Me as a Communicator...

 This weeks assignment was eye opening and though provoking for me. It's interesting the differences between how you perceive yourself from how those around you perceive you. I always thought that I was a good communicator. I thought that professionally speaking, I was a clear, effective, and efficient communicator. I was surprised to hear from one of my staff that i've worked with for a while, that sometimes I am not as clear as I think I am with my directives and/or expectations. She did say that one-on-one she thinks I am clearer but that in larger groups, sometimes I change the expectation as I go based on the response of the group. My initial thought when she said that, was to get defensive and try and justify myself but instead I stopped and listened. And the more she tried to explain (very calmly and kindly) her rationale, the more I understood where she was coming from and appreciated the feedback so that I could learn and do better in this regard moving forward. 

I realized that in trying to be personable, and listening to the employees thoughts and opnions ( in my mind to validate and "hear" them) I would sometimes change my directive, making it hard to follow what I was expecting of them. My good intentions in being a good communicator/listener, actually was where the disconnect happened for me. Interesting.... 

I also realized through the assessments this week, that I don't always come across to others how I mean too. In my job, in life, in my home, really in all of the areas of life... I am constantly on the go and trying to get a lot of things done in a short amount of time (like many people). I learned that sometimes when I feel rushed/stressed/ and even anxious others can feel and sense that and I come across as rushing them and not caring about what they have to say. This feedback came from my close friend, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I absolutely do this in my personal life, especially with those that I am the closest too and most comfortable with, because my guard is down more than with others. 

Communicating and Cultural Diversity...

Think about the cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and also, possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?
• If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

I found this weeks topic to be specifically interesting, mostly because it was something I hadn't really thought much about prior to reading. However, the more that I thought about it the more that I realized how important of a topic it was to really learn and grow through especially when working with children and families in an educational setting. Where I live, there is quite a bit of diversity. People from different places, different cultures, values, religions, and beliefs coming together... it's honestly something that I have always found to be interesting and beautiful. However, because I am from the dominant culture for this area, I don't think I really realized how all of these factors play into communication until this week. 

When I think about cultural diversity under the context of communication, I think that the following strategies will help me be a better communicator, stronger leader, and more open and welcoming human:

1. Remember that non-verbal communication can be just as strong (if not stronger) than the words that I say. I need to aware of what my eyes, face, hands, body, etc are saying to ensure people of any culture feel comfortable and respected when communicating with me. 

2. Take the other peoples lead. Open up the conversation in a warm way, but follow what the other party does to ensure that I'm respecting the differences in or cultures and beliefs.

3. Use helpful tools when possible. Would pictures or other items help our communication be more effective? If so, use them so that both parties are on the same page and there isn't any communication gaps between us due to culture, language, etc. 

It all just comes back to being intentional with my words and actions to make sure that people I'm communicating with feel heard, valued, understood, and respected. I think if you can keep those factors in mind, even when you're in disagreement with someone about something, a peaceful resolution can be found because your foundation is a positive one. 

TV Show Communication...

For this blog assignment, I turned on Netflix, and found a show that I have never seen or honestly even heard of. The show I chose was "Friends from College" and I picked the first episode to watch. 

As I watched it with the sound off, it was honestly a bit hard to really know what was going on and was hard to follow. Honestly, I almost turned it off a couple of times. But then I really started to focus on the characters NON verbal communication. Their facial expressions, hand movements while they talked, and body language. I began to feel like I was able to follow along a bit more on the show and what was happening. 

The non-verbal communication that I was observing between the characters and their relationships with each other, seemed a bit awkward and tense. The body language between them was a bit confusing to navigate without the help conversation and communication between them. When I look at the non-verbal behavior between the main characters and look at their feelings and expressions, it seems like there is a lot of yelling. Lots of hand movements, over the top facial expressions, and what appears to be whispering.

When I re-watched the same episode, this time with sound on, the pieces of the characters and the plotline certainly came together a bit more clearly. Looking back, it probably wasn't my best plan to choose the pilot episode of this show for this activity, as I think that often the first episode of a show hops around a bit more than a "normal" episode, because they're trying to get you hooked on the show by showing you lots of different plots and stories. None of which I really was able to pick up on with the sound off, because there was too much happening to retain it all. 

Additionally, if I had watched a show that I had seen prior, or even better one that I knew well, my assumptions about what was happening would have been much more clear, because i'd have a frame of reference on the characters an some idea of the plotlines.

My biggest "AHA" moment from this activity is that we need to be intentional with both our verbal and nonverbal communication in life but specifically professionally. It is so easy for what we say and do, when interacting with children and families to be taken the wrong way, and the results of that could be negative for all involved. It is important that we choose our words clearly, and are aware of our body language, facial expressions, and even responses so that our communication is helpful and not hurtful. 

A Competent Communicator...

