Who Am I As a Communicator?

The assignment this week brought me great insight on how I view myself and how others viewed me. When I evaluated myself I found out that I my level of anxiety when speaking in front of people was mostly just situational. I realized that I am a good speak and communicator but I do get nervous when speaking in front of large crowds. My co-worker and mother evaluated me and they felt that I did not have anxiety and that I was a great speaker which surprised me. My mother stated that when I do have to speak in front of people she could never tell that I was nervous because I always maintained my composure and completed the task at hand. Through this assessment I also learned that my co-worker, mother and myself were all on the same page and agreed that I was a great listener and that I did not pass judgment on others and allowed them to express themselves freely. The one thing that I learned from O'Hair & Wiemann (2012) was that we cannot stereotype individuals. Stereotyping is just the process of passing opinions and judgments on individuals to simply place them in a category to be generalized.

Communicating With Others Who Are Different From Ourselves

I would like to believe that I communicate with everyone the same across the board but I would be lying to myself if I stated that. I think that I do treat other people who are of a different culture in a different way but I may not be fully aware of it. I have a difficult time communicating with individuals who are deaf because I have a fear that they will misunderstand me and I do not know sign language and I do not want to offend them. There has been occasions where I could have taken a sign language class but always made an excuse of being too busy or feared that if I did learn then someone would call upon for assistance and I would still mess things up. I find myself shying away from these individuals not because of discrimination but the fear of not knowing what to do. Three ways I can overcome this is by simply just taking the sign language class, finding resources to help me communicate with them better, and finally working with other professionals on what ways I can better serve and talking to them about their experiences.

First Impressions

For this assignment I decided to log into my Netflix account and find a TV series that I never viewed before but always heard about and I chose the TV series "The Walking Dead". I never was a person for movies about weird people or zombies but decided to give it a try. In the beginning of one episode a man in a police uniform was riding through an abandoned city on horse in an effort to get somewhere important I assume. When he turned the corner on one of the streets h was greeted by a large amount zombies running towards him. He was soon overrun and knocked off of his horse where he ran to hide underneath an armored tank. As he was shooting at the zombies he had the look of uncertainty on his face and place the gun to his own head. Before he pulled the trigger he found an opening in the armored tank and slipped inside. Inside, he had the look of panic on his face as if he was trying to figure out his next move. At one point he looked at a speaker in the distance with a confused look on his face but I couldn't understand why. On the next episode he escaped the tank and ran towards a building where he was greeted by normal people and he found refuge in side of that building. I decided to stop at this point and go back to the beginning of the show to watch it with sound to see what I could understand.

The man riding on the horse name was Rick and he was a cop in the city of Atlanta before the apocalypse took place. He was in search of his family, who he had been separated from during the apocalypse and decided to ride a horse through Atlanta to find him. The zombies caught up with him and he ran under the armored tank. As he was shooting the zombies he realized that he wasn't going to make it so he said, "Lori and Carl I'm sorry" and almost pulled the trigger before realizing there was a way inside of the tank. Inside of the tank he heard the voice of a man coming from the speaker and that is why he looked so surprised. The man on the speaker name is Glenn and he was assisting Rick with the route to get to the building they were in for safety.

My first impression of this show without the sound was a bit confusing and I felt like the TV series wouldn't be worth watching what so ever but after watching it again and listening it peaked my interest to want to watch more. In the text (OHair & Wiemann,2012) it states, "that just because we place more stock in nonverbal communication doesn't mean that we are always right." This statement was true when I first viewed the show without sound. I made a assumption because of the nonverbal cues that the show would not be interesting because of focused on the body language of the characters. I decided to watch a few more episodes and I think I am hooked, well let's just say that I will be watching once the series starts again in February.

Effective Communication

I am very excited to begin this semester with each of you and being able to have the opportunity to learn something about you as well as something new about myself. Communication is extremely important in everyday life and it is key when working with young children and their families. The one person in my life that I believe has excellent communication skills is my mother. My mother hold a Master's degree in counseling as well as being a LPC. Although she is now retired she still amazes me on how in tune she is with her environment and communicating with other around her. She offers great insight, advice, eye contact, and overall positive feedback when speaking with her. She makes a point to repeat what you have told her in order to make sure that she is understanding you correctly before she begins her response. I believe that she obtained these skills not only through her studies but through her years of experience as an educator before becoming a counselor.

