Competent Communication

Competent Communication

There are a lot of people that I engage with on a daily basis that I have look up to for effective communication techniques, but the two that stand out to me the most are my mom and my dad. When communicating, my mom gets her point across and means what she says. She does not let anything back her down and she will fight to the end for her cause. She is also constantly asking questions to assure that everything aligns with what you said and how you said it. This is why I want to model the behaviors of my mom because she says what she has to say with meaning and pride. She also lets nothing detour her from her believes and what is right. My dad on the other hand is humble and willing to listen. Sometimes, he do not even put up a fight for some causes and just let bygones be bygones. I want this same mentality to a certain extent. I want to remain humble during communication while still getting my point across. When you are humble people are more open to respecting you and listening to what you say. This is why I would love to have a mixture of both mother and father. 

Professional Hopes and Goals

Professional Hopes and Goals

MY HOPES

The most important hope that I have for working with children and families are that I am able to make a difference in their lives. When a student of a different culture enters my classroom, I want them to leave knowing that I cared about them and I respected them as a student as well as their diversity. When you show children who are diverse that you care and you are willing to learn about their culture and home life, it allows them to open up more and build their confidence. Many Americans do not approve of diversity, but as educators it is our duty to put children and families first and show them how important they are and that they are able to accomplish all things just as any other American.

My Goal

The one goal that I have as an ECE professional is that I make all who are victims of diversity to feel that they can trust me, and also see me as a confidant. I have reached this goal to a certain extent with my current parents. As previously stated, there are two Hispanics children in my class, one of the families has a child who has many special needs so the mother is not able to participate in many activities with school. As an educator, I make sure that keep myself in the loop with this family because it is my duty to make sure their child receives her education and also that they too receive the support that they need. Not only does this goes for the Hispanics, but for all other diversity that is in my class as well. It is my goal to show that parents that I am here for both you and your child, and the ultimate goal is that they receive the best foundation possible.

My Thanks

This term has been an eye-opener for me because it made me examine who I am as a person as well as my own discrepancies towards diversity. I would like to thank my fellow colleagues for all the encouragements, praises, and opinions that I have been on my blogs as well as my discussions. They have all been enlightenments and beneficial to my profession. Once again, thank you!!!!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Morocco Flag

Country of Origin

While working in the Child Development Center, a new student joined our four year old class. The student who has just arrived in my class is from the country of Morocco which is located in Africa. 

5 Ways to be Culturally Responsive

1. The first way I will be culturally responsive is to learn all I can about the country, especially the culture so I can know what to do and what not to do.

     2. Along with the American culture, I will also expose the students to the culture of                     Morocco so that the student will not feel excluded.

     3. I will incorporate the Moroccan culture into learning areas around the classroom such             as reading, dramatic play, and science.

     4. I will have a show-n-tell day where each child can share something about their culture           and heritage, this way the student can explain to us more about where she is from. 

     5. Finally, I will have a Moroccan day so that we all can explore the culture of Morocco

I hope these preparations make a impact on the family in many ways so that they know we care for their family and that we are not here to judge or criticize. I also want the family to feel safe and secure knowing that their child is in good care, and we all want to learn and grow with them, and this will be done by exploring the culture. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The most prominent memory of me witnessing bias and prejudice is in the movies and shows that depict slavery and any other injustice done to African-Americans. Most times as I watch how the slaves and African-Americans were treated in the 1800's and early 1900's it brings tears to my eyes, because it makes you think , what could they have done so wrong to deserve the hate they were given. It was the same for Jesus, he was beaten, spit on, and everything else and he had done nothing wrong. The same goes for Blacks, even the dogs got treated better then they did and all because of the color of their skin. 

When the dominant culture used and abused Blacks it diminished equity in a major way because we were not allowed to do what they do. For example, Blacks had a school and Whites had a school. Whites had a water fountain, Blacks had a water fountain. Their biases caused for segregation in the United States, and it now seems as though they are trying to bring it back. 

When I see how my people were treated, and are still being treated it makes me sad and at the same time angry because they had no choice but to sit their and endure. Watching movies such as Roots and Rosa Parks brings brings both sadness and joy to my spirits because it shows that although things started off rocky, they always end up smooth and in your favor. 

In order for segregation to come to an end, the dominant culture would have to make a change within themselves so that they are willing to try and understand everyone's differences and biases. 

Awareness of Microaggressions

Awareness of Microaggressions

A microaggression that I witnessed was the statement that Trump made a few months ago regarding the football players and the national anthem. The statement that he made was "when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!" This was a form of microaggression because he indirectly speaks of African-Americans. The NFL is 80% black so of course everyone knows that he is speaking of the Blacks. The context in which the microaggression occurred was during a rally in Alabama where he was in front of a crowd of older white republicans, who are also conservatives. This of course excited them because they too felt the same way. When I heard what Trump said about the football players, and their kneeling during the anthem, it made me angry because the "President" who suppose to be for all Americans, only cater and focuses to one certain population, and of course it is not the minorities. The comments was very disrespectful and outline and it only revealed his true colors even more.

The effects of discrimination lead to people becoming very angry and taking matters into their own hands. When people are effected by discrimination and other stereotypes it causes for them to rebel even more than they already were. This was witnessed during Trump's statement of regarding football players and the national anthem. What the nation failed to realize is that African-Americans are not standing and respecting the flag because the flag never respected us. For two or three years you could not turn on the TV without hearing about White cops shooting down Blacks, and there reasoning behind the matter was "because they feared for their lives!" So once I observed how others felt due to the effects of discrimination and stereotypes, I believe that they have every right to feel they way they do. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The three colleagues/friends that I talked to about culture and diversity all had the same opinionated definition. To sum it up, they stated that to them culture is the way that people behave according to the rules of their heritage. When it came to diversity they all had slightly different opinions. One stated that diversity means to them that a person is different according to race, religion, language, etc. She also mentioned that because of diversity, we are able to recognize other cultures and learn more about them. Another colleague said that diversity to her is standing out from the crowd and letting your differences be known. She says that she loves the diversity in her class room because it makes her aware of the cultures of her students and how things are done in their homeland. 

Based upon what I have studied so far, the only thing that I can relate to with my colleagues are that culture is a set of rules that govern what we do and how we behave. The video says that culture is like an iceberg, and only the tip shows this includes books, music, clothes. The other 90% that is beneath is what is really important this includes ideas such as those related to children. This is what the colleagues failed to realize, that culture is more than just an outer appearance. 

Seeing the way my colleagues view culture and diversity gives me insight that we have not yet arrived into fully understanding culture and we have a long way to go.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

My Family Culture

My Family Culture 

The images above are snippets of my family culture. 

    If I were told that I had to permanently leave my home country the three items that I will bring with me to cherish my family culture would be family portraits to cherish the memories, our family pet because in our American culture, pets are treated as people and we love them as we would our own kids. Lastly I would bring my family recipes so that I am able to keep the traditions alive as if I were home. 

    I would explain to others what the traditions mean to me by inviting them over to get to know my culture and also to give them experience through food, and singing. I would also show them through pictures how my family does things in our culture.

    If I were told that I am able to keep only one of my three items I would choose to keep my pictures. Once lost they can never be replaces, especially those that hold values and traditions. All other can be replaced, but not pictures, especially those that are near and dear to your heart. 

   The insight that I have learned is to be respectful of others and their differences. Put yourself out there to want to learn about others family culture so that you can understand and learn from it. Because this is what will help you when working with those families. 

pics are from google.com/blackfamilyculture