So long, farewell

I cannot believe that my time at Walden is coming to a close.  I have started and stopped working on my Master's degree at least five times with 4 different universities. Three years ago, I became passionate about starting my own early learning center and thought, it is now or never.  I researched universities and programs and decided on Walden. I am so glad that I did.  I feel like I have to skills that I need to get started and knowledge of skills that I need to work on. For example, I learned that I will need help with the business aspect of running the center. In the Budget and Allocation class, I was $100,000 over budget the first time I worked on one.  There were so many things that I did not take into consideration, such as, staff benefits, insurance, legal fees, etc. My husband has an MBA and I told his I will definitely need his help to get started.
In Developing People and Leading teams I learned much about my leadership style and the way that I communicate. I also learned new techniques of how to handle conflict. The conflict resolution network is bookmarked on my computer and I find myself using it frequently.
My third most important learning goes along with the first, it is grant writing.  I have been interested in grants and grant writing but did not  know how to get started.  I now have resources booked marked and I have written a grant for work.  I will say, that it is probably my least favorite thing to do and I regret telling my boss that I could do it. However, it is practice for when I am able to open my center.
My long term goal is to open More Precious than Rubies and be an adjunct professor at the local community collage.  This way I am able to make a difference in children's lives now and in the future but training future teachers.

https://youtu.be/s0SUEMGZU04


It has been great learning with everyone, I know so of us have been in class together since day 1.  I wish everyone the best of luck with your goals and dreams. I am on facebook as Kaleena Wiseman and my email is kaleenabattles@gmail.com if you would like to stay in contact.

International Organizations

For this week's blog assignment I looked at three different international organizations. The first one was an easy pick. It is to be a missionary that focuses on children's ministry.  This is what my undergraduate degree is for and what I had planned to do with my life. World Gospel Missions has several positions available, from teaching at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center in Bolivia, to missionary kids' teacher and children's director in Papua New Guinea. To be a missionary with WGM, you need to have at least an associate degree in theology and be of the Wesleyan-Armenian theology. They also preferred that you are debt free.    So far this career has not worked out for me, but it is still something that I am passionate about.

Another organization that I am interested in is Compassion International.  They are another mission organization that is all over the world.  They are mainly known for their sponsor a child program, but they do so much more than that.They strive for holistic child development.  "Holistic child development means we begin, in some cases, with prenatal care and go all the way through leadership development for qualified young adults. It means we take a long-term approach to what we do and go beyond simple involvement in the lives of the children and families we serve," (Compassion International,n.d., What we do, para.2).
 In Bolivia, they run a school for rural, improvised areas that otherwise would not have a school.  They employee locals and traditional missionaries.  They work with the whole community to improve the lives of children and their families.
Compassion International does have child development specialist and advocates on staff.  I think this would be an awesome career. The site did not go into details about what the qualifications are for this, but I would imagine a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, child development, or social work along with strong skills in working with a diverse and poverty stricken population. 
My last international organization is the association for childhood education international. 
"ACEI works for the education of all children, but has a special interest in ensuring that our energies are focused on meeting the education needs of the most fragile and vulnerable children," (ACEI, n.d., about, para 1). I love this about their mission statement. They provide training and research in global children's education, they operate schools, and advocate worldwide for the education of all children.  They have courses and training available to be an education diplomat.  There are three courses that are approximately 10 weeks long for each.  I cannot find information on if you are hired after completing them, or what jobs are available. I requested more information yesterday.  I will update if I hear back from them, as this is a possible career that interest me. 
References
Association for childhood education international. (n.d.). About. retrieved from https://www.acei.org/about/
Compassion International. (n.d.). What we do. retrieved from https://www.compassion.com/child-development-model.htm
World Gospel Mission. Retrieved from https://www.wgm.org/

National Organizations

National Organizations that I am interested in are NAEYC, Zero to Three, and Help Me Grow. I chose these three organizations because of their work in being advocates of inclusive classrooms and latest research on the subject.  NAEYC has a joint policy statement on what high quality early childhood inclusion programs should look like. They developed this statement in 2009, the US department of education did not issue one until 2015.  I love NAEYC and the DEC definition of inclusion. 
"Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation, and supports," (NAEYC & DEC, 2009, p.2). 

Zero to Three is another great organization. Its'  "mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE, we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full  potential," (Zero to Three, n.a., para 1).  They offer resources and training for  several different topics, included inclusion and infants/toddlers with disabilities. 

Help Me Grow does similar work to Zero to Three.They provide and do developmental screening to children who are suspected to have a delay or be at risk. The provide IFSP services to infants, toddlers, and their families.  When the child turns three they help with the transition to preschool. My youngest was in Help Me Grow and it was a wonderful program that taught me how to advocate for myself and my child. 

