Time Well Spent

Throughout this course and the program overall, I have learned so much informative information that will help me throughout my professional career. Learning about diversity and equity was very important to me because there is such diverse classrooms in today’s society. It is so important to be aware of different cultures in our classrooms and understand and incorporate those cultures into the curriculum. This allows the children to feel comfortable, respected and included.

I have learned that embracing diversity is a very important part of working in the early childhood field and realizing that there are many different ways to be a family has helped me to do this. As long as there is love children can be from any sort of family. We need to be respectful and accepting of this.

I also learned an abundance of information about the different learning and teaching strategies and styles. Being able to recognize the different learning styles within my classroom will allow me to adequately meet the learning needs of my children.

Learning about Community of Practice (COP) and leadership styles was one of the most informative objectives in this program because it allowed me to envision the goals that could be accomplished through a COP and the resources all members bring to the table. Knowing what characteristics to look for in a leader will help ensure that the right leader will be selected to run my COP in the future.

One of my long term goals is to create or be a part of a COP that will provide the necessary educational resources for children in the foster care program who struggle with behavioral, educational, or developmental issues in school. My goal is to avoid allowing these children to fall through the educational cracks of a dysfunctional foster care system. I would like to continue to educate myself on issues relating to work I do which will mean keeping up to date with the latest research regarding abilities in young children.

I cannot express into words how much this experience has changed my life. I am forever grateful to all of you for the many comments, suggestions, and words of encouragement and hope that you all have given me. This has been a journey of learning new strategies and most of all learning about myself so that I can better serve the children and families I encounter. My professors have all contributed to my success throughout this program. Through the feedback you have provided, I have gained much knowledge and skills that I will contribute to my success within the field of early childhood. I wish you all the best of luck in your journey in accomplishing your goals and know that we will all contribute to the field of early childhood! God Bless! -Porsche Dalton