Time Well Spent

            Well everyone this is it! This is our last week together at Walden. I am privileged to have gotten to know all of my peers even just a little bit better over the course of our journey together. It gives me pride to know that so many people are going to be out in the world, some new and some continuing, in the early childhood field doing great things! I am thankful for the support and honest feedback that I have always received from my peers and professors here at Walden, this information has truly helped me grow. I am greatly appreciative of being able to have received such quality education on-line. I must say that I was a skeptic at first concerning on-line classes. I was converted to a believer as soon as I began. I have been enriched with knowledge and even more importantly I have gained another level of confidence, not just the confidence of specific knowledge (which is great) but also the confidence that I can research and find out whatever I may want to know. I am not mystified or afraid of scholarly writing or reading research, fearing that it is over my head. I still have the same passion, need to be a voice, advocate and nurture young children that I entered this journey with. I have always believed in the great importance of our infants, toddlers and children. I now believe that I have what it takes to truly help make a difference.

            As for my long-term goals…I will always remain a life long learner! I intend to continue my quest in gaining a Children’s Wing for the office that I work for, the children that we see need to be treated in a comfortable, home like environment, I will continue advocating and education until it is done. A goal I had set for myself last year about this time was that I was going to send my application for a 10K scholarship for a one year Post Graduate Infant/Toddler Mental Health Certification. I sent it off last Friday, so whether I receive it or not, I at least followed through with my promise to myself. Now I wait and see.

           I genuinely send my best wishes and congratulations out to all of my peers with the expectation that you will all do great things! To Dr. Embree and all of the other wonderful professors through this adventure I send my honest and sincere thanks for all of your guidance and character building, you are truly awesome!

Warmly, Jennifer Pore`

International Jobs in Early Childhood

              We are almost finished, but first we need to explore some International opportunities. So, here are my choices of interest. The first website that I want to talk about is one that I have used through out this class and I find new information every time I re-visit. Save the Children can be found at:

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Their mission statement states that they support children in war, natural disasters, poverty and forgotten communities by using their experience and expertise (Save The Children, 2014). They talk about “creating lasting change with improvements in policy and services that protect children” (Save the Children, 2015). I was so moved when I read about how in 2013; Save the Children was successful in reaching 21 million abused, neglected and exploited children through their programs. (Save the Children, 2015). I also read on their site “Honduras became the 37^th country to ban corporal punishments, including striking, strapping and caning children” (Save the Children, 2015). What an amazing social change for those children and future generations! I admire their ability and drive to make changes at policy and law levels, which make for lasting change.

           I looked up a job opening that was posted for East Africa. The job listing is for Save the Children Protection Advisor. I was unable to find any prerequisites listed. An article from a current worker listed some of the activities that were included in a typical day such as registering children that arrived and them getting them fed before trying to locate their family or find them a foster placement.

            My second investigation lead me to a job opening in Madagascar! This job opportunity was for a Food and Nutrition Technical Assistant for the Academy for Educational Development at http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm. Although I wasn’t able to locate the experience needed for this particular job, the description of the job intrigued me. In order to cause social change they go in and locate specific areas were they could implement change.

            I hesitated to check out UNICEF because I felt that I knew a lot about it. I was very wrong! I found it interesting that UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly in order “ to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential” (UNICEF, nd). UNICEF is active in 191 countries. I found a current job opening in South Sudan for an Education Specialist to “design, plan, implement and monitor education” (UNICEF, nd). The job requirements for this position are, eight years of experience and hold a degree in Primary Education. I think it would be awesome to do this job.

  Jenn Pore`

Academy for Educational Development. (2015). Retrieved from

     http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

Save the Children, (2015). Retrieved from

         http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children’s Fund, (nd). UNICEF. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org