Wk 8-Thank You!See You At Graduation!

Wow, we're almost there! Here we are in our last class as a group before branching off into our individual specializations. Some of us will continue this journey together, but some will be saying,"so long".

I hope to "see" many of you in my next course. My specialization is Teaching Adults. I have been training preschool teachers for many years now and I have facilitated or taught all of the courses we have had up to this point, but the Communications course was new to me. I have learned and grown in so many ways thanks to this course. I thought I was a great communicator, but I have really examined my communication skills and changed how I communicate with others and how I listen to others. I am also learning to talk to my children in a more collaborative, respectful way. My cultural background taught me that the parent has all of the power and commands respect ("That's why I'm the parent and you're the child" "Do as I say and don't question me"). How's that working? Not great. I am working to build trustful, open, respectful relationships with my children. It's never too late.


I am very grateful for all of the words of encouragement and support that I have received from everyone. We are all different ages and from different backgrounds with different experiences, yet we have been able to support each other and form relationships through cyberspace. I have been inspired by each and every one of you to keep pushing and moving forward. We have all had to deal with the stress and realities of real life while trying to be successful students and keep up with our studies. At times, it has been difficult, but having your words and thoughts have helped support me in many ways. You should see me every Sunday when I open up the new week's assignments. I am at a loss each and every time. "THEY WANT ME TO WRITE ABOUT WHAT? I DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW TO START THIS PAPER! OH, NO, I'M NEVER GOING TO FIGURE THIS OUT!"I am a hot mess! And my daughter just rolls her eyes. "Mom, you say this every week. Month after month. And you still manage to do it. Oh, please!" LOL

I am looking forward to our final project-GRADUATION!
I wish you all good luck and opportunity and I thank you for our time together.
Thank you to Dr. Hampshire for your patience with my questions and anxieties.

Please stay in touch, I'm just an email away-michelle.bronson@waldenu.edu

Good Luck,
Mimi

Week 6-Adjourning

The last team of teachers that I had to leave were very special to me. We knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. We knew how to fill in when one was down and anticipate each other's needs. We didn't take long to make decisions because we were not in competition with one another. Whatever needed to be done, we could come up with ways to get it done. They protected me and I protected them. It is a special kinship when you belong to a high-performing group. The trust and commitment that is established takes time to build. It was a learning process that wasn't perfect, but one that taught us about each other and how to work together as a team.

It is always very hard for me to leave a high-performing group. We become so in sync with each other like pieces to a puzzle. It is especially difficult for me to leave a group of teachers that I have formed trusting relationships with.

The rituals I typically experience in adjourning are usually informal gatherings centered around a meal and gifts; or just warm hugs and well wishes; or team building exercises such as trusting your team to catch you when you fall backwards; and sometimes tears because we know we will not be together again. There is almost always the promise of staying in touch or reconnecting, not wanting that bond to end.

I am looking forward to ending this program. There have been aspects of my life that I have sacrificed for this program and I am ready to return to them. But, I will miss this learning environment with my colleagues. Sharing personal and professional experiences with a group of strangers has definitely taken us out of our comfort zones. Yet, we are not really strangers anymore. We have formed a culture that is built on what we have brought to this program and is made up of all of our personalities and identities. It has been inspiring and encouraging. I have learned and perhaps taught. I have trusted and entrusted. I hope to meet as many of my colleagues at graduation as possible and perhaps we will be able to say good-bye in a celebratory way. Let's PARTY ladies!!

(I was so hoping graduation was going to be in Miami, but I think ours is in Minneapolis).

In answering the question, I am not really sure how I am going to adjourn from this group. I think of us as colleagues and so I hope to leave as colleagues who will continue to network and contact each other whenever needed. I think this is a high-performing group and as Abudi (2010) contends it is likely that we will keep in touch!  

The adjourning stage is important because it provides the opportunity to reflect and to acknowledge the accomplishments of the group (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). This stage also provides the opportunity to open another door into future endeavors, be they work or friendship. It is a way to give closure to the relationships of the group.

Reference

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

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

Week 5-Conflict Resolution

                                                                                                                  

Being a parent of teenagers and young adults can sometimes feel as if I am in a constant power struggle. There are times when I will ask a question or make a comment and the response is completely inaudible or it feels as if I have just disrupted the universe because I dared to ask a question or say something "motherly". The other day my 17 year old (18 today) said something I didn't understand or actually hear. Well, I asked him to repeat it. He did. I still didn't hear what he said. I asked him again and I still didn't understand a word he was saying. We were standing at arm's length apart, so I should have been able to hear every word he said. I asked a third time and his response was, "You know mom, if I have to repeat something for the third time it's no fun. I'm not saying it again." 

