"The Competent Communicator"

This week begins the first week in the "EC Communication" course and I am excited to start this journey.  When asked to choose someone who is a competent communicator, I could not help but think of a colleague of mine.  This woman is the parent coordinator / education specialist for our district and she has truly mastered communication.  She has a knack for communicating respectfully, keeping the flow, and dispelling negativity.  She is always prepared and well informed, and when she does not have the answers, she has a flair for explaining that she will work on this and reconvene.  This professional is an asset to our district, and at the close of this course, I aspire to be an effective communicator such as her.

Good luck to all this course!!

Professional Hopes and Goals

As we come to the close of this course, I would like to tell my classmates thank you for all of your valuable feedback and support.  One of the greatest parts of this experience is learning from those in the field and you are all truly a part of this experience.  Best luck in your future endeavors!

The one hope that I have for working with diverse families is that I am a model for others working in the field.  I profess to have an open mind and a caring heart and I act accordingly. I have learned o much about respect and how we should treat and be treated and I just hope that this practice shows in my character.

This hope also directly relates to my goal, as it is quite similar. My goal is to not forget the lessons learned and the stories told, but to embrace them for the betterment of change for myself and all of those I come in contact with.

Farewell and best regards...

Welcoming Families From Around the World

This week we are asked to explain how we would welcome a child and their family from a country we know nothing about.  It is very ironic that this is the blog  task, because I was just informed this past week that I have a new child starting September 2nd from Chile.  I know nothing about Chile except that it is located in South America.

I intend to prepare for this child by researching Chile. This will give me a little insight on what the country is about.  I have found out that their primary language is Spanish.  My classroom is labeled in English and Spanish, and my IA speaks Spanish and I have a little Spanish language skills.  I found trade pictures about  Chile on the internet that I printed out and posted in the classroom.  Additionally, I found 2 children's books on Amazon, that I have ordered.  These children's books are "A Pen Pal For Max" by Gloria and Ted Rand, and "My Name is Gabriela" by Monica Brown and John Parra.

My intention is to help make this family feel as comfortable as possible by preparing a easy transition for their child.  I do not know if the family is coming to NJ because of family, displacement, or other.  I do not know if this move is positive or negative, but I will be welcoming.  I would like to assume that the family is experiencing a positive transition, but I will offer to help them further in any way I can.

   

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I am sure we have all had an incident of bias, prejudice, or oppression.  One scenario which I remember as though it were yesterday happened about 2 years ago.  Being a teacher, and having the summer off, I decided to work at the local supermarket for the summer.  The market is in a suburb of Philadelphia in southern NJ and is comprised of predominantly middle class Caucasian people, many with Italian heritage.  I recall one Saturday morning, this older gentleman coming to the deli for some meats.  One of my co-workers said to him, as he was a "regular",  "Oh Karen is like you Joe, she's a teacher too!".  Joe said that he was a retired high school teacher from Pitman NJ, (another suburb, very "Brady-ish" very old school way Caucasian, known to be stuck in a time of non-conformity and change type of town).  He then went on to say that Pitman had some of the most beautiful girls in the world, but that's beginning to change.  Somewhat puzzled, I asked why the change.  He told me "well, they are allowing the dark ones in.'   He was very nonchalant and comfortable saying this to me, I assume because I am Caucasian, and appeared to be like him.  Completely shocked and very taken aback, I did not know how to respond, but allowed the conversation to continue out of a lack of words for the situation, and the fact that I am professional and do not like to be taken out of character.  He then asked me where and what I teach, and I told him I was a Pre-K teacher for the Camden City School District (Camden is directly across the river from Philadelphia, very urban with a dominant African American and Hispanic culture, high drugs and crime, and happens to be the #1 murder city in the US due to its high numbers and small area).  He looked at me with an astonished look and said "Wow, how do you handle working with the blacks?"  (I feel the need to mention that he was "dead serious" with this question!!!)  At this point I was really peeved and totally disgusted, but my personality is somewhat dry and a little sarcastic so I put on a smile and responded loud enough for many to hear..."I don't mind it really, I am used to being around the "blacks" because my husband is "black".  The man looked at my co-worker (who was almost choking) and said "Is she telling the truth?" and he responded by saying yes.  The man, quite embarrassed and hopefully ashamed of himself, immediately gathered his deli order and walked away.  I just looked at my co-worker and said "Well I am glad he is retired because his narrow minded self is stuck in the 50's and that really is not conducive to being a teacher." and continued working.

