Farewell !

Thank you to all of you who communicated and collaborated with me during this EDUC - 6165 - 2 course ! It is through all of your insights and shared experiences that I have grown both professionally and personally . I wish you all the best and hope to see you at graduation ladies !

Adjourning from a team

The five stages of any team or group are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During my undergraduate program, it was very difficult to go through the adjourning stage with my classmates. It was a very complex bittersweet feeling because although we were all eager to graduate and get it done with, that feeling of emptiness was there because there was not going to be any more long study nights, team meetings, and shared assignments.

I do not anticipate having the same feeling once I am done with my graduate program because Walden is an online University and is very different when you get to know the people face to face like my undergraduate on ground studies.

The closing rituals we experienced was just agreeing we would meet at least monthly to catch up no matter how busy our lives would get. Unfortunately, shortly after graduation I moved out of town and that never happened making it even more difficult for me. I do think that high performing groups are harder to leave because we learned to have pride in our team and work hard to achieve our goal together

Dealing with Potential Conflict

The conflict I faced this last month at work was with a higher administrator. I was assigned the task of working with a particular challenged student and providing him with a one on one attention. After one month of working with him, the administrator brought in a psychologist to observe the child for 15 minutes and based on that short time, she turned in her assessment. IN the assessment, the psychologist pointed out to all the things that I was not doing. I thought this was extremely unfair because I had been doing all of those things and more during the course of 30 days.

When I went up to the administrator, I told her it was unfair what they were doing. I communicated this in a very courteous manner and abided by the three R’s. The administrator was able to see my point of view and assured me that they would schedule an observation at least three different whole days of the week and not just a mere 15 minutes. I think what diffused the situation was acting with respect because the administrator was frustrated and I was very upset. Like two professional adults, we were both able to meet in the middle and compromise, just like the NVC rules suggest. While it is very easy to just point a finger at somebody else, this is extremely wrong.

At first, the psychologists remarks made me look like a careless, irresponsible person which I am not. In this case, I felt attacked because this person copied all the administrators in my school in the email she sent.

Who am I as a communicator.......

The one thing that surprised me the most about the assessments I took this week was that in my verbal aggressiveness I scored a significant score which the interpretation is below:

 With little provocation, you might cross the line from argumentativeness, which attacks a person’s position or statements, and verbal aggression, which involves personal attacks and can be hurtful to the listener.

This totally surprised me because after my daughters assessed me, I scored way lower according to them. This means I judge myself too hard. I do not agree that I get involved in personal attacks. I do however; agree that I can attack the point, position or statement if it goes against my integrity and values. As the course progresses , I keep learning more and more factors that encompass communication. Some of these factors include listening skills as well as implementing skills when we articulate our thoughts.

Communicating Differently

STRANGERS, PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM US, STIR UP FEAR, DISCONFORT, SUSPICION, AND HOSTILITY. tHEY MAKE US LOSE OUR SENSE OF SECURITY JUST BY BEING ...."OTHER".   - Henry J.M. Nouwen

I work at an elementary school that is very rich with cultural diversity. Sometimes I do catch myself communicating differently because I have realized that the words are used different in every culture. Some words that are common everyday words for me some other cultures view them as offensive, “bad words” or even “cuss words”. Since I learned this I have to be very careful how I speak and how I apply the words. Although we may not intend anything negative, sometimes unintentionally we offend someone through more subtle use and misuse of language (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011).

For example in Mexico the word “Huevon” means lazy or couch potato. In other countries it means something very offensive. I have to be careful not to call the children “Huevon” whenever they are not doing their work because they might go and tell their parents I said a bad word.

Reference

Beebe, S.J., Beebe, S.J., & Redmond, M.V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to Others (6^th ed.)Boston, A: Allyn &Bacon

COMMUNICATION

 

The show I watched was a Mexican soap opera. Based on the way the characters were communicating they were involved romantically. They would both stare into each other’s eyes without paying attention to the individuals around them or their surroundings. The way they were touching was in the form of love-intimacy touch. This touch is used by romantic partners, parents, friends, family members and children. This type of touch communicates deep closeness (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). The characters started kissing after a while communicating the love intimacy touch.