Really? (Insert my puzzled face, head cocked to the side, hand on hip here)

(I straightened my body language) I explained to him that if the person he is speaking to can't understand what he is saying, then it doesn't matter whether it is fun for him or not, he's going to have to repeat himself so that he is understood.  I had no idea what he was mumbling and with each response he was mumbling even lower than the previous time and I was becoming frustrated. He left the room mad and then remembered we were going out together, so he came back. Unfortunately, I still needed his answer, so I asked him again to repeat his statement. He repeated it loudly and it was such a simple statement that I couldn't believe how much time was wasted on it. I calmly responded to his statement and then thanked him for speaking up. I thanked him for doing something that should have been natural to him when communicating--speaking clearly, because I felt we needed to have a respectful and pleasant afternoon together. Although I used a challenging strategy by being assertive and having him answer my question, I decided to respond to his statement by being cooperative with a supportive answer to help nurture our relationship and offer a solution that would benefit us both (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).

A second strategy that would have helped would have been to use the 3R's by acknowledging that I expected my son to respond to me in a certain way because of how I was raised and the expectations my parents had of their children. Practicing respectful, reciprocal, and responsive interactions with my son will help us to build a solid, trusting relationship that will last a lifetime and hopefully, with his children as well (Corso, 2007).            

                                                                                            

I would love to hear any advice or words of wisdom from my colleagues in relation to how they have learned to effectively resolve conflict (especially with teenagers and young adults ☺).

References

Corso, R. M. (2007). Practices for enhancing children's social-emotional development and preventing challenging behavior. Gifted Child Today,30(3), 51-56.

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

Week 4: Communication Assessments

I chose my husband and my co-Director to complete the communication assessments. I was really surprised, but pleased to learn that we all assessed my communication skills similarly. I was surprised because I am always looking for ways to improve my communication style and hoping that others perceive my behaviors positively. I was pleased because both my husband and colleague see me as a positive and competent communicator.

The one thing that surprised me the most was that my colleague perceives me as more "business-like" than I see myself. She feels that I am very organized and I like things to be a certain way. I took that as meaning inflexible and serious. She laughed and said I over think things. I do. But, she disagreed with me and stated that I am a very flexible person. She admires how organized and detailed I am and she feels I am very passionate about my work. She told me to take "business-like" in a good way. Okay.

It was insightful to learn how they both responded to the questions based on how I am with them before, during, and after conversations. For my colleague, she thought about how I am with staff and parents and then my reactions to those conversations when I am alone with her in the office. We do a lot of venting with each other. She felt that even when I vent about uncomfortable or unpleasant situations I am always respectful of others. That was really good to hear. My husband thought about how I am sometimes anxious about dealing with difficult people.

It was also insightful to learn that my husband views me as a confident communicator and his score was almost exactly the same as mine. He missed my score by one point on each assessment! I guess he knows me as well as I know myself.

What I learned from these assessments will help me to continue to be supportive, considerate, and respectful. I think the information I have learned from these assessments will help me to consider how I am perceived by others and whether I need to adjust that perception and improve. I strive to improve everyday. It's always a learning process.

Week 3-Communication Strategies

When interacting with others I usually try to present myself in the best possible light. I do customize my communication depending on whom I am speaking to. For instance, I am very courteous and polite when speaking to the elderly and people who I feel have earned a higher level of respect because of their age. There were times when an older person did not deserve a "higher level of respect," but because of how I was raised I still hold my tongue and remain as respectful as possible. When talking with children I am gentle and carefree. I am completely uninhibited and I tend to go with the moment.  When I talk to young people and teenagers I use slang and I am pretty casual unless it is an instance when I have to wear my "grown-up" hat. Then I am serious and more authoritative.

When interacting with college professors I want to be seen as an intellectual colleague. I am very conscious of the "preschool teacher" stereotype and I find myself trying to dispel the myth, so to speak. I have had situations where someone starts out speaking down to me and then their manner changes when they realize I can "keep up" with the conversation on their level. Sad, but true.


Because of my love of other languages and my travels, I use colloquialisms from other countries when speaking with people from places I am familiar with. For instance, I immediately fall into the habit of saying, "yea" at the end of sentences when interacting with friends from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

When interacting with people from various cultures I think I am always aware of my own race and culture and the impression I am making. I am often conflicted: I want to be seen as an individual, but I also want to be seen as a member of a group because I want people to realize that the negative stereotypes can't be applied to every member of the groups to which I belong. So, on the one hand they see me, but on the other hand I am trying to present an entire group of people in a positive manner so I become very conscious of my speech, behavior, dress, appearance, and nonverbal behavior.

I am probably most comfortable in speaking with friends and those I share cultural similarities with. I feel less guarded and I don't worry about being judged. We use slang and common expressions that are relevant to our age group and which reflect a familiarity from having grown up together.

Three strategies I could use for effective communication:
1. Being mindful of my nonverbal behavior and taking time to learn cultural rules and cues.
2. Consider the feelings and thoughts of others and the impact of my actions before I respond to others.
3. Asking questions when I need further understanding and being willing to admit when I don't know the answer.

