Team Buidling and Collaboration, Part 1

As I think of the adjourning phase of groups, I think of leaving my last employer.  I have been apart of several groups that had an adjourning phase. The adjourning phase of each group provided closure and encouragement to move on.  I left my previous employer in August of 2015.  As with most jobs, I provided a 2 week notice because that's the norm with most employers. This employer was hard to leave because of the friendships I had developed  over 2 years.  I had also developed relationships with a lot of the customer's that I came in contact with. On my last day, I was given a going away party.  My co-workers all brought food and one of the ladies that loved to cook made a cake.  I really appreciated the going away party because they didn't have to do that.  This showed me that they really cared about me and they want to see me do well.

I feel like adjourning with colleagues in the masters program will be hard to do. I haven't met any of my classmates personally, but I feel like we have a bond just from the experiences we shared. We all share some common goals which makes us understand each other more.  I am looking forward to the adjourning phase because this means I will be one step closer to achieving my goals. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it brings everyone together to reflect on the goal and vision. It's also an opportunity to provide encouragement and to reflect on failures and accomplishments.

Conflict Resolution

I haven't experienced any conflicts of disagreements at my current job.  I try really hard not to get into conflict situations or disagreements with other people especially in the workplace.  I have always been the person that tried hard to avoid conflict.  I normally try to make people happy or try to find the positive in a negative situation and focus on that.  However, I can think back to August of last year when I was having a number of issues with my schedule at an agency I used to work for.  My supervisor and district manager both seemed to want or need different things when it came to my availability.  I am was only a part time worker, and they wanted me to be flexible like the full time staff.  I had a meeting and expressed my concern to see if they could work out a modified schedule that would help with child care issues.  At the first meeting my supervisor was not receptive to changing my schedule.  She stated that my schedule has to be based on the needs of the business.  I understood her concern, but I told her she must have forgotten that she had young children once.   We continuously came to one wall after another each time she tried to make amendments to my schedule and find something that worked for everyone. I felt like she was trying not to work with my schedule because she knew I would resign.  Eventually we were able to find a workable solution that met everyone’s needs.  However it was only temporary, and she advised that it would last about 3 months. I ended up resigning at the end of the 3 months. I think we could have worked together to compromise and find a solution that would be beneficial for everyone.  It was important that we listened to and respected each other throughout this process or we would have never gotten to that point.

After this week’s resources I now see there were so many different ways I could have handled the situation from the beginning. The 3 R’s of communication would have helped me understand how to resolve the conflict of the conversation a little better. We both should have communicated with respect through out the conversation.  It's hard to respect someone when you feel like they don't have your best interest at heart.  As a supervisor, she should understand that you treat people like you want to be treated regardless of the situation.

Who Am I as a Communicator?

I have never been one that liked to talk in front of large groups of people.  I do better in small groups or one on one. The results from the communication assessments were very accurate.  The Communication Anxiety Inventory revealed that I feel uneasy in some communication situations and more confident in others.  This is a very true representation of me.  The Verbal Aggressiveness Scale revealed that I maintain a good balance between respect and considering others' view.  I argue fairly and attach the issue at hand not the person. I am glad that my level of aggressiveness was moderate. I know I can be aggressive at times, but sometimes that's all people understand.  They don't understand when you be nice. The one thing that surprised me most is that I appear to have more patience with people than I give myself credit for.  The insight that I gained is that it's good to have balance when communicating.  This is very important in ECE because we have to be respectful of the children and families we serve.  This has truly been an eye opening experience.  I learned alot about communicating this week.

