Newsletter

TRAVELS WITH AUTHORS

Joy Lubawy

Joy Lubawy is a long-time Pademelon Press author and her latest book, Visions of Creativity in Early Childhood: Connecting Theory, Practice and Reflection was published in 2009. Hugely successful, the first reprint is arriving at our warehouse now. Joy’s ‘postcard’ takes the reader across the country and has some insightful comments on early childhood education today.

As 2009 draws to a close I look back with the warmest feelings. It has been a grand year!

The Gowrie road trips in NSW were such a positive event. Pete and I met hundreds of enthusiastic people. Many of the staff from the centres are currently studying. What a difference is makes when even people in rural communities can study. There is so much for us to know and with the challenges of the ‘Early Years Learning Framework for Australia’ before us, we need to know, be aware and find ways to bring this visionary document into practice. Queensland has also offered many delights for us and we look forward to some more visits to some out of the way places. I know we are heading to Longreach later next year!
Once again, the EYES conference in Perth was tremendous. I was able to listen to some favourite speakers and came away knowing a lot more than I did. That’s always a good sign.
The IEU conference in Sydney was also a delight and we look forward to meeting with friends and colleagues in September once again. It was a pleasure to encourage some new participants to attend this conference and introduce them to some more experienced delegates.
The push-down issues are still a major worry, as are the uncertainties that come as a result of change. No matter how much we may welcome a new National Curriculum Framework, it still means change and change is not always easy is it? Play remains under siege in many places, as does creativity. I am particularly attuned to this of course — it’s one of my passions along with good curriculum design. I am still ranting about worksheets and adult modelled creations. I think that I am seeing these happening less, but perhaps they pull them down when I am coming their way? I hope it’s a good sign anyway. For a clever, inventive, problem solving population in the future we need to seriously consider our role with the youngest citizens.

Oh Visions of Creativity has been such a delight! I have received such amazingly wonderful feedback and I am delighted to tell you that there will be a US edition sometime in 2010. I had to re-write a couple of chapters so it made more sense to that market, but how exciting to have something that validates what we do here in Australia available for the big USA market. We have so much to be proud of and we should be congratulating each other more often than we currently do.

In August Pete and I stayed at a resort facing the ocean on the north coast of NSW and it was one of those object lessons from nature. The frontage to the ocean had been seriously eroded, 6 metres one night in a storm, and 21 metres in two years. There is still 42 metres of land left between the sea and the walls of the buildings, but several homes have collapsed into the rising ocean. It reminded me of how easily all of us are eroded — quietly, relentlessly and effectively — by people who doubt us, ask for the impossible and are seriously ill-informed. We have to be strong for and with one another. Support one another, advocate for children so that these precious early childhood years are not stolen from them.

Back to Newsletter Page