The Association for Childhood Education International

I made the choice to receive information from the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)  https://acei.org/ to broaden my perspective of what issues and trends that are occurring in other parts of the world and how similar or different they are from whats going in the United States.

Their Mission is to promote and support the optimal education, development, and well-being of children worldwide. We have consultative status with the United Nations.

Their Vision is that every child in every nation will have access to a quality education. This education will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens and ready them for life in a changing world.

The timing of my review of this website was perfect to find out that they just launch a new website for Education Diplomacy. The following information is directly from the ACEI website.

Association for Childhood Education International Launches Education Diplomacy Website

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA (5 March 2014)—The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) has launched the Center for Education Diplomacy, an online hub for education diplomacy, a concept ACEI has been developing since 2009. The new site, available at www.educationdiplomacy.org, will serve as an information source for all those interested in this emerging concept.

When asked about the new concept of education diplomacy being advanced by ACEI, Diane Whitehead, ACEI’s Executive Director stated, “Both education and diplomacy are needed in order to achieve a more stable world that offers opportunities for the healthy development of individuals and societies at large. Bringing education and diplomacy together to recognize the new concept of education diplomacy offers a dynamic and powerful tool for positively shaping our world.”

In general, diplomacy approaches offer effective, thoughtful, and appropriate ways to share information, communicate ideas, and build relationships. Education diplomacy uses the foundational concepts of diplomacy—reflection, sensitivity, cross-cultural communications, negotiation—to guide educators toward a deeper level of understanding, engagement, and practice in order to advance sustainable change across education systems. In such a rapidly changing and globalized world, the future of humanity itself could be at risk if we do not engage intentionally in efforts that promote sensitive communication,collaboration, and sustainable relationships.

I believe that this is a very strong positive step in the right direction in creating equal opportunities for educating all children regardless of where they reside. In addition to the new website, there is a wealth of knowledge and resources both current and archived, to be reviewed and shared with parents, professionals, and people in general within all communities around the world. I now feel globally connected as it relates to my field of choice, ECE. 

http://www.luna.edu

The Importance of Networking Globally In Early Childhood Education

Sometimes in the process of developing our careers in the field of ECE, we unintentionally overlook the importance of also considering the perspective of our U. S. neighbors who experience some of the same dilemmas (if not more) as we do with developing the appropriate policies, procedures, curriculum, assessments, monitoring, and the list goes on and on. As a nation, we have yet to agree on what it takes to establish a universal high-quality educational system though progress is being made. My thoughts are that it would be wonderful to eventually work on developing global standards in consideration of all our individual styles and differences. All children are the future of the world and deserve the very best education possible to become productive citizens that contribute to the greater good of society regardless of where they live.

In my quest to broaden my connections to professionals in the field of ECE, I have made strives to try and link to at least 2 ECE professionals affiliated with both the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Global Alliance of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The countries that I chose were Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Romania, and Sierra Leona, with a total of 9 various emails being generated. I have yet to get a response, however I am very hopeful it will happen this week. Out of the 9, there were only 2 that resulted in a return message because the participate's email address was no longer active. I don't think those odds are too bad considering all things.

In addition to my subscription to receive e-news from NAEYC and the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) as a active member, I have also subscribed to receive free information from the Association for Childhood Education International so that I can deepen my knowledge to a more worldwide standpoint. Though some associations require you to become a member to receive on-going updates, there are those that will allow you to subscribe to receive information periodically via email for free. As I continue my journey, I come to realize more and more that there are still so many valuable resources left untapped. My plan is to leave no stone unturned.      

My Support

Whether we want to admit/use it or not, daily support is all around us. Professionally, I'm typically one of the persons consulted with for support from those in various positions. A program such as our has many working pieces and moving parts. Not for one minute do I take for granted the experience and expertise that everyone brings to the table to assist in resolving situations as they present themselves. It gives me comfort to know that I have individuals who at a moments notice, can and have re-prioritized their day to support me by becoming involved and committed to creating smooth internal operations. Without the support from everyone involved (honestly speaking) the program would ultimately cease to exist. I imagine it becoming a very hostile, stressful and uncooperative environment where people would no longer gain knowledge and professional growth, however began to develop resentment towards the company for allowing such dysfunction to exist. Staff retention would be a thing of the past and employee turnover would become the norm.

Personally, I imagine that I would need the greatest support if I was to fall ill. I totally hate being sick (I mean, who would like it...right?). So just last week when I contracted influenza A (which hit me like a freight train full speed) from work and needed the support of my team professionally and my family personally, I was faced to realize how dependent, vulnerable, and fragile we all are (myself included). Life can change in a single moment and it's nice to know you have dependable supportive people in your life to help look after you and care for you when you're in need. I feel very fortunate and thankful for the people that I do have as they know I have and will continue to do the exact same thing for them in return:)

My Connections to Play

 

Play for me as a child was safe and free exploration whether in or outdoors. During many of my outdoor endeavors, I spent countless hours doing two of my favorite things at the same time, climbing a tree and reading a book. My Grandmother encouraged me throughout my childhood to go outside and play with the neighborhood children or by myself instead of just watching television. There were times she would join me with duties of gardening, other lawn maintenance, and enlightening conversation about nature and life. To come to think of it, I don't recall any of the neighborhood children having issues with energy or weight problems. The philosophy of children playing outdoors as much as possible was shared with the neighborhood family. During that time, we played school (the oldest person was always the teacher), talk show, restaurant, the list goes on and on. We had a lunch break and then right back at it....PLAY TIME.

