One thing that has continued to interest me in early childhood is diversity in the classroom, especially since America has been becoming more and more culturally diverse in the past years. Because of this, my chosen topic for this research simulation is the influence of parental involvement at school of culturally diverse families.

I have to be honest when I say I never really paid attention to the growing diversity while living and working in the suburbs where the majority of the families and students in my classroom were Caucasian, but since moving to the city and becoming a part of it, I have yearned to learn more. My school is a bilingual charter school and more heavily populated by Spanish speaking Hispanics and Latinos although we do have many more countries and cultures represented throughout out school. Every year since starting five years ago I have gained a student from a culture I wasn’t familiar with and have spent the year trying to figure out what I can do to make them feel welcome and learn more about their cultural diversity and eventually feel comfortable teaching about it to the rest of my students. I worry that I don’t know enough about the language and cultures just by reading books or researching myself, and I want to find effective ways to get my parents involved in the classroom to feel comfortable enough to speak about their culture to the students. I want to show those families that I care about what is important to them culturally, even if I do not share the same belief or culture myself. Personally, I find the different cultures and languages fascinating and enjoy hearing about them or learning about them so I can teach the other students in my classroom.

Starting this research simulation was a little bit hard for me as I wasn’t sure where I wanted to start and once I finally settled on cultural diversity, there was just so many options I could choose from to discuss, but I want to make that personal connection, which is why I and looking at parental involvement in the classroom and how it can be an effective tool on teaching diversity. Looking through and working on the research chart is helping me realize how to analyze a research work and understand the importance of the literature review. As I mentioned in our intial discussion post about what we already knew about research, it wasn’t alot. I don’t really recall having to write a research paper and always grew confused at the lengthy wording of things I didn’t understand. Having and using that glossary on hand as I read through our text resources has been immensely helpful in beginning to understand our subject matter.

Does anyone have any personal experiences or effective strategies they have used in getting parents to come into the classroom and share about their culture? I often run into the “I’m busy” or “I work” scenarios and am trying to find more research to back up my claims at how important it is to share and be involved in the classroom.

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development are

1) that unfortunately poverty is everywhere and a world-wide epidemic that is dealt with differently in every country

2) no one will ever be satisfied with our education system; there will always be people arguing with what they believe is best or will work the best in any situation and

3) Language barriers are difficult to overcome, but not impossible. More needs to be done to break down the stigma that different is bad and minorities aren’t important. We need to adapt and change our priorities and expectations towards multicultural families.

My goal definitely relates to my third consequence; I want to focus on learning Spanish more than just conversely. It is important show families that everyone is welcome in my classroom and that I care for them more than the government or just “people on paper” do. Their children need a caring place where they can learn without be judged or preconceived notions about them or their family. Every child deserves an education no matter who they are, their family, cultural or socioeconomic background.

One of the greater issues discussed in my work is the language barrier of communicating with parents. Because I work in Philadelphia where the diversity in our community is extreme, my principal finds it difficult sometimes to find well-educated bilingual teachers. Because we are required to have a co-teacher to fill ratio in our classroom, she is able to find a bilingual assistant teacher (such as in my case, as I am beginning to get bet at speaking Spanish and communicating with families, but certainly not at a level where I could do it myself) who can help fill this criteria in situations such as mine where I am a qualified and certified teacher with many years experience, but I could only conversationally speak German (which of course, was NOT one of the many languages/cultures present in our school) Sometimes she is able to find a qualified teacher, but doesn’t have the language skills and other times she has bilingual assistant teachers but no lead teacher who has the credentials, quality, or experience needed in our program. While it can be frustrating to us a teachers in the school waiting for the extra help of another classroom so our class sizes are not as large, I understand why it is so important to have the language factor in a lead or assistant teacher. You cannot have a classroom where neither of the teachers can communicate with a Spanish or other language dominant family and expect them to follow school policies, procedures, or whatever else, if they have no idea what is going on, or anyone to help them. On days where my co-teacher is absent, I may get a substitute who is not bilingual and therefore, I do my best to still be able to speak and greet with each parent and help them or discuss their child’s day.

