Week 4: Survey with my mom and my director!

This week was really fun! When I did the survey for myself, I looked at different scenarios that I put my self in through my professional life and my personal life. To be honest, I am pretty much the same person in both situations. I tend to be meek as far as being aggressive, a good listener, and communicate effectively. With the communication anxiety, I gave myself a higher score. I was moderate, while my mother and my director gave me a mild and a low. I think my anxiety comes from with in and not perceived by others. I do a good job working on my anxiety and come off fairly confident.

As far as being verbally aggressive I am moderate in all three surveys. I think the description: "of a balance between respect and consideration of others' viewpoints..." is how I am. I had to do  the one survey with my mother on the phone and she acted as if i was an angel and wouldn't ever do that. Instead of saying one of the answers, she would say, "NO! My baby would not do that!!!!"

In the listening survey, all three surveys came out to be people oriented. I had a talk with my director about that. She told me that the one thing that I bring to the table is my passion for each child and each parent that walks in the door. She told me that at times when she calls me to the office, it is to just talk something out. "You do not have to say a word. I talk and you listen. You are heart felt with what you have to say in turn of what you heard or just listening lets me talk it out!" She said my parents love me due to the fact I listen and pay attention to what they say and do! It was great feed back to hear!


I think the most important thing I have learned due to these surveys is that who I am is who I am whether i am in my personal aspect of life or my professional. My director who is also a good friend outside of work, told me that I am the way I am in both parts of my life and makes it so easy to be part of both parts of my life.

Communicating with people from different groups and cultures.

     I do communicate differently when it comes to different people in different groups. For example, I speak to my children in a loud high pitch voice. I speak one or two word sentences. I use a lot of animation. When it comes to their parents, I speak in a slower more adult voice. I use professional communication skills. I conduct my body language differently as well. With my colleagues, I speak clearly, with professional tone and vocabulary.

    When I am with my friends, most of my normally communication skills are out the window. We had an assignment where we had to observe scenarios where we looked at communication skills of the group. I used a dinner out with my friends. I learned that we are awful when it comes to communication skills that would be used in a professional setting. The catch was that my boss at the center I worked at was part of that observation. At work we are very professional and use the communication skills that are needed there. However, you get us out with our mutual friends, it is crazy that they are mostly thrown out the window.

    The one thing that I have learned is that context plays a major role in what communication skills are used. The context could be a place, relationship, or connection to a group or individual.

Week 2: Media-Days of Our Lives

Blog Assigment Week 2:

            This assignment was really hard for me. I only watch TV at night and that is just background noise in my apartment. However, I got a break when my director sent me home early for a mental health day when I only had 2 babies. So I got to watch a soap opera. I watched Days of Our Lives.

            I wasn’t sure how I was going to record it when I do not have a DVR or a tape recorder. So I asked my parents to record it for me. What was interesting is that on Tuesday I watched it without sound and then Friday night I watched it with sound.  With a lot of time in between, I felt like I would have watched it and had a different perspective. However, due to the communication style the actors used I did not gain different insight.

           

            The few scenes that I watched intently with no sound the characters relationship is not a happy one or the one scene the few people in the scene were very happy. In the scene where the man and woman have a not so happy relationship, they had very mad faces. There faces got long and body language was very ridged. Just from looking at their mouths it look like they were yelling at each other. They both never stopped moving. They were constantly walking around the room. The other scene where there was a woman and man with another older lady with red hair, they seemed happy. They were standing very close. At one point they were hugging each other. They smiled. Their bodies were really close to one another.

            On Friday night I watched the show that I had watched with out sound. I learned that in the first scenario, the couple was fighting over custody of a child. They were yelling at each other and saying mean things. The second scenario the family just found out good news about a son not being convicted of a crime. The words they used were more relief and happy. Words do make a difference in this scene.

            My assumptions were pretty correct and non-verbal communication really set the feelings and attitudes towards the plot. Words were what really explained the plot. The one thing that I took away from this that I want to share with my colleagues is that body language can really show the emotion to what you are saying.  I also think that words can explain the feelings that you portray. Words and body language work hand in hand to create an overall picture of what you are feeling and thinking and even know.

Week 1

      On Saturday night I was watching the news and the one sportscaster was talking about all the basketball that was going on in March. In about 3-5 minutes he listed off all the pro, college, and high school games  and boys and girls games.

He spoke clearly, answered questions with clarity, and I understood and comprehended every word. The anchor as well spoke with great clarity, looked to the camera without looking down. Some of the field casters are very thorough.

I look at them as good communicators. I do look up to them as effective communicators. I know I do not always speak clearly and have confidence when speaking. I see that in them.  

