Time Well Spent

Wenger (n.d.) writes: “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a passion for something that they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better.” It is important for early childhood educators to collaborate with other professionals to form a community of practice. In order to achieve goals, it is important to collaborate with others and find different ways to achieve these goals. This class has shown me how to create a Community of Practice that can help me achieve my goals.
Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) write that “early childhood educators have a deep faith in the principle that all people deserve the opportunities and resources to fulfill their complete humanity” (p 1).  I believe this statement to be essential when it comes to an anti-biased education. All children should get a chance to excel and be included in early childhood settings. Yet, societal biases can make it difficult for these children to be accepted. During this class, I have learned how to become a more anti-biased educator.
In addition, I have learned more about different leadership styles. I see myself as a democratic leader who “allows the team to provide input before making a decision, although the degree of the input can vary” (Mind Tool, 2011). Additionally, I am a bureaucratic leader because I am very rule oriented. I do follow procedures as closely as possible. Yet, I believe to become a better leader, I need to become more people oriented. Seeing first-hand how supportive a team can be with a people-oriented leader has made me more aware of how important leadership is.
A long term goal for me is to include all children into quality childcare despite their abilities by teaching others how to create an inclusive environment and identifying the needs of the children they work with.
I want to thank all my instructors and all my co-student for their help along my journey through Walden University. It has been a great journey and I appreciate all the input and discussions that I had with all of you. You have made me a greater leader and have helped me become more open minded about early childhood education.
References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Mind Tools, Ltd. (2011). Leadership styles: Using the right ones for the situation. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htlm

Wenger, E. (n.d.). Cultivating communities of practice: A quick start-up guide. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/start-up_guide_PDF.pdf

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

One international organization that interests me is UNICEF. I like this organization since it works for many different causes such as working for equal educational opportunities for both genders, HIV prevention, child development, child protection and much more. UNICEF works all over the globe and is well known. Their missions are well versed and they work to better the world for all children. One job that I would like to pursue with them is Chief Child Protector. This job will help formulate new policies to help better situation for children. In addition, they help gather funding and help research best policies. The requirements for this job is an education in social studies and at least 8 years of experiences in planning on an international level.

Another great organization is FHI 360. Again, this organization focuses on making a difference in children's life in less developed countries. They are working on policy making and educating other about best policies for young children. If I could choose a job with FHI 360, I would choose a career at the National Institute for Work and Learning. Their main jobs are fund raising and recruitment. A bachelor but a Masters is preferred. Only one year of experience in the field is required.

A third organization is the International Step by Step Association. This organization connects early childhood educators with each other. They work towards equal education for all children. Their intent is to influence policy makers. I could not find job opportunities with them but would be interested in being a teacher in their programing, especially for the early years. They offer classes from parenting to educating other educators. I think this would be a great place to make a difference.

Overall, there are many organizations that focus on advocating for children and help influence policy makers to create better policies. They have many great job opportunities. The biggest challenge will be to get enough experience to be able to apply for these jobs.