A Note of Thanks

To Professor Laurie and my fellow classmates I thank all of you for helping me devise an advocacy focus and share my concerns and issues regarding parental communication and parental involvement. Because of your critical feedback and suggestions, I was able to present my plan to a group of teachers, parents, staff, and early childhood professionals. As a result, I feel more empowered to  implement my plan in the Fall.

I also thank you for your encouragement that kept me going, as this was a difficult class. I thank Professor Laurie for answering all of my calls. I'm sure I contacted you over ten times throughout this semester. To all of my classmates, your feedback through blogs and class discussions, confirmed the need of advocating for improving parental communication and increasing parental involvement. You shared your struggles and you recommended strategies and resources which made it easier for me to present my plan.  

I wish all of you the best of luck as you continue your journey in the field of early childhood education. May God  bless you as you work towards improving the lives of young children and families.

Although, I have only met many of you online, I have many mixed emotions as I complete my final class at Kendall. I do plan to continue to use my blog after this class and I would love to stay in touch with you. Congratulations to all of the graduates and I hope to meet you personally at the graduations.

Enlisting and Providing Support

These are some of the resources that I found to be helpful: 

1. Olsen, G. & Fuller, M.L. (2008). The Benefits of Parent Involvement: What Research Has to Say. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/benefits-parent-involvement-research
2. Shiftlett, A. (2013). Effective Parent and Teacher Communication. Retrieved from http://education.more4kids.info/264/effective-parent-teacher-communication/
3. American Federation of Teachers (2007). Building Parent-Teacher Relationships. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19308/  
4. Education Week (2004). Parent Involvement. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/parent-involvement/

Module 4: Enlisting and Providing Support

Questions you have with which your colleagues may be able to provide help and support.

When presenting my advocacy plan, I'm trying to determine if I will ask my audience to hold their questions until I finish the presentation, or if I will stop and answers questions during the presentation. If hold questions until the end, many of their questions may be covered in the plan. If I stop for every question, it may take a long time to complete the presentation. Which would you do,  answer questions during the presentation, or wait to answers questions after the presentation?

Resources and information you are seeking

I have many online resources, but I would like to survey my colleagues in this course by asking. Do you currently see a need to improve parental communication in your work place? What if any efforts have your program or school made towards improving parental communication or increasing parental involvement?

Resources and/or information you have found helpful and insightful

One resource that I found to be helpful was a book by John Daly "Advocacy: "Championing Ideas and Influencing Others". I haven't read the entire book, but it has provided me with great insights on being confident in my plan, and ways to stay on track when presenting plan. I know time is limited, but you may want to view one of Daly's presentation on youtube.com " Advocacy: Selling Innovative Ideas within Your Organization". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSdBZ1b7bOs.  His presentation isn't directly related to advocacy, but he has some tips on selling our message.

References

Daly, J.A. (2011). Championing Ideas and Influencing Others. Yale University Press

Module 3 - Personal Advocacy Journal

A quote that you find inspirational regarding the role that advocacy can have in the lives of young children and their families. Then, post responses to the following:

One of my most favorite quotes is by Jane Addams, "Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon".  Every time I read this quote, it makes me think about my own life, as well as my profession as an early childhood educator. There have been many times in my life when I wanted to give up, but I had people encouraging me along the way to continue my journey.  Because of this, I understand how important it is to not give up on my advocacy efforts.

What inspires and excites you most about your advocacy plan and being an advocate?

Because of my struggles and challenges growing up, one thing that inspires and excites me the most about being an advocate, is knowing that I can make a difference in the lives of children and families. I am also excited about learning how to implement and develop an advocacy plan that will bring about change in the lives of children and families.

What challenges and/or anxieties do you feel related to engaging in the advocacy efforts you have targeted?

My greatest challenge is being confident in my ability to clearly state my goals in a way that will persuade others to support me in my efforts.

What do you believe will be most effective in helping you overcome any challenging emotions you may be feeling with regard to presenting and implementing your Advocacy Action Plan?

One effective way to help me overcome my challenges and emotions is to think and mediate on the quote by Jane Addams.  As an educator and advocate, I anticipate many challenges and I know people are going to oppose my advocacy ideas and goals, but in spite of opposition, I cannot give up.  I also think it's important that I share my emotions and feelings with other advocates and early childhood professionals, because they may be able to offer suggestions and support as I try to implement my advocacy action plan.  

How can you encourage others in their advocacy efforts, and how can others encourage you?

I would encourage others by reminding them that one person can truly make a difference. I would also encourage them by reminding them that advocacy is an essential role of all early childhood professionals and we need to speak up for those who are unable to speak for themselves (Kieff, 2009).  In addition, as others go through the challenges I would ask them to reflect on the words of  Dr. Martin Luther King, "our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" (Kieff, 2009). Lastly, I would encourage others by reminding them to never give up on their goals, and that hard work does pay off in the end.

References

Kieff, J. (2009). Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

EDU-455 Internship ll

Hello Classmates,
I am looking forward to learning from all of you this semester. My advocacy plan will focus on promoting family involvement in early childhood settings. Good luck to everyone. 

This is it!  We did it, graduation is just 11 weeks away.

Thank you..........

To professor Susie and my fellow classmates, I thank all of your for helping increase my knowledge on the importance of advocacy in the field of early childhood education.  Because of our collaborating work efforts, I feel more empowered to discuss and communicate with others,  issues that I am passionate about.  I also thank you for your encouragement that keep me going, especially during the writing process.  Your feedback through blogs and class discussions, confirmed the need of advocating for improving quality care for all children.  You shared your struggles and recommended strategies, which made it easier for me to complete to my research paper. 

I wish all of you the best of luck as you continue your journey in the field of early childhood education. May God continue to bless you as you work towards improving the lives of young children and families.

I hope to personally meet all of you at graduation in June.