Farewell to a Time Well Spent

      Two years ago I taught a class of early childhood educators and I came to a topic in the curriculum concerning anti-bias education and respecting diversity. I assigned an article on gay, lesbian, and transgender families. One student refused to do the assignment because it was “offensive to her religion”. I asked her how she would communicate with a diverse family such as one of the ones in the article. She explained that she was in a private center and they did not allow those people. She explained that she would tell the child that what his/her parents did was wrong in the bible and in the eyes of God. Now, I’m a pretty passive person; I can generally see past statements such as these because of the culture of my region. However, the student’s response to my questions angered and offended me. How did I respond to her? I told her that a child should never be made to feel bad about the home from which they came. This experience made me understand that I wanted to teach early childhood educators to be respectful of all children and their families, how their respect affects the children and their families, and why it is so important. Therefore, I chose a Master’s program in Early Childhood Studies with an Emphasis in Teaching Adults.

            As I come to the end of this journey through the Master’s Degree program here at Walden University, I am experiencing a wide range of emotions: elation, relief, empowerment, and a sense of impending loss. While I am happy to have achieved a major goal in my life and proud to have gained such important knowledge, I am also going to miss the connections I have made with my colleagues throughout this program. I have come to rely on the positive and respectful critiques of colleagues, their biased and unbiased opinions, and their contributions to my learning. I have learned that forming a community of professional learners, who can share their experiences, their knowledge, and their ideas with each other, can heighten the understanding of all learners. It helped me to realize how valuable my colleagues are in and outside of my profession.

            I have spent many years working with young children and their families. I have worked with mothers in rehabilitation programs in a low income child care center; I have worked with upper class families in a private child care center; I have worked with young children in the public school system; I have worked with teen parents, incarcerated mothers, and families in their homes. Throughout all of these experiences I saw the differences in families. I saw the differences in their children, and I knew that there were some families and children who needed more support than others. Those are the families I have a need to help. A child, beautiful and innocent, should not be held responsible or blamed for their parent’s choices or situation. All children deserve the same opportunities to learn and grow. This Master’s program has helped me to understand that as I advocate for these children and families, I can give the young children those opportunities to learn. Further understanding that I can advocate for children in many different ways allows me to feel confident in my advocacy efforts.

         Perhaps the most surprising learning aspect for me has been my increased ability to find research that is scholarly and appropriate to topic. I often spent days researching a specific topic, finding little information no matter how many different ways I worded my search. Notice the joy on my face as I do research for our final topic. Yet, with all of the practice, I began to feel more and more confident. Learning to do this type of research has also assisted me in my career. I monitor and train infant and toddler teachers. They often come to me with concerns about parents, child behaviors, or resource referrals. I am now better able to provide them with the necessary tools they need based on valuable research practice.

            I will leave this program knowing that I can achieve great things based on my experience here. I have achieved my goal of obtaining my master’s degree, but I have a continued goal of becoming an effective leader. I have learned that being a leader is so much more than bossing a group of people. A leader is understanding and inspiring. A leader is a friend and a colleague. A leader is a model of ethics, and the voice of the minority. Leaders listen and share. I aspire to be a leader in the early childhood education field. I aspire to share my knowledge, my experiences, and my passion with other educators, community leaders, families, and young children. I have learned how to become an effective leader. I must put my knowledge into action. I can achieve my goals.

            Finally, I would like to extend a most heartfelt thank you to all of the students and instructors who have helped me through this experience. Inside and outside of the classroom, we have communicated in a collaborative way in order to fully understand concepts; we have helped each other understand directions for assignments and encouraged deeper thought on topics; we have used our social media page for emotional support. At times I needed a great deal of support and at other times I tried to support others, but I know that I would have had an even greater struggle without all of your support. Please stay in touch. Contact me if you need support and look me up if you are ever in Milton, WV. I wish you all the best of luck in your careers and in your lives. Amanda Martin, amandasmartin@gmail.com

My Beautiful Daughter being Spiderman!

"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre."
- Gail Godwin

"If you're going to equalize the academic playing field, you've got to get the kids in early childhood programs."
- Paul Vallas