Poverty From The Eyes of a teacher in Yap

Poverty From The Eyes of a teacher in Yap

 

This week I interviewed a teacher named Ashley who is currently teaching in the island of Yap.  Yap is located is located in the western Caroline Islands, today part of the Federated States of Micronesia, about 850 miles east of Mindanao in the Philippines.  I asked Ashley about the poverty there.  Although compared to the United States, it would seem impoverished; most people that live there do not see themselves in that way.  Most make their living from fishing and are able to make enough income to buy basic necessities and although they live in small shacks made out of tin, they consider themselves to have what they need.  In the classroom there is still a disparity between the “haves and the have-nots.”  While a few sported IPADs, some students lacked transportation and so they could not stay for much needed tutoring after school or participate in school events that required money.  Some lacked basic supplies because they had to wait until their parents got paid, which in the fishing business fluctuated.  She described her main challenges as having limited supplies and dual language learners.  Supplies such as printing paper and ink were very limited so she had to get very creative in her lesson planning and was not able to send things home.  In addition to this she had some students this year that did not speak a word of English.  She found that one of the strategies in helping the students learn was to relate everything to the fishing culture.  She noticed that all of the pictures showed boats and water and fish, so she used real life examples such as how many fish were gathered and sold to teach addition and subtraction.  She explained even though she did the best she could, she could have done a better job if she had more resources and help.  Even though some of her students came to school hungry it would be frowned upon if she were to feed them.  In this culture children as young as 7 years old are expected to get up at 5:30, make their own rice and draw their own water for hygiene.  Students that came to school hungry or dirty were considered “lazy,” and needed to learn the lesson by the hunger pains and being made fun of by other students for their appearance.  Ashley observed that these students did not do as well when hungry and it affected their learning.  She feels she did her best this past school year, but reflects that there is so much more that she would need to do in order to reach out to those who do not have the emotional or academic support that they need at home.   

I have learned that even though it may look different in different areas, poverty still has the same affect regardless which is the student not getting equal access and opportunities.  I also have gained an appreciation of the tools we have here in the United States for overcoming poverty that are not as easily available in other areas.

Course Resource

 

The web site that I have chosen is http://www.zerotothree.org/

Currently the web site features “Welcome to the Baby Brain Map, a ZERO TO THREE Web exclusive” with its focus on brain development from prenatal through age three.  More research has been done and more information is available for specific ages and stages of brain development.  This web site also provides specific ways we as caregivers can respond to aid in that development.  For example, responding to the cries of a 0-2 month old and playing tracking games with them.

This specific issue highlights the importance of how crucial relationships are to brain development.   Because such a large part of brain growth is happening at this age it is crucial for educators to be aware of how children learn at each stage and what steps they can take to aid in brain development.  This will be an excellent resource for me to pass along to teachers in the field.  I am even thinking of printing these resources and putting them in a chart form for the teachers that I work with.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1:  For my personal contacts I found several blogs that were created by Early Childhood teachers that are teaching outside of the United States.  I chose a few that created blogs that were interesting and up to date.  I contacted them and I am still waiting to hear back.  Also, one of my former Pre-K students is currently teaching in Yap.  It is a small Island and therefore she doesn’t check her email every day.  I am really hoping to be able to talk with her.  I am awaiting her reply.  I would be very excited to learn from these professionals and hope that I don’t have to choose option 2.  Eagerly waiting!

Part 2:  For my website I chose Zero to Three.  http://www.zerotothree.org/ When I was a center director most of the challenges came from the infant and toddler rooms.  At the time I did not know about this web site and it seemed that there was not much information or curriculum suggestions available for this age group.  I signed up for the News Letter and I am going to subscribe to their journal as well.  I currently supervise and act as a resource person for 13 Early Childhood programs.  I know that I will be able to pass along information that I gather from this site.

