 |
| To A Job Well Done! Congratulations on Your Accomplishment! |
Being not only culturally aware but being culturally responsive is crucial when working with children and families. One's culture is intertwined into one's identity.
The field of early childhood education requires working in collaboration with many that share the same passion, vision, and mission. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much". Helen Keller
Self-reflection is a powerful tool in which we can grown and learn from. As early childhood educators we must reflect on our practices to ensure the work we are doing serves the best interest of children and families.
Being open to various perspectives allows for all voices to be heard. It allows for the development of understanding and growth to occur.
Evaluating the consequences of an idea, project, proposal, or program provides opportunities to identity what we what to achieve as well as what we do not want to achieve. This allows for proactive and careful planning to occur in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
After completing this program I have the knowledge and skill set to achieve my long-term goals. While it may not be easy or happen over night, I know what I need to be successful.
A long-term goal I have is to put my Capstone Project Challenge into action. To implement a child development and positive parenting course as a high school graduation requirement.
Another goal I have is to bring developmentally appropriate practices back to all. Including bringing play-based instruction back to kindergarten. To bring hands-on and exploratory learning back to all. To rid our school systems of teaching to the test. To teach children how to problem solve and to apply their knowledge instead of memorizing and regurgitating facts.
I want to thank my mom for giving he "motherly push" to start my Master's degree and for the encouragement along the way. I want to thank the wonderful man in my life for all the support and encouragement along the way and for the understanding of "I have homework to do." I want to thank my two wonderful daughters for their support and understanding as I balance work, school, and family. Thank you to my dad for his ongoing support. A shout out to other family and friends for their support and understanding when I could not attend the fun things going on!
A big thank you goes out to my colleagues. Many of us started the first class together. I appreciate your insights, perspectives, and feedback. I learned so much from your discussion posts and blogs. I appreciate your honesty as we shared the good and difficult experiences both in our professional lives and in our private lives. These experiences shaped who we are and I value each of you! I wish you well as we move on to future endeavors! I know each of you will be very successful and make positive impacts on children and families!
I would like to thank all my instructors that I have had the pleasure to work with. It has been a wonderful learning experience.
I leave my final thoughts with images and quotes below in regards to the field of early childhood education:
Thank you for your feed back during the class. I liked the quote that you used in your blog post from Helen Keller. We must have unity if we want to accomplish great things in the early childhood field.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a job well done. You have represented the field of Early Childhood Education in a superb way. Congratulations and keep surpassing more and more limitations. This field need educators who are like you! Dedicated, Passionate, and Willing to do what it takes to get new results! Great work this term....remember be the change you want to see!
ReplyDeleteHello Rhonda!! You have some amazing goals!! I love all of the quotes and statements that you used to envision the future of childhood education! I wish you the very best!!!
ReplyDeleteRhonda,
ReplyDeleteI always feel joy when I read your post. You have an amazing way of articulating your words. While reflecting on what you wrote, I realized the importance of being culturally aware and responsive. We are all diverse in many ways including ethnicity, religion, spirituality, culture, and beliefs; it is our duty as early childhood educators to recognize these differences and respond appropriately. Throughout this course, we have learned so many things to take us on this journey we call life. We were filled with knowledge and understanding along the way.
I feel that your goal of implementing a positive parenting course for a high school requirement is a great idea; I support you 100%. I feel that children all over the world will benefit from this class. You have learned many things, along with your colleagues to aid in your future accomplishments that is why we will have something positive to take away from this course. Remember, there is no job that is too hard to complete, if you have support and encouragement from others around you. I believe in you and all that you desire to achieve. You have the knowledge and education to be a great leader in the field of early childhood. Great leaders are good communicators, coaches, listeners, and they are open-minded and empathetic (Freeman, Decker, & Decker, 2013). Be Blessed!
Lah-Lah Devine
References
Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2013). Planning and administering early childhood programs (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Hi Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post to end an amazing journey. I truly appreciate your thoughts and goals. I can see how much passion you carry for early childhood field. I am pretty sure your vision will contribute in making a difference in the lives of many parents and children.
Congratulations and many thanks for sharing all your thoughtful posts throughout the course.
Best wishes,
Rawana
Hello Rhonda
ReplyDeleteYou have some awesome goals for the early childhood field. Your passion, commitment and dedication to the work that you do with children and their families are invaluable to impacting positive social change. It was great learning with you on the discussion. Your insights and feedback were enlightening. I wish you well in your future endeavors.