End of Another Class

Farewell for Now

I appreciate every one of my colleagues.  I enjoy all the delightful feedback and input about classroom topics.  I especially appreciate those who challenge me to think and validate something that I have stated.  We are all different with different points of views.  Different concepts and views is what challenges us to even stand stronger with our stance, or see it another way.

Of course our professors play a huge role in our development.  They usually set the tone of the classroom and our discussions.  I always like their mini bios at the beginning of the class; especially when they talk about their family and pets.  It’s always great to read about what someone loves the most.

It always delights me to see some of the familiar names in my new classes that I may have had in my previous classes.  This makes me feel like we are all in this together.  Due to the scope of our studies we cannot forge huge bonds.  However the bond that we do have is of a mutual respect.  I will continue to encourage and support my classroom colleagues as we work towards the next step in our journey.  Here’s to big things happening!

Sherry Middleton

zherry99@yahoo.com

716 812 49040

It's A Wrap...Adjourned

Adjourning

I was a part of this radio blog show.  I absolutely loved it.  We had to come up with our own program.  This consisted of the content of the show.  We had map out when we would go to a commercial and introduce new speakers.  The main host who paid for the radio blog spot ended up relocating and chose to discontinue her show.  It was sad to see her go and our team of personalities go their separate ways.  We celebrated with pizza and snacks and a very “racy” last show.  Our intentions were to keep and touch, but that didn’t happen.  A couple of us are still Facebook friends but we do not really interact.

The adjourning stage to my current master’s program and my colleagues will be bitter sweet.  I will be happy to have completed another mile stone in my life.  However I will not be able to interact with my colleagues.  Due to the nature of our interactions being online there is not a huge personal bond.  We are not in the position to share jokes or be in funny situations with one another.  It is refreshing to see familiar names from course to course but that and our post is all we really have. Although there is a professional bond.  There is also the curiosity about everyone’s future.  I wonder who will achieve their professional goals, how these courses will shape us as educational professionals.  Best of all what will be each our great contribution to the field of early education.

3 R's and Nonviolent Communication

3 R's at there best!!!

I try to make it a common practice to avoid confrontational situations at work.  This is not always possible.  My manager and I seem to constantly bump heads at work.  My co-workers and I all agree when we say he is a great guy but a horrible manager.  One of the things that he lacks is good communication skills.

He sent me an email the other day questioning my activities and productivity for the day.  I vaguely explained to him what I was doing.  I did it in a vague manner because I did not think that I had to list every single activity that I was doing at the moment.  I had never had to answer a question like that in the 8 years that I have been working for the company. 

I thought that that was the end of the correspondence.  I finished up my day and started my weekend.  I found an email waiting for me Monday morning questioning the response that I had given my manager.  I was a little thrown back.  I then answered my manager in more detail and explained to him that I did not think that it was necessary for me to go into great detail in my previous email. 

He then called a short meeting with me.  He told me that he did not mean to come off as if he was questioning me or mean to offend me.  I then told him that is exactly how I felt.  I had originally felt disrespected by the emails. I am happy that he thought he enough of me to even address the matter and not let there be bad blood between us.  Originally I felt that my manager came at me in a confrontational manner and my response was confrontational.  When he communicated to me in a nonviolent manner, it then made me respond in a nonviolent manner.  We both felt accomplished after talking and realizing what the other felt, needed, and wanted. 

Am I a Good Communicator or Not?

Am I a Good Communicator or Not?

I have always considered myself a descent communicator when it comes to work, family, and friends.  I know that I am not the best communicator when it comes to my relationships.  Mainly because I tend to hold things in until I am fed up and there is not much reasoning with me.  In reference to communicating with some of my friends the things that I want to say do not always come out too clear.  I tend to try to “candy coat” certain thoughts that come in my head.  For example when you want to tell your friend that the outfit that she is wearing makes her look fat or it just simply does not flatter her at all.  I want to say it just like I think it.  However not everyone is able to receive criticism in a direct straight forward manner.  In cases like this my message and point is not always received because of the diplomatic manner I try to relay my communication in. 

My boyfriend thinks that I have awful communication skills.  I think one of the main reasons for this is because of our cultural differences.  I also do not think we completely listen to each other.  Which causes the other one to get frustrated.  I guess we can be thankful that we do not have too many situations where it is a huge hindrance on our relationship.  It is something we both recognize and know that we have to work on it.

