Time Well Spent

Being my last class at Walden University I wanted to give some reflection on my time spent during the program and my own personal growth.

I feel that I have learned much, but through this program I know that I have developed three deeply felt learnings or messages.

The first one is that passion can be renewed and evolve into different aspects. For example, during my time at Walden I found a new passion for early childhood education that was undeveloped before I started the program. My main passion for helping children have a great early start in their life is still strong but other aspects have caused stronger passions in different areas that I was unaware of before. It has helped me create new goals and new ideals for what I want to accomplish in my professional and personal career goals.

The second item that I have learned is to always create new goals and work towards them. I have always made goals for myself in all areas of my life but by really fine tuning goals and working towards them helped me feel so much more accomplished and my knowledge worthwhile to others. 

The final message I have been taught are personal items about myself. I have been shown how bias' affect others, how my language can affect others, and how my outlook on life also has an affect. By looking at all of these things I was able to make myself into a more understanding individual and help myself be more versatile to help all individuals more than I was starting this program.

One long term goal I have for myself is to keep continuing to gain education and help myself to understand more because in turn I can help others by improving myself.

I am very thankful to all the individuals that I have met throughout this program including the instructors and my colleagues. I wish you only the best of luck in everything that you do. Without everyone in this program I do not believe that my education would be as worthwhile as it is. I will always think fondly of everyone and hope to keep in contact with people to see how the change the world - because all of you will!

Job/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

This week I explored the international community of early childhood. I used this opportunity to look at different communities of practices as well as different roles or employment opportunities that I found interesting for early childhood professionals around the world.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was a community of practice that appealed to me.  UNICEF has many parts to their mission statement but it encompasses: “the protection of children’s rights to help meet their basic needs, ensure ethical principals, incorporates development, mobilized political and material resources to help countries, ensure special protection for disadvantaged children, responds to emergencies, does not discriminate, promotes equal rights, and enshrined peace and social progress”  (UNICEF, 2013).  This organization encompasses so much and helps all the needs or all children, I could not find something that I did not believe in for this communities of practice. For this organization a job I found very interesting was a child protection specialist located in Iraq. This job requirements is, “the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluations of the Child Protection programme within the country programme (UNICEF, 2013). I understand that children in Iraq need support with many different factors that are happening within that country. I would feel fulfilled to help these children and have this job.

The second community of practice is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development  or abbreviated OECD (2013).  “The mission of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world” (OECD, 2013). I feel this organization was important to include because it has some political background and helps governments to find solutions and come up with plans to help better the economic, co-operation, development of children. I could not find a job that I was qualified to do but there were many (lawyers, safety specialists, economic jobs)  that helped better the overall development and economics of children.

The last community of practice I researched is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or the UNESCO (2011).  The UNIESCO is interested in developing the educational value, cultural value, and scientific discoveries to help better people around the world (2011). When I looked at the site for employment  there were none at the moment for the early childhood perspective part of the community of practice but there was research scientists, finance and administrative officer, and director of internal-oversight service.

International communities are just as important as local and national ones. International organizations can see trends and help many different children around the world.

 References:

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2013, from http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2013, from http://www.unicef.org/

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

Week 4- National/Federal CoP

This week I am exploring national organizations and federal agencies that help foster the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field. I am using these communities or practice to inspire my thinking and contributions that I can make in the early childhood field. I have found three that have appealed to me.

The first one is The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge, or shortened to Connect Modules. This CoP (community of practice) is made to share knowledge through the internet to all early childhood professionals that looks at different sources to come up with a solution to questions in the field.  This organization is mostly run thorough the Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina. At the University of North Carolina a job that interested me was a child development specialist. This called to me because I know how important child development is and how a healthy development can alter a child’s life. For this job they are looking for at least 5 years in the early childhood field and at least one of those years as a development specialist titled job. I would need both of these requirements before applying.

The second CoP I found is named the Early Intervention and Early Childhood. This program is dedicated to quality early care for all young children and is focused on universal design for learning, recognition and response, professional development, and inclusive practices for serving a diverse society. There were no jobs currently at this time, but I would like to get involved in this CoP because I agree and support for what they stand for.

