Final Blog

It has been a great year!  Many of us have shared previous courses and have been apart of this journey together!  I wish you ALL well as we transition to our specializations.

I have decided to enroll in the new tempo program and hopefully complete the program by the end of the summer.  It is self-paced.  

No blogs.  No discussions post.  I will be studying administration, management and leadership.

It has been very informative to read others view points as well as 

learn about programming form different parts of the country.

I have also very much enjoyed sharing my knowledge

especially with my work on the reservation.

Good luck as you continue your education.

Thank you for supporting children and families.  

Building Trust

In my career I haven't had many "projects" that I have been apart of.  Many positions in the beginning of my career as a home-visitor I worked alone with my case-loads.  Then I moved into supervising supervisors and really have been more directive in my roles.

The hardest group (position) I ever experienced was when I resigned at Group Health.  I had been a child birth educator with them for 12 years.  I was leaving a position, a family and a population that I loved serving.  I had been their child birth educator for teens.  For many, many years I was the only educator in the Puget Sound area that served only teens.  It was a difficult decision but since I was moving to Arizona I didn't have much choice.  I cried as I informed my supervisor.  We had a good-bye lunch in which they gave me very nice gifts.  On my last day I taught a class and slipped out the back door.  I hate good-byes.  My position was now over.  I have stayed in contact with all the staff that I worked with over these last few years.  For the first year they still relied on me to provide them with information for pregnant moms as they did not replace my position.  I consider them family and will always have a connection.

I haven't formed a group of colleagues while working on my master's degree.  I have a friendship with one individual who is no longer in the cohort.  She and I were each others support system during the first few classes.  I imagine I will finish the degree and there will not be any need for adjourning for me.

Wrapping things up when apart of a group is essential so that you can discuss what was successful and what things could have made the project better if there was a next time (Abudi, 2010).

 Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Conflict Resolution

Recently, a friend of mine purchased a new car.  I didn't agree with his actions as he always makes bad financial decisions.  I have tried to advice and guide him but yet he does what he wants to do regardless of the circumstances he gets himself into. During the recent conversation I decided to just respect the decision he had made and give feedback to support him with this car purchase.  Two days later he was having buyer’s remorse and I responded to him in a positive manner although my thought process was “I told you so”.  I have decided that the relationship is more to be valued than me continuing to state how I feel about his decisions.  At the end of the day they are his decisions and he is the one that has to continue to face them until he is ready to be financially stable.  I can respect him but it doesn't mean I have to agree with him.  Yesterday, we were talking and he noticed that I was not commenting.  I was providing eye contact, nodding and he said I would simply state I understand.  That kept an argument from stirring over something that really doesn't matter in day but I was able to listen to him vent about his circumstances.  It’s too easy to disagree with someone.  It’s too easy to say if you had listened to me you wouldn't be in the circumstance.  Yet, at the same time it is not respectful and a way to further build a relationship if you are putting your friends down.  Instead I will choose to listen and watch.  People at times have to learn the hard way.  

Who Am I as a Communicator?

I had one of my home-visitors complete the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (Rubin, Rubin, Graham, Perse, & Seibold, 2009) and the Communication Anxiety Inventory (Rubin, Palmgreen, & Sypher,  2009).  Both of our scoring was pretty much the same on both the scale and inventory.  In Communication Anxiety I scored mild and on the Verbal Aggressive Scale I was significant.  Kim stated that the Verbal Aggressive that it was hard to complete because she knows that I am not aggressive at work but I have my personal thoughts that I will share in confidence when alone.  I am not aggressive unless it is something that I strongly stand for but rarely cross the line in a professional environment.  The scale states that “with little provocation you might cross the line” and “involves personal attacks” (Laureate Education, n.d.).  This is not accurate to me by any means therefore I don’t agree with the rating scale and neither did Kim.  Now outside of work I am very blunt and very honest but I still never attack anyone. 

One of the major insights I gained this week was from reading the discussion post.  I am shocked that many colleagues stated that they don’t make judgments and were unable to answer the questions about the ladies picture.  We all have personal schema's and perceptions based upon looking at a person. O’Hair and Wiemann (2012) illustrate this with the example of the outward appearance of Susan Boyle in her audition of Britain’s Got Talent.  The audience and the judges facial features changed after she began to sing and they were enlightened with joy from her performance (O’Hair and Wiemann, 2012).    I feel it is ok to admit we have these schema's and judgments of others.  If we fail to admit them then we lack the ability to self-reflect upon our actions.  It is really just human nature.  We look at someone, we make-up schema’s, and we make judgments based upon our initial observations.

Mindlessness with my position was my other insight.  Often times I am just on auto-pilot when completing certain tasks and with my communication when in certain situations.  I just tune out and am passively answering questions especially if it’s a question I know that someone else should know (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  I know I do that at home as well with my daughter.  I tend to not focus and just nod my head or give some kind of non-verbal response. 

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Communication and Culture

In early childhood education we as professionals are looking to serve children and families.  I believe the Platinum Rule should be number one when we think about our communication strategies with families.  It serves for us to think of how the family or parent will feel with each statement.  Its makes them the true focus of our work.  

I have gained insight that it’s very valuable to do a continued self–reflection on our bias and communication skills so that we don’t have cultural myopia when working children and families from other cultures.  “Individuals who fail to consider other cultural perspectives are said to suffer from cultural myopia, a form of nearsightedness grounded in the belief that one’s own culture is appropriate and relevant in all situations and to all people” (O’Hair, Wiemann, 2012, p. 45). 

Communication accommodation theory suggests that all people adapt their behavior to others to some extent.  Those who adapt to others appropriately and sensitively are more likely to experience more positive communication" (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011, p. 112). With working with a varied diverse group of children and families we need to learn how to be adaptive in our communication skills.  Being aware of non-verbal communication, body language, facial expression can assist us with knowing if a family is understanding what is being communicated or if they are frustrated.  We can adjust our tones, slow down our speech and allow for processing time.  

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. . New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Communication Skills

I watched the show American Crime that airs on ABC on Thursday nights (Ridley, 2015).

In the beginning of the episode a man is awaken by a phone call what appears to be in the middle of the night because he was in bed and the room was dark.  When the camera displayed his face after hanging up the phone the man appeared to be distraught.  The next scene is at the airport and is greeted by several police officers.  They take him to what looks like a morgue and he is viewing something from behind the glass.  He then goes in to a bathroom and is breaking down.  He is crying.  His body is lunging over in a fetal-like position while clutching his hands to his head.

Second scene is occurring at a club. A girl goes into the bathroom in which she gets attacked by another girl.  Her body is on the floor in a fetal-like position as the other woman is kicking and punching her.  She appears in pain and you can witness the blood on her head and her face.  A man walks into the bathroom and finds her all beat up.  He takes he what I assume is home and is bathing her gently.  She is smiling and he is washing off the blood and her hair.  Next scene they look like they are desperately looking around their place for something while arguing.  They look like they are drug addicts.  After arguing the man takes the woman and hugs her.  The wall in the bedroom is covered in pictures of different bi-racial couples that display happiness. 

I had assumed that the man was viewing a body.  It turns out he was viewing the body of his son that had been murdered.  He was showing anguish after viewing the body.  His body language was imperative of the sounds he was making with his body language.  Later in the show he told his ex-wife that their son had been murdered and she displayed her emotions in a very different manner.  She was more astounded and disconcerted (O’Hair & Dixon, 2011).  Her verbal communication was firm and she wanted answers from the police versus allowing herself to grieve. 

The second scene I was correct by being presumptuous and stereotyping this couple as being drug addicts.  They were looking around their room for a bag of drugs that had been stolen at the club were the girl was attacked.  What you could see was that the man with his physical actions did display both empathy and sympathy while caring for her in the bathtub and after the argument that they had.  He sat with her gently while in the background you could see the pictures that are a vision of how they would like their lives to be. 

I believe if I continue to watch this series that I would be more correct in my assumptions of what is going to happen based upon being able to identify more with the characters.  You attain a sense of how their personalities are in the initial episode and how they display their feelings through their body language.  Once watching the episode with the volume turned on you can put the body language together with their communication styles.

O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G. W., & Dixon, L. D. (2011). Strategic communication in business and the professions. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Ridley, J. (Writer). (2015).  Episode One [Television series episode].  Mc Donald, M. & Ridley, J., American Crime,  Austin, Texas: ABC Studios

Effective Communication

When I first read the assignment the first person that came to mind was Trent Shelton.  I read his post throughout the week and I share them on Facebook.  They are inspiring for just about anyone.  He does video post most of the time on Facebook.  I share them because there are so many individuals going through issues silently and simply need someone, anyone to let them know its going to be OK. Many times the messages I think have been made to help me get through a particular bad day.  He's words are REAL and the issues he discusses in his videos are real.  His communication style is heartfelt. He discusses relationships and what they are to give us.

I have worked with many families and often times we have to change the way we communicate to suit their needs.  Trent is compassionate and it is heard in his tone and the words he utilizes.  I would like to inspire hope in the families lives that I enter.  I hope to leave with them feeling respected, heard, valued and touched by presence.  Although I have not met Trent, I have been touched by the reality statements that he makes.  It is my belief that he was place on earth to save someone's life.

