Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I am lucky enough to finally establish contact with two international early childhood professional via some of my friends on Facebook. My first international early childhood contact is name Jenny Eljas who lives in Falun, Sweden. Falun is a small town located in a municipality outside of Stockholm, Sweden.  Jenny is teaches children in what we would consider to be the first and second grades. So far, I have learned from Jenny that there are some similarities and differences in early childhood education in Sweden and the United States. One similarity is that a strong emphasis has been placed on early childhood education in both countries. However, in Sweden, young children are not expected to or forced to learn to read and write at such a young age (pre-school/kindergarten).  However, children in Sweden begin learning English as early as the age of 5 or 6 in addition to their native language within the school system and at home. Like the United States, poverty is also a main concern of educators and early educators.  Because of the country’s government structures, the occurrence of poverty is far less prevalent in the United States. The main causes of poverty in Sweden include low wages, high unemployment rates, and high rates of immigration. According to Jenny, the Swedish government does provide additional financial and resource support to children and families that suffer from poverty. The government also does provide additional financial and resource support to children that are disabled or possess special needs.  The cities and municipalities also do their best to support its residents that have been stricken by poverty and that may be in need.

My second contact’s name is Andrea Palula who lives in Oaxaca Mexico. Andrea speaks limited English and I speak limited Spanish so our conversations have been interesting to say the least. Google Translate has been a blessing to both of us. Oaxoca is a moderate size city located in Southern Mexico. Andrea is a teacher in what we would consider first grade students. Like the United States, enrollment is very high in her area for young children. However, there are some differences between the two teaching environments. In Mexico, and at Andrea’s school, religion and culture play an important part of the educational experience. Literacy is also not a focus of early childhood education. Poverty is a significant issue for Andrea and those in her community. Andrea believes that poverty does impact the growth and development of her children and the educational experience. Mexico has been urged by many world leaders to place a stronger emphasis on education to correct its poverty issue; however, little action has been taken by the government. In order to address issues of poverty, Andrea and those in her community must rely on each other for financial and non-financial support of her students. Sometimes they are successful and other times they are not as successful in their efforts. Poverty is one of the biggest challenges that Andrea faces in the educational process.