Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Establishing Professional Contacts

I have to admit that I was both intimidated and exited by the proposition of working with international professional resources.  Establishing professional contacts outside of the United States, truly made this part of the journey real for me.  

As such, I have attempted to contact three figures in the field of Early Childhood.  Through The Global Alliance of NAEYC, I have attempted to contact Gerda Sula of the Step by Step Center in Albania and Yvonne Dionne of The Canadian Child Care Federation. Learning about conditions in Albania has interested me since I learned that it is the country of my neighbors' ancestry.  They are first-generation immigrants from Europe and we have shared many an evening discussing the differences between Albania and the US and how they are torn between their happy memories of the "old country", the fear they felt before they left, and their desire to provide all they can for their children. 

I also chose to attempt to make a Canadian connection, because while I know that there are many similarities between our two countries, I am also aware that they handle their politics quite differently.  I am curious to learn how this affects decisions made in the field of Early Childhood Education.  I am also interested in whether of not speaking multiple languages creates differences among the Provinces.

Outside of the suggested resources for the week, I have also attempted to contact author and child literacy advocate Mem Fox.  She currently resides in Australia, which I have always wanted to visit, and I have always appreciated her candid attitude toward issues that we take quite seriously.  After perusing her website, I learned that she will be traveling here to the US later this month as she visits both New York and Hawaii.  As such, I am unsure as to whether she will even have time to respond.

As I eagerly await my responses, I took the opportunity to join the World Forum Foundation and explore WoFoNet.  I subscribed to receive notifications from the group ECE Researchers: A New Opportunity to Connect with Others Around the World, but otherwise experienced some difficulty navigating the site.  I plan to give it another go and am excited to see more of what the site can provide in the event that my other contacts do not work out.


Expanding Resources

I became a member of NIEER (National Institute for Early Education Research) a few months ago in an attempt to broaden my research pursuits after finding a reference to a college in my area that had contributed greatly to Early Childhood pursuits.  This organization covers a wide array of EC topics such as Special Education, Quality and Curriculum, State Programs, Access, and several others.  I currently receive newsletters and blog updates from the organization.  I am glad that this current class will force me to keep up on their new information.  Sadly, I have been saving most of their notifications in a special email folder, but have yet to find the time to sit and read through them.  Thankfully, this will now be a part of my coursework.  I encourage everyone to check out this site at least once--there is a wealth of current information to devour.  

I am excited to see what becomes of my attempts over the next few days and how I can use it to my benefit to help improve Early Childhood conditions.

My Supports

This statement means a great deal in my life.  I am my own worst enemy and biggest fan all at the same time.  How, you ask?  I have always been the first to lose confidence in myself or feel inadequate, however, I have been very lucky in my life to be surrounded by people who love and support me to the fullest.  This is not to say that we all walk around high-fiving each other or are subjected to constant cheering, but we do know when to step in and when to let a situation take its course.  Within my immediate circle of support, we are known to work hard and play hard.  We all have differing personalities and skill sets which bring something individual to the table, which allow us to work well together and constantly learn from one another.

This translates into my professional life as well, where I allow children, to experiment with their world and learn by trial and error.  I love the wide-eyed "Aha!" moments, complete with confident smiles and knowing smirks that I get to witness every day.  Each time this happens, I tend to cast aside the struggles of daily life as I am certain that I am right where I am supposed to be.

In addition to the emotional support and advice I receive from loved ones, there are a few other items that I just can't seem to live without.  My calendars and laptop are my organizational lifelines.  Without them, I am pretty sure my world would come completely unraveled.  These tools help me manage social obligations, my finances, work schedules, sports schedules, and professional information.  I perform close to 100% of research concerning my family online, and supplement my children's educational experiences through certain websites, as well.  My phone should also be included within my technical supports, since it and my laptop are major contributing factors to my ability to communicate.  I love that I am free to roam, and don't have to feel that I am shirking any responsibility regarding business or leisure.  (...but don't get me wrong--I love going "off the grid" and disappearing for short periods of time too!)

