Three Deeply Felt Learnings & Farewell

 

During the course of this program I learned many things, from academics to who I am, now.  Below, I am listing just a few of them:

1. I learned that dreams become reality. Completing my MS in Early Childhood Education, administration and leadership, has been a dream of mine for a very long time. I am, in awe, writing my last assignment…my dream is almost accomplished!!   The moment I see the diploma on my hands, I will know that it is, in fact, a reality.  Then, I will start working on my next dream, to obtain a PhD.

2. I learned that social justice movements are children of the time where they are born. Yes, in a similar way that children have their parents genetic make up, social justice movements have the characteristic of their era. For example, my personal challenge of including equity into equality could not have been born in a better time, the beginning of the 21st Century, where inclusivity and recognition of the riches of diversity is the new language spoken by the new generations. The time is ripe for obtaining Educational equality with equity for all within this century.

 

1. I learned that there is power in numbers. That a group of people getting together as in a COP to accomplish a common goal, can and will achieve the change they are working for.  The reason for that is that within this rich mix of diversity, each person or organization brings his, her or its own resources, passion, knowledge, and energy toward accomplishing that worthwhile goal. For example, if that  same goal is  improving young children equal access to a high level education with equity for all… they will be unstoppable. Why? because the unique input and resources, that each of these individual give, and as it is put together along with that of the others, it will naturally become in a gigantic tsunami of resources, with a wealth of information and energy that would destroy all obstacles of injustice in its way until landing in the beach of true and equal access to high level education for all with real equity for all.

 

 

3.   I also learned that being authentic is the only way of really living this life. The only way to becoming myself and a true, authentic leader. One that lives and demonstrates what ones soul’s values are. The same values that ones followers have and that together we will fight for and will lose and lose and lose … until we win.

My long term goal:  become an author on this topic of equality withequity.

My farewell:

Dear Dr Ernst, I have no words to express my gratitude to you. When I needed help, the one that others did not give or were not able to, you did provide it to me and saved me in more ways than you can ever know. You are one of those few professors in my life whose teachings – in both academics and as a human being-  would stay with my forever.

Dear classmates, Do you realize that you and I are a different person today? Brain elasticity had done its work in me as well as in you. Now, we have a knowledge (and new brain cells ) that we did not have before we started this Graduate program. It is my wish that this wonderful learning,  that is transforming our whole beings, doesn’t end today. I know it will not for me. My PhD is in the horizon as it is for some of you as I read in some of your blogs. It was a real pleasure to go through this particular positive transformation with you. Please stay in touch.

 

Thanks again and stay in touch, please,

Until then..

Adela Mearig

adela@hawaii.edu

Adela Muller Mearig: Facebook

 

 

Jobs at International Organizations

Save The Children:

Specialist, Early Steps to School Success Program–Washington State .

The Specialist, Early Childhood, is  at Save the Children will  help in implementing the Early Steps to School Success Program. This program is a prenatal to five years old program that gives education and supports families by visiting families at their homes. The specialist will provide  leadership for Early Steps staff. In addition to that, the specialist will oversee the implementation, monitoring  and evaluation of partner sites.

For this position, I need to have a bachelor or experience in the early childhood education and speak Spanish. This position is remote, so a willingness and ability to travel 50%, regularly, in and out of state is required. I am almost a gipsy, I always traveling, so this won’t be a problem for me.

Why I would like to work there?…

Because Save the Children provides our little one with an opportunity to learn and  with protection from harm. Those are two of the most important things an early childhood educator does.

UNICEF:

Early Childhood Development Manager,  Temporary assignment

This position includes responsibility for the provision of effective provision of timely and effective advocacy and support to national partners for the planning, design and implementation & monitoring of Early Childhood Development policies advocating for the right of the younger children.

Participate in UNICEF discussions and planning on early childhood development to ensure organizational position, interests and priorities on early childhood development are fully considered and integrated development planning and agenda setting process.

Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches and good practices for Early Childhood Development, keep abreast, research, and introduce and implement best and cutting edge practices on ECD. Institutionalize and disseminate best practices and knowledge.

