Reflections.....

As I reflect upon this course on global perspectives, there has been so many valuable resources presented for discussion.  One resource I felt was very thought provoking was the article, Children's right to play: An examination of the importance of play in the lives of children worldwide by Stuart Lester and Wendy Russell.  I felt this article provided a great explanation of the importance of play for children.  According to Lester and Russell, “children’s play represents a primary form of participation, being interwoven into everyday life.”  Play helps children better understand the world around them.   As I have researched this subject and other topics I have been most inspired by the work done by the National Association for the Education of Young Children; specifically their position statements on a variety of topics.  Their position statements and research on topics such as developmentally appropriate practices has greatly influenced my thinking on what is appropriate for young learners both typically developing and special needs. Most recently I have been moved by the research done by the Center on the Developing Child Harvard University on toxic stress in children and building adult’s capacities to improve child outcomes.

Finally the poem that most move me when I think about the early childhood field is

Unity

I dreamed I stood in a studio
and watched the sculptors there.
The clay they used was a young child's mind,
and they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher;
the tools he used were books, and music, and art.
One, a parent with a guiding hand,
and a gentle, loving heart.
Day after day the teacher toiled,
with touch that was deft and sure,
While the parents labored by his side
and polished and smoothed it o'er.
And when at last their task was done,
they were proud of what they had wrought.
For this thing they had molded in the child
could neither be sold nor bought.
And each agreed he would have failed
if he had worked alone,
For behind the parent stood the school
and behind the teacher, the home.

--Author Unknown-

Reference:

Harvard University, Center on the Developing Child. (n.d.a). Building Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Change. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/theory_of_change/

Lester, S., & Russell, W. (2010). Children’s right to play: An examination of the importance of play in the lives of children worldwide (Working papers in early childhood development, No. 57). The Hague, The Netherlands: Bernard van Leer Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.bernardvanleer.org/Childrens-right-to-play-An-examination-of-the-importance-of-play-in-the-lives-of-children-worldwide