Exploring Professional International Contacts

Setting the Pace for Success

It is such a great challenge trying to get in touch with international contacts!! It has thus far been the greatest challenge of all my assignments!!  After viewing the alternate website I found interesting topics such as access, quality, investment, and governance.  A professional goal(s) that I would love to attain definitely relates to all of these because they all are important components that foster high quality programs.  How can you have high quality programming without having full access for each and every child and family? The website discusses how international countries provide equitable resources for disadvantaged children to make sure access is equitable.  As far as quality, it shares information on what quality programs should have and be able to do for the children.  For instance, it states that early childhood care and education programmes should emphasize the child’s holistic development and extend beyond assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling.  High quality childcare, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness. Upon reaching the dream of owning and operating my own child care facility, I can refer back to everything I have learned.  Investing is absolutely the gateway to securing funds and resources for high quality programs.  The website gleans about how the greatest difficulty faced by countries in their efforts to expand and improve the quality of early childhood care and education is the mobilization of resources.   Governance is defined as having control, or authority and I can see why it should play a part in child care success.  Early childhood care and education is often the concern of several government sectors and usually these are education, social affairs and health. The multi-faceted nature of early childhood care and education gives rise to the challenge of effectively coordinating provision of policy development and implementation across the different sectors.  Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments. Child care indeed need governance.  Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments. 

The website discusses the Education Regions Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Carribean.  It offers tremendous information on how policies and education are supported within these regions.  I enjoyed exploring the site.  


References:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources-

Upon clicking on researchnet on the naecte website, it was interesting to read about the purpose of the establishment, and what the program offers.  This program facilitates scholarly pursuits on collaborative research projects that relate to topics of early childhood teacher education.  It provides a focus for conducting research studies, and outlet for dissemination of research results and professional development opportunities for NAECTE.  The ResearchNets meet during the fall and/or the spring conferences to organize, plan research projects, and share research results. They also continue to network through email, listservs, conference calls, and on the NAECTE website.

I also read a journal article entitled, Call for Papers that discusses the importance of inclusion and how teachers need to be sure to include each child by access, participation, and supports.  That itself adds to my understanding of equity and excellence.  Additional information to add to my learning would include professional development that promotes inclusive practices.

The link to the site is:  http://www.naecte.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

On the harvard website, it simply explains it's mission and the purpose for the Global Children's Initiative program.   The program is committed to building a unified science of health, learning, and behavior to explain the early roots of lifelong impairments; it leads the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative program and practice models that reduce preventable disparities in well-being; it catalyzes the implementation of effective, science-based public policies through strategic relationships and knowledge transfer, and preparing future and current leaders to build and leverage knowledge that promotes the healthy development of children and families and brings high returns to all of society. (Global Children's Initiative)  There are three objectives or domains that the program concentrates on for enrichment, early childhood development; child mental health; and children in crisis and conflict situations.  I learned about the importance of the program and how it plays a role  in focusing on the developing opportunities to provide leadership training for individual researchers, policymakers, and institutions.


I want to share with you an international contact from Aceh.  Meridas Eka Yora is the founder and director of the institution Fajar Hiayah for Islamic Education and Director of the Yayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation. Meridas developed three boarding schools for children orphaned as a result of that devastation in Aceh.  Aceh, a special territory on the Southern tip of Indonesia, was the closest land to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, in which more than 225 Indonesians were killed and 500,000 left homeless.(World Forum Radio)  This was a tragedy never forgotten and still affects the communities to this day.


The program shows excellence and equity by actively collaborating with a network of local and international organizations to engage in social and educational developments and programs.


References

(N.A)(N.D.)Global Children's Initiative. Center on the Developing Child.  Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

World Forum Radio

Sharing Web Resources

There are plenty topics to cover when discussing current professional development but as I was reading current issues within the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, I found discussions about inclusive early childhood teacher education.  The article, Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education, states that even though there are increases awarenesses and well-established policy initiatives about inclusion for children with disabilities, exclusion still exists.  But on the other hand, the purpose of the article is to explain that programs are now meeting the challenges of preparing them for inclusive childhood settings.  Inclusive early education values policies and pratices that honor the right to all young children regardless of ability.  Inclusive teachers will provide access, participation, and support with the collaboration of other professionals and families.  From observing programs such as these, I can say that I understand the genuine capacity of inclusion.  I understand that policy makers and other professionals are willing to do what it takes to meet the needs of children with disabilities far and beyond.  I can feel the sense of longevity and persistance throughout the article.