The last CoP I investigated was the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. The Multi-Tiered Systems of Support works for the intersection of general and special education.  The work that they do is mostly aligned with the emerging practice of response-to=intervention or the RTI process. This interested me because I am involved in this process at the school where I teach as well as knowing this information for all educators is important. There were no current jobs listed but I feel that as this organization grows local chapters will emerge and need a leader and I would be willing to help fulfill this obligation.

Overall the CoP that I found were very great, They all help the development of the early childhood field with a focus on the children and their families.

References

Connect modules. (2013). Retrieved from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/ 

Early intervention and early childhood. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.sharedwork.org/web/early-childhood/home 

Multi-tiered systems of support. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.sharedwork.org/web/multi-tiered-systems-rti/home

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Local, state, nation, and international early childhood organizations are important to foster the well-being of children, their families, and the field as a whole. This week I am exploring different organizations, agencies, and communities that encompass the early childhood field. First I looked at three local and state organizations that appealed to me.

1.     I choose Knowledge Works. Knowledge Works is an organization who current emphasis is on the construction and renovation of schools. This could be facilities or technology. I was interested in this organization because I feel strongly that technology needs to be updated throughout the schools. As a society we use technology every day. Without educating our children about technology and giving them access to it, we are doing an injustice to them.

2.     Secondly I choose The Coalition for Greater Cleveland’s Children. This is a not-for-profit organization that works to promote and improve education, health, safety, and economic well-beings of children from the Cleveland, Ohio area. I found this organization great because not many places incorporate all factors of a child into how it affects their education. The whole child concept is what I enjoyed most about this organization.

3.     Third I choose the Community Advocates for Public Education (CAPE). This organization of community members promotes public and political support to public schools. This can be through education, legislative, and political campaigns. I choose this organization because I think it is really great to build a strong relationship with the community, and by giving information on so many different levels more individuals would by apt to support the schools.

I did not see any job opportunities listed for these organizations but many volunteer positions that I think would be great to be involved with. I am particularly looking at The Coalition for Greater Cleveland’s Children. I also think being part of this organization would be neat because I would get a different understanding of the early childhood field from a different perspectives that is not mainly focused on academics. I feel I have the skills, experience, and education needed to competently fulfill a volunteer spot for this organization. 

References

Barnes, M. (n.d.). Community advocates for public education. Retrieved from http://chuh.net/cape/

Knowledgeworks foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://knowledgeworks.org/

Swanson, A. N. (n.d.). Coalition for greater cleveland's children. Retrieved from http://www.coalition4kids.org/about/default.asp

Reflecting on Learning

My most passionate hope for the future as am early childhood professional, for the children, and for the families with whom I work with it that we can together create a world that is anti-bias and give everyone the same opportunities to be great, express themselves freely, and feel confident in who they are.

I would like to thank all my colleagues who have once again supported me, taught me, and encouraged me during this class at Walden. I am inspired by each of you every day and know that our children are in better hands because they have you.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

Throughout my learning at Walden University I have been looking at challenges that may exist in early childhood that can include but is not limited to poverty. War, terrorism, abuse, and other forms of trauma, this week I decided to look specifically at an area of the world to understand children from this region. I choose Latin American and the Caribbean for the reasons of having children from the countries that I come into contact daily and this region hosts my favorite vacation spots. I love the culture when I visit these countries, but to truly understand them I need to understand the children and the challenges that these countries face.

Some challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting are is the inconsistency of education for the children. For example in Costa Rica 96% of people are literate and only 49% in Haiti (UNICEF).  Another challenge is the health care that is available and healthy water sources between countries. In Niagara water facilities are only 85% sanitary because of the rural areas of the culture being in the low 60% for sanitary water distributed to people (UNICEF). In certain countries as well child labor is used and also some countries have marriage between individuals under the age of 15 in a high percentage. In Dominican Republic both these statistics are true having 13% of children working and 12% of their children married by age 15.

These experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional well being and development by the stress of having to “grow up” and not live their youth to the fullest because of marriage and having to work. Children could also have to stress about their health such as having food and clean water and not having these resources could also affect their development in a healthy way. Also not being educated is not helping children to be able to learn all they can as well as depriving them of information to help them in various ways. 

