Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

            I asked Elisabeth if there are any new issues are concerns that are occurring in the news dealing with child care.  She said that the major issues in Belgium currently deals with the mistreatment of children in poverty areas.  Unfortunately, there are more children that are mistreated who live in poverty than any other area.  The reason is normally because the parents is stressed with issues of life.  For example, the parents can't figure out how the bills are going to be paid, has death in the family, an older sibling is pregnant at teenage years or so many other issues.  When there are other factors involved it is hard to focus on being nice and loving to your child.  The other issue that she mentioned is that there are so many children that do not report to school on a daily basis.  In Belgium, there is not a mandatory rule that says that children have to go to school.  Therefore, if no one is pushing you in the right direction to obtain an education, then there is no reason to get one.  

            Next, I asked her about the opportunities that exist for children in her area.  She said that her children were involved in sports, music and cooking.  All three of these aspects will allow the children to benefit from learning later on in life.  She also mentioned that most of the parents are able to work jobs late hours because there is entertainment offered at the school for them to participate in.  This is good because it provides the children extra curricula activity while the parents in working more hours to better finance their families.

            I asked what are the requirements for a good teacher in Belgium?    Teachers, in Belgium, should have good teaching skills, be comprehensive, be motivated, open minded, not elitists and someone who gives everyone a chance.  The way she explained everyone being given a chance is equivalent to what he call individualities at Head Start.  She feels like children should be able to appreciate learning through be curios and discovering new things.

            Finally, the last thing that I inquired was the goals that she has for her children.  She wants her children to be happy and always responsible.  They should respect others.  Every time they start never stop until the job is completed.  The last thing that she said, and I agree with, put every effort into what you are doing and where you want to go.  In order to get something new, you must first do something new.