Professional Goals, Hopes, and Dreams

One of the issues I hear about almost daily in my current role as an ECE professional is the recent influx of educators whom are not of the best quality. Throughout my company, centers across the nation have experienced a severe lack of quality teachers whom are dedicated to this field, as well as the growth and development of young children. We are all quite aware that ECE teachers are well underpaid, so it is beyond my understanding as to why so many people gravitate to these positions if they are not passionate about young children.

Professional development is all around me, and this is one of the major reasons why I chose to work in my current center. There are at least two professional development trainings per month, all of which are paid trainings that are center specific and relevant to our current center happenings. Also, the program leadership team gathers together once a year to develop the professional development calendar. This allows us to really cater to the needs of the teachers and ourselves as well. If anyone is unable to attend a training, there are also online training courses offered by our management company that are paid for by our center. A teacher is able to visit our company website to assign themselves trainings, or a supervisor can assign trainings to staff members based on need.

In terms of my professional goals, I would really like to become a center director or executive director within the next five years. In the long term, I would like to own and operate a private childcare center.

I hope that I can continue to learn all that I can to achieve each and every goal that I set for myself. As of now I am happy with my career advancement, however, I know that I still have quite the road ahead of me. One of the main challenges I face is that the ECE field is not the most financially rewarding. I knew this when I began this journey, as my mother has been a teacher all of my life. However, I know that I possess a deep passion for children and education as a whole. Therefore, I enjoy what I do and I know that in the end, my position in this field will always be rewarding. I just hope that someday, educators everywhere will finally receive the monetary compensation that we all so deserve.

NAEYC: Sharing Web Resources

The NAEYC website has a section of their website dedicated to popular topics of issues and trends in the field of early childcare education. Specifically, topics such as Coping with Stress and Violence, Family Engagement, and Social/Emotional Development all cater to the needs of early childhood education programs experiencing inequities. Also, there is a more detailed topic search engine that focuses on more specific needs. Furthermore, this week I have learned that all inequities are not created equally (hence the title). Interestingly enough, I have also learned that some inequities can funnel into even bigger ones. This is why websites and resources such as NAEYC are so important in the fight against inequities in early childhood.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics

Equity and Excellence

This week, I have learned so much about equity and its effects on the field of early childhood education. One of the biggest things that I learned this week is just how much of an impact socio-economic status has on our children and their success. This goes to show that labels and status in this day and age really do affect the people whom we become. Socio-economic issues such as race, English Language Learners, lack of parental education, and so forth are several demonstrations of just how broad the topic of inequity really is.

I was happy to read about "The Center on the Developing Child" this week. I loved hearing that one of the goals of the center is to protect children from any adversity. I feel that in current times, society has become so selfish in dealing with issues that they do not focus on the fact that children are innocent souls. It is up to us as adults, educators, and family members to mold and shape children into who they will be for the remainder of their lives. I truly feel that children cannot remain innocent if they are constantly subjected to adverse conditions.

Sharing Web Resources

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

One aspect of the NAEYC website that particularly appeals to me is the blog section. The NAEYC blog consistently provides its readers with up to date issues and resources as it relates to early childhood education. As educators, we all have the understanding that this field is ever-changing. In order to stay abreast and alert in terms of change, it is important to have a resource such as the NAEYC blog that provide us with consistent and accurate updates related to the field. 

On the blog, I discovered a post titled "My Son's Realization that he is Brown" written by Kim Doan. The post was about a mother and her biracial son whom identified himself as a "brown" kid for the first time at 4 years old. The post goes on to discuss how her son Dylan began to notice that not many of the other children in his class were brown, and of course, he wanted to be just like everyone else. At the conclusion of the article, the author discusses the importance of discussing identity with young children, as they tend to notice differences in race and skin color as early as 6 months. This is something that I never knew personally, so I am glad I stumbled upon this publication. I loved this article because it discussed a common issue that so heavily impacts today's society. It also gave tips as to how to speak to young children about their identity, just incase assistance is needed to get the conversation going. 

Under the "Power of the Profession" tab, the site speaks to how NAEYC collaborates with other stakeholders and organizations to enhance the early learning field.

International Contacts: Poverty

One of my international contacts, Christen, teaches Kindergarten and lives primarily in the UAE. Upon questioning her about the effects of poverty in her school's community, one thing stood out to me most...the fact that poverty is not observed in the same light in some areas as they are others. Christen explained to me that it is sometimes difficult to tell who's actually poor. This is because there are sometimes no noticeable differences in the way her students carry themselves, their work ethic, and even their appearance. She also explained that even wealthy people seem to be more modest in this area of the world rather than in America. Social status is often not discussed and Christen even shared with me how one of her students descended from a long line of wealth, so much that they were considered royalty, and she never knew until another co-worker shared the information.

This opened both of our eyes to the effects of poverty and how our perceptions and reactions may play a huge role.

US Department of Education Early Learning Newsletter

https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/newsletter.html

The US Department of Education is a combination of several federal agencies that promote financial assistance for education, as well as focusing national attention on educational issues, inclusion, and so much more. I was attracted to this newsletter due to the emphasis placed on talking, reading, and singing to children each day. I strongly believe that all three of these instances are the foundation for early literacy and learning in young children. A huge portion of this newsletter is also dedicated to inclusion strategies and tactics. Based on the information presented through this week's resources, we have a long way to go when it comes to the inclusion of immigrant children and their families. I look forward to furthering my exploration of this newsletter throughout the duration of this course and beyond.

Expanding Horizons & Resources

A former colleauge of mine by the name of Christen has been teaching at the early childhood level in the UAE for the past five years. She has become so immersed in the culture and thriving environment, she has made this country a home for her and her family. I have sent Christen an email in regards to this assignment and I am awaiting a response. She has always been so helpful and resourceful, as I had previous plans of teaching overseas. I know she will be a great resource for this course, hence why I immediately chose to reach out to her.

May Ajram is an early childhood leader and professional in Lebanon. I found her through the World Forum Connection Center, and because she expressed her interest in professional passion, I was immediately drawn to her. I have added her Facebook page and I am interested to see if she would be willing to be a participant for this assignment. Sharing the passion of early childhood education, I am sure that this connection would not be difficult to establish.

I have chosen the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) as my early childhood organization of choice. I made this selection due to the fact that the center where I am currently employed is NAEYC accredited and I am always interested in learning more about the organization as a whole.