Poverty: The Effects on Children Around the World

I was able to establish communication with my colleague that currently is teaching in Dubai.  I am actually in touch with 2 educators in Dubai, as one teaches basic education grades k to 2 and the other teacher’s special education grades k to 2.  I thought this might give me a different perspective of how service models are delivered in their educational system.  After speaking with them I found it to be very different than I thought it would have been.  They happen to teach in a developed country in Dubai and there is no sign of poverty within their school.  The children come from affluent families who have high expectations and standards for their children and their children's education.  My friend who teaches basic education stated that these children are very different that the children she worked with at the school where I currently teach.  She states the children in Dubai have tremendous respect for their teachers and educators as well as adults in general.  These students want to learn and celebrate knowledge.  Many of these students live in elaborate homes and have access to travel and experiences.  These students are taught religion within the school system and she feels that this is a great contribute to the respect that these students demonstrate.  

I also had an opportunity to communicate with another educator in Dubai who teaches special education.  She stated that students in her classroom although they may have disabilities have access to medical services, many which are provided in the school along with the necessary equipment and technology needed to assist students in learning.  The one thing that she did tell me that I was not expecting is that it is not like this in all areas of Dubai.  In developing countries they often do not have the funds to formally educate students, which is creating a bigger problem, as these children become adults who are unable to read.  She stated that there has been an increase in funds provided to these countries as public awareness has placed pressure on the government to share the wealth with all of their citizens not just a selected few.   Advocacy groups are forming and demanding that equal services be delivered around the world

I also have been in touch with Eric Atmore who is an advocate for Early Childhood in Africa.  He sent me an article that quite informative and alarming about the poverty and its effects of children in Africa.  This article states that (59.2%) of children live in circumstances of dire poverty (Department of Social

Development, Department of Education & Department of Health, 2004).  These numbers are alarming, as these children are not receiving the services they need in the areas of nutrition, education, health services protection from child trafficking and many, many others.   There is a range of challenges and obstacles facing children and their families, teachers, communities and government. One of the major challenges is that of poverty (UNICEF, 2009).

More than half of South Africa’s children live in severe poverty which jeopardies the realization of their rights as contained in the South African Constitution. In South Africa, the majority of children do not have access to an early education program as many parents and/or families cannot afford to pay for school fees. Clearly this seems to be a violation of these children's constitutional rights, but not enough is being done to move these children in the right direction.

Eric Atmore, Lauren van Niekerk & Michaela Ashley-Cooper, CHALLENGES FACING EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA,

APRIL 18, 2012.

The organization that I chose was the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators http://www.naecte.org/

(Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 ).  This organization is of particular inserts to me as I currently teach in a public school and thought this would deepen my knowledge within the field as well as connect me with additional resources.  This organization does have a quarterly newsletter and has a variety of purposes and approaches in delivering new information.  The most recent issue, Fall 2013, focuses mostly on the upcoming annual conference for educators and doctoral students.   The purpose of the organization is: 

v To promote the professional growth of membership

v To discuss educational issues specific to membership

v To advocate for improvements in early childhood teacher education

v Provide a forum for consideration of issues and concerns of interest to educators of early childhood teacher educators

v Provide a communication network for early childhood teacher educators

v Facilitate the interchange of information and ideas about research and practice

v Use, as vehicles, the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, conferences, resolutions, position papers, and other publications

v Cooperate with other national and international organizations concerned with the study and education of young children

The NAECTE Annual Conference is held in conjunction with the NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo. This year’s theme, “Quality Teacher Education Research: Listening to our work, learning from our work” This conference is held in an effort to bring experts in the field together to share information and educate others within the field.  One common trade between our lesson and resources this week is the continued advocacy for continued education for those who provide services to children.  This particular organization advocates towards advancing the profession and the overall good of children and families. 

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
htt   ://www.naecte.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )

Issues and Trends Connecting with Others Around the World

This assignment is very exciting for me and I look forward to learning about education in orhter parts of the world.  The first thing that came to mind for me was that I have a former colleague Gretchen, who is now teaching early childhood in Dubai.  Since she left in August I have contacted her from time to time to see how things are going. She is very excited to be teaching there and is loving the experience.  I have emailed her asking that she stay in touch with me on a weekly. Currently, I am awaiting to hear back from her.   For my 2nd person I chose to email South Africa, OMEP South African National Committee,The National Early Childhood Development Alliance.  I currently have a student that is from South Africa and would truly like to learn more about his culture and the educational system there.    

For my organization I chose to follow the  National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators.  I am an early childhood educator and I found this website to be very informative.  It connects educators from around the world with current trends and research.  It also  has a quarterly newsletter that is published and the information in there was very informative.  I look forward to connecting with other educators from around the world.

                                             My Supports

As I reflect upon the supports in my life the first thing that comes to my mind is that of the emotional supports that I depend upon.  I have been married for 26 years and the emotional support that I get from my husband drives me to believe that I can achieve my goals.  As I have spent many of the past years in school he has never given up on me and was always willing to do whatever was needed to help out so that my schoolwork was done.  Next, is the support of my siblings and children.  The relationships that I have with them are very important to me.  I communicate with many of them on a daily basis and consider them to be a huge part of my life.  On my time off I am typically hanging out with someone in my family.  

