Time Well Spent

Time Well Spent

My journey with Walden University to complete my master in Early Childhood Studies:  Administration Management and Leadership has been the high light of my professional career. I have been working in the early childhood field for many years and have experienced the duties of many positions. The present being an administrator in a non-profit organization. I was not familiar with the complete task of responsibilities of operating a program from the financial lens nor securing staffing for the important positions in the field. But doing my journey with Walden I have gained knowledge about how to start a program from the beginning and ways to enhance the program I work in at this time.
I have gained important knowledge of ways to effectively advocate for issues that are occurring in the field of early childhood education beginning with establishing a community of practice. This community of practice is a group of people and organizations that understand the importance of an early educational foundation for young children. This community is not just on a local, state, federal level but it can have international supporters.

When I think of a community of practice I think of a group of different agencies and community people working together to achieve a goal. The objective is to make a positive change or create strategies that will make a system strong for the community and the families that live in them. It is a group of people whose main focus is to work together through regular collaboration to share ideas and suggestions on how achieve valuable outcomes.

I learned some of the characteristic of the leadership style I lead with. I feel I am a transformational leader because I have high emotional intelligence and lead with integrity. Some of their characteristics are they are empathetic, humble, have good communication skills and are motivators. I believe in setting clear goals for the team and by doing so the result is high productivity and teamwork.  

My plan for the future is to get involved in an organization that has the same passion for early childhood on a national level. With the knowledge I have gained I believe I can be a powerful voices and advocate for children and families. I plan to obtain membership in different early childhood education organizations that share the same vision and mission I have for the field to stay abreast of any new trends and issues that may affect the outcome of early childhood.
 

I want to say to all my new friends through this experience I wish you much success in your future endeavors. I hope your visions of making a profound difference in early childhood will be come true for all of you. I have enjoyed reading your post, blogs and your responds to mine.

One of my favorite quotes is: It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.” Frederick Douglas. That is way what we do in Early childhood is so important for all children to have an opportunity to a positive and successful future.  

Thank you for making this course interesting, knowledgeable and giving me the feeling of being in a community of practice.

Farewell,

Shelia   

International Organizations

I was very impressed when I was searching for international organizations that support early childhood education for all children. I have known there were local, state, national and federal organizations that share the vision of helping all children receive a quality education, but to know the struggle goes beyond these level to the international level has humbled me.

Below are three international organizations that support early childhood education.

1. International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE): Waldorf early childhood education, also known as Steiner early years education, is devoted to the education and care of the young child from birth to school entrance.

Waldorf early childhood educators seek to nurture the development of each child’s unique capacities by offering warm, homelike environments with opportunities for imaginative play, meaningful purposeful work, and experiences in the arts, in nature and in community. There are nearly 2000 Waldorf kindergartens, home programs, child care centers, and pre-schools in more than 70 countries throughout the world.

Some of the goals of the organization are to:

·         Foster co-operation among colleagues throughout the world, through meetings, conferences, working groups, etc.

·         Deepen and renew the work with the young child out of the sources of Waldorf education, and support for its quality

·         Foster training and continuing development opportunities for caregivers, kindergarten teachers and educators

·         Undertake and support collaborative research on contemporary questions regarding the care and education of the young child

·         Collaborate with parents, other educators, and the wider society about the needs of the young child

·         Provide resources, information and publications on Waldorf early childhood education

·         Offer support – human, educational and financial – for projects seeking to foster Waldorf early childhood education throughout the world.

http://www.iaswece.org/waldorf-education/what-is-waldorf-education/

2. Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI): ACEI is a global community of educators and advocates who unite knowledge, experience, and perspectives in order to exchange information, explore innovation and advocate for children. Their mission is to promote innovative solutions to education challenges and inspire action that creates positive, sustainable futures for children and youth worldwide and their mission is for child in every nation will have access to a quality education. This education will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens, ready for life in a changing world.