Without these supports, my world would become a completely different place.  I imagine that I would feel much more isolated, and that even simple tasks would become much more difficult.  I remember as a child being fascinated with Helen Keller.  This led me to often pretend that I had lost my sight and hearing, and I would try to communicate with others and make my way around the house.  I even took it upon  myself to try to teach myself some basic sign language and braille. As an adult and educator, I took the task more seriously as I realized how much it could benefit those with and without sensory challenges.  

I cannot imagine the devastation that would I feel if my world were to become changed so drastically at this point in my life, but I know that I would be able to overcome most difficulties that it would present.    I would have to restructure the entire management of family life.  I would have to find new ways to work and play.  I think that the most tragic of all would be the inability to hear my children's stories and laughter, and view all of their smiles and accomplishments.  My support system would need further support by those with more specialized abilities.  I hope that I would have the strength to move forward to prove to myself and the world that beauty comes in all forms and that we all have something to give.

Change the First Five Years and You Change Everything

My Connections to Play

“Play is the highest form of research.” ~ Albert Einstein (scientist)

“Play is…more than just fun. Plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults – and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age.” Stuart Brown (author of The Neuroscience of Play)

As a young child, I truly believe that aside from my father's direct teaching, my mother's undying passion for reading with us, eating, and sleeping I spent every other waking moment engaged in some form of play.  We lived next to an empty lot on a sparsely developed dead-end road which backed up to a steep ravine with creek at the bottom.  There were only three other young families on the street and all of those children become my nearest and dearest friends.  We explored from sunrise until dinner, and never found ourselves bored.  Our bicycles were our mode of transportation and it seemed that we were on-the-go as long as the weather permitted.  

Our swingset was a castle, a pirate ship, a roller coaster...the wind used to try to keep us from ever reaching our destinations...we lived, like Alice, in Wonderland where the flowers and grasses were taller than us...we held grand tea parties along the banks of a "mighty river"...the trees we climbed served as locked towers, fire poles, and look-outs.  We knew the landscape like the backs of our hands, but every day was a new adventure.

My parents, and the parents of my friends, seemed to allow us unlimited play time.  While I am sure that they knew basically where we were, they never intervened.  We were free to make our own rules, devise our own games, and handle our own interpersonal conflicts.  In addition to this free play time, my parents loved to travel, hike, and visit interesting places.  They seemed to enjoy a new expedition just as much as we did.  My mother had a "teeny tiny town" that she loved to look at as we traveled East to the ocean, where she used to daydream about living.  My father had always dreamed of flying a plane, so swings and bicycles were often made into airplanes.  He also loved to swing on vines in the forest and try to pretend we were lost to see if we could find our way out of the woods.  My grandmother loved to take us on berry-picking walks where she would teach us about edible plants, tell stories, and pretend that were Little Red Riding Hood.  The elderly neighbors on our street supported our wild imaginations by buying our homemade crafts and letting us play among their lawn ornaments. 

Play for young children today is drastically different in many places.  Society, expectations, and the environment have changed.  There are fewer "green" spaces to explore, less "unscheduled" time, and more obligations to academic pursuits.  As most children find their free time filled with structured activities, this is where children seem to congregate and interact.  There are play groups, story times, sports and classes.  My hope for the future is that adults will look back to their pasts and remember the sheer joy in uninhibited free play.  Even if the environment has to be a little more controlled, it would be incredible for play dates to turn in to "free play dates" and structured activities would involve more interaction and less "do what I do".  

Personally, I look forward to the time when the weather gets warmer, schedules relax some, and children can once again venture outside.  While there is still a great deal of supervision necessary in today's world, children can begin to more openly explore the world around them when they are not confined by the intensity of everyday life.  Even they can appreciate the calm that comes from a relaxed adult as they join in a game of Tag or become a guest at an outdoor tea party.  As adults, one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is a degree of freedom and the security that comes when they know we value their interests and their "work".

               

Relationship Reflection

I find this to be true in all relationships.  While the circumstances are all different, and the situations span over various lengths of time, the people we encounter in our lives are there for a reason.  We learn from each other and build better versions of ourselves through our interactions.  Relationships are not easy, and they require reciprocal effort.  They do not always last, but they are all a part of who we are today.

