Unfortunately throughout the 8
weeks of this course, I was not able to connect with professionals
internationally that work within the early education field. However, throughout this time, I was able to
explore various early childhood websites, programs, and learned how severe the
issue of trafficking is, and what programs are doing in advocating for women’s
rights.
In viewing one of my professional
goals as an educator, and reviewing the UNESCO’s website, I keep thinking about
what Dr. Cathy Grace said in relating to the issues of demographic changes and
diversity. “The home language needs to
be strong, vibrant, full and rich in order for children to make the transfer”
(Laureate, 2011). According to the
UNESCO General Conference Resolution, the requirements of global and national
participation, and the specific needs of particular, culturally and
linguistically distinct communities can only be addressed by multilingual
education (www.unesco.org). With that in mind, UNESCO is providing
consultation to Early Childhood Care professionals on Mother Tongue instruction
to enhance learning for children of diverse language backgrounds. In reviewing my second goal, I feel we must
advocate for changes in equalizing learning opportunities for all children,
which include equal access, affordability, and availability. UNESCO also works hard in advocating for high
quality education in putting this issue in the forefront. On 4 July, Irina Bokova,
Director-General of UNESCO pleaded for commitment to education from the highest
levels of government and international bodies by joining UN officials and
schoolchildren to urge world leaders to redouble their efforts to put education
at the centre of development (www.unesco.org).
UNESO is yet another organization advocating for women’s
rights in overcoming poverty and achieving social justice. This is another area I feel a great passion
for in advocating for women so they are able to live the life I do. The Global Partnership Project was
launched in 2011 and over the last 12 months, has opened 160 classrooms in
seven regions of Africa and has trained 100 literacy educators who are now
educating over 3,000 women through this program. How awesome.
It’s so wonderful to keep reading and learning more about the various programs
supporting and advocating for the well-being of children and women’s right’s
across the globe.
Resources:
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). “The Effects of Changing
Demographics and Diversity on Children, Families, and the EC Field” [Course
media]. Issues and Trends in the Early
Childhood Field. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Tammy,
ReplyDeleteIt is absolutely amazing to learn how the efforts of educating women can impact the entire family. I know that we-women- are the glue that holds a family together. I enjoyed viewing your website. I noted this, "WISE is based on the practical awareness that the challenges in education are no longer bound by countries’ political boundaries and, therefore, its mandate is international.” http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/major-events/?tx_browser_pi1[showUid]=5371&cHash=6c0d45a608 If this education does not have political boundaries more children will be educated and we can have a more productive society.
Hi Tammy,
ReplyDeleteI can sense your passion about these topics as I read your entry! I learned a great deal from UNESCO's website as well. I had not visited the portion on teaching in the native tongue. It sounds as if this is a good resource about learning more about language instruction. I found the statistic that there were 160 classrooms opened in the last twelve months to be amazing. WOW! That is awesome!
I think one of the most impressive things about UNESCO was the amount of current information available. I am not much of a statistics person, but seeing this information in printed form, with maps and graphs really aided my understanding of some of the global efforts for education.
Great job!
Kristi
Hi Tammy, It was interesting reading your blog and your world of experiences. How interesting when I read your cherished items. It shows exactly how diverse we all are in interest, likes, and dislikes. Family culture is truly a topic we all need as educators to learn more and become aware of the beauty in diversity.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.