Time Well Spent

"You and I will meet again, when we're least expecting it.  One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face.  I won't say goodbye my friend for you and I will meet again."-  Tom Petty

 

 

The above quote kind of sums up my time, friendships, and wisdom I have gained from my graduate program at Walden.  It is hard to believe that this journey started two years ago as it seems just like yesterday when I began my first class introducing me to scholarly writing and enthusiastic colleagues and professors in the early childhood field.  I was elated because I had finally found a place with other people that shared my passion and dreams for early childhood education.

 

Now we have come to the end of our journeys for now.  However, I truly believe that God chooses our path and the people he puts in it.  Thank you to all of my professors and colleagues that I have met on this wonderful journey!  Your support, encouragement and intellectual wisdom have taught me amazing insights about myself and the early childhood field.

 

Three important insights I have learned from my time at Walden are:

 

1.  When you think your family is going to be burdened with sharing time with you and your classes, they surprise you by supporting you and showing an interest in you achieving your dreams.

 

2.  Never give up and always communicate with your colleagues and instructors.  Walden truly believes in setting you up to succeed, not to fail and it shows through the dedication of their faculty.

 

3.  I have appreciated so much meeting early childhood professionals in so many different facets of the field. Being exposed to other early childhood professionals has allowed me to expand my horizons to seek out more information about different early childhood programs.

 

One goal that I hope to achieve is bringing my Capstone project to life and watch it become implemented throughout my school district.

 

Two more goals I have for myself is to begin writing for NAEYC and begin teaching early childhood classes at a junior college or university.

 

Although this is goodbye, it is definitely a celebratory moment for all of us!  So I was inspired to post the "Happy" video by Pharell Williams.  Whenever I am stressed or wanting to celebrate, I play this song.  Please enjoy the video and I hope the song and video inspires you to make your own "Happy" video to share with others!

 

May God continue to bless you all on the next part of your journey and I look forward to our paths crossing again in the future!

Please keep in touch:  nmoad6@hotmail.com
 

Much peace and happiness, Nicolette:)

 

 

References

 

Brainy Quotes. (2014).  Goodbye Quotes: Tom Petty.  Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/goodbye.html

 

YouTube. (2014).  Pharell Williams- Happy (Official Video).  Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM 

Job Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 

This week, I researched three international organizations and possible employment opportunities related to the early childhood field.

 

 

UNICEF is an international organization with a mission to protect the rights of every child (UNICEF, 2014).  I have always been interested in UNICEF and its mission since I was a young child when a teacher encouraged my classmates and I to raise money for children in other countries through UNICEF.

 

One position that I find interesting at UNICEF is Consultancy Assignment: To Support the Early Childhood Development Section, Geneva, Switzerland (UNICEF, 2014).  Some of the qualifications that I possess for this position are at least 3-5 years in the education field, fluency in English, and the ability to lead and assess other programs (UNICEF, 2014). The position would require some travel and dedication to the position for at least six months (UNICEF, 2014).  I would love the opportunity to assist with creating and overseeing beginning early childhood programs in another country.

 

 

 

 

The second international organization I chose to research is the Peace Corps.  The mission of the Peace Corps is to provide assistance to others in developing countries in the fields of medicine, education, farming, and nutrition (Peace Corps, 2014).  The assistance provided is intended to provide services that otherwise would not be available to people and also provide leadership to enable people to learn ways to sustain themselves and their families (Peace Corps, 2014).

 

I have had an interest in the Peace Corps since I was an undergraduate in college.  I actually started filling out an application but had to stop because of family commitments.  I still keep the opportunity of volunteering for the Peace Corps in the back of my mind because I would like to travel to another country, learn about other people and cultures, and be an agent of change teaching young children and/or assisting in building a school in another country (Peace Corps, 2014).  The Peace Corps is about global change and connecting people around the world.

 

 

 

The third international organization that I researched is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  The mission of UNESCO is to create respectful dialogue among nations respecting culture and language (UNESCO, 2014). 

 

At first when I was searching UNESCO for job opportunities, I became frustrated because the job opportunities I was finding required at least a doctorate to apply.  However, when I did a little more researching, I found the position of Consultant for Education which included a list of related education fields and early childhood education was listed (UNESCO, 2014).  I would meet the minimal requirements as a consultant except for international experience in my field but I would also welcome the opportunity to work for UNESCO as this organization seems to relate closely to my Capstone Project.

 

Researching international organizations provided me the opportunity learn more about worldwide organizations that are serving early childhood programs, young children, and families worldwide.  Although I do not feel confident at this moment working in a position internationally, I look at the opportunity as something to look forward to in the future.

 

 References

 

Peace Corps.  (2014).  Volunteer Opportunities.  Retrieved from

 

     http://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/

 

UNESCO.  (2014).  UNESCO Careers.  Retrieved from http://en.unesco.org/careers/

 

UNICEF.  (2014).  Employment at UNICEF.  Retrieved from

 

      http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/