Time Well Spent

At least three deeply felt learnings from this program

Being a part of the Walden family has meant so much to me over the past two years.  I have grown so much educationally. This program has taught me about so much about being an educator.  I know that when you feel passionate about something that it is important to research it first. You need to make sure you do all the research so that you can advocate for your cause effectively. I have also realized that adults and children learn in very similar ways. Sometimes you have to treat one like the other.  You may have to use a variety of strategies to keep their attention and help them.

At least one long-term goal

With all that I have learned from this program I hope to use the skills that I have learned to become an effective leader. I hope to open my own childcare center and become a director that uses the skills that I have learned in this program to lead my staff. I also hope that before I own a childcare center that I will become an instructional specialist in my current school system and also use the skills that I learned to lead the my co-workers effectively.

A farewell message to your Instructor and colleagues (

I would like to say good bye and thank you to all of my colleagues. Many of you have been with me since the very first class. We have all grown and learned so much together and from each other. I have appreciated all the comments and criticism over the past two years.  I will miss you all. I wish everyone the best of luck on everything you will accomplish in your lives both personally and professionally.

To Dr. Morgan I appreciate all the life lessons that you have taught me not only in this last class but in previous. I thank you for being honest with me and helping me become a better person and student. You have encouraged me to do better. Thank you for all that you have done.

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence." Unknown

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

I have chosen three internal organizations that can help me with the pursuit of developing a developmentally appropriate rating system for Early childhood programs catering to 4 to 5 year old children.
1. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
The mission of this organization is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems.

The OECD can help me by looking at the problem of the lack of early childhood programs around the world and how we can improve the ones we have while building more.

2. International Step By Step Association.
ISSA is a membership organization that connects professionals and organizations working in the field of early childhood development and education. ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives.
The ISSA is currently working with 29 governmental agencies around the world to improve early childhood education.


3.Academy for Educational Development.
The vision of the Academy for educational Development is to envisions a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential.

I believe this organization believes in the people and wants them to have the best available and developing a developmentally appropriate rating system can help all children get the best education possible.


A job that I am interested in is a Director of a Childcare Center. I believe that as a director of a childcare center I would have the opportunity to develop a program that would most benifit the children.
The requirements for a director are:
1. The director/ shall be at least 21 years of age.
2. . The director shall have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with at least 12 credit hours of child development or early childhood education and one year of experience in a licensed child care center or comparable setting, subject to approval by the Bureau;

National/ Federal Organizations

National Child Care Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.nccanet.org/. I choose this organization because they are active in legislation for the early childhood field.  This organization is very concerned about children in Early Childhood centers they help train staff and offer learning opportunities.

Center on the Developing Child (2011). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/ Leading the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative program and practice models that reduce preventable disparities in well-being;

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center  www.fpg.unc.edu FPG scientists study important issues facing young children and their families and use this information to enhance policy and improve practice. Our goal is to ensure that all children have a strong foundation for academic success and full participation as caring and responsible citizens of a multicultural world.

A job that I would be interested in the director of a childcare center.  I feel that being a director would allow me make sure that the children are learning all the things that they need to improve in the early childhood field. To be an early childhood director I need to be knowledgeable of the early childhood field. I also need to be up to date on all codes and regulations.  Keeping in touch with available trainings for staff is also a requirement.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

Louisiana Educators Association (LAE), This organization keeps in touch with what law makers and the school board are trying to do. They fight to make sure that teachers are treated fairly. Like this Wednesday, they are organizing a protest at the state capital to fight to new laws that are being proposed about teachers and education. One law in particular is to take a teachers certification if someone feels that they are not meet standards.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization that fights for the rights of children. I have been a part of this organization since college. NAEYC keeps me up to date with new research and breakthroughs in the early childhood field.

National Council of teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is an organization that I belong to. They have a local conference every year that talks about the latest trends in teaching mathematics. I love to attend and find out new techniques.

A job that interests me currently is a Childcare Worker Trainer. In this job I would be responsible for doing professional development training for workers at childcare centers. To be qualified for the job I would have to take yearly trainings to be up to date on material. I need to have at least a year of working with children under the age of six. A master’s degree in the early childhood field is also a requirement for a higher level trainer position.

Thank You!

I would like to say thank you to all of my Walden colleagues who have been apart of my journey. So many of you have taken the last few classes with me. You have helped me grow and understand my self better when it comes to education. I thank you for the wonderful feedback and encouragement that you have given me along the way. I would like to wish you all the best of luck in your future classes and careers. I realize that most of us only have three more classes left until we are awarded our master's degree for all of our hard work.

Team Building and Collabortion

When building a team there are five stages that you will go through. The last stage of team building is adjourning. During this stage the group starts to break up and go there own separate ways. I find that the closer a group has become to each other the harder this stage becomes. I was a girl scout until I was 18 years old. I formed very close bonds with the group of girls that were in my troop. When it came time for me to leave the troop I found it very hard. We still keep in contact with each other even though we no longer have to work together to accomplish task. I have always found that when a group runs like a well oiled machine and learns to work with each other on such a high level it is very difficult to leave that group. Groups where you feel used or under valued are the ones that it is very easy to leave. Even though it may be hard to leave a group eventually we have to learn to stand alone. Always depending on others will not help us grow into the people we need to become. Any group that a person works in makes a difference in their life and helps mold a part of their life and that is what being in this program has done for me. I have enjoyed finding out more about myself and my colleagues. Realizing that we are so alike and yet so different. Helping each other along this educational path will be something I will not forget.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

Recentely I got into a disagreement with one of my family members. I have learned that both of us are very strongly oppinonated. When we get into disagreements it can get very heated. I  have learned that I can not talk to him when I am exteremly upset. I usually have to walk away and give myself time to cool down. After about 30 minutes to an hour I can come back and talk to him. I know that talking when am upset may turn into a physical altercation. I try to listen to his point of view and he tries to listen to my point of view. We usually to reach a comprimse on the situation. We really have been using the 3 R's "respectful, reciprocal, and responsive" without even realizing it.

When I am having a conflict with a co-worker I try to listen to their point of view. I find that I don't back down easitly when it comes to things that I feel very passinate about. If a comprimse can't be reached than I will say "I understand where your coming from but I still don't agree and if you feel that way I am sorry. " I know that sometimes you can't reach an agreemnt with someone. You have to realize that all situations will not be solved with everyone being happy.