Model Communicators

I fortunately have several people who I can refer to as model communicators, but the first person that comes to mind would be my supervisor of the Head Start center where I am employed here in Georgia! When having meetings she is always sure to make eye contact, her voice is always pleasant not aggressive, and she gives everyone a chance to voice their opinions. If parents or staff members at any given time are irate or unreasonable, she always has what it takes to calm the situation down! She is very respectful of what everyone says, even if our thoughts are different than hers! She stands up for her staff when it comes to higher authority..... If the situation grants being stood up for.... and she does so in a very appropriate manner. Because of these things, she is definitely one that I would look up to as a great communicator or as a communication model.

Hopes in ECE and Diversity

Hopes for the future when working with kids who may be from diverse areas of the world would be for them to feel as welcome as possible. I hope that the atmosphere would be one that's inviting. I pray that all families and children will feel welcomed when entering my classroom. I hope that the activities that I present for my children will be ones that supports and promotes differences in cultures. I hope that I will forever teach children to embrace differences instead of mocking or being intimidated by those differences.
The hope that I have for ECE is that we not forget how important it is To our families or children we serve. I must admit that I had not had a class that went this deep into diversity issues as this class. I think ECE programs in colleges should include a diversity class as in depth as this one!
Finally, I would like to give thanks to all of my colleagues who have supported me along the way in the form of commenting, reading, or just enjoying my blog! Good luck to you all!!

Welcoming Families from Around the World

The country that I have chosen is China. The educational setting that I have chosen is an early childhood classroom setting. The five ways that I would ensure cultural responsiveness for the Chinese family would include;
* Reshaping the curriculum so that it is culturally responsive to the child's background. I would do this by including things that I have learned within the curriculum.
*Build a bridge of connection between home and school. If I know ahead of time that interpretation is needed, I should seek ahead of time to find it.
*Include multicultural cultural information in all areas of development.
*Allow the child and family to share some control within the school environment. For example, parents could volunteer at the school and show myself and the class some Chinese traditions that relates to various areas of development with young children.
*When celebrating various things within the classroom, be sure to include various Chinese themes, holidays, traditions, etc.
These are all things that I would do to ensure a successful transition into my classroom. I feel that constant research as well as a close connection with the child and family will help make the transition here in America even smoother.

The Personal Side of Bias

Thankfully, I have never been subjected to any type of personal bias but I have witnessed plenty of episodes from those close to me as well as on the Internet and television.  The experience that I am choosing to focus on will be that of a friend/family member. She was my best friend before I married into her family, so now we're like sisters! In high school, I was the first of many to find out that she was gay. I actually found out by mistake. She, I, and a few of our other closest friends would often share lockers in high school. We both had a notebook that was similar and I accidentally picked up her notebook instead of my own. I realized this once I opened it up and noticed a letter written to a female detailing how she was in love with her. It was a total shock but I was determined to be there for my friend regardless! When people at school found out they treated her SO BAD! Calling her all types of cruel names, etc. Her family wasn't very accepting at first either.  Her mother threw her out of the house and she had to live with her grandmother until her mother realized she had made a huge mistake. Even today,  she still gets a few whispers, stares, and negative comments but our community has grown to love her for who she truly is.....not who she chooses to love!
The fact that she is gay has truly affected her equity. People definitely look at and treat her differently in some situations. For example. She and her girlfriend started to attend my church. A few others who attend my church are gay as well. Not soon after, other people from other churches were saying that our preacher was starting to cater to gay people because we had church full of them. I feel this was sad because we come to church to praise the Lord and not too be judged. Equity is treating others fairly and equally. I feel that others trying to speak negatively of those trying to serve God is definitely not fair or equal. How fair is it too be judged in the house of the Lord?

