Team Building and Collaboration

Sometimes dealing with groups is very difficult and other times it is a pure delight.  Friendships are built and professional relationships established.  Some of these aspects make it hard to say good-bye.  I think the hardest teams to leave are the ones with clearly established norms.  I think when you establish a routine with a group of people and you work together towards a common goal it is difficult to adjourn. Some of the closing rituals I have participated in were certificate or celebration ceremonies.  Some closing rituals have been dinner out.  I have no idea how we will adjourn from the colleagues I have worked with in this program.  I guess a lot of well-wishing will take place.  It would be cool if a group skype could be done. 

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

I'm sure that the conflict I will present will be shared by many.  As a stay at home mom, my husband and I are at odds about household chores.  For example, he believes that if I am the person at home, then all household duties fall to me.  I believe that if we live in the same household, then household duties should be shared.  It becomes frustrating, when he will not even load the dishwasher.

I am trying to take everything i am learning and trying to apply it.  It is easier said than done especially when I think I am right and he is wrong.   First, I learned I need to compromise more.  Maybe I need to negotiate with my husband certain duties.  Maybe we just need to be better connected so we can give and receive mutually.

Any advice on how to effectively communicate my desire for equitable distribution of chores?

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Communication

For your blog this week, think about the similarities and differences between how you evaluated yourself as a communicator and how others evaluated you. What is the one thing that surprised you the most? Why? What other insights about communication did you gain this week? Choose at least two to share with others through your blog and consider how each might inform your professional work and personal life.


Well, I found these tests very interesting and the results for some aspects shocking.  My husband and best friend  found that I was a better communicator than I thought I was.  My best friend thought I was a better listener than I thought I was.    I found that interesting.  I don't know if it had to do with gender, or age, (my hubby is younger than I), or the fact that my friend has known me longer.  I was shocked at some of the questions on the exam because I would never think to offend someone because they didn't agree with my way of doing things or my opinion.  

Some things I learned are that others perceive us differently for many reasons. It is our job to try to give the perception we desire.   

Communication

I want to believe that I communicate with everyone in the same way but I think I would by lying to myself.  I believe I am guarded with groups of people I might not have encountered before. 

1) When communicating with Southeast Asian people, a teacher should not touch the child on the head because they believe this gesture has stolen the child's spirit (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010, p. 80).

2) Try to identify something you have in common with someone if you want to communicate effectively.

3) We should be motivated to communicate.  We should be motivated to learn and improve ( Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011, p. 103).

Communication Role Model

I think an example of a person that exemplifies clear communication is Oprah Winfrey.  She has won the heart of the world by being an effective communicator especially because of her ability to listen to others, understand where they are coming from and not be judgmental.  This is something I strive to do in my professional life especially because we deal with so many people from all walks of life.

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 One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is to make them feel welcome and comfortable.  I always tell my families that this school year we will be like family because we will get to know and share so much together.  I will be  a part of their child's lives and they in turn will be a part of my life.  I hope that all the families I deal with will feel that I treat them like family. 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice would be to incorporate cultural studies in an in depth way - not just studying holidays or food but really encompassing the experiences people have, and we can learn some history along the way.  

  

To all my colleagues, I have learned so much from you while we examined our feelings and delved deep into our experiences, both good and bad.  Some of you have shared heart-breaking situations and have truly opened up.  For that, thank you because I learned so much from seeing the world through your eyes.  Hopefully, we can all make a difference where we are but you have all made a difference in me.  Good luck to all of you in your endeavors.

Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have personally experienced bias, and prejudice.  But I am choosing to talk about an incident that my high school friend experienced.  My high school friend,  Naji who is Indian, had a horrible time in high school.  He was small and very thin.  He was constantly teased and picked on especially by a Chinese group that went to another high school but took the same way to the public transit system.  We always walked in groups and would witness the teasing but we ignored it and would keep on walking.  But one day, Naji had to stay late after school, I believe he was tutoring someone in math that day and on his walk to the public transit he encountered this Chinese group.  Unfortunately, they took advantage of the fact that he was alone and they decided to beat him up.  He was beat so badly that they knocked out his front teeth and he had cuts, bruises, and a broken rib.  It was literally a "gang" we were to learn later that had been harassing him.  This "gang" took issue with "Indians" and had decided to make Naji an example of their gang war.  The police had to get involved and they tried to get justice for Naji.  Naji was never the same again.  He became extremely reclusive and wasn't the same person.  He stopped tutoring after school and finished the semester and transferred to another school.  This particular incident diminished equity because it disempowered Naji.  Even though he had the law on his side, he never felt safe.  We felt so bad for Naji.  Justice was never really found for him.  The incident changed him forever and I will never know if he received healing from this incident.  After he left my high school, I never saw him again.  To turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity many things would have to change. I think my high school administration and the other high school administration should have taken more action to prevent these types of incidents.  They should have been more pro-active in trying to implement startegies to open dialogue for different groups.  The schools failed Naji and the students involved in this incident.  Change needs to happen on the local level.