"Start Seeing Diversity Video" Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

These are the two statements I chose to respond to:

How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child

If a parent was biased against a homosexual or transgender, I would inform them that because a person is homosexual or transgender does not mean their child won’t receive a good education. I will go on to explain that each person is unique in his or her own way, and we are an anti-bias center.  I would also inform the parent or family member the educator has a right to employment lf their choice as anyone else.

 

If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children? (Note: if you have not had a personal experience, ask a family member, friend, or colleague)

I have heard all these terms throughout my life. I heard them as a child, but did not really know what they meant until I heard other children and adults speak about it. I remember when I was in high school and this boy was in our class. The children said he was gay because of the way he carried himself and spoke. His voice was real soft and he walked differently than the other males in the class. I said I don’t think he’s gay because he likes girls. The other classmates said he’s just pretending he does so we won’t know he’s gay. I never found out if he was gay or not, it really didn’t matter to me. I always talked to him in class and he was always nice to me.

Adjourning Stage

The last year of college I had the pleasure of working with a team which was a high-performing one. We had minor conflicts but we were able to work them out. This team was unlike the others I worked on. The other teams had members who were studying different majors. This team I was on the last year of college consisted of everyone studying the same major. I don’t know if this made a difference of why this team was more effective than the others, but it was. When we adjourned we were happy and sad. We were happy to finally be finishing and obtaining a degree. We were sad because we knew this would be the last time we would be in the same setting like this and we had sort of became like family. We celebrated by having a party in our last class. We promised to keep in touch, which some of us have. The adjourning stage lets you know that you’ve made it to the end, whether it was successful or not, it’s finally finished.

When it is time to adjourn from my colleagues, I’m sure it will be bittersweet. I haven’t gotten to know any of them personally, but we have formed friendships through discussions and blog assignments. I know I will miss communicating with them on a  weekly basis.

Conflict Strategies

A conflict I recall was with a friend of mine. We were disagreeing on which company I should use to have my tire fixed. The company I wanted to use was less expensive than the company he wanted to use and I’ve used that company before. He said the company he wanted to use did a better job. I said as long as the tire is fixed correctly does it matter who does a better job. He explained to me in more detail why the other company was better. After about 20 minutes we came to a compromise. I decided to try the company he suggested this time. We agreed he would pay half of the cost to have the tire fixed. Half of the costs equaled what I paid at the other company. The company he suggested did do a better job. We were able to compromise and our conflict was resolved in a win-win method.

Although the conflict was minor, it could have escalated into something else. I learned to listen, be open to new ideas, and to not think I have the better solution. My friend was patient while trying to get me to see the bigger picture.

 

Evaluation Blog

As I evaluated myself and my daughter and colleague evaluated me I was surprised at one of the evaluations. The one that surprise me was how my daughter evaluated me on the communication anxiety inventory. Her evaluation suggested I was on a mild level and I felt a bit uneasy in some communication situations. I thought I did well when communicating with anyone. It also stated that communication was something I seemed to not worry about. I do not agree with that. I do worry about how I am conveying information to others, especially children. My evaluation level was moderate which indicated I feel somewhat concerned about numerous communication contexts. I learned I handle verbal aggressiveness wee. This was good to know because I do not want to appear too aggressive when conversing with others, especially children. My listening styles profile stated I was people-oriented which is true. I am empathetic and can sometimes be too trusting. My daughter and colleague scored the same as I on the listening styles profile. Personally and professionally I know there are areas for improvement. I will continue to work on the way others perceive me and how I perceive myself to be. I do not want to be too trusting and it clouds my judgment of others.

Communicating With Diverse Cultures

Growing up I was around people of different cultures. I never paid any attention to how we communicated with one another. As I’ve worked for different child care centers and schools, I’ve come across many different cultures. I communicated with them in a way I think they might understand. We have a lady working at our school who is from Trinidad. I sometimes cannot understand what she is saying, so I always ask her to repeat it until I understand. When I talk to her I talk to her a little slower so she will understand what I am saying. There was one time she was trying to tell me something and I didn’t understand her. I was going to ask her to write it down, but she said that’s okay. I really wanted to know what she was trying to convey to me but I didn’t want to frustrate her.

Three strategies I can use to assist me in communicating with people of other cultures are as follows:

As I interact with them I will also learn from them. I want to ensure each time I communicate with them I understand their culture more.

Listen to them and ask them to clarify, before I respond, if I don’t understand what they are conveying.

Learn patience. It is difficult for them as it is for us. They have to adapt to learning about a new culture just as we have to.

 

Communication Blog (Television) Wk. 2

The show I chose to observe was called Rules of Engagement. In the beginning there were five characters (two women and three men) in a restaurant eating. I thought they were two couples and one guy who were a friend or relative to one of them. As I observed their nonverbal communication, it looked as though they were eating and having fun, because they were smiling. One of the women stood up, kissed one of the men, and then she left. Later in the show the same couples and one friend were at a Christmas Party. All of them appeared to be having fun, except the single friend. What I got from this is he did not have a date, so he was not happy or having fun.

Once I turned the sound on I realized that I was correct that there were two couples and the other guy was a friend. The single friend hangs out with the couples often. The single friend is lonely because he isn’t married or in a relationship. If this had been a show I watched regularly my assumptions would have been correct.

Competent Communication

The person in my life who uses competent communication skills is my daughter. She is only 24 years old, but I have watched her grow into a very intelligent young lady. When she speaks to you she does it in a way that anyone can understand (adult, teenager, child, etc.). She ensures you understand what she is trying to say. She chooses her words carefully.  She will ask you if you understand what she is talking about. My daughter is currently in school for Psychology and the courses that she has taken have even broadened her communication skills.

I would want to model my communication skills after her. Communicating effectively is very important, not just for children and families, but for anyone who you come in contact with. My daughter has experience working with Pre-K children. I often observe how she communicates with her daughter. I have and will continue to use some of her communication techniques to communicate with children.