My family thinks that I am a good communicator.  I think that this is because my immediate family is able to be as blunt as we like with each other.  This way there is no room for any misinterpretation.  This works for us because we do not tend to be too sensitive.  This is just a problem when we are communicating with others.  At least for me it is.

My friends are split.  I think when it comes to my friends; the ones who do not like the things that I have to say are the ones who say that they do not think that I am effective communicator.  However the friends who I mainly seem to agree with or am able to be more direct with say that they think that I am a very effective communicator.

Adapting to different ways to Communicate

Adapting to different ways to Communicate

I think that it is human nature to adapt the way you communicate to fit with different groups and cultures.  A person adapting the way they communicate with different cultures and groups is an effective way to communicate.  A teaching professional would not speak to a child the way they would speak to a child’s parents.

Another good example would be the way many of my company’s marketing and sells department communicates with the associates in the warehouse verses the CFO’s and other executives.  Our sells department wears jeans and have a laid back approach when visiting the warehouses to market a product.  The same sell professionals dress in suits and they take a more formal approach when speaking to the CFO’s and executives. 

The way I speak to my parents differs from the way I speak with my family.  I tend to use more slang and animation when speaking to my friends.  My parents will often get a filtered version of a story verse the story that I will tell my friends.

I will try to apply the platinum rule whenever possible.  I will definitely put great efforts towards putting my shoes in the other person’s shoes.  A person challenging themselves to be learn and understand about different cultures.  This will help them not be guilty of culture myopia.

We are used to adults and children interacting in a certain manner.  In most cases when someone speaks in a manner that is not acceptable it taken in an unpleasant way.

Listen Linda-A little boy tries to convenience his mother to give him a cupcake!

http://pix11.com/2014/03/19/little-boy-who-argued-with-mom-for-cupcakes-gets-major-surprise-from-ellen/#axzz2wkZ7wDy7

How In tuned are you?

How In tuned are you?

The show that I chose to watch was Resurrection.  Based on the characters non-verbal’s the characters in the show seemed happy, sad, concerned, mysterious, and loving.  I would guess that this is a show about a boy who must have ran away or something and finally reunited with his family.  The grandparents seemed very surprised to see the little boy.

When I watch the show with sound I see that I was correct for the most part in regards to the non-verbal.  There are a few things that was present in the story line that I would not have guess just by watching the show without sound and going by their non-verbal’s and gestures.  The boy was killed 32 years ago and all of a sudden showed up on his parents door step who know look old enough to be his grandparents.  You would not be able to tell that most of the people in the story line was related to the boy in some kind of way.  The doctor seemed to be the long lost child’s cousin, and the priest was the child’s childhood friend.  I see that the main concern is how did this boy come back to life, and is it really him?

I chose this show because it is a new show and I thought that it would be hard to have any preconceived notions about it.  My guesses about the non-verbal communication was valid however for the slightly different reasons.  My guess about the emotions being showed was right but the reason based on the story line was not 100%.

If I would have chosen a show like Greys Anatomy I could watch this without the sound and be 90% accurate on what happened in that episode.  This is because I am very familiar with the story line and the characters.   However if someone who was not familiar with the story line would watch Grey's Anatomy without sound would see a variety of emotions being expressed. 

I see that we can be correct when it comes to accessing someone’s mood by their non-verbal’s however it is important not to think you know the whole story.  I think that non-verbal communication will let you know how someone is feeling but not necessarily why.

Model of A Good Communicator!

Model of A Good Communicator

Good communication is key to most successful relationships; rather it be on a professional or personal level.  My senior director is one of the best communicators I know.  He comes straight out and ask you for what he needs.  When you have an issue he listens completely before he responds.  Rodger will take your concern into consideration no matter how small or big your request is.  The key to a good communicator is to give someone your complete attention, good eye contact, encouraging non-verbal gestures, and respect.   

One thing that I can definitely learn from Rodger is to let people finish.  Yes!!!  I can be one of those kind of people.  If someone says something that triggers a thought of my own; I end up interrupting them.  If I am not letting a person finish then I am not giving them a chance to get their whole idea of across.  I am going to strive to let Rodger be more of an influence on me when it comes to effective communication.

