Time Well Spent

What I have learned over the last 20 months that true dedication and hard work can in fact get you to that end goal of yours.  I wanted my MS in Early Childhood Studies because I wanted to help student’s transition from early childhood programs to school aged programs. I felt like there was a disconnect that left parents very confused.  I learned that there were so many more goals that I had, such as educating other people about inclusion and how it can be done appropriately and learning about how to integrate and be an anti-biased teacher.  The first deeply felt learning I had through out this program was that it is not just me that wants to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families.  Second, I learned that my capstone project could in fact be reality.  I often feel so overwhelmed about how you start to complete a project that I was unsure of what to do, but now I have learned (through the guidance of this course) how you go about starting an idea.  Lastly,  I learned how important it is to collaborate and support each other.  I do not think that it can be reiterated enough that we must work together; whether it be at work or online we have to support each other.

My long-term goal is to put my capstone project into action.  There are many aspects of my job that already apply to my project, but I have yet to create a formal community of practice.  Once that has been created then we will be able to work together to help general education teachers and paraprofessionals with inclusion. 

Farewell message:

It has certainly been a journey over the past months.  At times it felt stressful and overwhelming, but here we are, we made it!  I am so proud to be apart of a learning community that has such dedication to the field.  It is not everyday that people from all around the country and even the world get to come together for a purpose, a purpose to learn and grow.  Together we have pinpointed a variety of different projects that we all hope to complete, how amazing is that?  We are the difference in the lives of young children and their families. I cannot wait to hear about what people have accomplished. I wish you all the best and please keep in touch!

My favorite quote:

"Have courage enough to accept what you can 

not change, but yet courageous enough to stand 

up and fight for what you can." 

- Robert M. Hensel

Contact information:

abbyjliedtke@gmail.com