Personally I have gained an understanding of what I can do to help children in these areas to give the better chance of a healthy lifestyle. When I travel to these places being able to donate my time and funds to help children would only increase these children’s lifestyle as well as this making me feel fulfilled.

UNICEF, 2013.  http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

        The sexualization of early childhood has become more intense and more socially accepted throughout the world. In the media there are lyrics of songs, children shows, and toys that are portray sexual messages to our children. ‘Girls and boys constantly encounter sexual messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even frighten them” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). “Children are paying an enormous price for the sexualization of their childhood.” (Leving & Kilbourne, 2009).

        Professionally and personally I have come across many examples of how the sexualization of early childhood illustrates the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment. Below are my top 3 examples of how sexualized children are becoming:

1.     A family friend’s daughter once made a statement at dinner on, “how does she get to look hot so that she can be on the private touch list at school?”

2.      When I was at a football game that my cousins were playing in, the cheerleaders had very suggestive lyrics and not appropriate dance moves for their cheers. They were all 10.

3.     The show “Toddler’s and Tiaras”. The mothers and fathers of this show dress up their daughters to make them look not like little girls, but like sex symbols. They go tanning, get their nails done, and work out. These parents are grooming them to understand society’s definition of “pretty” and what their bodies should look like.

When children grow up in a sexualized environment it does have implications on their development. “Gender roles modeled for children have become increasingly polarized and rigid. A narrow definition of femininity and sexuality encourages girls to focus heavily on appearance and sex appeal. They learn at a very young age that their value is determined by how beautiful, thin, “hot,” and sexy they are. And boys, who get a very narrow definition of masculinity that promotes insensitivity and macho behavior, are taught to judge girls based on how close they come to an artificial, impossible, and shallow ideal” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). “Children learn that sex is the defining activity in relationships, to the exclusion of love and friendship” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). This idea carries over into their adulthood and will alter how relationships are made, their gender identity, sexual attitudes, and values (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).

How I feel to respond to the concerns of the sexualization of children and to reduce the negative impacts it has on children is mainly monitor what children view. From music, to TV, to movies, and to toys, children are exposure to over exposed to sexual content.” In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). To have a supportive family member that talks to a child about sex is important, but not in detail. A role model is always an important part in a healthy child’s development.

This week I have become aware by how the sexualization of early childhood is a major issue that needs to be addressed. Parent and educators need to be aware of this topic to be able to identity when a child has had been exposed to much and factors that cause this exposure. Prevention is key here and without knowledge of this topic, it cannot be prevented. 

Reference

 Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

This week I am putting others shoes on my feet. I am pretending that I am an early childhood professional who is experiencing “-isms” in my personal life and they are carrying over into how others view my work performance. I am going to imagine myself being in a same sex relationship.

If I was in a same sex relationship I feel that others would react to me with the use of stereotypes and prejudice. Not only could co-workers react, but families, and children could react in negative ways. Below are hypothetical consequences that each group of people might inflict on me if I was in a same sex relationship.

Co-Workers

-          I might not get promotions based on others feelings towards my personal life.

-          My education might not matter because some people could think that I am “dumb” for the choices I have made in my life.

-          I might not bond with co-workers for the fear of judgment from my personal choices.

Families

-          Parents might not want me working with their children because I can “convert” them.

-          Families might not know how to interact with me and what to say to make appropriate conversation.

-          Families might think I have gender preferences.

Children

-          The children might ask questions about my family and I might not know how to answer and because of this I might fib or not give any details about me. This can create a lack of bond between teacher and students.

-          The children might be shocked if my partner ever came into the classroom setting.

-          The children could become confused about why my family is different from theirs.

       Students could make fun of my lifestyle and I might not be seen as an authority figure.

Observing Communication- Week 3

This week I was observing an adult and child interaction. I was at grocery store this weekend and saw a women with 3 children, all of which looked young enough to be under five. What I noticed was all of them crying at one point, telling their mom no when she asked them to stop, and the mom trying to put the children in the cart. She was very sympathetic to the children and did not yell at any of them once, for behavior or as punishment.

