Next step in the journey

Well after two years of job interviews and application one has finally paid off.

I have recently been hire by a local school district to be their resource teacher for preschool.  It looks to be a fun and different job for me.

More to come later, as well as things to do with your child to encourage their development and school readiness.

I include my Wordle because it express what I have learned in the past 20 months. Sorry for it being sideways but sometimes that the way life is.   I have enjoyed this journey. Although there have been times that I have wanted to give up I knew that was not the right thing to do.  After all I am a mother of two daughters who look to me for inspiration.  I teach 8 young children who need to know that learning is fun and needed to get ahead in this world.  I have also learned more in this Master series than I did in my Bachelor program, I think I have said this once before but it is true.

I have enjoyed learning from all of you.  You have given me things to think about as we have gone through each class.  You have also pushed me to look outside my own world of think and being to see what is out there and how things could be.  Best of luck to all of you as you move forward. God be with you all.

It would be nice to see or keep in touch with each of you so if you are ever in the Seattle/ Tacoma Washington area I can be your tour guide. Laury Togstad  begwon@juno.com

And remember to reach for your star!

 

International Jobs

The first organization I choose was Save the Children.  One reason is the television ads I see on the weekends. Are they really as good as they say when I listen to them? Yes they are with some big corporate sponsor backing them up such as: IKEA, Pepsi and American Girl. They have some job openings the key to finding them is selecting the right categories from their drop down menu on their job tab.  I was able to find one this way.  Child Protection Services it is not what we think of when you hear child protection.  This person is helping put together a CPS system in Haiti, with a BA in Social Work and 8 years experience in the field or related experience. Knowing French or Creole is a plus.

My next was fhi360 this organization works at empowering the citizen and families to become the best they can be. They do this through hands-on work based on evidence based knowledge.  To me this means they take what has been done by others that are working and apply it to what they need in the town or country they are working in.  I noticed that many of the jobs in the United State are behind the scenes or training those that are going to the different countries that are in need of aid.

My final organization is UNICEF we know them from other classes that we have taken so I decide to see what else they are working on. Currently they are working HIV/AIDS prevention and educating girls in countries that look at women as second class citizens. Again IKEA is a major donor as well as H&M and Pampers. I choose to look at short term jobs with many of them being out of the United States. The one piece I found interesting is that to be consider for higher paying jobs you have to relinquish your citizenship if it is different  than you nationality.

I think that if I was twenty years younger I would consider a job that is offered by any of these organizations. I knew that you needed some of the education background for them but I also see that they need hands on help in implementing their programs and it also would have given me the chance to enhance my language skills. 

Resources:   

   http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

http://www.unicef.org/

National and Federal Communities

While searching for information I came across Teaching for Change. They are an organization that helps promote social justice through parent, student and teacher involvement. They also reach out to the larger community through the school and students to show how social change can happen by rethinking old values and ideas.  They have an early childhood component that involves observation of your classroom and feedback as to what is needed to become more culturally responsive.  They do have an online bookstore as well as a physical store in Washington DC, with books that could be read to preschool age as well as books for elementary age children and resources for teacher and adults.  They currently do have two position open one for the bookstore and the other is an instructional coach. 

My second organization is National HeadStart Association.  I love what HeadStart stand for: Parents advocating for their children and themselves. Giving parents a chance to go back to school or further their education.  Giving children a chance to grow and learn in a safe and developmentally appropriate environment.  The national web site has listing for conferences for both parents and teacher to attend.  They also have a jobs board that list nation-wide openings. In order to access job information you have to become a member, which I am currently not.

I now have a strange choice of places to check out the Unites States Department of Education.  It covers everything for how states and what state are exempt from No Child Left Behind to news letter for teachers and workshop we can attend.  But it also covers student’s loan and how to find the right college for yourself or your child. I did not find a place to apply for jobs this first time around looking at the website, I will have to further looking at a later date.

Resources:

www.ed.gov/

http://www.nhsa.org/  

www.teachingforchange.org/profdev/ecei/antibias

Exploring Roles

The blog this week is where I am at currently with my life.  I have been on a new job search for a year now.  Jobs within the local school districts in preschool whether it is through HeadStart, ECEAP or developmental preschool are hard to come by.  I would like to work within my local school district where my daughter attends so I keep applying for jobs at this point I am considering becoming under-employed just to get my foot in the door.  We are doing some creative thing in regards to meeting NCLB such as half days once a week for planning and conferencing both with parents and other teachers. In the k-6 grade level we have moved to 90 minutes of literature and math within the school day and have add in a new math curriculum that is hands on for k-3. 

The next job I have looked at but miss the dead line for applying will reapply if it comes open again is for our states new QRIS call Early Achievers. This job involves coaching or giving technical assistance to child care centers and family child care as they move up the tiers for more points and higher state reimbursement for child care services.  The job requires knowledge of child care and at least a bachelor degree.  Which I have both and a willingness to become a state trainer which I have no problem wanting to do since that is one of my capstone projects.

The last would be any job in any school district in the area or one in the Department of Early Learning which is where our QRIS system is located as well as our state licensing for child care centers and family child cares.  I have many of qualification for these jobs they just need to have an opening for employment. 

My saving grace is that I do have a job. I own my own family child care and I am able to use what I need to teach the children I care for to give them the best possible start to school and guidance in the later school years (1-6 grades). Also, whatever I have learned this past year I am able to use it as quickly as I can assimilate into my brain and make it mine.       

Capstone Welcome

Welcome to the final set of blogs for our masters in teaching and diversity.  I hope you enjoy my blog these next eight weeks.

Hopes, inspirations and thank you

My most impassionate hope for the children, families and professional in regards to anti-bias education would have to be one of looking beyond.  Looking beyond what they see as a skin color, a disability, and a family structure. Looking to who is this person, how can I best serve him and what can this family teach me.  Asking the questions that are hard to ask, and patiently waiting for the answer that may have to come weeks later.  That we can look at each other as being on the same team, wanting what is best for all children.  So that all children can be seen as equals that help each other out in times of need. 

I would also like to take the time to thank all of you who have read my blog and discussion post the past eight weeks.  You have made me think beyond my world to the large picture.  I hope as we move to our last class and capstone projects we can continue to be a source of help and inspiration