Blog Assignment: Getting to know Your International Contacts-Part3
This is my international contact Jesse Loughman's responses to the following questions.
What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?
What opportunities and or requirements for professional development exist?
What are some of your professional goals?
What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?
Well there are many issues involving education every where. In the United States we have a lot of issues with funding and testing. Here in China there is much the same. The biggest issue across the board I believe is simply communication. 90% of the communication is from top-down ( meaning that it starts with the officials, then to the managers ( or principals) then to the teachers and finally the students. But there is no communication from the bottom-up. Every day teachers struggle with the children but their concerns hardly ever leave the classroom, and if so it hardly leaves the school or makes the school any better. Also, more and more pressure from parents on teachers ( aka Helicopter parents) is increasingly limiting the creativity of the classroom. I do believe that early childhood and all education professionals need to be held accountable, but is it too much?
My personal goal is I plan to graduate from graduate school and get a higher degree in Comparative Religious Studies and teach at a University. ( Jesse Loughman).
I have really enjoyed talking to Jesse. I have not heard from this point from my other 2 international contacts. I will post comments later when I hear from them.
Hello Linda:
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the international contact feedback. What Jesse is describing is "unethical" for the teachers to experience and struggle everyday. Having no support or resources will absolutely burn out the teachers and impact the quality of education and care they are providing. From our previous weeks, we learned that China has a high poverty rate, specially those families who migrate from the urban areas to the city to earn more money. However, specific cultural barriers and lifestyle has been a major issue in the ECE field and elementary years. Adding to this issue is lack of "quality workforce"! I can imagine how hard it is for these teachers to provide quality care and education, when actually their needs are being met.:(
Great post/blog :)
Marijan
Linda, sometimes in some schools for some issues it's difficult to give children a good quality care but,we as educators need to stay there advocating and struggle to support to the children in giving a good quality educatin for their development and their future. Teachers need to do everything they can to help the children learn to implement standars and preserve what the early childhood fiel believes best for children. good work!
ReplyDeletemaria
It seems to me everybody is complaining about same things in education, no matter what state, country they live in. The main issues seem to pop up is communication, funding, and the pressure seem to land on the teachers. The issues became one-sided, and the teachers are the ones to blame because they deal with the children. Quality is team work, from the top to the bottom, when will the educational system put things back in full force for the children to have a good quality education. Tamarah
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tamarah, everybody is having the same types of issues when it comes to education. It is so sad when this is one of the most important issue in everyone's life. We all strive to greatness and how else to achieve this greatness if it not through education.
ReplyDeleteMuch success in your goal of finishing your education. I hope to see you on graduation day and shake your hand and say congratulations in person. God Bless.
Linda, i really enjoyed your post! I loved hearing another ECE professionals' view on the questions asked!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more about the problem with communication from the bottom-up. Sometimes as a teacher, I feel like we should have more control on what we are teaching our students since WE are the experts and know what your students need. I found it interesting that it is the same in China... as well as the "helicopter" parents....
Thanks for sharing!
Jessica
Linda,
ReplyDeleteYour post was interesting, funding for early childhood education is difficult nation wide and is a recurring problem for everyone. Higher pay for preschool teachers is another difficult problem for educational leaders. I don't believe the biggest problem is the communication. I believe the problem is finding the funds to fund all of the required programs.
Yvette