My Supports

Emotional Support

This is the most important one for me.  I have my God and my husband and friends that I know will be there to encourage me and walk with me through all of life’s challenges.  I have certain friends that support me more in one area then another that I will call upon during specific challenges.  Just telling someone how I feel or what my frustrations are relieves a lot of stress.  It’s great when I can do this without fear of judgment.

Support from others

I have colleges and neighbors that support me by joining me in solving a problem or contributing a specific skill set that they have where I might lack.

Physical Support

There are many things I am just not physically able to do that my husband does such as fixing my car or plumbing.  If it wasn’t for him I would go broke paying other people to do those things.  I find it very helpful to know I can count on these things to be done and it frees up time for me to worry about other things on my list.

I could not imagine how difficult it would be to live without these supports.  I would not be able to do all of the things that I do in life as I would have to spend way too much time doing things that are difficult for me.

My Connections to Play

This sums it up better then a quote could!

 

 

       “The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us. When the world seems familiar, when one has got used to existence, one has become an adult.” ~Eugene Ionesco

        

       My sister and I grew up in a single parent family.  My mom struggled to make ends meet so we never had much in the way of toys.  We even went through a period of time where we had no T.V.  The world became our playground.  All we needed was space and our imaginations.  Our favorite games to play involved horses.  Our bikes or our own legs became the horses.  We created a world of our own and we were always so disappointed to have to stop playing to come in.  We were allowed to ride our bikes anywhere in the neighborhood.  Once we lived near some woods and staked out exotic trails for ourselves, writing our own scripts.  Scripts that looking back were way more exciting than what you see in movies today. 

     Things were so different with my own children.  I could not for safety reasons allow them to ride all over the place with their bikes.  We weren’t rich but they had some of the most popular toys and technology tools.  I remember them complaining a lot about being “bored.”  It saddens to me to think that they missed out on such a gift as play.  True play even in my adulthood is being creative.  Acting out your dreams and visions for life.  True play is getting wrapped up in the moment, where time ceases to exist.

 

Relationship Reflection

I believe I was created to be in relationship with my God and with other people.  Meaningful relationships in my life are built on mutual trust.  We are there to encourage, strengthen, and see the best in each other.   

I have been married for 26 years.  Our relationship has lasted because of a deep commitment, unconditional love, forgiveness, and at times hard work.  I love being married, but a strong marriage just didn’t happen.  We have learned that the key to our marriage is becoming selfless, putting the others interest in front of our own.  Serving and appreciating each other. 

I have two children that I am very close to.  Two simple rules have kept our relationship strong.  The first when raising them is “let your no mean no.” and the second was to spend time playing with them, taking an interest in their lives.  I am happy to say that they are both productive adults and we are still very close.  Our home is a safe environment where they can feel free to tell me how they feel and what they are going through without being judged or condemned.  I don’t give them advice unless they ask for it, but they ask for it often.  I have always given them freedom to make their own decisions and they have always proven trustworthy. 

 

I have two dogs that are a big part of my life: 

Little-man is a full blood Jack Russell Terrier.  He is full of mischief, smart, a hunter and a playful friend.

Lacey is my study-buddy.  She loves to sit on my lap when I work on my computer.  She is helping me get my masters by helping me relax and concentrate.  She was a rescue that no one wanted, so I got sucked in.

They both sleep with us at night, Little man at the foot of the bed and  Lacy under the covers beside us!

My Church Family

 

I have the privilege of having these young people in my life, many of them I taught when they were in Pre-K!  They come to my house every Friday night to hang out and read the bible.  I guess you could call it "church."  I have invested long term in their lives.  Sometimes I get tired, but I feel real meaningful relationships take an investment of time, that means more then once a week, but mid-week phone calls, meeting for lunch, listening, and supporting them.  I have found it to be so rewarding to watch them grow up!

Love sees the best in people- Including children

Assertiveness comes from the Power of Attention.

                                            Focus on what you want to happen.
                                                     -Dr.Becky Baily