Competent Communicator

There is a particular supervisor in my school that, to me, has mastered effective communication skills/style - mostly while working with families. She is one that I look up to and tend to send my upset family members too. Her voice is calm and has a low-tone to it which tends to relax the energy in the room. This individual can tell you the worst news in the sweetest and most respectful way - which is something I have yet learned how to do. The body language she shows is one of respect and authority (in a good way), she has positive control and facilitation over meetings/conversations.

When those awkward/hard conversations need to happen I try to lighten the mood by making a joke, which I learned this week goes against an ethical communication principle - striving to understand and respect other communicators (O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2015). By joking it might upset or confuse whoever is on the receiving end of my message. Of course, this is not a typical communication style I use and is a professional goal of mine. I am hoping this course will help give me other tools to use when the conversations become difficult.

Reference

O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3^rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s

Professional Hopes and Goals

As I look back on my time in this course and throughout the program I am grateful for my personal and professional growth. I feel that I have become more aware of what I am saying to others and how a simple statement can turn someone's world upside down. 

The one hope I have for working with children and families that come from a different background than myself is to always communicate with them. It is easy for a family who is "different" or who speaks another language to become overlooked in the classroom. With open communication comes a stronger relationship.

The one hope I have for the early childhood field regarding diversity, equity, and social justice is that our undergraduate programs begin to educate and give strategies for working with families of different backgrounds. I feel that my undergraduate program discussed diversity and its importance but it was not as in-depth. 

I would like to thank my colleagues for their kind words and motivation! This course has helped me to open up about my past with more than just friends/family, which made me realize, again, that I am not alone. We all have our own "backpacks" that are full of our daily/life struggles and we need to be cognizant of that when interact with others. 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Family's country of origin

Yemen

Five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards the family

1. I will research the country of origin to gain a basic understanding of the culture and language.

2. Through my research I will learn some basic phrases in the families native language. This will show the family that I am invested in them and their success.

3. Once the family has come into my program I will encourage them to join the classroom routine so they feel welcomed and comfortable. Through this engagement I will ask the family to teach the other children about their culture so can incorporate that into our classroom.

4. I would also try and find a translator to help with the important information that needs to be communicated - through the school and family.

5. Finally, I would keep a constant and open line of communication with the family to ensure they have what they need to be successful in the school and in the community.

Brief statement describing in what ways I hope that these preparations will benefit both myself and the family

These preparations will benefit myself and the family in the fact that they will feel respected and understood. These preparations will help the family transition into their new life. 

Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

Over the summer I was on our interview panel, including staff and current parents, for hiring a new lead teacher for the upcoming school year, we had five interviews that day. One candidate's only experience in working with children was with upper-class children/families and she had recently graduated with her BA. Once the interview was over the parent immediately said; 

"I don't think she is the best fit for the program. She has only worked with upper-class families and would have no clue how to help our type of family." 

This type of response upset me and caused me to react. It should not have mattered the type of family she had previous experience with when discussing her abilities as a teacher. I mentioned that if that was the reaction to my interview five years ago I would not have the job I do today - my previous experience was with middle to upper-class families but that does not mean I do not have empathy and compassion for those living in poverty. 

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

This diminished equity because this specific candidate was unfairly judged based off her previous job experiences. When considering a candidate to hire we, as the panel, discuss how they could benefit our program. The comment this parent made about the candidate could have altered others opinions of her and caused her to not get the job. 

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

I don't know if any of the individuals in this scenario would have to change necessarily because you cannot change someone's opinion (that's how they feel). However, I do think that the parent should have thought a little more about how that comment would affect others before mentioning it. 

Awareness of Microaggressions

While eating dinner with my family tonight there was a couple next to us having a conversation about our waiter and the way he talks/walks. They had assumed he was part of the gay community because his voice and body posture, which was microaggression even if they had not made a comment to them. This conversation annoyed me because even if their assumption was correct what does it matter? Was it worth having that conversation? Did he hear them? If so, what affect would it have on him?

This week had helped my awareness of microaggressions, within myself and others. It seems that people are constantly stereotyping and most of the time it is not to harm the other person. I have made a conscious effort to think before I talk, as well. What I think is not harmful might in fact harm someone else in ways you would not expect. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Definitions of Culture:

* Traditions, food, family style, where you live influences your culture

* Way of life, values, beliefs

* How individuals grow up. It's what they take from their environment, home - family and friends. It      encompasses beliefs, traditions, values and how they dress & live everyday.

Definitions of Diversity

* When you mix cultures/beliefs/religions together

* A range of different things

* When you get a group of people from different cultures living/working together

The definitions I received through my interviews all seemed to match the description of surface culture, which refers to the things that are easy to see, taste, and define (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). The answers seem to be "textbook" answers of diversity and culture - I was hoping to get more depth from the individuals I chose to interview.

Thinking of other people's definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking in the fact that we, as a society, seem to be living on the surface. This has me thinking how to help guide the children and families I serve to think about culture and diversity on a deeper level.

Reference

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).

My Family Culture

The reason for bringing my cell phone with me isn't because I would feel the need to have technology it is for the memories stored on the phone. My generation has grown up in the digital age and we store all of our memories on Facebook or Instagram instead of a physical photo album. 

Having my phone with me in the new country could also be beneficial in communicating and navigating my new life.

Cooking is a huge part of my family and family culture. Family dinners consist of the men outside grilling, talking, and playing with the kids and the women are inside prepping and talking. We enjoy cooking together and creating new dishes or trying new recipes - even if they taste terrible. The cookbook would represent some amazing food and memories. 

Football plays a huge role in my family - from playing to watching. Every Saturday growing up we would play flag football as a family for hours, which is where we learned a lot about teamwork, sportsmanship (nobody liked loosing), and exercise. All of my brothers played football when they were younger and in high school - my weekends were all football, all the time. To this day we watch football as a family (cheering on our Denver Broncos)....this sport has connected my family for years and years. 

If I was told upon arrival that I had to give up two of my personal items I would be upset because they are my memories but know that they are material things. I would know and cherish the memories I had created with each of the personal items I was asked to give up.

I had asked this question to my mom and step-dad, just for fun, and their responses were passport, photo ID, and photo album. We had both mentioned a photo album but mine was a digital album, whereas, theirs was a physical one. The two had mentioned that they would bring their passport incase they traveled/moved to another country - I assumed by reading the statement I had to stay in this new host country permanently. So, we all interpreted the question differently, as well.