Issues and Trends...Fuel for Continual Learning

This course has been amazing for strengthening professional connections for me.  I took a break from my classes at the end of the summer, so I have gotten to know a completely new set of people through this class!  The further I get into my master’s program, the more I enjoy interacting with my classmates.  As my knowledge grows, so does theirs.  This enables our conversations and interactions to be more meaningful. 

When I look at international EC issues, I am torn.  Some of the issues abroad are so much greater than issues here in America.  Then consequence of this is that I think less of our issues in the States.  Although issues abroad might be greater that issues here, I cannot let myself think that our issues are unimportant. 

Another consequence is that through all of my explorations, I have only found more information.  That is more stuff to read, more people to meet/listen to, etc.  These are things that I will have to earmark for exploration at a later time when I am not bogged down with school work.  On the bright side, this gives me more resources for later classes, as well as opportunities for continued learning after class is over.

I think the biggest consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is that I am only getting a birds-eye-view of the issues that exist.  Without actually immersing myself in the EC setting across the world, I cannot get a full 360 degree picture.  This is what has inspired my goal to travel.  Not travel for travel’s sake, but actual travel to immerse myself in my field across the world. 

International Contact

After 7 weeks, I was finally able to make contact with an EC professional overseas!  I am proud to introduce you to Aleksandra Petrovic!  She teaches preschool in Serbia and she knows a Serbian co-worker of mine.  Here are some things I asked her and her answers to my questions:

What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

"The situation in early childhood field is not so bright.  Public childcare centers do not have large capacities and there are usually too many children in one room (sometimes 25 or more with two teachers).  One interesting thing about Serbia is there are no infant rooms because maternity leave in Serbia is 12 months and majority of children start daycare programs when they turn one!"

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

"Many early childhood professionals have associate or bachelor's degree in early childhood education.  Also, there are seminars and conferences that might provide additional training for EC educators."

What are some of your professional goals?

"One of my professional goals is to open my own daycare center.  Private daycare centers provide much better service, they are not crowded with children and there are no waiting lists for children to start the program."

What are some of your professional challenges?

"Financial factor is one of the biggest challenges.  Childcare teachers do not make much money.  On the other hand, opening a daycare center requires some money to be invested in it, which might be one of the major challenges."

I was really glad I was finally able to make contact.  It looks like we have some struggles in common.  It appears that the EC field is in very similar places throughout the world.

ISSA - A Good Start

This week, as I continued to dive deeper into the International Step by Step Association, I stumbled upon a program that seemed to go hand in hand with our current learning in this class.  The name of the program is “A Good Start” and they strive to achieve equality in access to education for one minority group in particular, the Romani.  The Romani people are the largest minority group in Europe and are similar to our idea of gypsies.  They have their own language, but it is not widely accepted in schools and public places of businesses.  The Romani people are generally very poor, and are therefore not receiving equal opportunities for early childhood education.  “A Good Start” helps these families by teaching their children the “accepted” language, whether it is Slovak, Romanian, Hungarian, or some other Eastern European language.  They also provide education to the parents on the types of this their child needs to know to be ready for school.  I watched a video, and it really brought to life what these people are going through.  It seems that most parts of the world struggle with the same issues of equity in quality education.  Here are a few quotes from the video that seemed to go hand in hand with what we have been learning in this class:

"Breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty affecting Europe’s largest minority group begins with a good start for thousands of Romani children.

An overwhelming body of international evidence underscores the importance of early intervention – from conception to age eight – on a child’s development.

New evidence from countries like Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia points to the benefits of preschool for Romani children.

Yet, the majority of Romani children in Eastern Europe lack access to preschool.

Investing in early childhood development and giving Romani children an equal start is smart economics, with aging populations and shrinking labor forces, let fast-growing Romani populations.

Like any poor, disadvantaged child, Romani children should be provided with a free place in kindergarten for at least two years.

National governments can benefit from peer learning and can partner with civil society organizations implementing innovative approaches.

  

Let’s break the cycle on intergenerational poverty of Europe’s largest minority group, beginning with a good start for thousands of Romani children."

