The light at the end of the tunnel

In a couple of months something is going to happen which most people probably never figured would happen with me: I am going to graduate.

A bit of a shock, isn’t it? Daniel, who seems forever in the process of schooling is actually going to accomplish something and actually graduate from something!

It’s been a long time coming, and it’s been rocky on the way here, but it’s finally actually going to happen. I can barely contain my excitement!

So in the spring I will be graduating from the Early Childhood Education program from Algonquin College. I will be Daniel Gosson, ECE!

Sure, it’s not a double major in Biology and 17^th century French Romantic Poets. It’s not a PhD in some field sure to make me a dump truck full of money. Heck, to most people who know nothing about the program they just assume it’s a diploma in babysitting. Truth be told I was one of those people who wasn’t all too convinced either when I started taking courses.

You know what this program is about? It’s a big secret I’ll let you in on. Ultimately this program is one that teaches you about child development. It focuses on how children naturally develop physically, cognitively and emotionally from conception all the way to age 12. It focuses on the theories of development and learning, how to support children to achieve and grow to the next level, and how to focus on the specific needs of one individual child while working within a group of children. It covers all the big name theorists (as well as a few I’d never heard of) so you have a good understanding of different points of view from a theoretical perspective on development as well as practical application of these theories and other tools you are given.

You don’t get much more applicable than the three practical placements I did this year and last. All three of them were fantastic and I loved them for entirely different reasons.

At Brother Andre I was thrown right into the fire. I was given a boy who the school highly suspected was autistic and I was given the task of working with him, documenting his behaviour and just generally making it easier for the teacher to handle the rest of the class while I personally managed this little guy. I worked hand in hand with the school and when I was done they took every piece of data and information I’d collected on this boy and sent it off to the school board for diagnostic purposes. I got good use out of my observational skills.

At Good Shepherd I was given unbelievable leeway. Turns out that the kindergarten classroom teacher I was placed with got her ECE back when Algonquin offered the program in French. Because of this (and because she’d never had an ECE student working with her in the classroom, just teacher’s college students) she didn’t pull any punches with me and expected me to step up to the plate. I certainly feel I did. She gave me a rough outline of what she’d like to see me do, and off I went. I planned and implemented my own lesson plans; I worked one on one with specific students which -I- had identified as needing support. I managed to change someone’s opinion of what it will be like to have an ECE in the classroom when that school goes into all day Kindergarten. She held high standards for my work, and I made sure I did the best I could given this awesome opportunity.

At Forest Valley I was taken out of my comfort zone. Gone was the familiar structure of the school system and I was tossed head first into a play based mostly unstructured childcare setting. I know for the first little while I had the deer in the headlights look going on. My supervisor Joey expected me to take over the teacher’s role. It was strange and not at all what I was used too, but I did. I worked with the kids and staff there (first time I was really treated like something close to an equal by the staff who were not my immediate supervisor) and had a blast.

Once I got into the rhythm of things I found I really enjoyed it.

I remember Joey telling me after I was done my placement that he thought we were going to hate each other and butt heads from day one. Joe is not a fan of the school system where I am a fan of the structure and routine. He expected me to be rigid and inflexible, where I proved myself to be anything but. He actually gave me the biggest compliment that I could imagine getting at a placement. He said while it was clear that I had learned a lot from him, he’d also learned a lot from me.

Of course the final comments also included that I would need to work harder on physical activities for school aged children, but that really shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me :P

I did so well at that placement that they put me on their supply list. I work there pretty frequently which is something that makes my bank account happy. I’ve also learned that it’s generally held that only two regular people on the supply list can work with the children on their own and do not need to have permanent staff supervise them: the actual accredited school board teacher who supplies sometimes and myself. Certainly a boost in confidence right there.

Now I’m actually supplying at a second centre called Elizabeth Park. I did a good enough job on my first day there that they’ve already signed me up for a few more shifts and want me back as often as I’m willing to go (which with my current class schedule is much less than I would like).

Over all, I’m pretty proud of the work and progress I made while at Algonquin. I feel I have a better work ethic, I think I’ve matured a great deal, and most importantly I know what I like now. I have enjoyed the hell out of this program and if I could stay in it longer I would.

Just kidding, totally wouldn’t. I’m taking the diploma and running, but you get the general idea.

I want to thank those who have supported me while doing this. I didn’t exactly go into this program with the greatest of heads on my shoulders. To say the least, it was hard considering the history to this story. To the people who supported me, helped me along, were understanding when I was drowning under a tide of work and respected my decision with this program I want to say thank you. It’s always so much easier to do something when you have some friends in your corner with you. Even just a little understanding that placements are a ton of work or that my schedule of day classes AND night classes AND working can be a little overwhelming at time does wonders. To all those people, thank you for making this just a little big easier. I cannot express just how grateful I am to all of those who helped me through this.

To those that gave me a hard time, to those who look down on the diploma I’m going to get and to those who look down on the work I’ve accomplished these past 2 and a half years, I’m flipping you the giant bird (and yes, I know there are some who do, and yes I know who they are). While the work in this program was not especially hard at times, there was a lot of it and it required that I do work almost every single day. To those that couldn’t understand this and to those who gave me a hard time about not being able to do thing or attend things because of it, a giant screw you. To those who have held little respect for me and the work I do, who look down on the quality and integrity of how I held myself during my placements or just in my projects and assignments… once again screw you. I have had several good friendships damaged due to this sort of nonsense over the past two and a half years (even if those involved do not know that from my point of view, yes our friendship has been tarnished).

Luckily though, those who understood vastly outweigh those who did not.

Now it’s time to look toward the future though. Just what am I going to do when I graduate in the spring?

I could always just jump head first into work. I’m a guy who wants to work with children, it shouldn’t be that hard to find something somewhere (Fun fact! Only 1% of all of those registered with the College of Early Childhood Educators are male!). With the experience I have, the references I have and my ECE behind me I am rather hireable.

There’s always the education route too. While my ECE will open many doors for me, an undergrad will always open more. The program that exists at Ottawa U that I thought originally I could apply for is not accessible to me, which makes me sad. Carleton University has a 3 year Child Studies program, and having my ECE will put me into 2^nd year. Also, there is a 4 year program at Ryerson called… Early Childhood Education (the only of its type in Ontario) , and having my ECE puts me right into 3^rd year there. Considering both of those programs would take 2 years to complete, and finishing my original degree I was working on would take 2 years to complete anyways it’s not too hard to see I have a fair amount of choices ahead of me.

Then there’s always the college. There are so many add-ons I could put onto my ECE to let me work with autistic children, children with exceptionalities (though I still dislike this term), focus on early literacy, etc.

It’s been an awesome ride these past two and a half years, but it’s not over yet. I still have to survive all the way until April with the courses I am currently taking. Just a few short months before everything changes.

I’m looking forward to what comes next, whatever it might be.