Some of their goals are:

·         Is sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life.

·         They participates in global education coalitions and childhood well-being campaigns that advance policies and drive funding levels for education and other social services, thereby impacting vast numbers of children internationally.

·         They provide reports on global education trends and events that directly affect the efforts of classroom teachers, teacher educators, education advocates, and education consultants and provides access to cutting-edge research and information that enlightens perspectives and viewpoints on education practices.

·         They also create unique programs, events, and publications that help to expand horizons in areas of childhood education and well-being, worldwide.

I did not see any employee opportunities during my research but ACEI sometimes has internships available during the summer months. Interns are given the opportunity to gain work experience consisting primarily of online research and data gathering that will contribute to the development of briefing papers and other types of resources. The requirements are interns should be enrolled in a graduate degree program that focuses on global education issues with a particular interest in children's education. A focus on one specific aspect of childhood education, such as basic education or early childhood development, is also acceptable. I know I am in a master’s degree program but I will still contact them to see if there are other opportunities available for me to be a part of the organization.

http://www.acei.org/

3. Education International (EI): Education International main policy on ECE is shaped by the resolution passed at the 2nd World Congress of EI in 1998. They believes that early childhood education is of great value to all children and should be available to all.  Early childhood education is an education in its own right and an essential part of life-long learning. It provides a sound basis for learning and helps to develop skills, knowledge, personal competencies and confidence and a sense of social responsibility. By providing a protected environment for young children it also helps to prevent child labor.

The work of this organization in the field of early childhood education includes promoting early childhood education that will be public funded and universally accessible to children. They advocate for integration of early childhood into education systems and seeking continuous professional development for teachers and other professionals in the field. This organization is an advocate for early childhood education around the world.

  https://ei-ie.org/

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The three national and federal organizations that appeal to me are:

1.     National Head Start Association

2.     The National Child Care Association

3.     National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS-SDE)

The reason the three organization appeal to me is because they share similar visions on ways to provide children the opportunity to have early childhood learning experiences. The first organization is the National Head Start Association goal is the success of generations of children who might otherwise struggle throughout their lives. NHSA has created the NHSA Knowledge Center to facilitate our vision of reaching the most vulnerable children with the Head Start model. Their future success rests on the knowledge, commitment and collaboration of families, programs, researchers, and policymakers.

I would love to work for the NHSA as an advocate for quality early childhood education and support for families. I have a personal passion for this organization because it has made a positive impact in my family’s life when I need support at my lowest life struggle. I believe in this organization but I feel I would be able to empower others that do not really understand how excellent this organization is for the children and families in our communities.

The next organization that I would add to my community of practice is the National Child Care Association(NCCA) because it supports policies that are beneficial to children, believes there should be equal participation with regard to funding for all providers of Early Care and Education Birth through 5, regulations should be equitable, across the board, for all providers, public or private and right to work environment for early care and education professionals. I know that many times this issues are not addressed in the appropriate manner which causes children that need childcare are not be served and professional are not getting the support they need to ensure they have the education needed to teach children. I know that educators need the appropriate educations to provide services for the children but it will take supporters and people that understand and share that vision as I do.

The third organization I would like to have in my community of practice is National Association of Early childhood Specialist in the State Department of Education (NAECS-SDE) which also promotes high quality services to young children and their families through improvement of instruction, curriculum, and administration programs. They work with others to share ideas and suggestions to find solutions to common problems that occur in the early childhood field. I would like to work for this organization because I am very familiar with trying to create strategies and ideas of how to better serve the children in our community.

Reference

www.nhsa.org

www.nccanet.org

www.naecs-sde.org/aboutus

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three places I would be interested in working for are:

1.      The Department of Social Services: The Child Day Care service provides subsidized child day care for eligible families who are working or in job training and need assistance with caring for their children age birth through age 12. Parents are issued vouchers to cover all or a part of the fees.   Care is provided in licensed Child Day Care Centers and Family Care Homes. The parent's fee for care is based upon the number of family members and the gross family income. This programs has assisted many families which gave parents the opportunity to work and/or attend trainings that will help them become self-sufficient.

