Time Well Spent

It is hard to believe we are in the final days of this class and our Master’s program. When I decided to go back for my Master’s degree, I had just found out I was pregnant. Well, he is now 19 months, and I have achieved my goal. I plan to take the next few weeks just enjoying him and spending as much time as possible with him before I head back to the working world. Three areas that I really learned from during the program were community of practice, diversity, and the evolution of the capstone project. I have a better understanding of the community of practice and the potential power it holds for other educators and myself. I know going forward that I will want to join or create my own community of practice. Another area that I learned a greatly about was diversity. It is easy to say your program embraces diversity but as an administrator, you need to guarantee that the center respects the differences in culture, races, and disabilities. As educator, we need to embrace the uniqueness of every child and make them feel welcomed in the center and classroom. A final area that I learned from deeply was the evolution of our capstone projects. When I started my topic was very broad. As I began to narrow it down and identify my statement of intent and response as well as identify goals, I began to visualize a bigger picture for the project. By going through this process, I started to think about setting goals as an administrator and how using this process will help write better and more concise goals for my organization.

My long-term goal is to be an Early Head Start administrator. I have really learned a great deal about the program and want to make a difference for these families and their very young children. My biggest obstacle to this goal is where we are going to finally retire. My husband has at least two years left in the Air Force so we will see where that takes us.

As we finish our final days and posts, I want to say thank you to all of colleagues. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s blogs and discussion questions. I have learned from each of you and enjoyed hearing about your capstone projects. Each of us has incredible ideas to help strengthen the early childhood career field. I wish you all the best for your future and your goals. We have earned our degrees, and it is up to so to make a difference for young children.

Dr. Embree, I wish you a special “Thank you” for all of your support and encouragement throughout the course. Writing a capstone seemed so intimidating on day 1, but I enjoyed the process.

Best Wishes to all of you as you go forward and achieve your dreams.

Tanya

tmeridit@hotmail.com