Establishing International Contacts
I have
attempted to establish contact with early childhood professionals in a variety
of ways. I first contacted some of the educators whose workshops I have had the
chance to attend. I have sent emails to a group of professionals through a
number of websites. These included Unicef, Global Alliance, and Canadian Union
of Public Employees. I have also asked a friend of mine who is currently
studying in the Uk to send me emails of educators she might be encountering
over there. Unfortunately, I have not heard back from anyone from the websites,
but the good news is that I got a response from a School principal in Lebanon
today. I have never taught over there, and have always wanted to know how
practices differ between the schools in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. I am very excited to get her perspectives on
some issues and trends that are affecting my country.
Expanding
Resources
For the
second part of the assignment, I have explored two websites; Save the Children
and the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative.I have subscribed to their
newsletters and look forward to learning more about these organizations and
what approaches they undertake to initiate change. The reason I chose these
organizations is because I am involved in two worlds. The first is suffering
from economic and political instability; children in the Middle East are
constantly suffering within these contexts. The second is undergoing a critical
shortage of opportunities for woman to excel. Even though more and woman from
this world are succeeding every day, I strongly believe that the ability to
overcome barriers can be passed on through education, which will enable woman
to bridge the long-overdue gap.
Quote....
Did you know that:
- In parts of the Horn of
Africa girls are abducted for marriage, causing them to be reluctant to
walk the far distances to get to school?
- Throughout the Sahel region
of Africa and parts of the Middle East, a dowry system, often promoting
that girls leave their studies, is still in place?
- The AIDS crisis in Southern
Africa and Asia drives many young women, little more than children
themselves, to become heads of families, become involved in child
trafficking and drop out of school?
- In parts of Latin America, girls and women from indigenous areas have little opportunity to learn to read and write?
(Save the Children, 2013).
Reference
Save the Children (2013). Girls
Education. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6196511/
Hi Reem,
ReplyDeleteI have read so many reports stating that the key to a better world, the key to successful countries is to involve women and educate them. I read "Three Cups of Tea" from Greg Mortenson and he describes very well the need to fight war by educating women. I am eager to learn with you through the UN website on the Girl's education initiative. If you need more contacts, I have tons of teacher friends I can give you the contact of.
That's great,Julie. I still need another source to connect to, so I would really appreciate it if you share some of your contacts.Thank you very much for your offer.
DeleteReem,
ReplyDeleteit is so distressful to hear of unfortunate situations around the world, I'm glad there are resources educating us on these issues. It sounds like your choices of resources to explore relate very well to your teaching position. It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on economic and political instability ...
Lydia
Reem, I seriously thought I might be the only one who was having problems trying to make contact with professionals outside the United States. I cant wait to read about what you have learned from your websites.
ReplyDeleteDeanna
I too am still waiting to hear back from various professionals worldwide. I am hoping that I can find at least one other person to talk with because I do have some specific questions I would like answered that I'm not sure a website or webcast would answer. Thank you for sharing those quotes/statistics from Save the Children. It is so sad to read, but things like that need to be in circulation. I think we take our safety for granted sometimes and we need to be reminded that not everywhere is the same as our backyard. Thanks for sharing, I look forward to hearing what you learn from your global professionals!
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in learning about some of the differences between the schools in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. I think it will be difficult for many teachers to contact educators from outside the United States. I have made two contact but I'm not sure how reliable they will be. This will be a very interesting course. I really love reading your post.
ReplyDelete