2.      Work Family Resources: This organization provides families with scholarships that will cover the full cost or part of childcare for children. They also provide the following:

·         Working with parents to locate quality child care programs

·         Helping income eligible parents access financial assistance to pay for child care

·         Providing on-going professional development opportunities and support to improve the quality of child care programs

·         Maintaining a database of legally operating child care options

·         Collecting and distributing information on the supply of and demand for child care

·         Providing on-site training and enhanced services to individuals and businesses.

3.      Early Head Start/Head Start: This is a federal funded program that provides early childhood educational services for families that are at or below the poverty level of living. Early Head Start serves families with children ages birth through three and low-income pregnant women The program provides comprehensive preschool program designed to meet emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs of three and four year olds and their families. Children have the opportunity to attend a high quality learning environment at no cost to the families. This program is available for working or non-working families but parents must meet the requirements established by federal guidelines. Head Start is a federally funded. One main focus of the program is trying to the meet the goal of helping low-income children to be better prepared for school.

I would like to work at either of these organizations because they focus assisting families with securing affordable early childhood care. But of the three I think the position I would be interested in applying for is: Director of Child Development for a Head Start program.

The Director of the Child Development Division is responsible for assuring all the Head Start and Early Head Start program mandates and standards for excellence are met on a daily basis. This position develops the structure, systems and procedures to facilitate this. In addition to operating responsibility for fiscal, legal, and programmatic aspects of the program, it bears the responsibility of assuring that the program is strategically positioned for the future.

This position stood out for me because it aligns with my goal of assisting families acquire quality affordable early childhood care for their children.

I will have a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education I have over 20 years’ experience in child development and early childhood education; orientation to the concept of the total family. I am able to work effectively with corporate executives, board members, community leaders, volunteers, board committee members and division staff to achieve optimum results and I have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to work as a part of a team sharing the same goals and outcome

Thank You

Thank You

 These eight weeks have been very informative and eye opening while learning the importance of effective communication and how to successful collaboration can lead to positive outcomes in the field of early childhood education.

I have always considered myself a good communicate but I have learned this happens when I am in the people in the same cultural group or background as I am. Through the pass weeks I have gain much knowledge a strategies to use that will help me effective communicate with people that are not in my circle.

Your blogs about the different ways of communicating and collaborating has also given me better insights on how we share some of the same imperfections and the strategies you plan to enhance them. We are representatives of an important line of work and we must work to build relationships with families from different cultural backgrounds and that may not share the same values, visions and goal as we do, but must provide them with respect, mutual trust and commitment to give them our best.  

I wish all of you the best in your future endeavors and much success when establishing effective communication and collaboration experiences with your families and friends.

Adjourning

Adjourning

Working with a group whose primary focus is to achieve an outcome is the type of group I appreciated being a part of. The team objective was to create a lesson plan for teachers to use when preparing goals and activities for children.  There were five members of the group: parent, teacher, education, disability, and nutrition manager. It was important for us to have a diverse group to be able to get different perspectives of what children need to be successful.

It took a few meetings before we got to the norming and performing stages of this project but once we started communication, listening and made adjustments we reach the ultimate goal creating a workable document. We first had to learn to trust the input of each member and the importance of having the tool encompass the wholistic approach teaching children.

Once we completed the creating the lesson plan we all realized we were in the adjourning stage of the process. Adjourning is the encounter is over and we are going back to our lives before the group began. We were very happy with the finished document and we were excited about sharing the tool with the teaching team for them to beginning using it when preparing lesson for the children.  Through the group accomplished the mission with success we agreed to meet after the lesson plan had be implemented to see if we needed to add or make changes. I truly enjoyed working in this group because we had important assignment that would help teachers’ better plan for each individual child.

