My Competent Communicator

Competent communication must be effective and appropriate and as such communicators must adjust their behavior to suit particular individuals and situations (O'Hair eta al, 2015) person who demonstrated that for me was my father, Rev. Earl Nobles. He was an educated, highly intelligent (he was a rocket scientist), articulate, and most importantly a Pastor.  All of those attributes didn’t make him a competent communicator, it was the fact that he knew how to treat people and interact with them. He was a great listener and I feel that is one of the most important characteristics of effective communication. His disposition was calm, inviting, and comforting that drew and welcomed anyone who spoke to him. He had a wonderful sense of quirky humor and that along with all of his other attributes are what I have tried to model for years. Why? My dad, in my opinion, was one of the greatest people that walked the face of the earth, not perfect, but a wonderful person, husband, father, friend, confidant, and grandfather, just to name a few and I can only wish to walk in his shadow and hope to catch the rays of the sun that shined so brightly on his life.

Reference

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.Chapter 1, "Communication: Essential Human Behavior" (pp. 3-26)

PROFESSIONAL HOPES AND GOALS

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

I hope that I can make a positive difference in all the lives of the children and families I work with.

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

The goal I would like to set is to stand up to the inequities and injustices I see.

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

Colleagues,

It has once again been a pleasure to collaborate, share, and learn from you.  I look forward to seeing your names in the next course.

Dr. H

This has been one of my favorite and enriching courses thus far. Thank you for your encouragement and support.

WELCOMING FAMILIES AROUND THE WORLD

I have chosen a family from Paraguay and will list 5 ways I will be culturally responsive towards this family and how it will be a benefit not only the family, but the child as well.

• Ways in which I will be culturally responsive towards this family

1.     Learn how much English they know. If very little learn some basic phrases to help them feel more comfortable communicating with me.  I have learned that when I speak, even just to say hello and how are you doing in a family’s native language, they are very appreciative and responsive. 

2.     Find out about the family culture such as the roles of the parents, family structure, who is the primary care taker of the children, socioeconomic status etc. This will enable me to make sure I am inclusive and sensitive with regards to the activities I plan for the children and their families.

3.     Prepare correspondences such as the parent survey to get in depth information about the child and family beliefs and routines in their native language, and let them know it is fine to respond in their native language.

4.    Self reflection and examination is also advisable to make sure any and all biases are eliminated prior to interacting with the family. Also, be cognizant of any microaggressions that may results because of their presence and be prepared to stand up and address them.

5.     Make sure I have books, toys, pictures, posters, etc. that reflect each child’s culture conspicuous in my classroom or work space.

• I hope that these preparations will benefit the family, myself, and the child because I have taken the time to learn about the family, their culture, familiarize myself with some basic language, translate correspondence, and provide an inclusive, culture rich environment. My goal is to empower the family so that they will feel welcome to offer input and so that the child can feel a sense of belonging.  In order for a child to develop and excel academically, socially, and emotionally, they will need positive input from everyone who interacts with them and each other.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppresion

When my son was very young, around the age of 3, we transitioned him to the autistic preschool program at our zoned elementary school. The first thing I noticed was that all the self-contained classrooms were located in the very back corner of the school furthest away from the cafeteria, media center, bus loop and car rider area.

 My initial thoughts were how inconvenient this was for these students and their parents because, like my son, some of them were orthopedically impaired, wore braces, and that was a long walk for them to get anywhere. I felt the reason they were back there was to keep them hidden and separated and this, in my opinion was unfair and definitely diminished equity because the principal was not sensitive about the needs of these children. Therefore, as usual, I went to battle for my son and confronted the principal about my (our) concerns.  He conceded in letting the parents drop their children off at the back of school where the classrooms were located and agreed to consider relocating the classrooms the next school year to accommodate their needs.

