Time Well Spent!

I have waited for this moment for a really long time; the moment I complete my program and forge a new path in my career. Yet, I find myself a little sad, for having to say goodbye to great people who have been a great influence in shaping my identity as an early childhood educator. I will definitely miss checking by the discussion board and listening to my colleagues’ thoughts, to which I have apparently developed some kind of addiction. I will miss all of you and truly hope that our paths will cross again. 

I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for my professors, my classmates, and Walden for an incredibly rich 80 weeks, in which great wisdom and a deep sense of collaboration were implanted. Throughout these 2 years, I have gleaned a great repertoire of knowledge and valuable insights that have led me to develop big goals. Standing here today, I look back at who and where I was two years ago, and cannot help but feel grateful for the myriad opportunities for professional growth and personal maturity that I have been able to develop. Although I was nervous at first, everyone played a part at helping me get my groundings. I have been granted the valuable opportunity to work with professionals who have been very generous in sharing their expertise. This generosity and noble collaboration have rubbed off on me, and I will definitely pay it forward to others.

My Capstone experience has culminated in great insights and deeply felt learnings:

1. I have been inspired to reflect on my  personal role as an early childhood advocate of and explore wide prospects and positions through which I can make a positive social change

2. Identify the power of communities of practice and the extent to which I can achieve goals through partnerships and collaborations, locally and globally

3. Create a structured response statement in which I turn to research and make use of resources in identifying and addressing challenges in the field. Through this experience, I have learned to examine issues, identify different leadership attributes needed, analyze pertinent intended and unintended consequences, and most importantly put all of them together in one organized plan- a thing I would not have been able to put together without this program.

 

As for my long term goals, I believe that I (a) need to be unafraid to take risks and willing to make ample efforts to make a positive change, despite the deep-rooted status quo; and (b) inspire leadership in everyone, including students, family members, colleagues, and community partners.

I look forward to receiving updates from you. Wherever you future leads you, I will be cheering for you as you follow your passion and inspire other leaders and advocates.  Congratulations!

Note: I would love for us to build an international community of practice, in which we summon other colleagues to share their concerns and ideas about the early childhood field. Toward this purpose, I have made a group on Facebook that I hope everyone of you will join and invite other colleagues, in efforts to keep the collaboration process initiated in this course going and developing. You never know where this would take us, right? An additional wisdom I have garnered from this course J

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 This week, I have explored the international community of early childhood, and was overwhelmed with early childhood organizations, agencies, and communities that are present out there. Here is but a few of what I found:    
     

                                                                                                  UNESCO

Established in 1945, UNESCO’s mission is building networks among nations that promote solidarity. While its mission encompasses higher goals with humanitarian purposes and preserving human dignity, my interest in UNESCO lies within its undertaking of “Mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development” (UNESCO, n.d.). There are various opportunities to work within the organization. The one that I was interested in was consultant in early childhood care and education or adult education. A consultant offers advisory or consultative services, in addition to providing the skills, expertise, and knowledge in these particular fields. Requirements are having an advanced university degree, excellent knowledge of English or French, preferably knowledge of another UNESCO’s official languages, of which I know 2; Arabic and French. Consultants need to have relevant professional experience at the national, regional and/or international level. Significant experience working in developing countries may be required for some assignments.

Education Above All

Based in Qatar, EAA is a global initiative committed to helping communities facing poverty and crisis. It embraces three major programs that provide educational opportunities around the world. Through partnering with leading international, regional and local organizations, it aims to Implement proven and innovative interventions in education, protect the right to education wherever it is under threat, and advocate drawing international attention to critical education issues. In addition to its members specializing in international human rights law, humanitarian law, advocacy and communication, there is a broad range of professionals specializing in education. One of the three basic global initiatives they pilot is Educate A Child.

EAC caught my attention due to its objectives to reduce the numbers of out of school children worldwide. Exploring the projects of EAC,  I came across those that target refugee children out of school, and found one located in Lebanon. In this project, EAC partners with UNRWA Education to enhance quality primary education to Palestinian Refugee Children in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, who have left Syrian schools due to conflict.

Further digging led me to UNRWA Lebanon, and explored their teacher training initiatives that they offer to projects such as the one described above. I found out that because UNRWA faces many difficulties recruiting qualified teachers in Lebanon, it introduced training programs, through which early childhood teachers are scaffold. This inspired me to look for job positions as a teacher trainer within these programs, which I found, in addition to other opportunities involving advocating for children’s rights to quality education and improving the learning outcomes for primary school children.

Education International

Education International represents organizations of teachers and other education employees across the globe, and unites educators on 170 countries. Its goals include promoting quality education and endorsing the interests of teachers and other education employees on the international level, as it assists the development of independent organizations to represent teachers and other education employees whilst building solidarity and collaboration amongst them. Education International advocates for equity in society, and fights against discrimination in all forms. As I was exploring jobs available within this organization, I found only one that is temporary, which is regional coordinator. The skills needed to qualify for the job include having an interest in education issues and ability to work at an international level, in a multicultural and multilingual environment. It requires an excellent level of spoken and written English, in addition to knowledge of at least one of their three official languages, of which I happen to know one; French. Responsibilities include implementing programs and activities across the region, collaborating with other Education International in advocating and implementing policies, and to take part in the development of development projects. The base will be in Malaysia, but will be required to undertake a significant amount of travel. As this is far from where I am currently based, I will keep an eye on job opportunities in other regions within EI in the near future.

