Communication and Culture Diversity

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

Yes, I often find myself communicating different with people depending on the group and culture. When I communicate with my family and friends I use informal language and different voice tones. My family is very loud and opinionated and to some looking in you would think that we just argue and holler. It is quite funny if you did not know us but that is the way we communicate. We crack jokes, laugh, and sometimes get mad! My communication, of course, changes when I am at work. My tone changes and the words I use change. I become the active listener that was discussed in earlier lessons. I take in consideration of all people involved and do my best to relate to their feelings and ideas.  Communication with my friends is also very informal. We have known each other since elementary and we usually crack jokes and sometimes say inappropriate things that would not be acceptable any place else. 

In this week's lesson I have learned more things about communication. To improve my communication with others I will strive to be more empathetic toward others and how they feel about things. I learned that it is not always important to get my message across but to understand the message that others are trying to get across. After reading the article about nonverbal communication, I have become more conscious of my body and facial movements. Many of my friends have said that they could tell what I was thinking by the look on my face. When working with families, this is something that I need to be more aware of in the future. 

Communication Assignment

       For this assignment I watched Grey's Anatomy. I have never really watched the show and had no idea of what was going on. When the sound was off , I interpreted that the doctors were have a city wide crisis. Patients were being brought to the ER but there was not enough room for them. The doctors looked worried and unsure of what to do. They examined the patients as they came in and tried to give them the best care. Eventually the frustration of the doctors affected their communication with each other and the medical performance.
      After watching the episode with the volume down for ten minutes, I turn the volume on and realized that the doctors were in a city wide crisis. A college had been attacked by a shooter and the shooter was in the hospital. The frustration between the doctors occurred because some felt that the shooter should not have been saved and that the victims should be seen first.
      This was a fun activity. It made me realize the importance of nonverbal communication and also how it effects acting! The actors in the show did a great job with their facial expressions in the show. Nonverbal communication and plays a vital role in effective communication.

Communication

Some one who exhibits competent communication is my friend Chanelle. She is a well educated young woman who is very knowledgeable in her field of Special Education. She speaks well in public and especially at church. She is effective because of her eye contact and her tone of voice when she communicates. She is very receptive to what others have to say and does a great job of expressing herself. She knows what to say and how to say it. She can communicate with children and adults. She has encouraged me many times on my own public speaking and I wish to one day communicate as she does.

Professional Hopes and Goals

I have really enjoyed this course on diversity. It has given me an insight on diversity and the need to prepare for children and families who come from diverse backgrounds. My goal as a future educator is to learn to relate to diverse families and incorporate their way of life somehow into my class setting. I believe that this will help students become comfortable in the environment and help them embrace their differences.

The early childhood field also has room for improvement in the area of diversity. One goal should be to better teacher educators exactly what steps to take to support diverse families. This could involve doing a small intern in a diverse society or even learning a different language to use in a lesson plan.

I would like to thank all of my classmate for reading my blogs and giving my the support throughout the course.

Shorlone

Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this activity, I was asked to pretend to be a child care provider preparing to welcome a child and family from a country I am unfamiliar with. I chose to welcome a family from Russia. In order to prepare for the family I will study the culture of families from Russia, how they socialize with each other, the roles of individuals in the family, how they view education, and America. I will learn more about the family by using the (1) internet to do research. I will also (2) visit the local library to read books about the country itself. Other ways I will find information is by (3)watching films on Russia, and (4) talking to people who may have a better insight into families from Russia. I think that also (5) talking directly to the parents will help me be more culture responsive to the needs of the child directly. I think that these ways of preparing for the family will help me to choose the correct things to say when pertaining to their child's education. It will also help me understand their ideology of education and their views of what is expected from me as a teacher.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have personally experienced prejudice that has greatly disturbed me especially in my town. The town in which I live has re-developed the downtown area with different boutiques. All of these stores are locally owned by white people. There is one boutique that I really enjoy going to because the clothes are so stylish. The owners and workers try to be nice, sometimes overly nice, but the way in which they talk to me makes me feel as if they are judging me. Every time I enter the store I am immediately followed around by a worker and constantly asked if they can help me with something. One particular day, I was shopping for a white shirt for church. I picked up a white shirt that was perfect for our church occasion. When I asked to try it on the sales associate told me that it was not on sale and that there was a rack in the back that had similar styles. This BOTHERED me and I immediately responded! I was not proud of what I said but at that moment I knew that she thought I could not afford the item because of my color. This was the last time I visited the store and I do not recommend anyone to shop there.

I think that I could have handled the situation better if I had asked the associate why she felt that I would want a sales rack item. I believe that this should have been a learning experience for both her and I. I think it would have also been beneficial to speak to the owner concerning the matter because I know I am not the first customer this has happened to. I think that people in general have to STOP stereotyping people based on color! You can not tell a person's socioeconomic status based on their race. Blacks, whites, and every other race have to learn to live in harmony and not categorize people before they get to know them.

Microaggression

I have experienced many situations in which microaggression was felt. As a mother I pride myself in the way in which I rear my children. I have taught them to stand up for what they believe in and never let someone treat your wrong. They attend a majority white school that is considered a top school in the district. It took a while to get them accepted to the school but once they began to attend I began to notice many subtle forms of racism. One that stands out the most are the ones done to my children. I have had some situations in which teachers have assumed just because of their color they were not capable or able to do things. I expose my children to different cultures in life. I teach them to be acceptable of all people regardless of their race and socioeconomic status. There have been a few situations that I have had to stand up for my children. I do not want them to feel inferior to others just because of the color of their skin. I recently experienced my own form of microaggression at my new job. Being a woman, I am often stereotyped as not being able to perform certain duties. I work in corrections which is looked at as a "man's" job. I deal with small forms of microaggressions daily but I do not let them stop me from achieving my goals in life.
     This week's lesson have taught me that forms of discrimination still exist in the world today. It saddens me that it is so, but it has lead me to teach my children about the world that we live in. I want them to understand this world but not be affected by the way people treat them. I teach them to strive for their goals and not let the ignorance of others deter them.