Possible jobs... I think it would be awesome to be a trainer for Zero to Three.  They have a program to to become one.  I am not sure how much it pays, but I can image traveling the country and helping centers provide best practice care for all infants and toddlers.  
I was once a home visitor for Help Me Grow and I would not mind doing that again. It was great teaching other how to advocate for their child like our home visitor did for me. 
Another job that I am interested in would be be helping centers get their NAEYC accreditation.  
For each of these jobs I would need at least a bachlor's degree in early childhood. A Master's degree would be better for the trainer and inspector jobs. I would also need experience working in the early childhood field.  For the inspector I would need knowledge of the NAEYC criteria for getting NAEYC accreditation.  For Zero to Three and Help Me Grow I would need experience working with infants and toddlers and their families. 
References
https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/DEC_NAEYC_EC_updatedKS.pdf
https://www.zerotothree.org/about/our-mission-and-vision

capstone wk 2

 Three local or state organizations that I am interested in are the Southwest Ohio AEYC, Head Start group, and 4 C for Children. The SWOAEYC, is our local NAEYC chapter.  I am on the conference committee for this organization and I love all the training and support that we offer to early childhood professionals in our area.  The Head Start group, we do not have a name, but this is a group of coaches and teachers from three counties that get together to learn about best practices and how to handle challenging behaviors in the classroom. 4 C for Children offers training to child care centers and in home centers. They also offer CDA classes and support for get centers Step Up to Quality approved.  They are an awesome resource and organization to be apart of.

Jobs that  interest me are: owning and operating my own child care, being a Step Up to Quality licensing specialist, Being a trainer for 4 C for Children or other like organization, and/or working with families to help them become advocates for their children and families. For all of these jobs I would need experience teaching in the early childhood field, at least a bachelor's degree in early childhood or related field, and experience working with families. For the licensing specialist and the trainer I would need a Master's degree, and leadership experience, such as, director of a child care center.  For the trainer I would also need education and experience in the area that I would be training in, such as, how to include children with disabilities.

week 8

The end of another class is near, bringing us another step closer to our goals.  Thank you all for your feedback, comments, and support over this past 8 weeks. I wish you all a blessed life and hope to learn with you again soon.

Adjourning week 6

Adjourning phase was difficult when I left Lawrence Co. Head Start the first time.  I was getting married and moving five hours away to Cleveland. The center that i worked at had a celebration for me.  I received cards, flowers, a carry in lunch. Everyone congratulated me, and also expressed that I would be missed I had other teaching positions before, but this is where I grew and matured as a teacher. We were a three star center( the highest award at the time in Ohio), just passed the Head Start federal review with flying colors, and was NAEYC accredited.  It was here that I learned what high quality, collaboration, etc. looks like. Leaving was difficult, but what is even more difficult is that no place that I have worked at since measures up.  No other place has the feel of community, working together for the good of the children we serve, staff wanting to do their best, and wanting to learn more.  We had high expectations, yet, if you struggled someone would help you without devaluing you.  I have missed this. As I think of opening my own center, I want to have this feeling of acceptance, collaboration, comradely, and high quality.

As I think of adjourning from this group, I feel the need to find a few of you all on facebook. I think having each other to bounce ideas off of would be a great idea. I also would like to see how everyone is doing.
Adjouring is important because we have to move forward to grow. We all will have new batons to carry and hand off to the next runner.

Overcoming Disagreements wk 5

My son Ryley is 7 and in second grade. He was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten.  Even with medicine for his ADHD, he still struggles with sitting still. His test scores shows him being two years ahead of his classmates. I always question how much of his behavior is ADHD and how much is it because he is bored.   His teachers typically push for more and more medicine so he will sit still and quiet at school. I hate to have him on so high of a dose that he is zombified.  His teacher this year had him test for giftiness, and he qualified for the program for math and reading.  He has a gifted teacher that works with him on Mondays.  I thought things were going well, and excited to not have to have his medicine constantly adjusted. 

Parent-teacher conferences were this past week. His general education teacher said that he was acting out again and suggested to have his medicine readjusted. His gifted teacher said that she had no problems with him at all and is amazed at how he persists at a problem. I asked his gen ed teacher if he was being challenged enough. I did not mean for it to be condescending, but I think that is how she took it. She started to defend herself. I apologized, and stated that I think he gets bored because the work is too easy and he acts out.  The conference did not end well.

After a few days I emailed her an apology and tried to explain that I understood he was a challenging student to deal with. I also explained about how I did not think that constantly upping his medicine was a good idea as he does not learn how to control his impulses this way. I brought up how the gifted teacher says that she does not see those behaviors when she has him and suggested if there was a way for the two of them to collaborate and to have more challenging work on hand for Ryley to do when he finishes his regular work. I expressed that I would talk to his Dr. at the next appointment but I would really like to try other strategies before increasing his medicine. 

