Communication

For your blog this week, think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

When it comes to communication the first person that comes to my mind is my friend Christopher.  Christopher was a teacher and holds a degree in English and Journalism.  He has an extensive vocabulary and can talk to anyone about any topic.  He is well spoken and very intelligent.  Some people may find Christopher offensive as he is very honest and blunt about anything (he is autistic as well, thus he has had to learn emotions as he was growing up).  However as this is Christopher's greatest attribute, he can be abrasive at times.  I personally never get offended, but I have had several co-workers question how I can be friends with him.  I am also bluntly honest and appreciate that I have Christopher as a friend.  I know that if I need an honest opinion I can ask him.  

  Christopher is an effective communicator because he can express himself well to everyone.  In conversations with Christopher, I know how he feels and what he expects depending on the conversation.  I do aspire to have an extended vocabulary like Christopher, and be able to express myself clearly as he does.  I often wonder if people do not understand what I am saying because I do express my ideas clearly.  

  The one behavior that I would not like to have that Christopher does possess is his inability to sense emotion in others when he speaks.  Sometimes Christopher is offensive and he does not understand while others get upset.  Also, he cannot read emotions of others.  Perhaps him not being able is what has made him such an effective communicator. 

Professional Hopes and Goals

First and foremost I would like to thank all of my colleagues for your continued support as I move throughout this program with you.  Having your insights have given me new knowledge on how to make professional goals and different aspects to becoming a positive role model for children.  I look forward to working with all of you in the next course.

A goal that I would like to set for my career in the early childhood field related to diversity, equity, and social justice:

I will make all families and children feel welcome and secure in the education setting in which we are in (classroom, center, etc.).  I will ensure that all families feel like part of the family and welcome their culture into our learning community. 

One hope that I have for working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds:

  I hope that I can eliminate any form of micoraggressions that I may have, subconscious or conscious, and welcome any child into my classroom.  I want my community to be positive and I hope that every family and child that I work with feels the warmth and a sense of belonging in my community.  I also hope to learn about the many cultures that will be coming to me.  

My family is from the country of Egypt.

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family (child care setting)

1.       Ask how the family handles rewards/consequences for behavior.

2.       Get to know the family and child (children) through discussions.  Ask questions about family, culture, heritage, and traditions. 

3.       Include the family in a visit to the classroom to observe how culture is integrated into the daily work of the children. 

4.       Explain rules/procedures/consequences to the family and express the importance of justice to the parents.

5.       Before the family arrives, talk to the other students and families about the new family joining our mini society.  Give a brief history of the country from what I know and have researched.

6.       Inform the family that they are welcome at any time to share artifacts that relate to what we are doing in class.

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

With these preparations, I hope that the family will feel welcomed and comfortable to be included in our mini society.  We have created a classroom of productive members of society in which they are accepting of all.  I hope that this family will feel the warmth and ease into the transition of their move to this country.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Opression

An incident of bias that I can recall was in my orientation class with an African American professor.  This was a full class with new students and it was a mixture of all races.  This particular teacher though was very biased towards students of African American descent.  At first I brushed it off as a personality conflict and I was being overly sensitive.  However as the course progressed, the teacher became more aggressive towards the rest of the students in the class.  She became insulting and extremely mean towards us.  However, the African American students were always talking with her before and after class, she spoke "their language" and would never make them turn in work or if they did it could be late.  

  We were not treated equally for the entire course; fifteen weeks of this discrimination.  At first I was angry, then I became sad because here is an adult that is a role model and educating children and she is exhibiting biased behaviors.  There was a great group of adults for this woman to work with and get to know, but she refused because we did not fit in with her.  

  In order for this incident to turn into an opportunity of greater equity, this teacher would have to change her view point on people of other races and cultures.  Her biases could be relayed to the other adults in the room and reinforce negative behaviors.  If she could change her thoughts and views, then perhaps she would be open and meet new people and gain new insight to the world.

