Resources from my Global Early Childhood Development class that I have found thought provoking:
Association for Childhood Education International. (2011a). The decade for
childhood 2012-2022.Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/acei-news/decade-for-childhood-initiative-highlights-childrens-rights
Learning about the decade of Early Childhood
was extremely interesting! The Association for Childhood Education
International (ACEI) and the Alliance for Childhood allotted the years
2012-2022 and the International Decade for Early Childhood. A cohort of
ambassadors from around the world meets at a biannual Global Summit on
Childhood to discuss problems and solutions related to early childhood
education. I think this is an important
resource because as scholars of change we have to be aware of what practices
are effective as well as what current trends are prevalent around the world.
This allows a time for advocates to build partnerships that will help change
the children of the future.
National Association
for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.c). Retrieved October 23, 2012,from www.naeyc.org
The National Association for the
Education of Young Children is one of the largest organizations that work on behalf
of children. Within their website you are able to learn about how to become a member,
literature on early childhood education, exploring developmentally appropriate practice,
information on attending the annual conference and expo, finding accredited programs,
pursuing accreditation for your program and policy updates. This website also
provides a Code of Ethics that all teachers and therapist should abide by. The
most important thing I valued in this code was having respect for your peers
thoughts and ideas. We will not all get along but everyone’s ideas should be
valued and not talked about behind the persons back. The worst thing is to work
in an uncomfortable environment. I think if more people referred to this Code
of Ethics it would eliminate the static among teachers who don’t get along. We
should all have the same goal which is to educate children and their families
ethically.
What inspires me???
The
thing that inspires me most is seeing children make progress. As a Speech
Therapist I often see children as young as 1 who have articulation and language
delays or disorders. Seeing these children grow and move on to Kindergarten
sometimes not needing an Individualized Education Plan ( IEP )touches a special place in my heart. I know that
all the hard work was all worth it.
I
also found a passion for working with Spanish speaking families. As I
researched how English Language Learners learn and are assessed I found some of
the research to be challenging. Current research is limited and program
implementation is scares. Through it all I found a great motivator. This year I
teamed up with the ESL teacher and school psychologist to offer the Spanish
families a time where they could gain information from the community such as
libraries, English classes, translation services, free recreation activities
and more. We were able to provide 18 families with food, books and clothing when
they attended. All the children were in a separate room watching a movie with
my school’s principal and assistant principal. I am so grateful for the support
and partnership that is demonstrated at my school. This social helped to bring
awareness to what information these families are not aware of. They provided
feedback that we were then able to share with the teachers. It was such a great
feeling to see these families gain information that they didn't previously know.
I hope to do this again and extend it to other schools as well!!!! 
Resource Links
Wonderful Blog Post Kara!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great that you are partnering with different experts in your building to make a difference in the lives of your students and families. As an educator, I feel strongly about the need for collaboration amongst colleagues because we each have something valuable to offer. In early childhood education I have often noticed the strong support system amongst educators which is very uplifting. You have demonstrated your understanding about the need to focus on the overall growth of the children. One of the best ways to support the child is to draw in their other teachers...their parents. I am very impressed with your determination and I feel that I have grown as a professional through collaboration with you. Thank you for all of your support and I look forward to working with you in the future!
Randi
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your program that was offered to Spanish speaking families within your school. It really touches me to see some schools that are willing to go above and beyond to help and reach out to their families. In Head Start, family engagement is a requirement, and I often worry about our families when they leave for the public schools. We really reach out to them to involve them in every possible aspect of programming, and that simply does not happen in most of the public schools surrounding us. Couple that with the fact that many of our families are Spanish speaking and schools simply are not culturally or linguistically sensitive. We have one district that routinely holds back kindergarteners that have transitioned from our program for a lack of sufficient English skills. So, it is great to see that there are districts that do the outreach to engage families that may otherwise be left on the sidelines of the school environment.
Julie