Week 3-Television Observation

I chose to watch the television program "Mad Men". This is a show I have never watched before. It is set in an advertising agency in New York in the 1960's. I believe late 1960's, but I am not sure.

In this particular episode most of the characters looked really angry or upset when communicating with someone when I had the sound off. Because I didn't have any idea of the storyline or the relationships between the characters, I found myself trying to create a story based on facial expressions, body language, style of dress; and the facial expressions and/or reactions of the characters after being spoken to or yelled at.

Since this show takes place in an advertising agency I was looking for signs to help me discern who was the boss or who had the power. I deduced that those dressed in the expensive looking suits were in power. Those who were more casually dressed I believed to be the employees. I had nothing to go on, other than my schemas from watching similar shows (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012).

I noticed the way the men sat down when talking to each other. They crossed their legs and they always made eye contact. There was something about the way certain characters held their poise that gave me the impression that they were in control and powerful. There was a lot of smoking and drinking at work in this program as well, which made characters seem powerful and in charge. (A definite throwback to another era). I wrongly assumed with the sound off that sitting close or moving closer was a sign of warmth between characters. It wasn't. They were actually threatening each other.

I watched the interactions between men and women and started trying to piece together who was having affairs or had a shady backstory and who was actually married to each other. When I watched with the sound on I was surprised at how well I guessed who was actually having affairs. The facial expressions and body language usually gave it away. What I missed entirely when the sound was off was identifying the ex-wives. Two of the male characters had ex-wives, but when they were speaking to them it looked so amicable and supportive. When I watched with the sound on I was surprised to discover they were actually speaking to their ex-wives. Here was my "aha" moment! My schemas had taught me that television "exes" don't get along. I was used to seeing anger depicted in divorced couples on television. With the sound off I saw compassion and support, so I assumed these women were secretaries, relatives, or possibly secret lovers. I thought back to our reading this week and how schemas can sometimes lead to misinformation or stereotyping (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012, p. 38). I was relying on misinformation from other television relationships.

I will admit that it was difficult watching a show I knew nothing about, with or without sound. I realized that what makes a show interesting is understanding the relationships of the characters and knowing their history or backstory. I realized that relationships are key to communication. As I watched people argue or act hostile towards someone, I didn't know who to cheer for or who to feel sorry for or whom to like or dislike. I also realized that I cannot judge people or make assumptions based on nonverbal communication. If I was watching a conversation from a distance, I am sure I would misjudge the non-verbal behavior to some extent.

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

Competent Communication Wk 1

The person who instantly came to mind when I thought about competent communication was President Barack Obama. I am as far removed from politics as a person can be, yet President Obama manages to capture and hold my attention whenever he is speaking.
What I admire about his communication style is the fact that he is so engaging. He is a very eloquent speaker. He is clear, confident, and charismatic. He has a certain way of controlling words and getting his point across easily.
The presidential debates were an excellent demonstration of his ability to patiently listen and wait for his turn.
He has a certain swagger about him; he remains calm and cool, even when you know he is upset or angry.
What I would like is to have President Obama's confidence, control and charisma. I find myself listening to him even when I totally disagree with him or dislike what he is saying. I would like to be able to remain calm under pressure and maintain control over my temperament during a conversation that starts pushing my buttons.

Wk 8 Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have about working with diverse backgrounds is that I am able to serve all children and families equally. Up to this point, I think I have done a good job supporting children, staff, and families, but I am now more aware of microaggressions and moving forward I want to be mindful of the things I say and do, no matter how small, and the things I hear and see around me. Turning a blind eye or deaf ear to another's microaggression is the same as having committed it myself.

One goal I would set for the early childhood field is to establish teacher and professional training. We need highly trained teachers and professionals to work with children, families, and staff of diverse backgrounds. I think a huge part of understanding diversity is being educated and well-trained in all aspects of anti-bias practice. Teachers are usually afraid or hesitant to work with diverse populations because they don't feel they know enough about it or have been properly trained with the skills necessary to support diverse populations.

As usual, I would like to express heartfelt thanks to all of my colleagues. It was especially great during this course to be reunited with Tina and Nadia, two people who have inspired me and motivated me throughout this program. What is different about this time is there is now mention of the end of the program. We are one course away from veering off into our specializations. I thought grad school was going to be an intense study of just your specialization. I was surprised at the number of courses we had to take before taking a specialization course. However, this has truly been a journey for me. I have learned so much about myself on a personal and professional level.

Thank you to Dr. Schonleber! This has been a very interesting class and you may have been my most challenging professor so far, but I am thankful for all of the hard work.

Thank you to all of my colleagues: Melanie, Victoria, Sha'Keema, Tinka, and Bethany for your inspiration and support. It is hard trying to balance life, work, and school and it has been a difficult road to travel, but I am thankful you are all here with me!

