Sharing Web Resources

While reading Financial Solutions for Sending and Keeping Children in School, I realized that it is relevant to my current professional development because it represents a sustained vision for the early childhood field and more specifically for the programs that prepare children for future success. The Article speaks about strategies to bring targeted financial services into the field of education. Opportunity international's goal is to impact the education of 2 million children in marginalized countries. The organization offers school improvement loans which made me think, if the organization is offering school loans to low-quality schools in order to improve the quality of education, how the school will pay back the money. The insight I gained is that the Early Childhood Education is a major issue in other countries and it sounds as though organizations are going to making major investments in Early Childhood Education. When understanding how economists, neurosciences, or politicians support the early childhood field the information I gather was that this organization does realize that it takes resources to fund such a huge project and use several unique strategies to fund and preserve funding.   New insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field I gained from exploring the website or e-newsletter, is that poverty and low quality education go hand in hand if we can invest in developing better quality schools, give our children an opportunity to rise against poverty.

Reference

http://issuu.com/opportunity/docs/financial-solutions-for-sending-and_0b7928fa2f90f8

Getting to Know international contacts

Bangui, Central Africa Republic

 

 

Is an area where one child out of five dies before reaching the age of five. Children's health and education is often neglected because families are forced to work long hours looking for diamonds. Bangui has the lowest school enrollment rate, while food prices continue to rise. Basic need and this poor children are suffering, often going without eating for more than 24 hours. After researching Bangui a little further I found out that there is a great amount of violence there, mainly children being targeted, due families faith. 





Sharing Web Resources

American School Board Journal: http://www.asbj.com/TopicsArchive/ImmigrationandDiversity/Promoting-Diversity-in-Your-Schools.html

Title of Article Promoting Diversity in your School

This article caught my eye because all week we have been focusing on the importance of diversity and demographics. This article talks about what diversity is and why It should be promoted in our school. The articles definition of Diversity is a multidimensional, broadly inclusive concept that acknowledges and embraces the richness of human differences. It is vital that a school board define diversity with sufficient clarity, given the inherent ambiguity of the term and the frequently ill-informed debates that surround it.  Community involvement is key in this article stating "No serious discussion of diversity in our public schools can or should take place without community involvement. Practices at the school complement and reinforce the policy through curricular and extracurricular offerings and student services that acknowledge and celebrate student differences. steps to ensure that it is legally sustainable:

• Connect the use of race to educational goals, not just district demographics (which could result in an impermissible quota system).
• Review social science research that examines the interplay between racial diversity and academic achievement or other educational benefits, and apply that research to the district’s context.
• Clearly articulate how and when race is employed to assign students. Avoid using blunt categories that ignore important racial and ethnic nuances within a student population, reflecting “a limited notion of diversity” (e.g., “white” and “nonwhite”).
• Ensure the use of race or ethnicity in student assignment is necessary to realize a discernable effect on student assignment.
• Consider and, where appropriate, try race-neutral alternatives first

My Support

Factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me are my friends and family they provide support in my daily environment by being great cheerleaders in providing me with guidance as well, when it is needed. If my family and friends were not a part of my life I don't think I would not be the person I am today. Factors within my work environment that are supportive to me, is that my work environment is transparent with open communication. I feel that at work my feelings are valued, and we have a give and take system, we work as a team to get goals and tasks accomplished with strong team spirit, we praise each other for a good job and well done. I also find a great amount of support in my local church, my fellow church member encourage me to live out my purpose and to live according to my faith. 

A challenge that comes to mind when I think of support, is feeling like you have to live up to your supporters expectations and feeling as if you are a failure when those expectation are not meet. The benefits to having supports makes you feel as if someone is in your corner, providing praise and recognition for goals or tasks you have accomplished. If my supporters were not apart of my life I do not think I would have made it thus far. There has been time when I felt like giving up, and not finishing something I have started it was my supporters who encouraged me to with stand the course and continue on.

My Connections to Play

"The essence of childhood, of course, is play, which my friends and I did endlessly on the street that we reluctantly shared with traffic" -Bill Cosby 

 “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers

 people supported play when I was younger  by allowing us to play free, we made our own rules and handle differences without parental involvement. Playing was extremely important to me during my childhood, playing kickball, dodge ball, and yes even football was my all time favorite way to pass time. 

I feel play is extremely different now, children are not as active as they were when I was growing up. Technology has taken over instead of being outside enjoying nature many children prefer to play video games or use some sort of technology in place of active play. My hope for younger children now is that they get active and enjoy nature and all it has to offer. Even now as an adult I more enjoyable to be outside being active than I do spending hours watching television or engaged in some sort of technology.   

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they provide a sense of identity, happiness and fulfillment





Several People I have positive relationships with:

My Best friend Zia Mose we met is my freshmen year of college. We have been friends for 6 years, she is a very positive figure in my life. I am able to be myself around her and confided in her. While having such a long close relationship the challenges we have faced has been obstacles that has taught me to listen more than I speak. Our relationship has lasted so long because we both realize our minor disagreements are not worth losing the love we have for each other. My relationship with Zia has impacted my work as an effective early childhood professional because she keeps me in good spirit just speaking with her on a daily bases keep me lifted. 

My sister Anita Alston-Ellis has always been an positive force in my life. She provide me with great insight and wisdom and leads by example. Having such an exceptional sister whom has accomplished so much in life has taught me to remain focus on my dreams and despite the obstacles that may come my way if I remain focused I will prevail. The challenges I face in our relationship is trying decipher whether the advice my sister gives me is her being a over protective sister or genuinely giving be advice she would take. My relationship with Anita has impacted my work as an effective early childhood professional because she contently reminds me to do my best and to keep striving for success. 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2853200

When I Think of Child Development

                                                                          Quotes:

Growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. - Harvey S. Firestone

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. -Elizabeth Lawrence

Professional support and Thank you 

Elizabeth Vassallo-

Your enthusiasm from the beginning motivated me to continue to read your blogs each week. Thank you so much for being such a passionate and inspirational person.

Jannen Payne 

Thank you so much for sharing your child birth experience I greatly enjoyed reading your blogs. Continue to share you fascinating  stories.