Awareness of Microaggressions

Microaggression is much more prominent than I once thought.  This week alone I observed other students using racial microaggression towards each other.  These were not done to be slanderous or harmful, but still comments were said.  The particular microaggression that I observed this week was with a group of sixth grade students.  These students were all working together (I work in a school where  60% of the population is Hispanic) and one of the Hispanic students said to another a comment regarding their skin color and calling them chocolate, etc.  The students laughed it off, but I immediately corrected the behavior and we had a discussion about harmful things are said and even though people may laugh it off, the effects are long lasting.
  I was saddened that these students at such a young age were already making comments to others about their skin color.  What shocked me even more was that the racial aggression came from another minority group.  I knew that people would discriminate against others, but I never really reflected on the fact that other minority races would be so hateful towards each other.
  I do not want children to grow up with so much hate and aggression towards each other.  Even if they feel that they are joking or that the other students don't get offended on the outside, the children are still affected.  As a future early childhood education professional I will make it part of my mission to embrace all cultures and instill in children that the diversity of each other is what makes us so great!

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

When doing this assignment I decided to ask various people that are in my life their definitions.  I could have asked several different teachers, but I want to gain the insight of definitions from people who are not in the education field. 

My first person of contact:

My long time friend of 20 years, Falon

Culture:  To me culture can mean many different things.  I am a biracial female who has not had an easy life in Detroit.  I have seen many sides of many different people and not all of them are pretty.  My culture is me being able to share my life with my mixed daughter.  I share with her my African American culture and I share my Caucasian culture.  Not one culture is dominant over the other and I share with my family and friends all parts of me.  

Diversity:  To me diversity can come in many forms.  Some people take diversity too far and it becomes hate.  I have been a part of hate crimes before and it was not pretty.  I was scared but also didn't understand why I was being blamed and tormented for being different.  I am accepting of different people, so I don't understand why people aren't accepting of me.  Diversity is being able to share all parts of my culture or anyone for that matter, and not be made to feel like they are wrong for being part of a culture.  

My second person of contact:

My cousin and best friend, Krystal 

Culture:  Culture is being able to represent who you are without being looked down upon or told you are wrong.  

Diversity:  Diversity is the difference between the different cultures that are represented through different activities from a given culture.  

My third person of contact:

My lead teacher from student teaching, Laurie

Culture:  Culture is my favorite part of the classroom!  I love seeing what new races and blending together in my class, so that we can share stories and become an even larger family.  Thus culture is the bringing together of multiple ideas, beliefs and traditions that create a unique outlook on life.  

Diversity:  Being diverse is what makes us so great!  As we start the school year, we look at what makes us all different and we talk about diversity!  Diversity is what makes us who we are and lets us learn from others to be even more unique.  

Overall, my three contacts had similar thoughts on diversity and culture.  All of the contacts also felt that these are necessary aspects to having a successful place for children to learn and grow.  Even though all of the contacts are not education professionals, they still know what it means to be diverse and have a sense of culture.  

My Family Culture

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The first item that I would choose would be my photographs.  Through photographs I will have memories and insights as to how I was raised and traditions were celebrated.  Photographs and pictures seem to be a constant in many cultures.  Cultures share their memories through various modes of literature, storytelling, art, pictures, etc. My pictures will represent my life.  

The second item that I would choose would be a stuffed animal from my childhood.  This animal is destroyed and in terrible condition, but this toy is part of what made me who I am today.  My family still laughs and tells jokes about this toy and my behavior with it, so it has been a part of the family as long as I have.  

The third item that I would choose would be my jewelry box.  Inside are pins, charms, rings, bracelets, etc that have been in my family for years.  All of these mementos would spark interesting stories and prompt from more story telling from my culture.  

If I was only told that I could keep one of the items with me, I would be devastated, but I could pick.  The stuffed toy and the pictures are irreplaceable, but I will have those memories.  The jewelry box contains items that cannot be replaced as well, but are from generations before me.  These items represent more than my life, they represent my family and where we came from.

After thinking about the questions for this post, I started to wonder what I have in my life to bring with me if their was a crisis.  Honestly, I am not sure how people would remember me or my family.  Many family traditions that I had when I was little are not being passed down yet, simply because I do no have anyone to pass them to.  This thought makes me wonder how will my culture live on when I am gone.