Exploring Roles in the ECE Community at Local and Provincial Levels
As an early learning professional, I understand that my role as a classroom teacher is only one of many ways in which I can serve children and families. After exploring three organizations in my local and provincial area, I have taken into consideration how I can also serve families by making community connections, organizing fundraising events for early learning programming and services, being involved in teacher education by becoming a professional presenter, and influencing awareness of issues of inequity through committee work at a provincial level.
Families First Society
The first local organization that I am interested in being a part of is my city’s Families First Society. It is a non-profit organization that provides early learning programs for young children and families, opportunities for parents and caregivers to learn new parenting skills, and support for families impacted by violence, baby loss or other challenges (Families First Society, 2015). The Families First Society’s vision of community collaboration in order to improve the lives of families both today and in the future can be felt in their vision statement,
“When our community–our village–works together we will improve the lives of families. We create a safe environment to nurture future strong healthy generations” (Families First Society, 2015).
I am attracted to being a part of such an organization, as I believe that it can provide the missing link we currently experience between preschool organizations and activities and the early learning environments of the local kindergarten and school programs. As an advocate for supporting parent education in my school community, reaching parents with young children is much more difficult since they do not have ties to the school system yet. Working together can unify the goals of the early learning programs of our preschoolers with our early learning goals in the kindergarten classrooms and make this transition easier for both children and families.
Currently, this organization does not appear to have any career opportunities but many opportunities to volunteer in the community through the work of this society exists. Their website explains that options to assist with fundraising or the organization of events are available and having been a lead organizer and committee member of several school wide events, I believe that my leadership, collaborative, communication, and organizational skills would be an asset to volunteering for this society while providing vital community and school connections.
Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium
I am also interested in becoming involved in an early learning community of practice cohort that has recently been created by the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium (ERLC). The ERLC is an organization that provides professional development opportunities for educators in my area of Alberta, Canada. Their vision statement reads,
“As an advocate for quality professional development and as a service provider, ERLC works with its partners to develop, implement and assess professional development programs and comprehensive plans that support adult learning for students’ sake” (Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium, 2015).
Having attended some of the sessions offered by this organization, I have an understanding of the value that they place on teacher education and student learning. However, before searching their site a little deeper for this week’s blog assignment, I was unfamiliar with their efforts to create community of practice cohorts for Alberta’s teachers such as the one already mentioned. Joining these cohorts is time sensitive as they have a registration deadline and a one-year timeline in which they support the cohort. I was disappointed to discover that the deadline for this cohort has passed. I have sent a request for permission to join the cohort and received a reply that this possibility can be considered when the cohort meets again in the fall. Fingers crossed!
The ERLC is currently seeking professional presenters on a wide range of topics all of which must include specific elements related to education in Alberta. As a current instructional coach and having done presentations in the past to both educators and parents, I find this call out for presenters intriguing to consider. I believe that my communication skills, ability to create a positive rapport with people, comfort in speaking in front of an audience, attention to detail, and my understanding of the realities of the classroom would be assets as a presenter for the ERLC. At the same time, the elements required to present are lengthy and I would need time to fully understand each element at a much deeper level in order to have the confidence needed to present at one of the ERLC’s professional development sessions.
Alberta Teachers’ Association
The third organization, The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) is involved in working for and with teachers at a provincial wide level. Their purpose is expressed in their mission statement that states,
“The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, safeguards standards of professional practice and serves as the advocate for its members” (Alberta Teachers’ Association, 1993).
What I find most attractive in this mission statement is the dedication that the ATA gives to promoting and advancing public education. I am particularly interested in the ATA’s work in this area through their Diversity, Equity and Human Rights (DEHR) committee that “promotes diversity, equity and human rights in Alberta schools” (Alberta Teachers; Association, 2015). This committee consists of professionals from a variety of backgrounds and their committee work is evident in their publications, conferences, grants and awards, and presence in the media. Although there are not any committee openings at this time, becoming involved in their work would have great meaning for me and brig me forward in being involved in creating the social change that Walden has encouraged and inspired me to do. Since beginning my studies at Walden, I have become particularly passionate in teaching others about the reality of inequity that our young students face every day and I believe that my understanding of these effects of inequity in human rights in our youngest and most vulnerable students would be an asset to this committee. This passion to reach and educate teachers and parents of young children about such issues can bring this much needed topic into focus for the committee as a general understanding by my primary teaching colleagues is that these issues do not relate to our youngest students. However, no matter how passionate I may be, my inexperience with advocacy at such an intense and public level would not make me an ideal candidate for such a position at this time. I must first educate myself further on how to professionally advocate for students and teachers. In addition, expanding my understanding of the issues as they relate to my community and province would be beneficial as well. One way that I can do this is to initiate a school-based committee that supports the efforts of the DEHR.
References
Alberta Teachers’ Association. (2015). http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Pages/Home.aspx
Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium. (2015). http://www.erlc.ca/
Families First Society. (2015). http://www.familiesfirstsociety.ca/our-new-home/