Education World

• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

One section that I can relate to professionally at this moment is Education World, Current Events section. One of the articles is entitled "The Pink Slip Club". The reason I decided to discuss this article is because this is what happens to be relevant in education in my community now. Pink slips are popping up, and budget cuts are being made. My area is in a crisis, and the Schenectady School District plans on cutting teachers, the arts and music, and also making class sizes larger. This is not helping education, this is not helping our children learn. I  do not want to see children in a classroom of 40 with an overworked teacher, not getting the attention they deserve. This would be a horrible move for my city, and I hope they work something out, and the teachers advocate for this cause!

• Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

The article entitled  "Pink Slip Club", made me think about the issue differently, but did not change my views on the matter. This article put "pink slips" in a different light, and even had teachers discussion the matter in a positive way. Some of the teachers mentioned in the article viewed pink slips as a good thing, because it kind of gave teachers a warning to do better, and they would get hired back eventually but they would have to work hard and prove themselves to get their position back. I think that is a bunch of bull, these teachers did work hard, through college and work hard everyday in the classroom, I do not think teachers should view this issues in a positive way, they earned their job and shouldn't have it taken away in order to prove themselves.

• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

Some of the articles in the e-newsletter demonstrate ECE from differnt stand points. This news letter discusses the economy ( The Pink Slip Club),  and  also discusses politics with a piece on no child left behind.  Both of these articles helped me gain a better understanding of the economics and politics of ECE.

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

I was touched the most by the article discussing the Pink Slip Club. The article brought out a lot of emotion because my city is going through this right now and I have family that could lose their jobs. Also it shows the economics of education, and the harsh reality of it.