Video can be viewed at: 

http://www.romaeducationfund.hu/videos/good-start-country-videos-1

International Issues or American Issues?

While trying to decide which podcast to listen to, I chose the one with TJ Skalski.  I have done so much international research, but I wanted to do something a little more familiar and closer to home.  Skalski is the Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School (MECCS) in Alberta, Canada.  From listening to her speak, I gathered that she has not had the easiest life.  She was the 5^th Principal at this school in a period of 5 years.  She was the first to stick it out for more than 1 year and she stayed on staff, despite staff changing all around her, especially of superintendents.  She actually describes her first year as principle at MECCS as hell.  She speaks of the schools vision to reinvest in the children.  She wants to create a community where culture and language are at the forefront.  Most of the students that come through her school are damaged, feeling no worth, and have a lot of baggage.  This is where she steps in and tells her inspiring story of not being accepted.  Her mother married a non-aboriginal man and because of this had her rights taken away.  In 1985, she regained these rights back.  Skalski speaks of regaining her rights federally, but not within the community.  She shares her story with the kids as inspiration.

This podcast was very insightful.  Although slightly different, the core issues of acceptance are the same internationally as they are in America.  It made me think of biracial families and how they continue to struggle to find a place to fit in.  It is amazing to me that in our day and age, we still struggle with these issues.  

Sharing Web Resources - ISSA

In my explorations of the ISSA this week, I stumbled across a new publication they just released.  It is a book entitled “Early Childhood Programs as the Doorway to Social Cohesion: Application of Vygotsky’s Ideas from an East West Perspective.”  It caught my eye because of its obvious correlation to the issues and trend in the field of EC.  We have been discussing how investing in EC pays out at least double in the long-term.  That’s right, there have been NUMEROUS studies that prove that investing in EC programs will monetarily benefit the community and the government many times over the initial investment.  This book takes that idea and puts it on a global level, in eastern and western contexts, and how Vygotsky had these thoughts and theories long before it was publically accepted.  This was the closest thing I found that related to this week’s topic of economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support of our field. 

One thing about the ISSA that fascinates me is that it is shared among many countries.  It demonstrates teamwork among people with potentially differing opinions, and I think an organization like that sets a fantastic example for the children and families it is designed to reach. 

I will leave you with a line found in one of the ISSA leaflets I found on their website:

“ISSA is open to exploring new partnerships and

is eager to engage in joint initiatives that aim to

strengthen democracy, encourage active civic

participation, promote quality teaching, and celebrate

diversity and inclusion.”

Poverty Around the World

After many struggles to contact EC professionals in other countries, I have come up dry, and will be using the alternate assignment. 

This week I listened to a podcast via the World Forum Foundation radio website http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php.  The podcast I listened to was with Mr. Meridas Eka Yora.  He is the founder and director of Fajar Hiayah for Islamic Education and director of the Yayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation.  As many of us remember, there was a great earthquake in 2004 located in the Indian Ocean.  Indonesia was the closest land to the epicenter of this earthquake, and the territory of Aceh was devastated.  225 Indonesians died and 500k were left homeless.  In the wake of this devastation, what are homeless orphans to do?  Where are they to go?  This organization ran preschools for these orphans.  They also had nurses and psychologists for the children.  Yora spoke of a holistic approach to care.  He said it gives a family-feeling to the children. 

I hoped to find information about Indonesian childhood poverty from the CHIP organization (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/), but I saw information for China, India, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia.  I chose India because it is on the Indian Ocean like Indonesia, and unlike the other three options.  Also, we have a large Indian population in Richmond, VA.   

I learned that India is home to the majority of poor people in South Asia.  Almost half of the population is under the age of 18, and half of those children are malnourished.  India is also home to the largest number of working children in the WORLD…nearly 1/3 of these children are under 16 years of age.  This makes me uncertain if I should buy thing “made in India” to support these poor souls, or abstain from buying these products to boycott child labor.  I am amazed at the poverty level in this country…more than 25%.  Surprising enough as this is, the poverty level in Richmond, VA is 25%. I live in Henrico County (neighbor to Richmond City) and our poverty level is 9%, with a state-wide poverty level of 10%.  I can’t imagine if my entire country operated at this level of poverty.

