Meet my professional partners and hear their experiences and views

Firstly I chose someone that I have known for 16 years, we met at the International school of Amsterdam, in Holland,  when she was a Kindergarten teacher and I was a teaching assistant.  Frankie comes from Britain and has lived in Holland for over 20 years.  I later moved to another community International school and had the pleasure of teaching her twins in Pre-Kindergarten.  Frankie is now head of Early Years and teaches art. 

When I asked her about her experiences with teaching children from poor conditions she answered honestly that she had only ever taught in International schools and that the children from these schools were from privileged families.  Her own schooling, she added was in England in a little village of working class people.  She was not aware of anyone who struggled due to poverty.  We discussed poverty here in Indonesia and also in South Africa.  Frankie's school are part of an exchange to a village school in Tanzania in Africa.  She is planning to join them next year as she has always been very interested in Africa and curious about the conditions that the people there live in.  I will be curious about her experience in Africa and witnessing the poverty first hand.

My other professional connection is Julie, Julie is a Pre-Kindergarten teacher that I met in Indonesia.  Julie is French  and has a long history of teaching in 6 different countries.  She is on her way to teach in Russia and is hoping to work her way into a leadership role in the Early Years.  Julie is very dedicated to education and did a lot for our school here in Indonesia.  I was luckily enough to have her teach all 3 of my sons.
When talking to Julie about her experiences with teaching children in Poverty, much like Frankie, she had not taught children that were subject to poverty.  Having lived in Indonesia for 5 years Julie is fully aware of the poverty here and is very involved in school raising funds to help the children with some relief.  She knows how important children's health and nutrition are as part of healthy develop and is concerned when she hears what about the diet of the children in the village and rural locations.  She tells about how her maid at home has a baby and what they are taught to feed the baby.  A first introduction to solids is rice with salt.  This is alarming to us that are more educated in basic nutrition of babies and young children.  We know that salt is unhealthy and should be avoided, especially in babies.  Due to poverty and poor living conditions there is a lack of education and people are trying to survive with what they can afford, which is rice here. 

I have shared this weeks application with my professional connections regarding poverty in Indonesia and look forward to some interesting conversations.

Quality of Work  Submitted	Satisfactory 4/4 points	3/4 points	2/4 points	1/4 points	Unsatisfactory 0/4 points
Adherence to  Assignment  Expectations The extent to which  work meets  the assigned criteria.	Assignment meets  expectations  and reflects  graduate-level critical,  analytical thinking. All key components are  included: Initial post submitted with  2 comments  to other students’ blogs.	Initial post submitted  with 1  comment to other  students’ blogs.	Initial post not  submitted with  2 comments to  other students’  blogs.  OR Initial post submitted with no  comments  to other students’ blogs.	Initial post not  submitted with 1  comment to other students’ blogs.	Does not  fulfill the  expectations  of the assignment.  Key components  are not included:  Initial post not s ubmitted with no c omments to other  students’ blogs.

Becoming more familiar with NAEYC

This organization that I have chosen to learn more about is an American based foundation.  Since I don't live in American and have never taught in the States, I find it interesting to delve deeper into this organization and learn a little more about education in USA.  The NAEYC or National Association for the Education of Young Children is the biggest organization of it's kind in the world.  They collaborate professional opinions and experiences and aim to develop national policies based on research and evidence for the best possible practice for the educational of young children.  Through conferences and workshops they aim to reach professionals in the Early Childhood sector.  They have good connections with policy makers and are well recognized and through this they can make a difference on a larger scale.  They are also involved in the maintenance and longevity of quality Early Childhood Education.  On their website, www.naeyc.org, there are limitless resources and information regarding Early Childhood practises. The NAEYC has a main goal and that is to support the equal opportunities to quality education while recognizing children's development as a stepping stone to a successfully future.  I found these articles very relevant to this weeks work:

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDIV98.PDF 

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

Both of these articles addressed diversity within Early Childhood, which I personally take a deep interest in.

Quality of Work  Submitted	Satisfactory 4/4 points	3/4 points	2/4 points	1/4 points	Unsatisfactory 0/4 points
Adherence to  Assignment  Expectations The extent to which  work meets  the assigned criteria.	Assignment meets  expectations  and reflects  graduate-level critical,  analytical thinking. All key components are  included: Initial post submitted with  2 comments  to other students’ blogs.	Initial post submitted  with 1  comment to other  students’ blogs.	Initial post not  submitted with  2 comments to  other students’  blogs.  OR Initial post submitted with no  comments  to other students’ blogs.	Initial post not  submitted with 1  comment to other students’ blogs.	Does not  fulfill the  expectations  of the assignment.  Key components  are not included:  Initial post not s ubmitted with no c omments to other  students’ blogs.

