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
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