Week 5

When thinking about conflict resolution, several work scenarios come to mind. I have a staff of 8 who rarely take me seriously due to my age. I have had to call several meetings where this has been addressed and most of the time things get resolved through communicaton. There really is something to be said for "talking it out".

Week 4 Blog Assignment

The thing that most surprised me this week based on our communication assessments was how I scored myself. I expected the differences in scores from my colleague and friend; however I was surprised to see my hidden communication anxieties come out in my score. I also learned that I am far more verbally aggressive in my mind than I am in person. Meaning, I do not actually say what is on my mind in confrontational situations. I do not know if this is a good or bad thing. I am mostly this way at work. I am most likely fearful of getting in trouble from my supervisor and am always cautious about maintaining a professional persona.

Week 3 Blog Assignment

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?

                Fortunately, I have been raised in a multi-cultural environment. I also fortunately work in a very multi-cultural environment so I do not think that I communicate differently with diverse groups of people. Although after visiting my 90 year old grandmother in Ireland, who is losing her hearing, I suppose I communicate a lot louder with her than I would anyone else.

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.

One strategy I also use is to treat everyone the same when speaking to them. My boss will speak in a nice tone of voice with one employee and the next second she snaps on someone else. This doesn’t make her look too good because of the biases present. Another strategy to help better communication is get to know who you are communicating with if possible. This way you know what could be offensive. Lastly, always follow the platinum rule!

Week 2 Blog Assignment

For this week’s blog assignment, we were asked to watch a television show once with the sound off and again with the sound on. Since I am not an avid television viewer, it was fairly easy to find a show that I do not frequently watch. The show I chose to view is “Keeping up with the Kardashians”. This is a reality tv-show about a large glamorous family in Los Angeles. While watching the show with the televisions volume turned off, this is what I observed:

•What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? Just by watching the family members communicate without any sound, I could definitely tell that the people on the show were family. There seemed to be a sense of closeness as well as some bickering going on.

 •What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing? I observed a lot of tension between some members of the family and lots of non-verbal facial expressions.

This is what I observed with the sound turned on:

 •What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed? I assumed that they were family members who were close and experienced lots of arguments on a regular basis.

 •Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well? I think my assumptions would have been the same. While I do not what this show on a regular basis, I know somewhat about the dynamic.

This was a very interesting assignment that I never would have thought to do on my own. What was particularly interesting is that I grasped what was happening fairly accurately without having the sound on. That just goes to show you how critical non-verbal communication is and how one can be affected by it.

Week 1 Blog Assignment

For this week’s blog assignment, we were asked to think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. I chose to think about the youth who come to my Youth Center. They range in age from 9 to 12 and they have some of the best communication skills I have ever encountered. They are always so honest with me as well as with one another. They are able to solve problems among one another before having to get a staff involved. I feel that as adults we have a tendency to become less honest because of the worry that comes with offending someone or hurting their feelings. It seems that children just want to be honest in communicating with others and this is very refreshing. Sometimes I do wish I could communicate as well as they do.

Week 8 Blog Assignment- Professional Hopes & Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I hope to make a life lasting impression on their lives by making them feel comfortable and wanted. Often times when people come to a new country, they feel shunned or unwanted. It is my hope that I can make them feel welcomed and allow them to see the true possibilities of being in our country. 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field in relation to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to give every child and family the same opportunity. After all, we are one world.

For this last blog assignment, I would like to take the time to thank Dr. Dartt and my fellow colleagues for making this course one of the most enjoyable ones I have taken so far. I have learned so much about myself as well as my peers and for that I am forever thankful. This has been such a great journey and I hope to have future courses with you all! Good luck and best wishes!

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I can distinctly remember when I was ten years old and my family moved to Hawaii. It was definitely a different environment than what I was used to. I had spent my ten year prior in Germany where there are also a variety of cultures, however that acceptance of diversity is far greater. On my first day of school, I was ridiculed by my peers who were considered “locals”. The local kids had many names for my kind and I became known as “whitey”. While I knew what prejudice was, I had never experienced firsthand, and I certainly was never a victim of if before. I can remember feeling so miserable and pretending to be sick so I could stay home from school. I did not have any friends and I was criticized daily because of the color of my skin. Luckily my parents only wanted to stay a year and we moved back to Germany. Although at the time it seemed like an awful experience, I am grateful that I went through it. I see prejudice in such a different light and I have become more appreciative of cultural and ethnic diversity. While my experience was not as awful as what others have gone through, I can understand the importance of equity.