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Resolving Conflict

Resolving Conflict

I can remember a disagreement I had in a management meeting about the who is qualified to care for young children when their parent (s) were attending a training or workshop.  One of my colleagues’s stated that we could have high school students that volunteer in our program to care for the children, but as I shared according to Division of Child Development the persons’ have pass a TB skin test and approved through the division of child development. I think we were passionate about our opinions and the discussion became loud and out of order.  I think this approach of communication resulted in not addressing the initial concern and we both let the meeting feeling anger towards one another.

This situation was an example of inappropriately addressed conflict. Both of us had a concern and felt our resolutions were the right one. As early childhood educators we know the rules to follow when we are taking care of the children enrolled in our program. But my colleague felt the issue of caring for children not enrolled did not have to follow the same rules.

I took the time to reflect on what happen in this situation and how I could have handled the way I shared the rules of monitoring children. I noticed my colleague was frustrated about the issue and speaking before she had the opportunity to express her emotions was not the best choice. So to keep situation like this from occurring again I plan to implement some of the principles of nonviolent communication I have learned this week.

I know the communication between us about this situation should have been addressed using the NVC approach. In this week’s lesson we have learned different strategies to express our opinion in an effective nonviolent manner. I think the “Thirdside” strategy approach of learning to listen at the total concern before giving my opinion and advice. I wanted us to be able to collaborate to establish a solution that will ensure our program is following the required rules.  

The other strategy I think would help with better communication would be the 3 R’s theory of respecting and acknowledge my colleague’s opinion and responding in a less closed minded manner will lead to a mutual respect and empower our professional working relationship.

My Communication Style

 

My Communication Style

I was amazed how similar two of the scale scores were on the evaluations after completed by me and two other people. I felt my results were accurate of how I see myself as a communicator verbally, listening and do I have communication anxiety when communicating with others.

I was surprised with the scale scores of the communication anxiety inventory evaluation because my score showed I had mild anxiety when communicating with others but both of the other people scored me to be low anxiety when communicating. There was a fifteen point difference in my results and the other two people. What I found surprising was I have worked with one of the people for about six years and the other person I have only known for five months? When speaking in a large group I sometime feel uneasy if speaking to people I do not know and feel more comfortable in a group of people I have communicated with before.

I want to work on becoming less anxious when communicating with new people. As an educator I meet new children and families every year and sometimes every day. I feel comfortable talking to them face-to-face but when talking to a group such as a parent meeting or in training I experience anxiety. This is a communication skill I will continue to try to improve.

The results of the listening styles profile evaluation were all the same and I agree with the results because  I am a people –oriented person. I agree with the description of a people-oriented person and how I see myself. I am empathic to others feelings, concerns which builds relationships with them but I it tends to interfere with my judgment because I trust people so easily. I like being a people-oriented person in most situations but I think being an action-oriented listener will result in better outcomes when communicating with others.

Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-Cultural Communication

Communicating with culturally diverse people from different races, religions, political affiliations, or sexual orientations can be challenging if you are not comfortable. I can truly say the one challenge I have encounter was when talking with a group of diverse co-workers and the conversation was about political affiliation and President Obama. One of the co-workers was talking how he can be president of the United States when he is not at true American citizen. Then the conversation went to his job performance and what is not during. My immediate responds was anger, hostility, and defensive remarks. But then I had to stop and think everyone has their own opinion about political issues, concerns, and people in leadership roles.

We must remember we are a product of our cultural backgrounds and the traditions and beliefs that have been instilled in us. Sometime we need to reflect on the various aspects of our own cultural identity and examine the positive and negative impact we can have on others opinion and beliefs. To help me improve how I respond to other people’s opinion, remarks or beliefs I will not predict the person behavior to an issue because I have known the person for a period of time.

I will talk to the person about our different views on the topic in a subtle sensitive manner without causing further discomfort between my co-workers. I know I show my feelings through facial expressions and hand gestures so I will difficulty work on changing these actions so when communicating with people from other cultural backgrounds my message will be received in way I intended it to be.