Contributes to the achievement of UNICEF goals for care and protection of children from the early stages of their life and promotes/protects their rights to survival, development and well being in society. Achievements in programmes and projects in turn contributes to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for mothers/caregivers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

To qualify for this position, I would need…

A Masters degree in Education, which soon I will obtain, plus competencies in communications, experience working with people and eagerness to obtain results.

Why I want to work here?…

 

Because UNICEF work is present in almost 200 countries and territories in some of the world’s toughest places, in order to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives, defend their rights and to help them fulfill their potential and this way to build a better future world.

 

 

Choosing COP and Jobs/Roles

Three national/Federal organization that appealed to me are as follows:

1. NAEYEC. I chose this organization  because they have a strong position on educational equality, placing us, educators, as vital participants on this worthwhile goal. Their position statement on advancing equity on early childhood education reads

“All children have the right to equitable learning opportunities that help them achieve their full potential as engaged learners and valued members of society. Thus, all early childhood educators have a professional obligation to advance equity. They can do this best when they are effectively supported by the early learning settings in which they work and when they and their wider communities embrace diversity and full inclusion as strengths, uphold fundamental principles of fairness and justice, and work to eliminate structural inequities that limit equitable learning opportunities” (NAEYC, n.d.)

2.  I also chose the U.S. Mission to the Organization For Economic Cooperation &        Development.

I chose this organization because the Secretary of the OECD published a report on the importance of reaching Equity and Quality Education for all. The secretary, in a coherent and comprehensive manner stated the need for all nations to work for equity and quality in education.  He or she also, lucidly articulates the disastrous social economic domino-effects that the lack of equity and equality in education has at an individual and collective effect in people and countries as a whole, recommending actions that at the end would be profitable to all stakeholders involved by increasing poor people chances for jobs while decreasing expenses in social welfare and prisons resulting in a richer countries. This eloquent report and initial statement states in part that:

“The highest performing education systems…combine equity with quality. They give all children opportunities for a good quality education. This report presents policy recommendations… to help all children succeed in their schooling.  It also provides evidence on how to support disadvantaged students and schools,…

School failure penalizes a child for life.. {he or she} has fewer life prospects. Educational failure also imposes high costs on society.. damages social cohesion and mobility,.. calls for additional costs on public budgets to deal with the consequences..and creates greater criminality, among others. For all these reasons, improving equity in education… should be a high priority in all OECD education policy agendas.

… This means that investing in high quality schooling and equal opportunities for all from the early years to at least the end of upper secondary is the most profitable educational policy. Students who have enriching school experiences will be more likely to stay in education and successfully transfer to the labour market. Those who struggle at early stages but receive adequate, timely support and guidance have higher probabilities of finishing, despite any difficulties in their family or social background.

… Yet, while most education ministries highlight the reduction of school failure as a priority, OECD countries show little consistency in their policies and practices to support low performing disadvantaged schools and students. Challenges remain as to what types of policies and practices work best, and how to implement them” (OECD 2012),

3. The Civil Rights Project at UCLA.

I chose this project because educational equity is also a civil right. Te CRP mission is to help restart the civil rights movement by serving as a bridge between research and action, by providing data for that movement  and to help with raising awareness of the obstacles that need to be understood and overcome in order to succesfully achieve  equity for all, (including educational equality). Their mission states:

 “…create a new generation of research in social science and law on the critical issues of civil rights and equal opportunity for racial and ethnic groups in the United States..We believe that either the country will learn to deal effectively with the richness of its astonishing diversity or it will lose pace in a globalizing world and decline and divide…”

It has produce over 400 studies, published over 15 books and countless reports from researchers around the country, (The Civil Rights Project, n.d.).

Jobs or Roles

A) Inspector/Assessor at NAEYC.

Skills Needed: “Experience in a setting serving children from birth through age 8;
Understanding of the NAEYC Accreditation process
Demonstrated observation skills, including ability to use observation tools;
Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills;
Demonstrated technological skills, including the ability to use tablets for data collection;
Basic administrative skills and professional communication utilizing technology.
It is expected that successful candidates will be objective, fair, and unbiased, adhere to conflict of interest procedures and;
Be able to communicate with program administrators in an appropriate, professional manner”