                                                                                  
Today with the advancements of technology and electronic devices, it seems that play has taken on another meaning for some people. It has become the primary entertainment and communication of family members. With today's busy lives and parents working, real outdoor play has been replaced in some cases with simulated outdoor play on a computer screen. Socialization has gone from face to face conversations that expand ones vocabulary, to abbreviated text messages. I truly believe that it was through those peer conversations that I developed the confidence to respectfully share my thoughts (speak my mind) with others. They may have even caused me want to take on leadership roles such as the one I have today.

                                                                                         
Even when schools have to make cuts to the budget, music and physical education are the first items to go. This leaves children in the classrooms to their academics with little to no socialization with peers. I recall pre and elementary school as fun filled days with more than 3 recesses.  Oh how I couldn't wait to go outside and talk to my friends, sharing ideas and experiences (boy, we thought we had everything figured out at 6 years old).

The following quotes reflect how I feel about the importance of PLAY!!!!

We don't stop playing because we grow old, We grow old because we stop playing.             "Satchel Paige"

The playing adult steps sidewards into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery. 
"Erik Erikson"

Relationship Reflections

It's my belief that whether we like it or not, we are all connected in some form or fashion. Fundamentally, there are many daily rituals and values we share such as paying bills, eating dinner, grocery store shopping, the list goes on and on. During many of those events that take us outside our homes, we may participate in casual conversations that render similarities and likes in hobbies, professional/personal interest, restaurants, and also past experiences. The very beginning of a wonderful relationship can all start with an innocent conversation.

      I'm fortunate to have various professional and personal relationships that have assisted in my growth in both areas. There are two previous supervisors that I remain in contact with after they have been in retirement for over 15 years. The level of respect and appreciation I feel for these ladies goes beyond any words that I have in my vocabulary. There have been countless moments where I have been stumped on what my next moves should be in resolving a very complex situation where their guidance and affirmation has given me the courage to make a decision and see it through with the ability to recognize and accept any adjustments that need to be made. These ladies are both retired early childhood education professors(a teacher and a administrator) and there is not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for their expertise.

     My previous travels have allowed me to meet, develop, and maintain some long distance relationships with people who come from other regions of the world. Their advice and wisdom often still assist me in the ever mysterious world of parenting and family dynamics. In their company, I learned to appreciate different taste in cuisines, hair styling, dress attire, family dynamics and conversations in general. I became more well rounded as an individual and also was able to relate better to others when I took a position at an organization that focused on international services.   

                                              

All the relationships that I have spoken of are reciprocal in the sense that just as much as I feel that I appreciate and learn from all of our interactions, they feel exactly the same way in return. We value our relationships enough to share in the responsibility of continuing to keep in touch with one another. We also share what we've learned from each with others that we come in contact with, that way we empower others to understanding a respect of all types of diversity and knowledge of people. Again, it can all start with the openness of a conversation and the willingness to cultivate and value the relationship. 

Come to Think of It......Who is Teaching and Who is Learning????

If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. ~Ignacio Estrada

Really, isn’t this so true — quite often we to teach and guide our children in the direction of our vision which is colored by our lenses… By doing,it is possible the we can  fail to see the child’s potential – Open up – Remove the lenses and understand the child’s talent…. Each child is a genius in his or her own way…. Recognize and harness those talents……

What Would I Assess??? Hmmmm......

As an educator, I'm fully aware of the importance of having the ability to obtain and apply the knowledge being presented. However there are times that I feel the education system has become totally obsessed with measuring the results of standardized test. Are the children in my classroom learning???? How can we be sure???? What is the measuring stick we're grading them against??? Is it fair??? Question after unanswered question. As we should already know, given time and effort, you can find research supporting the positive and the negative of any concern (not that all the sources would be reliable). What are we doing?

During an internship I had over 8 years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing an environment where children were not formally assessed, however were encouraged to explore in a teacher guided/child centered atmosphere. I must admit, I initially was a skeptic because I was a produce of being taught a lesson and then having my results measures through taking a test. Since this was how it had been done for generations, then it must be right!!!! (not really). When I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to ask the question....how do you know if what we are doing is even working? (Oh by the way, this was the same lead teacher I mentioned previously in my post on "Positive Change Can Come With Time"). With the same caring smile, she began to explain (teach me) that by simply asking the children questions and paying attention to their responses and peer conversations, we would know if they had retained the knowledge through experience or if we (the teachers) needed to take another approach. What about the schedule??? How would we make sure we met the time lines???  Once again there she was, to the rescue.....the children are our indicators, they set the pace on how quickly they learn as well as what they learn. And with that tranquil smile, she shared with me this simple phrase.....It all will work out in the end.

And it did. No one transitioned out without mysteriously learning how to write their names, knowing colors, letter, different kind of sharks and what their diet consist of, what is in outer space, what causes a boat the float and not sink, so on and so on. It happened without standardized test and comparing performances of one child against another. They all learned without being stressed out or made to feel less than unique and I learned the true meaning of education and never forgot.

From an International Perspective:

Again, I'm not saying that assessments are not important, however there are various ways children can be/are assessed instead of teachers focusing on teaching the test, then the children taking the test. Internationally, various countries also conduct assessments on performance of the children in their country. I have attached the link to the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) http://acei.org/programs-events/global-guidelines.html  This is a helpful resource that provides information on recommended global guidelines to education.

ACEI was established as the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) in 1892, by educators concerned with the professional preparation of kindergarten teachers. In 1931, the National Council of Primary Education joined with the IKU to form the Association for Childhood Education (ACE). Realizing the critical importance of advancing childhood education throughout the world, ACE added "International" to its name in 1946, becoming the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Today, ACEI has members in many nations, country liaisons, and network groups.