What I learned about me

Well, this week I am writing in three entries because I suffered a great death in my family, the woman I loved more than anyone in the world, My Mother!  And it's been tough getting back to work, so here goes.

For Week 4:

After taking the quizzes to learn about myself as a communicator, I was most surprised to find that my husband's score for me was EXACTLY the same as the score I got for myself in the Verbal Aggressiveness and Listening Style profiles.  I was shocked because he (like most husbands) always says I don't listen enough, and I've been accused on more than one occasion to be a little loose with my words, so I was PLEASANTLY surprised to find that our scores were the same and that I am not imagining to be someone that I am not.

This week, learning about myself gave me a clearer picture of the area that I need to work on more; listening.  I am all about problem solving, so I know I'm guilty of trying to solve everything instead of really listening to people.  I learned that being empathetic begins with being a good listener and it helps build relationships.  I think that's an important part of any relationship, even with a strange.  I also learned that I am programmed to make judgments on appearance alone, and although it stems from past experiences and from media portrayal, I have to keep a close eye on my perceptions and judgments to make sure I'm being fair and equal to others.  Very interesting week.....

Cultural Diversity Communication Strategies

After learning all I have about communication the last few weeks, I have self-reflected and seen the differences in my communication with people from different cultures.  I do believe that I communicate differently, especially with the parents of my students.  I feel that I speak slower and I try to use very proper Spanish.  I know that's from own hang-ups about being corrected for my "Cuban slang Spanish" through the years.  I also find that I give a lot more detail on my Spanish directions to the parents because I feel that they just don't understand my directions most of the time, such as with homework assignments.  This has been from my previous experiences with Spanish-speaking families.

Some strategies that I could use when communicating with them more effectively is to withhold judgment and get a deeper understanding of them, instead of using my past experiences as my impression of ALL Spanish speaking families.  I also need to model things for them instead of giving so much direction so that they have an example to follow (when asking for family-made projects) and lastly create a better expectation of their abilities because I'm sure I could come off as coddling as compared to my English speaking parents who I just explain things to once and have an expectation that they know how to follow directions.

It's hard to be free of bias, especially when previous experiences have shown me to communicate a certain way with different people.  It's something that I am aware of and something that I know I must work on for the rest of my career.  It all begins with educating myself, so I'm ready to put this to practice!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Jeannette

Communications in Mute

"Trophy Wife"

For this week's assignment, I chose to watch the show TROPHY WIFE which I knew nothing about.  First I watched it in mute, paying close attention to the non-verbal communication, then I watched it with the volume on and boy were my assumptions of what was going on way off.....

First of all, I assumed that the husband in the show lived with two wives and that those two wives were good friends.  The truth was that his ex-wife is always hanging around his house and his new wife really doesn't care for her much.  When the volume was on, they were very sarcastic to one another which in mute seems like genuine friendliness.  Very interesting!

Second, there were two other women in the show who had a couple of scenes together and I thought they were lesbians who were fighting, just because of the way they looked at each other and the closeness of their proximity in their interactions.  Well, again, truth is they just met and they weren't very nice to one another because one was a doctor who thought very little of the other, a mere bartender. 

If this had been a show that I normally watch, like Modern Family, I wouldn't have the same assumptions because I know the casts relationship with one another and it would have been easy to figure out what was going on in the episode, even on mute.

So, my biggest A-HA moment of this assignment was how SARCASM looks like genuine friendly interaction when you don't hear what is being said.  I have always hated sarcasm, and now hate it even more.  hahahahaha

Hope you enjoyed this post!  I for one, now picked up another show because Trophy Wife was actually a pretty funny show...(with the sound on!)

Janet

Communication - Blog 1

I consider my principal to have great communication skills.  She is very knowledgeable about early childhood education and helps to make all the teachers.  She always listens to our questions and concerns and validates our feelings.  That, in turn, makes us feel heard.  I would definitely like to be more like her because although she may have a strong opinion about something, she never forces it on us, instead is open-minded and listens to our suggestions.  I think that is a very important part of communication.  It's listening as well as giving your point of view.  It has to be two-sided.

Professional Hopes and Goals

As I conclude this class of Diversity and Culture and Social Equity in Early Childhood Education, I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Johnna Darragh Ernst for all her guidance and support and for asking just the right questions to make me critically think!  I would also like to thank all my colleagues for their comments and probing questions and especially for all the great ideas that were shared throughout this course.  It has been a wonderful learning experience for me.

When I think of working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, my one hope is that I am worthy of giving them all the understanding, respect and welcome that they deserve and that I make a positive difference in their lives.  I want them to feel included and equal in my classroom and for them to walk away with a smile each and everyday because they are an important part of my life.

Lastly, the goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field is to INCREASE the training that educators receive in the areas of culture, diversity, social justice and equity so that teacher are prepared to welcome and respect these families they come in contact with because it is crucial to the development and the self-worth of the children they will teach.  Not only do new upcoming teachers need more training, but those working in the field for years need professional development in these areas.  It should be mandated because it is that important!

Again, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!  GOOD LUCK IN YOUR FUTURE VENTURES....


Jeannette Coloma

Welcoming Families from aroud the World

Imagining that I was in my current job as a preschool teacher and that I was going to have the opportunity to welcome and teach a child of a family from Ethiopia, which I know nothing about, I would do the following things to be culturally responsive to them:

1)  Learn all I could about the cultural beliefs of Ethiopian families, including their traditions, customs, etc.

2)  Try to discover commonalities or experiences that we share or that would be shared by this child and the rest of the class.

3)  Develop and use vocabulary of greetings and common key phrases in their language so they can feel welcome.

4)  Meet with the family with an interpreter so I can find out all I could about the family and the child.

5)  Create lessons that would introduce this new child's heritage and culture to the classroom

I think these preparations would help the child and his/her family feel like I was prepared for their arrival and eager to include him/her into my class.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudic and Oppression

I was stumped when trying to recall a time that I felt discriminated against for being a Hispanic woman, but then it came to me....being a WOMAN has me dealing with bias all the time.  I work in an urban setting where I have to park my car in a very "male loitering" block every day.  I deal with the issue every morning and again every afternoon.  CONSTANT OPPRESSION!!  It's the same group of men, whistling and giving me sexual looks and comments and it's very irritating.  At first, I remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed and I would even question what I was wearing to try to not get their attention, but I quickly realized that it didn't matter and it wasn't me, it was them.  At this point, I almost don't hear them anymore but I always walk quickly.  I wait in my car sometimes to see if they go into a store or something and I never, EVER make eye contact.  In order for this to change into an opportunity for greater equity, they would have to really see how I feel which I don't think is ever going to happen.  They don't have any respect for women and it's absolutely disgusting.  Maybe if I turned around and started crying one day and told them how awful they make me feel in the morning, it would spark something......but no thanks, I won't be engaging in any type of conversation because ultimately I don't think it would get me anywhere.....I'm just going to continue avoiding, even though I know it's the wrong thing to do.