I sent two more emails this week and await a response from an Early Childhood professional from Ghana and India.
I listened to the podcast of Barbara Jones from World Forum Radio. A new episode was not casted yet, so I listened to Episode 9. The topic of this episode sounded wonderful and I really wanted to learn more about the school, fundamental teaching, and the setting. Barbara Jones (BJ) founded the Pine Grove School in Falmouth, Maine in 1985 and celebrates the schools 25th anniversary this year. The school is a charming, wood-shingled building nested in a grove of pine trees and was used as a school house as far back as 1917. Pine Grove School is a developmental, discovery-oriented preschool dedicated to peace and to teaching respectful ways of resolving conflict. They are centered around individualized, child-centered learning and believe that young children learn best when they are stimulated to explore a rich array of hands-on materials at their own pace.
I really have enjoyed listening to the podcasts from World Forum Radio. This particular one was very inspiring. Barbara Jones wanted to go another direction with her teaching and inspired to be a Montessori teacher. When she found the school house it was ran down and needed a lot of work. She wrote a letter to the owner and asked if they could contact her when and if they wanted to sell. Finally the sale went through and it is now the Pine Grove School. I love this story because the school has been built from the ground up and now creates a unique and creative learning environment.
I chose to read about China from the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center (CHIP). In China there has been an enormous rise in inequality in recent years. A person in West China is six times more likely to be poor. It use to be one of the most equal societies to one of the most unequal. China receives more foreign investment than any other country in the world except for the US. 4.2 million Chinese children live in absolute poverty and 8.7 million live in disadvantaged conditions. Before reading about China I had no idea about the gap between the different areas.
You are right, episode 9 featuring Barbara Jones was inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI have visited Maine several times on vacation. I live about 5 to 6 hours away from the Pine Grove School and would love to visit it someday soon. Hopefully this summer!
Alissa,
ReplyDeleteI found that the lengths that Barbara Jones was willing to go for something that she truly believed in to be inspiring on many levels.
I hope that you receive a response from your contacts this week. Have a great week!
Alissa,
ReplyDeleteBarbara Jones' podcast was one that left me in awe. Clearly she is the perfect example of an early childhood professional making a difference in the world! She is an inspiration to us all and I am taken aback by her initiative to start a school that is not only centered around individualization but focuses on the interests of each child.
I too have not received any responses from my contacts this week. It is a slow process but we just have to be patient. We are all bound to hear something eventually. Great blog!
Alissa,
ReplyDeleteI listened to World Forum as well. I listened to the Susan Lyon one. I think you would enjoy her accomplishments as well. I am glad you listened to another one so I could read feedback about it. That's a great post. I also reached out to more professionals and I have not heard back.
I also did poverty in China. I think that it is a sad situation in China, especially for children. They are not given equal opportunities.
Great Post!
Thank you,
Stephanie