Reference

"Looking at Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures" (pp. 80–81)

Copyright 2010 by Prentice Hall. Reprinted by permission of Prentice Hall via the Copyright Clearance Center

 

Vuckovic, A. (2008). Inter-cultural communication: A foundation of communicative action. Multicultural Education and Technology Journal, 2(1), 47–59.

Copyright 2008 by EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LIMITED. Reprinted by permission of EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LIMITED via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Lesson in nonverbal and verbal Communication

The use of nonverbal communication such as facial expressions, eye contact, body language and gestures can be used to get a message to another person. The message that is trying to be shared with another person can be misleading when communicating using nonverbal communication. For example affect displays which are nonverbal behaviors that convey a person’s feelings, moods and reactions (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009. p.199). I observed this type of behavior watching an episode of “Rosanne”.

I watched the show with the volume off and only watching the actors’ body movements, facial expressions and the eye contact shared between them. The neighbor knocks on the door and Rosanne let her come in. The neighbor was using hand gestures and had a concern look on her face; Rosanne had her arms folded and seem to be telling the girl to say what she needed. After a few more body gestures and Rosanne pointed to the kitchen. They go in and Rosanne beginning to mix hamburger in a bowl, after a few stirs the girl begins to mix the food.

Rosanne daughter Darlene come in to go the refrigerator and other girl comes in the back door with an envelope smiling like she was excited and she showed the girl mixing the hamburger. The girl and Darlene both smiling as they looked at the envelope. Darlene beginning using hand gesture while talking to her mother and beginning to smile and the girl with the tickets was doing the same. After this the girl mixing the food had a sad look on her face and when Rosanne asked her a question she dropped her head.

As the show went on the Darlene and the other girl was in a parking lot talking to two men. Darlene had an upset look on her face while the other girl was hugging and smiling with one of the young men. While at her home her mother, father, aunt and the girl sister was looking out the door and window looking for them. From the facial expression everyone was upset or worried.

Darlene finally shows up at home when Rosanne’s expressions showed she was disciplining Darlene about coming home so late.  

The nonverbal communication in this episode was very understanding for the story line which was subtitled “Good Girl, Bad Girl”. I was able to tell what the show was about by watching without the verbal communication between the characters.

After rewinding the show to watch with the sound on it was great to know this show was easy to follow the plot and the outcome was what I was able to determine by watching without sound. This does not mean that the use of nonverbal communication is as easy to understand as it was watching this show but in most cases to get a good understand the use of both forms of communication will be more effective.

 

Reference

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.

 Roseanne (24 Nov. 1992) Season 5, Episode 10. Good Girls, Bad Girls.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0688790/

“Awesome Communicator”

Communicating is information shared between two or more people that will result in an outcome. Effective communication will lead to better understand and results between parties. Everyone is not effective communicators but my father has that special quality.

He is an awesome communicator when addressing others people’s concerns, issues and success. I have observed him diffusing power conflicts in ways that leave all parties feel their opinions or concerns were valued.

He uses different techniques when communicating such as he makes eye contact, he nods to acknowledge the persons strong point during the conversation and he never folds his arms which can be a sign of disrespect. These are all great qualities but the most effective quality he has is being an active listener and will not interrupt the person’s expressing their thoughts. Once he has the opportunity to speak, he will start the conversation by acknowledging what the person is saying and does not criticize them. He practices open and honest communication when giving his opinion but again not in a way that makes the other person feel respected and important.

 I can say I think my father is an “awesome communicator” and in my work and everyday life environments I am practicing some of the techniques and qualities he possesses.

