Advocacy Effort

What inspires and excites you most about your advocacy plan and being an advocate?

     The children are what inspires and excites me the most when it comes to being an advocate and what has driven my desire regarding my plan. I work with very diverse children from many backgrounds. This seems to be common among our American classrooms. Multiple cultures, social classes, language variances, as well as cognitive growth differences challenge the educator within each room.

     With my advocacy plan, I want to reach out to the classroom teacher and ensure that students from across the developmental realm can be reached through the arts. When arts are a direct part of the curriculum, students learn to explore, express, comprehend and engage in meaningful ways based of their individual needs and backgrounds. Art is universal.

What challenges and/or anxieties do you feel related to engaging in the advocacy efforts you have targeted?

     We are all advocates within our profession. It is what we do on a regular bases, advocate for our children through education and meaningful experiences. However, when engaging in direct advocacy efforts which involve changing policy and/or procedures can be very overwhelming. My first anxiety is my lack of knowledge and experience. When we seek to explore change, we face those of equal or greater education and experience. This can be intimidating to say the least. It can also be hard to expose ourselves in a vulnerable way. Sharing our personal and professional opinions with others in our occupation can reveal opportunity of ridicule. Therefore the key component is to be fully prepared, exercise multiple paths of research to back up the advocacy concept being introduced, and lastly, be persistent.

What do you believe will be most effective in helping you overcome any challenging emotions you may be feeling with regard to presenting and implementing your Advocacy Action Plan?

     I believe thorough research and truly believing in the work is the first step to overcoming any challenge we may face in our action plan. In addition, doing a practice presentation will be extremely beneficial. Invite those who would be encouraging yet honest with feedback.

How can you encourage others in their advocacy efforts, and how can others encourage you

     We must encourage each other in our advocacy efforts by sharing ideas, experiences and thoughts toward this common goal. Peer collaboration is important. I can confirm I have been making careful note of our discussion boards for this very reason. I have been reviewing important ideas and thoughts that have aided in my preparation toward my presentation.

Good luck to everyone.