When I watched the show with the sound turned on. They were discussing the obstacles between both of them. In the scene there were a lot of tears and it was very dramatic. The assumptions I mae based on the characters was that they were going through a difficult time and they were trying to enjoy every second of each other. Although there were no sexual scenes, it was apparent they cared deeply for each other and a lot of tender kissing and caressing was going on. I think my assumptions would have been the same had I been familiar with this show. I chose this show because I had never watched it before.

COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES

Communication skills are behaviors that help communicators achieve their goals (O’Hair & Wieman, 2012). The person that I think has competent communication behavior is my husband when he is dealing with a professional issue. I have heard him talk in the phone and very passively he can let the other person know he is not happy with them. My husband does not use profanity or raises his voice, yet; he always gets his point across. I have observed him sit through meetings and although he does not agree, he knows how to listen, analyze, and then speak. A channel is the method through which communication occurs (O’Hair & Wieman, 2012). There are various methods that may be used to make the communication easier. One method my husband likes to use is paraphrasing. My husband likes to paraphrase what the other person said and this helps clear the understanding between him and the other party involved. By paraphrasing he is assuring he is on the same page as the other person. When I first met my husband I had come from an abusive relationship and I thought talking meant yelling when you were upset. He has taught me patience and also to remain calm when I am upset or I do not agree. His communication behaviors are effective therefore I started modeling them fifteen years ago. Before I met him, I was used to walking away from a conversation when it did not go my way. His effective ways have taught me how to manage my personal life with him better as well as my professional life.

Reference

O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have when working with a diverse population is to always find that human connection needed between me and the family in order to make them feel I care enough for them....... this includes giving them the repect and empowerement they need to become the whole person they have the potential to be. .

Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans…… translation from Colossians 3:23

One goal I would like to set for the Early Childhood field related to social justice and equity is that every educator, administrator, parent, and anyone around the child is aware that there is not one “bad “ , “unworthy”, or “unclean” child out there . When a child is born it is a blessing that comes pure to us like blank pages in a book. it is up to us what we write in those pages and what memories we create in that child’s mind to retain for the rest of their lives.

I want to thank all of my colleagues for their comments and for being part of my intellectual growth through the sharing of your personal stories, experiences, opinions, and knowledge.  I wish you all many blessings in both your professional and personal endeavors you might embark on in the future!

Welcoming Families From Around theWorld

The fictitious family I chose is from China.

Five ways in which I can help them directly is to;

1.     Empower the parents and the student. I will make sure I recognize the strengths and focus on the strengths to combat the weaknesses.

2.     Link them to available resources. This is important because many parents feel totally lost when they are in a country that is not their country of origin. As an educator, I can build a database that will allow me to share resources of people I have networked in the past with which that can help these parents.

3.     Respect their culture and customs. To achieve this I will incorporate materials into the class that reflects such customs and observes them.

4.     Become better versed and informed about their traditions. To do this I must read, research, and interact and ask the family questions. I can also do this in the form of questionnaires.

5.     Create an environment where they feel welcome and there is no place for oppression and marginalization. These preparations will benefit me and the family because we will both learn new things about each other and we will have collaborative communication where we both feel at ease. I can increase my knowledge by keeping up with up to date information of what is going on in their country.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The memory that I experienced as a child feeling oppressed was when a teacher in summer school would not want me in the swim team. After many try outs, another mother told my mother that she did not want me because I did not have blonde hair and my complexion was not as white like the other five girls so I would stand out. As a 12 year old child, this made me think my hair color was ugly. Although I felt this oppression, this also gave me the determination to keep trying until the coach eventually recognized my talent and allowed me to be part of the team. Incidents such as these during my childhood allowed me to become the resilient person that I am now. I never felt sorry for myself but instead I always felt like I had to prove to the world that I was better than how they perceived me. This fostered in me leadership skills and helped me endure a world of discrimination and prejudice. My main protection factor was my family’s love around me all the time this was going on. I never felt ashamed of who I was or felt inferior to anyone, like I had mentioned in the past, I was not aware I was poor because in my mind I was always rich with a beautiful family and a childhood full of laughter.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

A microaggression is any verbal behavior or action that leaves an individual with feelings of inferiority. Sometimes people do this unconsciously and do not mean any harm as such was the way with one student I had.