This was a post this week that I shared on Facebook.  

Professional Hopes and Goal

Colleagues,

Thank you for your professional feedback this last 8 weeks.  I look forward to attending these last final classes with you all.  I wish you well in your journey in education and making a difference in the lives of children and families.  I need a new colleague to share this journey with and support and be a sounding board since my buddy is taking a break.  Please reach out to me!


Kathy,

I am sad our education journey has come to an end!  I have appreciate your support, guidance and friendship this past year.  You are truly making a difference and I am so glad that you "get it"!


Dr. Parrish,

You are the best professor that I have had in this past year.  You have challenged me to think out of the box and to really do a self-reflection to improve the quality of work that I provide to children and families.  I greatly hope that the knowledge I have gained will continue to enhance my work and myself.  I didn't think that I could really "learn" anything more about diversity after 20 some years of taking continuing education.  I learned most about myself and how I had been affected but never acknowledged it.  Thank you for providing honest feedback in the discussion post and the applications.  As I told you before other professors don't bother and therefore I didn't learn a thing.

Nikki

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Sierra Leone

I would need to become familiar with the history of Sierra Leone and the region in Africa in which it lies.  There has been a decade long civil-war and the family is more than likely impacted.  The children may be impacted as well due to the devastation that has occurred in the region even if they were not born when the was going on.  Knowing what language the family speaks will be important to know if there will need to be an interpreter present to complete enrollment paper work and to get to know the family.  Researching what life is like in this region: malnutrition, sexual violence, Ebola, death.

Having knowledge about the country the family is transitioning from will help me to build rapport with the family.  Background information will help to lead conversations about their child’s experiences and what hope and visions they may have for their child in a different environment.   I would be more sensitive to discussions I have with the family.  In the classroom I would be able to note key observations about how the child reacts in situations with other children and at meal-time if they previously have been malnourished.  Referrals could be made to assist the family with any needs they may have.

Unicef. (n.d.).  Sierra Leone: At a Glance.  Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sierraleone.html

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

My best friend was a survivor from hurricane Katrina.  Over the past 8 years I have seen on-going how it has affected his life.  I asked him to answer the questions posed for this week’s blog.  The response from the government for the families that were involved in hurricane Katrina was more oppression given to people of color and lower income families.  I believe with my heart and soul had this or any other devastating weather event occurred in a predominately white population there would have been no hesitation for emergency assistance.  The response was utterly inhuman in my eyes. I am reminded by the effects that this hurricane has on my friend because of things he does and things that he says.  His way of life is different than mine or yours.  We don’t think about planning for such an event and living our lives as if a catastrophic event may happen in the next 5 minutes. Sleeping bags, emergency food, extra clothes, water, blankets all are contained in his truck.  Cargo on top loaded with other stuff.  When I first saw all this stuff I didn’t understand.  Why would anyone keep that much stuff in their vehicle?  Over the years I have gained a greater understanding and hence a bitterness I hold in my heart because of the effect it has on him.  His answers below just barely touch the oppression he saw and felt.  His children were with him.  The knee high water he had to trek through to get to safety.  Although, he was clearly not safe. In this case the government was to blame.  They knew the issues that needed to be repaired with the levies. Because it was a black community it was not a priority.  The government responded slowly as well because who cares about poor black people?  That was the oppressive message that was sent. 

Can something be diminished if it was there to begin with?  What has to be understood about Katrina or any catastrophic event that bring to light an accepted norm of economic oppression of an ethnicity is now there's a camera broadcasting it.  With that being said, it has to be understood that for many people during Katrina the only thing that changed in their lives was the storm.  Being poor or "kept" by assistance being handed out by the government was a way of life, an accepted means to an end.  Or a better way for me to put this would be, does a child know he or she is poor?  The answer in most cases is no, it’s not until it's pointed out that they come to understand that they are.  It has to be understood that New Orleans (proper) is a majority ethnic city (black).  There are dividing lines such as, Uptown, The Garden District, and of course the French quarter is European held areas of the city. For me the only thing Katrina showed was a life of how the majority of black people lived in New Orleans.  Poor and not truly owning anything, uneducated and not looking or willing to reach higher and further to be successful, black men entrenched in a cage and feeding on itself. 

I have a dislike for how good black people were stereotyped as all being thugs, crooks, shoplifters, and ignorant. Which isn't true, there were a lot of good people that lost everything they called their own.  There were a lot of good people that died because they truly couldn't leave.  It's easy to say, they should have just left, if you don't have the means, you have no where to go.  Lastly, I'm bitter because it could be implied that the city didn't matter, excluding the French-Quarter, Canal Street, and St. Charles Ave.  Areas that aren't owned by those that built and supported the city on their backs.

