Time Well Spent

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead  

The last week of the course has generated mixed feelings in me……

On the one hand, I am overwhelmed with happiness at finally seeing a culmination of the MSECS degree program and on the other hand, I am feeling sad that something that was such an important part of my life is ending.  Over the last year and a half, I have been frequently reminded of my passions for children, families, and the people who care for them.  I have learned so much about our profession and myself.  Through many sleepless nights and long weekends, I managed to persevere as I explored my beliefs, values, and biases. 

The three deeply felt learning’s from my Master’s program are:

1) I have I am driven to educate others on the importance of culture and diversity, caring for our communities and caring for each other. In doing this, I have to leave the classroom, but I now understand that I have a greater calling on my life and that is to help prepare teachers for the beautiful diverse world we live in.

2) Dedicated professionals in the early childhood education field do exist! Before I began my coursework, I was feeling burnt out and alone in my center.  It seemed as if all I ever heard were complaints about pay, misbehaved children, and high levels of stress. There never seemed to be any positive conversations going on about the children or their work with children.  This program has helped me to network with other dedicated and passionate professionals that have reignited the passion within me.  Young children deserve this passion from their teachers.  Their future depends on it and so does the dream of a more peaceful world.

3) I have learned how to be a researcher and I don’t hate it!!Throughout my time here at Walden, I have spent more time in the library and it has been wonderful.  When I was growing up my mother took us to the library weekly and before starting this program, I had not stepped inside a library in over 10 years.  I plan to continue to make my weekly visits.

“There is no profession in the world that directly or indirectly touches the lives of people at the same level as teachers do” (Boutte, 2008, p. 166).

My goal for the future is to see my capstone project come to life.  I plan to continue developing it after this class is over and hope to begin training in centers within the next year.

Dr. Hampshire thank you for all of the insight, wisdom, and knowledge that you have shared within this class.  The entire experience with Walden has been great and much of it is due to the level of professionalism of the instructors. 

My wish for all of you my Fellow Colleagues is that your career in early childhood will be more fulfilling that you ever dreamed possible and your purpose, passion and vision are realized as we help children on their incredible developmental journey to greater learning. We are the leaders of today and tomorrow and I have no doubt we will succeed wherever we go and whatever we do. Together, we have accomplished what we set out to do and I am proud of all of us for what we have achieved.  In the process, we forged lifelong professional associations and friendships.  I cannot wait to see where this journey takes all of us.  

Blessing to you all,

Keli

A few of my favorite quotes: