Saturday, June 28, 2014

Time Well Spent

As the end of this journey to a Master's Degree ends a new adventure begins.  I have learned a lot though my time at Walden University, but the top three deeply felt learnings I have are the understanding of what anti-bias education is, the role of diversity in education, and the ability to advocate through a lense that is unbias.  These three learnings have helped to drive me to discover what my goals are for the future, and how what I have learned can drive my passion.  

My one long-term goals is to become a lever of change in early childhood, specifically in the area of children and families in poverty.  I examined poverty and the acheivement gap for my capstone project, and would like to use what I studied to affect real change in my community.

It has been a journey of transformation through my course work with Walden and my classmates and I appreciate the encouragement and constructive critism that has lead me to where I am today.  I wish all of you well, and look forward to the adventrues we all face in the road ahead.

Friday, June 13, 2014

International Opportunities

The international organizations that appealed to me were Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Step By Step Association (ISSA), and the Academy for Educational Development. I chose the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) because their vision is to improve the well-being of people through policies (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d.). I found their website to be informative and well-organized. It provided a lot of information on social and economic research and policies. I found one quote that particularly spoke to me, "Drawing on facts and real-life experience, we recommend policies designed to improve the quality of people's lives" (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d., para 3). I appreciate the mention of basing their policies on real-life experience and research. I chose ISSA because of their pillars and beliefs. They directly correlate with my own values and beliefs. Their pillars are, "Pillar 1 - Access and equity of care and education for each young child, Pillar 2 - Promote high quality and professionalism in providing care and education for young children, and Pillar 3 - Empower parents and communities to participate in and support children's well-being, development and learning" (ISSA, n.d., para 3).  I chose the Academy for Educational Development because of their 360 perspective.  “Improving lives in sustainable, measurable ways is possible only when we connect ideas, resources and people who have a stake in the issues affecting their communities. Through customized responses that address multiple aspects of people's lives, we can exponentially increase the impact of our work” (Academy for Educational Development, n.d., para 1).  This perspective encompasses my philosophy.  I believe that we need to approach change as a whole child, family, community way.  There are so many needs that must be met in order for progress to be made.  All three of these organizations offer exciting possibilities for employment.

One position that I believe would be interesting would be a trainer at the ISSA campus.  To be in an environment with so many like-minded people that are passionate and affecting change would be an incredible opportunities.  Another position at OECD that would be interesting is the Young Professionals Program.  This position, “under the supervision of experienced professionals, carries out research and analysis of issues of current policy relevance” (OECD, n.d., para 6).  This would offer a lot of experience in the field of research and public policy.  In looking at the position requirements I will meet them at the completion of this degree.  It also asks that candidates be willing to learn French as part of their job requirements.  These two positions are vastly different, but are positions that I could take on with a bit of learning and experience. 

References

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm