I listened to the podcast of Susan Lyon on the World Forum Radio. After her encountered with a young boy’s conception of the word “city,” she began pondering about the way children think. This led her to bring the “100 Languages of Children” exhibit to the San Francisco Bay area (the Northern side) subsequently visiting Reggio Emilia. Upon deeper inspection of listening to the podcast with Susan Lyon, I learned that she communicates her passion for young children and how children see and understand the world around them. Throughout her professional career she found ways to advocate for young children through her projects and exhibits. It is with these projects that opened the door for collaboration between public and private schools, discussion groups, round tables, and professional development.
After reading about all the countries presented to me on poverty on the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page, the one that really intrigued me was Kyrgyzstan. I was unaware of some of the information that this website displayed. Even though Kyrgyzstan’s health and education levels are still much higher than in countries with a similar income, I still find it troubling how the use of kindergartens has declined from 30 per cent at independence to 6 per cent in 2001. Kindergarten is an important year for all young children to grow and develop certain skills that are vital to learning.
Three insights that I gained from studying the website are as followed:
- The importance of education in young children’s lives is vital. Education helps in the development of young children, physically, mentally, and socially.
- Poverty is perceived as being generational and we have to do everything in our power to prevent poverty cycles.
- No child under the age of 16 should be working in any country. School should be the number one priority.
Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI listened to the World Forum Radio about Susan Lyon and her achievements in 100 Languages of Children. I found the same interpretation that you did. I think it's wonderful as well she sees the world through children's eyes.
I never received word from professional contacts either. I ended up using the alternative, and I still not give up hope!
That's a large percentage drop in the enrollment of kindergarteners in Kyrgzstan. I had a similar finding when I studied children in poverty in China. Although, it's sad many of those children have to resort to learning, and are not enjoying their time in school.
Thank you for your intriguing post,
Stephanie Forino