B) Events and Projects Co-ordinator, at the OECD

Main Responsibilities

“Meetings and official receptions, Prepare all logistical aspects of the meetings of the Council, the Executive Committee, the Heads of Delegation, the annual Ambassadors’ Seminar and informal briefings for Members. This includes liaising with the necessary support services on room/venue reservations, interpretation, recordings and coffee breaks, preparing table plans and name plates/country plates, co-ordinating the schedule of events, and ensuring the appropriate protocol-related preparations are in place.
Work closely with the office of the Secretary-General and in particular the Head of Protocol on supporting the logistical aspects of the Ministerial meeting of the Council (MCM) and the Global Strategy Group Meeting (GSG).
Ensure the availability of all documentation related to the meeting and distributing documents to participants, setting up equipment for presentations to be made in Council, making sure Secretariat staff presenting an item during the meeting are present in due time, establishing and managing the list of participants, etc.
Ensure the smooth functioning of official receptions, in particular by overseeing the booking of rooms, the determination of guest list by the hosts, the preparation of invitations, proposed table plans, place cards, menus, etc. Ensure that the necessary support and operational aspects are in place. Compile the relevant statistics related to the meetings on an annual basis’
C) Principal Investigator in a study on ‘Equity, Quality & in Education For All: As a Pre-requisite for Real Globalization”  Skills needed: For this job I need to become a researcher or a PhD Candidate with an interest in Equity and Quality  in an education for all as a important tool for real globalization. I am very interested on that.

References:

NAEYC (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/equity

OECD (2012), Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264130852-en.

The Civil Rights Project: Projecto derechos Civiles. Retrieve from https://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research

 

 

 

Adjourning = A job well Done & Moving Forward

At one point in my life I worked as flight attendant and soon and I was promoted to a lead position. I enjoyed this job very much and adjourning from this team was very hard for me. I think that the aspects of this group that made it hard for me to say good-bye were as follow: 

1. I led a great team that successfully represented the airline by modeling great  customer service
2. My team work well together and contributed to the increased of the airline’s profits.
3. Because my leadership skills , I gained the respect of my collages and management.
4. I was traveling a lot and I enjoyed that very much.
5. There was always a perfect distribution and coordination of tasks in the airplane’s cabin while working and everybody respected and valued the others positions and tasks.

Life brought change for me and one day I got married and I got pregnant. As a result, one day I could not fly anymore. Resisting saying good-bye by thinking that I would be back after having my baby, I did not have any closing rituals.

However, soon after my baby was born, I realized that I could not keep flying. My baby was before anything else in my life. He needed me, more than I needed my job and I did love him more than I loved my job. So, I left for good but for a really good reason: my baby son. I missed my job very much for a very long time, but the love for my son helped me to overcome that hard good-bye to my flying team and career.

On another note, I imagine that adjourning from my group of colleagues that I have formed while working on my master’s degree, would be not as hard because it would represent the culmination of a goal that I have set up for myself  to accomplish and I know that my colleagues have the same goal as well. A goal that with our adjourning would confirm that we have successfully accomplished it.

That is how I imagine I would adjourn from my colleagues in this Master’s program.

Adjourning is a necessary stage for any good team because it means that the job we were set up to do, it is finally done: the goal has been accomplished and it is time to move on with another goal or project.

That means that we are accomplishing things, advancing in life and moving forward.  And that is a very good thing.

 

Compassion: The way to Managing and Resolving Conflict.

MANAGE with compassion. That is my choice of words for now. Resolving the conflict is coming up in the near future.  I believe that it is possible to always resolve conflict in a way that  is satisfying for all parties involved.

I truly do. 

By following the two strategies below, I believe a compassionate resolution that satisfies both parties would be present by itself sooner or later.

1. Follow the NVC steps to a t.

• Observe without judgment the situation, put into words, stated feeling in an I” statement” follow with what is wanted, honestly and calmly.
• Starting today

2. Involve the power of  third party ASAP.

• An expert in the issue, somebody that has the deep knowledge and very long experience in dealing with this type of situation.  Stay focus on those two strategies. Do not Rush anything. Commit to that and compassion would present itself from both parties and a good resolution would come out at the end.
• It will.
• Period.
• Do it.

People Oriented: Similarities and Differences in my communication’s Scores.

The similarities and differences between how I evaluated myself and how two other people did were minimum.  