What I would have done to make the communication more affirming and effective was to first make sure that I was using appropriate kinds of language. For this outing I would be using language that encourages children through specific feedback about the groceries they were buying and why; and this also extends the children’s language (Stephenson, 2009). I would also think about the power in the conversation. There was a power struggle between the children and the mom and none of the parties were winning. “Children tend to actively participate in conversations that they initiate, that are relevant to them, and that invite reciprocal exchanges” (Stephenson, 2009). By balancing the power struggle and giving the children an opportunity to express themselves the behaviors would not have happened because there was no reason if they felt needed and engaged.

The communication interactions I observed may have also affected the child’s feelings of self worth. Without their ideas and input along with respect from the mother, they felt unneeded and might not have been receiving the attentions that they wanted. Children like to be listened to and feel valued. “Children are more eager to spend time with an adult who is keen to listening to them” (Rainer & Durden, 2010). If children are eager to spend time with an adult a behavior meltdown might also not happen because the adult is engaging and the child has fun with them.

This experience has offered me insights on how the adult-child communication compares to the ways in which I communicate with children by reassuring that by listening to children and engaging them in conversation it is easier to help the child feel safe as well as help build their self worth. Through communication children also can express what they know and the information can be used as a formative assessment. I can improve my communication with children by making sure that I am using clear language that extends children’s learning, encourages feedback,  and connects to children’s lives.

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95. database.http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=37131016&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Creating Affirming Environments- Week 2

This week I am imagining that I am opening my own Family Child Care Home. A family child care home’s setting and elements are very important. How the area is set up and interacted with will either make children feel welcomed and respected or not.

One first has to understand that the way a space is set up alters children to which issues and people the teacher or facilitator thinks are important and unimportant (Derman-Sparks, 2010). An environment rich in anti-bias materials invites exploration and discovery and support’s children’s play and conversations in both emergent and planned activities (Derman-Sparks, 2010). For this, I would make sure that my space was set up so that the focal part of the space was were the most important information hung. This could be academic items and also materials that honor diversity in an accurate and nonsterotypical way (Derman-Sparks, 2010). Multicultural literature would be a must along with dolls of all races and cultures. By having multiracial and cultural dolls, children can relate to the materials rather than just the dominant culture and not feel the harm of feeling invisible or not fitting (Derman-Sparks, 2010). The coloring of the room would also have to be not gender indefinable along with all materials. By having bulletin boards with photographs of the children and their families it will also make the space seem like everyone’s, which is the goal (Derman-Sparks, 2010).  A unit or theme is also important and helps families embrace and feel welcomed in the space (Derman-Sparks, 2010). My theme would be either owls, or animals that all children can relate too. Themes such as the Olympics’ for older children also show diversity of individuals and focus on the success of people rather than the downfalls.

Overall misinforming and misrepresenting individuals needs to be thought of before a space can be created (Derman-Sparks, 2010). All children and families need to feel welcomed so that relationships and interactions can come together to create the anti-bias learning community (Derman-Sparks, 2010). A space that is nurturing and supports all children is what I want and would need to have to have a successful family child care home.

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

Reflection on Learning

During this class at Walden University, I have learned so much about diversity and strategies to work with diverse children and their families. I am thankful for all the new information that I have gained. My hope for my future as an early childhood professional is to one day see a time when diversity is not treated as a negative issue. Diversity is what makes everyone special and unique and makes our society rich with ideas and keeps it growing. I hope that children in the future will see diversity in a positive light and be excited to embrace every human being for who they are and what they think.

I want to truly thank all my colleagues that I had this journey with. It is not without your hard work, perspectives, and support that I have been able to learn so much. I hope that each one of you has gained as much knowledge as I have and that each of us can become advocates for diversity. I hope and wish that the children and families that come into contact with you change your life for the better and you change theirs as well. You all are amazing individuals and it was a privilege to work with you!

Start Seeing Diversity

Diversity is how people differ

It affects each one of us

It might make some people quiver

And really drive those nuts

But if you look deep inside

About the discomfort, trauma and bias

It could make you cry and feel pride

About how these people abide it

Thoughts and negative feelings about the ones around

Really hurt the world and diminish our society growing

It’s time to strike down

And educate the unknowing

Believe in each other

And help the world feel love

We are really the mothers and brothers

To send out a diversity dove

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

When looking at diversity and communication it is important to view how each of us communicates towards a child. At times when a child says something that is not politically correct, adults usually just try to hush the child before anyone else can hear what the child said. During that time, it is a teachable moment that needs to be embraced. I know I am guilty for not using that time wisely as well.

