Competent Communicator

 

            I believe that “attitude reflects leadership”. I also believe that good communication is the greatest asset that any organization, team, or group can have. The person that I believe demonstrates a competency in communicating would be the director at the early learning institution for which I service. I have been under his leadership for 4 years and the characteristic that I admire most about him is his consistency in behaviors. I have yet to witness him enter the center without speaking to each and every one of the employees, parents, and students. He exhibits great interpersonal skills that are effective when dealing with various situations. He honors the “open door” policy which makes it easy for anyone to come into his office to express concerns, offer suggestions, or just to listen to the gospel music that he plays each day. He maintains a mutual respect for management, staff members, and families that make our organization operate efficiently. His behavior, interactions, and attitude is always positive, even when it is dealing with disciplinary actions.

            I model my own communication behaviors after his because of his actions are no different than his words. He does expect his employees to do something that he would not do. He serves as a role model by setting standards and expectations that are verbal, written, and performed. I am truly impressed by his ability to maintain his professionalism in any given situation. I have never witnessed him allowing his personal emotions or opinions cloud his professional judgment and what’s best for our organization. I hope to be as great of a leader and competent and effective communicator as he is through both his verbal and non-verbal mannerisms.

Professional Hopes and Goals

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, one hope that I have is to create a learning environment that innovates children and families to become unique individuals beyond the differences of their physical characteristics by creating a respect, awareness,  and attitude that enhances responsiveness, positive self-esteem, and anti-bias social identities.  I believe that it is essential that we impart in the minds and attitudes of children and families with the ability and capacity to embrace our similarities and differences as a part of our natural beings before there is the opportunity to experience the micro aggressions that plague their minds, emotions, and outcomes.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that we continue to maintain a proactive approach that dispels these issues/trends in the early learning environment.

I would like to thank my colleagues and instructor for their thoughts, expertise and experiences that has provided me with enlightenment and insight as we continue our professional and educational journey through the field of early childhood care and education and Walden U. Thank you.

Welcoming Famillies from Around the World

The new family coming to my social service agency is from Nepal. The family consists of a mother, father, their three children and the mother’s mother. In order to prepare myself and my organization for their welcoming, there are several cultural responsive attitudes that I will incorporate to make their emigration a smooth transitions.

 

(1). Foster more understanding of the family and how they operate, feel, and the ways in which they live their life.

 

(2). Build collaborative relationships with other agencies and institutions that serve emigrant families and their communities.

 

(3). Effectively communicate culturally sensitive choices and their consequences and be aware of many possibilities and respond appropriately.

 

(4). Establish personalized contact with individuals and their families by developing and utilizing vocabulary of greetings and key phrases in the families’ primary language and cultivating caring, engaging relationships with the family. I will also make the environment friendly to their native country through resources, décor, and materials.

 

(5). Educate my staff as well as the other families and individuals that will communicate, interact, and engage with my new family from Nepal.

I hope that these preparations will benefit the families is ways that foster and nurture cultural responsiveness, provides a comfortable transition, and serves as a resource in become self-sufficient.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The first incidence that I experienced with able-ism was when I got my first job working at McDonalds. I was 17 years old and I worked the front cash register.  One day a young man approached the front counter to place an order.  But he stood there at the counter and didn’t say anything. So in an aggravated manner, I asked him how I could help him. So he took a napkin and wrote on it, “I’m deaf”. I was speechless. I immediately changed my tone and attitude with him, which I shouldn’t have had in the first place. Until this very day I cannot begin to explain the disappointment that I felt within myself. I felt horrible after I read what he had written on that napkin. There were so many question flowing through my mind, but one important one was “how did he feel?” Looking at him I was unable to tell that he had a challenge with hearing. This is the very reason why we should not judge individuals because of their outer appearance. 

This specific bias diminishes equity by lessening the opportunities for individuals of able-ism to receive non-bias services. It was unfair for me to be inconsiderate of him taking his time to place his order. I felt compelled to apologize to him although that wasn’t enough.  My customer service that day was horrible and I probably should have been fired.  I believe that attitude determines your aptitude. Greater equity for equity would have been provided if I would have had patient without assumptions.  From that day forward, I tried to display the best possible customer service that I could. I kept a positive attitude and patience allowing the customer to take their time because I never wanted to experience that incident again.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

The whole nation is aware of what happened to Trayvon Martin. Regardless of the verdict, I believe that it is well agreed upon that there were micoaggressions present in that situation. There were several stereotypes recognized by George Zimmerman that resulted in the fatality of this young man. Trayvon was stereotyped by his appearance, race, and clothing. While this is still a very sensitive subject for some, I will move forward in my context of micro aggression. I must admit that I feel a certain type of way. Reflecting on my own personal life, I have a nine year old son maturing in this day and age. As research suggests, by the time a black male reaches the 4^th grade, there is already a jail cell waiting for him. Luckily, my son was promoted from the 3^rd to the 5^th grade! But this is not to say that he does not fall under this jurisdiction. I remember hearing as a child that being born black and male is already two strikes against you. This is a major micro aggression for African American males. This predetermined prediction lessens the likelihood of them becoming successful adults considering the ‘odds’ that are already against them. I refuse to raise my son with a sense of hopelessness. He will not be a statistic in a society that utilizes micro aggressions as the norm.