Microaggression

One example of micro aggression that happened to me back in August was actually from a former parent of mines. Her child (a little boy) was a 3 year old in my Head Start class during last school term. He was a very sweet child but he was never really present at school, of course through no fault of his own! Over the summer I saw the child, his sister, and mother at our local grocery store. I a asked the mom if he was returning for a second year as well as asking her if her little girl would be attending. The mother proceeded to tell me that she had registered her daughter and that her son would be returning as well. She then went on to say that she was contemplating on putting her new four year old son in another program because she "heard" they learn more there than at Head Start😒😳!!! Really!!!! I really felt 'some type of way'! That's an insult to my face and she didn't even realize it?! In that moment I felt disrespected as her child's former teacher, I felt disrespect for the Head Start program as well! I don't think any malice was intended but I certainly felt not so good about her statement! Did she forget that her child rarely came to school??? How would he learn anything considering the fact he was never present! I work hard to ensure that my kids environment is one where learning is ongoing! I work hard on my education to ensure that my children are given the best chance at a successful future! So this was a blow to my efforts! But of course, I will never let that deter my determination in educating young children!! This has definitely taught me to watch what I say to others because words can definitely STING!!! By the way......her little girl is in my class this year😲😱!!! Lol! But I love, support, and teach this child just as I would any other child!!😻😻
This experience made me become more aware of the prejudices that exists when it comes to early childhood programs.....especially Head Start! We are viewed as babysitters instead of professionals who aide in the growth and development of young children! Remaining advocates for our field and kids,will hopefully help us overcome this "stigma" that we currently face!

Views of Culture and Diversity from Others

For this assignment I was required to interview three people from various backgrounds, etc. The three people that I chose were all African Americans but from different generations and backgrounds. The first was my husband who is in his 30's, and of course he's a male. The second person was a woman in her 50's, and the second was a young woman in her 20's. Their responses to culture and diversity (the meanings) are all located below;
My Husband: Culture- people and their race.

Diversity- differences among people; that at times can cause arguments and disagreements.

Female in Her Fifties: 

Culture is the environment that a person live in and diversity is a mix and understanding and respect for one another.

Female in Her Twenties: 

Culture is different characteristics    formed to suit what type of environment and society you are around and diversity is different personality formed to set you or an environment apart.

I feel that all individuals had a good take on what culture and diversity is. Since an environment can consist of various differences, I feel that this can include sexual preferences, race, political stance, socioeconomic placement such as middle class, poor, etc. So since two people used the word 'environmental differences' I think that word goes a long way and I feel that it correlates with what we have been studying so far in this class. 

One part that I think is something to really think about is my husbands definition of diversity. If you think of what was stated in our video for the week, his statement is similar to that of the professional talking in the video. She stated that diversity is like an iceberg. At the tip we have all the fun stuff such as restaurants, food, clothing, music, etc. that is represented by that culture. But in the middle we have confusion, and the arguments that my husband spoke of because of differences of opinions, etc. I thought his partake on the word was quite interesting! I feel that I learned something from all three responses, as well as all responses being similar to at least a portion of what we are learning in this class; mainly a portion because as we all have learned, culture and diversity goes so much more than the 'tip of the iceberg'!!!

My Family Culture

When thinking about being "thrown" into a country in a rash decision making process, I would definitely be absolutely TERRIFIED!!!! All I can think about are the poor families from Syria who are refugees trying to get into better countries! They are desperate people fighting, as well as losing their lives (images of the poor 7 year old dead on the beach enters my mind here😢😣) for a chance at a better and safer chance of living in a new surrounding! But that's only part of the struggle....making it over that is! Once they enter a new country they must learn the language that is prevalent in that country, become citizens, adapt to their new surroundings, adjust to not being around their entire family, and the list goes on and on! These are things that I must think about as an preschool teacher of these families! I must recognize and respect their journey, just as I would want others to respect mines!!! The three objects that I would take along if this situation presented itself would be the following;
Copies of my Degrees and Transcripts- hopefully education is in full swing in the country that I am chosen to reside in. Maybe my degrees can help my family and I have a better start since we are brand new in the country and completely starting over.
Cell Phone- This seems minute, but in my eyes it helps me stay connected to family members and friends that I had to leave behind; especially since almost all carriers have international capabilities. My cell phone has plenty of family pictures as well as internet capabilities. So here's another way I can stay connected (Facebook) as well as have treasured family photos.
Vital Family Records- Birth Certificates, etc. Identification process may be easier with these records.

These are the three things I would take; but hopefully I'll never be put in that predicament! This assignment has truly made have even more respect for those who have gone through this scenario!