As I reflect upon my current relationships, I think about those friends and family who support me on a daily basis.  I think about my professional contacts and clients who cause me to work my hardest.  I think about people who have faded out of my life, and how my past interactions with them have resulted in building the platform which I stand on today. I realize that I am who I am through my gains from them.  I value each and every relationship for a multitude of reasons...

My family is my rock.  They challenge me to soar and keep me grounded all at the same time. I always have their unconditional love and support.  My husband, children, and mother have made the fulfillment of my dreams possible and I do my best to return the favor each and every day.  I truly cherish the times when we can slow down and truly appreciate each other. 

My friends provide another type of support.  I have a small, but incredibly valuable circle of friends.  We do not live near one another, but thankfully, due to technology we manage to stay close.  We are all busy professionals and mothers, who have very little time for phone calls and lunch dates, but somehow each and every time we talk we are able to pick up right where we left off.  On occasion, we have the luxury of planning small trips together, but sometimes it is just the perfectly timed card in the mail or posted flashback photo that restrengthens our bonds.  As life has taken us through some pretty difficult times, we have never faltered in our ability to hold each other up and I am thankful each and every day in knowing that they are there.

There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today without the professional relationships in my life.  When I first entered the world of early childhood education, I was fortunate to be surrounded by fellow educators who were all of similar mindset and never let their passion for the profession fade, even when faced with adversity.  Over the years we have all gone our separate ways, but have managed to keep in touch.  I know center directors, small independent preschool directors, Head Start teachers, women who dedicate their lives to infant development, fellow business owners, elementary school teachers, early intervention specialists and instructors.  Not only have I been able to maintain these relationships through periodic contact, scheduled visitations, referrals, and through the solicitation of professional advice, but I am working on building solid relationships with my children's teachers as well.  It is refreshing to be able to discuss the progress of my own children with the understanding that we all want what is best for them.  

The benefit of the children should always be the focus, which is why I operate my own facility in this fashion.  I have formed very strong partnerships with the families of the children in my care.  Even when challenging situations arise, we are able to have discussions regarding the best methods by which to proceed.  We share information and respect one another's opinions.  I have come to know each and every family quite well, both the nuclear family in the home and many of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in extended families through school events, recitals, and birthday celebrations.  While I enjoy getting to know families because it helps me understand the children better, I think they feel more secure about the care of the child when they get to know me and my family on a more intimate level.  Through these partnerships, we can all feel confident that the child is in a safe, nurturing environment where they will thrive.   

As humans, we desire to have social interactions with others.  Our interactions may not always be positive, but they can all be learning experiences.  Not only have I learned in incredible amount from the relationships in my life, but I have also learned a great deal about myself.  As I move through life, I learn what works and what doesn't.  I can recognize when things need a little tweaking or are better left alone.  I understand that I need to build a better relationship with myself and that sometimes it is perfectly acceptable to want to be alone.  I feel that this type of reflection is integral to becoming a positive professional and maintaining our passions.  When we can grow from our foundations with the confidence to strike up a conversation with a stranger or set out on a new path, knowing that we have a base to fall back on, we can truly climb mountains.  

Julie Fowlis - Touch The Sky w/ Lyrics

As my journey continues...

In honor of the late, great Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Theodore Geisel) on the eve of his birthday, I would like to thank him and his contributions to the world of early childhood education.  While his life was much like that of many of our own, he always felt the need to recognize and act upon global injustices usually through his unique cartoons.  Eventually in a moment of financial need, he was asked to accomplish a seemingly impossible task--to use only 225 words to create a book that would be more intriguing and entertaining to children than TV. By utilizing his passion, his odd-looking characters, and simplicity that reached right into the childhood mind, his series of books that we have grown up with and loved began.  He has been replicated, translated, and enjoyed all over the world, as his seemingly simple text continues to influence the realm of early childhood  education in a very important and meaningful way.  

What I have learned from Dr. Seuss's story is to never lose your passion.  Life can throw some incredible curve balls, but as long as you can hold on to your roots and dreams, what seems insurmountable can indeed become a very attainable reality.

I would like to take this moment to thank all of you, as well, as you are becoming part of my journey.  We learn together, share in struggle, and keep our heads up with our eyes on a more positive future.  Good luck to all of you as your own journeys continue! Here are some more sources of inspiration to keep you going.