Saturday, April 14, 2012

Time Well Spent

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
                                                                                                ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Every great dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
                                                                                                                                       ~Harriet Tubman


When he took time to help the man up the mountain, lo, he scaled it himself.
                                                                                                ~ Tibetan Proverb

These are just a few images and quotes that explain what this experience as a Walden University student of the Master's Science in Early Childhood Studies has meant to me.  From the beginning, I tried to raise the bar of excellence for myself in order to be a better educator and learner.  I challenged myself and my colleagues through inquisition and  reflection.  We worked as a powerful team to help one another gain access to new knowledge and struggled to make this, what seemed to be a painful journey, as painless as possible.  Through dedication and compassion, the instructors guided us through the multitudes of research and discussion to  make success seem an arm's-length away.

The three most important lessons learned from this experience was:

1. Never give up! No matter how hard and far the road to the end seems; keep striving for excellence and happiness.

2.  Team work is not taboo.  It is the only way to get things done. Even if the team consists of two people, they must believe in the power of trust, motivation, and determination.

3.  I am worthy! During this journey I had to trust myself and believe with all my heart that I was deserving of this degree.  I went through many hurdles; even deciding to quit at many stops along the way.  But, I had to realize that with every "no", the one "yes" is what matters the most.


My long-term goal is to stay with Johns Hopkins' systems and work to improve the lives of children and their families. 

I want to thank each and every one of you for walking alongside me through this journey.  I have learned so much from all of you and hope that, as you knock on successes door, it swings wide open for you to enjoy as much of her as possible.

Thank you

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally


OMEP
Organizacion Mundial Para La Educacion Preescolar( In English World Organization for Early Childhood Education)
STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD ORGANIZATION
OMEP has national committees in over 60 countries divided into five geographical regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Europe, Latin America, and North America and the Caribbean. The officers of the World Assembly are the President, the five regional Vice-presidents, and the Treasurer. For more information about World OMEP, visit the website at http://www.omep.org.gu.se/ For a list of national committees in each of the five regions, including contact information, visit http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/regions/
National OMEP Committees: National committees (sometimes referred to as national chapters or national organizations) promote the aims of World OMEP and participate in World OMEP projects. They also develop projects of their own.

OMEP-USA: OMEP-USA, formally known as the U.S National Committee (OMEP-USNC), is one of more than 60 national organizations in World OMEP. OMEP-USA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the full membership. The Board convenes twice a year, in the fall during the NAEYC Annual Conference and in the spring in tandem with other conferences and meetings. Click here for more information about OMEP USA. Click here for the Board of Directors roster.

I am a member of OMEP-USA and because it is an all-volunteer organization, there are not career opportunities available. OMEP does offer many workshops and activities for its members in order to enhance our knowledge-base where global awareness of issues and trends of early childhood are concerned. I chose this particular organization because I have always wanted to explore early childhood from a global perspective and I am able to do so with this organization.

OMEP( 2012).Retrieved from: http://www.omep-usnc.org/


 
As I read the vision and accomplish of fhi 360, I was intrigued by them.  With the intentions of being a part of the solution to global issues of hunger, education, and other social challenges, fhi 360 has, “worked with 1,400 partners in 125 countries, forging strong relationships with governments, diverse organizations, the private sector and communities” (fhi 360,  2012).
They have many career opportunities, but nothing that I am interested in. The good thing about their career is that they do offer international positions to applicants, which would give individuals an chance to travel to different parts of the world.

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

 
I love the philosophy of International Step by Step Association:
ISSA promotes open society values in education and society, equal access to quality education for all children, strong family involvement, and community participation to help every child reach his or her full potential. We believe that children learn best when they are active participants in the learning process. ISSA’s programs encourages children to express their ideas creatively, to help one another, to develop critical thinking skills and to practice responsible living by learning to make choices. We recognize that each child is unique and seek to meet his or her individual educational needs in the classroom.
We build on the principle that parents are the primary educators of children and we strive for active parent participation and community involvement in the education process. ISSA aims to encourage democratic ideas and principles and actions within young children and their families. These principles are crucial to developing a lifelong love of learning, which engenders success in an open and free society (ISSA, 2012).
This is another membership based organization, but it sounds as if it would exciting to work for.
ISSA. (2012). 

Retrieved from: http://www.issa.nl/philosophy.html