(Poverty statistics for Virginia retrieved from www.census.gov)

Global Resources - International Step by Step Association

As I stated in my last blog post, I have chosen the International Step by Step Association for my web resources exploration – http://www.issa.nl . 

“The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is a membership organization that connects professionals and organizations working in the field of early childhood development and education. ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives.”

Google Map of the ISSA Network
Retrieved from the http://www.issa.nl

 

I found this organization on my search for an international contact for the other part of my blog assignment for this class.  I saw the website for the ISSA attached to most of the names and countries on the Global Alliance of NAEYC page and decided to check it out.  My thoughts were that if that many countries had a connection to this organization, it would be well worth my time to check it out.

As I explored this site, my first instinct was to find some sort of newsletter.  I did find a newsletter that the organization puts out, but upon closer examination, I began to notice that all the articles were at least 2 years old…everything was dated 2010 or before.  This puzzled me, so I did some further investigation.  I found a place to become a member, and I believe you can only receive CURRENT newsletters if you are a member, which makes sense.  Being that I am a full time student with a low paying job who was also not in the countries to which the newsletters pertained, I decided to save my money and use the old newsletters that I COULD access instead.  I know that 2 years is rather out of date, but I figured it wasn’t SO out of date that I could not get a broad view of the kinds of things that are going on inside this organization. 

It appears that after some period of time (about 2 years), the newsletters for the ISSA are “released.”  I found a Winter 2010-2011 newsletter and in this newsletter was an article about Eurochild’s 7^th Annual Conference.  I read a little further to see what kinds of things might have been the topic of discussion at this conference.  After reading for a while, it seemed very similar to a NAEYC conference.  I have not been to a NAEYC conference, but I have been to and presented at a VAECE conference, which is the Virginia Association of Early Childhood Educators conference, and the topics seemed quite similar. 

One objective that caught my eye because of its correlation to this class of issues and trends in the field of EC, was ”In the framework of the European Year of Combatting Poverty and Social Exclusion, the conference highlighted the importance of EU efforts in helping member states fight child poverty and social exclusion, and brought suggestions of how this effort can be reinforced in the future.”  This was proof to me that America is not the only country that deals with these issues.  As I read on, I also learned that they seem to have some of the same difficulties with funding that we do.

I am excited to dive deeper into this organization that appears to be so similar to those I am already familiar with. 

Connections and Explorations in the EC Field

Here I am again...back at my keyboard...typing about my passion. 

This course will hopefully be the eyeglasses into my field that allow me to see more clearly the issues that we face as Early Childhood (EC) professionals.  Through this course I hope to gain more tolerance and understanding of those who are and who think differently from me.  This week's post is the beginning of a 2 part journey...the first part is a connection with an EC professional in another country...the second part is expanding my resources through website exploration.  Here are my findings form the week:
 

At first, my efforts to make a connection with EC professionals in other countries had proven exhausting and fruitless.  I spent hours searching blogs, and sending emails.  All of my emails were met with delivery failure notifications.  So, I tried something different.  I went back to the blog of a classmate I met a few months ago, and in her blog for this class (which she took LAST 8 weeks), she mentioned that she knew many people (friends and family) in Indonesia that are in the EC field.  I leapt for joy a little on the inside when I saw this!  I quickly sent her a message for some contact information and I am waiting to hear back.  I also have a co-worker who is from Serbia and I plan on asking her for help contacting someone she might know in Serbia in the EC field.  There is hope yet and I’m not quite ready to give up. 

The second part of my international journey the next eight weeks is finding more resources and expanding my library of places to turn for EC information and guidance.  I looked through many websites.  One of my favorites is the Zero to Three website because I work with infants.  I explored this site in detail in another one of my classes and if you have not yet, I HIGHLY recommend it!  Unfortunately, I have already explored this site and wanted to broaden my horizons a bit with something more international.  In search of another site, I explored many, but one really caught my eye:  http://www.issa.nl/global.html. 

