Excellence in the Early Childhood Field - in China

I am pleased to insert this letter that my Chinese web mate sent to her largely Chinese parents in the Bi-lingual class she was the lead teacher of. This is excellence at its best!

If you have been wondering why so much of your child's time in school is spent on play for the last of 2 weeks, please read on.

Experts advise that children need time and space to PLAY not only at home but school as well. Why? What is PLAY? What does it do?

In our fast-paced world so much emphasis is placed on work, achievement and managing a full schedule that time for PLAY in the form of sharing with friends, spontaneous fun, or even solitary moments spent developing a hobby helps us grow and reduces stresses. These forms of PLAY teach us as no other learning device can. PLAY adds the balance we need to live happier and healthier lives.

PLAY is more than fun and leisure time for a child. Through the PLAY process, children LEARN "their way." They connect their inside and outside worlds and create their own unique experiences--no textbook can teach this! PLAY therefore, at its best, aids in the creation of unique individuals, talents and skills.

PLAY develops curiosity. When children PLAY, they become inquisitive and increase their desire to find out about things. They LEARN to enjoy learning.

PLAY helps children discover their own special talents. With no "right or wrong" way to PLAY, children will PLAY in their own way.

PLAY encourages responsible risk-taking. Children can think on their own .

They will try new things in the non-threatening environment of PLAY.

PLAY helps children make their own choices and gives them a sense of control, self-discipline and self-confidence.

PLAY builds social relationships. Children LEARN to communicate, share, cooperate, negotiate and respect the rights of others.

PLAY allows children to make things "less scary". They work out their tensions, fears, emotions and concerns through PLAY.

PLAY rejuvenates. PLAY sparks continued enthusiasm for life and brings renewal, the basis for a happy life.

In summary, PLAY offers boundless opportunities for both children and adults. By encouraging true, FREE PLAY, in and out of classrooms, we open doors to creativity, LEARNING, growth, development and happiness. We raise and become well-balanced individual members of society.

Thank you, Wendy! An excellent model for any country!

I am indeed a lucky girl, another Chinese teacher I had emailed some time ago responded this week. She addressed the equity issue in China. She states that rich families are able to give their children extra classes and enroll them in private and/or higher quality preschools. However, she says that at Kindergarten and Primary School the field is leveled in the public school system. In fact, she reveals that children from poorer families actually score higher because their parents are more strict about studies: 'only best scores can get a good job' (Personal communication, Lily Kong, July 17, 2011) . It is her observation that the rich do not care so much.

Lily does admit that there is a certain amount of gifting going on and that some teachers are swayed to give special attention because of this. However, she states, this is definitely the minority of teachers.

Wendy also responded to the excellence question this week. She relates the story of her son going to public school after a private Montessori preschool and Kindergarten. He was reprimanded for not knowing Pinyin(the alphabetized version of Mandarin character) and for not having speed in math activities. They did not dispute that he had a deep understanding of the maths but not the speed they expected. Wendy says those were difficult days.

This brought to mind that we, a Montessori school, have bowed to parental pressure and provide reception classes in language skills and maths to help prepare the child for Primary school. These are done in the afternoon allowing the morning to be a Montessori work cycle.  Right or wrong? We continue to evaluate.

I have lived in this country for 11 years and I continue to gain new insights. Thanks to these two Chinese teachers.


 

My Connections to Play

SPACE    

This is like my early memories without the boots, rubber gloves, plastic shovel and dog. My father was a hobby gardener so our yard had sand, seaweed, sawdust, manure and soil pretty much from May to September. A haven for a little girl who loved to get dirty.  

                                                                              TIME
     

 

I remember jokes  about the water not being able to go down the drain and being hosed down  outside often finished off my day. As an adult I still seem to get dirty at whatever I do much to the chagrin of my principal.                                 





