My efforts to find an international Early Childhood professional to communicate with include emails to
- The director of MCCS Child Development Center in Okinawa, Japan
- Professor Tashiko Kimura, correspondent for International Association of Early Childhood Education
- Ali Hassan, managing director of ILM.com.pk, described as Pakistan's Biggest Education Port
Education Week is a newsletter I have been subscribing to for a few weeks already, having come across it while searching for information in a former class. It has a quick, easy to read format, with many interesting articles about current issues in American education. However, my favorite website has been
I know how you feel about not having any time to read all the resources. There were so many to chose from when I was looking as well. I chose the Zero to Three site mainly because I thought it would be helpful in my current position.
ReplyDeleteHi Renee,
ReplyDeleteI was excited to hear that you are interested in exploring early education in Japan. I lived and worked in Nagoya, Japan for a year. It was a wonderful and eye-opening experience. Their culture is so very different from American culture, and it is certainly represented in their educational practices, as well. One thing I learned is that while they highly value education, early childhood is seen as a the one period of a person's life that they are 'free' and do not have to follow rules. Therefore, behavioral issues in early childhood are not uncommon as young children are not expected to adhere to some of the more concrete rules of Japanese society and discipline is not prioritized. In my opinion, while they may be more advanced in their studies, I think this attitude affects a slower development of their social and emotional skills during childhood. I worked with young children in several different capacities while living there and found each experience fascinating. One piece of advice I would give is to point out that, typically, Japanese people to do like to discuss issues or problems with others, so you may have to ask some very specific, probing questions to get a more complete understanding of their challenges. I really look forward to you sharing what you are able to learn from early childhood professionals there. Best of luck!
Hello Renee,
ReplyDeleteExploring early education in Japan and Pakistan seem very interesting! I can't wait to read all about what you learn from them! Also, I enjoy reading the zero to three website as well. They always have a plethora of helpful useful information that I can share with my colleagues and use in my class.
Kind Regards,
Sherria