While subbing, I was teaching in middle school a science class when a student told me it was okay to talk in Spanish. After I asked him why, he said "because I see you "struggling". He was referring to my accent when he mentioned "struggling". I acted defensive and told him that I was not struggling because I had been speaking English for the last 38 years. ALthough this student did not mean any harm, unintentionally he made me feel inferior.Yes, I do have an accent which I do not want to get rid of. My husband even finds it sexy. in this occassion I was the recipient of a microinsult.

My perception has been changed when it comes to cases like these now. After reading the required reasources, I understand the students behavior better. If I would of read the resources before this happenned, I would of reacted in a totally different way and not defensive.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The person I interviewed for this assignment is a coworker who comes from Saudi Arabia. Her name is Mrs.Ansari. Her definition of culture is everything that encompasses her since the minute she was born up to the day I was standing in fron of her asking this question. The aspect of culture discontinuity was included in our conversation because although she did not mention this term, she stated that many of her customs had to be left behind when she came to the United States 20 years ago. One very important thing for females in her culture is to always have her hair hidden. She mentioned is extremely disrespectful for them to show their hair in public to someone else besides her husband, Other males should not see her hair, it wold be the equivalent of an American woman showing her breast in public as stated by her.  My thinking after talking to her is that everyone has their very valid reasons to do what they do. To some people that don't understand this, the custom might seem pointless; but it is in these situations that we must understand and respect everyone. I thought it was very sad that she mentioned her daughter being bullied at school because she was "different". Mrs.Ansari then explained that Saudi Arabia women are professionals just like American woman and they should not be perceived as submissive woman or sometimes even called "abused wives". To Mrs.Ansari, she describes herself as an independent very intelligent professional and not as a victim of abuse.

My Family Culture

 

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently.  You can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.....

If I was in this dire situation my choice of the 3 items would be my Bible, my guitar, and one of the hundreds of photo albums I have.

I would take my Bible because I understand that there are parts of the world where Christianity is not accepted, or is illegal.Therefore;I could probably end up in a country who does not know Jesus Christ. By not having a church to attend, my Bible would be very important to me to help me stay connected to the Word. If I were asked to describe this I would tell the person aking that I fervently believe in God's promises and I would have the Bible to refer to everyday.

I would take my guitar because it is a guitar made by the hands of my father specially personalized for me. I grew up listening to my father play the guitar and at some point in his life, the guitar was his instrument to earn a living. My father would walk to different restaurants and play songs and accept tips from the people dinning.Although this happened before I was born, everytime I see a guitar I remember him and I am very grateful God chose him as my father. Growing up,I can remember all the family reunions with my father singing with my uncles and playing the guitar and accordion. The guitar brings very sweet memories to me and I love my guitar because it was handmade and crafted with love specifically for me.

The third item I would take would be a photo album. In this photo album, I would place photos of relatives I would no longer see and of memories of happy times. This album would help me remember my very happy life in the United States I once had.

If upon arrival was told I could only keep 1 item.......

I would definetely keep my Bible. This one book would ensure me that I have something to look forward to and that I am not and never will be alone, no matter what part of the world I am in.

The insights I gained from this assignment is that material things are not important but what we hold in our minds is. I have my very special guitar but it is only an object. I have my father who I love dearly and whom I can count on for a shoulder to cry on if I need it or someone to put up with my laughter or silliness over dumb things....

When I think of research.........

I think that although  research is very complex and involves many steps, it is undeniably necessary for any society to improve their lifestyles and learn how to confront social issues.From now on when I read something that is backed up by evidence based research I will be more appreciative of all the work that entails.

My ideas of the nature of conducting research have changed because now I can see any topic can have many variables and although researchers try to make it specific, those extraneous variables will always be present in any situation.

