Sharing Web Resources

The section on the website link at http://www.naeyc.org from the Global Alliance for the Education of Young Children that I found relevant to my professional development was the resources and links. The reason that these links are relevant is because they provide assistance and further training tools for early childhood education professional development, policy makers, advocates in the field, and program administrators. The links also provide initiatives in the areas of state standards, position statements on development appropriate practice, learning to read and write, early childhood mathematics, and unacceptable trends in kindergarten entry and placement. The most relevant information to me was the code of ethical conduct resources that gives and outline on appropriate behaviors for professionals, being responsible as a professional, resolving dilemmas, values, morality, respect, being trustworthy, honest and fair (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2012).

The resources that I found controversial was the unacceptable trends in kindergarten because many children are still being denied a fair quality education due to their economics status, demographics, culture or certain language barriers. The information on the website adds understanding to my knowledge of how economists, neuroscientists and politicians support the early childhood field by providing the facts, resources and feedback on how children from different parts of the world are living, how and what type of resources are available for children and families in certain parts of the world and how different cultures are developing and adapting in the early childhood field. The new insight that I gained is that there is assistance programs and resources available for educators, parents, children and stakeholders that all play a key role in the early childhood field to provide a quality education and environment for children around the world.

Resources                                                                                                                                           

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2012). Early Childhood Professionals. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/ecp

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

I chose the country Mongolia from the alternative blog assignment because I have not had any feedback from my international contacts. The insights that I gained from the sight is that Mongolia transitioned in 1990 to a majority of democrats and is now joined with the World Trade Organization. The sudden change caused the economy in Mongolia to go downhill. Families were put out of work and could not afford the necessities to take care of their family. The services and resources for needy families and children were limited due to the job cuts. There was a economic turnaround in 1995 but not enough to regain the financial support for families and children. Since the overturn of the economy and positive regain, families are still without quality healthcare or education or jobs. There are more than 35% of the population below the poverty level and children ranging from newborn to age 16 that are living in poverty with single mothers. These children are taking on responsibilities as adults at home, which are causing many of the issues in the education field. The children are not able to attend school due to their responsibilities of trying to survive at any means necessary. The children are forced into the streets at an early age (Children Poverty Research and Policy Centre, 2012).

The main thing that I learned is that the economy and financial stability all play a key role in a child’s life, family structure and poverty level. I cannot imagine that if my husband and I lose our jobs and the state did not have many jobs to offer, what we would do to stay afloat for our children. It is something to really think about because no one really knows what is ahead and we have to think about our children’s future. This is why I believe that a quality education along with experience, contacts and other resources will help to rebound from a transforming economy.

Reference

Children Poverty Research and Policy Centre. (2012). Mongolia. Transition and Poverty. Retrieved on January 21, 2012 from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org

Sharing Web Resources

The newsletter link that I subscribed to is http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance. The name of the site is Global Alliance for The Education of Young Children. The organizations focus is share the excellence and quality of education outside of the United States. This organization share and communicate educational resources throughout the world with different associations that provide services and programs for members that participate. This site caught my attention because the organization work with different organizations of the education sector to assist in providing everything that educator’s will need to continue to provide the quality healthcare, education and resources to every child’s development from young childhood education to graduation. The trends that the website discussed that also caught my attention were that there are fewer children today in the United States that are living without both parents in the home. The site points out that children living with both parents in the home have better overall health, more resources, and less behavioral and psychological issues. I want to share that I learned that no matter where a child lives around the world that all can fall short of the care, nurturing and love that is needed for them to develop.

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

The first step that I took to locate and contact 2 professionals, was to click on the link http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance and then scrolled down to the center of the page to see other links and contacts to different professional’s worldwide. The contacts that I selected were in Egypt Dr. Laila KARAM EL DIN. I clicked on this link and then went to communications and information. The second link was in Asia Georgia center for Educational initiatives Eteri Gvineria at email address eteri@osgf.ge. I have not had any response from either connection, but I did email my interest and to introduce myself. The process I took in selecting the early childhood organization was to carefully look at what I would really want to learn more about from the list of blog resources and made my selection. The website that I decided to study was National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators at  http://www.naecte.org/. The reason that I chose this website to study is because I believe if I want to be a successful educator, I need to have all of the knowledge, connections and resources to achieve my goal from different sectors around the world.  

