REVISED - Exploring Roles in the ECE
Community: Local and State Levels
It was very interesting to discover
three organizations in New Mexico that support bilingual education. I hope to discover more about these
associations and possibly some other resources after meeting with a Bilingual
Teacher and Bilingual Director in our community. I am searching for groups that will help me
create strategies for English-only speaking Teachers instructing bilingual
students. Over the next few assignments
and weeks, I will be searching for more resources.
1. New Mexico Child Care and Education
Association: An active organization
focused on improving child care in New Mexico.
2. Early Childhood Alliance: To advocate as a collective voice on behalf
of New Mexico’s children to secure a system of high quality early care and
education. The alliance has persistently
fought to get more resources for early care and education, with campaigns such
as Every Child Counts.
3. Bilingual Resources in Children’s
Literature: Colorin Colorado! is a free web-based service that provides
information, activities, and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families
of English language learners (ELLs).
I believe
with my seventeen years experience in primary education, BS in Elementary
Education, and future MS in Early Childhood Studies may open doors to possible
job opportunities.
1. Political arena; school board
member or City Commissioner; possibly Advocate for the needs of children and
teachers.
2. Early Childhood Preschool Director
3. Center Supervisor
4. Parent Educator
5. Curriculum Facilitator that
advocates for children
I look forward to discovering more about my
Capstone project and future possibilities.
References
http://www.nmecc.org/professional-development/bilingual-resources
http://www.nmecc.org/professional-organizations/nmccea
Cindy,
ReplyDeleteIn our area we are seeing the changing demographics and the need for strategies to work with children that are learning to speak English and their families. “Approximately 20% of people in the United States 5 years or older speak a language other than English at home and approximately 5% speak English less than very well” (Wittmer & Petersen, 2010, p.15). So it is definitely a concern that needs to be addressed. I agree you have wonderful qualifications that should open doors to possible job opportunities.
Hi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I have seen the need for Bilingual support everywhere i have lived in the last 5 years. I currently learn some Portuguese as i do reside in Portuguese speaking country. With the nature of my husband's work, we often find ourselves in Bilingual society and could relocate to either latin America or Texas in the near future. I have found your communities of practice very good in helping to ensure a child's culture is encouraged in the school, irrespective of the school's instruction language.
Thanks and regards,
Adesoye
Dear Cindy,
ReplyDeleteThe resources you found are very helpful in understanding the need to advocate for children who live in bilingual communities. We lived in Asia a few years ago and we found communication very difficult especially with the locals. Language support is always needful especially in this age where immigration is very common and people find themselves living in communities other than their home country.
I am particularly fascinated by the resources on literature. It is a good way to share stories and bring families and children to terms with the richness of every language. Thank you for sharing, and I do hope that these communities of practice will greatly enhance your capstone challenge.
Hi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteThis is GREAT!! Finding resources for English only teachers is so important. I find that many teachers here in Maryland are at a loss when it comes to resources for children when they speak a second language. With the experience that you have and with the new information that we've learned about in our coursework you would be an asset to bi-lingual students and their families! Good luck my friend. :-)