I received an initial response (Aileen from Alberta, Canada) in my attempt to contact other ECE professionals from around the world, but additional contacts have not received a response. For that reason I choose to listen to a podcast for this week's blog assignment. I choose the Podcast by Meridas Eka Yora which I retrieved from : http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio/. Meridas is the founder and director of the institution Fajar Hiayah for Islamic Education and Director of the Yayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation. He developed three boarding schools for children who are orphaned. Many of the orphans were as a result of the tsunami that struck southern Indonesia and devastated the region in 2004. However additional orphans are a result of conflicts in the area where children may have seen their parents killed. In the orphanages, the preschool teachers are placed in the role of the mother and father and nurse as well as the teacher. Meirdas described the schools as the families for the children where the older children act as older brothers and sister. Meridas further described how physcologists were hired but they found that the best psychologists were the teachers and other children and how some children were unable to accept what happened to their families even months after the tsunami and how these children received special treatment from people like him who would take these children into their homes.
After listening to the podcast I have a better understanding of how an area devastated by disaster and conflict handles educating young children. For the teachers in these programs in southern Indonesia, their role is not only important but vital to the physical, emotional and cognitive well being of the children. I believe that often in the United States we focus so much on academics that we often forget the importance of caring for the whole child. Through natural disaster and conflict, this program in Indonesia has found a way to meet the needs of the children and to provide an education to the most vulnerable. I believe that in helping families living in poverty in America, it is important that we as early childhood educators are familar with local resources so that we can make referrals to families and help them access the resources needed to meet all of their child's needs.
Natural disaster and war are traumatizing to young children and adults. As adults we understand these situations better. We, as professionals, have to learn how to reach out to children and comfort them in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteRight here in the U.S. there are many children who have been transitioned to shelters, new homes, and new schools due to the the hurricane that hit NY, NJ. There are also young children still dealing with the reality of death and violence due to the Sandy Hook shooting.
This was a great post. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to others in the future.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. It is amazing to hear about individuals around the world making a difference in the lives of children.
I feel as teachers we make a difference everyday. We are more than an educator, we are counselors, mentors and role models.
Terri, I enjoyed reading your post because it also gave me further information for my post. I am not a teacher/educator, however, I know that teachers do make a difference in the lives of young children. How educators approach the idea of teaching young children makes the difference on whether or not this young child will want to continue with higher education. It is also interesting to read how other countries deal with educational needs of their children.
ReplyDeleteTerri-
ReplyDeleteI liked how you focused on holistic education (educating the whole child). In the United States we sometimes do get lost trying to teach academically and to standards that we forget that the children need to be ready and willing to learn fist. That is what holistic education helps with-making sure we are educating the whole child, not just academically. The example you shared with us about the children in Indonesia needing their teachers to be their parents, nurses, and friends shows us what good can come from children when they have their needs met- something many children living in poverty are able to experience.
Victoria
Terri,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your post. This make me realized how natural disaster can change somebody's life forever, especially our little ones that sometimes does not know how to cope with tough situations like this. Sometimes we hear the news, telling about disasters that is happening around the world, but we do not hear much about what happened with families affected for such disaster. I am glad that we have people like Meridas, supporting children who lost their parents, and providing services to minimize their pain. Absolutely an open mind for many of us!