Competent Communication

When I think of an effective communicator one person immediately comes to mind.  I think of Rita.  She is a friend and colleague who spent many years working as a psychiatric nurse.  She used her many experiences to build a repertoire of workshops on the topic of social and emotional wellness.  Rita has a wonderful sense of humor that she incorporates into her presentations.  She is also a master at providing examples that are easy to relate too.  I have heard her speak many times over the years and I always find myself think “I know just what you mean” as she points out circumstances that have been stressful.  Her demeanor is warm and caring.  Even when she addresses a large group, she has a way of making you feel like she is talking directly to you.   Rita presented a workshop to my staff of teachers and family advocates last Spring that was a wrap up for our program year. Throughout the year, our professional development theme was related to social and emotional wellness for children and those that work with them. Rita has the ability to communicate on a level that was meaningful to my staff and make it relevant to the work they do which made the workshop very beneficial on a professional and personal level for everyone.  I use Rita as a model for communicating with people both personally and professionally by incorporating a little bit of humor and also keeping it real.

 

Professional Hopes and Goals

During the past 7 weeks as I studied Perspectives on Diversity and Equity,   I feel I have been provided a unique learning experience.  I found myself remembering many situations in my life that I honestly had not thought about in a long time. I also realized how things around me have changed over the years and also how I have changed in terms of diversity and equity.

            In this final post for  this class that helped me look more deeply at the challenges children and families face because of  intolerance and lack of cultural understanding, , it is my hope that through my work as a Head Start program administrator, I am able to make a difference in my community in the following ways : to provide a high quality program with staff that is culturally responsive in meeting the needs of all families, to investigate additional funding sources to provide services to more children,  and  to be more culturally responsive as I interact  with   my staff.

            In a more global sense, it is my hope that  the early childhood field continues to support the efforts around the world that are  addressing   the needs of children in those countries where expectations for children are very different from what we know as childhood in the United States.  It is my hope that advocacy efforts continue to bring social justice that will allow children all over the world to experience childhood and to experience positive educational experiences.

            Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues that have been a part of this learning experience for sharing their personal experiences related to diversity, equity and social justice. Also I appreciated the thoughtful feedback I received to posts I made to our discussions and my blog. I feel that this course, unlike any of the others I have taken on this journey to acquire my Master’s degree has had a personal and professional impact on me. 

 

           

Welcoming Families From Around the World

This assignment comes at an interesting time.  I enjoyed watching the Olympics this past week and reading some interesting stories about athletes from other countries.  One story that caught my attention involved the two women from Saudi Arabia who are the first to ever participate in the Olympics from their country.  Sara Attar participated in a track event and followed the tradition of being completely covered including a head covering called a hijab.  The other woman, Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani   who participated in judo did not.  This is being viewed as a huge step forward for women in Saudi Arabia as well as globally.

                 Having found detailed information on Saudi Arabia on the following website- http://www.everyculture.com, I decided to have my family originate from Saudi Arabia.  Their daughter will be entering my preschool class at a child care facility.  I would prepare for her arrival by in the following ways-

                1- I would learn more about the specific region of the country the family was from since I learned through my research of the country that there are four distinct regions and the lifestyles are different in each one.

                2. I would learn more about the dietary restrictions their culture and religion imposes to be sure to be mindful of this when preparing menus for the lunches served.

                3.  I would read more about the common practices concerning childrearing as related to parent child interactions and expectations.

                4. I would investigate the family’s level of comfort with English to determine if it would be appropriate to bring in a translator for their first visit to the center.

                5.  I would read more about the social etiquette especially concerning gender.  Having read about the Saudi views that are very evident even today concerning gender, I would try to be respectful of their beliefs in my interactions with the family.

                I think learning more about the Saudi Arabian culture in general would help me be prepared to handle some of the differences in a culturally responsive way and help the child and her family feel welcome and comfortable .

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

                Growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s, I remember clearly the scenes on the evening news of police brutality and race riots across our nation.  It was difficult to watch the treatment people were subjected to especially in the South.  In my community, there was no evidence of segregation and for the most part, there was equality for all.  As a child and even as an adolescent, I had a difficult time understanding what I was seeing.  Sadly, we didn’t discuss it as a family so I was left to try to figure it out on my own.   When I reached high school in the later 60’s, I gained a better understanding of the issues.  In my high school, there seemed to be equal opportunity for all students.  Interracial dating was unusual but it did occur.

                The segregation and unjust treatment of people of color completely diminished equity   which is what I feel led to the demonstrations and eventual riots.   Sadly, it was the only thing left to bring about desperately needed change in our society.

                As a young person watching these things on the news and not having conversations with my parents to help me understand what was happening, I was afraid and confused.  It was difficult to understand why people were treated so differently in other parts of our country. Reflecting back on this now, I realize that it was only when I learned about the issues in school that I found myself developing my own perspective on civil rights and the importance of equality.  That has remained with me throughout my life.