Oppression, I don't believe I felt any while I was there, because I wasn't from there.  I wasn't the norm, I reached higher and further, I knew that I was poor and had been hungry and I didn't and don't like it.

D. Smith, Personal Communication, February 13, 2015.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week I have observed a mass amount of microaggression towards Marshawn ynch who is a running back for the Seattle Seahawks.  Marshawn Lynch clearly avoids the media and this week to avoid being fined he showed up for Media day and stated "I am here so I won't get fined" (ESPN, 2015).  I had friends that posted it’s him why they hate the Seahawks.  I read responses that he is a loser, a weirdo, a jackhole, he talks like an idiot, and hes's hood!  This picture has been floating around Facebook.  This displays a once true character of being ignorant.  The man is paid to play foot and he is one of the best running back out there.

This was my response to the post "It's a form of microaggresion (look the word up) the ignorance that he is a jackhole, loser, idiot cause he speaks differently than those of you who consider yourself apart of the dominant culture. What is hood? That is a judgment based on classism. At the end of the day he makes more money than any of you could possibly dream on. It's ignorant to say it's best he not speak. Why should he be judged because he grew up in a a different environment? Unfortunately this is a society that has been built on the enslavement, internment, taking land from others and trail of terrors. It's subtle unintentional and well intended assaults that damage people's self-esteem. He doesn't need you or anyone else informing him of his difference. He wakes up each and every day knowing. Let the man play ball. That's what he's good at and that's what people break their banks to watch him do. If Garth Brooks didn't wanna give interviews no one would give a *%#$ (edited for professional purposes.  LOL)!!!

I am angry that people just can't stop being judgmental of others.  Every day in the media there is judgement about someone especially our President and his family.  It infuriates me.  It makes me sick often times.  At times it cause me to be racist and say mean things back and group a group of those that are causing microaggressions.  Its an experience that I don't want to have to relive and relive because of stupidity and the lack of those claiming "I didn't know".  I face the fact that although .  Dr. Martin Luther King stated "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” it will never be a reality (Nobleprize.org, 2015). 

ESPN. (2015).  Lynch: I am here so I won't get Fined.  Retrieved January 28, 2015, from http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/12237417/marshawn-lynch-seattle-seahawks-uses-same-answer-repetition-super-bowl-media-day-here-get-fined

Nobelprize.org. (2015).  I have a Dream.  Retrieved January 28, 2015, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-wall.html

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Culture is the customs and social norms of people or a community.

Diversity reflects the percentage and ethnic makeup of participants in a group, organization or community.  





My definition of culture is one's traditions, beliefs and values.  What a community practices and how they live.  For me its the value of education, responsibility, a good work ethic and Christianity.  

Diversity is acknowledging and embracing differences.  For me it's accepting and liking that a community is stronger and better with diversity. If everyone is the same you lose creativity and individuality.  



Culture is a way of living that is nourished by the environment that people live in.  Culture can involve unwritten or written policies.  For example there can be a west or east coast culture.  Culture isn't always particular to race as many people think.  Advertising and media has adopted a hip/hop and urban culture.

Diversity is a mixture of differences based on certain factors such as race, religion, gender, ect. Diversity isn't changed by the environment.  It helps enrich it.  




There are so many definitions of what is perceived to be culture and what is diversity.  I feel that the responses I received were all correct.  I appreciate the statement that said diversity is to embrace.  So many times I have seen the word "tolerate" when reading about diversity.  Tolerate means to accept something that you may not like.  It has negative connotations.  Embracing is learning about one another and sharing in the same process.  

No one stated that each family has their own individual culture and I feel that is very important when working with families as no two families are alike.  This past week my daughter asked me if all black people like watermelon.  I asked her if she likes watermelon.  She stated no.  I asked her if she was black and she said yes.  I asked her if I buy watermelon she said no.  Well Cailin, there is your answer.  She then proceeded to tell me she has watched a video on The Vine and it was portraying stereotypes based on race and what people eat.  This was an educational opportunity to share with her about stereotypes and how you can not believe what you see in the media.  I also shared that this type of media is not nice.  This class has really opened discussions that I am having with my daughter.  In  one of the definitions above for culture it stated the media has really opened a new culture.  Its so very much true as it has a direct influence on children and adults.  

I also really like the statement that diversity enriches the environment.  Imagine everyone being the same???  A environment in which differences are valued truly makes a difference,  Everyone is able to bring their unique and individual differences and share with one another.  Each one of my staff is very different.  They each bring a diverse amount of knowledge and skills to make our team.  It works because they are able to share their knowledge and problem solve to help families become more successful.