Setting up my professional learning community

I have been fortunate enough to have worked at 5 different schools on 3 different continents and through those experiences I have met many diverse and interesting professionals.  I have kept in touch with many of them and have chosen 2 for this excersice.

Julie Hanocque, is a preschool coordinater at International School of Riau (Sumatra - Indonesia)

Frankie Rees - Preschool teacher/coordinator and art teacher at International school of Amsterdam (Holland)

These 2 professions have graciously accepted my request and will gladly help me by answering any questions and giving their opinions.

The organisation that I have chosen is NAEYC.  A good friend and colleague is passionate about this organisation and I have always wanted to know more about it.

Quality of Work  Submitted	Satisfactory 4/4 points	3/4 points	2/4 points	1/4 points	Unsatisfactory 0/4 points
Adherence to  Assignment  Expectations The extent to which  work meets  the assigned criteria.	Assignment meets  expectations  and reflects  graduate-level critical,  analytical thinking. All key components are  included: Initial post submitted with  2 comments  to other students’ blogs.	Initial post submitted  with 1  comment to other  students’ blogs.	Initial post not  submitted with  2 comments to  other students’  blogs.  OR Initial post submitted with no  comments  to other students’ blogs.	Initial post not  submitted with 1  comment to other students’ blogs.	Does not  fulfill the  expectations  of the assignment.  Key components  are not included:  Initial post not s ubmitted with no c omments to other  students’ blogs.

My Supports

I live in a remote community in the middle of Sumatra, Indonesia.  It is an oil company compound with a several thousand families, of which 30 families are expatriates.  It is very common here to have help in the house to clean, cook, babysit.  Everyone has full time gardeners and drivers.  When first arriving I was appose to the idea of having all these people in my space working for me.  We are living here for my husbands job and I am not able to work here, so I have been home full time with my boys.  I didn't feel that it was necessary to have all the help if I was home and not working.  We have a full time "Ibu", that is Indonesian for Mama and that is the term used here, she cleans and helps me in the house.  We have a part time gardener who also helps me with things like, going into town and running errands.  It is a very different place here and even driving outside the camp is challenging.  There is a big language barrier and my Ibu has good English and helps me to translate.  If we need to go out at night she babysits the boys and know her very well and trust her.  We feel good that we can help to support these families that work for us as they support us in our daily life.  They live in the village and do not have the privileges that we have.  So they bring their washing to be washed and dried at our house and also take fresh water home daily.  We do what we can to make their lives easier as they have certainly made our lives easier. 
As far as emotional support I have my husband who is always willing to listen and give calm and sensible advice.  I have 2 dear friends here that I trust and care about, we often take walks and share our feelings and common problems.

 I have my own mother and my mother in law just a skype call away, even though they are on the other side of the world, Holland and South Africa.
They call the assignment we are on here a hardship and that it certainly is.  Being isolated and also living in a small community has it's challenges, and the support is very welcomed and very helpful.

I think what would be worse for me is if any of my 3 boys had any special needs.  There is no extra support here and besides the teachers, no Occupational therapy or speech therapy, no learning support or behavioural therapists.  If that were case I would not be living here and I would choose to be in a city or a place where I would b

e able to have access to the support that our family needed.  We miss our family support dearly and often it is difficult for us.  We are moving in 2 months as the camp is no longer keeping any Expat families here.  We will move to Holland and I will go back to teaching.  It is an exciting transition and we look forward to being close to family and modern services and support.  I am anxious about the balance of home life, working and the children with no house help - but I know that when I have a routine in place it will all work out.

My Connections to Play

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. 

But for children, play is serious learning"

- Mr Rogers

"Children need the freedom and time to play. 

Play is not a luxury.

Play is a necessity."

- Kay Redfield Jamison

As a little girl I got one of these for Christmas at a young age and I absolutely loved her. I would play Mommy for hours.

Cabbage Patch Kids were a huge craze when I was growing up and we had to go to the shop and formally adopt one.

Something we did very often would be to draw a tennis court on the road infront of the house and play tennis games. 

We grew up with a swimming pool and would spend all summer playing different games in the swimming pool with our cousins and friends.


I grew up in a very playful house, a lot of laughs and a lot of games.  My Dad being a sportsman always had some kind of physical game or big competition going with the kids.  He would engage in hours of playing with us and when I think back he really enjoyed it.  We learnt skills and rules through different games.  40 years later he is playing games with my 3 sons - getting down to their level and engaging with what is important to them and connecting on their level.
My grandmother used to play boardgames with me and bake with me.  She taught me to play cards and different boardgames, we would play and laugh and drink tea together - those memories are yet to fade.  Children want to feel loved and accepted, special and valued - through playing with children adults can share moments on their level and get a better understanding of them. 

Although the world is a faster and more technical place than it was when I was young - essentially play that was present then is still present now.  Many of the games that we played children still play now.  The big problem is that children are often so over stimulated by electronics and television that they don't play.  When these stimuli are taken away children are left to their own devices and imagination and have to room to play again.

