THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!!!

Hello Everyone, I can’t believe that are we have completed the program so quickly….time flew by! I have learned so much over the last several months and after some deep reflection I realize that much of what I have learned has to do with becoming a more effective leader. I have learned that in order to be an effective leader that I must understand how to motivate and lead people. Prior to this course I simply thought that leading people meant managing them; but in fact it’s much more than that. I walk away with a better understanding of myself and the type of leader that I want to be. I now have in-depth knowledge of early childhood best practice and can effectively share this information with those in our program and am extremely excited to do so! Finally, I have learned so much from all of my fellow colleagues and the community of practice that we formed with one another. I couldn’t thank you all enough for the advice that you have given me throughout this whole process! Moving forward I plan to carry the knowledge that I have acquired with me and to be a successful leader and advocate for early childhood education and trauma informed care. I believe that the future possibilities are endless and I cannot wait to embrace each moment as it comes! I would like to again thank each and every one of you for the countless support that I have received. I truly wish all of you the best of luck and hope that you feel as prepared as I do to continue our journey in the field of early childhood education. I wish you all the happiness and success that our careers have to offer! I would also like to thank all of the professors for teaching us as much as they have! Their feedback was thoughtful, knowledgeable, and well versed. This program was all that I thought it would be and more! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Please feel free to contact me at anytime at pcordillo@yahoo.com. Take care!                                         

International Job Openings

The first international organization that I looked into was the United Nations Children’s Fund; also known as (UNICEF).  I learned that for the last sixty years this organization has supported 190 countries and territories to advocate for children’s survival, protection and development. They are also the world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries. As I looked through the website I learned that they provide educators with a long list of professional opportunities. The first to catch my eye was a position for an Operations Manager which would be responsible for managing and ensuring the effective, equitable and efficient operations of the office’s finance, human resource and administrative systems. To meet the requirements needed for this position I would have to have five years of relevant international or national office management work experience in addition to my degrees. Though I do not yet meet these requirements I definitely believe that this is something that I would be interested in working towards.

The second international organization that I looked into was Save the Children. This organization is thought to be the world’s leading charity for children and they aim to strengthen their global voice so as to help ensure that the public’s attention remains focused on the challenges related to poverty. That said Save the Children is looking for a new Head of Global Media. This type of role has never even crossed my mind however I would love to have the opportunity to do something like this! This person is responsible for Developing and managing the Global Media Unit of four media mangers you will work with 29 Save the Children members around the world to oversee and boost Save the Children’s global media profile. The requirements for which include having more than seven years senior experience of delivering media strategies to secure blanket coverage on international issues and also have knowledge of what it to takes to make a media splash around the world. I wouldn’t even know where to begin but I love that important work for children takes place in many ways outside of the classroom.

The final organization that I looked into was the Academy for Educational Development. They are a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. The first job to catch my interest on this site was the position for the Nutrition Behavior Change Specialist in Kenya. This individual would Develop a behavior change strategy that incorporates an “integrated package” of nutrition, gender strategies and actions for program implementation. To successfully accomplish the goals associated with this position one would have to have a solid grasp of health behavior change theory grounded in applied field applications in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and/or Health and Nutrition.

 

Communities Of Practice Continued…

One of the first sites that I came across is called the National Child and Traumatic Stress Network. They have the numerous openings from across the nation that provides trauma informed care for children across the nation. Though there were many openings on this site that interested me, there was one in particular that caught my eye. It’s with the CARES institute in Stratford, New Jersey. CARES stands for the Child Abuse Research Education and Service Institute at the Rowan University and School of Medicine. The position is for a faculty staff in clinical psychology or counseling with experience in the field of child abuse and in clinical leadership. This individual would conduct forensic interviews and oversee cases regarding abuse allegations. In order to meet the requirements in this role I would have to obtain a clinical licensure to go along with my early childhood credentials. If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities available I strongly recommend reviewing this site at http://www.nctsn.org.

The next organization that I found to be interesting is called the Alexander Youth Network in Charlotte, North Carolina. They provide comprehensive services to families and children that have experienced various levels of trauma and homelessness. One of their program s is called On Ramp and it’s tailored to support homeless families and children find steady income and a safe environment to live in. Once the family has had their basic needs met, they are set up with intensive treatment to help overcome the emotional and physical traumas that they have endured. The position that is available is called the Employment Readiness Specialist. This individual is responsible for guiding the families through the employment process and connecting them with much needed resources.  Though I have never worked with families in this capacity, I think that it would be a very rewarding opportunity. Also, I meet all of the basic job requirements too!