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

 

This week, I have explored several national early childhood organizations and federal agencies in both Lebanon and the United States. I have chosen three to share with you:

1. Fista

The First Steps Together Association Riverside community’s aims to improve children’s quality of life. Their team collaborates to enhance the physical and mental capabilities of children with special needs. They work toward helping them improve their social and communication skills, thus giving them the confidence to participate in their local communities. I was interested in FISTA because a big portion of their goals target families as they extend emotional and psychological support to their families. They work directly with the parents through regular meetings providing them with help and guidance on how to communicate with their children. There are only volunteer opportunities with FISTA, and I believe that I can contribute by sharing what I know as an experienced teacher with considerable knowledge in building relationships with parents and empowering them as they support their children and help them join and contribute to society on an equal footing with everybody else. As an early childhood educator and adult trainer, I can participate in workshops and training sessions they conduct to families on an ongoing basis.

                                                        

2. Even Start Family Literacy Program

Even Start is a family literacy program for families with a preschool component. Even Start offers grants to support local family literacy projects that integrate early childhood education, adult literacy, parenting education, and interactive parent and child literacy activities for low-income families. As I explored some of the projects, I came across ones that provide parenting education, parent literacy, and interactive parent-child literacy activities created through community groups and schools. I found one available job that is of interest to me, which is a coordinator. The job involves overseeing all aspects of the development, implementation, and management of the Even Start Family Literacy Families with children ages 3-5. The required qualification is a minimum of Bachelor’s degree in education or related field. I feel that I would fit the job as the skills include having strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as strong ability of organization and management. The job also requires applicants to be flexible and adapt to different situations in order to meet the needs of the families, which is something I strongly believe I am able to do.

3. Children & Families Resource Center
Even Start is a federally funded program in the United States that gives families access to training and support through family literacy programs. Even Start offers grants to support local family literacy projects that integrate early childhood education, adult literacy, parenting education, and interactive parent and child literacy activities for low-income families. As I explored some of the projects, I came across ones that provide parenting education, parent literacy, and interactive parent-child literacy activities created through community groups and schools. I found one available job that is of interest to me, which is a coordinator. The job involves overseeing all aspects of the development, implementation, and management of the Even Start Family Literacy Families with children ages 3-5. The required qualification is a minimum of Bachelor’s degree in education or related field. I feel that I would fit the job as the skills include having strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as strong ability of organization and management. The job also requires applicants to be flexible and adapt to different situations in order to

Communities of Practice

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Looking at organizations, agencies, and communities of practice that operate in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, I have not been able to locate many that fit my goal or challenge. Instead, I have chosen one in Lebanon, one in the US, and one in the UK. The three I would like to share:

1.      Lebanese Association for Rehabilitation and Development (TAAHEEL). Taaheel is a Non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization in Lebanon.  Its mission is to develop the abilities in children and youth so they can succeed in school and life. The goals of TAAHEEL include addressing the needs of children who need counseling, rehabilitation, and therapy. Not only do TAAHEEL experts help children become active learners, they also collaborate with families to support the children’s various challenges through providing ongoing seminars to foster parents’ awareness about engaging in their children’s learning process and leading them towards self-sufficiency. The organization recruits and collaborates with educators, teachers, counselors, and school administrators to help achieve a successful outcome. TAAHEEL also provides professionals and families with updates on research findings in the field of education. The employment opportunity that interested me within this organization is related to teacher training and family counseling, which involves mentoring new teachers and providing information to families concerning their children various challenges. The responsibilities include increasing parents’ awareness of the way to approach social, behavioral, and learning problems of their children.

2.      Family Involvement Center. Their mission is to support families and professionals to foster the emotional, social, and academic wellbeing of children. What I like about this center is its approach toward raising awareness of the importance of family support and inspiring meaningful partnership between families and professionals. They partner with several institutes that offer training opportunities, educational workshops, seminars, and conferences for youth, families, and professionals. They also promote social networks of natural supports by connecting parents and youth within their community. Because it is family based, the center reflects the values and voices of families, which allows me to get a better understanding of family concerns. Employment opportunities in this organization include training specialists, which is something that I have a great interest in. The post involves educating and empowering families and directs them on how to effectively collaborate with school personnel and establish solid relationships.

3.      The UKFIET Forum for International Education and Training. This is an online proactive forum where universities, non-governmental organizations, consultancy groups and professional associations have a vast opportunity to share knowledge and expertise. This includes research, training, teaching, and providing advisory resource to policy makers and practitioners in government, development agencies and NGOs. Educators and parents can initiate and engage in ongoing discussions of international education and development topics.  The members are driven by their strong desire to increase interaction between events and conferences. This CoP allows for the diverse and wide community to express opinions, voice concerns, test ideas, and engage in debate.While this CoP does not have opportunities for employment, it does offer a venue to reach out to other individuals and organizations, and obtain advice from veteran teachers and experienced parents. For the purpose of professional development, UKFIET organizes various events on education and development issues. In addition to publicizing and publishing on current concerns, it provides a network of expertise for research and consultancy and sponsors international Conferences on education and development. UKFIET collaborates with national and international commissions and associations, such as UNESCO, and makes presentations to government and aid agencies on issues of common interest and concern. The membership constitutes professional experts, yet it is open to everyone with a passion for teaching and learning.

Wordle for My Passion