It is exciting to think about the prospect of corresponding with international colleagues in our field. It has been a slow process making contacts, but I am looking forward to hearing from a couple of inquiries.
I attempted to make contact with Germany through the Global Alliance of NAEYC. I received a prompt and very kind reply informing me that the same request was made from students last year and no one was able to find time to e mail weekly.
I have an e mail out through the UNICEF website trying to reach a Vietnamese contact. We have had quite a few Vietnamese families at our preschool and I would like to familiarize myself more with their culture. Hopefully, I will get a positive response.
I also tried to make contact through personal connections. A friend who is the director of the early childhood program at the community college gave me the email address of a colleague in Germany. I haven't heard back yet, but it sounds promising. Another connection is through one of the parents of a preschool parent who is Swiss. She is trying to connect me with an early elementary psychologist she knows in Switzerland.
If none of these work out (but, I so hope they do) I am going to contact Children's International here in the Kansas City area to see if they can help.
Hopefully, this time next week I will have some positive responses!
I thought this was a good opportunity to join NAEYC. I have been intending to do that since January. Their website is http://www.naeyc.org/ I received a student discount as a Walden student and the membership includes a subscription to YC: Young Children. If you are not already a member I would encourage you to look at the website and consider joining. The membership connects you with other e.c. professionals, keeps you informed on NAEYC conferences, and gives you access to articles from Teaching Young Children, and keeps you informed on current trends and issues in the field.
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you may have found some great opportunities to network and hopefully that will lead you to contact an ECE colleague. I have not had such luck.
But I will give it the old college try. You are going to laugh, but your words helped me to decide to join NAEYC. I have loved reading the articles published by Young Children…. Through out the Masters program…I think the articles are very true and real. NAEYC definitely has a strong understanding of all aspects of the early childhood field. You had mentioned that you might need to look for a job, or make some different choices in the way of your career. I am in the same boat. I am
curious if any opportunity or career path has stood out and peaked your interest.
I enjoyed reading your blog.
Millie
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteYou have been very persistent in seeking a professional international colleague as a collaborator. I hope you are successful!
Thank you for promoting the NAEYC! I have been a member for years and it is a tremendous support for early educators.
Dr Longo
Hi Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI asked my friends and co-workers to help me get in touch with professionals in their countries too; we need to use all our resources. Maybe, after becoming a NAEYC member, the connection with other professionals will be easier.
By the way, a couple days ago I received an invitation to joining the Walden University Childhood Organization and I just did it, it sounds interesting, why don’t you join us? Or maybe you already did it :)
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see that you are trying to contact Germany. I plan to find some international contacts. However, since I am new to the class, I have started using the World Forum. The podcasts are great. I will keep you posted on my progress.