Sharing My Greatest Lessons Learned as I Bid Farewell

                                                By Lisa Martin

This journey has been a wonderful learning experience, and the really important lessons did not come from books. I feel as if I have been on this mission of self-exploration from the first class. Along the way, I met fascinating people who made me look closer and delve deeper. I entered this program knowing exactly what I wanted to do once I had my Master’s degree, but as I progressed and begin to really think about what was most important to me it was suddenly not so black and white. A valuable lesson for me was never think that you are so decided on something that you will not reconsider  or that you have things figured out so right that you cannot be wrong. It is always good to do some soul searching even if it might complicate things.

Another important lesson was passion is a lot like faith, without any works to show for it how can we be so sure we possess it. I constantly talk about my passion for early childhood but I have never done anything to act on it – besides pursue this Master of Science in Early Childhood Studies. Then I found myself surrounded by people who are equally passionate and putting that passion to work for children and families every day, and I felt like a fraud, a hypocrite. It was because of my awesome peers, people like Cindy, Mercy and Megan that I was ready to jump in with both feet and work to increase access to high-quality early education programs for the at risk children of Newark, New Jersey.

This brings me to another lesson learned the journey becomes so much easier and more enjoyable when you take it with the right people. Course after course I was in the company of incredible early childhood professionals, colleagues and professors alike. I felt it such an honor to be taught by those who have made and continue to make great contributions to the field. I am indebted to all of my classmates and professors for the inspiration and encouragement with which they provided me. I am grateful for the wisdom imparted and the sharing of their vast experience.  Each of these wonderful people has a passion and commitment that I can only hope to someday match.

Perhaps the greatest lesson learned for me, and one that I will share with others, is that you may never feel ready nor believe you know enough or are qualified enough to do the things you want to do or must be done. You will never know everything, which is why we should commit to lifelong learning. You can get a Doctorate and get published and have knowledge of pedagogy to rival Socrates, and still not feel up to the challenge. You cannot wait, you should not wait. No one is served or helped by your inactivity. Get off the sidelines, get out there and try to do what you see needs to be done. If you see children in a poor neighborhood need books, do what you can to make it happen. Do not go it alone; create a community of practice or insert yourself into an existing community, but get together with like minded people and start doing some works. Let your passion be evident in your actions.

I am confident that my peers and I will do just that with our Master’s under our belt. There were so many great ideas born of our Capstone projects that I have no doubt each of us will make our mark on the early childhood community in our cities and states, and then take our talents further away from home, and have the type of substantial and meaningful impact on the field we envisioned from the beginning. I am going to advocate for quality early education for every child, starting in my backyard and continuing on town by town and state by state. Hopefully, I will get to work for UNICEF and do it country by country. Before it is all over, I still plan to be the most powerful advocate of all as United States Secretary of Education. I know you guys are tired of hearing about that, but that is another lesson learned – dream big; this way if you fall short you have still accomplished some amazing things.

It has been an incredible ride and I could not have chosen a better group to take it with. I wish for young children everywhere to have greater access to high-quality inclusive programs. I wish for greater equity for children and their families, creating stronger communities. I wish for our field to become stronger and focused on always increasing quality. I wish for universal quality early education with equally qualified teachers. I wish for each of you much success as you follow your passion and realize your visions.  Only through you can we achieve the rest of my wish list. Keep me informed of your advocacy and social activism LisaMartin310@aol.com.

All the Best

A Place in the International ECE Community

By Lisa Martin

I spent the week looking at international organizations that help children and families, and it seemed each mission statement spoke to me and my personal mission. It was as if my vision had simply been amplified and these organizations are doing the very things I dream of doing but on a far larger scale. For example, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) shares my desire for “quality education for all and lifelong learning” (UNESCO, n.d.).  The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) works to improve the economic and social well-being of all people, something else I would like to contribute to doing. I possess the type of communication skills the OECD looks for in their employees, but I lack the finance background required for most of their current open positions. I also could not meet the qualifications for any of the current open positions at UNESCO. There was one that sounded good to me, Director of Education for All, but it required fifteen years of education experience.