We're on our way to achieving our dream!

           
                                                                  

Wk 7 Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country I have chosen for this assignment is Sri Lanka. My setting is a child care center. Since I don't know anything about Sri Lanka, I have lots to learn about the deep culture of this country.

The five ways in which I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family:

• It's 2013, so of course I begin with the internet. I would do a Google search of Sri Lanka and go to the Sri Lanka Tourism website. I have found this to be an excellent way to learn about a country when I am traveling. Viewing this site can provide me with some basic information about customs, values, heritage,what's respectable in Sri Lanka, and of course, the surface culture.
• I love calling embassies to get information  (It helps that I can just drive to an embassy and pick up information). I would call the Embassy of Sri Lanka and ask for information on family life, values, and how to show respect in Sri Lanka. I would want to learn about gender roles, privilege and oppression, the class system, and how families view education and the role of the teacher.
• I would prepare a "Getting to Know You" packet for the family that would include: information about the center, the curriculum, the community, the children in the program, my biography; a "Family Survey" form that asks questions about the child's family background, name he/she prefers to be addressed by, family traditions, religious background, eating habits-likes and dislikes and allergies, toileting, family discipline and guidance strategies, preferred family contact for emergencies and important matters, child's favorite toys and play habits, family's understanding of play-based learning; and there would also be a form for parents to write down any notes or questions for me to respond to after our initial meeting (In case they are uncomfortable with asking questions face to face).
• If the child does not speak English, I would learn basic words in the child's home language to support his/her needs: bathroom, pee, hungry, eat, food, water, hello, goodbye, can I help, friend, play, and toy.
• I would make sure my classroom is inviting to a new family. I would ensure the child has a cubby, clearly marked with his/her name, to place his/her belongings. I would have an engaging morning circle to welcome the child and include his/her name in songs and stories, etc. I would wait until after meeting the family and getting to know them before adding things to the environment. I would ask if the family would mind having their picture taken and displayed on or in the child's cubby, I would ask for a donation of favorite books or a list of recommended children's books that are familiar to the child, I would ask if there is something they would like to bring in to help the child connect home and school. I have learned that it is better to ask the family what they prefer and need rather than assume my decorating with cultural artifacts would be appreciated. It is important to me to know how the family would like to connect home with school and what they see as their role in their child's education and my role as the educator.

I would hope these preparations would help me to demonstrate my willingness to really get to know and respect this family. I think they would appreciate the effort I have put into trying to learn about their country, who they are, and how to best meet their needs. We would both benefit from having an equitable relationship where we could empower each other as we learn about our differences and similarities. It would also be beneficial to learn something new and develop a new relationship.

Wk 6 The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When I sat down to write this week's entry I knew exactly what I was going to write about. But, my little tweet alert sounded off and within three minutes my entire blog post had changed.

We could discuss any incident involving bias, including those on television, books, movies, etc., and much to my distress, social media had provided me with an immediate illustration of racism, 2013.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, a handsome, 11 year old boy dressed in a traditional Mariachi outfit stood proudly before the San Antonio Spurs v. Miami Heat NBA Game 3 crowd and sang one of the most beautiful renditions of the National Anthem I have ever heard.

A proud native of San Antonio, Texas, young Sebastien de la Cruz sang for his team, his state, and for his country.

Twitter lit up with heated excitement as the racists ranted that the National Anthem was for Americans only! How dare San Antonio allow this Mexican the privilege of singing the anthem. There were even tweets demanding the boy go home. Back where he belonged.

Sebastien has never crossed the Mexican-American border. He was home.

Running counter to the hate, were tweets of love and support. People cheered Sebastien on and spoke of being proud to be a Mexican-American or Hispanic.

In what way did the specific bias diminish equity?
The only thing these people saw was the color of Sebastien's skin. They did not take into account that he is as American as they are and that it is a privilege for anyone to be invited to sing the National Anthem; when did it become a "whites only" song? He was not treated fairly nor justly. He was immediately discriminated against because he is brown, his ethnicity is Hispanic, and his racial identity is Mexican-American. Had those ignorant people taken one minute to listen to his voice they would have realized they were listening to a truly gifted and amazing child, blessed with a big, powerful voice.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?
My first emotion was anger. I am with children all day long, so my primary instinct is to protect children. I have heard so many professional singers screw up that song so many times in my life that finally, someone knew all of the words and actually sang the song. I could not believe that so many adults took the time to stop watching the game and go straight to Twitter to spew hatred on a child.
An 11 year old child.
I remember being 11. I can remember not enjoying taunts, teases, or being laughed at. I can remember not taking criticism well. Yet, this child had to stand in the face of racism and speak out against the hatred of others. And he did so, quite eloquently, I must say.
I also thought about how there is never a shortage of racist incidents. For those who do not live with racism or are unaware that they do, racism is something to hear about on the news or read about online. For those of us who live with racism, we know it to be as common as the sun rising and setting each day. It is a part of our lives and who we are. Nothing surprises or shocks me. I wish something would surprise or shock me. But, no, I have yet to be shocked. Only hurt or saddened that here we are-still.