She wrote back that she would give that a try, talked about how much she enjoys Ryley, and that the problems is that he finishes his work before everyone else and then he is a distraction for those trying to finish. 

 The conference ended in unproductive conflict, but sending the email with an apology and a compromise helped to turn it into something productive. 

Who am I as a communicator?

For this assignment I had my husband and my best friend, Maria complete the communication assessments. The biggest surprise for me was that my husband, Tim, scored me a 65 on verbal aggressiveness. Maria scored me at 40 and I scored myself at 58. I  think the reason for this is that Tim sees me at my worst. This brought up some conversation about some things that I did not realize that I do and say when we have an argument.  Maria and I only get together 1-2 times a month, and it is usually a happy time with a ton of laughter. It would be interesting to see how a co-worker would evaluate me, something I might try another day.
Another interesting insight was that all three had my listening style as people oriented.  All three of us scored me at a 35 for this one.  I am hoping that means I have good listening skills.

Communicating Differently

I am currently a stay at home mom, and when I first read the instructions for this assignment, my thoughts were, I don't communicate with anyone outside of the family, how in the world am I going to complete this assignment. As I went through the week I started to pay attention to every interaction that I had, from the cashier at the grocery store, church events, and the community center that I volunteer at.
I found myself communicating in slightly different ways in each of these settings through the culture of all are very similar.  At the grocery store, the conversation is the same, no matter the race or age of the person. It's hi, did you find everything, have a nice day, etc.  I thought of doing an experiment of giving a not typical answer just to see what happens, but then I had the flu and did not get to go on my third trip of the week. 
Due to the flu, I also missed going to church Wed. night, and I did not volunteer on Thurs. at the community center.  I thought back to my interacts at those places.  At church, I am on my best behavior and trying to teach of anywhere between 8-20 preschoolers.  My communication reflects that.
At the community center, I identify more with the people coming in for assistance than I do the people I volunteer with. I know what it is like to be in their shoes and my communication reflects that.  I think here is the place that I use the communication skills that we have been talking about the most.  The Platinum Rule works well here along with compassion, kindness, and empathy.

Communication on TV

 I have had several friends tell me that I need to watch The Crown on Netflix so I used this as an opportunity to do just that.  Before I started watching it,  all  I knew was that this was the story of how Queen Elizabeth came to power. 
I was very confused at first watching it without sound and knowing very little about the show. It started out with Phillip being knighted and then kissing Elizabeth. As I watched it, her body language looked like she did not want to be kissed. At their wedding, she appeared to not want to marry him which made me google if she had an arranged marriage.  She was very stiff, looked down, and back at her father multiple times. I thought she was going to run at one point.   After I watched it with the sound I found out that she did want to marry him, but no one approved of their marriage.  I am guessing that is what lead to the stiff awkward body movements.
Through out the show the King keeps spiting up blood and I could tell that he was going to die. He had surgery, and talked with the Dr. and he cried. I was right about this part, but I was wrong because I thought that he had told Philip as they were duck hunting that he was dying, but he did not. He hinted at it by telling Philip he needs to give up his career to take care of "her." 
I found it odd that Princess Elizabeth is often referred to as "her" through out the show.  I think I may have to continue to watch it to see why.
I think if I had did this with a show that I watch such as, "This is Us," I probably would have done a better job at guessing what was going on.  This is because I know the characters, how they generally handle things and I know the plot.  All of this information makes guessing at what is being communicated easier. 

Reference
Morgan, Peter. (writer), & Daldry, S. (director). (2016). Wolferton Splash. [Netflix series Episode].In Daldry, S. (Producer). The Crown. United Kingdom: Netflix.

Communication Skills

My husband is Senior Lead Quality Assurance. Basically, he leads a team that tests software before he goes on the market.   He works from home a few days a week and has frequent conference calls during these days.  I often listen as he can take a call that is utter chaos as people are blaming each other for the reason why a product does not work and turn the conversation into something productive with everyone taking a part to get the project done. I often ask him "how do you do that?"  His response is "you just have to know how to get each person to do what you want them to do and be happy about it."  I think that is not easy, I can't do that.  I would love to be able to lead a team the way that he can as far as getting people to listen and do what needs to be done.  He doesn't raise his voice, he just says we have a problem and how are we going to fix it.  He hears everyone's ideas and the team states which one is best or often a combination of answers. People then volunteer to take different parts and work on it. 
I want to model some of my communication like him. He knows each person on his team, what they are good at, and what words to use to motivate them.   He gives each person time to talk and the team as a whole makes the decision and he guides it to the answer he wants without them realizing it.  Each person feels valued and important which is what makes him a great team leader.