During this course we were asked to contact
professionals internationally to learn about how they impact the early
childhood field in their country. I have not been able to connect with an international
professional and so for this week’s assignment I decided to connect with a
colleague from Sheltering Arms Learning Center, Ms. M. Reedy. It was refreshing
to talk with a colleague who in some ways shared some common interest, goals
and concerns.
I asked Ms. Reedy the following questions and
responses were as follows:
·
What issues regarding quality
and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?
“At my center my center
director felt it was important to present the staff with professional training
in order to make sure the staff as a whole has the necessary tools to flourish
in and out the classroom. My center director
expressed the organizations policy on education and compensation and how the
organization tried to make sure all teachers and staff members were compensated
accordingly to qualifications, professional attributes, and educational background.”
·
What are some of your
professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?
“In this field we often
times get looked over and it is my hope that law makers and society as a whole,
begin to look at early childcare workers as contributing members of society and
also the workforce. It is my dream that locally, state and nationally
policymakers will one day be able to see the importance of the profession and
make sure across the board that there are enough funds to fund early childhood education
nationally. One challenge that resonates with me is the constant struggle with
families and the success rate at strong positive relationships. I t has been
difficult at times for parents to put forth the effort and do their part when
it comes to making sure we are working as a team and no one team over the
other.”
Sha'Keema,
ReplyDeleteI bet this interview was very pleasant for you as it was for me. Just as your contact believed, it is so important to make the early childhood filed atractive to more professionals by offering them the adequate compensations for their educational backgrounds. We cannot ask for high quality if we don't invest on it.
Hugs and Kisses to her. Wow it is so refreshing sometimes to hear like minds in areas all over the world or just the United States!!!!!! We are all on the same path something is bound to happen in our favor/
ReplyDeleteHi Shakeem,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post as always. I believe getting the support of parents is one challenge that many of us are faced with. It is sad to say some parents don’t place value on their child’s/children education they feel it is the teacher’s responsibility. However it is a team effort many parents fail to realize that they are their children first and by far most important teacher.
It's always good to keep in contact with old colleagues. I enjoyed your interview with Ms. Reedy and I can empathize with her when it comes to gaining FULL cooperation from the parents. This is highly important, but unfortunately, some parents don't realize that. Children are smart human beings and very manipulative. Whenever they see (or KNOW) that they can get away with certain things, they will definitely try it. So indeed, this is a wish of mine also--to gain the team effort from ALL parents in order to successfully meet our ultimate goal! Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to contact a colleague! We all have so much to learn from each other and we need to remember to tap into our resources! I think her dream that policy makers realize the importance of early childhood education and there be available funding for all, is a dream held by many! I do believe that we are getting closer, Early Childhood Education, is so much more in the fore front than it has ever been before. There are so many wonderful people working to strengthen and develop the system and provide a great educational start for our children. Thanks for sharing her thoughts!
ReplyDeleteHello Sha’Keema,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would like to thank you for sharing your hopes and dreams because it takes courage to express one’s feelings especially one that makes you cringe such as witnessing the struggle of families. I think that we need to relentlessly advocate for young children and the recognition of the EC profession because fighting for the profession is also fighting for the young children.
Secondly, your interview with Ms. Reedy reinforces two crucial elements in a teacher’s life: training and a decent salary. Teachers with a bachelors and credentials can’t stay in the EC education because they can’t live on the salary offered. Ms. Reedy’s director is right on when she tries to compensate all teachers and staff members “accordingly to qualifications, professional attributes, and educational background.” Way to go!
Hi, Sha'Keema,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, what simple questions but thoughtful and complex answers. I too would love to see Early Childhood Education being funded properly, it would be great to be able to teach and not have to worry about having a job next year or where I'll be transferred to .