Three deeply felt learnings from this program I will take away with me all centers around the children, the families, the coworkers and the early childhood professionals I have came into contact with in the past as well as the ones in throughout my journey in the early childhood field. My learnings are the following: 1. Accepting Diversity in and outside of the classroom. 2. The importance of addressing any personal biases I may have in order to continue to be an effective educator in the future. 3. The importance of effective communication in the education field between the educator, the students, coworkers, and the families. Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact (Wenger 2006).
My long time goal centers around opening up my own child care to provide services to parents who work beyond the normal 8-5 work hours in the city of Warner Robins, Ga. I have met many families in need of child care because of working at factories and on the Air Force Base who work second and third shifts. I know there is a high demand for night childcare centers, and I want to be among the night hour centers. When I open up my doors to my child center, I want to bring a big relief to many parents.
I would like to wish my colleagues nothing but success as you continue your journey in the educational field. Thank you for all of the comments and questions made throughout this course on my blogs and discussions boards as well. Many of the questions asked allowed me to thing outside of the box and to view things from another person point of view. Learning with each one of you has been a wonderful experience.
Dr. Ernest, thank you for your feedback through this course it has supported my professional path in the educational field.
If you should feel the need to contact me please do not hesitate to reach me at katisa_smith@yahoo.com. I look forward to keeping in contact with everyone.
Katisa Smith 
Katisa,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I also learned a great deal about diversity, biases, and effective communication and listening skills. I think your long-term goal of opening up a nighttime childcare center is an awesome idea. I can see this idea being in high demand. There are a lot of parents, especially single working parents who work the night shift. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
Jennifer
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Hi Katisa,
I always enjoy reading your posts and what you have to say because we share very similar perspectives on many matters. I love that one of your goals is to focus on diversity in and outside of the classroom. When children see that they can apply what they learn inside the classroom to real world problems, then they begin to see the value in learning. I also really love that you want to provide childcare for those who have unconventional work hours. This is a need that is not commonly catered to, so kudos to you! Good luck, Katisa!
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