This has been a long and exciting journey and its end is bittersweet. While I am not very sorry that I will not have to do homework anymore I am sad to leave the people that I have worked with over the past 2 years. Throughout this course I have learned a great many things but the things that stick out the most are the fact that I can make a change even though I am just one person, it is my job to advocate for children even if no one else wants to, and that it only takes one person to affect change. These things have influenced the way I look at the field of early childhood development. I no longer see myself as simply a teacher doing her job but as a professional trying to change the field in which she works.

            To everyone that I have spent the last 2 years sharing discussions and blogs with I would like to say thank you. Your discussions and blogs have led me to think about things that I may have never thought of before. Your shared experiences have helped me to understand why it is so important to be open-minded when working with other ECE specialists. Dr. Darragh, you have made this capstone course a true learning experience. You have challenged me every step of the way and helped me to see past my somewhat narrow viewpoints. Your feedback has helped me to research and study to understand my topic and how I can make a change on a much deeper level. Thank you Dr. Darragh and my fellow classmates for making this course and all the others such an exciting journey.

            As I leave this class I look forward to what is coming next. As of now I have achieved almost all of my professional goals, which leads me to wonder……what comes next? My children, who are 12 and 5, would love to hear me say that I am done with school but I am not sure this is the end for me. I am currently a Family Services Counselor which essentially means that I inspect child care centers to ensure that owners and directors are providing a safe and healthy environment for children and I have recently become a mentor for students who are working to get their National CDA credential. Both of these things are things that have happened in the last year and things that I have worked diligently to accomplish. But in order to accomplish my ultimate goal in the field of early childhood development, which is to become a college professor at a University such as University of Florida or Florida State University I must continue my education first. Most state universities will not hire college professors unless they have completed their Doctorate and while I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue I know it is the only way for me to accomplish my end goal.

            I wish all of you luck and look forward to maybe seeing some of you in a future program here at Walden University.