Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I asked both of my contacts different questions to get more of an idea on the differences among the countries. One contact is Mrs. Lisset Noles who is currently living in Venezuela (South America). My second contact is Krystel Theodore which lives in Trinidad and Tobago. Both of the contacts are eager to answer my questions and in return I let them know how things are done in the United States.
Both my contacts answered the question about the issue of play. I explained to them how play was not included in the curriculum like it used to be, and she explained to me how play is viewed in South America.

Mrs. Noles Response:

In my country, the students are allowed and encouraged to play because we believe that builds skills, relationships and helps them socialize. They play different games such as: Hide and Seek, Circle Tag and some others. They also have Physical Education as a subject and they play different sports which help them learn how to work as a team.

 Ms. Theodore Response:

In Trinidad play is very much encouraged and included in the daily lessons. Play is a huge part of our culture and students can gain information from each other. Parents encourage play more than the teachers. For example, when children get home they are to do homework and then go out and play. Students can’t watch television and go to events until the weekend.

 I also asked her if she could explain the procedure on how schooling works in Trinidad, in regard to the age they start and etc.

Re:
Children usually begin formal schooling at the age of 4½ -5 years old.  As a member of the United Nations we have also adopted the E.C.C.E curriculum as well as standards. Children then move on to Primary School. In Trinidad and Tobago we have government schools as well as religious based body type’s schools that are usually government assisted as well as private schools where parents pay fees yearly or by the term for their children to attend.  In the Primary school system you begin from infants I to II then move along to STD 1 through 5 preparing for S.E.A (Secondary Entrance Assessment). To you that would be high school to us it’s called Secondary school. It is the same as primary school in terms of government, religious and private. In Secondary school in your fifth year you write an exam (CSEC) OR GCE which is kind of like S.A.T however it deals with all subjects areas taught in school. (math, language arts, sciences, -bio, chem ,physics, integrated science,  agricultural science, social-studies, history, Spanish, French, literature, art, physical education etc. technical education (wood work, technical drawing and many other. After examination which is a Caribbean examination done by students of the Caribbean you graduate with your certificate of subjects passed with their respective grades and move on to tertiary education.

Sharing Web Resources

The National Head Start Association has so much to with my professional development.

I am a kindergarten teacher presently, but was a pre-k teacher for two years prior. Most of the head start students are just starting school and it is important that the teachers are well prepared to educate them. This week they offered an Early Learning Webinar which contained information about high-quality preschool and structures to improve outcomes for students. That is a great thing that is offered, because anyone who is registered can sit in the pleasure of their own home and learn about the field.

 I looked more into resources on the website that made me think out the box. The Disaster Relief Fund was very interesting for a number of reasons. I always was under the impression that it was just for individuals like 911 victims or hurricane Katarina. I learned the funds are now used to assist Head Start Programs, staff, and families who become victims of natural disasters. So I see now that it assists in a broader way than I first imagined. On the website was a link to an article written by the New York Post which has some very interesting information about how some individuals think on the head start program. Some people believe it doesn’t work. The article went on to say that after test and research the results didn’t show that the head start program is affecting the children in a positive way.

The website has so much information. Every time I look at it I find more information that catches my attention, and make me want to learn more. So many kids participate in the head start program that I think funding should be increased.  

National Head Start Associationhttp://www.nhsa.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I was having trouble finding any international contact that would respond to me, so a friend and my family helped me. One of my co-workers is from South America and knew Lisset Noles, who has a degree in the early childhood field. My mother, who is from Trinidad and Tobago, gave me the contact information for Krystel Theodore who teaches in the school system on the island. Within the week my two contacts was responding actively to my questions and concerns about their experiences.

My first conversation with Mrs. Lisset Noles she just told me about her background.

She responded:

This is Lisset Noles and I am honored to answer all the questions you may have about the early childhood field in my country. I am from Venezuela (South America). I decided to become an English Teacher because I believe it is a great Language and it is very useful wherever you go around the world. I teach elementary school and high school. The class size may vary but it is normally between 15 to 20 students per classroom. Sometimes, it could get as large as 25 to 30 students or small as 10. I teach them everything related to English in a way they can learn how to write it read it and speak it. I use different technical tools such as: flash cards, music, extra work, quizzes and games related to the lesson they are learning each day.
I hope I was helpful in answering your questions and please do not hesitate to ask me anything about this field. Have a great week!