The lessons I learned in the planning of Early Childhood is that the researcher must have very strong ethics, work collaboratively with other researchers, and always be open for unexpected outcomes.

The challenges I encountered were the terms used because before this course I was not very familiar with many of them. The way I faced these challenges was by doing further research on the terms and not just what the textbook offered. Sometimes the terms can be more understandable when they are simply worded differently.

My perceptions of an Early Childhood professional have not changed. I always knew that individuals who work in this profession are hard worker dedicated individuals who want to make a difference in tomorrow’s generation. And now, all of the students from this class are joining them in this worldwide effort, including me.

WEBSITE WEEK 5

 

The website I chose to analyze this week is http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Early Childhood Australia’s mission statement is:

Early Childhood Australia will advocate to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years.

The website offers a link to a series of books for educators that range from partnerships in early childhood to the significance of adult-to-adult interactions in early childhood education and care settings. All the books in the series are evidence based and are backed up with years of research. These are topics that pertain to everyone internationally. What I did find disappointing in this website is that it does not offer much information if you are not willing to buy. I was able to see they have man valuable resources but all of them are for sale. In my opinion, this website was more of a business than an organization.  And although just when I was about to give up, I did find the link to the past newsletters which covered some good topics, the focal point of the website is selling and not informing professionals. The website even sells the membership. I was surprised this website was listed as a resource.

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) is a Federal grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to promote the wellness of young children ages birth to 8 years of age. Through an Intra-Agency Agreement with SAMHSA, oversight of the project is provided by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services

The information collected is of importance to the public health and behavioral health fields in advancing knowledge about comprehensive community-wide approaches to improving child health and development. Information will be provided   and lessons learned about how coordinated service strategies and system-building activities can be designed to improve the physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of health and well-being for children and families.

Reference:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/cross-site-evaluation-of-project-launch-evaluation-design

U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services/Administration for children and families - Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

I had the privilege of being a child wellness coordinator when this project was implemented in El Paso Texas and was able to see very good results. My job was to work with families and teach them parenting classes that would promote the social emotional health in children 0-8. I remember how regarding it was when week after week I would literally see the improvement in these children and the parent empowerment. One little girl in particular named “Maria” was always isolated at school because she was fearful of her peers. After visiting the family, I learned they had just migrated from Mexico and her parents had been teaching her not to talk to anybody. Needless to say, Maria was not doing well in school and she was being bullied by her peers as the “weird” one. After the 8 week parenting classes and assessing her through the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (A&SQ) I was able to see the transformation. Her grades improved, she was friendly with her peers, who in return stopped the bullying, and the teacher found out she was one of her honor students. I documented Marias progress with great joy and just like her, many other children’s lives were changed through Project L.A.U.N.C.H.

RESEARCH SIMULATION

The topic of my interest for research is how a child’s mental health is affected when they are victimized and abused during the early years

I chose this topic because I have personally seen how a child's emotional state can be affected due to abuse. Because the brain controls all of our actions and emotions, a child's mental health is very important.

A child who is not emotionally stable cannot concentrate in school and develop the skills necessary to succeed.

 I think this area in particular needs more research because it is often overlooked and from this area many important factors depend. One very important factor is citizenship skills, which in contrast affects the social skills. Social and emotional skills are what shape a child and as long as we do not understand how they are feeling emotionally, it is going to be very difficult to decipher their actions and help them. Teachers who create a caring relationship with students is because they have somewhat peeked into their inner emotional state and are able to understand them.

Citizenship skills are often overlooked because the educators are too busy trying to meet the academic requirements so the school will not suffer the consequences of cuts in funding. During this process, the children’s emotional state is stressed and this causes the child to perform poorly sometimes. I believe the base of all the problems the youth of today face derive from the lack of promoting good citizenship skills at an early age. This topic would be of ultimate importance and interest for me to research further. From such research, teachers as well as families would benefit. At school, teachers would be able to acquire improved academic results from students; and at home, parents would have a well behaved child. Overall, after transitioning to adulthood, these children would be productive law abiding citizens and the benefit would extend globally