Time Well Spent
3 things I learned deeply from this program:
1. That despite and in spite of me, I can still create change;
2. That I have more to learn; and
3. That I really and truly love the early childhood field.
My one long-term goal:
To continue to grow as a teacher, trainor and advocate and touch lives in the process.
A message to my colleagues and instructor:
Thank you, Dr. Teri and colleagues! Interacting and learning with all of you made my stay here at Walden an enlightening experience. You all have made me feel welcomed and valued despite my being a "foreigner". With all your help, I was able to finish this program even if I had to work, homeschool my firstborn and breastfeed my baby. You all contributed in making this program easier.
I will carry with me my experiences from Walden and will remain hopeful that we will all get to bump into each other as we continue to work and serve children, their families and the early childhood field. God bless you all!
My family and I send our thanks!
 |
| My boys - Ynigo, 4 years old and Elian 5 months old |
Should you wish to contact me,
Elizabeth Anne King-Santos
Assistant Professor, Kalayaan College
Manila, Philippines
63917-7958891; 6329217475
elizabeth.santos@waldenu.edu; elizanne_ks@icloud.com
International Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community
United Nations Children's Fund or UNICEF appealed to me
greatly as aside from being able to the poorest of the poor countries all over
the world, they aim to help create a world wherein all rights of children are
respected and valued. UNICEF also has a
lot of focus areas and some of these focus areas are parallel to my passion
such as early childhood education and basic education. I would very much like to be a part of this
organization because they have the capability to influence policy makers and
the government which I believe is very important in trying to reach the goals
and vision we have for our children. One
job I found interesting in this organization is Education Specialist who is responsible for "facilitating and influencing the
government’s policy, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, for
assigned education programme/s or specific projects" (UNICEF, n.d.) in a particular developing
country. To be successful in this career
I would not only need to have technical knowledge in education and program
evaluation, I would need to have core values such as value for diversity,
inclusion, integrity and commitment.
This is because I will be surely working with a very diverse group and
will need to be able to communicate and relate with them. Also, I will most probably encounter
difficulties and would then need my sense of commitment to continue pushing me
through.
Another organization that I admire
is the Unite Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. I have always been in awe of the work they
have done and the articles I have read as I was growing as a teacher. UNESCO aims to bring people all over the
world together by focusing on commonly shared values. They strive for eradication of poverty,
sustainable development, and more specifically shares a similar passion with
me- education for all. If I were to work
in this organization, I would like to be part of the education department and
be an education programme coordinator and present and train other according to
the UNESCO positions and research determined best practices. To be considered for this post, I would
certainly need to have experience related to education but in a national and
international level. This prior work
experience will help me prepare better for this position as it will provide me
with the necessary training and skills development. Also, I need be very organized, have great
communication and presentation skills, as well as knowledgeable in resource
mobilization.
The final organization that speaks to me is Save the Children
as it aims to create a positive change in the lives of children all over the
world. What attracted me the most with
this organization is the fact that they not only give help but also provide
ways in which to help families and children help themselves. They empower.
If I were to join this organization I would love to be the coordinator
for their Early Steps to School Success (ESSS).
This is because ESSS provides education and training for pregnant women
and children 0-5 years old which is similar to the work I have done with
another organization here in my country.
This program values the role of parents and families in the success of
their children in school and helps train them to provide for stimulation for
their own children at home. To be
effective in this post, I would have to have skills in leading parent groups,
be able to relate with them well and have excellent communication and
collaboration skills. I also need to
have knowledge on pregnancy and infant care.
Most, importantly I need to be able to have the skill set to create
curricula for parent education and infant and child development.