Communicating

I find myself communicating differently with groups/cultures. I know with my students and parents I have to remain professional at all times.  I try to make sure I am using correct English when I speak to my students.  I speak that way because I want them to use correct English when they speak as well.  We have a flyer posted in the classroom that says leave your casual language at the door. When I am speaking to elderly people I always try to be courteous and polite.  I still say "yes sir and no sir" when I am speaking to older men. I know some people think that's old fashioned but I was raised that way.  When I talk to teenagers or my friends I can use slang and let my hair down a little.  I don't have to be so politically correct. When I communicate with different cultures I am very cautious of what I say.  I don't want to offend anyone so I try to make sure I don't say anything that would be perceived the wrong way.  The three strategies that I would use to communicate more effectively with different groups/cultures are to limit nonverbal cues,  ask questions about the culture or group that I may not understand, and try to be open and respectful to their opinions  regardless of how I feel.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

I chose to watch an old tv show Martin.  I haven't watched Martin in years.  That used to be one of my favorite sitcoms.  I felt like watching this episode with no sound was going to be alot harder than I thought.  While watching this show on mute I was able to pick up on some of the characters nonverbal cues.  In this particular episode, Martin appears to be upset because someone broke into his apartment and stole some items.   When Gina comes home he is trying to explain to her what happened. The assumptions I made with the volume off were correct.  Martin was very upset because he found out that one of his neighbors had broken into his house.  I have come to realize that it is possible to communicate with nonverbal cues.  However, I feel like it's much easier to communicate verbally.  A lot of times people misinterpret nonverbal cues the wrong way. 

Competent Communication

My husband demonstrates competent communication on a consistent basis.  He is a talker by nature.  He gets that honestly from his dad.  He is a Social Worker so he does a lot of talking every day.  He gives advice to families on a daily basis. I had the opportunity to sit in on a session he had with a family.  He is professional at all times. He uses eye contact, and he asks questions to clarify information he doesn’t understand.  He is able to put his thoughts into words in a very clear and concise manner. He also keeps a straight face no matter how sensitive the information is.  I would like to model some of my own communication behaviors after him because I need to learn how to control my face when talking to someone.  My facial expression tells how I am feeling at all times.  It’s hard for me to hide how I am feeling about a certain situation.  If I don’t like something or don’t agree with it, my facial expression will let you know immediately. While taking this class about communication, I am going to work harder on my nonverbal communication.

Professional Hopes and Goals

As I think about working with children and families that come from diverse
backgrounds, I hope to bring awareness to different cultures.  All children and families need to understand and learn about different cultures.  This will help make all children well rounded, and they will appreciate different cultures more.

The goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to change our mindsets.  There are a lot of people in the field who do not understand how social identities and microaggressions play a major part in how we feel about people.  I want everyone to become more cognizant of what they say and do.  This will help eliminate some of the stereotypes and biases that we face today.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for the encouragement and thoughtful posts each week.  This course has truly opened my eyes to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice. I learned several new insights that make me look at issues differently. I would also like to thank Dr. D for really pushing me to think outside the box.  I have never heard of the term microaggression, but it truly makes me think before I speak.  I really enjoyed this class, and I learned a lot.  I wish everyone much success in their future courses.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My family’s country of origin is Seychelles.  Seychelles is a small country in Africa. As I prepare to be culturally responsive towards this family there are some things I need to do to make this transition as easy as possible.  I do not know anything about Seychelles so right away I will have to do some research.  I feel like knowing where the family is from is important because it will help me understand their culture.

As I explore things that will make the child feel welcome in my classroom, I would find out specific things about her country.  I would find out the colors and symbols of her country.  I would also find pictures of places that she may be familiar with. I would decorate the classroom with these items to make her feel at ease.  I need to find out the primary language spoken in this country.  I would try to have a translator available when the child and her family arrive at the school to welcome them in their native language.  I would also like to learn a few basic words in order to communicate with the family.  It will be a good idea to learn how they greet each other in their culture.  I think this is important because I don’t want to offend anyone.  I would try to learn about their religious beliefs. This will be beneficial because I need to know if there are any holidays that they would not feel comfortable celebrating.  I hope that the representation of the country in my classroom will make my student and her family feel welcomed.  I hope this lets her know that we respect her culture, and that we are open to diversity. We are excited to have her and learn about her country.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The memory of an incident where I witnessed prejudice and oppression was from one of my favorite movies The Color Purple. The Color Purple was movie based on a the lives of  southern African American women.  The main character Celie is a poor, uneducated women who was beaten and raped by her father. Celie experienced oppression by telling Sophia’s husband to beat her.  Her thinking was a reflection of how she was beaten by Mister. Sophia which is another one of the main characters experienced racisim and oppression.  She was asked by the mayor’s wife if she wanted to work as her maid. Sophia felt offended by that question and ended up in an altercation with the mayor.  She ended up in jail for 12 years.  “Racism as an issue is seen in how Sofia was imprisoned and violently beaten for rejecting the mayor's wife's "offer" to be her maid (where the offer in itself was a reflection of racism)”. This movie dealt with some issues that are still prevalent today.  However, it helped shed some light on the various equity issues that women face.  This movie made me realize how far women have come.  We have a lot of rights that we didn’t have.  We play major roles in society now.  We even have a women running for president.  It’s good to reflect on how far we have come.

