This weeks blog relates to the assignment/application for week 4. In this assignment, I had to conduct two surveys on my own as well as get two people to conduct the same surveys. On the first I received a score of 27 and on the second survey I received a score of 60. Both of my testers scored very similar to myself as well as with each other. After looking at things that we differed on opinions of would be feeling disappointed when I spoke publicly, as well as showing others that I dislike them. When I scored myself I felt as if I was always confident before and after public speaking; but after reviewing the feedback from my coworker and husband they informed me that I appear less confident because I am always asking how I did afterwards, as well as consistently asking if my presentation was appropriate beforehand! When I think about it I guess it does seem that I am less confident when speaking publicly! The second issue that differed was showing dislike! I always try to get along with others regardless but its hard sometimes! My coworker and husband informed me that I need to work on my facial expressions/demeanor! When I think about it that's so true! My mouth could be saying one thing but my body language.....which is often very believable.....needs to be in sync!!! I truly enjoyed this assignment and it will definitely help me in my professional and personal life!!

For this weeks blog assignment we are asked if we communicate differently for people that may be on different levels within our daily circle. For me, I must say that I am more comfortable around the people that I deal with on a daily basis! So for them, I may not always use appropriate language, etc. But when it comes to people like those in my area office , who I don't deal with on a daily basis, I find I use language that is more appropriate, my listening skills are better, and my eye contact is better. Not that I don't do these things on a daily level, but I think we are more aware of these things when we are trying to make a impression on someone that we view as important. One thing that I have learned this week is to pay attention to how others communicate. By doing this I can become a better communicator with various people. Number two would be to realize that everyone is not like me, so I can't expect them to communicate as I would! And last, taking the me out of the equation and just focusing on how another person feels in a conversation will get me well on my way to becoming a better communicator! I must say that I learned a lot this week!!

Communication Skills and Styles

For this assignment I used a Lifetime movie called 'The Perfect Boyfriend' instead of a TV show because I don't have anyway of recording one. So basically I cut the TV on mute when the show came on at 2pm, watched it for a while on mute, and then finished the movie out with regular volume. The important characters in the movie appeared to be one adult male and one child male. The female characters were three main characters; one that seemed to be a teenaged daughter and the other two seemed to be the wife and mistress. Without sound it appears that the adult male is having an affair on his wife. He is very affectionate with both females and this is what lead me to my conclusion, because of his body languages with both (hugs, kisses, etc). The young boy seemed to be the child of the husband and wife, even though he seemed to be more affectionate with the mother. As for the teenager, the mother appears to be pretty young , but its apparent that she must be a child of hers considering she lives in the household. The union seemed more loving between the mistress and husband because when he hugs the wife, his eyes seem a bit suspicious! Now when I'm about to turn the volume up......a mysterious man has entered the picture and he's hugging the young boy and the boy is spending the night with him!!! Ughhhhh!! Lol! 😁 Just when I thought I had it all figured out!!
Volume up: Boy was I wrong!!! Totally different scenario with a little sound!!! The two females were a wife and fake girlfriend. The adult male lived with the fake girlfriend because him and the wife were plotting to get millions from her!!  So this is where the suspicious look came from when I thought he was hugging the "wife" who in actuality was the fake girlfriend! The one whom I thought was the mistress was actually the wife!! Confusing, I know! The little was actually not the son of the boyfriend, so this explains why he wasn't as affectionate as the mother. The teenager was actually the live in babysitter who was basically like a member of the family.
Basically, this assignment has taught me that a lot can be gained from body language, facial expressions, which are all forms of nonverbal communication. Sometimes it tells on you, as in the words you speak may not be the same as the language your body is speaking; and during other times, nonverbal language can be misleading. This is why its important to speak up, and voice your opinion through ongoing communication! This assignment was quite fun and has taught me a lot!

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?