References:
Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level
Aside from the two organizations I wrote about in my previous post, I would love to work in the following agencies in my country:
a. Council for the Welfare of Children - as division head of the policy and planning division. This is because I believe that children's welfare can only be truly addressed if there are appropriate policies that will uplift their lives. This agency helps in creating legislative action as well as providing resources about children's laws, policies and develops programs for children and those who work with and for them. However, this position is not available at the moment, I would also need to build up on my knowledge on policies and laws about and for children. I would also need to have leadership skills, excellent communication skills and need to be able to collaborate with various agencies and individuals. I will also need to be very organized and focused is I want to have a position such as this.
b. Commission on Higher Education - I would very much like to be included under the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) Division because this is the division that is in charge of assessing and giving accreditation to tertiary level education programs. That being said, I would like to be part of the group that assess early childhood education programs specifically because I want to see the quality of teacher preparation our future teachers are being provided and hopefully create a small change as to ensuring that only those that have quality programs become accredited.
c. Department of Education - I would like to be an assessor for the National Competency Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) and assess teachers. However, this NCBTS was only developed for assessing elementary and secondary teachers. Thus, I would like to eventually create/develop one for use for preschool teachers in our country.
References:
Commission on Higher Education (2010). http://www.ched.gov.ph
Council for the Welfare of Children. (2011). http://www.cwc.gov.ph/
Department of Education. http://www.deped.gov.ph
Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
Among
the organizations and communities of practices available here in the
Philippines, I was attracted most to the following:
1.
Compassion International, Philippines - this is because this
organization aims to help children who are living in poverty overcome
their circumstances through provision of holistic programs that
entail the collaboration of the churches, the families, the community
and the country. In the past three decades, this organization has
created over 300 child development centers all over the country
servicing over 50,000 children and families (Compassion
International, 2013).
2.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) - I chose this organization because it
envisions a poverty free Asia. It aims to uplift the lives of people
in my country and the entire Asia. It seeks to address all the
challenges Asian face (poverty, illiteracy, illnesses, safety,
shelter, environmental sustainability, etc) (ADB, 2013).
3.
Early Childhood Care and Development Council, Philippines - this
council aims to lead programs for optimum growth of children 0-6
years old in our country. The lobby for funding, train teachers and
provide standards for ECCD program quality (ECCD Council, n.d.).
All
three (3) organizations I chose not only deals directly with children
but also includes teacher training, preparation and development in
their programs which is a great interest area for me.
As I
browsed through their websites, I was intrigued by some career
opportunities that are currently available. The first job opportunity
is from Compassion International Philippines and they are currently
looking for a Child Survival Program Specialist
(http://ph.jobsdb.com/PH/EN/Search/JobAdSingleDetail?jobsIdList=500003001572538&sr=1).
I am interested in this job opening because it entails designing,
evaluating and implementing early childhood programs (specifically
for children 0-3 years old) in rural and urban poor areas of the
country and the CSP specialist will also support, coach and train the
program implementers (teachers) in the different child development
centers. Another job opportunity that caught my eye is project
manager for a program of ADB called Early Childhood Education for
Rural, Nomadic and Migrant Children (if they have a program for this
in the country). According to their site, this program aims to access
to ece programs, mobilize communities and train and develop teachers,
parents and caregivers (http://www.adb.org/projects/42222-012/main).
For
the CSP Specialist position, I would need to have efficient
communication and collaborative skills as well as maternal and child
care experience. I also need to be equipped with technical writing
skills.
For
the Project manager position at ADB, I need to have research
development skills along with communication and collaborative skills.
I also need to be able to create linkages as this would entail
mobilizing communities, legislation and curriculum development.
Both
job opportunities require that I be able to train adults in
the early childhood field which is related to the challenge I want to
focus on.
References:
welcome to our final course!
Hi, everyone and Dr. Teri!
I am so excited to be on the last course for our degree! I am looking forward to learning with and from all of you!
God bless,
Elizabeth
Goodbye... for now
I would like to thank all of my classmates and professor! I had a great experience growing with you and learning with and from you all. I am just quite sad that I will not be able to join you next term as I was advised by my academic adviser to take a leave since I am going to give birth on the first or second week of October. I will surely miss having you as classmates but I am still looking forward to hopefully crossing paths with all of you again.
Again, thank you for all your help, advice, suggestions and sharing. God bless you all!
