If God created each one of us why do we spend so much time tearing each other apart yet we call ourselves Christians?

I saw an old church friend today who helped me with an oil change on my car. Of course he asked how I was doing and  about everyone at church.  I confessed that I frankly hadn't been doing well and have not been attending regularly for many reasons but one especially is because of judgement and criticism due to recent financial hardships and my choice to go through a painful divorce after 25 years of marriage.  I don't really know why I am sharing except that I truly feel compelled to write it down in a place where if others do want to get to know and understand me better then here I am.  I may offend some people and I am truly sorry but I want to show my authentic, real self instead of a superficial mask.

I told my friend that I have even been seeking counseling due to my severe depression that I have struggled with since childhood but I do wish I can feel comfortable at church to be real but the truth is I can't because someone will most likely go to the senior pastor and not even come to me because I may have offended them if I shared some things that "they feel" are not be appropriate Christian behaviors that I may have done in my past, currently doing or may do in the future. One thing of many considered inappropriate is the fact that I have a foul mouth and love a certain "f" word.  Oh my word, I work with children.  I should be lynched and burned on the cross.  Oh,  hey....wait a minute, Jesus already did that for me.  To be frank, I already know it when I am doing something wrong and I am a work in progress till the day I die.  God will teach me on his time to correct all the wrongs in my lifetime. Why the "F" word, you wonder? My favorite movie is Risky Business and Tom Cruise's character learns that sometimes you just have to say "What the f#%$."

I am learning that I don't want other people to fix me God created me and He controls my heart and soul.  I definitely want their prayers but most of all I just want them to love me and let me love them too.

Sincerely with all my love,

Kathy

The Freedom of Forgiving Yourself....

     I struggle with chronic depression and I have been riding on the "orphan mentality" train of thought probably since the day I was born and it is time I get off it and focus on more constructive things....
  Easier said than done I think. Then I remembered a time that I asked for God's forgiveness and more importantly, I allowed myself to forgive me as well because He is the one that says to "Love others as you would want others to love you."
     I remember it was the Fall of 1994, my dad died instantly at a young age of 57 from a massive heart attack that year in April and my husband and I was invited to a couple's convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, through our Church and I was thrilled that Jamey was willing to go with me.  That week-end provided me with a healing over the guilt and shame that I carried around from years earlier when I became sexually promiscuous and ended up having an abortion after my freshman year in college when I was 19.  That Saturday night, on the ride back home, I remember God telling me to share my story and forgiveness to the congregation on Sunday Morning.  I kept thinking, God, you know my past experiences from public speaking, I will either throw up or pass out.  For the record, if I have to do one or the other, I prefer passing out.  He would not let me sleep much that night because he kept showing me what to say.  I kept thinking people are not going to like what I have to say and God answered my thought, you are right, some people are not going to like it but it is not for them.  The ones that need to hear is why you must speak up.
     I remember getting up on that pulpit and looking at 350 faces and quoting the most famous bible verse because to be honest, it was the only one I could think of at the moment:  John 3:16; For God so loved the World that He Gave His Only Son so We All Can Have Eternal Life.  I shared that I had done some things in my past that I was not proud of that included a promiscuous lifestyle when I was in college.  I discovered that I was pregnant at the end of my Freshman year and was convinced by several people that an abortion would be for the best.  I shared that I had two babies now and was filled with guilt before my son was born because I miscarried.  For a while, I thought God was a punishing God and I was paying the price for that abortion.  You see, I saw tears flow through that congregation that day when I shared that I realized that my God is a loving God because my sins were already paid for when Jesus was crucified on that cross.  If my life have not taken the path that I have chosen, I would not have been blessed at that time with a husband and two children that were 14 months apart in age.  I forgave myself that day and never picked up that lie ever again that God is a punishing God.  A member of the congregation called me the next day and was truly upset on my behalf, he thought somebody in Church pressured me to speak to the congregation and I reassured him that it was all from God through me.
     God has recently revealed another truth to this story.... because of my personal experiences, my beautiful daughter chose pro-life and I am so proud of her.  I will be a first time grandma this August!

Looking Toward The Light Always,

Kathy

    

My farewell: I Wish Everyone the Best for their Future

"The best way to improve the American workforce in the 21st century is to invest in Early Childhood Education, to ensure that even the most disadvantaged children have the opportunity to succeed along side their more advantaged peers," ~James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics

What I learned from Walden University:

1.  I came to a better understanding of myself and realized what and where I got my passion.  I love working with young children in their natural environment and I love helping families help themselves.

"Infants and young children are not just sitting twiddling their thumbs, waiting for their parents to teach them to read and do math.  They are expending a vast amount of time and effort in exploring and understanding their immediate world.  Healthy Education supports and encourages this spontaneous learning," ~David Elkind, psychologist, child development specialist & author.

2.  I learned what it means to be an advocate not only just for the child, but for the family as well as what is considered to be appropriate practices versus current trends in early childhood education.

3.  I learned that not only can I make a difference through advocacy but it is also my responsibility to become directly involved in advocacy.

Thank You....

I have been totally blessed by all the instructors and the peers that I have worked side by side with in each course I took in the Early Childhood Education Studies Program.  Just 5 years ago I did not think obtaining my Master's was an option for me so I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of this graduating class and sincerely wish everyone the best for their future.  May you all have the best of luck in success!

Jobs/Roles in the Early Childhood Community: Internationally

1.  Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/

      FHI 360 is a great international organization that focuses on the qualit  of education in countries that are in need for opportunities of better education for the children and their families in their local communities. The organization has a featured publication, Success in Primary School, which promotes its mission to improve basic education systems in ways that are sustainable so every child, grades K-12, has access to education of high quality.