I believe not only does the victim need to change and/or speak up about the injustice, but the offender must be willing to be open minded and really willing to listen to the concerns of those they have offended and attempt to put themselves in their shoes to truly understand other’s point of view in order to turn these types of incidents into opportunities for greater equity. Furthermore, in my experience, I have learned one will need to be ready to fight for that equity because often times I had to go to the next level i.e. a person’s boss, or that bosses boss in order to get what I needed. I have truly become the squeaky wheel advocate for my son in order to make sure he is treated equitable, especially within the school system. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

         Unfortunately, as a black woman, I am subjected to microaggressions not only from those of different ethnicities but also gender as well. The most recent significant microaggression I suffered was when I took my son to a neurologist a few weeks ago. My son has been followed by several specialists since birth because of his diagnosis of Autism and CP and moving to a new state, I wanted to establish with one here. As I began to divulge information about his very extensive history of therapists and specialists, I was interrupted by the doctor on several occasions to compliment me on how articulate I was, to which I did not respond. The final interruption came in the form of a question when he asked me if I was a doctor. When I told him I was not, he then asked what exactly I did for a living. I told him that I was currently an at home mom who advocates for her children and again came another compliment that I was so knowledgeable and well versed, which again, I took offense to but did not express what I now can identify as a microinsult. His hidden message in my opinion was that black people are not intelligent and don't speak well. I also felt slighted as a woman and I think simply because he was male, I believe though, he could tell from my tone and facial expression that I was offended, seemed a bit confused as to why since he was showering me with accolades. 

         As I think back on the numerous microaggressions I am subjected to, the most common one is the way I speak.  I've been told so many times, not only from white people but black as well that I don't "sound black." What the hell does that mean?? How are "black" people supposed to sound or talk? I respond by telling them I speak "correctly" and that it's not a racial language, it's plain grammar! I feel it is degrading to my ethnicity and heritage to think I am supposed to Not be able to speak or know how to behave properly. I come from a long line of highly educated well versed people that include doctors, engineers, government officials, lawyers, journalists, musicians, and more. For people to assume a race of people lacks the capacity to aspire to operate on their "level" is microinvalidation in its highest form and unfortunately, this happens more times than not and worse yet, the offenders are totally unaware of their aggressions, which Dr. Sue explains is the most damaging.

         How I wish everyone could see or hear his video but then again, I am sure many will doubt what he is saying applies to them; yet another form of microinvalidation. 

Therefore I continue to exist in the realm of catch 22. 

Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Studying diversity and culture has opened my eyes to the vast number of diverse people here in the US.  As our country is continuing to become more and more diverse, it is imperative that we accept and embrace those from all walks of life. Asking friends and family their definition of culture and diversity gave me some insight as to how we view others.




Friends/Family Definitions of Culture 

• Daughter: Social set of rules set by generations before us. Examples of culture include ethnicity, how people act, and eating habits.
• Friend: Culture to me is the fabric of how a race celebrates who they are, i.e. Spanish people celebrate their Latin culture with Cinco de Mayo, African Americans with Kwanzaa, and Jewish people with Rosh Hashanah.
• Friend: Culture what defines me as a member of a particular group.  I am Jamaican and I therefore do the things Jamaicans would do, not because it’s the thing to do but who I am, my parents, their parents, etc. I am proud of my heritage and hope to continue our family legacy.

Friends/Family Definitions of Diversity

• Daughter: Group with different types of people like racial, shy, outgoing, personality
• Friend: Diversity is how you would describe the various types of people within the US by race, creed, color and sex. 
• Friend: Diversity to me means difference. Race, sex, gender, even economic status in the US is so different/diverse. I like that because it gives us a taste of how the rest of the world is without actually having to travel to all the different places.

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?
Aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the responses I received from friends and family includes ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.  

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?
Those aspects that have been omitted include the diverse population of people who are disabled and/or have special needs. 

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics? 
When I reflect on other people’s definition of culture and diversity, it lets me know that they are topics that many people, it seems, don’t consider very often and maybe, and possibly even something that is taken for granted, which may be the reason why there is so much inequality in this country.

                                          My Family Culture
If a catastrophic event caused my immediate family and me to take refuge in another country as our new home and I was forced to choose only 3 small items to take with me, they would be our family bible, family pictures, and my children’s birth and my marriage certificates.

• How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you
Our bible is the foundation of our family and beliefs.  Our pictures help us to maintain the memories of our lives and how we lived in our country. Last I would bring birth and marriage certificates in case I have to prove my children and husband belong to me.

• Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you?
If I were told I could only bring one item, I would, needless to say, be highly upset because choosing three items was difficult enough.

• Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise?
I feel it is important for people to maintain family values and cultures even when faced with adversity because these are the things that help us to feel a sense of belonging to this world.