Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

For this week’s blog assignment I decided to research the country Mongolia.  I chose Mongolia because I wanted to learn more about a country which I was not too familiar with. In 1990 Mongolia went from a socialist country to a multi-party democratic state. Due to the transition Mongolia has experienced hard time in getting back on its feet and above poverty level. The adjustment and changes to the economy has also called for basic services and welfare to be reduced. Mongolia was once a country that had various resources to help all families but because of the transition some families have had to go without basic needs.  According to the article, in 1998 36% of Mongolia’s population was living below the income poverty line. Majority of the families affected by poverty are presided over female households and impact the lives of children 0-16 years of age. I found very interesting how poverty and the transition influenced the children of Mongolia. Many Mongolian children are forced to work to help support their families and had to give up their right to education to support the one’s they love most.  Hopefully with time Mongolia can get to a point where they can reduce the numbers of families below or at the poverty line and put into place a system which aids all families in need.

Reference

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Changing demographics and diversity are changing the way educators, families and children address education. This week’s lesson on demographics and diversity pushed me to want to know more about the UNICEF. I decided to research the UNICEF partly because of its name United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. I wanted to know more about the International aspect and learn about the UNICEF, and what it means for all children.  UNICEF believes in uplifting all children, regardless of social class, race, gender, or any other discriminatory factor. Diversity is huge aspect of education and educators must be open-minded to all demographic s of students.  The purpose of UNICEF states, “We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress.  UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.  We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity” (UNICEF). In some countries girls are not afforded a right to education and with the help of the UNICEF, girls are afforded the same education as boys.  UNICEF promotes diversity and over the next few weeks I want to learn about all programs and resources provided by the UNICEF.

                 

http://www.unicef.org/index.php

This week marks a new start to another class on my graduate studies journey. I was asked to contact two early childhood professionals and so I decided to contact the following to establish communication:

2kdotcom@ghana.com (Ghana)

arebimbo@yahoo.com (Nigeria)

sannas@ycef.com (Hong Kong China)

sabtodomigo@unicef.org (Dominican Republic)

I have not been able to contact anyone as of yet and strongly believe I may need to choose the alternate assignment for Part 1.  I chose to contact professionals from countries I knew very little about to gain as much knowledge as I could about early childhood education and their country. I decided to select the National Black Child Development Institute. The National Black Child Development organization believes in advocacy and helping all families in improving their way of life. I felt it was important to gain as much knowledge about children and programs of color, which could benefit me in my classroom daily.

My Supports

Every day I am blessed to wake to know that I have a home, a job, family, friends an means to take care of myself. I do not know where I would be if I did not have the support of the above things and people. My home, family, and friends have been a true blessing to me. I say this because, my family and friends have been my support system all my life and especially helpful throughout my college career. It was nice to know that when I needed something or wanted to talk that all I had to do was pick up the phone or drive over to their homes. My home has allowed me to share wonderful memories with all the people I love and I hope in the future that it allows me to build a wonderful family.

             Over the years I have been fortune enough to work, build my resume and interact with wonderful children. During the recession I was one of the lucky ones, who had the necessary tools to take care of my families. If I did not have a job I would not have the monetary means to live a flourishing life and thus I am grateful. I know of people who did not have a job and my heart goes out to them. I was able to come across many organizations throughout the community that helped those without jobs. Among the many there were a few churches that stood out and helped in the fight against low employment rates such as, Christian World Ministries, Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church, and Vision Church. These churches helped those in need with job placement and held classes to teach necessary skills for particular jobs. If I had to experience that firsthand, then I would have went to the churches and seek out help.

           

"My Connections to Play"

                                       As a child I often wanted to go outside and play with my friends and my sisters. My mother was very adamant about us running around and be children.  At times we did not want to go out and play but she pushed us to be active. As I have gotten older I realized that play is not what it was when I was growing up and that saddens to me some degree. In this field we see things that blow us away and watching what today child’s consider “play” is totally different. When I was younger we were content with going outside and running around, playing hide and go seek, and jump rope, and today that is a whole new ball game. I have seen that children today do not like to be active and in part I blame all the advances in technology. I hope that one day we are able to get back to the basics and keep the spirit of play alive and well in the many years to come.

“Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.”

----Diane Ackerman                

“The true object of all human life is play.”

----G. K. Chesterton

         

    Relationship Reflection

 

Relationships are important to me, because I have built lasting relationships with friends and family over the years. As a child I wanted everyone to like me, but as I got older I learned that having just anybody in your life was a negative thing. I soon realized that I wanted to surround myself with loving and caring people in my life and have those relationships last. Family is very important to me and the family members I am closest to are my younger sisters.  My sisters are my best friends and my confidants, and just being around them puts a smile upon my face.

                I must admit that our relationship was not always the best, but over the years we learned to appreciate it other and respect each other more and more. We learned through trial and error that communication was key and was the foundation for a lasting relationship.  I remember once that my sisters and I, got into a  huge fight and our mother was so upset with us, and all we kept hearing her say was, “Why my girls, oh why?”. It was in that moment when I realized that all she wanted for us, was to act like young ladies and love each other.  I believe that strong partnerships and relationships rely heavily on effective communication, also total honesty, and also consideration. It is very important for us as humans to respect each other’s views and values and be empathetic to one’s feelings. As an educator each and every day I am adding and building on a firmer foundation with my students and his or her family. I believe it is very important for me to interact with the family to gain their trust and build up a rapport that would benefit the students and their family.

Blog Assignment: Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

            As a child I came into contact with a lot of people and one person in particular sticks out to me, my friend Jasmine.  Jasmine came from a single parent home and was the youngest of five children. She was very mild mannered at school, but I never understood why when it was time to go home that should would act out. In our neighborhood some rumors were circulated but I always waited for Jasmine to tell me herself. At seven or eight years old I could not do much but I wanted to be a friend and be there whenever Jasmine needed me.  Three years after meeting Jasmine I soon realized why her behavior changed and it was evident that her home life was not the best.

            Jasmine went to me in confidence and shared how her and her sisters were being abused by their mother’s male friends. I was shocked and sad for her, because I could not imagine that situation for myself and my sisters. During our friendship I saw how Jasmine behavior changed and the emotional turmoil she went through. It was hard to see her cope because her mother was in denial and did very little to bring those men to justice. Jasmine life took a turn for the worst when she began at a young age doing drugs, and each year my once cheerful friend became an angry and depressed person.

           

            In South Africa women and children have been impacted with several stressors, one of which is violence. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV infection among women and children. South African women and young girls are more vulnerable in the population to contact HIV and become violently abused; this is contributed to the violence of women and the segregation of men and women. Women who HIV positive are often tormented, ridiculed, and labeled as “spreaders” of this deadly virus, and because of this women and young girls often come violently abused. In December of 1999, the South African Domestic Violence Act was revamped and put into effect. Legislation called for a well defined and thorough definition of abuse and domestic relations. The Girls’ Education Movement/Safe Schools Initiatives organization and the Violence against Women and Children and HIV and AIDS project are working hard to protect the rights of women and children throughout South Africa.

References:

http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/hiv_aids_729.html