 

Professional Hopes and Goals

Professional Hopes and Goals

As we come to the end of this course I must say when it comes to diversity, equity and social justice I have gained a new perspective of the challenges, issues and adversities we have encountered at some point in our lives. You all have shared your life experiences and so have I. I think the most important lesson I have learned from all of you is we are survivors and we have grown a stronger determination to make the lives of the children and families we work positive and successful.  My hope is to be the educator that embaces the diversity of families and to be a spokes people for the social justices of children and families.

 There will all ways be some type of “ism” the children, families we work with are faced with but we have a learned positive ways to address and support them through them. It may be as simple as encouraging them to come to their child’s school to share about the family, planning for the growth and development of the children using an anti-bias curriculum and activities that support the difference and the uniqueness of all families are including our very own.

 Thank you all for strengthening and empowering me by your comments on the discussion board and on my blog. I wish you much success in your future endeavors.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I have always been concerned about how to provide quality educational experiences for children and families from different countries. There are many diverse populations of people coming to the United States and the families want their children to get a high quality education. As an educator I have to prepare myself to be able to accomplish this goal. I know before I can achieve this I need to know about the families’ culture, beliefs and traditions.

The family I am focused on preparing for is from the country of Japan. I know from observe the families business ethnics children are kept close and the mother is the dominant educator of teaching and caring for the children.

To prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards the family I would do the following:

1.      Gain general knowledge about the cultural and their ethnicity to have sense of views about behavior, communication and learning styles. I will be careful not place any form of stereotypes.

 

2.      I will research the country’s parenting and discipline styles to ensure I am not disrespecting their families’ traditions. I would schedule a time to meet with the parents to learn about their culture beliefs on the topic.

3.      Research the country’s culture beliefs about education: Before I can provide a quality education I must know what children and families expectations are ways to ensure the transition to our culture is as smooth as possible. I need to know how and what types of curriculum has been implemented in their country and creates ways to a line it with ours programs.

 

4.       The language barrier between the family and I will be a challenge that I would have to work on strategies to help solve so I will be able to effectively communicate with the family. I have used the internet as a means for translating information to go home parents so I would use this resource as a way to communicate with the family.

 

5.      I would prepare my classroom environment to reflect their culture and of other diverse people. I want the family and child to feel we respect and embrace their culture but also we do the same for other cultures.

I hope the changes and preparations I plan to implement will help the family from Japan know we welcome them to our school and are excited about learning about their culture and teaching their children about ours. I want them to feel a sense of peace, support and respect as we embark on the education journey with their children and family.

Personal side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

Personal side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

 When I was young my family and I went to musical event for the community to enjoy good music, food and dancing. My uncle went with us and liked dancing and enjoy a cup of beer with his chicken wings and fries. He is an outgoing and has an active personality. I remember this incident like it was yesterday, he was dancing and accidental tripped on something in the street. I heard a white lady say, “oh my goodness that is ridiculous, he is so drunk he cannot stand up, it is because of their kind I don’t like to come to these events". There was a police officer passing by and heard her remark, he quickly came to my uncle and begin to push him to the sidewalk and saying to him you are about to be arrested for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

My uncle tried to tell the officer he tripped but the officer told him to be quite and my dad try to tell him what happen but it did not change the next action that took place. My uncle was handcuffed and taken off to jail. This was not right and to me it was a form of racial profiling and oppression because of the color of his skin. People of color have experienced these types of stereotyping for years and it seems in order for us to be accepted by the dominant power cultural we have to continuously act a certain way. 

I talked to a friend about the assignment and she told me about the following incident that happens in Ohio. After reading the article I thought back to that day my uncle was discriminated against in a similar situation I had to thank God he was taken off to jail.
There are always reports from the media that relate to the bias, prejudice and oppressive acts people of color experience every day. The society we live in today still treat people that are from other countries, races, gender and cultural background unjustly as they did years ago. This was no different in the news report of an incident that occurred in Ohio on January 20, 2014.

