Wendy Newby - Have I asked the right question?: September 2013

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Test Post: Looking for the Comment Box

Dear Colleagues,

I am checking to see if my settings have been changed or if I have some type of glitch in my blog posts.

Sincerely,
Wendy

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Early Childhood Communities at the National level

National Association of Early Childhood Specialists

The first search brought me to the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS-SDE); it is a membership organization consisting of Early Childhood professionals that work in state departments of education. I was unfamiliar with the specific group so I looked for an explanation of the members' roles: "State Specialists support successful child development and continuous learning from birth through age eight" (NAECS-SDE, n.d., p. 1). One of the goals of the association is to bring members together to share ideas and solve common problems. I believe the collaborative efforts of professionals in similar positions are vital to professional development and I could benefit from membership if I worked in the state department of education. Next, I searched on Indeed.com to see if there were jobs posted for Early Childhood Specialists. I sifted through ten pages and found several interesting postings. There is a job in the State of Oregon for which I will qualify in five weeks (http://www.indeed.com/1-Early-Childhood-Specialist-jobs.html).

McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership

The McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership support emerging leaders from underrepresented groups as one of its mission. As an early childhood professional that is active in my community I see a great need to encourage diversity in the profession. I would enjoy being a part of the effort to diversify the workforce in early learning and encourage leadership. One of the projects McCormick is implementing is year-long communities of practice for directors of early learning programs. "Taking Charge of Change" provides sustained professional develop that is frequent, builds relationships and relevant to the community where services are provided. Working as a trainer and facilitator would be an exciting and rewarding position where I could share my experience and education with other adults seeking quality learning environments for children. The current position that is available is Director of Research and Evaluation, which requires a doctorate degree in early childhood education (http://www.mccormickcenter.nl.edu/job-listing/director-of-research-and-evaluation/).

National Center for Family Literacy

My challenge/problem of engaging English Language Learners in responsive conversation in their home language would be well supported by efforts to increase family literacy. A rich home language supports the development of a second language. In Kentucky there is a position available for an Early Childhood and Family Learning Specialist which requires a Master's degree, knowledge of adult education and five years of experience. The work is done both face to face and on-line, which would be a great opportunity to continue to build skills in presentation and technology. (http://www.famlit.org/careers/)

World Vision United States
World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization: "Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness. Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so." World Vision has an office in the region in which I work and they often provide support for the families stressed by lack of resources. The National World Vision organization has an opening for an Early Childhood Development Specialist that provides leadership, develops programming and engages in interagency representation. The education minimum is a masters degree in early childhood education, with three years of international field experience and a second language is preferred. I would really enjoy global connections of working for an organization such as World Vision and the ability to align my efforts with my personal values. (http://www.wvi.org)

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Have a great day!

Gratitude: Louie Schwartzberg at TEDxSF June 11, 2011

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Building Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Change

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University

Frontiers of Innovation

Reference
Center on the Developing Child Harvard University. (2013). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/frontiers_of_innovation/

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

ECE Community

Click on the link to ECE Community to
see my first Prezi presentation attempt.
You may need to hover over the bottom
right hand corner in order to click autoplay.

Thank you,
Wendy Newby

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Passion to Action Wordle

Personal Childhood Web

Joanie Peterson, my mother, was very engaged in my life from birth. I was the oldest and the only child until I was five. I was loved,my mother spent time with me by including me in whatever activities needed to be done. I remember the old tile floor in the kitchen that had to be waxed regularly. When the wax dried, my mother would give me an old towel to stand on and she would put on music and we would dance the twist until the tiles were buffed. My mother was finishing her bachelor degree in psychology and English during my first three years. I had the opportunity to meet lots of people in a community of shared values. I had time to play uninterrupted and my play was very creative and complex, with hours outside. I was read to and the value of learning was instilled in me early, but not in a competitive way, to be recognized as the best, but in a very personal way. Was I giving the task or the skill my best effort? Her approach to parenting developed intrinsic motivation in me. I am a great team player, motivated and satisfied to make sure the team does well. The measure of achievement is the level to which I tried my best. I can take a risk to take on a new challenge, because I know my mother will always love me. I value personal responsibility.

Rev. Merton Peterson, my father, was finishing seminary and pastoring his first church when I was born. I remember sitting on his lap, watching him type, helping fold bulletins, turning the handle on the old mimeograph machine, and going on home visits with him, when he needed to visit families from the church. We did not have material wealth, but I never felt poor We had enough that we could share. My did believed in me, when there was something I needed to do or learn he always spoke as though I had already mastered the task. I believe he spoke with confidence, because he has prayed for me every day of my life. Being a pastor's child means you learn manners, expectations and hospitality very early. We had lots of company. I loved giving up my bedroom and sleeping in a sleeping bag so the missionaries could have my room when they visited. I would listen to stories of their experiences in different countries and how they would help build homes and schools and grow crops wile they shared that Jesus loved them. I share my family's faith in God and the value that people are more important than things.

My extended family did not live close to me as I was growing up. But my grandmothers and aunt were prolific letter writers. We visited family every holiday, making holidays feel very special. I would listen to the adults share stories about family and friends. I knew that family were there for each other. My great-great grandparents were homesteaders. There was a strong sense of work ethic practiced. There were ranchers and there were farmers. It takes commitment and self determination to make it work. The entire family has to help to get the cattle in or harvest the crops. I remember the first time I was allowed to go on a cattle drive. I was probably seven. The strong connection to aunts, uncles and cousins as we spent the day on horseback gathering the cattle that were scattered among the trees and meadows in the foothills was exhilarating—I belonged, I was given worthwhile work. The farming family was an even stronger influence on my work ethic. When we visited the farm there was always tasks I could participate in: picking fruits and vegetables to can or freeze for my families use and when I got older picking melons or driving a tractor. It was part of being a member of my family. My family values hard work and integrity.

The church community provided a foundation of belonging and strength in conviction. Looking back I can appreciate that those families made sacrifices to make I had what I needed. The children were my friends, we could discuss the roles we were in and decisions we faced from a shared set of values. I never felt alone. As a community we looked out for each other. The community demonstrated living the values they held.

School Environment, Most people cannot imagine going to a school that houses children from kindergarten through senior high in the same building. Still the school community had enough diversity of values that it was a great place to have my values challenged and for me to exercise the decisions to stand true to my values. With only thirteen in my graduate class, but still the roles and functions of any school, there was so much opportunity to try out many different tasks. There were sports, student council officers, music, drama and clubs. I tried it all, because in a school that small everyone needs to get involved to have enough participants. My work ethic and integrity rewarded me with responsibility and opportunities. The most unusual was a flight class to learn to be a pilot, which included flight hours in a small plane. In the state I was raised, schools were the hub of activity for rural communities. Everyone came to all the events. People valued being together.