                                                                                     LOVE                                                                                                        BELONGING                                                                              

                                          COMMUNITY 

The top picture looks across the river to the village I grew up in. My lower part of my backyard was one of those hills with pear, apple and cherry trees, above that was a huge garden and above that the house. This is not the actually orchard but there is the grass, flowers and trees. This was my place to escape,  imagine and dream. The village was my playground. My friend's father 'up the hill' was a contractor so there was lumber, tar many interest nooks and crannies to play in. Then there were wide open fields where a limb became a sword or a gun and a flower became a bandage. Many long hours running, laughing and enjoying my friends.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Khalil Gibran

I had a wagon, a bike and whatever we found in the neighborhood. I do not remember being in the house very much. My mother was a very hard worker and there was always work to do which may be part of the reason. I remember doing things like bringing lady bugs to the dinner table and my sister, elder by 11 years, feared I had mental problem. I remember one evening my sister was very stressed preparing for examinations and I was outside with my friends catching water from the eves in pails and chasing each other. I went in and asked her to join us. While she was 'shooing' this as ridiculous,  my mother suggested it might be an excellent idea. She ran around with us and took a few hits then returned much more relaxed to her studies. And of course, she aced the test.

Play produces feelings of pleasure which help you escape from two major creativity killers – stress and self-consciousness.
Jordan Ayan

Exercise is still the best stress reliever I have. When I am overwhelmed with life, even a walk around the block can help put it in perspective.

Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.

Stuart Brown, MD
Contemporary American psychiatrist

I am saddened that children living in this capital city surrounded by and ensconced in high rises  do not have the luxury of space, grass, trees and mud. There are play grounds with equipment, noise of traffic near by, parks that do not allow you on the grass and often days with air that demands you stay indoors. Even now, 50 years later I remember the freedom of running out the door, up or down the hill, smelling the clover, eating the sour grass and putting daisies under each other's chin and bringing home ghastly bouquets of dandelions home,helping burn the grass in the spring, rake the leaves in the fall and staying outside till dusk.

We all need empty hours in our lives or we will have no time to create or dream.

Robert Coles
Contemporary American child psychologist

One final thought that made my early childhood enviable was the love of my father. He just like having me with him. I accompanied him on errands, introduced as  his daughter 'Bob'; walked side by side through his days off; had the passenger seat on many road trips; shared jokes; music;life. I knew he liked having me around. Also the community welcomed me - no fear to roam on the streets or through back yards. This sense of belonging and having a voice cannot be gotten from a computer or television set.

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) - update

This site continues to work out its mandate to unite and promote educators around the world.

One of the ways is by presenting an Institute for International Education Diplomacy, July 29 to August 2 this summer at the George Washington University  in Washington, D. C. This gathering acknowledges that to make changes you must enlist the participation of the country and its people. To this end, presenters will inform in communicating across interpersonal, intercultural, political and cross-disciplinary borders.  Having a great plan may not be enough if it does not fit the people it is designed to help or if hey cannot comprehend the rationale or motive involved.

This month also there is a report Social Policy Report. Quality of Early Childhood Development Programs in Global Contexts by Pia Rebello Britto, Hirokaza Yoshikawa and Kimberly Boller. Interestingly this report echoes what we have been reading about early education in the United States. Countries around the world are dealing with the same research, financial restraints and the constraints of levels of government and many children with many different needs to support. They too conclude that it must be more than the giving of money but there must be a commitment to quality that finds its way all the way to the community.

Norvell, Ratcliff and Hunt's article Give me a Break: The Argument for Recess. was timely for our discussion this week. They call for a grass roots research - in the classroom, conducted by the teachers and results given to parents. This voice needs to be raised so the humanity of early childhood is not forgotten or bull-dozed for the sake of economic growth.

In the Digest this week an article by Bi Ying and Judit Szente, The Care and Education of Orphan Children With Disabilities in China reminded that we have a way to go at caring for the disadvantaged in this country. The work of Philip Hayden, a true carer of humanity, was highlighted in his forming of the Shepherd's Field Children's Village in Tanjing.

