Time Well Spent

 I can't believe this is my last blog post for this tutorial. Wow, I actually don't know where to start. I applied to this program to get a study abroad permit without resigning from my job as a government officer in Turkey. But unfortunately, I quit because I couldn't get permission. Exactly seven years ago, I was accepted to postgraduate education in Turkey. Then, my son was very young, and it was difficult for me to attend weekend classes with my two children, so I took a break. When I learned that I had been accepted, I was full of excitement. At the beginning of the first lesson and my excitement of learning, I had a tough time. Sometimes I took a break when I was tired, and it was a full 2.5 years. Since that day, my life has been full of ups and downs, but despite all this, I have kept my head high, I am hopeful, and I have dreams. It was a dream come true to enroll in a training program here. This program has taught me a lot about myself personally and professionally. This program tested my strength in many ways; I learned about change and diversity in a different culture, balancing life. I have been an excellent observer who can understand my behavior and the environment's reactions when I sometimes have to face myself. Being a mother, wife, and student is not easy at all.

This program taught me to know myself and my field better. I like to be organized, stable, patient, and persevering. It was challenging to get an education in my second language, English. There were many times when I wanted to give up and thought I would fail, but somehow I always got to the top thanks to being a stable and persevering personality. I know my goals, and I always like to think about what I hope to achieve in the future; I also believe in myself thanks to them. This positive energy gives me energy for my passions and ambition. He thinks about where I hope to be, and I work for him. I motivate myself to strive for success and reach higher levels to achieve what I want in life.

Another meaningful thing I learned is that this program allowed me to see and evaluate the differences and professional characteristics between the two countries (Turkey - USA). This experience was significant for my development and progress. It gave me many different insights into the Early Childhood Education Field subjects. It was inspiring to reach some new ideas and current studies after my undergraduate education. It taught me to work with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and orientations and experience passion and excitement for common professional goals.

Another meaningful thing I've learned is the importance of being a good leader. To be an effective leader in early childhood education requires keeping in touch with the sociocultural attitudes that dominate societies regarding child care and child development. I think a leader should know Early Child Care and its policies and know-how to understand all this science and be a good communicator. In addition, the importance of communication and team-building skills is a topic that we have covered many times in this course. I learned the importance of clear and secure communication in every lesson I took. Being a good leader means I need to know how to communicate with the practice community and team.

Establishing relationships with my team and others in this field is essential. I learned the importance of collaboration, something I still talk about today. Collaborating with my colleagues is one of my favorite things because I know they have great ideas that I hadn't thought of before. Collaboration helps each of us learn something new and allows us to understand. Along with the many challenges, I've learned to take practical criticism, new perspectives, and ideas and incorporate them into my classroom. I have been very open-minded to the ideas and insights of others, and I realize that there is no one way. Do things; I can learn from people who face the same challenges and strive to achieve similar goals.

I would like to thank all my teachers for their positive feedback, encouraging words, suggestions, and ideas. They have been with me during this process and have taught me things that will be very useful in this field, showing different perspectives. Throughout this experience, my colleagues were excellent and taught me a lot. It was an honor to work alongside each of you. I will miss interacting with everyone weekly.