References

Couse,L. and Recchia,S. (2011) From the Guest Editors: Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education. Journal of Early Childhood Educators (32) 4.  Routledge

The Focus on Poverty

Upon reading the article about India and poverty issues saddened me.  What concerns me the most are the varying health issues.  The communicable diseases, malnutrition issues all play a part in the strain on society in India. The poor children are just suffering and I really sympathize with those individuals because there is so much that our country can offer and so many resources that should lend a helping hand to these individuals. Thank goodness that there have been drastic improvement, although poverty issues still exist.  It was interesting to know that the children worked so young to provide for themselves and family.  There have been action taken into account and it has made a dramatic change in the lives of those who are considered to be poor.   I have a new outlook on how poverty affects the lives of all health wise, socially, physically and mentally.  I have a greater respect for individuals who survive through poverty stricken times and can still maintain to be successful.  I have even a greater respect for the individuals who created the programs to help these families strive for a better way of life.

Sharing Web Resources

The focus of the organization consists of all aspects of early childhood and the E-letter clearly defines the organization’s purpose.  Their focus is to promote the professional growth to their membership, to discuss educational issues specifically, to advocate for improvements in early childhood teacher education, provide a forum for consideration of issues and concerns of interest to educators of early childhood teacher educators, provides a communication network for early childhood teacher educators, facilitate the interchange of information and ideas about research and practice, and cooperate with other national and international organizations concerned with the study and education of young children.  What caught my attention in the newsletter fall 2011 issue was the presentation of a book that explores each stage of teacher research, from conceptualization, to generating research questions, identifying data sources, gathering and analyzing data, interpreting results, sharing results, to taking action based on those results.  This really caught my attention because I am not the expert on research and I have trouble finding valuable and or legitimate resources when needed.  I guess with more experience, it will become easier.  What I learned that was closely related to the discussion of issues and trends is that for every issue, there is a solution, good or bad and for every trend, there is always a way to make a positive change, if needed.  This organization fights for achievement in many ways and I can sense it from reading about the different programs and or resources they offer in order to form the most reliable and well qualified teachers in the early childhood community.  It was an honor to gain knowledge from this site. 

Creating Professional Relationships

As I attempted to contact international early childhood educators, it was quite challenging.  Since I have not gotten a response from anyone yet I have to take another route.  I went to World Forum Radio and listened to a few podcasts and here are the main points that I interpreted from the interviews: 

Barbara Jones, who is a resident of the East Coast, traveled to California in search of a preschool to teach. She got the opportunity to become a Montessouri teacher in San Diego.  She worked there for 6 years and decided that she wanted to open her own private day care.  She worked at YMCA and decided that she really enjoyed the early childhood field.  She traveled back to Maine and she noticed a boarded up empty building and envisioned to turn it into her own childcare center.  She bought the building and established the Pine Grove Center child development center in Maine in 1984.  It has been up and operating for twenty-five+ years. 

Maysoun Chehab is a resident of Lebanon whose job title is regional early childhood care and coordinator with the Arab Resource Collector.  She works with policy makers and ece community.  They focus on awareness of child rights and train cargivers on best practices for the children. They work in Palestine, Jordan and a few more countries. They produce Arabic resources that are not available in those countries.  Her most rewarding project to date was after the war of 2006 in Lebanon on psychosocials.  She was very passionate during her interview.

 I hate that I have not yet to hear from the international educators but I will keep trying to reach out until I hear something.

My Supports

My Supports

The Important People In My Life

 

 

   As a child, I was not aware of what support meant being that I grew up in a family who really did not show affection in the household.  I was never rewarded on my academic achievements in school or when I participated in extracurricular activities.  I lived in a very unhappy household so I did not know the meaning of "support".  It was not because that is how my parents wanted it to be, let's just say, some things are just not meant to be.  My sister and I experienced our parents divorce at ages 13 and 12 and it was always unpleasant moments from the both of them.  Anywho, besides that, thanks to the positive people in my life, I now know the real meaning of support.  A few supports that I have within my daily environment now consists of my co-workers, my family, and myself.  My co-workers support me through advice forums to let me know that just because I am a single mom, I still can be successful and become whatever I may choose to be if I set the goal and follow through.  They always encourage positivity in every aspect and have pep talks with me to keep me striving.  My co-workers always get me to see the bigger picture when I am stressed or feel like giving up.  My family supports me now more than ever because I am in school.  They always make sure to keep my daughter when I ask them to with no complaints or even expect anything in return.  I admire their support greatly, because I missed out on it within my childhood.  My family believes in me more than I believe in myself at times and that motivates me to take that extra step.  Most importantly, I support myself to the maximum.  Even when I do not feel confident in myself on occasions, I have to snap back in motivation mode and get back on track.  I support myself  greatly because I can confide in myself to keep moving forward, encourage myself, and have faith in knowing that hard work pays off.  If I did not have support, I would not be working towards a master's degree.  I would not be sane enough to handle my full time job, along with my daughter and being a full time student.  Supportive people and or things shows you that you are cared for and someone is looking out for your best interest.  Everyone needs support.  Without support systems, we do not have grounded emotional and mental health.  If I did not have support systems, I feel as if I am disconnected from the world.  It is good to share experiences with others and interact with them on social levels.  Support systems should be what someone wants and need for the reassurance.  It does not make you weak because you need a support system. We all need them!