Professional Hopes and Goals

Professional Hopes and Goals

My hope and aspirations would be to provide a platform that will give children a good learning foundation no matter their ethnicity, religion, abilities, or non-abilities, or social class.  I will strive for the children who enter any program that I am associated with to see each other as the same.  I do think that it is important to make parents well aware of my program and its goals.  I would hope that this will get more parents on board to supporting my efforts and I will not have as much push back.

I would hope that all early childhood programs abide by the same teachings when it comes to diversity, equity, and social justice.  If we truly want to create a country without social biases we need to all be on the same page.  I do think that childhood professionals should take workshops and confidential assessments to make sure that they aware of their own biases.  Teachers are human too and sometimes need a reminder of their mission and goals.

I would love to thank all of my colleagues for being so engaging and willing to share their very personal stories and experiences.  I do think that we all have had a chance to grow and better ourselves for our present and future journey!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Our newest student and his/her family to our early childhood care center, is from a city in Bogotá which is in Colombia.  Columbia is among one of the top ten Spanish speaking countries in the world.  It’s important that the teacher and administration is on the same page as well.  The administration should be in charge of finding out as much as they can about the students past educational background.  The administration should set out a specific plan on how to welcome the family into our educational community.  A sit down meeting will happen explaining all the formalities. 

In efforts of preparing to welcome my new student and her family I would do as much research as I can about Bogota.  I will hope that my research will educate me on some of their popular customs and beliefs.  I will be sure to feel out my new student and not just believe everything that I read on line.  The information that I gain online may not always be accurate so I would have to keep that in mind while conducting my research. 

I will get my students excited and have them help prepare a warm welcome for our new student as well.  Each of my students will be responsible for finding out one thing about Bogota.  We will then prepare the classroom with pictures and anything else that could remind our new student of home.  My thinking behind this is to get the students involved and excited.  I will also explain to my students in the class that our new student may not speak fluent English so we will have to be very patient.  In efforts to bridge the possible language barrier I will make sure I have tools that will help me translate from Spanish to English and vice versa.  I will rely on what little bit of Spanish that I know and try to brush up on the most used phrases.

When the students arrives I will set up a forum where the student will introduce themselves.  I will be sure to set up a time to meet with the parents prior to their child’s first day, in additional to the end of their child’s first day or sometime during the child’s first week.  I think that this will help me get a better since of the family and their educational commitment as well as setting up a habit of being involved.

The transition of a new student from a different country can be challenging.  I would like to think that the efforts that I mentioned above would not go unnoticed where the family is involved.  I think that the family will seem touched by any efforts to make them feel welcomed.  I would l hope that this is the beginning relationship that consist of open communication for the well-being of the child.

The student and their family is all of a sudden in a world that is foreign to them.  People will often speak different, there will be different foods, music, customs, rules, etc…  However if the administration, teachers, and parents put in their best efforts the transition can be stress free and actually fun and exciting for the child. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

One of my friends who is Arab experiences prejudice on a consistent basis.  Whenever I go back Buffalo New York to visit I make it a point to stop by and see my friends.  The couple that I go visit consist of a Haitian woman and an Arab man.  There are many occasions where we would want to go to Canada to hang out and we choose not to.  Canada is only 20 minutes from Buffalo so it is always a nice little trip.  We already know that if we go with Murad "who is an Arabian man" that there is a good chance we will get stopped at the border.  The employees at the border control seem to target Arabs especially those that noticeably practice the Muslim religion and African Americans. 

It seems weird to see an ethnicity that is targeted more than more own.  When the custom officers stop you at the border they will then take your car and luggage to search it.  While they conduct their search other officers will ask you a series of questions.  This process will go on over and over again and for hours.  There are cases where they will even search you.  In a sense they are saying all Arabs are terrorist and all African Americans are trying to smuggle drugs into the United States.  It is one thing when the custom officers search your car but it is even more demeaning when they choose to search you.  It is a terrible feeling when you know that you have done nothing wrong, and you just went over the border to have some fun.  Now on your trip back you are put in the situation where you feel like you have no rights and you are at the mercy of someone else to either make this process an easy and fast one or a difficult and long one.

I do understand that unfortunately officials in positions like the custom border patrol has to take “profiles” into consideration.  However I do not think they have to go to the extent that they do in all cases.  You should not automatically be pulled over because of your ethnicity.  There should be other factors that one should consider.  I think that border control personal should go through more intense ethics training.  There should be programs and training the officers should attend every so often.  I think after a while the custom border patrol begin to get lazy and start prejudging and act more on their prejudices more than really having a good reason to pull someone over.