This site has an international vision that cooperates with other international and national organizations to being to light early childhood issues throughout the world.

























irokaza Yoshikowa and Kimberly Boller.

Connecting to International Teacher - update

I have had more difficulty with these contacts than I imagined. My two original choices are on holidays and I certainly can understand their taking some time to get back to me.

To that end, I have started a chat with a Chinese teacher. During our chat this week she said that her experience has been like mine in international schools. However, her son attended public school and she has colleagues who are presently teaching in the public school system.

Her first area of interest is the migrant children who are numbering 400,000of primary school age. It  is interesting she brought this topic up because this has been an area of interest of mine for some time. In fact, I considered volunteering at one of the schools set up for migrant children. However, the program needed a commitment of consecutive Saturdays that I felt I could not take on with my present work load. This teacher expressed how much this would be appreciated as these schools are  hugely under-funded and teachers/conditions are often not  up to national standards and some are not even licensed and therefore rely on donations.

I plan to visit her school next week and look forward to continuing this dialogue.

 I have contacted another teacher who is presently in an international school but has experience in public schools. I will follow up with another email and hope to perhaps meet her this week as well.

One thing that came out of our conversation was that the government  has policy for compulsory nine years of education. However, the schools are provided for the children who are registered as residents.This excludes the migrant children. There is a new policy as of last year that gives papers to these children and mandates that every child within the area of that school must be admitted. However, there is not enough room. I wish to look into this further, to see how it actually is working out.

Then there is the issue of the children who are left in the rural areas. They have resident permission to go to school but there may not be schools available and if there are, are not up to the national standards.


These are all issues that the government is addressing. It seems that every country has children that are left behind. It seems that what makes the difference is a driving force that keeps the needs of the child at the forefront. UNICEF-China seems to be one of those forces here with its Beijing representative, Kirsten Di Martino. She is a name that keeps showing up when issues about children's rights are brought up. She is a person of interest that I look forward to finding out more about in the days ahead.

An interesting aside.
 I have just two weeks ago moved into a new apartment and the owner is wanting to move back to Beijing. In my search for another apartment, I got a picture of what it is like to be without legal representation. Thankfully, I am a person in good standing here and was able to obtain some assistance and I can always go to the Embassy. However, it is a different story for those who have not been brought up with the life of the city, or the rights that are afforded them or even access to information on what is available to them. This is a big job for the Chinese government but one that they have take on with determination and an aim to success.

International Focus

I am waiting responses from my educators. The one in England is on holiday, of course, but will probably reply this weekend. The lady from Peru is looking after her grand-children while the parents are away so she is a bit 'at wit's end' but I expect contact with her soon also.

I returned to the Association for Childhood Education International web site (www.acei.org) and read more about the Decade for Childhood - 2012-2022. This will be started off in March 28-30, 2012 in Washington, D.C. They are calling on papers from educators, researchers, health professionals, environmentalists, psychologist, sociologists, social workers and advocates for early childhood.

They are looking for responses from different sectors: universities, non-government organizations, research institutes from around the world. They want to address practice, policy and research as it pertains to the health and welfare of early childhood.

The intention of this summit and the decade is to facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue, to explore the state of education worldwide and the mental and physical well being of the child. The approach is international, cross cultural and cross disciplinary. They are looking for best policies and best practices

This summit will be the start but the entire decade will be dedicated to making the world a safer and more nurturing place for a child. Seems to me this is an opportunity for collaboration cooperation and lasting aid to the children of the world.

Another item that was of interest is a delegation of educators that will travel to Cuba in an information exchange and to research the Cuban model of education.

Realtionship Reflection

I am now and have always been single.

I am not a parent.

I live literally half way around the world from my family.

This good grounds for a reflection on commitment to relationship.

My sister is the most important relationship I have. Even though we are separated by space, I remain aware of how she is and the events in her life. It is essential for me to keep that line open via available phone, travel home and encouraging her visit here. I am pretty certain I would do anything to maintain this relationship.  