I have been a nanny most summers for various families. One summer I was a nanny to these adorable little boys. Their ages were 3 and 5. Sometimes we had to go places that were not very entertaining for them because of errands I had to do or some that their parents left. Once I had to drop off a paper for the older boy’s Boy Scout troop. In line ahead of us was a lady that was bigger boned and was not as feminine looking as the boy’s mother. The younger boy shouted, “Is that a lady or man because it has a mustache but is wearing heels. I thought you were either a boy or girl not in-betweens.” I was mortified and told the little boy to please be quiet and it’s not nice to talk about others in a negative way. His response to that was, “it’s not bad I just don’t understand”. I then gave him a look that communicated to be quiet and he was.

The message that I could have been communicating to this child was that it is not okay to ask questions if you do not understand something. I could have also communicated that it is not okay to speak one’s mind. I also never answered the question about the difference between men and women or if there is a third gender which also could confuse him. Overall, I did not do a good job handling the situation and did not follow up with the child about this episode. I did tell his parents about it, but also did not follow up with them about their exposure and their conversation they had with him.

How an anti-bias educator might have responded to support the child understanding would be to say that it does not matter what gender a person is, because everyone is special and has special characteristics. I could of even said people are all made different and it is important not to say something that could make someone else not feel good about themselves. I could of also focused on maybe saying the positives about the person. Following up with literature is also a great way for early childhood children to understand concepts so a library trip could have been very useful.

Overall, I now know how to act in a more positive manner and use those teachable moments to help benefit all children. 

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Recently I have been researching and trying to gain new ideas and concepts in the areas of early childhood with their gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. These concepts are often overlooked but are very important in child development.

There are ways in our society that homophobia and heterosexism permeates the world of young children. This could involve books, movies, stores, culture, and schools. I think toys are a very big part of not supporting homosexuality. Toys are either marketed for girls or boys. There are very few toys that are gender neutral. If the opposite sex children play with the “wrong” toys they are looked at in a different way. They are being discriminated against just from playing with another toy. I think this is wrong. Boys should be able to play with dolls and Barbie’s and girls should be able to play with Lego’s and cars. In my classroom I make sure that I have mostly gender neutral toys, but I do have few gender related toys. I think it is great when boys and girls play with the opposite gender toys to expose themselves to those experiences. I have boys play “Pretty, Pretty, Princess” and I do not say anything against it. Children need opportunities to experience different genders and have as many experiences as they can to develop their own personality.

Within this topic also come the thoughts if books depicting gay or lesbian individuals should be used in early childhood centers. I first researched libraries in my community. At the public library there are books like this but an adult library card needs to be used to take the books out. In the district where I teach there are no gay or lesbian oriented books or same sex family oriented books at the elementary level. I can understand these precautions but I do think that these books need to be exposed to early childhood. This is a step in the right way direction to stopping discrimination by having our younger generation fin acceptance.

Early childhood gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation is a part of child development and needs to be explored and thought about when dealing with young children.

Maglaty, J. (2011). When did girls start wearing pink. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/When-Did-Girls-Start-Wearing-Pink.html

Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons' gender identity: Psychologists take radically different approaches in therapy. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2008/05/07/90247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences (22 minutes)

Professional Thanks

I would like to thank all my colleagues that have been on this journey through learning how to foster effective communication during this class. I wish all of you great happiness professionally and personally and hope that your communication tactics only became stronger during this class.