The Association for Childhood Education International’s (ACEI) mission matches up perfectly with what most of my classmates and I want “the optimal education, development, and well-being of children, from birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society” (ACEI, n.d.). ACEI has great internships for people like me pursuing graduate degrees in education, and I would love to apply for one, but you have to reside in Washington, DC. The Division for Early Childhood, yet another organization whose mission and vision I share had a few current open positions, but I did not meet the qualifications.

The truth of the matter is that I identified several international organizations who have visions and missions that mirror my own, but I had difficulty finding an actual position for which I was qualified to apply. The Academy for Education Development (AED) had one consulting position under education, but it was to revise a manual – something I had no interest in or the qualifications to do. The United Nation Children’s Fund, the organization I most want to work for has a temporary position for an early learning consultant. Unfortunately, I do not have the ten years of experience required.

As I said before, I will send my resume to Save the Children, UNESCO, Children’s Defense Fund, UNICEF, DEC and every other organization whose mission and vision encompass my passion for helping children and families. Hopefully, they will be able to identify a place for me and allow me to begin making the type of contribution I desire.

Association for Childhood Education International. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from https://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (n.d.). Our mission. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/about/

 

A Place for Me: Identifying Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community

By Lisa Martin

The early childhood education community is so much more than teachers and administrators, it is a variety of opportunities that allow each of us to really hone in on our specific area of passion; whether it be mentoring, quality assessment or curriculum. My passion is more of the social service nature, access to quality programs and equity to be more specific, so I went in search of positions that would provide a chance for me to focus on these areas of interest.

I started by researching organizations known to do the type of work I hope to someday be involved with, establishments like the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Each of these organizations has a steadfast commitment to the care and education of children, and understands the consequences of failing to provide children all around the world with the quality education to which they have a right.

Over a decade ago UNESCO started a closely monitored global initiative on education, with a specific focus for each year.  Every year the work done for the previous year’s goals is evaluated and reported on. The international community will have to assemble again this year to outline new goals based on the work thus far. I believe it would be a tremendous honor to take part in those discussions as the “compelling case for giving education a central place in the global framework” is made (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2014, paragraph 3).  I currently possess the general characteristics UNESCO looks for in a potential employee, including integrity, commitment to their vision, and creative thinking, and could be considered in both the areas of education and management, but there were no specific positions of interest to me. One thing I would need to acquire is fluency in a second language, although English and French are the two primary languages of the organization.

The National Center for Children in Poverty is dedicated to improving circumstances for low income families by influencing public policy through research. It would b great to work with them as an advocate or public relations person espousing the benefits of early childcare, which I definitely possess the background knowledge, communication skills and leadership to excel at. Unfortunately, their only employment opportunity currently listed is for a research analyst. They are also close to home as they are part of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

The organization I would like most to work for is the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). If I had to align myself with an association whose views mirrored my own it would be CDF. They understand the relationship between social inequities and the need for quality early education, which is why they work so hard to eradicate poverty and increase access to healthcare.  I feel that I could learn so much if given the opportunity to work with them, but the only open positions listed are for fundraiser type responsibilities. They do have unpaid internships that would provide priceless experience.

There are so many positions in the early childhood field for which I would qualify. I could be a community care licensing analyst or resource and referral specialist; as the former I would rate the quality of a program, while as the latter I would help parents identify the highest quality programs for their children.  Either of these positions would fulfill part of my passion and give me an opportunity to influence quality, but neither is my ideal opportunity. My ideal opportunity is part parent educator, part child and family advocate, part quality assurance, and part project manager; if anyone knows what position covers all this – besides program owner/director, let me know.