1. Surprisingly the three of us evaluated my communication style with the same score as ‘moderate’ in the verbal aggressiveness inventory. Fortunately, the meaning of that is that I am able to assert myself and my points of view while at the same time respecting the other person’s character and her or his viewpoints. I do that by concentrating on the facts about the issues instead of what is wrong with him or her. That was my favorite evaluation.
2. There was a slight difference between my last evaluator and the other two (my own and the other evaluator), in the communication anxiety inventory.  One of my evaluators and I gave me a better score than the last person that evaluated me. I evaluated myself as feeling confident in most communication situations, but, obviously, I am not. The last person’s evaluation scored in this inventory, defined me as  actually being stress out about several communication situations. I am glad that his score differs from mine because I think he is correct: In the last few years, I have not been totally comfortable in communicating in some situations and I am ready to work on that, particularly whens speaking in public.
3. What did not surprised me a lot is that on all the tree scores for the listening style profile my scores screamed that I am people-oriented. I really love that because I love people and I care a lot about them.  On the other hand, my extreme caring for others peoples emotions  and feeling is so strong that at times I naively give my total trust to people that doesn’t deserve it. Another area where I am working hard now to change for the better.

Each of those (above) insight I gained have effectively enlightened me in several ways. I realized that I need to become more confident in public speaking since in this field of Educators, one is always talking, and some times we need to do it in public.  The other insight is that I am in the right field since I am people-oriented and as a result I care a lot about the children’s wellbeing, feeling and emotions.

 

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?  I do communicate different from people. For example, yesterday,  I was on a informal conference call on the phone with people from my country and I found myself being more easygoing than with people from the USA with whom I talked on the phone a little bit latter. With the American people, I slow down, I made emphasis in the words and I listened carefully in an effort to be clear myself and fully understand what the other person was saying.
• If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?  I was much more at easy and even laughing with people from my culture and much more appropriate and serious with the American people. However, by being too easy going, I was not listening carefully in the first instance.

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

I definitely must:

1. LISTEN. Listen carefully as my first strategy. In the Spanish conversation I had yesterday, I quickly jumped to answered a question which I did not heard very well in the first place and of course I gave the wrong answer! It was an easy question to answer, had I listened to it carefully….Sight!!! Good thing it was an informal conversation and we all just laughed very hard. However, after that I realized that I was thinking about what to answer instead of listening carefully.
2. SLOW DOWN. So, my second strategy is going a be to slow down and use pauses. In this way I would give myself time to listen, reflect and THINK! 
3. PARAPHRASE. Finally, I need to paraphrase what the other person is saying in order to be sure that I am hearing correctly and give an opportunity to the other person to correct if he or she deems that necessary.

 

Non-verbal Communication:Almost there…almost there…but not completely.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzDInySiHDg
• What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? Originally I thought they were there to talk about some problems in the town they were living. A problem they were gathering together to resolve immediately. The relationships between them seem to be one of power by those on the pulpits over those seating in the pews.
• What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing? Intense feelings of anger are observed among the people seating on the pews. A different feeling is observed by the people standing on the pulpits, they are more calm, like trying to keep the order. Then, a beautiful lady enters the church walking with assurance of who she was, stands in the pulpit and talks with energy at the beginning, ending with a face of seemengly feeling empathy towards the town people seating on the pews. Which themselves seem calmer at hearing her and seeing her face of empathy toward them.

Then, I watched the show with the sound turned on.

• What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed? I assumed that the town people were trying to judge and kill somebody and that the.beautiful lady came in her or his defense and that somehow they were convinced by her speech and that after hearing her there will not be any judge and killing.
• In fact, I was half correct. The town was trying to solve what they saw as a problem with the new owner of the land, which was the woman that entered the church and started talking. She was not accepting children working the land as the town people wanted, because the lady believe in sending them to school, to better their own lives. She convinced them that it was the best thing to do, to send the children to school instead of working the land along the parents. They hear her about that and also she apologized for any humiliation she may have done to them before. Which make it easier for the town people to accept her rule of no children working the land but going to school every day.
• Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?  Yes, I am sure. I would have had more information about the situation and the meeting.

Write about your experience in your blog, including what you learned about communication from this experience and insights or “aha” moments you believe would be helpful to your colleagues.

