My Learnings and Farewells

I can't believe my journey in early childhood studies has come to an end!  While this journey has been extremely challenging, it has also been rewarding and has greatly contributed to my learning and professional growth!  I very much appreciate the many insights and added perspectives of my Walden colleagues and professors.  Engaging in such a diverse, professional early childhood community has deeply broadened my learning far beyond what I expected.  I have loved learning from your knowledge, experiences and different cultures, and beliefs!  Reading your posts and feedback has often caused me to step outside my own thinking and truly reflect on the various viewpoints that were presented to me.  I wish you all the best of luck in your future work in the early childhood field.  I hope our paths will cross someday!  

3 deeply felt learnings I experienced during this course:

* The importance of building an extensive community of practice to give support, share passion, and increase understanding and resources.

*I still have so much more to learn!  The field of early childhood is extremely extensive and diverse, with many areas in which I can make a difference!  I found it difficult to narrow down my capstone topic, because I was drawn to many challenges to address.  I want to keep learning and growing, so I will continue to research, read, and seek professional development opportunities where I can engage with others in a community of practice!

*Oh the places I could go!  It was fun to research the many job opportunities that are available locally, in my state, nationally, and globally.  It was also very interesting to imagine what my future in the field of early childhood could become if I continue in developing my passion, learning, commitment, skills, and advocacy.

My goal for the future:

I have a dear friend who always says, “Keep on, keeping on!” I would apply this to my own professional career.  I know that my journey has not ended at my completion of my Master’s degree.  I still have much to learn, and more experience to gain.  I want to continue to “keep on” developing my leadership skills and knowledge of the early childhood field.  I want to “keep on” being a mentor leader and positively influence professional development and high-quality program development.  As such, I will “keep on” being a positive example for others, and remain flexible and open to learning and growing from those around me. 

I wanted to leave you all with this beautiful poem authored by David Whyte.  I believe it sums up the importance of working and learning together as we as we continue to build early childhood relationships, communities of practice, and advocate for children and families!

We shape our self

to fit this world

and by the world

are shaped again.

The visible and the invisible

working together

in common cause,

to produce

the miraculous.

I am thinking of the way

the intangible air

passed at speed

round a shaped wing

easily

holds our weight.

So may we, in this life

trust

to those elements

we have yet to see

or imagine,

and look for the true

shape of our own self,

by forming it well

to the great

intangibles about us.