What or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?
Sebastien de la Cruz appeared on Good Morning America and had one message for the racists who posted on Twitter: "To the people that do have hatred in their hearts, I just want to tell them that they should think before they say things."
The San Antonio Spurs invited Sebastien back on Thursday to sing the anthem again before Game 4.
The opportunity was provided for people to hear how talented and wonderful this child truly is and for the racists to take time and appreciate Sebastien for who he is, not his skin color or their stereotypes of Mexican-Americans.

While Sebastien, the Mayor, and the San Antonio Spurs all changed in some way by presenting a united, positive front, in their reactions to racism, I think we all need to change. Most viewers did not think of hateful remarks as they watched and listened, but how many of us watching him sing truly appreciated his dress as a sign of cultural pride or did we see it more as a Mexican costume?

I didn't notice the outfit too much, but I'll be honest-I immediately noticed the number of Hispanics present and my first thought was, "Oh, yeah, they're in San Antonio". Was I aware that San Antonio is 63% Hispanic? No. I assumed it was a Hispanic majority based on the name-San Antonio.

We all have to change.

Practicing Awareness on Microagressions

Unfortunately, we all probably witness more microaggressions than we realize. Everyone seems to have "good intentions" at someone else's expense.

What I have noticed about the Early Childhood field, is that teachers are very open about their sexual orientation. How their colleagues respond to their sexual orientation is another story. Many people suppress their disagreement with, aversion to, or repulsion of homosexuality. Some do it out of respect, some fear, some because they don't know how to handle such a sensitive topic.

Earlier this week I was talking with two teachers in my office about my son. My son is a personal trainer and body builder and he is quite fit, to put it mildly.
The young ladies were looking at pictures of my son's physique and called a third teacher into the office. The first two young ladies became quite excited and started motioning for the third teacher to hurry and come see.
As the third teacher approached my desk, one of the other ladies commented, "Oh, we've got something for you to see. Look at this eight pack," she yells, pointing at my computer screen. The third teacher looks at the picture and smiles. She looked at me in disbelief. "That's really your son or is that a picture of a model? He's got abs in places I've never seen abs!" One of the other teachers started clapping her hands and high-fives the other teacher. "I knew that would do it. There is no way you can look at a body that hot and not get turned on! We're going to turn you yet!" The other teacher joined in and informed me, "Yea, we've been trying to find guys to hook her up with. We're going to make her forget all about that girlfriend and come back to our side. You can be changed, girl, just watch us." Pointing at the screen, she tells the third teacher, "Look at him. That's what you've been missing."

The third teacher laughed the comments off and remarked, "Well, good luck with that and you don't even know any guys that look like that, not even for yourself." It was a half laugh and half grunt. I am aware that she loves her girlfriend very much and I knew she was bothered by the comments, but apparently she was used to this teasing by her friends. But, was it teasing? To me, it sounded like they were invalidating who she was and her reality was that she was very committed to her girlfriend.

Later that day I called the two teachers back to my office. I asked them whether they frequently teased her like that. They laughed and mentioned it was all in fun, they were just "messing with her". I explained to them that they can't make jokes or comments in the workplace about "changing" a person. I asked them how did they think their comments had really affected her? They admitted they had not considered her feelings. They thought it was funny and it wasn't meant to be personal. How is a person's sexual orientation and sex life not personal? I knew they felt I took it too far and was getting too involved in their "friendly" way of interacting with each other. Perhaps I was, but I saw a look on the other girl's face that also told me that perhaps that so called kidding was one sided and unwelcome.

As a witness to such an exchange, I was taken off guard. I knew they were friends and really liked each other. However, even joking about "changing" someone is a clear indication that deep down, they saw her lifestyle as wrong and in need of fixing or reversing.

I saw it as a teachable moment and I wanted to prevent any further "kidding" like this between friends. I wanted them to honor their relationship by respecting their friend's lifestyle and values. We will not agree with our friends about everything, but we all have the right to make our own decisions about how we live and who we are and that right should be respected.

This experience underscored for me how so-called "innocent" or well-meaning comments can make a person feel as if they are not "normal" because they are different. I don't want any of my staff feeling out of place because of their identities.

I perceive prejudice, discrimination, and/or stereotypes as exclusive and pointless and the outcome is hurt, exclusion, and even feeling traumatized. This experience illustrated for me how you don't just "bounce back" from being discriminated against. You try to figure out how to move on and somehow live with the hurt without allowing the hurt to take over your existence. Discrimination is an indignity. It affects how you feel about yourself. Discrimination results in feelings of shame, hurt, disgust, embarrassment, and even anger.

