For
this week’s assignment, we are supposed to share the conversations we have been
having with our international contacts. Unfortunately, I have yet to get a
response to the emails I sent out. So, I did the alternative assignment, which
was to listen to the podcasts from the World Forum Foundation.
The
most recent podcast was released and placed on I-Tunes in February 2011. The
guest speaker was Susan Lyon. Before listening to the podcast, I read the bio
featured on the website, to get to know a little information about her. I expected
to hear a great discussion on the podcast about issues in the early childhood
field. Sadly, that did not happen. The podcast was only five and half minutes
long, and all she did was introduce herself, how she became passionate about
children, and the current projects she is involved in. Needless to say, I was
slightly disappointed.
I
visited her main project website, The Innovative Teacher Project (www.innovativeteacherproject.org),
to learn more about it, and it was very intriguing. I have heard of Reggio
Emilia, but I learned more about its history on the site. I also obtained her
email address, so I emailed her. Hopefully, I will get a response and she will
be my professional contact for this course. *fingers crossed*
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Since
I have not had any conversations yet, I completed the next alternative
assignment. I visited the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (CHIP) website
(www.childhoodpoverty.org) and
learned more about childhood poverty in India. This information was shocking
and sad to read because it was new to me. India is the home to the majority of
poor people in South Asia. In 1999-2000, it was reported that 260.2 million out
of an estimated 1.03 billion citizens in India were living poverty. The rural
areas (just like in most countries) are hit the hardest. Poverty in these areas
consists of people who are lacking assets, skills, and have low levels of
health and education.
There are about 400 million children in India
between the ages of 0-18 years old. Twenty percent of the world’s children not
in school live in India. A third of children less than 16 years old are
working. Life is very hard for a child growing up India, but it is even more
difficult for a female child. In Rajasthan, the largest state in India, they
believe that boys are permanent members of the family and girls are only
temporary members. This was shocking and confusing! Why do they believe this?
What is a “temporary member?” Has anyone else heard of this before? When will people
(all people) understand that women are capable of more than taking care of the
domestic responsibilities? This is just disheartening.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI have established any contacts yet either. Some of my emails bounced back. I did receive a response that someone was out of the office, but that was all. I listened to the podcasts by Delfena Mitchell. I thought is was interesting because it made me think about an issue that I had a few years ago. She worked with young children that had been abused. It is the hardest thing for me to see a child that is being mistreated. They didn't ask to come into this world; especially to be beaten. Hopefully our connections will be made before the end of this cours.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of the term "temporary member" relating to a family member. But I assume women are called "temporary members" because some India cultures arrange marriages and when the women marry they will join another family. The "permanent member" the men however will gain a partner and welcome a new member into the family.
I think what Katara described is correct, women join their husbands' families and become a part of that family, but men always stay with their birth family. I think this is due to arranged marriages too. Doesn't India also have a dowry that a bride's family is given from the groom's family when they are too be married? That stinks that you haven't been able to contact anyone yet. HOpefully by the next blog, you will have found someone.
ReplyDeleteI think it is hard for any child to have to face difficulty in their life but it shouldn't be worst on females. I guess you kind of can say the reason that feel woman as temporary due to the fact that they marry and move on with their other family and have a family of their own but as the post above stated the permanent member the men just gain a partner and stay within their family. It is sad.
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