Reference

Walker, A. (1982), The Color Purple, retrieved from http://www.colorpurple.com

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I am pretty sure I have experienced microaggressions throughout my life.  However, I can vividly recall the experiences with my daughter better.  There is one particular incident that I can recall when my oldest daughter was about 2 years old.  My husband and I were in Belk, and we were having a conversation with my daughter like we always do.  An older Caucasian woman kept following us and staring at us.  She made us feel weird because we couldn’t figure out why she was staring at us.  After about 5-10 minutes of staring at us, she came over to us said that she noticed my daughter spoke so well and that she was so nicely dressed.  This lady really looked and sounded very shock that an African American child could speak and dress so well. She didn’t say it, but her facial expression and wording said it all.  My husband and I told her we wouldn’t have it any other way.  We told her that we never talked “baby” talk with her, and we have always used correct English with her. We advised her that we make sure she is well dressed where ever we go.  This is one thing both of our parents taught us. When you go out you are representing yourself and your parents and don’t go anywhere looking a mess.  My mom always said even if you have on jeans and a t-shirt make sure your hair is combed whenever you go out because you never know who you may run into.  My husband and I get comments like those all the time with both of our daughters.  I guess society plays a major part in how African American children are viewed as always speaking “slang” or not being dressed appropriately.  In today’s society it’s sad to see that people still see race as being a factor when it comes to a person’s speech, intelligence or the way they dress. As I reflect on this week’s information on microaggressions, I feel we must work together as a society to eliminate stereotypes such as these.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The conversations I had this week on culture and diversity were very interesting.  I spoke with two of my friends who were males and one female.  Each ones perspective on diversity and culture was similar because they seem to only think of what’s on the surface.  I explained to them that culture goes way beyond the surface, and with “deep” culture we can find out a lot more about a person. They all seemed to think culture and diversity was one in the same.  Their definitions of culture were mostly what you see on the outward appearance.  They believe that culture is a person’s traditions, beliefs, attire, food, language, and religion. They believe diversity is what makes a person different. Diversity can be several things, but it’s is what makes us understand why we are all different. The aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course helps me understand what makes us who we are.  Culture is basically what makes a person who they are.  Diversity on the other hand is how we look at people.  Diversity helps us better understand that we are all raised differently.  However, it makes us learn to be open to learning about different cultures and the way things are done.  This exercise helped put some things in perspective on culture and diversity.

My Family Culture

If I was in the middle of a major catastrophe that completely devastated the infrastructure of my country, I would have trouble choosing three small items to take away with me. The three items that I would chose would be my Bible, family photo, and a locket that my daughters’ gave me for Mother’s Day.  My first item would be my Bible because my faith in God is what keeps me grounded. My family’s faith in God is what makes us stronger.  I can read my Bible and remember that trouble don’t last always.  I may be in a catastrophic situation at that moment, but God didn’t bring me this far to leave me now.  The second item I would bring would be a family photo.  I would bring this photo in the event that we got separated.  This photo will remind me that I can weather the storm because I have to survive for my family.  The third item will be a locket that my daughter’s gave me for Mother’s Day.  I would bring this because my girls are my world.  I am an only child so I cherish every gift and moment that I am able to spend with them.  If upon arrival to the refugee camp I was told that I could only keep one item, it would have to be the Bible.  The Bible will provide a daily guide for me and my family.  It will give us reassurance that the catastrophe is only temporary.  I feel confident that it is the only item that my family and I would need to take with us.  This assignment really made take a step back and look at what matters the most to me. I realized that all the material things I really wouldn’t miss.  I realize that family is all that matters. If we can weather the “storm” together, we can conquer anything.  I pray that we never experience a catastrophic event.  However, our faith in God will see us through any situation.