I watched two little girls coloring with a box of 64 crayons. I love the names of colors nowadays, macaroni and cheese? Wow. As they were coloring, they would say, "Pass me another color" or "give me some more colors". There were 64 colors to choose from. Not once did I hear, "Pass me the different color".

Why can't we think like that? Are we different or just another of many choices?

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I emailed two of my professional acquaintances and I spoke with one of my colleagues at the center.
I asked them each for their definition of culture and diversity. Here is what I learned:

• Culture is what a person believes in and values. As educators, it is important that we respect the beliefs of others and share in their values.
• Culture is a person's traditions, customs, and lifestyle.
• Culture is part of a person's race and how they were raised. It includes their food, clothing, and language.We work with families of different cultures and learn how to respect what they believe and how they live.
• Diversity is the differences in a group of people. Being in a diverse group of people means being with many people from all races and colors.
• Diversity means mixed races and abilities. Classrooms and workplaces are beginning to represent people from all over the world and some people may be handicapped, in wheelchairs, blind, autistic, etc. A diverse population is inclusive.
• Diversity is how we see ourselves and others and all of our differences.

I think that defining diversity proved to be more difficult than defining culture. All three defined diversity as a term used to describe disability or races.
The aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied, which are included in these answers are race, beliefs, values, lifestyle, food, language, clothing, how we see ourselves in the world, and abilities.
 Some of the aspects omitted were gender, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic status.
I think in discussing the definitions with others I really realized how much we only think of surface culture.
I am influenced by these responses to really consider a person's differences and culture on a deeper level, rather than what I can see.I think my work with children and families must involve getting to know people for who they are and how they feel about their place in the world.
Before our readings this week, I had never thought about culture as how we see ourselves in the world.
I am not sure how I see myself in the entire world, but in each part of my world I see myself through my various identities. I want others to see me as a person who cares about others and is willing to help, without being asked.

My Family Culture

OMG! Hardest post EVER! For me this is probably the most challenging assignment I have had yet. I envy my colleagues who are tussling with all of these wonderful objects they have that they just can't decide over which to take and which to leave behind. And I'm looking around and can't pinpoint anything that I cherish that much!

I actually don't like this assignment. I think it is interesting, but I would have preferred it to be about survival instead of culture because I know exactly what I would take for an emergency evacuation. But, that's evacuating here with the infrastructure intact.

The assignment says I will have my immediate family with me. Once I read this, I didn't need anything else. If I had to evacuate, all I would want is my immediate family. Yes, I would hope my extended family is evacuated, but that's another assignment.
So, this became very challenging for me. In reality, all I would need is my family and I would move on. Would I need money? Is the U.S. currency going to be worthless or will I be able to exchange it? Wouldn't I need money to start over? My wants are all the things we have to leave behind.

So I reread the directions, things that I hold dear. Think harder.
I decided the three things I hold dear are:

1. My MacBook. Well, my IPad is smaller. I'll take that.
2. Photos of my husband, children, and dogs in a small album.
3. The small file I keep that contains birth certificates, marriage license, social security cards, and financial documents.

In explaining what these items mean to me: My IPad is the electronic version of life. I can virtually connect and communicate with people from all over the world; my photos would hold my memories of my family that I cherish; the file contains documentation of who we are.

Now, they tell me to give up something and choose. I'll keep my photo album. Although we are all together, I have no way of knowing if we will all survive. I don't know if they use electronics in this new culture. What if I can't take new pictures once we arrive? What if someone becomes ill? I would lose my loved one, but still have pictures to remind me of his/her smile; I could look at him/her everyday and think about all of the things we did when that photo was taken. I can't rely on my memory. I don't even remember what I just ate for breakfast an hour ago! I need the visuals.

What I learned about myself is that I cherish my family more than any of the things I own. What I learned about my family culture is that our truest values are how we care for and about each other. We need each other.

The insight I gained about cultural differences is that there may be differences so significant that you lose some of your social identities and will have to adapt to a new way of living and even thinking. In this assignment, leaving my culture may have meant losing my socioeconomic status, my vocation, my hobbies and interests, maybe my preferred food choices, and possibly some of my beliefs.

I thought about this a little more. I had been thinking of this assignment in the extreme; being forced to evacuate without any knowledge of where I was going. I had this "Gilligan Island"type of vision.
In reality, isn't this what immigrants face when they leave their countries? The American or Western culture is everywhere, but it can be quite different when you adopt a culture while living in your home country from having to adapt to and assimilate into a culture in another country.
                  

When I think of Research...

When I think of research I think of how exhausted I was these past eight weeks. I think of the frustration I felt and the intensity of the level of concentration it took to get me through many of the chapters in the textbook. I remember reading entire paragraphs and then going, "huh????" and then rereading the paragraph and going, "huh????" and rereading the entire paragraph again and thinking, "Okay, I still didn't get any of that, but maybe tomorrow."