What is nice about our school is that we are expected to complete at least one training a month in various areas of education that are chosen by our principal in order to help us gain insight on new learning activities or opportunities in our community or online learning. When we are able to pick our own training, I usually look for ones that involve communication and professionalism with families and parents in order to help myself gain better insight and success in this area.

A professional goal I have been working on is learning more conversational Spanish so I can speak back with parents. I am getting to the point where I am now usually able to understand what is being said in a conversation, but I cannot always respond appropriately or remember the correct words or wording. After I finish my Masters I would like to actually take online classes in this instead of just learning through language games on my phone or with the help of my co-teacher. It is extremely important to be able to communicate with your parents, and I still hate that I have to rely on someone else’s help in order to speak with non-English dominant families. While it brings out a good comradery with my co-teacher, it is frustrating for me when I can’t just go and do something myself. I have to google translate a text or tell my co-teacher what to say. However, on that flip side, I am still extremely grateful that I DO have her help and parents can see how hard I am trying. It has been a challenge trying to do these classes, Spanish-learning, special events, school activities and paperwork and my own personal life, but these challenges is what makes me become a harder worker and stretch my limits farther than I thought I could.

As I continue to explore the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) I am in continued awe at all of the wonderful things this organization is doing in other countries. One of the links I chose to look at more closely this week was a article on SOS Children’s Villages International. I had never heard of this organization, but apparently the SOS Children Villages International is an umbrella organization for over 130 SOS Children’s Villages associations worldwide. They work in alternative child care and prevention of separation of children from their families (The International Step by Step Association. (n.d.) As WONDERFUL of a concept this is, it still break my heart that you even NEED organizations that prevent the separation of families 😦 The link to their organization had a quote that literally had me in tears. The first thing I saw was, “Everywhere children are invisible. YOU can make them visible” (SOS Children’s Villages, n.d.) The work of Childrens Villages is to ensure that every child grows up supported and cared for in a loving home is a profoundly optimistic endeavor. One of these ways to ensure that children are growing up is by helping families pay bills, equip them with services, and keep them together in homes that they can keep up easily in areas they can afford.

Another link on ISSA’s website this week did actually deal perfectly with this week’s theme of equity and excellence. One country that this organization has been working in is Belarus. The organization provides high-quality educational services for children, their parents, teachers and actively involve families in the educational process.“We would like to contribute to the creation of an optimal development environment for all children, in which there is no space for violence and violation of children’s rights,” says the Chairman of the organization’s Board Tamara Novosad (ISSA Member Works to Support families. n.d.) Belorussian Parents’ and Teachers’ League Step by Step has one more successful project – School of Active Fathers. With this project, the organization draws public attention to the problem of fathers not understanding the importance of their role in creating a safe family environment and supporting the child during all periods of his life. Having fathers in a child’s life can be crucial in their learning and upbringing because they provide stability and the “strength” of the child growing up. ISSA provides activities and training’s that parents can be a part of to help understand the importance of their roles in their children’s lives and education. One of their goals IS to provide quality care that is excellent and available to all families and they attempt to achieve this by make sure families are given the same opportunists. They reach out to offer classes and training’s, and project activities that include all family members and the children themselves.

I love coming back and checking in on this organization, especially because ISSA isn’t just about themselves. The work with other organizations as well as a team and learn from each other, take ideas, and help each other out. The love, support, and genuine care for what they do is evident throughout their website and articles they link to.

Resources

ISSA members work to support families. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/content/issa-member-works-support-families-belarus

SOS Children’s Villages. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.sos-usa.org/

The International Step by Step Association. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/

“Persistent gaps in education and health associated with socioeconomic disadvantage impose enormous burdens on individuals, communities, and societies worldwide. Recent reports estimate that 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential by age 5. Drawing on our experience in North America, the Center on the Developing Child works globally to build a broader movement to achieve breakthrough outcomes for children around the world” (Working Globally, 2019)

This quote about the organization really stood out to me as the first thing I read on the page. Because we grow up in a culture where school is readily available for children (even if it’s not be best or most expensive schools that parents WANT to send their children to… there are always public schools children attend) it always make me sad to realize just how many countries have difficulty providing good educations to children. In Brazil, they have the collaborative Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) organization which has been highly successful in creating a science-driven early childhood movement, most notably through training Brazilian policy makers on how to apply developmental science to inform programs and policies and launching the iLab Primeira Infância, one of the Latin American Innovation Clusters (Brazil: Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, 2019) I loved how the organization states that Through supporting active learning communities, designing leadership opportunities, and producing educational resources, the Center is building individual and organizational capacity to use science to drive new ways of thinking and working. I definitely agree that having active learning communities is a top priority in creating active learning environments for children. When they work together and follow though, children look to that example and will also want to learn.

