I learned a lot about the international early childhood field through the duration of this course, however there are consequences to focusing on matters unrelated to my professional and personal development. The site and sessions that I listened to were mainly focusing on children that had been abandoned and or abused who had no where safe to live. I believe that this is an awesome way to help steer children in the right direction who come from troubled backgrounds. However my professonal goal is to open a daycare center, this will not help me in my development of becoming a successful director and owner. Another consequence is that I did not have the opportunity to learn how to deal with problems that may arise in the childcare setting. I would like to have learned more about early childcare facilities and some of their day-to-day operational situations and how to improve an existing program. The last consequence is that international learning was great to view the early childcare field from a perspective completely different from what I am use to but I would have liked to seen some of the same issues that go on in my local community. This would have enabled me to grow both personally and professionally in that I would be better able to understand some of the issues that are currently facing my potential parents and children so that I can develop programs and incorporate curriculums that will help my families.
One goal for the field related to international awareness of the issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations is to include some current issues that are lurking in our communities. If early childhood educators and professionals are aware of what is going on locally then they would be able to better serve these individuals. Holding annual workshops to discuss what other professionals are doing to improve their program will to give others ideas on how to improve their own. It would also create a relationship between great leaders in the field.
Thank you for sharing your comments regarding the class and what you were able to get out of it. After so many years of classes and education, I have been frustrated by information and tasks that are apparently unrelated to my current situation and goals. However, as my life (and place in my career) has changed, I have found myself referring back to information that I previously felt was irrelevant. So, while it may not be apparent now, it's likely that the information gained and processes experienced will eventually prove useful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experiences over the past eight weeks!
~Shawn