For this week’s blog I was asked to think about how I communicate with different groups and cultures and summarize three strategies to improve my communication skills.  I find myself communicating more effectively.  The reminder of the Platinum Rule made me realize its importance and to use it in my professional and personal life.   

 

1.       I will listen more attentively.  I think I am an overall good listener but that is one of those things that could always be improved.  Sometimes I get ahead of myself and want to respond without listening intently to the other’s complete thought. 

2.       The Platinum Rule is something that I have always been taught growing up.  I try immensely to apply this rule in my daily life, especially in my profession working with children.  I will continue to solidify my efforts with the Platinum rule.  Stopping and thinking about how I would like to be treated in a certain situation will allow me to treat the other how I would like to be treated.

3.       I will try to either ignore or change any stereotypes and prejudices I have.  Having these negative thoughts and attitudes makes communicating with others difficult and uncomfortable.

 

I chose to watch the show How I Met Your Mother.  I have never seen this show before and don't know anything about the characters.  It starts off by a guy holding a ring out while on one knee in front of his friend.  It looks like he was practicing to propose to his girlfriend.  He gets off of his knee and both men look very excited.  The friend (who did not have the ring) walks into the kitchen to his friend and he looks very concerned.  His eyes get big and he puts his head down.  He then calls another friend and is talking a lot with his hands.  It looks like he was yelling.  The friend on the other line is laughing and nodding his head.  Then the two friends meet at a restaurant.  The guy is very jittery and looked disheveled like he is really stressed about something.  His friend is pointing at him like he is lecturing him.  I am trying to figure out why the guy is so anxious and if the other friend is trying to get him to laugh and feel better.  There was a lot of hand gestures and facial expressions showing that he was upset. 

           The person I am choosing to recognize this week is my director at the school I currently work at she.  She is always polite and over all nice.  She speaks to her staff as if they are equals.  She never acts like she is better than us because she is the “boss”.  She listens to what we have to say and answers in an honest yet caring way.  There were times where she has had to correct us for various things but she kindly states why we need to change something.  How she speaks to parents is also something that I learn from.  If she does not know the answer to something she says, “I will figure it out and get back to you as soon as possible”.  Her demeanor is welcoming and friendly.  I definitely would like to model her friendliness and open communication skills.

        One hope I have is that I will get completely over any biases that I have about backgrounds that are different than mine.  I am extremely open-minded and welcoming but I would be lying if I said I ALWAYS accepted everything about everyone I encounter.  I hope I can teach my colleagues to also have an open mind and embrace any culture/background that they work with.  The individuality of others is absolutely amazing and every day I learn something about one of my children or families that I work with.  I learn so much just by speaking with parents and getting to know them and their children.  Others offer different insights and experiences that make me a better and well-rounded teacher. 

          I want to thank my colleagues for respnding to my posts and offering their advice and sharing their experiences.  We all have beautiful hearts for doing what we do every day.  Sometimes it goes unnoticed by others, but for me seeing the happiness of my children and their families is all I need to get me through the day  J

Welcoming Families From Around the World

 

My “family” will be attending the child care I work at.  They just moved here from Italy.  Getting to know about their culture, beliefs, traditions and family life will help them make the transition for their child easier.  They need to feel comfortable in their surroundings and feel welcome.

1.       I will make sure to have things that are part of their culture in the classroom so they fell comfortable and welcome.  It will help to have things that are familiar to them.

2.       I will either speak to or met the family before their child starts at my center.  I want them to know I care about them and want to make it an easier transition for them. 

3.       I will educate myself on their culture and learn about their differences from my culture. 

4.       I would let everyone else in the center know about our new family that is starting.  This will give them some time to forget about any bias or stereotype they may have with this family.  They can also be a part of welcoming the family. 

5.       I would try to learn a little bit of their language.  I know how difficult this would be for me but I would like to know some basic words or phrases I could use with the child in order to try and communicate. 

Blog: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

                I am currently the teacher in a Waddler classroom (my kids are about 9 months-15 months).  I wanted to do something special for the children to give to their parents for Valentine’s Day.  We made a very cute picture that had the children’s footprints on a heart with the saying around it “I love you from the very bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes”.  There is a little girl in the class that is from a Japanese culture.  I was in the room when her father picked her up and took the gift out of her mailbox.  He kind of looked at it and then looked back at us and said “bye” on his way out the door.  I looked at my aid and said, “Do you think he was upset?  He didn’t have an expression and all of the other parents were very excited about the gift.  Do you think that in their culture they don’t do anything with Valentine’s Day?  I really hope he wasn’t offended.”  She responded that she thought he was surprised that his daughter had made something for him and that we had taken the time to do something.  I thought that maybe I should take time to learn about their culture so I do not run into this same type of problem again.    

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

            One microaggression that stood out to me this week was from the scenario about the woman who had a male friend that was gay.  She assumed that he would be good at helping her decorate.  I guess her thoughts about gay men are that they are fabulous at decorating. 

Another microagression that comes to mind is one that happened to myself.  This is something pretty personal that I don’t like to bring up.  I guess some would think my nose is a little larger than it should be.  One night I was at dinner with my friends and a stranger said something about me being Jewish.  I am by no means Jewish at all.  I am Catholic.  His stereotype of Jewish people was that they have big noses.  I found this very offensive and hurtful.  This experience made me realize that stereotypes are not always correct and it is hurtful to assume things about others.