 

This is the International Step by Step Association.  In all my efforts to find an EC professional in another country, this organization kept popping up.  When I explored it further, I saw that their main focus seems to be supporting EC professionals.  Bingo!  There is a books and tools tab that connects you to all kinds of great resources for EC teachers.  There was also contact information for each country’s ISSA Core Member.  I very much look forward to exploring this website in depth. 

My Supports

To me, support is manifested through listening, guidance and motivation.  I am QUITE blessed to have a very supportive home and work environment.  I feel as if I am always talking about my support system, so I’ll change it up a bit this time. 

 Of course I have to mention James.  He is one of my greatest supports!  We have been married for almost 4 years and he’s been my support for about 6 years.  I couldn’t do any of this without him encouraging me and pushing me to do my best.

Me and James on our honeymoon

My co-teacher (I call her my co-co!) is also one of my greatest supports.  We often feel isolated, so we have to support each other at work. 

Cindy, Eli, and his true love - the red balloon!

I am also rather blessed with an administrative team that is very supportive.  Mary is supportive of my mental health in giving me my time off requests.  Tracy is supportive through tough developmental issues that arise with the children in my classroom.  Rita is retired, but when she was with us, she was supportive through her past experiences.  Jenny is supportive through her listening ears.  (Kathy M. works at a sister center and is not one of my direct administrators)  Cathy R. is supportive through listening to me and my co-co’s rants and complaints, being a voice for the infant team, and being around to take care of us. 

From left to right -
Mary, Tracy, Rita, Jenny, and Kathy M.

Cathy R. (Class of 2012!!)

When thinking about a potential challenge in my life, I know this group of people would support me.  My co-co is currently dealing with a lot of challenges.  Her father is having surgery soon, she is deep in school work like I am, and is trying to find time for everything while staying sane herself.  Wonderful Cathy R. came in one day and sat down and asked her what SHE could do to help.  I don’t know many other administrators that would do that.  She provided support to Cindy through listening ears, and her advice (guidance).  I know that she would do the same if I were in need. 

My Connections to Play

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” -Plato.

Growing up, I was an Air Force brat.  With this came many different moves and many different times when I had to make new friends.  I remember when I was younger, I would go door to door when we moved somewhere new, ringing doorbells looking for someone my age to play with.  As I remember back to the places I lived, I remember a lot of outdoor play, and each place I lived seemed to have a theme.  Here are a few of the places I lived and the types of things I did when I lived there for play:

Summer of 1995
I was 9 years old and was in my bathing suit most of the summer
(I'm in the middle)

Fairfax, VA (2^nd-4^th grade) – When it was warm outside, the neighborhood game was kickball!  There were many kids my age and I remember gathering on hot summer days to play kickball.  One winter, there was a snowstorm that blew through and canceled school for a week.  I remember the pile of snow at the end of the cul-de-sac from the plows…it was probably 8-10 feet high and we had a lot of fun climbing it and sliding down.  I also remember sledding down a hill that year.  At the bottom of the hill was a chain link fence, so we padded the fence with lots of blankets and drove our sleds right into it, going as fast as we could. 


Winter of 1996
Sitting on top of the hill with my friends getting ready to slid down for the 53rd time
(I'm in blue with the red ski mask)

Montgomery, AL (5^th grade) – I only lived here a short time, but riding bikes was the neighborhood activity.  Our street was a big hill (the cul-de-sac was at the bottom of the hill) and I remember building ramps out of plywood and cinder blocks and flying down the hill to see how far we could jump on the ramps. 

Charleston SC (6^th-8^th grade) – I was getting a little older at this point, but still loved playing outside.  We used to swim at the neighbor’s house and go look for shark teeth at the end of the neighborhood that hadn’t been built yet.  There was a lot of undeveloped land near the Ashley River and for some reason, there was an abundance of shark teeth in the dirt there.  I stored mine in a blue M&Ms Minis tube. 

Halloween 1994
Halloween was one of my favorite holidays because I got to dress up - one of my favorite passtimes
(I'm in the middle, on the left, in an angel costume)
Sidenote - my brother is the tall one in the back...don't know what he was dressed as...