 I remember when President Barak Obama ran for his first term for candidacy. There was much controversy concerning his ethnicity rather than his abilities and capacity to run this country. In my opinion, it is unfortunate that as one nation we still are unable to grow beyond the lines of micro aggressions.

My perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes of people has made me cautious and conscious of the society that we live in. While we have come a long way from the isms that once ran our nation, we still have a long way to go.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture... Interviewing others

My first interview was held with the Director of Education at the local early learning facility. Mrs. Hobart’s says that “culture is the way we do things around here. Families have culture, schools, and organizations have culture and also communities. Diversity means differences. When we have diversity we have people who come to a situation with lots of different perspectives and experiences.”

Mrs. Lango is a current teacher at ELLRC. Mrs. Lango’s definition of diversity is to embrace any and all things that are similar and different from how she was raised, her beliefs and what she currently knows. She believes that diversity is observed in every facet of our lives. The society that we live in is extremely diverse and we must learn to coexist within our society that is a mixing bowl called acceptance. She states “culture is how you were raised and often times people cannot distinguish between what culture is and what is race and the two should not be confused. Your culture is developed through norms and tradition and should not be characterized by your ethnicity.”

Taurean is an uprising 7^th grader attending middle school in his community. Taurean’s definition of culture is seeing the different kinds of kids and teachers that go to his school. He says that some are from different cultures like Chinese, African American, and Caucasian. His definition of diversity includes the children that have challenges.

In reflection, completing this assignment was interesting. I wanted to interview individuals that may have had different perspectives and definitions of culture and diversity. Rather than choose from specific characteristics I randomly selected individuals that were in various occupations but keeping one thing in common and that is their exposure, impact and interactions with diversity and culture. Their aspects of culture relating to norms, traditions, and rearing styles were similar in being the foundation of their existence and way of living.

Omissions such as differences in age, gender, and class were omitted. I believe that this was due mostly impart to each of their position of interconnectedness with these differences and also having an awareness and respect for these aspects. The realm of culture and diversity are multifaceted and unconsciously recognizing the similarities between their cultures and others.

Thinking about other peoples’ definition of culture and definition has expanded my thoughts regarding this topic. Although certain characteristics make us uniquely different, there are several aspects that make us similar. We all have specific inheritances from our ancestors that cultivate our behaviors and beliefs which we pass down from generation to generation. These traits are ingrained in our genetic DNA and code our mental models and responses to the world.

My Family Culture

My Family Culture

 

Religion is critical to my cultural existence. We revere the Holy Bible as a sacred and priceless symbol of our belief and sacrifice to a higher deity. Worship, prayer, praise are a part of our daily practice. We have a family church that my uncle founded in 1995. We have relied on our faith and belief to guide us through trials and tribulations and also as an important attribute in how we raise the children in our family.

Fellowship is in my culture is essential. There is nothing that my family loves more than to get together and eat. My aunt cooks for our entire family every Sunday after church. We meet at my grandmother’s house, where five generations were raised, and enjoy delicious cooking, conversations, games, and music.

This chest that my great great grandparents had crafted for our family. Inside of the chest are many items that my family has kept from generation after generation. My great great grandmother knitted a quilted for her first born child. And since then my great grandparents, grandparents, and mother have added items to this chest. I myself have added a treasure box from my son to this chest. Inside of my memory box includes his first haircut, walking shoes, first tooth, umbilical cord and hospital band, and his first picture. The items in this chest have great sentimental value.

If I had to explain to others what each of these items means to me, I think I would want them to receive the full experience by joining me for church on Sunday, then to Sunday dinner. After Sunday dinner we would take a look through the chest as I explain the significance of each item inside of it.

Reflecting over these items has given me a deeper since of culture intimacy and value.  If I could only take one item, and leave the other two behind, I would take the Holy Bible. Nothing in this world holds more authority or influence on my life than my spirituality. I have relied on my beliefs in religion to guide me through various occurrences. My new insights of my family are that we are strong and united. My family has served as my support system during the differing situations in my life and has shaped me into the individual, mother, and educator that I am today due to the nature of our family culture.