Closing Time

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

Deep Breath. I cannot believe this is over. It is very strange. I wanted so bad to talk to you all – but I woke up Monday with a bad cold so I voted against a video.

The past year has been intense. Lots of ups and downs and yet I have stuck with the program and I am earning a master’s degree. It is funny to be to have a master’s degree as I do not in any way feel I am a master. I know there is always more to learn and I will always be growing. To be a master sounds very final. 

Because of this program I have learned APA format. I know that sounds silly but when I was in college it was not enforced. I didn’t learn it in high school. So I struggled with APA writing but now I feel like a have a grasp on it. As with learning any new skill – it gives me a confidence boost.  

This program has solidified my belief in not judging others. I was once the queen of judgment. But as I began working, I learned that judging others is a waste of my own energy, it hurts people and it offers no solution to problems – usually it creates more.  As I learned more in school, I would be bolstered by the readings and I would (as politely as I could) ask my colleagues at work to think about their own judging. Sometimes it went fine other times it didn’t. I am glad that I can make myself look at things from different perspectives. 

Another thing I learned from being in this program is that there are a whole lot of people interested in the same things I am. This was huge for me. In my life it has been hard to find people who cared like I cared and were concerned about issues without being apathetic. I loved learning there are other people who think like me and care about what I care about. Discussion boards with classmates, research articles, professional networks…there is an entire group of people who are involved with early childhood. It’s awesome.

I don’t know if I have a concrete long term goal. Hmmm…. My dream is to be able to have a self sustaining life. So I guess my long term goal is make enough money to live, eat, and support myself on my own WHILE remaining in the field of early childhood.  I would like to see teachers in early childhood education embrace education. My experience has taught me that people do not like learning. But it is so important. I hate it when people are all jaded and act like they know everything and cannot learn. Maybe as an adult educator I can get people jazzed about education.

I am a bit sad about completing this program. It means I have to begin a new life. I don’t like that. It scares me. I will miss talking to people on the discussion boards. I will miss the readings. I liked learning new things each week. I have felt so supported throughout this whole program. I will miss that feeling. I am so glad I have gotten to have this experience. I am glad I have gotten to know each of you and your interests. I hope we all succeed in what we want in life. I’m on Facebook if you want to keep in touch.  

Farewell.

*Closing Time is song by Semi Sonic from the late 90’s*

6990 week 6 global search

This week we are to search for international jobs we could apply for. I laugh at this a little because I don’t want to move to the next county let alone across the world. But if that’s where the jobs are, and I do want a job I guess I’ll have to suck it up, right?

First stop UNICEF. I have heard about UNICEF since I was a little girl. I know they do good work that is meaningful to all people. I looked around their employment website only to learn that I am not qualified to work for them.   For example Education Specialist Sierra Leone needs to have rights knowledge and years of experience. I hate it when jobs require years of experience. How do we get experience? The jobs that don’t require it usually don’t have anything to do with the field I want to enter so I could be working for ten years yet still have no experience. Whatever I have issues.  I move on from UNICEF.

Next stop Save the Children. For whatever reason, Save the Children is less intimidating than UNICEF. I think that must be in my head because both are big deal organizations doing amazing work for the children of the world.  I actually found one or two postings here I could do. I could be an early childhood coordinator as I meet the requirements. Yet I saw no mention of education the way UNICEF did….and we all know how I feel about education [winky face]. However I lose the job at the “must be from the community” part. If only this position was available in my own community – I would rock this job like nobody’s business. 

You know what would be awesome? If I could create a job for myself. I would go to different places and ask to be their adult/early childhood liaison (or something that sound equally fancy). I want to be a person who works with adults explaining why various aspects of early childhood are important.  I want to be the person who designed the Word on Walls at the Children’s Museum. I want a job where I can combine all my interests. Is there a job where I can get jazzed about books without having to get more schooling? I don’t know what will happen. Life kinda sucks in that aspect. I am not good with the not knowing. 

Next stop UNESCO. Not so much. I am not a member of a donor country. I don’t speak any other languages. I am under thirty two with an advanced university degree.  So I meet the more general requirements of working in their young professionals program but not the important ones.  Since they are asking so much of young people I figure the professional positions are only harder to qualify for so I move on.  

I tried a few of the other pages but they were shut down or I was redirected.

Next I try good old Google.  Overwhelming mistake. I do not suggest you google.

So I continue on, getting more and more discouraged as I go. Frankly I miss college where an advisor hooks you up with a list of agencies that you could be suited for – taking the hard stressful part away. Alas there is no such thing as an after college life advisor. 

Well I’ve decided to give up. Chances are I will not be an international worker. I watched Sing Your Song recently – a documentary about the life of Harry Belafonte. He has dedicated his life to social activism both in the United States and countries in Africa. As I watched I thought to myself, I do not have the strength for that kind of work.  I want a small life here in Virginia.  I shrug my shoulders. Who knows?