Team Development

This week I read about the five stages of team development. The five stages are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. As I think about all the teams and groups that I have been involved with, I focus on the adjourning phase. This is when the project comes to an end and the participants move to different projects. Some teams it was very easy to leave because of the other four factors in the team not being strong, and to be honest, I do not know how we survived to the adjourning stage. Some groups and teams it was very hard to leave because of how strong the other four phases where and the passionate and goals that were accomplished by the team. One group that was very hard to break apart from was cohorts during my student teaching. As a team we had a tight bond for four years and had to leave because we all accomplished a goal together which was completing student teaching and receiving our degrees. These are the people that I would study with, eat with, and complete group projects with. These are the people that I grew with during my undergraduate years. Graduation was a very nice closing ritual that also helped me transition to a new part of my life while still holding the memories close. I imagine that I will adjourn from my group of colleagues that I have formed while working in my master’s program is somewhat the same manner, but less intensive. These people I have grown with professionally and have worked with to complete a goal and it will be hard to say goodbye, but the relationships do not have to end after the degree is completed which is comforting. The adjourning stage is essential because of its importance of closer and celebration of reaching a goal. Without the adjourning stage, nothing in this world could ever get accomplished. This is why I feel that this stage in team development is the most bittersweet stage.

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Disagreements and Conflicts

Disagreements and conflicts are experienced in everyone lives. They can be with a supervisor, colleague, or someone personal in your life. This week I reflected on strategies that I have learned that can help me manage and resolve conflicts more productively.

The first strategy I choose was “Getting to Yes” (Billikopf 2009). This strategy helps people identify the needs and focus on them rather than others positions. I feel that by making sure the conflict is aligned with the needs of all parties, and then the conflict should resolve itself. It is hard when times are tough to focus on actual purpose than get wrapped up in how the others are talking and the negative aspects of communication they might be using. This strategy could also show broader ranges of solutions. When people are working together for a common purpose than against each other for what goal they want, more gets accomplished and the communication becomes more productive.

The second strategy I choose was to involve a third party. Using a third party could also be very beneficial in the work environment. A third party makes sure that everyone is on task and working towards a common goal and not badgering or being negative towards the other parties. The only issue with using a third party is making sure that they are not bias and will hold their own opinions and feelings towards individuals inside. A third party is also good at coming up with a compromise for the parties and looking for more solutions that are possible.

Nonviolent communication and the 3 R’s are also a good way to make sure that communication from you is proper and not harmful to another. By understanding disagreements and conflicts and receiving knowledge about different strategies, they should be solved in a peaceful and productive way.

Billikopf, G. (2009, August). Conflict management skills. Retrieved from http://cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/13.htm

Communication Week 4

This week I had the opportunity to evaluate myself as a communicator. I also had two other people evaluate me who were my husband and a coworker. From this exercise I noticed that I scored myself lower in all areas than others. This gave me the insight that others see me as a more confident communicator and listener that I view myself as being. I am surprised by this, but it a good way. By taking these tests it has also shown me my areas of weakness and how to help improve these skills. By improving these skills it will make me not only a better communicator personally, but for the early childhood education field and most importantly for my students. One insight I would like to share is that my personality traits and listening skills put me in the category of trusting individuals. This is positive in a way that I am able to see through stereotypes and other racial characteristics but negative in a way that once a person is untrustworthy I tend to lose my relationship with them. This affects my personal life much more, but professionally this is important to note when dealing with coworkers and other people involved in the education field. By understanding all different listening styles and not writing people off so fast for losing my trust, I will be able to make more concrete relationships. A second aspect I would like to share is that I am more verbally aggressive towards adults than children. I need to keep this is mind when dealing with adults so that my communication is precise and shows empathy for them, their ideas, and does not harm them in any way. I feel that I pretty understanding with all people, but to be aware of this will only help me gage my communication better. I am glad I was able to evaluate my communication and others rated me very nicely as well. By taking these tests I have become a more confident communicator. 

Communication

I feel that in different contexts, people communicate differently. This is just how we are biologically and socially “trained” to do. There is a difference for example on when I talk to my students between my parents and between my coworkers. Each group of individuals need to be given different communication tactics to best understand what the message is. For example, if I was to talk to the three groups mentioned above about a natural disaster here is what I might say to each:

Students: I know many of you have heard what happened in XXX. Where we live there are things that can happen to us that we cannot control, but we have ways to keep us safe. Does anyone know what are some of the ways that we stay safe during a XXX?

My Parents: I cannot believe what happened in XXX. It is crazy to think that something that seems so harmless can hurt so many people.