The topic of the report was:  Suit: Cops Left Hispanic Drunk Guy at Taco Bell which gave a detailed description that lead to the death of a 22 year old Hispanic man. The Ohio police received a call and responded to reports of a drunk driver who had pulled over on the side of the road. The officers noticed the man was Hispanic and instead of arresting him they took him to a “Taco Bell” and left him there, the tragedy occurred when the man woke up he started walking possibly back to his car and was killed by a car traveling on the road.

 The prejudice acts of the police officers also resulted in them making racial remarks about the young man Mexican roots and reported that officers were recorded laughing at the man's poor English and suggesting someone at Taco Bell would be able to speak with him. This was an awful stereotyping of the man cultural and race. The other point of this case was the authority’s in Ohio believed the young man was being given a break because he may have not been a legal citizen of th3e United States.

 Though this family will receive monetary imbursement their family member is dead due the racial profiling of law enforcement official that have taken an oath of protecting the safety of all people. Will this type of prejudices ever come to an end and all people can feel that will not be judged on the color of their skin or their cultural backgrounds. The ensure the equality of all people there has to be laws established for people in law enforcement and high authority to follow and if they do not there needs to be stiffer penalties on them. We all have a right to live in a world that is safe fair and without prejudices and unfairness.

 Please read the article: http://www.newser.com/story/181004/suit-cops-left-hispanic-drunk-guy-at-taco-bell.html

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

 The microaggression I read about was an article online Professional Black Women Wrongly Accused of Prostitution event occurred in a New York at a Standard Hotel in Manhattan’s fashionable Meatpacking District. There were three professional African American ladies going to enjoy an evening drink and conversation. They were the only African American ladies in the restaurant.  They were approached at different times by several mean offering to buy them a drink. A security guard approached the group whispered something in the man’s ear and he walked away. Her then approached the ladies and replied to the ladies ‘Come on, ladies. You can buy a drink but you can’t be soliciting (Van Buren, 2014)

 

This is a clear example of racial microaggression because this was clearly discrimination, and stereotyping people for the race by the dominant power culture of the people associated with this establishment. The guard whispering something to one of the men that approached the ladies and him leaving only add fire of discrimination being experience by the three ladies.  The guard accusing them of prostitution and the responds from hotel manager over their treatment, and were met with indifference. They never received an apology but were offered a free meal and champagne. There was no true resolution to this horrible experience for three economical sufficient African American professionals. Situations like this case of racial microaggression has being experienced by people of different cultures for a longtime and until society learn to respect and become an anti-bias society we will have these challenges for time to come.

 You can read this article at: http://latest.com/2014/09/three-professional-black-women-wrongly-accused-prostitution/#!  

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I enjoyed talking with different people to get their thoughts on what is culture and diversity means to them. There were some similarities and there were differences in the responses I received from all three. The definition of culture all reflected what we have learned thus far in the course; live, their beliefs, what they eat, and their religious beliefs.

 One of the friends I talked with considers their family Jehovah Witnesses and they live and practice a different set of rules when it comes to celebrating holidays. They do not engage birthday celebrations, Easter or any other “normal “holiday. They are a very close net group of people that believe in working for their religious kingdom. They did not have any different set of rules when it came to what they eat such as different meats. But that was not so when I talked with a Muslin friend with several children attending public school.

 
Their culture clothing for everyday wears, inside and outside the house; and clothing required in specifically religious contexts. The attire was women and girls wore veils (hijab). The culture has strict rules on what they eat such no pork and some do not eat beef. The family studied the Qur'an (bible) and followed the guidance of the rules within the content of the Qur’an. The family celebrates two major religious observances each year, Ramadan and Hajj, and corresponding holidays connected with each one. During these celebrations the children are excused from school to participate in these events. The third friend I talked with was from Mexico and this was w very interesting conversation.