The third organization that I looked at was the Berry Street: Take Two Program in Australia. I have always loved Australia and was so excited to come across this organization.  They provide intensive services to children and families that have suffered from family violence, physical or sexual or neglect. Unfortunately, there were not any positions open at this time but if I were to ever make such a large move, I would definitely keep my fingers crossed!

Communities of Practice

One local organization that I believe to be a distinctive early childhood program is the Fisher Early Learning Center. This program is part of the University of Denver and is known for being an inclusive setting that delivers cutting-edge and evidence based programming for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. They currently have a job opening for an early childhood interventionist. In order to successfully meet the requirements for this position I would have to know how to support the design and implementation of standards based curriculum, know how to also implement the Response to Intervention Model, work collaboratively and serve as a resource to the families, and also be able to interpret data to accurately represent the child’s progress. This is obviously a shortened version of the vast amount of responsibilities that an interventionist would have but I feel as though this would be an extremely valuable experience and a skilled team to be a member of.

One of the most successful school districts in Colorado is Cherry Creek. They currently have a position available for an Early Childhood Mental Health Coordinator. In short, this individual would provide leadership in the implementation of mental health services in early learning setting throughout the district. One would also have to work collaboratively with the general education teachers and the special education teachers to ensure student success. In order to meet the requirements needed for this position I would have to obtain a clinical licensure to go along with my credentials in early childhood. I believe this to be a valuable opportunity to be part of a talented team that also values inclusion and works to provide students with resources needed to meet their unique needs.

Finally, I have always wondered what it would be like to be a principal. Obviously I would need to have an additional licensure to obtain a position such as this but I think it would be a unique opportunity for a school to have a principal that also has extensive training in early childhood. I often hear of preschool and Kindergarten teachers that wished that their principal better understood early childhood best practice and what would be developmentally appropriate for their age group.

Thank you!

Over the past eight weeks I have learned a great deal from my colleagues. I appreciate how each person has shared their honest opinions, thoughts, and perspectives. I have found the information that they have provided to be extremely helpful in both a personal and professional setting. Learning more about conflict management has been incredibly useful as I don’t particularly love working through conflictual situation and in some cases have even avoided it all together.

I would say that my colleagues have supported me by providing me with their insights and I hope that some of the information that I have shared has helped them in some way. Moving forward I look forward to applying my new found knowledge. I feel more confident and know that I know that I now have some more skills to utilize during times of conflict. I will also be more mindful of the way in which I communicate and have a better grasp on communication as whole.

Thank you everyone! Please feel free to contact me at pcordillo@yahoo.

Penny

Saying Goodbye to Groups…

When I think about being part of various groups and teams, I have both fond and challenging memories. Obviously when times were tough the adjourning phase was a simple process but when I felt proud and connected to a particular group of people, the adjourning phase was quite difficult. The groups that it was hard for me to move on from had a positive group dynamic, with mutual trust, clear expectations, and a shared vision or goal. These groups were high performing which made it even more difficult to walk away because starting over with a new team is never easy.

Because I have been a part of so many teams it is hard to say which one was the absolute hardest to part ways with. That said, the one group that comes to mind is one that I was a part of about three years ago. This team consisted of a 12 members and an amazing supervisor. When the day came that group members began moving to new jobs, I remember feeling sad, nervous, and happy about their new adventures. Of the twelve individuals there are only four of us left at the school but all of us remain in very close contact. In fact, we   all moved in different directions within the field and as such have built a lot of close connections.