Ideally I would like to be Director of Special Projects for the CDF, a position that would call upon my strong management, communication and organizational skills, as well as my child development and early education knowledge. In this capacity, I would oversee all special and emergent projects like working to get displaced children and families sheltered and enrolled in schools after a natural catastrophe or working on the roll out of the new early education component of Race to the Top. I would appreciate any suggestions regarding actual positions you may know about.

References

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2014). Education for all global monitoring report.  Retrieved from http://publishing.unesco.org/details.aspx?=&Code_Livre=5018&change=E

 

My Search for Collaboration and Opportunity

                                                                                                  by Lisa Martin

I realize the importance of really getting involved in the community I have identified to be the central focus of my Capstone project – Newark, New Jersey.  I think it would be helpful to collaborate with those who share similar passions outside of the community of practice (CoP) I intend to form. I was surprised to find that there were so many organizations with similar objectives. The first group to capture my attention was the Newark Education Trust, “a non-profit local education fund focused on ensuring a quality education for all Newark children” (Local Talk News, 2011, paragraph 1). Not only would my CoP share their goal, but the membership of their collaboration is also very similar to what I have planned, with representation from the education, business, and community coming together. Another organization of interest, that supports the Trust, is the Newark Alliance which is a collaboration of higher education, local business, and state entities to improve education in Newark.

I also feel a great need to support my own personal commitment to lifelong learning. With that in mind I am interested in Education Pioneers, a national organization that understands the importance of having strong leadership and systems in place to support education. “They believe that for schools, districts, and systems to enable all children to achieve at high levels, we must focus on effective teaching and the quality of leadership and management of these schools, districts, and systems”; a belief I share (Education Pioneers, 2014, paragraph 1). In the past they have initiated projects in New Jersey, and a major effort was geared towards bringing talent to Newark. I believe that being involved in this type of organization will encourage me to constantly think outside the box and improve my practice.

Speaking of practice, I have been considering what opportunities might provide the best utilization of my education and talents. The first thing I need to do is create a resume as an early childhood professional, I have to be able to market myself even though I have no real preschool experience. I would love the chance to work with s dynamic organization like the Children’s Defense Fund, but there were no current postings other than a data entry position. The Goddard School was looking for a Program Director within reasonable travel distance here in New Jersey. I definitely want a more administrative/executive role, but if I am going to be a program director I will start my own center, which was my initial plan. Lately, I have been thinking about working with an established organization devoted to improving equity and access to quality education for all children, hence my desire to work with the Children’s Defense Fund.

I am going to create a resume highlighting my education at Walden coupled with my management and business accomplishments and send it to the United Nations Children’s Fund, Save the Children, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Defense Fund, and other organizations I discover that make huge contributions to helping children. I was so sure about what I wanted to do when I started this journey, but now I just feel the need to be in a position to impact the lives of the greatest number of children and families. I feel I can do more as a children’s advocate at CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates, than overseeing my own small program.

Furthermore, the only positions available in early childhood in my state are teachers, administrators and associate administrators, and most of them require preschool teaching experience. I know that I could be a good teacher, but that is not my passion. I can step into an advocacy role without the teaching experience. I have the knowledge of child development, as well as the communication, organizational, and leadership skills that would make me an asset to any of the groups I mentioned. I also have a wealth of personal experience that makes me genuinely empathetic and compassionate. I am culturally competent, with a firm grasp on my own cultural framework, and an understanding of the influence of social and cultural identities, which allows me to interact well with all people. Unfortunately, I have been unable to identify any advocacy positions in my area. Hopefully, sending out my resume will generate interest and possibilities.

References:

Education Pioneers. (2014). Our mission and values. Retrieved January 18, 2014, from http://www.educationpioneers.org/what-we-do/our-mission-and-values

Local Talk News. (2011, January). Newark Education Trust launched to ensure quality education in Newark. Retrieved January 18, 2014 from http://localtalknews.com/newark/education/724-newark-education-trust-launched-to-ensure-quality-education-in-newark

I'm back...

