I spoke about Children's Defense Fund last week. During the week, I searched their website in more detail. I found videos that talk about the many programs they sponsor. I particularlly like hearing about their Freedom Schools and about Haley Farm. I discovered that the land once belonged to Alex Haley and is located only minutes from my son's apartment at the University of Tennessee. CDF purchased the farm in 1994 and is used for many of their programs. CDF is financially supported by grants and donations.
This organization speaks out for the rights of children and for equity of life for all children. CDF tackles the current issues in our society and speaks out for action from others. I received this week's newsletter where the president of CDF, Marian Wright Edelman speaks about honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In summary she states the we can honor Dr. King by:
ending poverty and closing the gap between rich and poor
naming and changing the racial disparities
demanding justice for poor and vunerable children
stopping racial and income segregation in our schools
building a beloved community in America
transforming our education system
ensuring every child's safey and right to live
Many of us are off of work this Monday. Let us as early childhood educators reflect on how we can do our part in honoring Dr. King.
I have received updates from the Children's Defense Fund for years now and I do not remember how I ever signed up for this. However, I was not signed up for the newsletter from the President of the organization, Marian Wright Edelman. She is a phonomenal speaker and writer. In the past I have gone to You tube and watched some of her speeches and love listening to her speak. For this class, I signed up for the newsletter, Child Watch column that she writes. I received my first newsletter this morning in which she speaks about gun control and the recent tragedy in Newtown. Her writing is very touching and there was one paragraph in particular that I chose to share.
President Obama, in his moving remarks at the Sandy
Hook interfaith prayer vigil at Newtown High School December 16, 2012, got it
right when he said: “Caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t
get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will
be judged.” And we will not pass the test of the God of the prophets or New
Testament or all great faiths if we do not protect all of our sacred children
against repeated and preventable gun deaths and injuries. Every child has a
right to live and to dream and to strive for a future that is not destroyed in a
second because we cowered before a special interest lobby and refused to protect
them. This is just one example of how this organization works passionately for the rights of all children and for causes taking place in society. I know there are many organizations that work in defense of children but this one has resonated with me and has touched my life for many years.
When given this assignment, I was having trouble making contacts as was many of my colleagues. I decided to do what I love doing on my computer, searching. I googled "international early childhood organizations. I looked at a few that mentioned no one's name or email. Then I found the International Society on Early Intervention. On the website there was a member directory with in my opinion must be thousands of names of early childhood professionals. They were categorized by countries and their area of expertise. Included with their name was their current profession and their email. I emailed about ten of them and received one response immediately. I went to the class forum to give my colleagues this information hoping that this may help them. I heard nothing else for the rest of the week. I had given up hope when first thing this morning I received an overwhelming response from someone in South Africa. I also contacted the Director of the child care resource and referral agency that I collaborate with on the job. She told me she had a friend that has been to Reggio Emilia Italy five times in the past few years to work with early childhood children and that although she does not live in Italy, she could be a resource for information.
Ayele from Ethiopia was the first to respond to my email. She gave me names of two books about children of Ethiopia that I may want to review.
Mary-Jane is the lady that has visited and worked in Reggio Emilia Italy that I can use as a resource for that country.
Margaret was the response I received this morning in which she was overwhelming enthusiastic about helping me. She used the words, "honored and delighted". She even invited me to go to South Africa and would help me arrange the trip. She gave me her phone number in S. Africa for me to call in the evenings.
I was not optimistic about this assignment in the beginning but my last response I received has made me so excited about learning about the children in these countries.
Children
I see my children as huge supports in my life. Although most of the time my children need me and I am there to support them, having the feeling of being needed is a support for me. I am the kind of person that feels validated in doing for my children. Now that they are older(college & high school), I do need their support and help. I would have had a hard time getting set up in these courses if not for my children. One of my sons helped me to create this Blog in our first class. My daughter in high school is helping me with the power point this week. She has done many of these and says they are easy. Husband
My husband always played the role of fathers and husbands from years past. I handled the house and the children. However, he is always there for me when emotionally I can't handle some situations. Especially when our boys got older, they needed a man's perspective and I needed him to take over. He is always there for me personally and tells me almost daily how proud he is of me for working on my Masters degree. Computer
I do not know what I would do without my computer. I plan and schedule all our vacations as well as hotel reservations. I pay all my bills and do my banking online. My job involves computer work through our state systems. Last but not least, I would not be able to work on a Masters degree without my computer. Now my daughter's school does not send home any newsletters or notes. They are all emailed so all the information I need about her classes or about the school will come in on my computer. Challenge - Cannot drive
The challenge I created was not being able to drive. I should have also included driving as a support because my job entails working out in the field visiting child care and Head Start centers. I would be effected by not driving because I would need to quit my job. Leaving the job could also cause some financial problems. I would need support from my husband who would have to drive me to the store or do the shopping himself. I would also need my children to run errands for me. I would need my computer even more than ever because it would be my only outlet to the rest of the world. I may also need my computer as a way to obtain another job that maybe I could do from home. I would suffer emotionally by not being able to get out of the house. My family and friends would be needed as emotional support because everyone needs relationships and connections with people.