Coworkers: I am glad that you have been watching the news as well about XXX. Do you know any more information about the topic? What are the students saying in your room about it?

Within each type of people the formality of the conversation changes and the structure changes as well. I feel these needs to happen to give each group the best message possible. I also know that people talk to me differently. An example of this would be when I am in school parent’s talk to me very formally. When I see parents out of the school setting some are more relaxed.

Within every context and groups of people communication will always vary depending on the relationship, age, and culture of the individual’s. 

Communication is Not Always Straight Forward

Communication skills and styles vary depending on culture, gender, and context. This week I watched a television show that I do not normally watch with the sound off first and then with the sound on. Between the two observations of the same show, I was granted different ideals about characters’ relationships, feelings, and expression.

The TV show: Gypsy Sister’s
Episode: When Mellie Gets Married

Sounds off:
With just relying on mostly nonverbal cues I feel that each character has aggression within them. There is fighting, yelling, and people storming off. Nettie and Mellie are sisters but do not have a “typical” relationship between sisters. They yell at each other during the dress making process and are shown arguing throughout the show multiple times. Nettie and her children seem to have a close bond because they are always together. It seems that she is very open with her children because they are shown in scenes when there is fighting and during scenes that might be called “inappropriate” by popular standards. Mellie’s relationship with her husband does not seem so secure. They also fight a lot and are not shown together and being “loving”. Physical contact is not made between them much and neither is eye contact. During the wedding when Mellie is crying down the aisle and getting upset I sense that she does not want to marry her husband but goes through with it for what I believe is family pressure.

Sound on:
Mellie and Nettie’s relationship is not a “typical” sister relationship because of their age difference. Their mother was in prison when Mellie was a young adult which cause Nettie to become more of a mother figure. Nettie is upset with Mellie for her behavior that is not part of their culture and family traditions. Mellie and Nettie are close and do love each other which is stated throughout the show. Nettie’s children are always with her because she is the primary caregiver and some of the children are also her grandchildren. It is typical for gypsy women to marry young and have children at young ages as well making it more acceptable in their family culture to interact differently to such a span of ages. Mellie is ready to marry her husband, but did have hesitations before the wedding. During the wedding she was not having mixed feelings for the groom but was aggravated from her dress, bridal party, and other various factors.

I feel that my assumptions would have been more correct if it was a TV show that I knew well because I would have a background of previous relationships and typical behaviors from individuals. I have learned that communication needs to be both verbal and nonverbal to receive an accurate understanding of every situation.

Communication of Others

This week I am looking at someone who demonstrates competent communication. I choose to talk about my father because he is the best communicator that I know. What makes his exhibit great communication skills is his understanding of others and how he portrays himself verbally and non-verbally  My father understands others and knows what to say and what not to say. He is able to decipher a person’s personality in a simple conversation and understand how to best communicate with a person. My father also sends out great nonverbal communication tactics by having eye contact, his posture, and nodding throughout conversations. He is the person that taught me about nonverbal techniques that send out negative vibes as well. I do and will continue to model my own communication behaviors after him because I know his communication skills have made him successful in his career, friends, and a valued family member.  

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is for these families to not be scared/uneasy/nervous about asking for help. I feel that some families, especially ESL families, have trouble asking questions because they do not know how to communicate or they do not want to be viewed as unintelligent. I hope that in the near future those families of diverse families will find a support and a voice to ask for help or ask questions in the realm of education.

One goal I have for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is for all professionals, students, support staff, and any person that comes in contact with the schools to not judge students based on their outward appearance. I feel that by stopping negative feelings , thoughts, and stereotypes in the early childhood field that as a human race we will be able to stop negative topics a lot sooner with more effectiveness.

I would also like to take a moment to thank all my colleagues that have been on this journey with me. It is through your support, guidance, viewpoints, and questions that have made me become a better educator and person. I hope that each of you reaches your goals and dreams with your professional and personal lives. I look forward to moving on with this journey with some of you in the next classes to come. 

Welcoming Families Around the World

This week we were given this situation to dissect:

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.

In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin.

The country of origin I picked was Aruba.