Microagressions and Their Impact

Microagressions and Their Impact

Microaggressions have the ability to be the most harmful.  I am sure we have all been in situations that resulted in someone taking an undeliberate “jab” towards our gender, race, culture, or ethnicity.  Some of the ladies at work were talking about hair extensions, and hair weave.  The group of ladies consisted of two Caucasian women and myself.  During the conversation one of my coworkers turns to me and ask “why do you guys wear so much hair weave, and have such crazy hairstyles?”  The question caught me completely off guard considering that I have never worn weave before in my life.  However because I am African American I would just automatically know.  To me they were saying that all black women wear hair weaves.  In addition because I am Black I should know the answer to their question.  They are leaving out the fact that many races wear hair weaves these days.  I felt very alienated, confused, insulted, and shocked.

This week’s assignments has made me realize how a comment can really make someone feel inferior or signaled out.  The assignments have made me want to be very aware of any microagressions that I may have been guilty of in the past.  I am a part of a marginalized group and learning about and how to be more aware of microagressions has made me more sensitive and empathetic to other marginalized group.  Learning about microagressions is very import to the field of early childhood education.  As educational professionals we have to be very careful not to use microagressions towards our students.  Our job is to make each child feel like they belong, they are relevant, and sense of security.   

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Oleksiy Lavanstivitch is a white immigrant who is originally from the Ukraine, he speaks Russian, and moved to Canada in his teenage years:  Oleksiy defines culture as different foods, languages, customs, and beliefs. 

Oleksiy’s definition of diversity “is how people are different from you.”  Oleksiy says that “he would base diversity more on race.” 

Erica James is African American and was born and raised in Brooklyn NY.  Erica went to high school at Brooklyn Tech.  Erica said that her school was mostly filled with Asians.  Erica says, “Culture to her is religion, beliefs, food, customs, and ancestry.” 

Erica says that, “diversity is race related to her, people’s skill levels, the way they dress, talk, interact with each other all falls under diversity to her.”

Ebi Lee is an African immigrant from Nigeria.  Ebi moved to the United States in her early 20’s.  Ebi says, “Culture to her is language, foods, and clothing.”

Ebi says, “That diversity to her is how everyone is different even when it comes to people from the same place.”  For example in Nigeria they have people who are from different tribes and they speak different languages, and have many different family customs.

Oleksiy, Ebi, and Erica mentioned many of the examples and answers that were addressed in the resources from this week’s assignment.  I like that Erica brought up ancestry.  A lot of the customs, music, food, clothes, and traditions get passed down from our ancestors.  Ancestry makes me think of artifacts, pictures, and family treasures that are passed down through generation to generation.

My Family Culture

My Family Culture"3 Things"

  

We get so use to our life as we know it.  If I had to face a major catastrophe and could only bring three items to my new world, it would be; a picture album, iPad, and credit cards.  I would have the photo album as a memory of my friends and immediate family during happier times.  I believe that this is what would keep my spirits up.  These memories would give me the strength to know that we will see happy times again.  A photo album would be a great reminder of the life as I knew it.  It would be a great way to tell my story to others too!

My phone or iPad would be a helpful tool to have.  These little tools hold so much information.  I would have access to the internet.  I could use my iPad/phone to job search, keep up with current affairs, and it would be a great resource gate to my old life.  I would also have access to all my contacts in hopes of reconnecting with some people one day.  I would bring a credit card.  I would try to immediately pull all cash off my card.  I am sure money will make being in a foreign land a lot easier.

I would keep my iPad if I was told that I could only keep one item.  My iPad would be my greatest resource to the life that I would be leaving behind, and the new way that I would be beginning.  My iPad would still have pictures, contacts, banking information, means to getting a new job and finding a place to stay.

I realized that I love memories.  I like to reflect on where I have been, where I am at in that moment, and where I strive to be.  Considering that I would choose my iPad is a great reflection on my world’s reality.  I do think that there is a lack family culture when it comes to my family.  My family’s culture aligns with the United States dominant culture.  Our ancestry goes back to times of slavery.  In those days your last name, customs, and beliefs were those of your masters; which in today’s society would be considered the dominant culture.  My ascribed categories are the best display of my diversity.