Then next most important relationship would be my friend, colleague,principal and her family. We are an unlikely twosome who acquainted as ESL teachers in GaungZhou. We bonded as neighbors next then over a conflict beyond our control and finally to her inviting me to Beijing to teach in her school. I am old enough to be her mother, we do not share countries of origin, she has the whole family package: husband, son, daughter, son, mother and father, etc; she has and maintains many friendships, she is adventuresome and has learned to speak both Cantonese and Mandarin. Totally opposite

Daily I wonder why we are friends. But we are. I absolutely know that she would always have my back and I am quite certain she knows that of me. As much as this relationship is undeserved, I cherish it and work hard to maintain and enrich it.

I belong to a large international church here. I have relationships in the Sunday School and a small group. These so far are more connected to what I can do or supply. These relationships could be severed by moving  as so often happens here.

School relationships
Colleagues
These challenge, encourage and hold me accountable. I respect and work to keep these receptive, friendly, respectful and honoring. These relationships are essential to the quality and furthering my job as an early child educator.   Since starting this Masters, these have helped me keep a realistic balance between the ideal and the reality.

Families
Because I am the first educator of their child and they entrust me with the care of their most precious person, this relationship is more service grounded. These will end as they leave Beijing and even when the children graduate to the next class. These are important and I strive to keep communication honest and open but only on a professional level.

Then there are my relationship with the employees at the Starbucks I frequent who keep my caffeine at necessary levels. They welcome me by name and however shallow, in this huge, foreign city it means something to be recognized as an individual out of the masses.
Then there is my computer guy, Charley. He has been my life line more than once especially since starting this course. He probably has no idea why I would even consider such a venture considering my technical ineptitude. However he continues to answer my calls and rescue me from yet the latest crisis. 

International Colleagues - The Search

I began this week putting some feelers out for educators that would enjoy discussing education with me during the following weeks.

First of all since I am here in China, I would like to make contact with a teacher in a public pre-school or kindergarten. I have asked a colleague to check at her son's school to see if anyone would be interested. She thought they would be reticent to do it in person but thought there might be one that would enjoy doing it in print.I would like this to be an on-going relationship. I am waiting to on hear back.

Secondly, a now 3 year old student of our school who began in my class has a grandmother who is a newly- retired educator in Peru. She has 30 years experience with 3 to 5 year olds and she is excited to talk about early education in her country. She is here visiting for a month so we may be able to meet for coffee as well.

Lastly, I have requested if the mother of one of my colleagues would be interested in this project. She is a special education educator in England and also has experience in Hong Kong. Her daughter was quite certain that she would enjoy discussing her field and the changes she has seen over the years with me. However, I have not yet made direct contact with her.

Education Website.
This has been an interesting journey for me.
En route to the international sites, I joined the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and will be receiving their newsletter.
I also became a member of The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and will be receiving publications from them. I will also be accessing the great ideas that popped out in just a quick pass through.
Since the first course I have been wondering which journals to subscribe and this assignment has helped me make that decision.
I look forward to sharing these articles with my colleagues and parents.

When I arrived in the international territory, I chose the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). This is chock-full of ideas and information. Their vision is to support with knowledge communities,  families, educators and the early childhood population.  
To this end the click areas have names like: Building Community; Engaging Worldwide, which gives information about education in countries around the world; Sharing Knowledge, providing a resource center; Taking Action, which investigates ways to ensure the rights of the child and his family; Advancing Education, projects that put this knowledge into action.


Then there is a radio where there are interviews about current research and issues.

 An area topped 'Focus Forum', provides quarterly reviews on age groups up to early adolescence.


In addition to this there is an E-newsletter and a subscription to  Journal of Research in Childhood Education. At least I think so. I paid the subscription and they said they would get back to me by mail within 2 weeks. But I do live in China. We'll see.


Another interesting subject on this site's home page was the announcing that 2012-2022 is the Decade of the Child. It will be interesting to find out what that all entails.


I am certain over the next weeks there will be much to report from this already informative site.