International Reflection

Living in The United States, I think there is a tendency to think a lot about conditions at home, but not on a global scale.  Discussing the issues surrounding Early Childhood Education in Serbia with Zora Petrovich opened my eyes to the many atrocities that children throughout the world have had to face and to the perseverance and bravery of those dedicated to the lives of children.

In recent years, Serbia has been working to recover from the Balkan War, a decade long time of unprecedented violence and bloodshed that ended in the dissolution of former communist Yugoslavia.  Serbia became an independent country, but did so as the losers of a war that wreaked havoc on their land and their people. 

In America, we believe that communism is somehow wrong, and that all citizens of the world would be better off with, and would prefer a democracy.  This is not the case with many Serbs.  Under communism, every citizen had a job, a home, food, education, health care and income.  In communism, every citizen receives the same things as every other citizen, and all people’s needs are met.  Under the new democracy, the majority of the Serbian citizens live in poverty while a few are very rich.  Quality education is available for the elite, but many children have no educational opportunities.  In addition, even the families of the working class have a difficult time getting enough to eat, and young children often work to help support the family.

There is also an ongoing issue involving the large number of war orphans that still remain wards of the state.  The government is responsible for these children, but they do not provide well for them.  These children are not educates, rather trained to be laborers.  They live in group homes that are understaffed and undersupplied.  As these orphans are growing older, they are forming street gangs and crime by young people is rising throughout the country.

During the war, thousands of women were raped by soldiers.  The children of these rapes are now growing older, but the society has a general feeling of hatred and distrust towards them.  What will become of these children is uncertain, but they have a great deal of prejudice to face and overcome.

Finally, teachers are in a state of political turmoil.  Historically, teachers received a great deal of respect from the society.  The profession has always been considered highly prestigious.   Currently, the state owes teachers for years of unpaid benefits and is paying them less than subsistence wages.  Teacher’s feel that they have a responsibility to help the next generation develop to their fullest potential – for the children and for Serbia.  However, there is a great deal of tension and pressure developing just below the surface, and there is potential for a social eruption in the future.

There is a growing connectedness of Early Childhood Professionals worldwide.  More and more we are realizing that a dedication to young children expands beyond our own schools, neighborhoods, states and countries.  Children throughout the world deserve to have food to eat, air to breath, a place to live, and the ability to reach their fullest potential.  All children deserve to have the opportunity to become great, to be healthy, happy and intelligent.  I believe that the goal of providing quality education to young children needs to be a world-wide goal.