      I think being a consultant in education and having the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world in need would be a very enriching and fulfilling experience.

2.  International Step By Step Association. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl/program_early_child.html

     International Step by Step promotes research-based practices in early childhood education based on educational approaches that are heavily influenced by the likes of Piaget and Vygotsky.
     SbS classrooms foster democratic habits. Children are encouraged to:

• Make choices and accept responsibility
• Learn independently as well as cooperatively
• Be tolerant and respectful of differences 

      Using a thematic or project-based approach, classrooms are organized around developmentally appropriate learning and activity centers. The specific organization of this environment places a high priority on peer learning and ensures that children have the opportunity to make decisions each day. Activity centers are geared to the interests and learning level of each age group.

      I would enjoy a job with Step by Step that would allow me to provide training to educators and staff in the early childhood field in other countries. I did not see any specific postings but can’t help to think that there is a need for trainers who are willing to travel to other parts of the world.

 3.  Association for Childhood Education International. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://www.acei.org/.

      The mission is to promote and support the optimal education and development of children worldwide, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society.

      I like the fact that ACEI supports The Global Campaign for Education (GCE), a civil society movement that aims to end the global education crisis by making sure that governments act now to deliver the right of every girl, boy, woman, and man to a free quality public education.

      GCE was an influential voice in the World Education Forum in Dakar 2000 and setting the Education for All agenda for 2015. Since this meeting, 40 million more children have been able to go to school, and a financing mechanism (Education Fast Track Initiative) has been established to help meet the education goals. Yet, quality education for all is still far from reality, and close to a million people right now are being denied their right to an education that would change their lives.

      I think it would be fun and a great learning experience to work on the international level through ACEI as a Director of Conferences or as a Director of Advocacy and Outreach.

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Community at the National Level

http://www.naeyc.com

Founded in 1926, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 80,000 members, a national network of more than 300 state and local Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.

Membership

NAEYC is the leading membership association for those working with and on behalf of children from birth through age 8. NAEYC convenes thought leaders, teachers and other practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders and sets standards of excellence for programs and teachers in early childhood education. NAEYC members include teachers, paraeducators, center directors, trainers, college educators, families of young children, and the public at large. Membership is open to all individuals who share a desire to serve and act on behalf of the needs and rights of all young children.
NAEYC members receive valuable benefits, including an award-winning publication, voting rights to elect diverse leadership to the NAEYC Governing Board, and the opportunity to add their voices to the NAEYC Call to Action. In addition, members receive discounted rates on books and multimedia resources, and reduced conference registration fees at the local, state, and national Affiliate levels.
NAEYC members living in Europe are served by our Europe AYC Affiliate, and International membership is available to those living abroad outside of Europe. The Global Alliance connects like-minded organizations, extending our reach worldwide.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual Conference and Expo
The NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo is one of the foremost professional development experiences in the early childhood field. Each year, NAEYC's Annual Conference features hundreds of peer-reviewed presentations and exhibits, and many other opportunities for educators to learn about the latest research, discuss new ideas for professional preparation, and network and share with colleagues. In addition, NAEYC’s local, state, and regional Affiliates host conferences throughout the year, offering many more opportunities for early childhood educators to exchange ideas and learn together. The 2011 Annual Conference was held in Orlando, Florida, November 2–5, 2011. The 2012 Annual Conference & Expo will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 7–10, 2012

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org

This advocacy group promotes policies and practices that supports children's healthy development, the love of learning and joy for living.  They put in a lot of time and effort on research and gathering information on the impact of the loss of creative play in our early childhood classrooms.

As I researched, I did not come across any specific job openings but I do think it would be neat to be a planner for National or State level early childhood conferences or to go out in the field and gather information for research and help organize and interpret the data.

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community

The three state organizations that appealed to me for my community in the Early Childhood field are:

1.  http://www.earlychildhoodswi.org.  This early childhood development coalition consists of 175 members from 73 organizations in Indiana working in partnership to bring research-based, high quality opportunities to families, children and teachers.  Their strategies include partnering with businesses, schools, nonprofits and libraries to educate and support families, develop the capacities of caregivers and teachers as well as improve our community's knowledge and practices.

2.  http://earlychildhoodmeetingplace.indiana.edu.  This is a centralized Indiana website to find news, professional development options and initiatives and research briefs related to the early childhood field to keep people informed about current events.

3. http://www.doe.state.in.us/primetime/pdf/foundations/indianafoundations.pdf.
This site provides the foundations to the Indiana academic standards for young children from birth-5.  By providing specific skills and concepts and giving examples of instructional strategies, these foundations will support teachers, parents and caregivers as they develop appropriate experiences for young children to help ensure success in kindergarten,

Jobs I would like to apply for:

Instructional Strategist/Consultant
Educator for Adult Learners in the Early Childhood Field

Both jobs require training in the Early Childhood field and the experience and knowledge to be able to reach out and develop professional relationships so groups can form and meet on a regular basis to meet a goal that will provide positive outcomes for young children and their families.

I am Thankful for the Opportunity to Learn

I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to learn from so many people that are able to share their perspectives on diversity, culture and communication.  It has been an honor to check into my 6165 Education class each week and connect with people who share their heart, soul and passion about themselves and in the early childhood education field.  I pray that I continue to see and learn from you all in future classes and sincerely wish you all happiness, joy, peace and love.