 I was familiar with the other two culture believes and family values but the beliefs of the Latino family gave me an insight on how to better serve the children from Mexico. I believed that people from Mexico shared the same culture “norms” and were all intertwined but this was far of being true.  My friend is from Mexico some of their culture values and traditions they stress the importance of close extended family relationships, the strict roles of males as respected providers and females as trustworthy abnegate mothers, and the need for children’s absolute obedience in exchange for parental love and protection. They are very religious beliefs are of the Catholic faith. They want their children to have the best education possible and learning English as a second language weighs heavily on the expectations of the children.

When I asked about their thoughts of diversity the answer were very similar they all believed people need to learning about the cultures of other people and respect the difference. They all really stressed the fact they want their children to be aware and respect the beliefs, values and traditions of others, but to never forget about their own families identity values and beliefs. The families understood the importance of knowing the culuture and divserty of other families provide children the richness and values of others. they also are lesrning about the people around them  as discussed in the video ""Culture Diversity".

I was pleased to learn I shared the same ideas the three groups of people I talked with. We need to hold on to our own cultural values and beliefs but be willing to embrace others for whom and what their families are so we can live a true diverse society.

My Family Culture

As I tried to choose the three small items I would take with family and me it was not as easy I people would think. I had to good deep in my soul to decide what those items would be. The three items I finally decide to take:

My family album       

My family album has pictures of my life and the many family’s memories of life together.

My deceased mother recipes

My mother would write her recipes in a notebook as we watched her cook the many wonderful meals we eat.

 



My Bible

My Bible because it was the gift my husband gave me when we got married and I have recorded the births and deaths of people in our families.   

If I were asked why I chose these three items my responds would be:
My family’s life is gathered in the pictures in our album. My parents started the album from the day they wed to the present day. We believe in family celebrating new life when a baby is born and the many family reunions we have had as the family brings food, fun and share memories of our family.

My mother recipes would go with me because going to an unfamiliar country we would want to share foods we are accustom to made with the loving heart and hands of my mother. The recipes were past from my ancestors to my grandmother who then in turned passed the notebook to my mother.

My Bible was a wedding gift from my husband and it has the important date’s record in the front such as our wedding date, our children’s birth and the family members that are  no long with us. It also is the source of my faith and strength. When I feel life is going to be overwhelming I can always go to my Bible to get an uplifting word.  is our source of strengthen and faith in time of trouble.

If I was told I could only keep one of the items this would be difficult because each items is a part of my cultural and represents who I am. I think I would choose the family album because it holds the most precious memories of my life. When I feel I am losing my identity I can always look at the album and empower my social self.  

This assignment helped me reflect on how strong our family bond is and that my family history is the glue that keeps me going and made me the woman I am today.

Daily Support

Support is having people who will help keep you from falling when life challenges come. There are different types of support that help me every day. Spiritual support comes from God who carries me when I am at my lowest and don’t see my way.

 “I live in the faith that there is a Presence and Power greater than I am that nurtures and supports me in ways I could not even imagine. I know that this Presence is All knowing and All Power and is Always right where I am”
― Ernest Holmes

 

There is support from my family that has supported me throughout my life. My strongest support comes from my oldest sister who step in the role as my mother and sister after my mother past. She has encouraged me to go to college and is still walking me through this new chapter in my life of completing my master’s degree.

 “The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn’t the family. If you don’t have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don’t have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said, ‘Love each other or perish’.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie

 

There third support system I have managers, staff and other co-workers. We work together to meet the needs of the families we provide service. Being an administrator and a supervisor I face challenges every day and making decisions can difficult because they can impact the lives of family and children. With the government cuts in non-profit organizations we were faced with   assisting parents that needed before and afterschool care and could not get a voucher or scholarships. The staff and I met and decided to have a fundraiser to create revenue to assist 5 families. The staff is supporting me by continuing with this strategy to help our families. I am so blessed to have staff that share my passion for meeting the needs of our families and willing to go the extra mile when needed.

 

“Life is a wall, you have to climb it by pushing others to climb over and you will be pushed as well. Give a helping hand today.”
― Bernard Kelvin Clive