As an educator I believe it is important to be knowledgeable about the field I am in and to provide a quality education for my students. It is also important that all my students feel included regardless of their socioeconomic background, gender, religion and culture. Lastly I think I should collaborate with other colleagues and organizations as this will expand my knowledge and resources. The three elements I mentioned were seen in some form on (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage.
A statement that stood out on the webpage was that “The main challenge faced by the teaching profession today is both one of numbers and quality” (UNESCO, n.d.). UNESCO hopes to address this through “national policies, training, recruitment and working conditions” (UNESCO, n.d.). I learned that there is a demand for teachers in some countries and a call for quality teachers in many places. “UNESCO is concerned by the rise of racism, xenophobia and intolerance,” so it has undertaken a project to design educational materials to address these issues (UNESCO, n.d.). These materials will then be distributed to different countries (UNESCO, n.d.). In this venture, UNESCO is seeking to let everyone feel included. UNESCO has formed partnerships with several organizations and international networks (UNESCO, n.d.). These partnerships help “UNESCO [to] leverage resources, expertise and competencies to promote all UNESCO’s ideals and values, to achieve common development goals, and to strengthen visibility and impact of its action” (UNESCO, n.d.). UNESCO wants to see the holistic development and education of all children (UNESCO, n.d.)
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Reference:
UNESCO. (n.d.). Early childhood care and education. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
Hi Karina, I am interested in the UNESCO site so I checked it out for my self. I found a post that talked about a global action for education week going on in Paris, France. The focus is on inclusion for children with disabilities. After my post on Rwanda this week, I was feeling a little discouraged about this assignment. I will have to remember that lots of countries value their children.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.unesco.org/events/2014-global-action-week-education-all
It is very interesting that the issues in other areas of the world can be so diverse from ours in the United States. Although some issues and aspects of early childhood are generally different, we as educators share a common interest in helping and advocating for positive efforts. I think it is also important for organizations to keep in contact so they can all have a positive experiences in helping children and families.
ReplyDeleteKarina,
ReplyDeleteI am glad to read as an educator that you include all children no matter what their background consists of. My family and I were just discussing this issue at dinner tonight. My sister-in-law is a teacher and she works in a diverse program. All her children come from different ethnic backgrounds. My sister-in-law says she does not just focus on one race, that she teaches her children about all different races and ethnic backgrounds. For example, the majority of her children are Asian and she talks to the children about African, North American, Latin American, and European backgrounds. She also uses different illustrations to show the children the difference and some ways others live in different parts of the world. Having quality teachers is important in order to have a quality program.