By Nicole Findlay

Our children are our future. The cliché is repeated so often and in reference to so many societal issues, one barely pauses to stop and consider the implications. But, it is a phrase Wen Ma takes to heart.

Wen Ma – who goes by Maria, has been examining the little known field of peace education. Ma, a fourth-year child studies major, is combining her love for children with a commitment to educational programs in an effort she hopes will promote international peace.

“We are recognizing and learning more about issues related to security, war and peace, human rights, global justice, and sustainable development in the world,” said Ma. “A peaceful world can only be created if its citizens can truly understand and appreciate each other. Peace needs to be taught to children at a very young age.”

Ma credits the child studies program with providing her with an appreciation for the systemic issues – such as gender discrimination, education and labour practices that affect children’s development. These issues, combined with a recent hand-on experience as a counselor for an internationally focused children’s summer camp, helped her determine her focus for pursing graduate studies. Watching the interaction among her charges – Chinese, Mexican, and Vietnamese migrant children, convinced her that by sharing cultural similarities and differences, the children developed empathy for one another. She refers to this process as “peace building”.

Next fall, she will continue her research in international peace education at the graduate level. She has been offered admission to both Queens University’s Department of Education to study culture and policy studies; and Columbia University’s Department of International and Transcultural Studies to study peace education.

“I hope I can develop an educational program to stress the significance of being open-minded and tolerant,” said Ma. “I hope this program will ease the pain of children affected by war or violent situations. More importantly, when they grow up, there would be less hatred and more appreciation in their minds.”

By Nicole Findlay

A commitment to children and their development consumes Andre Betim. The fourth-year student in the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies’ Child Studies program has dedicated himself to the field – as a student, a child-care worker and a teacher.

Having obtained a diploma in Early Childhood Education, Betim chose to supplement his practical experience with an academic approach to the study of childhood. Carleton’s program was one of few undergraduate programs available that takes an interdisciplinary approach in examining children and childhood.

“We can’t only study about children from a psycho-developmental perspective without taking into consideration the home environment and its impact on a child,” said Betim. “Furthermore, to understand home environment, we need to understand how society, the economy, history, education, geography, technology, religion and many other facets of our world will affect the child and family directly and indirectly.”

His decision to further his education paid off. Last fall he competed successfully for two positions – one of these, involved data collection and analysis at Statistics Canada. While seemly unrelated to Child Studies, Betim contends his experience with empirical research gained through his thesis work gave him an edge.

Ultimately, Betim accepted an offer from a community health centre as a team leader. The job requires interaction not only with children and their families, but a variety of professionals associated with the health care field.

“That’s where my interdisciplinary training came in handy,” said Betim. “I would have to use my knowledge of psychology, sociology, child development, computer training, writing, decision making, and leadership – all of which I gained while studying at Carleton University.”

Betim’s commitment to child studies does not end with his new job or the completion of his degree. Next winter he intends to pursue his MA. He also shares this passion for learning with his own students. Betim is teaches two courses, Development of Play and Child Profile at Algonquin College.

By Nicole Findlay

April Hiderman is tapping into both her career and educational experiences to coach a new generation of students.

Each year, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies’ Early Childhood Education program selects one outstanding student as its TA. Hiderman, a fourth-year student has been working with the second-year Child Studies students.

Shelley Parlow, professor, Department of Psychology, and Tina Daniels the program coordinator identified potential in Hiderman that she herself did not recognize.

Although she is working on her honours thesis, she was concerned that she did not have the experience or knowledge necessary to assist other students. She had overlooked the additional experiences she had gained through the years she spent working in the field.

Prior to enrolling at Carleton, she had been a supervisor at the school when she realized that neither the pay nor the job itself lived up to her expectations. What she really did enjoy was programming and working with children, but in climbing the administrative ladder she had become distanced from the children she’d set out to work with.

While a diploma in Early Childhood Education provided a good foundation, she felt she needed something more. Carleton’s Child Studies program appealed to her because it is the only program offered specifically to Early Childhood Educators in Canada. Its interdisciplinary approach combines the psychological and sociological perspectives on children’s issues, she’d need to progress in her field.

Her decision to pursue Child Studies was reaffirmed when she was chosen for the TA position.

“Dr. Parlow has been a great mentor in this whole experience and has taught me much of what I need to know about being a good TA,” said Hiderman. The work has taught her about course planning, assignment marking, and class instruction.

Her experience as a TA has led her to consider teaching on a permanent basis.

“My first step will be to apply to teachers’ college in Ottawa, North Bay and the Toronto area,” she says. “Until then, I will keep my doors open for the next challenge or adventure that comes my way.”