It has been about six months since I last posted anything. My education journey is coming to an end as  enter the final lap of my Masters program. However, this final lap means that I will be required to post again, so you will be hearing from me.

Adjourning the Team

                                      By Lisa Martin

There are times when I cannot wait for phase five of a project to occur – adjourning, the end, and there are times when I hate to see a project come to a close.  There was the class project with the lack of leadership and varying degrees of commitment from the members that I wanted to end as soon as it began; and when it finally was over adjournment was like high school graduation with the phony good wishes scribbled in a yearbook.  We all wished each other luck and success in our studies, and did not speak of the hurt feelings, control issues, or failure to complete tasks displayed during the project. We had received a decent grade and that was all that mattered.

Projects at work tend to adjourn a little differently, as the end of the project is not really the end. Usually someone is assigned to follow up and provide oversight on the implementation of changes and evaluate whether or not the solution derived from the group project works as well in practice as it seemed it would in theory. If it was a major project, the type that saved jobs or cut costs, adjourning may include a champagne toast and a nice dinner on the company. Company- wide projects sometimes have that graduation-like component as we bid farewell to colleagues from out of town, offering well wishes and congratulations on a job well done.

My favorite adjournments result from my preferred type of team endeavor, event planning. In this instance, the adjourning occurs simultaneously with the culmination of our efforts. At the same time we are enjoying the idea of the project being completed, we are discovering how well we did. The greater the success of our project; the more fun we have during the adjourning stage. I have had events that were great achievements, and the team members let their hair down and enjoyed themselves alongside the people for whom they had planned the celebration. In a couple of instances, the leadership provided the team with thank you gifts for a job well done; this is my favorite type of adjourning. I have also had events that did not turn out so well, and the team spent the evening going over the things that went wrong, why they went wrong, and how they could be corrected in the future. Needless to say, this is among my least favorite ways of adjourning.

Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution

                                                                   By Lisa Martin

I am enjoying mastering the art of effective communication, and would love to apply some of my recent lessons on nonviolent communication, the three R’s and the third side to current disagreements or conflicts. Fortunately, I have not been involved in any disagreements in months, which is especially hard to believe when you take into consideration I have been married for more than twenty years.  I think this has more to do with not working and having limited interaction with others outside the home, and less to do with my communication skills. I know of conflicts and disagreements around me, but am not involved first hand.  I will for this assignment take the part of one of the main characters in a conflict brought to my attention today by a friend. Like they say on television, the stories are true but the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Every year the church has a Father’s Day celebration for the Pastor, a dinner usually at the home of a member with several families from the church attending. This year they decided to do something different and have a catered affair. Aretha and I have organized the event and gotten a caterer we know to give us a huge discount, so it will only cost $25/person. We also have to cover the cost of the Pastor’s family which would be an additional $100. We suggest that each of the five families attending, contribute an addition $20, and immediately get two cancellations. Now there is a big disagreement because the members do not want to pay for the Pastor’s family. Aretha has offered to pay the entire $100, but I am opposed to this because it is not fair to her. At this point we are simply trying to contain and hopefully resolve the situation with the next forty-eight hours.

One thing I realize right away is that we should have asked the families for suggestions and if each of them donating twenty more dollars was a feasible option, but we presented it more as a demand not giving any other option. We also failed to give any consideration to the possible validity of their opposition to paying for the Pastor’s children.  We never went to the balcony to get a new perspective. We are calling another meeting to discuss the arrangements and asking that the families that dropped out, and others who may want to participate also attend. We will assume the third side, asking open ended questions and seeking other ideas to cover the cost. We will also discuss the pros and cons of paying for the Pastor’s children. I think that once we openly discuss this rather small issue and hear the reasons for the objections, and respond to them with compassion and honesty we will be able to reach a compromise and resolve the situation. Rather than control the meeting Aretha and I will serve as objective mediators and bridge the gap to compromise, serving as peacemakers.