I just
became a member of the Graduation Matters community of practice. This community
of practice is dedicated to working to discover why children don’t graduate
high school or transition to higher education and find ways to assist in increasing
the rates of children that do. This community of practice appealed to me
initially because I am the mother of five children, I work in higher education,
and I am obtaining a graduate degree in early childhood education. I feel as
though I have a lot of offer to this group, but also I have a high investment
in it as well. Not only personally as the goals and mission of this group may
affect my own children, but also as a professional that has a great deal to
offer in terms of knowledge and experience.
Next, I am
interested in Early Childhood Professionals of Wyoming. This community of
practice is a way for early childhood professionals within the state to ask
questions, become informed of pertinent policy changes, or work together to discover
best practices for increasing the educational attainment of the children within
our state. State organizations such as this are imperative to knowing and
understanding our state legislature, funding, policies, and even culture.
Lastly, there is not a formal name, but a community of practice exists between the
community colleges within my state that offer early childhood education programs.
This highly appeals to me as I consider my future goals, career, and endeavors
that lie ahead. This community of practice serves to share information, work
together when seeking state funding, and also works collaboratively when
addressing state legislature about policies or procedural changes that may
negatively or positively impact early childhood education within higher
education.
As we
begin to wrap up our course work and complete our studies I have been exploring
job opportunities. I am most interested in ways to combine my background in
mental health with my graduate degree. I have been invited to interview for a
position that assists children and families that are homeless, have substance
abuse issues, or mental health needs to gain self-sufficiency through
intervention and support. In order to fulfill the roles of this job I would
need to rely heavily on my skills developed as a mental health case manager,
but also include the knowledge I have gained in terms of how to offer support
to families, encourage families and professionals to work collaboratively
together, as well as demonstrate a respect for family cultures, diversity, and
individual cultures. Next, I have been working to help pave the way for the
development of an early childhood education center on the college campus where
I currently work. This would require a great deal of skill and knowledge gained
in terms of finding funding resources, budgeting and allocating funds, as well
as developing a program from the onset in terms of curriculum, floor plans,
marketing, and licensing.
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI like the choices that you made. I have never heard of the Community of Practice (CoP) that you chose, Graduation Matters. Tell a little about this and what they do. It sounds interesting. Good luck on your journey of creating the education center on campus. What a great idea.
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteNumerous studies have shown that early childhood years are the most important years of a child’s life because it sets the foundation for lifelong learning. It is good to know that you want to create an early childhood center on campus. Certainly, the early childhood field needs educators who have a passion for working with children and their families.
Mandy, I am amazed of your thirst to learn more about best practices to help the youngsters of your state to achieve academic success. I see that you have chosen a community of practice (Early Childhood Professionals of Wyoming) that support educators to become advocates for children through the great information they give about current policies and other aspects in regards to the EC childhood field. It is important that we unite efforts to attain positive changes in our field.
ReplyDeleteHi Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI am very proud of you for wanting to develop an early childhood learning center on the college campus. This would be a great benefit for the current students and for the community. I am positive with the skills we have been developing through our courses that this will happen. I wish you the best of luck!
Tarshia
Your upcoming possible interview and new learning center ideas sound very exciting! I have a background in psychology and I am also hoping to be able to use that knowledge and skill set when I begin my career. Good luck to you on your upcoming endeavors!
ReplyDeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if your background experience as well as your new learning in this program have given you the tools that you need to become an effective children's advocate. It sounds as if you have a well defined plan which includes several options. I am sure that the Cop's that you are currently working with will contribute to your goals, as well.