I feel like the Little Engine That Could. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can…
ok, I thought I could. I am
frustrated. I have reached out to
numerous individuals mentioned from the suggested web pages, as well as various
suggestions from NAEYC. Several e-mails
have been returned as undeliverable, most have not been responded to (perhaps I
ended up in their Spam), and one great prospect from China was just too
involved right now. I feel rejected and
unloved! No, not really, but when I go
to NAEYC this year, I will certainly look for avenues of communication. If I would have known about this one week
earlier, I could have formed global contacts from the National Head Start
Conference. In addition, I actually
located direct phone numbers of various preschools throughout the world. My best prospect was from Australia, and
although she was not willing to make the commitment, she was a wealth of
information; I enjoyed learning from her, and I believe we will hook-up at
NAEYC in Georgia this year. So, here I
sit, prepared to tackle option 2, although still checking for emails.
However, looking for the good in a challenging situation, the World Forum webpage has made me aware of how narrow-minded my research has been. I have been extremely limited to the United States, without realizing how much information could be found by searching the world of early childhood… and by world, I mean world. In a few short days, my mind has been awakened to thoughts, challenges, and ideas due to researching outside of my comfort zone. So, if needed, this will be a good alternative.
The organization that I chose to research is the National
Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators; I chose it because I was
unaware of its existence; it seemed to be calling my name. The name of the organization described a
group that I wanted to learn more about; after all, although I am not in my own
classroom, I still proudly consider myself an early childhood teacher. The purpose of the organization is to discuss
early childhood education and advocate for teacher education. It seems to be a venue where networking is
encouraged amongst early childhood teachers and research shared. The organization sponsors various conferences
(again, I was totally unaware of their conferences) in addition to sharing
information on various national and international organizations, all involved,
obviously, with young children. This
seems to be a venue that will enhance my growth as an educator and an advocate
for children. I look forward to getting
more involved.
SO… although my engine didn’t quite make it up the hill that I initially expected, I have already learned a lot with my detour. In reality, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…
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Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your posts, and I like this one too. I tried the same thing to contact several people, but I have not heard of anything from them yet. I hope we will have some good luck in the following days. I liked the picture that you chose to attach in your post. That is the sentence I often say to myself too, especially when I am struggling with something or very depressed.
Thank you for your post:)
Your optimism has inspired me to continue to reach out to professionals, even though I am looking at doing the alternative because I have had no success yet. I do think that even if I don't establish contact til week 7 of the course, I will still take part in conversation, as learning needs to take place beyond this course (that's the point of continuing one's education, right?) So thank you for your encouraging attitude!
ReplyDeleteAnd even though you do not currently have a classroom, you still teach through the work you currently do, and so still touch the hearts of young children! My aunt, who is a preschool teacher, says that if you spend a whole week at a conference, it is always worth it even if you only learn one thing that will affect just one child, because that one child is worth it.
Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I am inspired by how persistent you have been and your optimism even though your contacts aren't working out as planned. I look forward to reading more of your blogs and learning about the organization you choose since I am not familiar with it either!
Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post very much. It showed people how optimistic you are and how hard you tried on things. I wish you luck in contacting the professionals and would come back to learn more about the organization you chose to learn.
Lufei