A second insight from this organization that intrigued me was reading about the science behind policy makers decisions. The website stated that, although ]”science has an important role to play in helping policymakers and practitioners respond to complex issues affecting children, [it] does not always speak for itself. Indeed, misunderstanding scientific research has contributed as much confusion as clarity to important public debates” (Working Globally, 2019). While I also agree that science is important and some facts will help show and prove what policy makers want, EVERY CHILD IS STILL DIFFERENT! How many times have we said that you can’t make one perfect thing that will work the exact same with with every child. Children learn differently at different times in different ways. What works for some doesn’t work for others. Even these organizations that work globally pick and choose what works in the United States and adapt it to work for whatever country they are focusing on. The science behind what works IS important, and provides a starting point for what needs to be done or expected in children’s development, but policy makers need to also take into fact that children don’t always follow fact and logic in their learning capabilities.

Equity in education is still extremely important and definitely something I stand by. All children deserve the same rights to learn and I wish it were easy to clone the best teachers and schools and just pass them around to everyone. Although, obviously this is not feasible, I do commend the organizations like these striving to better children’s educations. Equity in education requires putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success. That requires understanding the unique challenges and barriers faced by individual students or by populations of students and providing additional supports to help them overcome those barriers. While this in itself may not ensure equal outcomes, we all should strive to ensure that every child has equal opportunity for success. (Working Globally, 2019).

“To successfully manage the future of our society, we must recognize the problems and address them before they get worse. Research on the biology of stress during early childhood shows how major adversities, such as extreme poverty, abuse, or neglect, can weaken the architecture of the developing brain and put the stress response system on permanent alert” (Working Globally, 2019) Staying alert and up to date on research will help countries and organizations like this one to provide equal learning opportunities for all children. This website is one I will definitely keep bookmarked and follow, making sure I myself keep up to date on the issues and see what I can do for excellence in early childhood education.

Resources:

Working Globally (2019). Center on the Developing Child: Harvard University. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/#Brazil

Brazil: Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (2019). Center on the Developing Child: Harvard University. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/nucleo-ciencia-pela-infancia/

When I revisited ISSA’s website the first article to pop up was a special one about World Children’s Day. World Children’s Day is celebrated in an effort to promote awareness of children’s well being and rights around the globe. November 20^th is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child 30 years ago.

This article was great in showing how important it is that every child should have every right. My favorite part about this was that it had interviews from six children from taken in 2017, where they were asked these what rights they think children should have – allowing them to “take over” the conversation. The children were from five different countries and had a variety of responses. What I enjoyed most about this article was that it really make me rethink what it meant to give children their rights and the differences in responses was astounding. The kids responses are so simple and honest… not a typical response I think kids in the United States would give. When asked what all children should have responses received were, “a home”, “lunch in every school”, “had parents”, and “good schools” were just a few. I almost cried. If I asked my students this same question, how they respond? I am 99% sure it would come no where near these answers, and that saddens me.

What this website and article helped me realize this week was just how much we really can learn from children. They are listening and learning from us, and how do I present myself to my students every day? Am I being the best teacher I can? Am I teaching them honesty, integrity, and thinking about others? We have been discussing about politicians and positive social change, and I don’t think you can get much more positive than children putting other children’s needs above their own.

References:

The International Step by Step Association. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/

World Children’s Day: for every child, every day. (20, November 2019). Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/

The International Organization I chose was EuroChild at https://www.eurochild.org/

EuroChild’s mission is to “promote the rights and well-being of children in policy and practice through advocacy, membership exchange, and research”. They want to create a society for all children and young people to grow up healthy and happy and with confidence and respect as individuals. The organization works in and across Europe promoting these rights and well-being in the lives of children across the nation (Eurochild, n.d.)

