through hard work, they strived to reach and accomplish a common goal. According to O’Hair and Wiemann (2012), during adjourning, individuals can make amends if necessary; and often, long lasting friendships occur during high- performing projects.

Over the years, I have been in many groups and I have served in many teams. The group that I feel was the hardest to leave, was a sisterhood group at church. All of us worked hard to accomplish many goals; we were successful in communicating, and we built long lasting relationships. Each of us is still close friends and family today. In all of my years of working with groups or teams, I do not recall a time where we used the adjourning stage. I wish we had, because it would have allowed us to resolve issues we had during the project. Looking forward, to the end of my Walden experience, I imagine that my colleagues and I will adjourn through meaningful interactions, through blogs and discussion. For those who will attend graduation, we will adjourn in person, by officially introducing ourselves and exchanging information.

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork, because it allows individuals to resolve any issues between each other. It allows the team to discuss failures and success and what they liked or disliked about the process or project (O’Hair & Weimann, 2012). Being able to resolve issues and amend relationships in a professional manner is essential to one’s personal and professional growth. “The team leader should ensure that there is time for the team to celebrate the success of the project and capture best practices for future use;” this is necessary, if one wants to counter act any related issues in the future (Abudi, 2010, p. 1). Through the resources, I have learned how important incorporating the five stages of team development is for the success of my collegiate and professional career.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

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

Conflict Resolution

A couple of months ago, I quit my job, because the administrators and two other staff member were not effective in communication or the running of a high quality facility. I worked for a child development center in Hattiesburg. Over the past two years, I enjoyed my job as a teacher. I strived to keep my children and families happy. About a year and a half after I began permanently working for this center, a female co-worker began to harass me any way she could. The former program manager made her feel as if she were the best educator in the world; remind you, that she did not have an education in the field of early childhood. She did not even have an associate degree. This is where administration failed; all employees who were in a lead teacher’s position must possess at least a Bachelor’s degree. It was apparent that the program manager favored this individual and this caused major division in the work environment. Please understand, that this female watched my every move; hoping I would do something for her to report. She often told lies to the executive director and others, regarding my competence. Many people did not believe her, because they knew me. I was well liked by the children, parents, and other workers. I realized that this female was jealous of my achievements and my status at the center. She approached me several times, in a negative manner. One strategy I used, was listening to her, to see if there was something I could do to improve myself; when those efforts were not successful, I tried another strategy. I tried to do my part as a team player, with efforts to create a less stressful environment; but it was not enough for her. She believed that she could do anything she wanted, because she had favor with the program manager. I communicated to her several times, that I was not happy with the way she treated me; finally, I told administration about this employee. After the program manager resigned, things got worse; nothing was being done to make the situation better. I told administration that I was not happy with the center and the way it was being conducted. Finally, they offered me a better position; I smiled and declined it. A few weeks later, I resigned my position as a lead teacher. I know that my children, the parents, and my co-workers, did not want me to leave. I was beginning to hate coming to work each day, because of the harassment. My strategies of listening, responding empathetically, reciprocating and being supportive, did not prove to be productive in this situation. Since this incident, a job found me; now, I am my own boss, I work with a private family who adores me and support my efforts as an educator. I am happy I left; sometimes, certain things are not meant for us. We must read the signs and make a move that has our best interest at heart. How would you have handled this situation of jealously?

Lah-Lah

My Communication Evaluation

This week, I learned a few new things about how I communicate with others. I have been told, from time to time, I am mean and sometimes I say things that are hurtful to others. I know when speaking to others regarding things that are foolish, I tend to be more insensitive. In my experience, I try to take what others say about me and apply it to the overall change of myself. I have been told several times that I need to watch how I say things to others; sometimes I do not know how cruel I am until I stop and listen to what I have said. I do not intentionally set out to hurt anyone; however, sometimes it occurs. Over the last few years, I have tried to approach communication from a different angle; now, I try to actively listen to others to see what they will contribute to the conversation.

During the self-evaluation test for communication, I learned a few things about how others view me as a communicator. A personal male friend of mine, and my sister gave me a little insight on who I am as a communicator. They said, sometimes I can be harsh; but they realize that I do not say or do things to intentionally hurt others. The test he took regarding my communication in public surprised me. He revealed that he did not notice any tension, stress, or discomfort in me while communicating in public; he also thought that I enjoyed speaking to groups. This shows that body language can differ from a person’s mental perspective. I enjoy talking with others I am familiar with; however, I am slightly uneasy when speaking to large groups of individuals, whether I am familiar with them or not. I was surprised, because I thought everyone knew how nervous I am when speaking to a group; this shows that he does not really know my feelings regarding communication in public places. Maybe I hide my fear well. Nothing else about the test surprised me. I know how aggressive I am and how aggressive others think I am regarding communication.

This week, I learned many important things regarding communication. I learned how important it is to actively listen to others in all communication settings. Listening helps the listener gain vital information regarding a topic or situation. I also learned the importance of self-monitoring; according to O’Hair and Wiemann (2012), it is important for one to have an ability to watch their environment and others for cues as to how to present one’s self in situations. This is important as a professional in the field of early childhood, because I will encounter many people in different situations, and self-monitoring will help me succeed in my endeavors. Considering the importance of listening and self-monitoring, professionally, I will become a better communicator when dealing with child and family issues. Personally, it is important for me to possess these two characteristics because it allows me to be more understanding and empathetic of my colleagues, family, and friends.

Lah-Lah

References

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