Another support that I depend upon is that of the computer.  I use the computer to do my daily work, stay in touch with others and find the latest sales, which impacts me financially.  If I was to loose the use of the computer many of the daily activities would essentially come to a halt.  I would not be able to send emails, which would impact my communication with family and friends as well as banking and other financial services such as online bill pay.  Life for me would truly be different if I no longer was able to use a computer.

My car is one of my greatest supports.  It allows me the freedom and independence of going where I choose, when I choose to go.  I can go to the store, go to see family, drive for entertainment or whatever I choose.  Loosing my ability to come and go and I please to me would be a very difficult thing to accept.

If I had to imagine a disability it would be that of losing my vision.  The loss of site would mean that I could no longer drive or travel independently.  It also would mean that I would not be able to use a computer to the degree that I use it today.  I may be able to buy programs to assist with this, but my use would still be limited and my desire to use it would be greatly reduced as it's often the pictures that I see on the computer that I enjoy the most.  People who suffer from vision loss need supports to remain in place so that they may access their environment to their fullest potential.  As a society we need to be more sensitive to these individuals and imagine how difficult simple things such as going to the store can truly be.

                                                                 

                                                       CONNECTIONS TO PLAY

“Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.” ~ Roger von Oech

“The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.” ~ Plato (Greek philosopher)

I found these quotes to be close to what I hold dearly when thinking of time spent playing as a child.  As a child I enjoyed playing, often by myself as I did not have any siblings when I was young and we lived in the country.  My play partners primarily consisted of my grandparents, my parents and an uncle.  Being an only child until the age of 8 gave me the opportunity to develop a real imagination and take part in imaginative play frequently.  I would dress us my paper dolls and sit quietly for hours emerged in a world with my dolls and the various outfits that I could come up with.  I enjoyed playing the care giver role and always wanted to take care of the babies.  

Living in the country also gave me an opportunity to spend a lot of time playing outside.  I would swing in my swing, ride my bike, bring my dolls outside to have tea parties and much more.  This made me feel closer to nature and I remember spending time after time just taking in the environment and being curious about the world around me.  When I was outside my mother would come out and play with me, sitting under my favorite pine tree.  Life seemed simple and not so rushed back then.  I would walk next door to my grandparents house daily and spend time playing in their house.  Having my family so close gave me a sense of security and belonging that was unique.  They would all stand around outside and watch me ride my inch worm, which I just loved.  As a child we did not have cable television so very little time was spent sitting in front of the t.v.  This allowed time for family and conversations which helped me to gain knowledge and figure out for myself how to do things.

Today's children spend far to much time sitting in front of the t.v from the time they are born.  Parents often use this to entertain their children as life is so busy, dinner must be made, laundry done, left over work from the day ect.  This is becoming a problem in many aspects of children's development from childhood obesity, lack of social development and exposure to violence just to name a few.  In my opinion children are not given adequate play opportunities and parents are not spending the needed time getting to get to truly know their child and building relationships.  As educators I believe it is our responsibility to remind parents of the importance of monitoring the violence in which their children are seeing on t.v.  

Relationship Reflection

                                           

                                                               Relationship Reflection

One thing in life that I have been very fortunate to have are healthy relationships with many people.  Let me first start by saying that I have been married for 27 years and have a healthy, loving relationship with my husband.  It has taken many years and a lot of work to keep this relationship strong as well as give and take.  At times I have found that you must look a little deeper into a situation when conflict occurs to find out what the real problem truly is.  By identifying the true problem solutions can be formed which helps to build respect within the relationship.

My next important relationship is that of my 3 children who are now ages 25, 23 and 20.  Over the years I have had many trying my times with my children, I would by know means ever say it was easy or always made sense, but somehow the strength of our family always pulled them through their difficult times.  My children know that they can count on me anytime they need me and do not hesitate to ask for advice or explanations of things.  Because of the healthy  relationships that my husband and myself have with our children their relationship is incredibly strong amongst them.   They spend time together regularly and don't hesitate to reach out to one another if they need something.  I also feel that this very special relationships amongst them also reflects the relationship that I have with my siblings.  I am one on six children and all of my siblings live close by.  We get together on a regular basis and we look out for each others children as if they were our own.  When family crisis may occur my children have watched as our family pulls together and makes it through hard times.  I guess I could say that being close to your family was just something that was expected from my children as they grew up and this has affected their adult relationships.

I also have healthy relationships with my students and co-workers.  When challenging times arise I will ask others for solutions to the problems that may be occurring.  By doing so builds a foundation of trust and professional respect, as well as friendships.  The relationships that I have with my students is nurturing and respectful.  My students spend 2 to 3 years in my classroom.  The relationships that I build with my students then carries over to the relationships that I have with their parents.  By establishing healthy relationships parents buy into skills that their child needs to learn.  This typically allows for healthy developmental growth as well as self confidence within the child.

I have always enjoyed being close to so many people and feel that the relationships that I have had in my life has influenced the person that I am today.  I am thankful to have had so many people in my life and continue to work on relationships that I have with them each and every day.