Communication

There are a couple people at work who communicate well.  Not only are they respectful, but when you go to ask them a question or just talk to them in general, they will stop what they are doing and give their full attention.  If they do have work to do, they will stop long enough to let you know, and if it the question is work related, they will help; if not, they make it clear, nicely, that the conversation will have to wait.

One thing I can't stand, whether at work or at home, is trying to talk to someone while they are giving something else their attention.  When you are not fully engaged with the person, then you are not really listening to what they have to say.

This is something I would like to work on.  Although I have eye contact while I'm talking or listening, I know I have to really listen well, really do active listening, so I look forward to practicing that while in this class.

Hopes, Dreams and Goodbye's

One hope I have for working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I give them a sense of belonging.  I want them to feel like they are part of the group, yet they are able to still keep their social identities, which makes them special and diverse to start with.

A goal for the early childhood community in regards to diversity and equity and social justice is to continue to put children's and families needs first.  We can put children and families first without compromising our beliefs, because in the end, we need to treat everyone as Jesus would anyway.  I know this is a challenge but it is one we need to meet.

I have enjoyed working with and watching my classmates grow this semester, and I wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavors!

My Family from Chad

I have to think of 5 ways to prepare myself to be culturally responsive to my family from Chad.  The first thing I would do is conduct some research on the internet and at the library on the country of Chad.    Since there are so many websites, I will need to be careful which ones I really pay attention to. 

Once I have found out about the country, I would then look into finding out about the culture and how families tend to work in Chad.  I would also find out how the family structure works, so when I talk to the family, I will not disrespect anyone.

Once I have educated myself, I will then put pictures up of the country in the classroom, that way the students will also be a little familiar with the country and be more open to the new student.  Once the family arrives, I will then ask to have a meeting with the family in order to get to know them.  I will have a sheet for them to fill out, and if they do not yet speak English, if I am not able to find out the words I need, I will look at getting a translator.  

Educating myself on their culture and their country, and putting pictures around the classroom and talking to the students about Chad will not only help me to feel more comfortable around the family, it will also help to hopefully show the family that I care about them, which will then in turn open more doors of communication.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107403.html

Prejudice

Of course, when I need to come up with an example, my mind goes blank.  I  know I have seen instances where someone has been prejudice against someone because of their color or background, such as Asians or the elderly driving.  I have been with people who constantly mention someone's race or ethnicity when they are telling a story, and it makes me wonder why they had to mention it, because it had nothing to do with the story.

In all these instances, equity was diminished when a situation was based off someone's race rather than just that specific person.  I have caught myself in the past judging someone's actions based off their ethnicity or age.  I am more aware of myself doing that now, especially since I have had my son, so that he doesn't get into those same "habits" of judging.  Now, whenever I hear someone mentioning someone's race or ethnicity when telling a story, instead of listening to the story, I wonder why the person's background was even important, and depending on the person, I will ask them that.

I think in order to turn incidents of this type around into an opportunity of greater equity, first we need to educate that race or ethnicity doesn't matter, and to ask people to try and really get to know somebody before judging, or to watch what they say when they are telling about an things that have happened or that they have seen.