When I was a child pretend play prevailed as the most common type of play for my friends and I. Best of all was the time spent in pretend play with my baby dolls. I had dolls that pottied, or made crying sounds. My favorite which I still have to this day was a doll that I named Kathy. She didn't do anything special but was special to me. Every time I went somewhere she was with me. Whether it was a trip to the corner store or a vacation with the family, Kathy was part of the family. When I look back I remember waking up and getting dressed, then I dressed Kathy as though she was my child. Little did I know then that I was to become a life learner in caring for children. I found pictures of Mattel dolls from the 1970s and this one resembles Kathy the most.
My most memorable moments with my friends was spent playing with our Hoppity Horses. I got my for Christmas and woke up Christmas morning with chicken pox. My dad stayed home with me while the rest of my family went to my grandmother's house. I didn't feel bad, so I hopped all day. My friends and I would have races like they were our cars. I hopped in the yard, in the house and it became my new form of transportation. I found this commercial from the 70s and thought I'd share it.
I think in my childhood our play was very diversified. I spent many hours playing school with all my dolls but at the same time I also had wonderful memories of outside time climbing trees and making mud pies. As my only daughter grew, I was so disappointed that she did not like dolls. I bought her a doll every Christmas and tried to show her how to play but she didn't like it. By the time she was born in 1995, electronics had taken over as the most wanted toys. My children did however spend a lot of time outdoors.
There were many skills learned through play when I was younger. Many times my friends and I played in an open field and away from our homes. We had to make up the games, the rules and solve the arguments without the help of parents. No one thought of running home to tattle to parents. Playing belonged to us, the children and it was a world that parents did not belong in.
Unfortunately as society changes, many things change such as playing for children. There are safety reasons why children cannot play away from home but we as educators and parents have to find a way to improvise and give our children opportunities to explore the world of pretend play.
I have many relationships that are supportive and positive, yet are very unique to each other. Husband I have been married for 27 years. Most people will think that is a great relationship and yes it is. However, no two people can be together that long without having challenges along the way. We are fortunate that the challenges have not been anything dreadful like infidelity, or illness. Over the many years there have been financial problems, changes in jobs, and different viewpoints on raising children. When we emerged out of the challenges, each one of us became stronger as an individual and our relationship as a couple even closer. Children My children now all grown up have been my most influential teachers throughout life. The unconditional love that I feel for them has made me strong, assertive and confident in ways that I have never been when I was younger. Many times in our work, we learn about ourselves through the children. I have without a doubt become the person I am because of my relationships with my children. Each one is so unique and has taught me so many things. Matthew on the left is working on his PhD at the Univ. of Tenn. in English. Our relationship has always been more formal. Growing up, he would love to talk to me about the many books he was reading and his love for literature. Phillip on the right we often called our spokesman for the family. He is quite outgoing and is an extremely happy person. Our relationship is one of teasing and joking. He has grown to be a very family oriented son. He will get his BA in Political Science in Dec. at a local University and is awaiting acceptance to Law School. Maggie in the middle is my youngest and only daughter. She is a Senior in high school and is a dancer. I see life completely different through her eyes. She loves people and finds something good in everyone. We spend a lot of time talking and going to the mall. My husband and I enjoy attending her dance competitions and joke about how much attention we can give her because she is the last child at home. The best way to describe our relationship is that she completes my life.
Relationships have many positive benefits for our development as a stable person. Sometimes relationships evolve over a period of time. Having a good relationship does not mean that the person always agrees with you or you agree with them. I think the most profound impact of a relationship is dealing with the challenges, learning from those challenges and then becoming a better person as a result of that relationship. My sister emailed me this quote the other day and I do not know who said it or where it originated.
"God doesn't give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be!!" The positive supportive relationships are easy and fun but it is in the challenging relationships that we discover the meaning of who we are. I think the same is true in early childhood. Many of us have had children in our care that had difficult temperaments or maybe it was the parents that were difficult to work with. Either way, as professionals, we must rise above the situation, learn more about the child or adult and work to create some form of a relationship. It may not be the same kind of relationship that you have with another child or parent but the important point is that there are benefits to the relationship. We make new discoveries about ourselves and others when we work at a relationship. Over a period of time, we grow as a person and are better able to handle different temperaments.
