Sharing Web Resources: Deep Dive!

Hello Everyone!

As you all know, I love the NAEYC Official Website. It is my go to website for a lot of the scholarly articles and credible information that I find on new trends and issues in the Early Education field. This week I was asked to deep dive into the information presented on this website and give my opinion on certain aspects of the information presented.

·         What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

When I think about my current professional development, I find that the “Newsletter” portion of the website is the fastest way for me to get up to speed on what’s going on in the field. The NAEYC keeps this section fairly up to date and relevant with thought-provoking articles.

·         Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

The thing that I like about the NAEYC is that they aren’t terribly controversial in their approach to early childhood education. However, their articles do bring issues that were previously unknown to me to my attention and make me contemplate my own approach to certain issues and scenarios.

·         What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

The NAEYC has a portion of their website called “Public Policy” and in this section one can find information on policies, federal developments and government trends. This gives me industry information  from a very different perspective. As a prospective educator, I truly want to make sure that I am knowledgeable on all fronts about my craft.

·         What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

If you are a prospective or seasoned educator, I cannot stress enough how useful this website is. It has truly been a benefit to me  and as I previously stated, it makes me formulate my own thoughts on current issues and trends. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1 (Poverty)

Hello Everyone!

This week we have been focusing a great deal on child poverty. Interestingly, we have been focusing on global poverty throughout the world. I thought that this would be a wonderful opportunity to discuss poverty with my professional pen pals. If you remember, M. Rathburn is in Scotland working as a teacher’s assistant. E. Priest is an English language teacher in China. These are two very different nations dealing with very different issues.

According to M. Rathburn, Scotland seems to be a relatively wealthy nation. M. Rathburn stated that she has never really seen any indications of poverty in her area, and all of her students seem to be well-adjusted and well taken care of. After further research, I found that according to the Child Poverty Action Group of Scotland, one in five children are officially recognized as living in poverty. In some areas the statistics are as high as one in three children growing up in poverty. Obviously we all know that there are poor people everywhere we go whether we see them or not. However, I have personally noticed that in many areas, it is an issue that is often swept under the rug.

E. Priest is in Yunnan, China, an area that has an extremely high poverty rate. The area is rural and relatively underdeveloped. According to E. Priest, she sees poverty area. While having little is an accepted way of life for many of the people in this nation, E. Priest states that not having proper medical care or clean water will never be acceptable to her. According to China.org, about 7 million people live below the poverty line. The issue has gotten so dire that the government has issued a poverty alleviation plan to help the area’s residents.

The discussions that I had with my counterparts didn’t really surprise in terms of what poverty looked like in their respective nations. In more developed countries like Scotland, poverty is an issue that should be discussed more. While I think that their poverty rates were far better than many nations, there is still work that needs to be done. No child deserves to be hungry. While China seems to be technologically advanced and forward thinking, the nation is so large that there are still huge areas that are still being developed and where life is tough and rural. It is encouraging to see that the government is taking the necessary steps to address this issue. However, I pray that their efforts are truly genuine and that those who are struggling will not suffer in the long run.

If you’re interested in the information I’ve provided in this post, please check out these links:

www.china.org.cn

Child Poverty Action Group- www.cpag.org.uk

Sharing Web Resources: National Association for the Education of Young Children

Hi Everyone!!

For my class last week, I was asked to pick an organization that I would like to follow this semester. I picked my absolute favorite organization website the National Association for the Education of Young Children or NAEYC! I just love this website because I can tell that it's members are truly passionate about the advancement of youth in our nation. Also I love the bright easy-to- read layout, interesting articles and overall casual tone of the website. I consider the NAEYC to be a breath of fresh air, when so many resources for our industry can be rather stuffy and bland. 

According to it's website the mission of the NAEYC is to, "...act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources (NAEYC Bylaws, Article I., Section 1.1)." Basically, they want to make sure that all children have access to high quality education, and that early childhood professionals feel supported in their efforts to provide this type of education. The NAEYC releases a professional journal/ e-zine called YC: Young Children that details current policy trends and issues int he field. Issues of this publication is available in our library database and they offer certain article for free for non-members on their website at times. A professional can also sign up for policy updates to be emailed to them when they become available. Some of the the most current issues being detailed include encouraging literacy and fostering reasoning and problem-solving skills, federal funding debates and children's coalition!

As you can see, the NAEYC is a great source for industry professionals, especially beginning professionals. The students we teach are young and fun, so we should see elements of this in our day to day activities with our students!

If you're interested in NAEYC click on the links provided (embedded in the name or acronym of the organization/ journal title) and check them out to learn more about their important work!

New Class!! Establishing Professional Contacts & Expanding Resources!!!

Hi Everyone!!!

So this week I have started a new class in my program called "Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field". I'm very excited to be in this class room as  I love to beat the forefront of information in anything that I am interested in. Interestingly, for this class, my professor has encouraged us to reach out to two early childhood professionals in other parts of the world. At first, I thought that this would be a difficult task. However, I realized that coming form an incredibly internationally divers university like Virginia Commonwealth University, I knew tons of international individuals!!

Pt 1

The first person I thought of was my former pen pal M. Rathburn (I dislike using full names on a blog I don't even use my own full name on this blog....but their names are available upon private request). M. Rathburn left America to attend school at St. Andrews University in Scotland to study Medieval History. We actually met at my first position out of high school and I was helping her and her mother as they prepared for her to go back to school. We connected,became pen pals, and have stayed in touch on Facebook ever since. She recently graduated in 2013 and has decided to stay in Scotland and is currently a teacher's assistant at a local elementary school. 

Coincidentally, I also met my second contact on the job where we were coworkers. E. Priest found work with a great nonprofit about a year into my position that took her all over the world. She eventually settled in Yunnan China and works as a teacher teaching the English language to young kids. 

Pt 2

I may have cheated a little bit in that both of my contacts are American citizens and not actually from their current respective countries. However, I think that this will provide me with a unique parallel perspective on the Early Childhood field in their host country compared to how our country operates. Also, I wont have any logistical issues such as language or cultural barriers to contend with. As I have kept in touch with both of my friends via Facebook pretty regularly, it was easy for me to reconnect with them and begin an ongoing messaging thread. Thankfully, both agreed to be a part of this assignment!! As for my chosen organization website, I would like to go with the The National Association for the Education of Young Children or NAEYC! I just love this website, they have so many sources and articles, and I use it on a regular basis! It is my hope that my familiarity with this website will assist me throughout this entire class. 

I wish all of my classmates the best of luck in finding industry contacts and settling on a chosen website. My tip of the day: Stick with who or what you know...and go from there!