Over 1 child in 4 is living in, or at risk of, poverty or social exclusion in the European Union. This means that every fourth child in the EU will be entering into this tragic cycle; putting them at higher risk of lower grades or not finishing school, poor health, less chances of finding a job and inevitably, not reaching their full potential. Eurochild believes that societal challenges of growing unemployment, health risks and others can be prevented if they invest early, which means, pinpointing how families and/or children become impoverished in the first place. They have built a “comprehensive approach” to ending childhood poverty by focusing on three pillars: access to adequate resources, access to good quality services, and children’s participation in decisions that affect them in cultural, leisure, and sport activities (EuroChild, n.d.)

One thing that I have been learning about poverty from this website and those that my colleagues have posted about is that starting a change for good starts with those children! Changes are hard, but they can be made when people work together for the child. It’s about strengthening the families and providing them with the resources they need or learning how and where to find them if they don’t know what do do or where to go for help. Children need stable and secure relations with caring adults to thrive. Supporting families of origin must be a first priority. 

I love getting to learn more about these awesome organizations and how they help and how easily I can help, whether it is internationally, like the Eurochild or locally in my own community.

Resources:

EuroChild. (n.d.) Our Mission. Retrieved from https://www.eurochild.org/about-us/what-we-do/

The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is an international website and one that has an amazing wealth of resources on it. It focuses on elevating the importance of awareness of children’s early childhood development in all countries, promoting high quality and diverse work force in services for children, and strengthening early childhood systems to provide quality, equitable, and integrated services for all children. They also are are an international learning community powered by the leading early childhood experts in Europe and Central Asia that unites and supports professionals and partners to deliver high-quality early years services equitably. The ISSA challenges existing knowledge and practice and co-construct new approaches and models (The International Step by Step Association, n.d.)

One of the issues that caught my eye was a link to an article on empowering Romani women in Hungary. The REYN, or Romani Early Years Network, has many objectives, but one of their main ones is to increase diversity in the workforce, especially that of young children. In order to do this, they have been coaching five Romani women how to be caregivers in six months, and have found that Romani children’s inclusion has been gaining more support with the greater participation of Romani parents at schools and public events offered. Young Romani and Traveller children are often denied the right to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD). Including education and care services, adequate nutrition as well as stimulating and protective environments. REYN advocates with local-, regional-, national- and European wide for access to Early Childhood Development services that can provide them with equal and quality developmental opportunities to unlock their potential and change their lives ( (REYN Reconnected and Strategized on the Future Actions, 2019)

I loved reading about this, and clicked on more articles relating to the REYN with similar topics and issues to what we are learning about this week. With all of the rich resources in the United States we are able to provide more funding and organizations that help children of all ethnicity and cultures feel more included in our school systems, yet overseas, there is a lack of quality in early childhood services for Romani children in Europe (REYN Reconnected and Strategized on the Future Actions, 2019).  It discussed how by creating an increase in parent awareness and collaboration, children will become more involved in their learning.

Resources

REYN Reconnected and Strategized on the Future Actions. (October 12, 2019) Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/content/reyn-reconnected-and-strategized-future-actions

Empowering Women Romani Women in Hungary. (April 11, 2019) Retreived from https://www.issa.nl/content/empowering-romani-women-hungary

The International Step by Step Association. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/

Expanding Horizons:

I chose to look at the Global Fund for Children. It is a nonprofit organization that has impacted the lives of millions of children for over twenty years . They have improved the lives of children by supporting the meaningful change where it stands to do the most good in the community. A meaningful and direct quote from their website says that “they partner to build a world where *all* children and youth are safe, strong and valued” (retrieved from https://globalfundforchildren.org/). The Global Fund organization advocates for change for children rights and ensure that children have what they need to thrive in live. I had never heard of either of the two sites that were listed and enjoyed perusing both sites and learning how they are helpful to the educational community. I am excited to learn more about this organization and follow how it helps all children.