       I feel that these people on Channel News 10 are great role models for communication behaviors. They show confidence, understanding of speaking with clarity, with respect, fairness, trustworthiness, and more.

Week 8: Hopes and Goals

The last eight weeks have really inspired me as a professional. I think about who I am, what I believe, my understanding and knowledge on diversity and the biases that occur today.  This week passion, vision and our reason for being in this field were topic of conversation. Plus at the end of the course it is interesting to revaluate the benefits of the course when it comes to the profession and yourself.

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I hope for not only a sense of equity when going into the education system and in the community around them. So many times I have heard equality used instead of equity. I feel that equality does not respect each individual child and what they bring to the classroom. I hope not only for the children I come in contact with but for all children that equity in the classroom and in the outside social world, that they are treated with respect, equity, and justice.

The one thing that I really took away from this class is understanding who you are as a professional and person. In weeks past, we talked about biases, knowledge on different diversity, isms, and social justice. From this I hope that the early education field will always encourage professional educators to be life long learners in equity, social justice, isms, and to advocate for all of that. I see what I have taken from this course, and could only hope that educators can experience training such as this.

The past eight weeks have been so beneficial for me. I have taken so much with me for my career. I want to thank Professor Williams for supporting and sharing information that deepened discussions and understanding. Thank you to all my colleagues. I have enjoyed the discussions and the blog assignments. We are like a team and it is great to read and learn from all of you.

Week 7: Welcoming Families From Around the World

Scenerio: You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice- a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

Country of origin: Vietnam

Creating a culturally responsive environment a teacher needs to recognize “the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning, enriching classroom experiences and keeping students engaged.” (Tolerance.org).  This means incorporating the child’s and family’s daily life into the classroom. I like the chart on page 56 of Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (2010). It shows the surface culture and the deep culture. To really have culturally responsive environment, I need to go beyond the small circle of surface culture and dig deep into the deep culture of the family and the child. I need to find stories that relate to the Vietnamese culture. Place words and phrases around the room that help the child understand and know the name of things. I need to come up with questions to ask the parents about how they would like the daily routine to be conducted. I need to research on how  the community is helping immigrants and settle into a life in the area and resources I can provide them and the community. I need to look into how each of the items listed in the chart are tied to the family that is coming in.  I will have to provide other colleagues, families, and children with the knowledge that I come in contact with.

                These preparations will create an environment that is not completely overwhelming for the child or the child’s parents. For me as a teacher, I will have some understanding for certain actions. I also feel that this will help create an open door for communication for the parents that are already enrolled and the new family coming in.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/being-culturally-responsive

Week 6 Blog: The Personal side of bias, prejudice, and oppression.

                Okay, to this week, when the assignment included tv shows, I remember from Tuesday or Wednesday’s watching Jeopardy and thinking of an instance on the show that showed some sort of bias, prejudice and or oppression. It is college week on the show and the three contestants had one category on College funds. The contestant was from an all black, Christian college. The girl answered the statement , which had to do with a scholarship for African American Women. Right after she answered, Alex said, “I figured you would get that answer, first” or something in that context. I was shocked. I looked to the contestant but she laughed and picked another category. I was kind of perplexed by that statement. What if she didn’t know that answer? What if she got it wrong? What makes her know that answer? Is it because she is black? What if the white male answered that question? Would he have known the answer? Would it make him ignorant if he knew the answer and got it right? Or got it wrong? I guess I see Alex’s statement as a microaggression and a view that creates a bias.

                Another incident happened when I was younger. My uncle lived down in NYC during the week. One weekend he brought home a young man from work who as about 15. He was black. My uncle and aunt took him in and raised him till he was 18. One day he came home and was really sad. He sat at the table and said that a few of the guys that he played football with made fun of him for not knowing what a skunk smelled like. What happened was that during football practiced the smell of a skunk came through the gym workout room doors. He asked who was smoking and that they could all get in trouble. The guys told him that it was a skunk. They said things like that of course he knew what weed smelled  like. I felt so bad for him. He loved living here but never felt more embarrassed. These statements were attacks stating that because he is black from the city he has been around drugs or has done them. He even stated that. He knew that it was a direct attack on who he was because of his color. In fact he went to state that he had a hard life growing up as a kid and has been around it and has done it. It doesn’t make who he is know and there is no room judgment anyway. Thinking about this today, made me realize how oppression runs deep. It affects down to the core of emotions and feelings.

In both instances, people need to be educated and learn that when you say something as a joke or say something towards someone's personal identity it can hurt. It is the think before you speak. If it could hurt someone's feelings, don't say anything at all. A joke doesn't always make it funny.