Profile of a Volunteer

As I thought about this week's topic I could not help but think about Mother Teresa. She is always a woman that is thought of positively and fondly because of her willingness to help others. I believe that Mother Teresa was truly selfless in that she wanted to help the poor and needy. She gave of her time, her resources, and of her whole self. The expression it is better to give than to receive comes to mind when I think of Mother Teresa because she always gave.

The expression holds true, I have always felt better giving than receiving.

I do not feel though that everyone has to give as Mother Teresa did, any little amount of time you can donate to a cause is worth more than not giving at all. You could volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to a clothing drive, go into a school and read to children in different classrooms, donate time with an organization like Habitat for Humanity.  Volunteer opportunities while contingent on time available and interests are not focused on ability because with the range of options each person who has the chance to give back through volunteering can.

One could even advocate through volunteer opportunities which shows that it doesn't matter the how you give, as long as you find a cause and support the why.

Using Social Media to Get Connected

As I thought about social media, I thought of Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. However, the first media method across the internet was email (so even though it may not be considered social media I group it here too). I use email and Facebook daily, most of the time more than once a day especially since I have both on my phone. Therefore, using email and Facebook as tools for effective advocacy would be ideal. I could reach those I have email addresses for through the email route and a post on Facebook may be seen from my page to those on my friends list, but could then be shared by my friends' and then their friends' pages and so on. This would spread the word faster than just connecting with those I know. The faster I can provide more knowledge of the issue and make contacts to support the cause it could hopefully mean the faster there is change. Change means making things better for children and their families. Change also means making the field of early childhood more recognized.

Advocacy Messages

Wow. As I looked over the site, www.adcouncil.org, I could not help but notice the number of advocacy messages out there right now.

The first I chose is "you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent." This message is in regard the large number of children in the foster care system, and those within the system waiting to be adopted. I have always said that a child's family can be our biggest supporter as educators and families can be our best partners. Additionally, I currently know of children who are in the foster care system waiting to be adopted by the families that take care of them so it is a matter that 'hits home' for me. Children, no matter their ages, need to know they are loved, cared for, and supported. Those children that get 'bounced around' from place to place do not have that stability and may not feel they are loved and supported thus leading to difficulties in the classroom. Through this campaign and the website, www.adoptuskids.org, more attention and awareness is given to foster care and adoption which will hopefully lead to more children being placed in loving caring supportive family environments.

The second I chose is "every beat matters." This campaign is to raise awareness of the significance of health care for children under the age of 5. When I read about this campaign, my heart broke. To know that a child becomes sick and dies before getting to experience life because there is not adequate health care or the family cannot afford adequate health care is alarming. I am definitely in support of what the campaign hopes to do by providing training for health care related issues to people within the community. It is the hope, of the campaign and now myself, that with more people within the communities trained on the health care related issues there will be less children losing life.

Finally I chose the campaign for parents to seek information from autismspeaks.org. The increased number of children being diagnosed with autism should encourage us all to become more aware of the signs because as with any disorder, the early we can detect and intervene to help the child on the autism spectrum the better off in the long run the child will become.

What I have learned a lot already through this course is how many significant advocacy efforts are already under way. I hope to become a part of the advocacy campaigns mentioned above, become a part of others not mentioned, create my own advocacy campaign, or a combination of all. Making a difference in the life of at least one child is why I got into this profession to begin with so if I could make a change that would impact lots of children that would be even better.

My Own Capacity

As I consider my own abilities I reflect on why it is I am in this profession. I have always wanted to make a difference in the life of a child so I became an early childhood teacher. When I first began teaching I did not, and am still not sure, I truly understand the capacity I have within my reach to make a difference. Thinking about topics and how I could make a difference I looked at my own personal situation. What I have found is there is not a set curriculum or skills to be acquired in Pre-Kindergarten in my current state. While there are teaching and learning standards, I do not believe all programs follow them or use them. I have learned this through the different programs I have worked in over the last six years. So one topic I am interested in is developing a set of standards and curriculum to follow for Pre-Kindergarten so that each child ,not just in the state of New Jersey but the nation, who attends a Pre-Kindergarten program enters Kindergarten on a level playing field. Additionally, if a child for whatever reason does not attend a Pre-Kindergarten program the set standards for skills children must have for Kindergarten should be made available to parents in order for families to equally prepare.

