Evaluating Impacts on Professional Pratice

As an educator I would assume that we will all end up dealing with some very difficult points in our lives. Family and work can sometimes bring out some very stressful situations but we learn how to deal with issues and keep moving forward. When outside issues from society present themselves at your front door, how do you react? Family you can chose to ignore or face but society is something totally different. You don't have a personal connection with society like you do with family and work. In my years within my career the most difficult time I had ever faced was when my race and job title was questioned. I am an African American woman with a college degree and I supervise a group of 7 individuals. In my mind 7 is not a huge number but it was the race and sex of the 7 that I was questioned on. I had a relative of a client of mine become offended when he realized what position I held. Now mind you my client is an adult but she is was in need of family support so I asked her if there was someone close to her that she could call on if she needed anything. The next time we met she brought in her relative to meet me that way he could have a face when he heard my name. He was a nice gentleman, well dressed, and educated. To break the ice I informed him where I was originally from and where I went to school. He asked how long I had been with the agency and if I liked my line of work. As the conversation continued I spoke of my title and his faced changed immediately. He stated, "Wait a minute, so you supervise white men?" I was puzzled but answered "Yes I do". Before I could continue he chuckled to himself that he didn't think that I would be able to hold a position like this. When I asked why he thought that way he stated, "No offense I know that you have the educational background but a woman being the boss over a man seems backwards" My client's eyes were wide as she looked at me as if she was so embarassed. I tried not to become upset but I did and I had to excuse myself from the room for a minute.

If a parent would feel this way about you as a teacher than I am sure it would make it difficult to keep a straight face and level head. Children can sense tension and will often respond to situations like their parents or caregivers. If this would happen while working with a child I would more than likely ask the parents to meet for a conference where their concerns can be expressed and I can answer any questions they might have. Prejudice of any kind usually occurs when there is not enough information shared. Although this prejudices won't change over night or through one meeting I would hope to change their perception over the coming weeks.

Observing Communication

I was in Target earlier this week as usual picking up a few things for my house as well as getting a start on Christmas shopping. As I walked down each aisle grabbing what I needed I came across a lady and a young girl. The little girl was sitting in the shopping cart playing with a doll that resembled one of the characters from the Disney movie "Frozen". I could not tell if the lady pushing the cart was her mother but I just assumed it was someone close to the child. As the lady grabbed items off the shelf I noticed that she would address the child by name and then tell her what the item was she was placing in the cart. I did not think much of it at first but then I reflected on the assignment for this week. The child looked as if she was only 2 or 3 but she would try to repeat the name of the item as they went into the basket. I immediately refelected on the articles we read this week and I knew that this lady used her shopping experience as a teachable moment. In the media segment Lisa Kolbeck made a point to address both children by name as well as the animal they wanted to be during action play. Addressing the child by name helped them to understand that they were important to the conversation and what they had to say wanted to be heard. Children will engage in conversation if they know that they are important to what is going on and if there is someone there that will listen.



Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children. Baltimore, MD: Author

Creating Affirming Environments

For my Family Care Home Program I would choose to have it in a setting that looks like a home. I would greet the children every morning at the front door and ask their parents to join in the morning welcome activity. The children would place their items (jackets, change of clothes, etc) in a small cubby with their name. If I child were to become upset or afraid to seperate from the parent I would take that child and parent into the relaxation room. In the media segment Adriana had a room where the child was able to express their feelings and emotions. The child would be able to sit with the childcare worker and calm down on their own or read a book. I would try to imitate this same idea in the relaxation room. If the parent is able to stay around to help their child process the emotions then I would allow the parent and child to sit together while I or the other child care worker to sit next to them in the chair. Once the morning activity is done then I would move on to circle time where the children would be able to listen to a story or song. We would then discuss the activities for the day and the helpers would be named for snack time. Everyday the children names would be rotated in regards to helping for snack time. Parents would be allowed bring one item from home and the child will be able to explain what the item is and why it is important to them and their family.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: 

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

As a human being I believe we all have a right to happiness and we must respect that. In schools we teach about differences in race, culture, traditions, as religions, and I think that we should not exclude sexual orientation. I have come across a few children who have had parents of the same sex and I treated them as I would with any other child. Those who feel that books and material that include gay and lesbian individuals should be aware that at one point African American and Caucasians were not allowed to attend school together and look how much has changed. We have to be able to show children that we all have differences and unique qualities. Sexual orientation does not make us who we are, it is just apart of our lives. Excluding books about gay and lesbian will not make the issue go away because one day they will learn about it.

If a parent told me that they did want their child being taught by someone who self reported being homosexual I would explain that the teacher is only their to educate their child and not to push his beliefs of sexual orientation on them. He or she is certified in educating young children and that the parent is more than welcome to observe their child's interaction with that teacher if they still feel uncomfortable.

Adjourning

Adjourning is the final stage of team development and it is when the group has come to a completion point in their project. Sometimes it can be difficult to say good-bye especially when you have formed a bond with the people you are working with and the process of developing and completing the project was an overall positive experience. I often find that when I go to training I develop and close connection to those who I am working with. At trainings I tend to sit with people with whom I have never met or the training instructors have placed in that particular group before the sessions begin. I went to a conference last July on cultural competency and I was paired with a woman from Atlanta who had similar viewpoints on cultural competency as I did. The conference consisted of many teach back moments where we were required to roll play scenarios on how best to handle different cultural dilemmas. I enjoyed working with the young woman and since that conference we have kept in contact through email from time to time and she has recently graduated with her master's degree. Saying good-bye in this situation was not too difficult because we had exchanged email address in order to keep in contact with one another.

Dealing With Conflict

This assignment touched home for, especially with this weekend. My husband and I have a 7 week old baby and we are still working on a sleeping schedule for him. Every week it gets a little bit better but it is still a process none the less. Well my husband believes that it is my responsibility to get up in the middle of the night (sometimes 2 or 4AM) to feed him because he does not (I quote) "feel like getting up". Well I told him sometimes I don't either but he is OUR child and we share the responsibilities as parents. Of course a huge argument broke out and he stressed how he didn't see a problem with it and I should be more understanding to his needs and I had the same argument with him. Finally after a screaming match for about an 1/2 hour I decided to walk away. All day Saturday I did not speak to him because I felt hurt that he could not be understanding to my needs. I felt that we both worked a full time job and I am in school as well as being a new mother. On Sunday my husband sat down with me and apologized for his comments and stated that he wanted to come to some type of agreement. We decided that after work he would allow me some time to complete my school work while he tends to our son. We are agreed that I would go to bed around 8pm and get around 5 hours of sleep before our son wakes up for his night feeding. My husband sits up with him until 11 or 12pm and puts him to bed and he sleeps until 6am so that he can go to work in the morning. We tried our new schedule out last night and I admit that I woke up this morning rested because I was able to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. By sitting down and having a honest conversation we were able to develop a strategy where both of our needs were met. I am glad this worked out because I am expecting my Valentine's gift this Friday lol.

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.