This incident diminished equity, because the man assumed that we were equal, and that people, mainly African Americans, are not.  When finding out that I did not think or feel the way he did, he fled the situation and I would assume, looked down upon me or thought me to be sub-standard.

This situation makes me seethe with anger, and what makes it worse is that he is an educator.  This just goes to show that while times may change, some mindsets stay the same.  One would think that a teacher would have an open mind for all people regardless of their diversity, but that is just not the case.  If I had to speculate, he probably did not publicize his feelings in the workplace, but he was obviously open with his feelings now.   (I guess you can put on the game face with out really internalizing the feelings).

This gentleman would have to change (along with a large percentage of the population who still looks at Caucasian as being the superior race, and others are just  second class) for equity purposes.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week, the preschool summer program went to a children's museum for a class trip.  This museum  is located in Philadelphia and attracts many families as well as schools.  My children were exploring in one of the interactive displays, when I overheard a Mom to say to her young children "Lets go and come back back when those kids are gone, we don't associate with those type." I was appalled and really wanted to say "...and what type would that be, young children just like yours, or Hispanic children?"  Clearly I could tell by her body language that she was narrow minded and plain ignorant as she drowned them in hand sanitizer and scurried her children away.  

This is a prime example of microaggressions in our "modern" world.  I get disgusted at the lack of manners and downright evil attitudes that people of 2014 still possess.  We have come along way as far as the -isms of the world, however, we have a long way to go.  I do not understand why we cannot all at least practice respect and at the very least...tolerance.  Just for today I remained mute on my opinion because I was very busy with 15 preschoolers, and the lady should be thankful as I truly wanted to read her the riot act and point out her obvious flaws.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week I spoke with three different individuals about their personal view of culture and diversity.  I spoke with my 15 year old daughter, my friend who is originally from Puerto Rico but relocated to the United States in her middle school years, and a colleague from my school.  My daughter defined culture as your life , food, family, holidays, etc., and diversity as being different than what is normal.  My Latino friend defined culture as being your life and how you live it in relation to others.   Additionally, she defined diversity as being foreign or from a different place than the United States.  Lastly, my school colleague defined culture as the environment in which you live your life and how, including thoughts, actions, religion, traits, and family.  She defined diversity as being multicultural and different than what people think American to be.

All three of the answers touched on the information, however it was quite minimal.  All three explanations did not include abilities , or even language.  All three of my  individuals I interviewed, as well as myself, seem to have an idea about culture and diversity, but can't really find the words to truly articulate the meaning.  My school colleague seemed very cross that when I asked her, she struggled with an answer.  As teachers, we have to take multiculturalism and diversity into consideration when purchasing toys and books, as well as classroom materials.  When discussing this topic with my friend who is Latino, she joked and said she was an example.  I feel that sometimes we consider those who are a definitive example (ie. language, skin complexion, ethnicity, etc) of a different culture, when actually we are all examples of different culture and diversity.  In regards to my daughter, I was also surprised to know that she had a difficult time defining culture and diversity.  I believe that society defines culture and diversity as extreme differences, when we are all examples of diverse individuals (granted, some are more diverse than others, however we are all different in one way or another).  After this exercise, I see that, as an educator, I need to educate my children and students on diversity and differences in order to gain understanding and acceptance.

My Family Culture

This week we are asked to put our-self into a situation where we experience country devastation and evacuation - what three things would you take?

 I would want to take so many precious things.  To pick three items, I would have to pick my family photo album, my memory box of priceless mementos, and my Ipad.  My photo album is full of pictures of my parents, my children, and my family.  My mementos are are memories of the past and events that have shaped my life and who I am.  My Ipad  houses so much information about me, including pictures of my important papers from my life and career (like a computer hard drive - compact).

Considering that this is a completely foreign land I would try and explain by body movements and survival sign language, to the best of my ability (a translator would be wonderful!).

I would be devastated of I had to give up two of my items and just keep one.  If time was not an issue, I would use my Ipad to take pictures of my photos in the album and my mementos, and choose the Ipad.  If there was no time for that to happen, I would have no choice but to keep my photo album, the photos mean so much to me.  I lost my Mother very suddenly right after I graduated from college and I had no chance to say goodbye, all I have are memories and pictures - this is my choice.

This was a very eye opening experience  and very thought provoking.  I hope in my lifetime that nothing such as this scenario comes into play, but if it did, I would need to  be prepared, maybe I should act accordingly?