Web Resource

The organization I selected is International Child Resource (Institute International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  Its website can be found at http://www.icrichild.org/ourvision/.  The organization has five goals which it focuses on: early childhood care and education, children’s rights, empowerment of women and girls, maternal and child health and grassroots community development.  This organization believes in protecting the rights of all children,  This includes protecting them from abuse and enabling them to live safely and have stable lives.  They believe all children should have the opportunity to have a high quality early childhood care and education.  Early intervention is vital to not only children but communities.  They believe in the empowerment of women and girls as this can have a positive impact on a community.  They believe that in order for women and children to do well they need to have access to healthcare, this will eventually lead to the wellbeing of the entire community.  Lastly, that want all communities to have the resources to get out of poverty but they want those community to also be self-sufficient, able to sustain themselves with their own resources.  They have ongoing projects in different countries all over the world (Institute International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).

One issue that caught my attention was that there seemed to be a cycle of violence against youths in Nepal (International Child Resource Institute, 2014).  Youths were often on the receiving end of violence from their families, schools and communities.  When they grew up they would often become the perpetrators of violence.  This is quite worrying.  Recently, ICRI consultant Melanie Jones, founder of Speak to Children, and volunteer Giulietta Pezzaniti visited ICRI's Nepal office to train 28 Nepalese teachers to address different issues including the one mentioned above (International Child Resource Institute, 2014).

References

International Child Resource Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/

International Child Resource Institute. (2014). Melanie Jones Impacts ICRI Nepal. Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/blog/2014/3/6/melanie

Establishing professional contacts and expanding resources

This week I emailed several professionals, from the early childhood field, who were listed on the Global Alliance and UNICEF website.  However, some of my emails were returned to me because the email addresses were not valid.  Some of my emails went through but I have not heard back from anyone I contacted so I think I may have to do the alternate assignment.

In looking for an early childhood website to study I was trying to find one that resonated with me and easily navigable.  I chose the International Child Resource Institute website.  I like that they have projects in several communities around the world, they go where they are wanted and they use people from the community to help.  They not only help children but also their families. 

Question

Is anyone a part of any of these organizations already? 

Daily Supports

I have numerous supports within my daily environment.  These include: God, my family, friends, co-workers and technology (via my phone).  God is the one constant in my life who is with me at all times, He is my biggest support.   Since I am living in a foreign country and my phone is constantly with me I am able to keep in touch with my friends and family and see what is happening in the world around me.  Additionally I am able to translate things into English when necessary.  I have a friend from college who also works in Japan.  She is like a sister and has been a great help to me, especially in the beginning when I just came.  She gave me lots of useful advice, helped me to identify things in the supermarket, helped me to navigate the transportation system and often cooked for me.  We continue to hangout and do a lot of things together. I am more settled now but I know I can go to her for help if I need it.  My co-workers are also a big support in and out of the work place.  At work they help me come with different strategies and resources for teaching my students.  Out of the office we often celebrate each other birthdays together and do different activities together.  Most of us are foreigners, so we end up doing most things together.  Without these supports I would be very lonely and probably depressed.  I would have no one to help me and I would be alone in a foreign country where I do not speak the native language.  Life would be extremely difficult for me.

One challenge I can think of is getting lost.  My family would not necessarily be able to help me but my friend and co-workers who live here could via technology.  God would keep me calm and keep me from freaking out about being lost in a foreign country.    If I realize that I am lost I could use the GPS on my phone to show me my present location and help me get to a familiar location.  I could also call my friend or other co-workers who would be able to talk me through getting back home or at least getting somewhere where one of them could pick up. They also have more knowledge about the transportation system, so they could tell me which bus or train I should take.  These supports help me feel like I have people I can rely on and a family away from home.  Without these supports I would probably be afraid to try new things and explore new places.  I would probably just stick to what I know and not bother to venture outside my comfort zone.    

My Connections to Play

Quotes about what play meant to me in my childhood

“Life is more fun if you play games.” 
― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play.” 
― Charles E. Schaefer

Essential play items during my childhood

                              

I remember that I loved to play when I was younger.  I used to stay at my mom’s friend’s house after school, my mother would pick me up hours later after she was done with work.  Her friend had two sons, one was one year older than me and the other was two years younger than me.  A soon as I got to their house I would quickly finish my homework and we would all play for the rest of the evening.  We often played soccer, football and cricket but sometimes we would play hide and seek or just make up games on our own.  Play gave me a sense of freedom, it was exhilarating and helped me to be more vocal.

I think play today is much different than it was years ago when I was younger.  I used to play outdoors much more than I see children nowadays doing.  Most of my play involved popular sports from my country like football (soccer) and cricket.  I also played a lot with other children at school and within my community.  It seems that nowadays many children play a lot of videogames and computer games by themselves or with their friends, they also watch a lot of television and do not seem to play outside as often as I did.

I think play was important especially since I was the only child for my mother.  At home I mostly played by myself but I had friends within my community who I would play with sometimes.  At school play helped me to come out of my shell and interact with other children.  It also helped me to step outside of my comfort zone.  Play helped me to enjoy every minute of my childhood. I always enjoyed the age I was and enjoyed learning more complex games as I grew older. As I grew into adulthood play helped me to relax, de-stress and get to know other people.