Another issue I have come across is how private centers would like, and sometimes require, teachers to have Bachelor's degrees but only want to pay an hourly rate. Insurance benefits and retirement have to be paid in large part, or in whole, by the employee. On the other hand, public systems have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree with certification requirement and pay a salary to teachers. In addition to salaries, public systems offer benefits and retirement paid for by the state.

I would hope that my personal experiences with both of these issues would give me the opportunity to have an adequate footing to stand upon for these issues. My sincere love of children and priceless enjoyment over watching the 'light bulb moments' when they learn new things drives me to continue in this field. I want to grow as an effective educator to continue to influence the lives of the children I come in contact with but also I want to learn and grow in order to change the field of early childhood for generations to come.

My Role as an Advocate

Just like my motivation to become a teacher, my desire to become an advocate stems from my passion to make a difference in the lives of children I come in contact with on a daily basis. What I am learning about advocacy has allowed me to see that no matter how big or small the issue may be, there is always the possibility to make a difference. So it is important to acknowledge issues already addressed, changes already made, and current advocacy efforts in motion to be able to increase awareness and support of the issues at hand while not repeating the same exact issues that have already created change. While I believe being an educator has already put me in a leadership role of sorts, I also believe that anyone with the passion and desire to make a change to make a difference can become a leader within the community. Leaders must understand current problems within their community or state, research information on the topics, share the information with others within the community or state, and form a plan of action in which to address the proposed solution(s) to the problem to turn an issue into a change to make a difference. To move beyond the community to the state level, I believe one must know who the elected officials are, how best to contact them, and have some understanding of how the political system works.

As I identify issues I am passionate about and wish to use the issues to make changes within the field I would share my plans with my colleagues, my community, my family and friends in hopes of increasing the number of us working for the changes needed to make a difference in the field of early childhood. This is also the same advice I would give to anyone wishing to make a difference or a change in any area. If you are passionate about an issue, have a desire to create change and make a difference, do the research, make a proposed plan for solutions, contact others who may be interested in joining your cause, and then take your proposal to the legislators. I have learned that just one person can make a difference. If all of us strive for change, differences will be made and lives will be improved.

Personal Advocacy Reflection

As I think about items I read in the course text over the past couple of weeks, I am hoping that the situation I share is one of advocacy. I began working in the preschool I am now last year in January. This year around October or November I had a little girl come into my class. Through the first couple weeks she was there I learned that mom only  worked on the weekend and dad had just started working a full time job through the week. Mom shared with me that she was concerned her children would not have a Christmas. I happen to know someone who ‘adopts’ a family for Christmas and asked if a family had already been selected and was told no. So I shared the situation of the family of the little girl in my classroom. Her family was adopted for Christmas, the little girl in my class and her two brothers each received a new coat, two outfits, and two toys apiece using a list I asked for from the mom. The parent in my class was thrilled, I received pictures and the children were excited, and the individual I know was pleased the gifts went to a good home.

 If this is a small taste of what it is like to advocate for a cause then I look forward with great anticipation to finding a cause in the field to advocate for and making changes.

A New Course Begins

As we continue on this journey I am looking forward to this course. As the pursuit of my Masters degree draws to a close with the courses specific for advocacy, I hope my knowledge increases and my ability to be more effective improves. I hope that as we work over the next eight weeks we will learn from our course materials and each other. My wish is for us all to have continued success as we strive to make a difference in the lives of the children we teach and the families who support them.