Professional Goals and Expectations: A Work in Progress

Throughout my life, there is one sentence my mother has never been able to complete, “Well, when you have your mind made up about something…”  This is because I rarely do anything without purpose.  There is always a reason (not an excuse), a goal (however seemingly unobtainable), and an expectation (I had the end in sight).

This, by no means, makes me infallible; however, it credits me with persistence and perseverance through vision.  A Japanese adage warns, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” I choose a happy medium in which my purposeful actions are a result of an informed vision.  I graduated high school with a 2.17 GPA.  I achieved my Associates degree with a 3.17, my bachelor’s degree with a 3.49, my master’s degree with a 3.90 and am now half way through the coursework in the doctoral degree, holding up a 3.50 GPA because I have a vision.

The vision of what I want to do keeps me motivated when the journey gets tough.  I am tired, but I’m so close.  I am petrified of the dissertation process, but that is a testament to its worth. The course I am in now, Early Childhood Systems and Policies, is unfamiliar to me.  I think now is a good time to re-establish my vision, goals, and expectations, especially of this course.

Goal 1:

Not directly pertaining to this course, but my first goal is to secure a committee member to collaborate with through the rest of my doctoral and dissertation process.  Completing this degree will establish me professionally as an expert in early childhood education and provide the credit and credentials I need to have a more powerful voice for children and their families.  In order to do this effectively, I need to accomplish goal 2.

Goal 2:

FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!  I need to nail down my problem statement and dissertation topic/title.  I know what I want to do, but I am not entirely sure how to go about doing it.  I want to address the issue with quality rating and improvement systems assessment as it pertains to family childcare programs (I do have a back up plan, but I want to see this idea through).

Once I accomplish goals 1 and 2, I will be better prepared to advocate more efficiently for public policies in goal 3 as they pertain to family child care programs.  Growing up, my nature was coined as “Shawna Saves the World Syndrome”.  Now, with the knowledge, experience, and passion I have gained in early childhood education, specifically family child care, saving the world seems almost obtainable.

Goal 3:

The Iowa AEYC sends frequent emails informing me of opportunities to engage in advocacy on public policies impacting early education.  I have wanted to be a part of this since the first email I received some three years ago.  My own feelings of inadequacy has prevented me from stepping up.  I believe this course is exactly what I need to secure a level of confidence to engage in these opportunities for advocacy.  I know my voice is strong.  I know I will be heard. I know this will also help others recognize my status as an expert in early childhood education.