International Awareness

Learning about the international early childhood field has allowed me to grow professionally. Three consequences that I have from these new learnings are:

1.   I now have a greater understanding of the issues and trends that occur throughout the world. I have learned about different organizations that help children in third world countries. For example, Concern WorldWide U.S. This organization works in the poorest countries and provides supports for naturals disasters, health and nutrition and climate response. I was able to learn about how I can help and make a difference (www.concernusa.org).

2.     Researching about The Global Fund for Children has allowed me to understand that third world countries experience some of the same barriers  we face in the United States. Professionally I    have grown because I better understand how  these organizations support young children. I   have learned that supplying a grant for these children helps these children have better  resources and experiences. Grants are    something we often use  in the United States as well showing a similarity.

3.     I have grown personally by having a greater understanding of international experiences. I find myself focusing on what is in front of me and do  not consider other countries. Education should be  a focus worldwide and many individuals do not consider getting involved in organizations that support education in other countries. This course has allowed me to see what other options there  are and find new ways to get involved in my personal passions of international study.

One goal for the field relating to international awareness is to have more individuals aware of the supports needed internationally. Throughout my research, I found many organizations that ask for donations towards a cause they are working on for children. If each educator within a school chose one organization to research and support by making donations (or other means of support) that would help these organizations and children internationally create change and a better environment.

References

World Forum Foundation. “A Foundation whose mission is to promote an ongoing global exchange of ideas on the delivery of quality services for young children in diverse settings.” Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php

Professional Goals, Hopes, and Dreams

Education Issues in Maryland:

I live and work in Baltimore County, Maryland. Education is a big topic of discussion currently as there are changes being made to the education system. The Maryland State education association (MSEA) is focusing on five specific areas: school funding, testing, evaluations, vouchers, and opportunity gaps.

            MSEA shares that there is currently not enough funding within our school systems, about an average of $2 million of underfunding for every school in Maryland.  MSEA states, “We must give schools the funding they need to be the center of our communities, counties and state again. It is important that families have great public school- and an equal opportunity for success” (MSEA, 2018). In order to fix this problem, educators fought successfully for the “Fix the Fund Act” which will provide an addition $500 million annual increase in school funding (MSEA, 2018). If voters approve this, it will be the first step in more funding and equal opportunities for all schools.

            Within Maryland there is many standardized tests that are required throughout the school year. Educators are sharing that this testing is taking too much time away from learning, preventing students from developing well rounded skills to be successful. MSEA believes there should be more subjects that keep students engaged throughout the school day including art, music, finance, and physical education (MSEA, 2018). There is hope to reduce standardized testing to allow children more opportunity to learn essential skills to be successful in life.

            MSEA is fighting for “fair, transparent, and valid evaluation systems that help teachers improve their practice and student learning” (MSEA,2018). Currently, the evaluation process takes into account student performance on standardized tests like PARCC and MSEA, however, it is argued that these tests to do not truly show what a child may know and personnel decisions throughout the school should not be based on standardized test performance.

            In order to aid in the funding gaps within Maryland, tax payer’s dollars are being used as vouchers and are spent in public and in private schools. MSEA believes this money should only be spent in public school not expensive private schools (MSEA, 2018). The argument is the money going toward private school programs is not helping the low- income children who are experiencing learning gaps.

            There are many opportunity gaps within Maryland. At one point there was more than 45% of Maryland public school students who were low- income families (MSEA, 2018). Closing this achievement gap is a major process, but the first suggestion is to focus on neighborhood schools that serve poor children who should be given the additional supports they need. This is challenging because a large amount of schools need supports.

Professional development:

MSEA provides many professional development opportunities for all educators.  There are workshops provided on numerous topics, trainings, research, and grants. Within their webpage you can search a topic like classroom management and find current trainings that are available for educators. Aside from trainings there are professional development opportunities offered through schools within Maryland and conferences across Maryland throughout the summer which focus on topics like leadership, for example. Within Maryland educators are required to start a Master’s program within 5 years of being hired or start an education track to get their equivalency to a Master’s degree. If this requirement, educators would not be able to hold their certification. 

Goals, hopes and dreams:

I have three main goals currently: to be a continuous learner within the education field to advance my career, to create a child- centered classroom and to become more understanding of the diverse cultures I may see in my classroom. I am challenged with providing appropriate materials for English Language Learners and making sure I am meeting their needs. I hope to have more training in this as The National Education Association (2017) explains a culturally competent educator is open to accepting and respecting the differences among families and has knowledge of each student and their family to better understand the reasons for a child’s behavior. This is an area I hope to grow in in the coming years as an educator. My dream is that every classroom and school has all the supplies needed to best educate all children, allowing each school to be successful and of high- quality.

References:

Maryland State Education Association. (2018). Retrieved from: http://www.marylandeducators.org/professional-development 

National Education Association. (2017). Diversity Toolkit: Cultural Competence for Educators. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/30402.htm