Before beginning this class just reading
the title was overwhelming to me. I wondered if I would understand all the
different polices and systems. My current knowledge on government and politics
is not deep and I thought that might make my learning adventure in this course
difficult. I also wondered how much of a part would or do I have in developing
systems and new polices or revising ones that are already in place. At my
county level I have little to no involvement with systems and policymaking.
When I think about systems and policies I think about administrators and members
of the board of education, not the teachers. Though at many meetings I have
heard teachers say, “I wish we had an opinion, we are just peons in this whole
system.” I think and hope through this course I will learn that I do have an
opinion and I hope to gain knowledge on the systems and policies so that I can
play an active role in my county when implementing new polices and systems.
My three goals that would assist me in being
more effective in my professional role include:
1.)
Better understanding the types of early
childhood systems and what the differences are within the systems.
2.)
Learning how to contribute and play an
active role in creating new policies and systems at my county level.
3.)
Begin to understand the current policies
and systems that are in place in my county so that I may help and support
families more effectively.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteLike you my knowledge of policies, systems, and government is not deep so I had the same concerns in anticipating what this course would have in store for me. I believe that policies and systems should be created by a multidisciplinary team of administrators, teachers, political officials, and others who can contribute to creating policies and systems that can provide comprehensive high quality services for all children. Good luck in meeting your goals!
Toni,
DeleteThank you for your reply to my blog, it is good to know someone else felt the same way I did about their knowledge on policies and systems. I love the term you used "multidisciplinary team" to describe the people working together to form policies and systems!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWben I read the title for the course and the course texts, I thought that I was not prepared for this class nor did I feel that this class would benefit me. However, as I reflected on my teaching career, educational policies effect my day-to-day teaching, but it also effects my personal life such as voting decisions and places where I shop. Having a knowledge of educational policies will allow us to push our research through the proper channels in order to be agents of change.
Melissa,
DeleteYou are correct in order to be agents of change we must play a role in policy and system making. I too felt I wasn't prepared enough for this course based on my background knowledge, but I am already finding out I have enough knowledge to understand the information in this course and I know I am going to grow so much as a professional through taking this course.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI believe your goals are some goals that every educator should strive to maintain because all of them would most likely promote positive working relationships between teachers, students, and families. I too wondered about how well I would understand the different systems; the text by Kagan and Kauerz really breaks the contents down of the different systems and how they aid children. How do you feel about technology being integrated into early childhood educational systems?
Jessica Beal
I feel technology integration is necessary at the early childhood level because of the technology demands now on children through state testing. I also believe technology is an attention grabber for young students and they love to interact with it.
DeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteWhen I began this class, I worried that I would be the only one who felt nervous and overwhelmed. I am glad to know many of my classmates have the same apprehension. I also want to learn more about the policies in place and how I can improve my school setting. I had not considered all the policies in place that help my school and classroom run smoothly. I did have a small preview this summer at our EC summit at the new early childhood cabinet and how they plan to serve families more effectively. The conference helped me realize that early childhood may be getting the much needed recognition it deserves. I think if we all work together, we can learn through shared ideas and collaboration of successful strategies we each have in our settings.
Cynthia,
DeleteI couldn't agree more- collaboration among ECED colleagues is critical to implementing successful strategies in the classroom and also in playing a role in policy and system making. It sounds like your experience at the EC summit was a very informational and effective time.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWe all seem to have had the same apprehension about this course. As a school administrator I have only had the experience of policies and procedures that exist in my school. Thinking of creating policies even on the local level causes me to feel overwhelmed but I know this is an area where I need and want to step out of my comfort zone and influence more than just those children and families in my school.
I do not know what to say about your comment concerning not having ever been a part of policy making and the feelings your colleagues have of feeling left out or not having an opinion. Your comments sadden me a bit because I included my staff in part of creating the policy manual for the school and each year we review the manual at the orientation. It is my opinion that the teachers and support staff are the ones on the front line every single day and they are the ones who are asked to support and uphold the policies and procedures. The least I can do is have them be a vital part in creating the policies that will help our school function better. One of the most beneficial meetings I ever had with my teachers was when we took an entire day to go over the policy manual line by line and we discussed what worked and did not work. Some things stayed the same while others were reworded or totally deleted. It takes time but is well worth the effort. Of course, mine is a small school and every teacher participates in the policy discussions. In large school districts I can see where this would be more difficult. However, why not have teacher representatives? Teacher input has been priceless for me!
Darla
Darla,
DeleteI wish you were at my school!! We do have a teacher representative that goes once a month to a round table meeting at our board of education. At these monthly meetings policies are discusses and the teacher representative does get an opportunity to voice an opinion on behalf of our school. This just doesn't feel like enough. I love the idea of taking an professional development day and working with our principal on school polices. I think I will bring that idea up at my next SIT meeting!!
Sarah, your thoughts are very valid and shared by many who come into this field and begin to learn of how the overall systems and subsystems are created. I also have a lot to learn as we continue this course. I am looking forward to the information and research that I will conduct to support my understanding for policies and procedures and how politics is connected to the education system. Your goals will support me in getting to the basics of policies and a better understanding for this course. I look forward to learning as we continue.
ReplyDeleteJosette,
DeleteI am also looking forward to my research and work in this course leading me to a better understanding and more connections within my current education system. Thank you for your interest in my blog!
Hi Sarah, I felt as you did that I did not understand the policy systems and the little knowledge I did have was it enough for this class. I feel that as we venture alone in this class we will have a better understanding of our role and how we can contribute to policies in our community. We have to help each other in this class as a team in order to help the children and families in the community.
ReplyDeleteTalethia,
DeleteYou are correct, we must work together in our online community to learn and better understand the polices and systems information in order to take it back and work within our school communities.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI also need to understand the systems in early childhood. To be honest until I starting taking this class I never thought about the systems or how I could contribute to creating new policies. Creating new policies is a foreign language to me, but I know that I need to understand this world if I want to see changes in the early childhood field. I think professional development is one way to begin to create change in early childhood. In our state we have the STARS program and our universal prekindergarten teachers have to abide by these goals. Although I see some professional development for the prekindergarten teachers, I feel there needs to be a more effective way to support the teachers. For example, they go to one professional development workshop and then we hope they use what they learned in their classroom. I would like to create a professional development program that is continuous all year and not only provide the PD outside the classroom but within the classroom too! This way they can take what they have learned and use it in the classroom. This will allow us to provide guidance and support until they feel comfortable with the new strategies.
Tammy,
DeleteI love your idea of a continuous professional development program all year long. Too often we attend a one day workshop and try to come back and implement everything we learned as quickly as possible. It seems like we can always use more professional development and more time to implement it correctly and not rush through it.