Some of my favorite indoor activities when I was younger (no matter where I lived) were playing Barbies and dress-up.  I loved my pretend world where I could make up situations and pretend to be someone else. 

I had lots of "modern" barbies, but I also had this one.  My mother passed many of her barbies on to me.  This was one of my favorites because of her sparkley dress

“In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.” –Ovid

I think play has changed a lot since I was a kid.  There is so much more technology now than there was when I was younger, and I feel that so much of play today is based around that.  There seems to be less creative play in pretending and more video games and television.  When I was a child, we only had one TV in the house and we watched it together.  If you didn’t like what the family was watching, you could go play with something else. 

To me, play is essential.  Through play we learn to create, to take turns, and to problem solve.  Play is more than just fun, it is necessary. 

“Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.” -Diane Ackerman

My Relationships

Relationships are my backbone.  As humans, we are not created to be alone.  God created Adam and then decided that man should not be alone, so he created a partner: Eve.  Relationships give us support and stability.  They also give us a system of checks and balances, guiding us through life decisions and tough times.

My God

I am a Christian.  I believe that God sent his son to die for me so that I could have eternal life and live with him in heaven.  My relationship with my God gives me strength and guidance to make wise decisions and is always with me, even when no one else is there.  He gives me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Without him, I’d be a hot mess of emotions and impulsiveness. 

My Husband – James

We have been married for almost 4 years now, and known each other for 7 ½.  He is my brains!  He provides logic and reasoning to this woman’s emotional way of thinking.  He supports me through all my decisions and keeps me in check.  He loves me unconditionally.  He has an incredible work ethic and is very smart.  He knows everything about everything, and can do everything from re-do a kitchen (which I helped with!) to write an emergency plan for an entire county.  His colleagues view him as an invaluable member of their team and he constantly receives praise for his high quality work. 

My Parents - Mom and Dad

My parents instilled a lot of things in me.  They taught me to be a woman of integrity and to love unconditionally.  They were my support system before anyone else.  From my Father, I gained leadership skills.  He has always been a strong leader and set a Godly example for my brother and me.  He has shown me that being a leader means you are fair, consistent, and merciful when appropriate.  From my Mother I gained a nurturing heart; this one of my greatest assets at work (and will be one day when I have children of my own!).  I love the children I work with every day.  One cannot work with babies and not have a nurturing spirit. 

My Brother and his family - Rick, Ashley and Micah

We were never best friends because 1) he is a guy and 2) because we are five years apart.  On the other hand, we have a very good relationship.  He (like my Father) showed me what a man of integrity was.  He (somehow) married someone WAY out of his league and gave me hope of finding a wonderful Christian spouse too!  (Ironically enough, I ended up marrying someone exactly my brother’s age!)  He now has an amazing little boy who I can’t help but talk about (and I have just about every other blog entry).  For those of you who are new to my blog, Micah is 2 ½, adopted, and precious!  He (unfortunately) is just as dorky as his Dad J BUT is just as cute as his Mom.  It has been fun to watch the family evolve from a distance and watch my brother become a husband and father. 

My Co-Teacher - Cindy

My mentor.  Cindy Larsen has been one of the greatest things that has happened to me in the past two years.  Together, we teach 8 babies every day.  She has guided me through lesson plans, provocations, and learning stories.  She is twice my age, so you wouldn’t think we have much in common, but we really do.  We work seamlessly together because of our like-mindedness.  I am SO blessed to have the best co-teacher on the face of the planet.  She makes me a better teacher.

My Babies

My babies are my FAVORITE part of my job!  Since I have started I have had the pleasure of nurturing more than 30 lives in my classroom.  They smile at me, hug me, and laugh with me.  Along with these wonderful kids that grow up WAY too fast, are their parents.  We have such great relationships with the parents that come through our classroom.  I have come to learn that infant parents are SO VERY different from preschool parents.  Our parents see the love and trust that their children have for us and because of that, they love and trust us as well.   They complain less that preschool parents and just generally seem to be in less of a hurry.  Most of the parents that come through our room are first time parents and have MANY questions.  I take pride in being able to answer questions and guide these parents through a scary (but rewarding) time of life.