 

My “AHA” moment is that non-verbal communication is pretty much accurate. That maybe we need to ask a couple of questions to corroborate what we are assuming as accurate information acquired by the non-verbal in any situation.

The proof is this experience I had with this assignment.  Without the sound, I was able to inferred that the people gathered there at church, were there to try solving a problematic situation affecting them all. However I was not able to inferred what the problem or who the person was, that was problematic to the people, until I heard the people talking themselves. This help me to realize that I may have some good idea by observing peoples behavior but I can not be sure that I know what is going on 100%. I need more information, maybe just a little bit more but I need more information.

Indeed, non-verbal communication says a lot. Maybe not everything, but a lot. As this experience of mine  has prove to me. However, it is a good idea to gather more information, as the sound in this video, was able to give me to then, have the whole facts correct.

A Communicator I admire: Sor Juana Inez

What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective?

Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz was the first intellectual and  first feminist in Mexico, my country of origin. She was always hungry for knowledge but was denied an education by her father. The one and only option for her was to marry and have many kids. She became a nun in order to stay single and study as much as she could in the convent’s library. She became an intellectual and a feminist while in the convent, writing poems of protest against the treatment of women by men. The authorities of the time became enraged but she answered in an articulated manner to all of the criticisms, with no fear at all.

Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

Yes, I do. I want to model the way she fearlessly wrote and rebel against injustice done to women. Her strength of character seeing in her clear, direct writing  left a legacy of  rebellion against abuse  for us all to follow.

Why? Because by standing on the shoulders of fearless giants of the past like Sor. Juana Inez de la Cruz, one can continue with their valuable work and keep them alive in spirit among us while making the life of women better in the present time.  

In fact, I used to recite poems as a child participating in reciting contest and I won several time the first place. And one of my favorites is from her. Here it is:

You Foolish Men

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 1651 – 1695

You foolish men who lay
the guilt on women,
not seeing you’re the cause
of the very thing you blame;

if you invite their disdain
with measureless desire
why wish they well behave
if you incite to ill.

You fight their stubbornness,
then, weightily,
you say it was their lightness
when it was your guile.

In all your crazy shows
you act just like a child
who plays the bogeyman
of which he’s then afraid.

With foolish arrogance
you hope to find a Thais
in her you court, but a Lucretia
when you’ve possessed her.

What kind of mind is odder
than his who mists
a mirror and then complains
that it’s not clear.

Their favour and disdain
you hold in equal state,
if they mistreat, you complain,
you mock if they treat you well.

No woman wins esteem of you:
the most modest is ungrateful
if she refuses to admit you; 
yet if she does, she’s loose.

You always are so foolish 
your censure is unfair;
one you blame for cruelty
the other for being easy.

What must be her temper
who offends when she’s
ungrateful and wearies
when compliant?

But with the anger and the grief
that your pleasure tells
good luck to her who doesn’t love you
and you go on and complain.

Your lover’s moans give wings
to women’s liberty:
and having made them bad,
you want to find them good.

Who has embraced
the greater blame in passion?
She who, solicited, falls,
or he who, fallen, pleads?

Who is more to blame,
though either should do wrong?
She who sins for pay
or he who pays to sin?

Why be outraged at the guilt
that is of your own doing?
Have them as you make them
or make them what you will.

Leave off your wooing 
and then, with greater cause,
you can blame the passion
of her who comes to court?

Patent is your arrogance 
that fights with many weapons
since in promise and insistence
you join world, flesh and devil.

My hope, one goal and Thank you.

1•One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length):

My one hope is that the families and children I work with from diverse background feel respected and valuable when they deal with me.

2•One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

My one goal I have regarding the above is to become a good example of how to be fair and treating everybody equally. I hope my collages follow the example and the ball of equality would continue rolling until one day when we all will be treated equal and oppression would be a horrible thing of the past.

3•A brief note of thanks to your colleagues:

Dear colleagues, I am very thankful for all of you help and valuable insight you have provided me with. Without those insightful comments and responses I would not have had the opportunity to know a little bit about you and about myself as well.  Please don’t eve forget this class and the valuable lessons we have learned from it.

Let us apply all our energy and our lives toward ending the lives of those strong and cruel monsters of racism, prejudice and oppression. They deserve to die for once and for ever.

I am there. Are you with me? 

Sincerely,

Adela Mearig