I finally made progress in finding an international contact. I found Ulrike Baumgarten, a elementary school teacher in Germany. She has taught for 15 years and is currently teaching a second grade classroom. For this weeks assignment, I asked Mrs. Baumgarten about how different equities are effecting early childhood education in Germany. She explained that it has a tremendous effect on the life of children. Kindergarten, for example, is not mandatory in Germany. It is actually very hard to reserve a spot and depending on the kindergarten, it is almost impossible to get a spot. Families reserve a spot in Kindergarten as soon as they find out there are expecting. Mrs. Baumgarten says that children who have been in Kindergarten often are more successful in school. Also, some children she works with are children of immigrants who still struggle with the German language. She is sometimes frustrated because some of the children are bright but do not have enough support from home.
Next, Mrs. Baumgarten explains that in Germany, school split in three different types after 5th grade. There are two vocational schools (Grades 5-9 and Grades 5-10). However, if parents choose those schools, their children will never be able to college. The last school is focused mainly on academics and has grades 5 through 12. This is the only school that allows graduates to go to college if they choose so. She finds it frustrating since parents make the decisions for their children rather than the children. It also prevents children who may be smart enough to get a college degree from doing so. A vicious cycle begins that many children are unable to break out of.
I found it interesting to see how a different country has challenges that are similar and different. Like in the US, upbringing and access to resources can make a tremendous differences in children's life and school success. Mrs. Baumgarten told me that children who have access to quality care in an early life often succeed without as many struggles as children that grow up in a more challenging atmosphere. Knowing that other countries face similar challenges helped me appreciate the services we have and helped me understand what services we need to offer to help all children succeed in school.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteWow, it is interesting that college education is determined at 5th grade. It amazes me, as at that point they are still children. Is there no way to enter college later, if a child's parents did not pick the correct school?
I also found similarities in the inequities of the countries I communicated with and the US. Now, it is quite clear that the issues in early childhood are a global trend.
Sondi