When I Think of Research.....

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have gained a lot of valuable insights after taking this course.  I learned a lot of information that helped me understand the research process in detail.  I now have a better understanding of how to select a topic, how to formulate a research question and hypothesis, how to collect data, how to analyze data, and most importantly how to ensure the study is valid.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

My ideas about research have changed a lot.  When I first started this course I thought it was going to be a boring research class where you had to write a lot of papers.  My perception quickly changed after I learned how to effectively do research without wasting a lot of time.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I have learned that when conducting research in early childhood, the researcher should plan carefully to eliminate wasting his/her time as well as the participants. The researcher should always use credible sources to make sure the study will be valid.  The researcher should remain ethical at all times. This will help protect the children and families during the research process. The researcher should also remain transparent throughout the process.  These key points will help ensure the success of the overall study.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

The greatest challenge that I encountered during this course was narrowing down a research topic.  I originally chose autism which is a very broad topic.  I had to narrow down to very specific subtopics that could be researched in a reasonable time frame.  I was able to overcome this challenge by reading through some articles that were related to my topic, and I had to decide what information I wanted to learn from the study.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

My perception of early childhood professionals who perform research has changed tremendously.  Those researchers deserve a lot of credit for the work they do. They spend countless hours doing the research and analyzing the data.  That can be time consuming which means they are probably away from their family a lot.  It takes a special kind of person to be a researcher because you truly have to be dedicated to the area of study to make sure the study goes smoothly.

Research Around the World

For this week’s assignment, I explored early childhood in Australia through the website www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au . Early Childhood Australia (ECA) has been advocating for children in Australia for many years. As I read the research topics on the early childhood website I realized that the issues and concerns in early childhood are similar across the globe. The Australasian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC) is Australasia’s foremost scholarly journal and the world’s longest-running major journal within the early childhood field. The topics  range from Supporting literacy learning in the early years, Mothers’ perspectives on learning through play in the home, Inclusive pedagogy from a child’s perspective, and Recognition of family engagement in young children’s literacy learning.  The insights I learned about early childhood was from the parent resource tab. There was a lot of helpful information for parents under that tab. The other noteworthy information I found was about Early Years Connect which is a professional development package which has been designed to support early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators working with children with complex additional needs. This includes children with a disability, significant development delay and complex social, emotional and behavioral needs.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

The topic I would research is the lack of funding for early childhood programs. The lack of funding for early childhood programs have  become a major concern for several states.  This issue personally hits home for me because I have a 3 year old that I tried to get in head start.  We were denied because of income guidelines, but they said my child would be placed on a waiting list.  When I received that letter I was surprised because I want my daughter to attend preschool.  I only wants what's best for her.  I would love to have preschool that I don't have to pay for.  The issue is a major concern for a lot of families.  If I could research how to get a grant for more program funding, that would make a big difference for children and their families.  The positive contributions will be having more programs will help more families succeed in the future.

My Research Journey

The topic I would like to know more about is autism, and how it’s diagnosed in children ages 3-5.  I know that autism is a very broad topic.  I would like to learn ways to teach students with autism.  My professional reason for choosing this topic is I am thinking about teaching Special Education, and I want to learn about different disabilities that affect the learning process.  My personal reason for choosing this topic is I have a close friend whose daughter was diagnosed with autism.  Autism is a controversial topic in education that people need more clarity on.  Autism currently affects a lot of children, and I am just wondering why we are seeing a rapid increase all of a sudden.    My friend stated that her life has changed since this diagnosis, but becoming more educated about autism has helped her through.  She said it’s hard knowing that your child is different from other children. As educators, our focus should be on how to  make instruction time work with children with autism. This will help us work with the child and adjust to each unique way that they learn and deal with everyday life situations.