I remember when I first started this course and how unsure and uncomfortable I felt. Of all the subjects I did not want to tackle, this was the one I least wanted to tackle. I discovered I was familiar with far more terms than I initially thought. I also found myself drawn to the results of research papers, wanting to discover the statistics and numbers. It was a different approach for me.

There was so much to learn about research from this one course. It was insightful to learn the standards of ethics required in Indigenous research. I have often found research to be quite bias and stereotypical, so I was quite surprised to learn that research should be equitable and fair and there were certain adherences that must be followed when researching indigenous people. I was surprised to learn that researchers should gain the consent of participants in their home language and respect their familial traditions and customs. I honestly don't believe this happens every time. There seems to be so much research out there that lumps groups together. When I read the reports, I often ask myself who did they interview? How did they deduce that "black" people or "hispanic" people are less inclined to do that than white people? Which black or hispanic people did they interview? Where do they go to get their information? I never trust the statistics when it comes to race or socioeconomic status. However, in reading our textbook and other course readings, I found it insightful to learn that there are requirements to guide investigators to avoid biases and produce equitable, fair, and just results.

My ideas about the nature of doing research have not changed. I think it is hard work, which requires a lot of planning and design and experience.

It was helpful for me to learn so much about the various design methods and how to plan which method would be most appropriate for your study. Obviously, I am not experienced enough to truly know how to plan for a study, but I feel I have a better understanding of what to do. In thinking about the nature of a study, it is very involved and detailed: what do I hope to find out?; who do I need to participate in my study?; the setting of my study; whether it would be a quasi-experimental design or true experimental designs; quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods approach; and so much more.

Learning about ethics considerations and the challenges was really helpful for me. Empowering children and respecting their rights is crucial in involving children in research. Prior to this course, I thought only parents would have been consulted. It was good to learn that children are supposed to be respected and protected in research.

It was challenging for me to digest some of the chapters in the text. I would have to read and reread some of the sentences to make sense of it all. Often, it felt like it was too much coming at me at once, but after I would take my time and read over something it became easier to comprehend. It was also challenging to come up with my own reflective question on one of the charts. At 2 o'clock in the morning I really just wanted to answer questions,move on, and go to bed, not try to come up with a question. I had no idea what to reflect on for that particular topic and was surprised at myself when I came up with one. I do know that research is not for me. I still find it to be too time consuming and complex. Perhaps working on a research project with others and while I was not holding down two jobs and tending to a family, would make it seem a little less challenging.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have not changed as a result of this course. I think ECE professionals are among the hardest working, most intelligent, highly-skilled professionals working today.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their insightful questions and comments on the discussion boards and the information they provided through their blogs. I think this group was the smallest I have been in so far, but the information was just as enriching.

Dr. Shephard provided some very useful articles (I am on my third very large binder and this is only my 4th class) to use as resources and some very insightful questions on our assignments. I appreciate the support she gave us during the discussions.

Research Around the World

I selected the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) website to explore. The title of this website alone made me curious enough to check it out.
The link to the research being conducted is http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php


I was surprised to discover the current international research topics are the same as the current research topics here in the U.S.:  Quality child care, Quality Child Services, Sustainability, Cultural and Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), Parent's perception of early childhood needs, Indigenous studies, Parent Collaboration, Parenting enrichment and training of trainers, leadership skills training, and school readiness, etc.


The research is being conducted in Uganda, Ghana, Eritrea, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, and The Gambia.


Two research topics particularly caught my eye: "Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low Income Families" and "Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development". I was completely surprised to see what is usually considered "urban problems" in America are also global issues. However, the urbanization of Uganda is also considered to have detrimental effects on the family structure and children's growth and development.


One study that I really enjoyed and gained some interesting insights and ideas about early childhood, which I think my colleagues may also find noteworthy is "Utilizing Indigenous Stories in the Promotion of Early Childhood Programs" in Uganda. The study explored indigenous storytelling-"myths, legends, tales, tricksters, fables, and other stories" and evaluated the usefulness of these stories for early childhood development (Barabogoza Gamurorwa, 2004). We read stories and share tales with children in our programs as part of curricula, but it is interesting to learn that cultural storytelling is not always perceived as useful in supporting children's development.


Of interest to note concerning my own research simulation topic; the study evaluated the issue of children preferring to watch television and listening to the radio or spending too much time watching television and listening to the radio. Television and media are perceived as being harmful to children's learning and development due to its adult influence such as, violence, language, and pornographic content. Some of the suggestions for reviving storytelling was to put the stories on television and the radio or on CD ROMs; forming radio listening clubs at school and in communities and then discussing the stories; and by putting the stories in comic books and videos (Barabogoza Gamurorwa, 2004).