Relationships

Relationships are important to me because they help to give my life meaning, warmth, joy and purpose.  Most of my experiences in life revolve around different relationships.  I have a positive relationship with God, my mother, Flo, Kristin and Apple.  My relationship with God is the most important relationship.  I am often strengthened and encouraged by this relationship. God already knows all my weaknesses and failings and still loves me so it is easy to go to Him and tell Him what I am going through. I maintain it through prayer  and through reading His word in the Bible. My relationship with my mother has strengthened over the years.  I trust her to give me good, sound advice and I respect and look up to her.  Factors that contributed to this were my mother was very open with me and she was also open to feedback from me. 

Flo is a very good friend who I met in college.  She is older than me so she passed on the knowledge she knew and helped to make my time in college more fun and comfortable.  She is like an older sister to me.  Factors that contributed to our relationship were that I would go to her room everyday so I got to know her quite well.  Secondly, she was very helpful and genuinely cared about me.  Lastly, we would bond over t.v. shows and talk about a lot of different things.

I have known Kristin for a little over a year but our friendship has grown, our relationship is an easy going one.  I feel like I can share anything with her and I will not be judged.  Factors that contributed to our relationship are: we work at the same place and live in the same apartment complex.  We also have similar personalities and shared interests.  Apple has been one of my best friends since high school.  We have kept in touch over the years and have even visited each other across states and countries.  Factors that contributed to our relationship are that we have a shared past and interests.  We know little things about each other that not many people know and we have seen each other grow and change.

Challenges to developing and maintaining a relationship include:

Distance, it gets increasingly difficult to stay in touch the further you are from each other.

Knowing each other’s limits. You have to know that sometimes you need to give the other person space just to be by themselves.

Since it is a relationship it cannot be all about you.  You need to consider the other persons feelings and stance on different matters.  If one person is always the “taker” in the relationship that can be draining on the other party.

Compromise. To make a relationship work you often have to meet the other person half-way and that usually involves compromise.

A special characteristic of the relationship with my mother is that we consult each other before we make any important decisions, in much the same manner as partners.  We also share similar views on many things and our personalities complement each other.

My experience with relationships will impact my work as an early childhood professional.  It will help me know what to do in order to establish trust with the parents.  It will help me to not only gather information from parents but also to give them meaningful feedback about their children, as relationships should be reciprocal.  It will help me to communicate well with parents, communication is key to any relationship.  It will help to remind me that just as I have friends who respond to the same thing in different ways this will happen with parents too.  I need to be flexible and may need to come up with different ways to communicate with different parents. Lastly, with most relationships you get out as much as you put in. 

Quotes

Here are some quotes that embody my feelings about early childhood development

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."
- Chinese proverb

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

Anonymous

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."

Lady Bird Johnson, former U.S. first lady

Assessment

Assessment is an important part of education.  It is what a teacher uses to see if she is effectively teaching her students and to determine the weak and strong areas of her students.   “Assessment is generally carried out for two main purposes – (1) to measure pupils’ attainment and report evidence of learning in different learning areas and (2) to support pupils’ learning and classroom teaching.” (Parents in Education, 2013).  However the same type of assessment does not work for every child.  Some children are excellent test takers but others are not.  If we as educators want to carry out assessments we should not only test one area but other areas as well.

I think educators should observe children in their everyday settings and interactions so there is no pressure.  They can still administer a few exams but do not make it a stressful thing for the children, de-emphasize its importance.  The best approach is to assess children holistically not just as test takers but also their social skills, emotional skills and cognitive skills in areas other than exams.  A holistic approach would also include being familiar with the child’s home situation as this does affect how they perform in class.

In Jamaica children usually start some type of  pre-school at three years and they move on to primary school at six years old (Budd, 2012). Starting in 2014 four year old Jamaicans will “be assessed for their readiness to move on to the primary school system” (Budd, 2012).  According to Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan the assessment is to “determine whether the children have the skills and resources to meet the needs of the grade one curriculum….. it is not a test” (Budd, 2012).  This assessment will determine if they are where they should be developmentally and if there needs to be some sort of intervention (Budd, 2012).  The children tested “would include those with vision, hearing, cognitive problems and those who have nutritional and other issues of circumstance, such as being from impoverished or abusive home environs” (Budd, 2012).   The assessment would help to determine: “children who do not need additional support once they start primary school, children who may need additional support in grade one and children who may need a special education environment” (Budd,2012).  According to Reid (2010) many children who are diagnosed with learning disabilities are forced to attend mainstream schools as there is not enough space in specialized institutions.

Primary education lasts from grade one to grade six.  In grade six all students sit a nationwide exam, the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) (Ministry of Education Jamaica, 2013).  This exam tests students in five main areas: Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Science and Communication Task. A student’s score on this exam determines the high school that they will attend.  At the end of grade 11 students take a Caribbean wide exam, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), usually in eight to ten subject areas of their choosing.  Students who go on the grades 12 and 13, usually take the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at the end of each of these grades (Ministry of Education Jamaica, 2013).

When children are assessed, regardless of the results we should show that child that he or she is valued. Oftentimes children with disabilities, in whatever form it may take, feel less than human.  We need to still encourage these students and help them to reach their full potential. 

References:

Budd, J. (2012). ECC to access 4-year-old’s readiness for primary education. The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved from http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/ECC-to-assess-4-year-olds--readiness-for-primary-education_13044927#ixzz2mhAGU9MX

Ministry of Education. (2013). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.jm/node/16

Parents in Education. (n.d.) Holistic Assessment. Retrieved from http://parents-in-education.moe.gov.sg/primary-education/what-and-how-will-my-child-be-assessed/holistic-assessment

Reid, T. (2010). Special Need’s Children Long Wait For Care. The Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved from http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100221/lead/lead6.html