Final Blog Assignment

The last 8 weeks have been very interesting and informative.  I have had the opportunity to research various issues in the early childhood field both locally and internationally.  I have discovered some consequences of learning about the different aspects of international education.  They are listed below:

1. There are a lot of stressors that affect young children both locally and internationally.  Poverty is a major issue that affects early childhood across the globe.
2. There are no universal standards in the US or internationally for early childhood education. The international schools are more advanced than in the US.  All schools should have universal standards so students will be able to compete in a global economy.
3. The knowledge gained about the early childhood field internationally helps put some things into perspective. It helped open my mind to the different way issues are handled globally. It also helped me realize the importance of continuing to advocate for the field both locally and internationally.    

One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations is for early childhood organizations and professionals to stay abreast of the changes that take place around the world.  There should be continuous updates on the website of the organizations that assist these countries.  I hope to be able to support some of these organizations financially one day as well.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

My friend that's teaching in Korea finally contacted me back.  She is still on vacation because she's on break from school right now.  However, she's going to research some issues affecting education in Korea and let me know her findings.  I asked her  to give me some first hand experiences on equity  if possible.  She's been teaching in Korea for about 4 years now, and she said that the education system is very different from the US.  I can't wait to see what information she has for me.  I will keep you guys posted.

Sharing Web Resources

There is an abundance of information on The National Black Child Development Institute’s website.  I found some interesting websites under the resources tab.  There are links to different articles that give statistical information from different states.  However, there was one newsletter that I found to be very helpful in understanding equity and excellence in early care in education.  This newsletter also gave some insight to a lot of the issues we were discussing this week.  The newsletter was titled A Call for Change: A Preliminary Blueprint to Improve Educational Excellence and Opportunity for African American Males in Urban Public Schools.  There was a section under Early Childhood Education that outlined the need for early child programming.  According to the Council of Great City Schools, “The need for early childhood programming for African American males is profound and overdue. Yet the nation has not seriously confronted or addressed the inequalities and disparities facing some children from their earliest years—inequities that contribute to negative outcomes over a life-time. The research indicates that early childhood programs can produce substantial benefits for students and that urban schools should:

1. Establish high-quality educational and developmentally appropriate preschool and early childhood programs and supports to which African American males have full access to. These programs should have small teacher-to-child ratios, an age-appropriate curriculum that is integrated across subjects, well-trained teachers in child development, and mechanisms for engaging parents or guardians.

2. Set clear goals for the developmental progress of African American children participating in early childhood programs. Monitor student progress, evaluate the results regularly, and follow students as they move up the grades.

3. Ensure that early childhood programs also connect developmentally to kindergarten and first-through third-grade curriculum, address social, emotional, health, nutritional, and physical development needs of children, and use developmentally appropriate assessments.

4. Consider implementation of home visitation efforts, pre-school centers, and pre-school classes in the schools to address the multiple needs of some African American males.

5. Ensure that teachers and aides in early childhood programs serving African American males are early-childhood certified; have adequate training in child development (particularly as it applies to African American males); understand the effects of negative stereotyping and the appropriate use of assessments, and are compensated commensurate with other teachers. Provide mentors in cases where teachers struggle.

6. Make sure that early childhood programming that serves African American males is staffed with appropriately trained teachers, aides, parent-resource personnel, community liaisons, nurses, psychologists, and social workers. (Early grades could use these supports as well.) Staff compensation should be in line with others in the district.

7. Make certain that pre-school programming includes services starting at age two and spanning two years; that parents or guardians have the opportunity to volunteer and participate in program decisions; that there is a curriculum in place that focuses on language and early literacy and is aligned with the curriculum of later grades, and that these programs offer health screenings, nursing services, and free or reduced price meals.

8. Eliminate the use of out-of-school suspensions to discipline students participating in early

childhood programming.” (Council of the Great City Schools, 2012, p. 4-5)

References

http://www.cgcs.org/cms/lib/DC00001581/Centricity/Domain/88/Blueprint%2082312.pdf