Her response to the issue of poverty in South America was:

 Regarding poverty, it is a big issue in my country because it is not a developed country. All public schools don't have air conditioning in the classrooms so it is hard for the children to focus on their studies because of the heat. The resources are low and it's hard for the teachers to do their job well but they still do their best and use what they've got. A lot of people don't earn a good salary at work so they can't send their children to school and that causes for children to misbehave and turn to a different person when they grow up. Some private schools are in a good condition but it costs money. Some families are willing to make a sacrifice though so their children will be comfortable and happy in their schools

Krystel Theodore is a special needs teacher in Trinidad, which is an island in the West Indies. She has been in the field for over five years and enjoys everything about it. When it comes to the issue of poverty she responded by telling me:

 In Trinidad and Tobago the education system is modeled after the British education system. Education is free and is compulsory. Each child is expected to go to school and utilize these services offered. Even Tertiary Education is paid for by governments for nationals of Trinidad and Tobago by accredited universities and colleges. Students all wear formal uniforms to school representing their specific school with the school’s monogram.

Education holds very high standards in our society. We grow up being taught about its importance and it is expected of us by our parents and families to do well. Government invest yearly in the education system, however there are still flaws within the system in particular governments concern or lack thereof on the issue of special education. For me as a special education teacher, at a private school there is a growing demand by parents of special needs children that is not being given the attention needed to facilitate this group of children. This leaves parents having to either pay for their child’s education or educate their children themselves. In other cases there are many children like these who are simply neglected because parents are not educated about the services available or are ashamed.

 There is so much to learn about the issue of poverty. Poverty is an issue in every county, but I was very impressed to see that all countries provides education for the children no matter if the live in poverty. In Trinidad the government even pays for an individual to attend collage for free that was very impressive to here.

Sharing Web Resources

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) provided and offers different services to the Head Start and Early Childhood Education communities. The website for this organization is http://www.nhsa.org/ and everyone should take a minute or two and check it out. The whole idea behind head start came to light in the year 1973 and has been expanding since then. Parents can find a head start program which meets their criteria or individuals could look at for a job. NHSA provides a number of programs designed to directly enhance the operations of Head Start and Early programs and enrich the lives of Head Start students, parents, and staff (National Head Start Association, 2012). NHSA is also behind some very valuable and helpful programs like GO SMART. GO SMART is a program to improve the health of children ages 0-5 years of age and their families through the development of a physical activity program.

One current issue from the newsletter that caught my attention was Major Outcomes of the Deal on the Debt Limit. It meant a few things for the head start program. One was that the program was going to have to work super hard to avoid cuts and the second thing is that they had to make sure that funding wasn’t cut altogether. The good thing that came out of the deal was   the extra funding for Pell grants, since Pell grants come from the same bill that funds Head Start. The website also had a something that caught my attention was that head start association offers scholarships and awards for students and teacher. For some reason I just always thought that since the head start program deals with young children I just assumed it ended then also.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

As of today I am finding it a challenge to locate two professionals that is willing to communicate on a weekly basis. I thought it would be easy, seeing the fact that I have family in other countries. I have been sending out emails and posting on Facebook to see if I could find someone who might know someone, but it is not looking good. Two of the emails was sent out to individuals on the resource page, and still got no responses. I have two co-workers who are from another country and are willing to call around for me within the week to see if they know someone. It is looking like I might have to do alternate assignment. Either way I am going to learn from this course and my classmates.

                                                             

The process of selecting the early childhood organization was easy, but I took my time to see all of my choices. I knew that I want to work with children of all ages, but I have a special interest in the students that is about age 4 and 5. The reason for that is because for the past 3 years that is the age group that I have worked with. I also wanted to learn more about the advancement in the field as they occur. With that is mind the website of the National Head Start Association was decided on. The website contained information about upcoming conferences, a radio network, programs that is available, research, and many need to know information about the head start program.  Another great thing is that the website contained a newsletter, which was also something else that I was interested in.

If any of my classmates has any helpful hints on how to make communication with professionals please feel free to let me know, I am open to any suggestions.