Expanding Resources:

This was tricky for me to narrow down which website I wanted to learn and explore more about. There were so many to choose from and so many that I had ever heard of, which actually alarmed me slightly as I have been in the educational field for nine years now, so I felt like I should have known about more of these websites and organizations than I did, however I do realize that there are many, many great organizations that are built upon similar goals and beliefs and I couldn’t possibly know every single one.

The one I decided to go with was the International Step by Step Association. I started off by looking in the “related websites outside of the United States” in hopes of finding something for Latinos or Spanish speaking websites but stumbled upon this one at the end. The ISSA is an international learning community powered by the leading early childhood experts in Europe and Central Asia and they unite and support professionals and partners to deliver high-quality early years services equitably. ISSA challenges existing knowledge and practice and co-construct new approaches and models. They support all organizations and Early Childhood systems and children, especially those most vulnerable. I liked how the website was easily set up and included Mission Statements, Supporters, and especially their link to “Knowledge Hub” which included videos, books, and website links that included more than just the English language! You could also filter what you wanted to specifically see to get direct links or books that would be helpful to what you were looking for.

References

The Global Fund for Children: An organization which provides capital to communities worldwide to improve the lives of children. Retrieved from  http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/

The International Step by Step Association. Retrieved from https://www.issa.nl/

When I first started thinking about this post I realized, but just never thought about, how many things I really count on for support. Supports can be people, places, or things that help me navigate through life, and to me is something that is so crucial, I can’t get through the day without it, even if it is only something for a short time. There are the obvious physical needs of support like food and water, but then I started thinking about more of my emotional support systems.

My first support system is my family. I am super lucky to have this support system, as I realize more and more how atypical the closeness of my family is. I literally cannot get through the day without texting, calling, or talking to one of my family members. My mom and my sisters are my absolute best friends and rocks for advice, support, a laugh, or shoulder to cry on. My dad is the first person I call to talk to about anything house, car, or tool related. He helps keep me grounded and is also a trusted confidant. I don’t think I would be able to exist if something happened to one of them because we are all so closely connected. They are not just my support system, but I am a part of theirs as well. I am also close with both sides of my extended family, so I also regularly talk with my cousins, aunts, and uncles who all genuinely care for me as well.

The second support that is crucial to my lifestyle is my relationship with God. I am a Christian and my faith is very important to me. It’s how I base my lifestyle, personality, and choices. I chose to walk and live by faith and without having that and a supportive church family that I worship and volunteer with, I would feel totally lost.

I also have a good support system through work. There are some days where my co-teacher and crazy coworkers are the reason I get out of bed and come to school 😛 There will always be things that we have to do in a school system that we may not support or feel are best practices, but we do it anyway for the good of our students, and my coworkers help remind me of that. Our Side Side Hallway is always loud and rambunctious, and we are constantly teasing each other and giving hugs in the hallway, as well as being the first to line up outside someone’s door when they need advice or help with a student or family. Our director has our best interests at heart as well, and stands behind us when we need it the most. What if I didn’t have a job? This is the challenge I chose to share because having the job helps support other parts of my lifestyle, like my car, the food that I am able to buy to keep me alive, and my phone which keeps me connected to my family when I can’t see them physically. Having my job gives me a paycheck that helps support myself and without it, life would be more difficult as I would have a hard time existing without them. I don’t know what I would do if I were ever unable to talk to or see my family.

Those are my biggest emotional support systems. Some of my physical supports that I couldn’t live with out are my car, my coffee, and my books. My car is a physical support that I take for granted too often. It gets me to and from places and runs efficiently and I never appreciate it enough until I have a flat tire or my battery died. I don’t need to rely on public transportation which goes on a schedule any may not be reliable and I can get up and go at any time. Because I have a job I can pay for gas and typical car maintenance. Coffee gets me up and out bed and helps me begin my day effectively. Once I have coffee in my system, I am motivated to get things done and it keeps me calm coming into my classroom to start my day. Finally, books are my safe place. When I am stressed and need time to myself, I rely on a good book to take me awhile for awhile. This supports my mental health and calming personality 🙂

Without all of these support systems in place I wouldn’t be the person I am. They are what makes me unique and helps me emotionally, practically, and physically.

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