"My Supports"

Support to me means to be there for someone emotional, physically and mentally. Support can also be encouragement or inspirational. The type of support that I need on a daily basis is encouragement, physical and mental support to keep pushing myself to get to where I need to be. The reason that I need this type of support because daily life events such as work, traffic, family life can be stressful. I also need physical support such as team work around the house because after a long day at work, attending to dinner, homework and household chores, it can be exhausting and can take a toll on you mentally.

The challenge that I can see that I currently do not have is being alone to support my household. I will need financial, mental and emotional support to keep me from falling apart. My family keeps me going, because they are always there to lift me up and give me the words of encouragement to keep me from giving up. I am mentally strong, but we all can be put in situations in which we feel that we can no longer do what we do. Life can be challenging all by itself, but with the support of family, friends and the community can make a big difference in your life.

My Connections to Play

Play represents me as a younger child through this quote by Almon, 2002 "creative play is a central activity in the lives of healthy children". The second quote by Almon, 2002 "Their learning is a

combination of their own deep inner drive to grow and learn coupled with their imitation of

the adults in their environment". Both quotes represent me as a younger child because I was always imitating my mother or something that I had experienced. The people that supported play for me when I was younger was my parents. They were very positive about the type of play that I demonstrated. My mother told me that the way I demonstrated play showed her that I was caring and affectionate towards other people. She was right because because I am a mother to so many children outside of my own and I am always willing to help anyone feel better.

Play is different from when I was a younger child. There were physical exercise in our curriculum at school and we had better controlled after school programs to help keep us in shape. We also played outside after school to stay active, until dinner was ready. All of these things have been taken away due to lifestyle changes, technology and environmental influences. Children are not free to explore their minds or the world around them. Everything that a child does in the classroom today is based on academics, not on who they are developing into. Many children do not get a chance to be themselves and enjoy childhood. Since technology is so advanced now, even the younger minds are using computers for everything. Technology has weakened the minds of children by doing everything for them. It seems to me that a child cannot even think for themselves anymore due to everything being done for them. I used to create games, drawings or paintings on my own just to use my imagination, but now children do not have an option.

The role of play have so many benefits because we as a child can use our imagination and explore the options of who we want to become as an adult. Play can help a child like me get to know their feelings and what they are good at. The role of play as an adult gives me the opportunity to observe what children are feeling inside.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships/partnerships are important to me because all individuals involved can collaborate together to doe what is in the best of the child. The relationship between an educator, parent, sister, brother, mother, father or coworker are very important because it helps the development of a healthier person in life. The reason that I say this is because with these relationships the individual will not feel alone and they are able to share and trust in these individuals to be there for them. The individuals that are important to me is my daughter, son, brothers, sister, grandson and my best friend from childhood. The relationship with my daughter is positive because we are always there for each other, we confide in each other, share our feelings and thought and mainly because we love each other. The relationship with my son is positive because we always communicate, share our feelings and thoughts and we are honest with each other. The relationship with my sister is positive because we always encourage each other and focus on how important family relationships are. The relationship with all of my 6 brothers is positive because we are always there for each other, motive each other and we keep each other going in life. The relationship with my grandson that I am building is positive because I provide that secure attachment as a mother and always there to nuture, talk and interact with him. The relationship with my best friend is positive because we share our thoughts, feelings and emotions like sisters. We are always there to lift each other up, and encourage each other to never give up on our dreams in life no matter how old we are. The factors that contribute to all of the positive relationship listed is the respect for each other, close family ties as a child. The challenges of maintaining these positive relationships with my family were the absent distance between us after our mother died and the support that most of us did not give. The special characteristices of these relationships that make the relationship was the open heart and kindness that we all share. The experiences with relationships impact my work as an effective early childhood professional by helping me contribute what I shared with my younger siblings and family toward other individuals, children and family.