My Connections to Play

ITS OK TO BE A KID AT HEART!!  EVEN IN ADULTHOOD

As a child, my sisters and I would play with whatever materials that were in our surroundings.  In single parent families,  it is somewhat hard to get children every toy that they plead for and for some reason we did not care if we had toys or not!  We used our imaginations for everything!  Two quotes that pretty much compresses my childhood explains how play molds a child for success as well as the importance of using creativity and your imagination. 

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play."

Henri Matisse
French painter
1869–1954

"When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero."
Fred Rogers
American children’s television host
1928–2003

Those three items that I have chosen, all symbolize responsibility.  I enjoyed dressing my barbie up and combing her hair to make her pretty.  I enjoyed the swing set because it was adventurous.  A child can do multiple things on it.  That is what makes it special.  A child could never get bored.  The cash register allowed us to create our pretend grocery store and exchange money and goods amongst each other.  My parents allowed my sisters and I to play as much as we wanted, because most of the time they did not want us lingering inside the house all the time.  They even would come out and play along with us just to make us feel special.  They would play games, swing with us, teach us how to swing bats, and bounce basketballs.  All of this sculptured fundamentals in us as children.

During my younger years, playing outside was an absolute must.  O gosh if it was a rainy day, my siblings and I would have a yucky day.  My mother loved the fact that we always wanted to be in the outside atmosphere, where we used our imaginations for everything!  In society today, I feel that children linger more on the inside now that crime rates are higher and because parents buy all the high tech devices.  (PSP's,  Nintendo Ds, Play Station, Wii, X Box, Kinect, Ipods; you name it)  Most children would rather stay inside with the video games rather that burn energy on the outside.  I sometimes wonder if this apprehends the child from being creative or imaginative.

In the aspect of play, we must realize that play allows children to interact with the world around them.  They learn how to work in groups and negotiate conflicts eventually.  They also can learn decision making skills and see what areas interest them most.  Even as an adult, I am a kid at heart.  I love humor and I love to be in comfortable atmosphere.  A little play allows adults to do that.  Do you agree?

My Supports

My Supports

 HOW I MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAYS!!!!!

   As a child, I was not aware of what support meant being that I grew up in a family who really did not show affection in the household.  I was never rewarded on my academic achievements in school or when I participated in extracurricular activities.  I lived in a very unhappy household so I did not know the meaning of "support".  A few supports that I have within my daily environment now consists of my co-workers, my family, and myself.  My co-workers support me through advice forums to let me know that just because I am a single mom, I still can be successful and become whatever I may choose to be if I set the goal and follow through.  They always encourage positivity in every aspect and have pep talks with me to keep me striving.  My co-workers always get me to see the bigger picture when I am stressed or feel like giving up.  My family supports me now more than ever because I am in school.  They always make sure to keep my daughter when I ask them to with no complaints or even expect anything in return.  I admire their support greatly, because I missed out on it within my childhood.  My family believes in me more than I believe in myself at times and that motivates me to take that extra step.  Most importantly, I support myself to the maximum.  Even when I do not feel confident in myself on occasions, I have to snap back in motivation mode and get back on track.  I support myself  greatly because I can confide in myself to keep moving forward, encourage myself, and have faith in knowing that hard work pays off.  If I did not have support, I would not be working towards a master's degree.  I would not be sane enough to handle my full time job, along with my daughter and being a full time student.  Supportive people and or things shows you that you are cared for and someone is looking out for your best interest.  Everyone needs support.  Without support systems, we do not have grounded emotional and mental health.  If I did not have support systems, I feel as if I am disconnected from the world.  It is good to share experiences with others and interact with them on social levels.  Support systems should be what someone wants and need for the reassurance.  It does not make you weak because you need a support system. We all need them!