 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 I think about someone who demonstrates competent communication with a particular context, my mind immediately went to my sister. My sister is a principal of an elementary school, but before her current role she taught high school English for many years. When she is speaking about anything in regards to education, children, even English and Literature, she comes across as an expert in what she's communicating about.

When she speaks, people listen. She is passionate, she in confident, she is well informed, and she leads the conversation. I would go so far to say, that even when she isn't completely confident in what she is communicating, she does a heck of a job "faking it" using basic knowledge and common sense to get her point across. She keeps her head held high, makes eye contact, and keeps her body language open but confident.

Something that she does when she is communicating, is she is thoughtful in her responses. She always delivers her thoughts eloquently, and calmly, but in a way that leaves the other person feeling pretty confident in what she is saying. She also (even when she is delivering less than wonderful news) tries to approach the conversation with as much positivity and compassion as humanly possible, without seeming fake. All of these skills and attributes are what the reason that I feel she has been so successful professionally as well as what makes her a competent communicator in her field. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression...

I hope that as I continue to work with children and their families in this field that they will always knows that I am there to accept, support, and love them for who they are and for the differences between us. I hope that I will not only acknowledge any personal bias' I may have, but then also make the necessary changes to overcome those biases so that they never negatively impact anyone else. 

For the field of early childhood overall, I want to see a greater focus on diversity, equity, and social justice. I want their to be time, money, and training invested into educating teachers and professionals on the importance of this as well as how to implement it in our classrooms, centers, heck even in our day to day lives. We need to make this our focus. We are raising the next generation of humans, we have to make this our focus, so that it impacts our kiddos in so many positive and meaningful ways. 

A special thanks to each of you in this course with me for the past 8 weeks. We've learned a lot from the course materials, but I've also learned a lot from so many of you. It is nice to have a community of likeminded professionals who are growing alongside of me on this journey. Best of luck to each of you! 

Welcoming Families From Around the World...

 The name of “your” family’s country of origin: Peru

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family

1. Spend time learning their language. Most Peruvians speak Spanish so I would spend time learning some key words that would be helpful in communicating with both the student and the family. 

2. Spend time learning about the main religions of the country. Most Peruvians are Roman Catholic. This helps me to understand their beliefs as well as what holidays may be meaningful to them. Knowing this will help me build a healthy and respectful relationship with the family and the child.

3. Learn about some of their favorite foods, and find a way to make them dinner. Peruvians use grow lots of varieties of potatoes and corn, so they also use it in a lot of their foods! Finding ways to bring the taste of home, to the US might help them feel more comfortable and at ease. 

4. Learn about how their cultures greets one another. In Peru, when you are meeting someone for the first time it is respectful and expected that you shake hands and look each other in the eye as a form of respect. I would greet the parents like this so they know that I have respect for them. 

5. I'd make sure I knew about their family and household structures so that I don't make any assumptions or bring any unintentional prejudice or bias into our conversations/relationship. For example, Peruvians take gender roles very seriously. They also often are very close to their extended family and see them often. 

Overall, It is important to understand and know what is important to their culture so that they feel supported and accepted. You want them to know that though you don't know them, you want to get to know them. You want to learn what makes you similar and what makes you different. You want them to feel like you respect them and their culture so that a healthy and trusting relationship can be formed for the good of everyone involved. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression...

1. 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? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

When I first started out in this profession, I was fresh out of high school working in a church daycare as an assistant teacher. I had grown up attending that church, and it was a very conservative Christian belief church. At the time, I was young, naïve, and didn't really know much but out the outside world and had no real ideas about diversity, equity, inclusion, etc. I remember a friend of mine who was a boy, interview to be an assistant teacher at the center with us. He too had grown up in the church and everyone knew him. He was great with kids, so it only made since to me that he'd work there too. 

I remember we had a staff meeting and he was there and they introduced him to the rest of the staff and shared he'd be joining the team. I remember the director made a big deal about how he would only be working with preschoolers, because it wasn't "smart" for men to change diapers and work with infant and toddlers. Again, at the time, I didn't really question it, but now looking back, it is infuriating to me that this was their through process but also that they spoke such hateful and assuming words about him to a group of people. 

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

In this situation, it was the idea that because he was a man he

1. Shouldn't change diapers

2. Would somehow be inappropriate for him to change diapers

3. Would make parents uncomfortable to change their kids diapers

This incident diminished equity by saying because he is a man, he shouldn't change diapers or be trusted to work with infants and toddlers. 

3. What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

Again, at the time, I remember thinking about how I knew plenty of men who changed diapers, but I really didn't understand all of the implications of this incident at the time. Now, I'm disgusted, mad, and disappointed in the church, in the leadership, and in the fact that not one educated person working there knew enough to speak up and say something. 

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

He would've needed to have been treated like every other staff who was working there. He should've been given proper training on how to care for all children appropriately, as well as give his job expectations and held to the same standard that everyone else was, regardless of his gender. He (and all staff) should be judged on their ability to properly love and care for children and not on their gender.