In conclusion...

To say that my horizons were broadened in this course would be an understatement!  As we have explored the issues that ECE educators face on a daily basis worldwide, I have certainly come away feeling that there is much work to be accomplished in our field!

From the podcasts, I have learned that even among terrible situations, there are those who are courageous to provide education for children.  Individuals such as Meridas Eka Yora and Maysoun Chehab have worked hard to educate children in the midst of destruction and war.  Personally, as I reflect on the contribution by these individuals, I ask myself, “What is my excuse?”  I am not faced by tragedy, destruction, or natural disaster.  I feel that I need to go above status quo, and make the effort to get to know the personal battles that my children may be facing.  Even though we have not been affected in my district by events such as these, each child probably has their own personal war, and I feel that I need to strive to provide them with the best education they can get, and give them the tools to cope with these battles.

I have never been much of a statistics person, as I am not a very good analytical thinker.  However, as we have visited websites in this course, and reviewed statistics about children in poverty, I must admit that I have been moved by the numbers.  In visiting the Global Fund for Children’s website, I was amazed at the number of children worldwide who are working (around 215 million).  Some of the jobs are harsh, and to say the least, children are being robbed of their childhood.  In America, I know that there are labor laws that protect children, but I also feel that I need to protect childhood for my students.  I have decided that one way I can do this is to advocate for the power of play in ECE.

I have always felt that I am no stranger to poverty.  As we have examined poverty worldwide, and the devastating effects, I must say that I am reminded how blessed I am.  I have often felt convicted as I read the information on websites regarding the ways children grow up.  I have always had a passion for abolishing poverty, and as I visited two countries in years ago, I was moved to do something for poverty worldwide.  The farther removed from those visits to China and Haiti that I am, the easier it became to get back in my comfort zone.  I’ve never forgotten what it was like in the two countries, but at home in my comfort zone, in my air conditioning with a well stocked pantry, I must admit that my passion had waned.  However, in visiting sites like UNESCO, and seeing what is being done for children in poverty, I have been moved to once again become involved.  I do not have a clear direction yet, but I cannot just sit back.    

As I have read postings from each of you, I have grown.  I want to thank you for all your contributions and comments, as they have helped me see the global impact ECE is making.  Also, I wish you the best on your journey, and maybe our paths will cross again!

:)  Kristi

UNESCO

I have become a stronger advocate of early childhood education.  I always knew that this was an empowering force in the lives of children, and I must admit that I sometimes only looked at this country, and thought about the lives of children here.  While this is important, I know that it is of equal importance to look at the children of the world.

In visiting the UNESCO website, I was interested in the section that dealt with poverty reduction (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/poverty-reduction/).  By 2015, there are goals that hope to be met that are targeted at reducing poverty and reducing death rates for mothers and children.  In reading information about this, I followed a link to the United Nations, and one of the links led to me the status of this.  If projected trends continue, many of the countries that need assistance will not meet these goals by 2015 (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/2012_Progress_E.pdf).  There is much work to do.  I think that advocating for those in poverty gives a voice to the voiceless.  I was surprised to discover that there is a plan in place for helping worldwide poverty.

Further, UNESCO offers Technical and Vocation Education Training (TVET) for groups of people by teaching job skills and learning skills.  A database that gives information about countries and the work of TVET is available.  Out of curiosity, I looked at this, which can be found at http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase.php .  I looked at some of the information about the countries and found it refreshing that there are things being done to grow the workforce and abolish poverty.

Last, I was moved by the push for “Education for All,” as I view education as a tool of empowerment.  At the World Education Forum, 164 countries decided to make advances toward reaching this goal.  Six goals are to be met by 2015.  Education is so important that everyone deserves this, I feel!

For the podcast, I listened to Barbara Jones.  She is the founder of Pine Grove School in Falmouth, Maine.  As a student in college, she felt that alternative education means were for her.  She traveled to California, first, and began learning the Montessori approach.    She was there for two years and decided to complete the Montessori training.  In Falmouth, she decided that she would begin a program in an old building, a former schoolhouse, and began the wait for the building to be sold.  She opened the program in 1984, and has been working for 25 years in her program.  I was inspired by her apparent passion.  You could hear her beaming as she discussed her work!  I think also that I was inspired by her tenacity-to try to reach your dreams wherever they may lead you!

Sharing Web Resources

As I explored the global Fund for Children website further, I decided to look at the “Get Involved” tab.  Being an avid reader, I was interested in the “Bookstore” section.  I further clicked and read about resources, and discovered several links.  I visited one in particular that gave an annotated bibliography for children’s books that celebrate crafts from other parts of the world, all with the motive of teaching children about being a global citizen.  There are other books that discuss religious diversity and environmental concerns, as well as a listing of periodicals.  The website link is https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/store/resources/

While further exploring this portion of the website, there was a section that was titled “Online Resources.”  I looked at this section extensively, as there were several links.  Topics included The Best of the Best Online, Activism and Service Learning, Games and Kid Friendly Websites, Global Citizenship and Stewardship, and Tolerance, Anti-Bias, and Diversity Education.  I decided to look in depth at the Global Citizenship and Stewardship section.  I particularly enjoyed the Oxfam Education link.  This highlights four children from around the world and children can compare and contrast their life to that of other children.  (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/your_world_my_world/?2)

I visited the GFC’s blog for a recent entry.  I found an interesting entry about how sports are bringing equity to children in Tanzania.  For children living in extreme poverty, with below standard schools, a group called Future Stars Academy seeks to teach children how to become model citizens and try to inspire them to rise above poverty.  Children in poverty are not the only ones served.  Affluent children participate as well.  Participating in sports has been an equalizer for them. In short, this group inspires children to dream!  By participating in sports, children have not reaped only physical benefits, but they also learn life skills and are more likely to stay  in school, as they have a “No school, no play” policy. (https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/empowering-youth-through-sports/)

The Global Fund for Children seeks to create equity in education, by sponsoring grass root organizations that equalize opportunities for children.  Some organizations provide schooling for girls rather than them becoming a slave or on the streets.  Some organizations provide housing.  In reading more of what they strive to do, I guess I am inspired to dream about the impact that can be made if one person takes a chance.  I also realize that this world is large, and equity is a global issue.  (I know that may seem a little strange, but I tend to get caught up in my little corner of the world without focusing on global issues).  I guess you could say that my eyes continue to be opened.