Final Post (Week 8)

During the time that I have spent within this particular class, I have learned quite a few things, but the thing that I have learned that meant the most to me on a professional and on a personal level is becoming an advocate for children and families who are less fortunate. I have always wanted to do it, yet fear stopped me dead in my tracks. Doing the capstone project allowed me a chance to actually think about a plan of action and determine what typek of people I would use in my efforts to provide for these families. This is something that I am passionate about because I was once a child such as this. I grew up poor and my family and I received public assistance. Had it not been for the public assistance, I don't believe that we would have been able to make ends meet. I would like send a big thank you to Dr. Shephard for always being there for her students and I would like to thank all my classmates for responding to me and providing information that helped to contribute to my professional growth.

Week 6 Blog

The three international jobs that I would like to have or have considered doing in the future are as follows: teaching English in a foreign country, providing medicare as a nurse and I would also like to be able to be able to be a peace corp worker. The reason that I would like to complete these jobs because these jobs put you in a position to help people, they can all be found overseas in exotic places which puts you in a different environment, and these jobs also excite me because they are jobs that I have been afraid to try for a long period of time. The skills that I would need to implement these jobs would be to know a different language because I would be in a strange environment. Another skill that I would need to possess are interpersonal skills which would require me to be a people person. Communication skills would carry me a long way as well.

Week 4 Blog (Course EDU-6990)

One of the organizations that I chose was HUD. I am interested in this program because it makes living that American dream and owning a home while living in poverty a reality for families. Not only that, they pay rent and security deposits for those families that qualify. Another organization that has piqued my interest would be the free health clinics. In every state, families have access to these free clinics because very few families living in poverty can afford the cost of health care. It is important that they are able to afford health care due to illnesses that may occur that could be life threatening. Last but not least, the TANF program is a federally funded program that seeks to help families in poor communities. It has been instrumental in providing assistance to those who really need it. Currently, there are two jobs that I would like to have and those two jobs are mental health counselor or a school counsselor. I chose these two jobs because poverty can cause a child or the parents to be affected mentally and emotionally. It can't be easy going through life knowing that you can't feed your children. Furthermore, it can't be easy for a child to be sitting at school knowing that he/she won't eat when making it home. Poverty leaves an emotional scarring as well. Children at school are tease because they are poor. I would love to be in a position to help the children and the families involved. The skills that I would need is of course, be certified and more than anything, be empathetic and sympathetic. You must also be a good listener and a great communicator.

Week 2 Blog for (Course: EDU 6990-6)

The three organizations that appeal to me would be the Red Cross, the Literary Council, and Habitat for Humanities. I chose each of the three organizations for the same reasons and those reasons are that they seek to help those in need within the community. These organizations have been around for a while, yet many people aren't familiar with them because there are just actually people out there who haven't given/donated to these types of places. The job opportunities that I am interested in would be a social work, a case manager, and a sociologist. The skills that I would need in order to be competent at these jobs would be the fact that I would have to be a people person, be willing to go make myself visible within the community, be a good communicator and be proactive when it comes to providing assistance to those involved. The three jobs that I have listed doesn't seem to be ones that make a lot of money in my area, but money isn't my driving force--I honestly love working with children and families. These are three jobs that will fulfill that interest.

Week 8 Blog

This course has made me reflect a lot about my plans for the future and on those that I hope to come in contact with. For the most part, I hope to become someone who is more collaborative in my efforts to serve the families of "all" students regardless of their color or background. I hope to somehow include the parents in daily activities that involve the child so that the parent, teacher and student can interact on a one-on-one level. Not only that, but I am grateful that I got a chance to work with a group of students/professionals who were able to share insight into the discussions and the blogs. I appreciate you all and I hope to work with you again.

Week 7 Blog

After visiting the unicef page, I decided to bring my focus to Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a country that is war torn and education hasn't been a main concern for some of the people there. At one point, girls were expected to get an education and many of them are required to adhere to a group of rigid rules and laws passed down by the parents through the government. Because of this, there really isn't much for the female population to look forward to. Unicef has made advancements to help in the area of education as shown in the following: "Programmes provide women between the ages of 15-24 with basic reading, writing and numeracy skills, as well as vital information on health, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation that can benefit their wellbeing and that of their children and families. With one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, particularly among women, many people in Afghanistan lack access to critical information. Literacy courses empower women to actively participate in the social sphere, providing opportunities for them to gather together, share experiences and build self-confidence and esteem. This year, 72,500 women are acquiring literacy skills at 2900 literacy centres in 34 Provinces." I am sure that emotionally the children will be scarred, if nothing is done to insure that they have a chance in society, and they may also go through some sore of identity crisis, but unicef and other organizations are working to counteract the problem of education. Personally, my heart goes out to these families and to the female population because I can't even fathom what they are going through. I empathize with them in their time of need. Professionally, I sometimes wonder, if I am prepared to teach a child from such a diverse country. Not only that, as a professional, I know that I would make every necessary attempt to make the child comfortable. The website opened my mind to things and allowed me to see from a different perspective--the child's perspective.

Week 6 Blog Activity

My reaction to the article that deals sexualization of early childhood didn't surprise or shock me based on the fact that sex is everywhere you look. The television and magazine ads are filled with pictures of young girls and teens wearing provocative clothes which leave nothing to the imagination. It has me to the point where I began to question the intent of the ads. I have had more of a professional experience with sexualization, rather than a personal one because I grew up in a home where the adults made the rules and the children followed them. The adults made the decision as to what we wore and how we wore it; the children didn't make money to buy clothes; therefore, they didn't have a say-so in the process of buying clothes. Professionally, I see girls on a regular basis who choose to wear provocative clothing and frequently hang out in places where they have already been established as adult places. Not only are they dressing like adults, they are hanging out with people who are almost twice their age. These children are growing up too fast and this could be dangerous to them physically and emotionally. For the most part, a pedophile or a sex offender could take advantage of them and the long term effect of this could be that the child doesn't trust adults or it could leave them blaming themselves whereas they never get over this idea that someone has taken advantage of them. As educators, I believe that we ought to form an alliance with the parents so that we may help them talk openly with the children. I think that we should keep parents inform on what the children are doing at school. We could also make sure that we are not guilty of showing provocative images or allowing our children to have access to particular magazines and books.