Five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family are:
1. To give them information and knowledge about resources that might be in my community that differs from them.
2. Incorporate information and have a “share” week all about this country in my child care center.
3. I will research surface facts about the country so I am aware of the families’ previous environment.
4. I will make sure to personalized contact with each member of the family so they feel that are wanted and needed in the center and that they matter.
5. To have the family become involve in the center by giving them many different ways and different times to come into the center.

How I hope these preparations will benefit myself and the family is so have a mutual respect for each other and work together to build a good relationship together.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I think throughout a person’s life they will unfortunately be the source of bias, prejudice, and oppression or witness someone else as the target of these things. These encounters can be seen in online environments as well as fictional ones such as moves, books, and television shows.

One movie that I saw that really showed me bias, prejudice and oppression was the movie, “The Help”. This movie shows so much bias, prejudice, and oppression that it was able to bring me into it and made me feel like I actually experienced it.

This movie diminished equity by first showing how black individuals of that time are viewed and talked to. It also showed how a society stigma diminishes friendships between the maids and the little girls and then when the little girls grow up, they lose that relationship. That diminished equity by looking at person’s worth and how the relationships change, based on the more popular or dominant view.

The emotions this situation provoked in me was very hurt and negative. I could not ever imagine having someone basically raise me and then disowning them because of society views. I did get into the viewpoint of both parties and can understand what happened with both people. Basically, the society pressure with prejudice and bias against race played into their relationship.

In the end, the book is published that does star to be change and order to turn this incident into opportunity for greater equity. It will be this and other radical individuals that are willing to stand out and take charge and show that a bias, prejudice, and oppression like this is not right, diminishes equity, and respects the human race.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week I was learning about microaggression. I really was looking around and concentrating hard throughout this week to detect an example of microagression. Today, I finally received an example, and it was from my little Kindergartners. In class this week we are learning about American symbols. In my class I also have a boy that was born and raised in America, but still does not have what would be considered “normal” English because of his second language and the accent that he has developed from this. I was having my students turn and talk to each other about American symbols and one other student in my class raised their hand and stated, “Why does he (the little boy in ESL) have to learn about American symbols when he doesn’t belong here anyways?” I was shocked by this and could not believe how blunt the statement was.  I explained to the class that the little boy does live here and was born here, he is just lucky enough to know two different languages. We talked about how hard it is to learn how to talk, and if they could imagine learning to talk in two different ways. We also discussed how it is not nice to single out other people like this and how they would feel if someone said that they did not belong. I feel my students understood more about being nice to others now and how we cannot make racial/ethnic remarks about others.

My observation of my experiences this week affected my perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping by understanding that these ideas and personas start with young children. If young children are exposed and have an understanding of all different types of people and grow up knowing this as the norm, the ideas of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping could eventually vanish. I hope that one day, this concept could become a reality. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week I am diving into looking at different people’s definitions and ideas amour culture and diversity. I have found 3 people that have shared their views with me that are all culturally diverse from myself in either the areas of gender, race, class, religion, abilities, or age.

The first person I asked was my husband.
His definition of culture is – People that have a commonality in ethnicity or language.
His definition of diversity is – How people different from each other.

The second person I asked was a co-worker.
Her definition of culture is – People that have the same basis of language and writing system
Her definition of diversity is – what makes people unique

The third person I asked was one of my neighbors.
His definition of culture is – People that are located in a certain area with genetically similar traits.
His definition of diversity is – How individuals are unique and how people are categorized.

When looking at these answers and how different they were, they all had key points in them about what culture really is and how people view it. Culture to me contains so much. Culture is; a person’s beliefs, social forms, traits, religion, race, values, goals, traditions, attitudes, and language. Culture involves so much that it can be hard to find a short definition of what culture truly means. I feel that all of my three interviewees made a good attempt at defining culture, but I also feel that not all of them thought about all the different aspects that go into culture. I feel that for diversity, the people I interviewed has good definitions for that. I specifically liked the definition my co-worker gave. It is a definition that puts a focus on the positive of diversity instead of the negatives that can come with it. I feel that by interviewing these people about their definitions I now have a better understanding of how others view these two major concepts of our world. The influence these definitions have had on my own thinking about these topics is to look beyond the basics and into the details and to also turn these definitions that can be thought of as negative, into something with rejoice and with pride.