Professional Hopes and Goals

When working with children and families from diverse backgrounds I hope that I can be a welcoming face for them as they enter a new environment. I hope that can look at me as see that I am here to help and assist them in anyway possible and for them to know that regardless of their background and culture, that I understand and respect them. The one goal that I have for early childhood professionals and institutions is that we continue to respect, trust, and support every child and family that we work with. The three elements are needed to foster good relationships not only with these families but in communities as well.

I would like to take this time to thank each of my peers in this course for all your feedback this semester. I have come to learn about each of you in small personal way and I want to wish you the best in your academic future as well as your professional careers. I look forward to working with each of you again in the future.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country of origin that my family will come from is Paraguay. Paraguay is a small country located in South America with a population of approximately 6.5 million. The language of this country is a mixture of Spanish and Guarani' which is recognized as the official language. Majority of its population is Roman Catholic followed by Protestant.

In the United States I have come to realize that we are a huge melting pot of different cultures, religions, values, and beliefs. As a professional I have to comfortable with families who may not speak the same language as I do or have the same belief system. I will become knowledgable about my new family by reading books, researching articles, as well as find resources within in my community in reference to the language. I will also do my best in finding ways for the child as well as the family being able to make a smooth transition into the American culture. I believe by becoming informed about my student's culture I can develop and positive bond with him/her and their family. Positive bonds can help break the stereotype barriers that can be hinder a child's success in education.

Reference
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pa.html

Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

As I reflected on the assignment for this week, I tried to recall a time when I witnessed out right prejudice and oppression and I could not picture a time when I have. I have watched several televsions shows and movies where this type of inequity took place but none that I can say that I personal witness from my own eyes. As I pondered on about this assignment I remembered a book that I enjoyed reading over and over when I was younger and I also was able to watch the movie that was filmed because of the book. " The Color Purple" written by Alice Walker in 1982 was a fictional novel that won the Pulitzer Prize. The story was about an African American women named Celie who grew up unloved by everyone in her world excepet for her sister Nettie. Celie was raped by her stepfather and through these sexual assaults she bore two children who were taken away from her by her stepfather. Celie was sent off to marry a man by the name of Mr___ (his real name Albert is finally known towards the end of the novel) who beats Celie as a way of controlling her. Another character of the story named Sofia is also an African American woman but she is more assertive and demands respect everywhere she goes. Sofia marries Celie's stepson (Harpo) against Mr____ wishes. Harpo feels emasculated in his marriage to Sofia because he does not have the same control over her as his father (Mr____) has over Celie. Harpo tries his father's method of control by beating Sofia and Sofia returns the blows right back to Harpo. After years of violence and 5 children later Sofia leaves her husband. Celie still longing for love has never heard from her sister Nettie because Mr____ refuses to give Celie any of the letters Nettie has written to her, Celie assumes that her sister is dead.  Mr___ reminds Celie that she is black, poor, ugly, a woman, and that she is nothing at all. Sofia comes back into town and is confronted a lady named  Miss Millie. Miss Millie is a White woman who is the wife of the county's mayor and she asked Sofia if she would work for them as their maid. Sofia dismisses the woman's offer by replying "Hell no". The mayor slaps Sofia in the face and calls her an "ungrateful nigger" which lands her in prison for 12 years. Once Sofia is released from prison she is forced to work for Miss Millie as a maid to add more insult to injury.

This novel depicts some of the most clear signs of racism, sexism, and oppression against African  Americans and women. The in era that this story describes women were seen as less than man and completely worthless, except for sexual needs. African Americans  where being called racial names such as gal, boy, and nigger to show that they were considered less than the White race. As I read the novel, I remembered feeling more enraged about how African American men treated their wives than the way that Whites treated Blacks. I felt that African American men understood how it felt to be considered as less than and could not understand why a man would treat his wife in the same manner. The only way for change in all of the events could have occurred would have been if African American men would have given their wives more respect and not beat them or treat them as sexual slaves, housekeepers, and babysitters. White Americans would have to change their way of thinking towards the African American race and begin to view them as human as well. Even though this was a fictional novel I believe it showed the truth when it comes to the history of our world.