I don’t know that I have ever been a part of a formalized closing ritual other than numerous goodbye parties. I don’t particularly care for goodbyes so most of the going away parties that I have hosted have been Good Luck parties. I’m always worried that if I make a goodbye too sappy the person will feel guilty for leaving…

I am not really sure how I will feel when it is time for us to complete the program. I know that it will be a bittersweet moment because I have already learned so much from my peers but we will have also made a huge accomplishment. Only time will tell…:)

 

Solution Based Communication

After taking a moment to consider the disagreements or conflicts that I have been involved in during my professional career I have realized that there is one individual in which I have disagreed with quite often. We have worked together for over nine years and during that time we have had multiple disagreements and have experienced more conflict than I would like to admit. In the past I would perceive her methods to be impractical or illogical. Over the years I found it increasingly difficult to trust her which made it nearly impossible to work with alongside of her. About two years ago a new supervisor was added to our school leadership team and introduced similar information to that of three R’s and the NVC concepts. Over time I was able to move past my feelings and instead focus on our common goals. I learned to be more objective and take the time to hear all of what was said instead of what I thought she was going to say. Our supervisor emphasized the importance of respectful and relevant conversations and reminded us that it was best for the children if we established a working rapport.  Mostly I have learned to think beyond our differences and focus my energy on having solution based conversations.

Today I can honestly say that we have a solid professional relationship and we are able to engage in productive conversations. While we rarely share common views we have learned that each of us has valuable perspectives and have learned to respect the other’s opinions. I will continue to utilize the information that was presented to us this week as I continue to strengthen my ability to communicate effectively.

Communication Topics Continued…

After completing this week’s communication surveys and comparing the results of my test to that of the results that others had indicated,  I found that others perceive me to be a better communicator than I thought that I was. This was surprising to me because I can physically feel myself react to speaking in front of large groups. My heart races, my palms sweat, and my cheeks become red.  I really thought that others could sense my nervousness or perhaps my feelings about being put into these types of situations.

Knowing that I must be doing a fairly good job hiding my anxiety helps to boost my confidence which would definitely benefit me personally and professionally. I know now that I don’t have to be so self conscious about speaking in larger groups and that I can have more faith in my ability to manage stress that stems from speaking engagements.

Another thing that I learned was that I manage difficult conversations well and that I do not belittle or become argumentative when I disagree with an individual’s view point. This also benefits me personally and professionally in that I don’t disrespect others and instead get to become a trustworthy individual to those around me. Knowing that I am effectively communicating while providing honest feedback or opinions when someone is rude or hasty towards me is an important skill to have developed. I don’t want to be the person that someone avoids speaking to but I do want to establish healthy boundaries when engaging in a challenging dialog.

Communication…

I definitely had to take a moment to think about this question…I think in some ways I do communicate differently with people from different groups or cultures. For example, I work with a very diverse group of women and as such I have learned to communicate with them in a way that they find respectful. I suppose I have done so without really knowing what I was doing.

At times I have asked them if there is a style of communication that they are more comfortable with, if there are phrases or gestures that are offensive or specific things that they look for in an effective communicator. The reason that it took me a moment to come up with an answer is because I ask these questions to everyone that I work with, not just people from different cultures. I have learned that communication is essential when overseeing a program and I make it a point to ensure that each member of the team understands that they are respected.

In the process I have learned a lot about other’s families and how unique communication is to each one. It seems that people have varying ideas about what is needed to communicate effectively and are in need of different things to make them feel comfortable

Communication During TV Shows…

One show that I have not watched in years is Married with Children. The main characters of the show are  Al  and Peg Bundy and their two children Kelly and Bud.

Without the sound on I was able to establish that Al and Peg were a couple and that they had two children. Based on Al’s facial expressions and body language (frowning, shoulders hunched over) I would guess that he was extremely happy. In the episode that I watched he only smiled two times and each occurred when another woman (not his wife) came into the shoe store in which he worked. My guess was that he liked younger blond women more than his wife. Peg on the other hand seemed to be quite happy and smiled more when saying something to Al on the couch or when the conversation resulted in Al handing her and the children money.  She was also much more affection towards Al than he was towards her. She frequently kissed his cheek and snuggled up next to him on the couch…..they seem to be on the couch a lot.

Once I turned the sound on it became clear that Al was in fact miserable and would have preferred to have his wife stay away from him. He would prefer to look at other women but did not state that he wanted to leave his wife. He hated that he worked at the shoe store and handed out money to his family to get them to leave and go to the mall so that he could be home by himself. It was also apparent that the times in which Peg was affectionate towards Al only occurred when she wanted something such as money.

I don’t think that I would have better understood the show if I had watched it more frequently because both the verbal and non verbal communication was quite clear through the entire show. I will say that one would have to appreciate dry humor to enjoy the program.