Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me

1.  The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.  Here is the website http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html. 

2.  Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start) is responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia's children and their families. Bright from the Start oversees a wide range of programs focused primarily on children ages birth to school age and their families. Here is the website http://decal.ga.gov/BftS/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx.

3.  The Educator's PLN is a ning site dedicated to the support of a Personal Learning Network for Educators.  As I explored this site that where a lot of interest things from videos, blog, and resources.  This page was loaded with a lot of information.   There were people from all over the world use this site.  You have to become a member to see the videos, blogs, and etc.  Here is the website http://edupln.ning.com/. 

Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you

The only job that interests me is becoming a Pre-K consultant.  There are no jobs listing for a Pre-K consultant with Bright from the Start.  I currently hold the position as a lead Pre-K teacher and would love to share ideas and suggestion with others in Pre-K. 

Skills and experience

1.  Education Program Specialist 

 Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses or Combination of education and experience or Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series or At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience

2.  Bright from the Start Pre K Consultant

There is no current position for a consultant.  To be a consultant you must a have a bachelor degree.

 

Bye, Bye

For many this might have been a long journey to complete but I see it as a way to help the days, months, and year go by a little fast.  It has been one amazing journey for me during these last pass 8 weeks and throughout this whole master program.  I have learned and accomplished many things that I thought I would never be able to do.  Through this course and the other I have developed and learned skills that I thought I would never do.  I have enjoyed the comments, insights, suggest, and even the inspiration that my colleagues have share throughout my discussion boards and blogs.  Without have such wonderful and smart to share their outlook on things I would probably look at the world from just my view.  However, understandings that other people might view things differently or even think differently about things have broadened my thinking.  As we come to the stage of adjourning, it saddens me that I have to depart from my wonderful group of people.  I have really enjoyed working with each and every one.  I wish everyone great luck and hope the best for each and every one.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone and hope to see some familiar face comes the new year!!!

I would also like to ask for a few pointers about starting up my own Head Start Program or my own day care center?  If there are any suggests please let me know.  I am very interested in opening up my own day care center and starting a Head Start Program.  Thanks!!! You can contact me at 7062488686 or s.fetowler@gmail.com.       

Five Stages of Team Development: Adjourning

A time where it was hard to say was my high school basketball team and senior year and my senior year in college playing basketball as well. These were the hardest time to say good bye because of our bond we shared.  Not only we shared the same goals but we prayed together creating a spiritual bond as well especially in college.  
I would consider playing basketball college as high performance groups because of the outcome of the goals. Yes I do think they are the hardest to leave because as a team we have accomplish something together that we all wanted.  Some of the person in the groups did the something as other with made a strong bond.  After a game or when it was someone birthday or just wanted to hang out we partied.    College basketball was the hardest to leave because of the type of people I met and enjoyed being around.  Everyone was supportive of each other and when we needed something or someone, they was there to help.    The different sorts of closing rituals I experienced were praying together before and after a game.  Going to chapel on Wednesday together and to church on Sundays.  

To adjourn from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on my master's degree in this program is to try to stay in touch with everyone to get ideas from my colleagues and to questions about things I am stuck on. It will be hard to adjourn from this group of people just about everyone has begin there since the beginning of the master's program.     Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because that's when you know true relationships has been formed. 

Resolving Conflict

There are several conflicts I have within the professional work place and in my personal life.  Within the work place I think several of the teachers would agree with me on this, which is how the company schedule holiday and teachers work day.  However the company asks for our input about planning, time management, and things we need to be compliance with everything. One thing we suggested were teacher work days without children, training, or half of a day but a full day of just teachers working in our room to clean, go through files, catch up on paper and etc.  I know several teachers have asked for days like this and yet we have received them.  I think throughout this company there is a lack of communication from the owner all the way down to the teachers and parents.  With that been said I do not even know if my colleagues and I will have a job next year due to the lack of communicate with the owner of the building we are renting and the company I work for.  Yet the company has not came forth to tell its employees at this particular center that we will be moving in July 2013, no one has set aside a meeting to inform us of this move.  All we have been hearing is he say and she say, and everyone is worried whether we will be out of work.  Lack of communication skills, communicating to it employees will clear up everything and it will tell us if we need to start looking for another job or not. 

 Now in my personal life my fiancé and I always seem to have problems about how much money goes out and what it’s been spent on.  What I tell him is that the bills are paid on time and we have a saving that’s what counts.  The extra money can be used however he or I want to use it.  I am always buying stuff for our kids and myself.  At one point he called me selfish because the only people I think about is me and my kids.  He has other outside children and I feel that they are not my responsibility to provide for them.   So there are times I get upset and say things that are not needed to be said.  At one point I told him that it seems like I am the only one providing for three kids.  And the conflict took off from there.  After yelling and screaming for a few minutes we decide that this was not getting us anywhere and compromise on how we can solve this problem.  One way we decide to work through this problem is to communicate more often when I am buying things for our kids so it wants seem like I am always buying thing for the kids.      

My Communication Style

After being evaluated by my fiance and colleague for this week assignment I found that they both scored me in the group one as a people-orientedin my listening style.  I too, scored myself as people-oriented.  What was different was how they scored me as communication anxiety. My scored from my fiance was low and my score from my colleague was in the middle.  Through these assessements I found that I communicate differently when I am with different and in a different environment.  For the verbal aggressiveness they both scored me in the significant level which was kind of surprise to me because I hate confrontation and try to avoid it. 
From this assessment I found that I communicate and respond differently depending on the environment and people I am around.  My coworkers and colleague sees the professional side of me and my fiance see the down to earth person. 

Three Goals that I think can help me communication more effectively with other people are:
 

1.  feeling  more comfortable when speaking to others that I am unfamiliar with

2.  continue to be a good listener and try not to trust people so easily

3.  try not to offend others by personal attack about as ituation that I dislike in an argument .                     

Communicating Differently

Do I find myself communicating differently around a group of people and culture?  Yes, however, I am very caution on what I say and how I say it depending on if it is work related or a just casual conversation with a friend.  When it work related I try to keep my language professional, whereas when I am talking with my friends I am using more slang.   

Unfamiliar TV Show

Awkward

For this assignment I was to watch a TV show I never watch before.  Awkward is a television show on MTV that is about a girl named Jenny who dates was dating guy and they ended breaking.  I had no idea what was going in this TV show. 

In this particular episode the characters' relationships far as communicating is mostly gestures and body language such as hands moving with they are talking, neck rolling, and eyes rolling.   Basic on their gestures they relationships are friends. There was also a lot of kissing scenes in the TV show.  They were also communicating with cell phones talking and texting.

When I turned the sound back on my assumption was correct they were friends and using hands gesture and different body language was a way they communicated.  They were talking about Jenny boyfriends and why he was at a concern party. 

 

This show is basically teen girls and boys and they are dating each other.  Through the reading I have found that verbal and nonverbal communication skills are skills that can be culture, it can cause by your emotions at that moment.  In the episode I think I lot of their communications where basic off of their emotions.   I could tell by their voice, facial expression, body language, and gestures.  They use their language to express feelings and to share information.

 

To really understand this show you have to watch it from the beginning.  I had no clue what was going on.  My niece had to tell me what the show was about after I watch it.  As I mention this show has a lot of kissing scene and sex scenes.