Indigenous storytelling was seen as a way of offering psychosocial support for children with special needs such as, HIV/AIDS and growing up in civil war. The researcher felt it was essential to include indigenous storytelling in a new learning framework being developed by The Ministry of Education and Sports for preschoolers, to provide a more holistic approach to early childhood development-intellectual, social, moral, spiritual, and emotional components (Barabogoza Gamurorwa, 2004).

There were two stories included in the appendix. The second story seemed to be incomplete. The ending may have been omitted or perhaps I missed the point of the story. The first story was about a lazy frog who did not want to help, but wanted to reap the benefits of others' hard work. It was a similar tale to The Little Red Hen, who did all of the hard work to bake bread and when she was done all of the other animals wanted to help her eat it. Isn't it interesting how tales and stories transcend cultures and countries?

The research being conducted in these African nations underscore the importance of providing effective holistic early childhood education on children's growth and development and overall healthy well-being.

Reference
Barabogoza Gamurorwa, A. (2004). Utilizing indigenous stories in the promotion of early childhood development programs in uganda.  Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/documents/major_projects/Gamurorwa-%20MP%20Final%20-%20UVic%20LP.pdf

Research that benefits children and families-Wk 3

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the body's tissues and organs. Lupus can be a debilitating disease. My sister-in-law was diagnosed at the tender age of seven and she lived her entire life in mild to severe pain. The dresser in her bedroom resembled a small pharmacy. She was on an aggressive high-dose steroid regiment, which was intended to relieve the pain and allow her to function normally. She was obese, had little physical activity, and suffered from skin rashes in addition to the severe joint pain that plagued her for days at a time. She passed away at the age of twenty-five, with her older sister holding one hand, me holding her other hand, and her big brother (my husband) massaging her legs.

My sister-in-law benefited from drug therapy research. At the time, her doctors were using many new and innovative drugs to treat her symptoms. She was able to go to school and enjoy childhood in spite of the pain she was in some days.

I became interested in pediatric lupus because I wanted to learn about the disease that caused my sister-in-law so much pain. The only time she didn't smile was when she was in pain. However, you could count on her face shining brightly and flashing a smile everyday!
I tend to read as much research as I can about Lupus and HIV. After losing two important people to such horrible diseases, I have found working as a volunteer and giving as much of my time as possible, particularly fulfilling and meaningful.

One interesting study that I would like to share is about researchers learning about Reduced Bone Density in Newly Diagnosed Children with Lupus.
Because of the amounts of high-dose steroid treatments, lack of vitamin D, skin rashes, lack of physical activity, and obesity in children with lupus there is an increased risk for osteoporosis.

"The researchers hoped to learn about the prevalence of low bone mineral density, as well as to identify risk factors for its development in a large cohort of newly diagnosed children and adolescents with lupus" (Lupus Foundation, 2013).

The study took place at SickKids Lupus Clinic in Toronto, Canada. 80 children 5 years of age to 18 years old who were newly diagnosed with lupus were studied between December 2001 and 2007.The children underwent bone scans within three months of being diagnosed. They received 80 units a day of vitamin D and 1,000 mg/day of calcium supplementation. Advanced statistics were used to determine a relationship between bone scan measurements and clinical and laboratory measurements (height, weight, blood levels of calcium and biological vitamin D).

Reduced bone density was not impacted by lupus activity or treatment. Reduced bone density measurements were associated with lower body mass index and reduced calcium levels. Reduced hip bone density measurements were associated with lower body mass index.


What was important about this study was that newly diagnosed children were studied to predict long-term osteoporosis. It is largely unknown whether children with lupus grow to reach their genetic degree of bone growth. Due to the results, vitamin D and calcium intake is encouraged in children with lupus and bone mass density is monitored long-term.

There is no cure for lupus and it remains a "mysterious disease". Lupus is a lifelong disease. With research and clinical studies, managing lupus and understanding the effects of medications on symptoms have improved significantly. Children with lupus are living for longer periods of time than any other time in history.

Reference
Lupus foundation. (2013). Reduced bone density in newly diagnosed children with lupus. Retrieved March 23, 2013 from
http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_empty.aspx?articleid=4344&zoneid=76

Wk 1 Issues and Trends

New course blues!
So here we are in our fourth course. We're knocking them down like bowling pins, yet it feels so slow. Maybe it feels slow because two of my friends just finished their Master's and I am kicking myself for not starting when they did.
Well, here we are in Issues and Trends right after a two week break. It was so relaxing not to have to worry about deadlines for two weeks. I think I got way too spoiled and relaxed. All this week I had to keep pushing myself to go to MyWalden and get busy. I guess I'm back.
I have almost all new names in my discussion group this time and so, I do feel without friends this time. However, it is also a great opportunity to connect with different people and learn from other people.
I am looking forward to learning some new tricks and meeting more new friends.