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.