Reflections and farewell to all

The last eight weeks have been such an adventure for me. I was not sure that I was going to be able to finish this course due to health reasons and difficult circumstances, but a huge thanks to Dr E and her never ending support as well as all my peers and their insights and feedback. This has been one of the most challenging and inspiring courses that I have done in my master’s degree. The self-reflection was so valuable and I have honestly learnt so much about myself as an educator and a leader.

When reflecting upon this course the first thing that comes to mind is the week we covered leadership. I feel I learnt a lot this week and transformed myself from someone I thought did not have typical leadership qualities to a person that has a diverse combination of leadership characteristics. I assumed that I was perhaps too emotionally involved with my team to be a proficient leader. I have since learnt that this is a quality and combined with other leadership characters this can be valued.

Through re-evaluating my goals weekly I saw the subtle changes and realized that certain things were not realistic nor achievable. When I look at week one and then compared it to my final goals I see all the reflection and thought that has made the changes that will make for a far more successful Community of Practice. I see the importance of going back and re-evaluating ones ideas and work regularly and critically in order to come up with the ideal plan. I feel that I will also learn a lot while putting my plan into action and will need to be flexible enough to change things as I see fit in the given situation.

My third learning moment, and by no means least important, is the knowledge and shared ideas from my peers. It was here in discussions where my ideas grew and took shape. My peers questions and suggestions made my thinking deeper and often led me to new and improved ways of dealing with my challenge. I see the importance of team work and discussing things. Asking questions and being open to ideas and the experiences of others is a truly valuable source. I’m so thankful for having had the opportunity to work on this course with this group of people.

My long term goal for myself is to continue being an advocate for Early Childhood Education and in doing so make sure that my Community of Practice, together with African Warriors of Light, make the changes we have set out to make. I want to expand the awareness of family involvement in schools while educating adults regarding the importance of preschool.

I would like to take the moment to thank you all again and wish you all the very best for your futures in Education. I feel privileged to have spent these eight weeks with peers that share a passion for early childhood education like I do. I have been inspired by you all and the blogs and discussions that were posted. I really enjoyed learning more about organizations that were based in America and how many policies are different from here in South Africa. I have learnt a great deal in these weeks, through self-reflection, about my aspirations for my future in education.

'Education is the most powerful weapon which

you can use to change the world.' – Nelson Mandela

Fondest regards,

Amanda