                As a country, those difficult times brought about necessary change.  The government adopted laws that protected all people from being treated so unjustly and proposed equality on all levels. While I know we have made tremendous progress over the past 50 years, as I have gained a deeper understanding of the issues related to diversity through this course and others I have had on this journey toward my Master’s degree.  I have come to realize we are not completely there yet. There are still groups within our country that are subjected to bias, prejudice and oppression in varying degrees. As an early childhood professional, I feel I have a responsibility to the staff I work with, the children and their families to be culturally responsive and respectful of all people and accepting of the elements of their social identity that may be different from mine.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions          

                Observing people around me at work this week with the intent of noticing microaggressions was interesting.     I honestly saw very little in terms of the interactions among my staff that could be categorized in that way until today.  I met with 3 supervisors to work on planning for the upcoming school year. In discussing placements, one of them made a comment about a family worker who is morbidly obese.  She complained about this person expecting others to do her work because she is so overweight and that she was just plain lazy.  She continued to insinuate that her obesity prevents her from doing what is required and that families wouldn’t want to work with her. Her comments were not founded. Finally, the other woman who  supervises the person that was the subject of the comments  spoke up and said many assumptions were being made about her job performance   that were not true .  I purposely did not comment initially.  I wanted to let the conversation continue to see where it would go and how many other things she would blame things she would blame on the woman’s obesity.   As I sat and listened, I realized that microaggressions can occur even among professionals.  It was not a good feeling to know that someone in a supervisory position could be so judgmental in such an inappropriate way. 

                My observation clearly pointed out that when there is insulting commentary based on a person’s appearance it can make everyone involved in the conversation very uncomfortable.  Taking it a step further, I observed a change in the interactions among the group even after the conversation moved on.  The body language of the supervisor who was listening to the derogatory comments about her staff person changed as did the amount of conversation being exchanged by the two.   Also, the supervisor whose staff person was the subject of the comments seemed to pull back from the conversation. This exercise has made me aware of how the tone of a group interaction can change when microaggression surfaces.

Other Perspectives on Diversity

                In seeking other perspectives on culture and diversity, I decided to be diverse in my choice of whom to interview!  The results were very interesting.  I spoke to my sister who is professional woman in her 50’s.  She works in the field of social work as a Family Therapist.  Her definitions of culture and diversity are as follows: “culture is the unique blend of traditions, rituals, customs, style, religion, belief systems, and family customs that encompass a particular group of people. Diversity involves the differences that make up the specific humanness of various cultures.”

                The second person I interviewed is a staff person in my Head Start Program who is a woman in her 40’s, bilingual and bicultural and originally from Puerto Rico. She defined culture and diversity as      “all the things you have learned from your family. It is how you think about things especially personal things.  It is about being Latino. It is what makes me different from some of the people I work with but more like many of the families I know from my work. Diversity is what I think about that makes us different.  It is what I see every day where I live and work.”

                The third person I interviewed was a male in his 30’s who works in special education. He defines culture and diversity as follows: “Culture involves whatever little subgroup you allow to define you. It could be your country of origin, the people you live with or whoever you spend your time with.  Diversity is a well-represented mix of cultures, ideas and customs in a certain defined area. “

In all answers, there was a common thread that culture is related to what we learn from our family throughout our lives. Some reference was in a more traditional sense while the third person seemed to be more open about what constitutes the group.  It includes our morals, traditions and is at the heart of who we are.   There were not any references to ethnicity from my sister or the male I interviewed.  My colleague on the other hand   made direct reference to being Latino.   

Reflecting on other people’s definitions has made me realize we sometimes make assumptions about people’s views on these topics even within our own families.   I also realized that age seems to be a factor in how we view things.  All very interesting……

My Family Culture

                What a thought provoking exercise!  As I pondered what I would take if I found myself faced with being evacuated from my home as described, the three things that came to mind were my Bible, a family photo album and a blank journal.  The Bible provides me with guidance through every aspect of my life.  Knowing myself, if I were faced with this predicament, I would be depressed and need encouragement to get through the situation. I would also need guidance.   I would find both of these things in my Bible.  I would take a family photo album so I could always be able to look at my family who is precious to me. The third thing I would take is a blank journal to write about my experiences   throughout the ordeal. 

                I would be extremely upset giving up any of the three items. My feelings would run the gamut of anger, extreme sadness and depression.  I would plead my case as to why they were so important to me and my need to keep them given the circumstances I was forced into.

                This exercise reinforced what I knew about myself going into it.  My faith is the foundation of my life no matter what the circumstance. Family is extremely important to me as well and as I have gotten older, I journal to keep a running record of the experiences I have.