TIME WELL SPENT

I can't believe that finally I have earned a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Studies. Honestly, I am still overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I started my journey in Walden University with every enthusiasm, but along the line, I could not pull through as a result of a lot of challenges. After about 3 years, I was motivated to re-enroll again and I would say it's only at Walden I can get the kind of support I got to be able to pull through.

My decision to go for this program was born out of passion to be an effective teacher and there are lots of deeply felt learnings.

The very first insight I got was that teachers are learning facilitators. In other words, we help children to find solutions and answers to their questions or doubts. By so doing, they become critical thinkers. This knowledge helped me to improve on my teaching skills and I can confidently say that I am a better teacher today.

Secondly, I was exposed to understand that as a teacher, I am also a leader and an advocate which implies that there are lots of people looking up to me and I stand as a voice, a mentor and an inspiration to children, families, the society and even my colleagues. So in as much as I work to be paid, my role as a teacher is more of service to humanity and that must be done passionately to positively affect everyone in my professional circle and in the circular world at large.

Thirdly, effectiveness in teaching is not complete without identifying, acknowledging and accepting the various diversities or social identities that exists in our settings. i.e. anti-bias education. In other words, I am of the opinion that an effective early childhood educator is an anti-bias educator and vice-versa.  

This particular insight is what inspired my long term goal which is to be an agent of positive social change in anti-bias issues. Firstly, I am  concentrating on economic class issues and to help or facilitate low-income families to gain affordable quality early childhood education through advocacy and hope to establish my own early childhood setting that will set the legacy of what anti-bias education is all about. 

Finally, I want to say thank you, first to all my instructors at Walden both past and present especially Dr. Parrish. All your feedbacks and consistent follow-up were worth it. Thank you for shaping my career. To fellow students, you are all amazing. Your discussion posts, blog posts and honest feedbacks to our classroom discussions showed me that I had the best intellectuals. I sincerely wish everyone of greatness and may we all find more fulfilment in this career path.

In the nearest future, I look forward to moving to America to explore more opportunities as an early Childhood educator so, I would really appreciate if you can share with me on how to go about this as I hope to reconnect with every one of you in this program

Below is my contact:

+971553709106

chidimmanwankwo@gmail.com.

JOBS/ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY : INTERNATIONALLY

 There are so many international organizations that works to support early childhood education, but here are three that appeals to me:

1. United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): I became interested in this organization because education is at the heart of her mission and she believes that education is a human right for all throughout life and that access must be matched by quality. This means education for all from the grassroot.

2. Save the Children: This is an organization that work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. I was captivated by their core values which are accountability, integrity, ambition, collaboration and creativity. These are values that every ECE Community of practice ought to possess in order to achieve immediate and lasting impact in the lives of children.

3. International Child Resource Institute: ICRI is a global non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of children and families around the world. There is much emphasis laid on early childhood care  and that stands out for me. 

All these three organizations mission and vision are all centered around curbing anti-bias issues, especially socio-economic issues. 

Job opportunities: One opportunity that interests me is with UNESCO, and the position is INTERN FOR SECTION FOR INCLUSIVE QUALITY EDUCATION.

The major skill needed for this position is a competent leadership skills, which I have gained through this masters' course and it is time to implement them. Also, the job has to do with encouraging inclusive education through research, organizing capacity development workshops and webinars, all geared towards providing quality inclusive education.

Other competencies  I would need are effective communication skill and teamwork, for establishing a fruitful relationship with children, families and my team members.

JOBS/ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY: NATIONAL/FEDERAL LEVEL

Here are some Communities of Practice that still appeals to me on National/Federal Level. 

UNICEF: This organization is committed to realizing the rights of all children to help them build a strong foundation and have the best chance of fulfilling their potential. They are on the course to make sure that there is access to shelter, good nutrition, clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education for every Nigerian child, especially the low-income families.

https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education

AFRILEARN: Afrilearn is an educational platform where teachers can deliver world class education to Africans everywhere. Also, AFRILEARN partners with governments, schools, and other organizations to bring digital learning to schools in Nigeria.

https://myafrilearn.com/

DOLLY CHILDREN FOUNDATION:  A non-profit organization working to provide materials like textbooks, uniforms, and school supplies to children in need and supplement the financial load on their parents. They are passionate about bringing affordable education to Nigerian children. 

https://dollychildren.org/

What appealed to me most in all of these mentioned organizations is their passion, partnership and willingness to serve the people. They are not interested in what they get in return will but how to affect positive changes in the society.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES/SKILLS

The major skills I must bring to table is team playing, willingness and great communication skills. There were no published job opportunities, except opportunity to be a volunteer. I still need to develop myself professionally, enroll in courses that will help me practice anti-bias education in full, while I make trainings available for other early years educators who are not privileged and do not have access to proper professional developments. My role as a teacher is still maintained.

 

EXPLORING ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY: LOCAL AND STATE LEVELS

Communities of practice have enormous potential to support and sustain quality care and education within a community (Helm, 2007). There are many existing Communities of practice, but here are three of them that are appealing to me.

Some Communities of Practice that appeals to me are as follows:

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR EDUCATION UNITED STATES: This is a Community of practice that advocates and are ensuring universal quality education for all children and youths. The main thing that appealed to me is the fact that they are in coalition with various national and community based organizations, international NGOs, teacher unions, faith-based groups and other advocates. Also, inclusive education is their priority.

http://campaignforeducationusa.org/

FAMILY CHILD CARE COMMUNITY OF PRACTISE: Here, family childcare educators meet collaborate, problem-solve and reflect on their teaching and business practices. Meetings are flexible and well structured.

https://center-elp.org/announcing-the-monthly-meetings-of-the-family-child-care-community-of-practice/

PHE CANADA: This community of practice is all about providing the foundation for school environments to support the health of all. They see that every child is healthy not minding where they are coming from.

https://phecanada.ca/activate/healthy-school-communities

All the three communities of practice I mentioned, all focuses on various areas of creating an anti-bias education system, which for me is the top notch of early childhood  education or development. 

Considering all the job opportunities for now or in the future, I choose to still stick on my role as a teacher. Teachers are voices, advocates to all families and children. Continuous application of my communication skills will also enhance any setting I find my self.

Reference

Helm, J. (2007). Energize your professional development by connecting with a purpose: Building communities of practice. YC: Young Children, 62(4), 12 - 16

.