It's a Wrap!

Yay! I am so proud of us! We did it while we worked, while we cared for our families, while we lived already busy lives. We finished a degree. Here are three big take aways for me among hundreds of smaller ones......

1. Technology is amazing. I finished my first degree in 1984. At that time, I stood in line to register for each class I wanted to take (sometimes for an hour) to hand them a registration card before I ran to the next line to register for another. I spent hours and hours a week IN an actual library because that is where the information was. I carried a large book bag full of reading material. I typed on a typewriter and corrected my papers with white out. All of my friends were on campus. We would meet to have long study sessions before tests and to prepare for presentations. Technology has made it possible for me to get my fourth degree without having to leave my home. I will miss having a university library on my dining room table.

2. The ability to write well is a powerful tool. Hanging indents had me in tears in September of 2012. Mastering the mechanics of APA again has taught me patience and given my voice clarity. All my life I have relied on my face to face communication skills to interact with the world. Walden required me to rely solely on my writing ability to express myself. I am a stronger writer having been a student at Walden and have a deeper respect for writing as a communication tool.

3. I know many people who  hold a dreams in their heart but very few people who carve out the time and a plan to make those dreams come true. I know now that ANYTHING is possible and that I DO have the time to make a difference in the world. We have found 15 hours a week to complete coursework at Walden for almost two years now. What great things could we make happen if we honored this experience by continuing to carve out the time, for the rest of our lives to make the world better for children? I intend to find out.

I am grateful. I appreciate each and every one of you. I respect the work you do. I would love to meet you. Here is how you can find me....

Katy Smith   www.facebook.com/KatySmithWinona   LinkedIn   Twitter @KatyMN12        kackley@hbci.com    www.katysmithconsulting.com    GooglePlus

International Opportunities

I love the idea of being a part of an organization that creates the conditions for dialog around the world for conversations based on shared values and commonality. This is the work of UNESCO. On a very local level, and sometimes on a statewide level, I like to think I do the same kind of work in my classroom. I believe I have a skill set and a work history that would be an asset to this organization but I did not see a position that was of interest to me.

The Academy for Educational Development has made some changes to it's  organization since 2011 when Walden University added them to the Blackboard assignment. Although the URL is the same, the organization is now fhi 360. There is a job available here that piqued my interest. It is an ECE Specialist based in Washington, DC. The job supports Head Start Grantees with a focus on school readiness and family and community engagement. Even the 50% travel sounds like a good fit for me at this stage in my life. I have all the qualifications necessary in terms of schooling and experience.

The World Organization for Early Childhood Education, headquartered out of Whittier College in California has a beautiful mission to ensure the well-being, rights, and education of all children and their families here at home and around the world. I especially like the mention of family education in their mission statement. The organization has no job openings listed on their website.

As much as I love to visit other countries, I would not like to work in one. There is much to do in the field of Early Childhood Education here, in the United States. I am more than happy to put my time and energy to making life better for kids here at home.

References

fhi 360 http://www.fhi360.org/
OMEP http://www.omep-usnc.org
 UNESCO http://en.unesco.org/