Play is an essential part of childhood.  Through play children can model, express and understand the the world around them.  They acquire social skills while playing with others as well as teaching each other different things about the world.  Play is a natural way of learning that is on a child's developmental level and makes sense.  As adults we still play and should.  Sports, board games and playing with children even, these are all positive outlets and important part of our lives. 

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

My meaninful relationships in my life


"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men."

— Albert Einstein

Looking back through the years of life, I could not imagine my memories without the relationships that I have formed and experienced.  All my fondest and also sadness memories are linked to people that I have shared moments, times, experiences and emotions with.  Many of those people have taken separate paths to mine and some are still travelling along side me.  Whether someone shares a season of your life with you or stays for the full journey, the impact can be just as intense and memorable.

My husband and 3 sons are my life and the relationship I share with them is very deep.  My husband I have have been together through thick and thin for 17 years. We continue to learn and deepen our relationship, through mutual trust and respect, communication and putting our family first above all.

For me I have always had the constant of my family, my mother and father, my brother and sister and my Grandmother.  My grandmother that has passed away is the person that has left the biggest imprint in my heart and my life.  I felt her unconditional love always and as a child she was firm and loving.  She was interested in everything about me and I felt that. She taught me things and took me to simple but special places, she made time for me - and I felt that.  She gave me boundaries and love, she was a constant in my life.  Her love never changed nor shifted throughout my life and our relationship grew naturally into that of an adult one. 

Living an expat life that I do, I have made new friends at a later stage in my life.  There is something special about making new friendships but there is also something to be said for old and established friendships.  I have friends from 25 years ago, we don't always keep in touch but when we see each other it's as if no time has passed and we pick up from where we left off.  To share memories and a past together is precious. 
A relationship for me, whether it be friendship or intimate, needs to be based on trust and respect.  We can't want nor expect our friends or partner to have the same thoughts and ideas as we have.  We need to celebrate each others differences and learn from each other.  To foster a good relationship we need to be open and listen to our friends, think about others and make time for them. 
Relationships are not always easy sailing and they require work and dedication.  I have had issues in the past with a friend and even though we both felt very differently about the same situation we talked and decided to agree to disagree - as our friendship was more important that arguing over opinions. 
This posting may be getting long, but I feel that I need to share this special piece that a very person in my life just posted.  I thought it was very apt when talkign about relationships.  SHe has recently given birth to a little girl with mosiac down syndrome and she need open heart surgery.  They do not have the money for the surgery have reached out to friends and family for help.

In the process of living our lives we plant seeds wherever we go with all the people we meet in all the unique ways we influence each other. The initial nourishment and attention given so vital so that the soil can become rich, fertile with inspiration and love.

That encouragement helps the seeds grow up with branches that reach out and bear fruit to nourish others. Remembering its all thanks to the strong roots its been blessed with.
This amazing list of donors reminds me of all the seeds I have had planted and scattered through out my life. How lucky I am that they were given the attention needed to be nourished, inspired and loved. How deep those roots have grown. How beautifully influenced and enriched my life has been as a result. And now, at a time when I need it most, it is raining love on the sweetest little flower in my garden to help her grow strong with encouragement, inspiration and love too.
Thank you all- friends, family, colleagues, students and their families, community networks, acquaintances, friends of friends, strangers... Thank you for your nurture. Thank you for your support.

When working in Early Childhood I made sure to have open and warm relationships with the parents of the children in my class.  For many of them it was their first schooling experience for their child and of course daunting and often emotional.  As a teacher I felt that I needed to be compassionate to that and understanding and by giving the families support they felt cared for and had more confidence in leaving their young children in my care.  It was a mutual respect and the through these relationships the children also felt more secure and happier at school. 

                                            My 3 boys and I, Joshua 4, Jayden 3 & Nicky 1

                                            My beloved Grandmother - Mariella Puccini

                                              The birth of our 3rd son, Nicholas Frank

                                   My brother, Frank, and I growing up with our dog Sandy

                                                    My Mom, brother and sister, Jacinta

My Dad and I, 39 years ago 

Setting up my professional learning community

I have been fortunate enough to have worked at 5 different schools on 3 different continents and through those experiences I have met many diverse and interesting professionals.  I have kept in touch with many of them and have chosen 2 for this excersice.

Julie Hanocque, is a preschool coordinater at International School of Riau (Sumatra - Indonesia)

Frankie Rees - Preschool teacher/coordinator and art teacher at International school of Amsterdam (Holland)

These 2 professions have graciously accepted my request and will gladly help me by answering any questions and giving their opinions.

The organisation that I have chosen is NAEYC.  A good friend and colleague is passionate about this organisation and I have always wanted to know more about it.