WHO AM I AS A COMMUNICATOR?

This portrait is called, "The Confident Woman". My desire is to be as confident as the woman in the this portrait.
As I reflect on myself as a Communicator, I see a woman who is a strong communicator. Although, I tend to get very anxious before speaking in public, the adrenaline really kicks in when I speak. I have been told that I have a really unique way of delivering messages. I am very much a people person and I enjoy talking with others while having a good time in the process.

My husband was one of the people I asked to evaluate me as a communicator. His evaluation was very similar to mine in many areas which of course is no surprise to me. However, on the Communications Anxiety Inventory, his perception of me is that I do not experience any anxiety when asked to speak in public. My mentor was the other person I asked to evaluate me as a communicator. Her perception of me as a communicator is that I experience mild anxiety. After giving that perception some thought, she was correct because I share those thoughts with her as my mentor because of the context of our relationship whereas I tend to shut down communication with my husband.

I gained insight about my listening style as a communicator being that I tend to show empathy towards those I communicate with which could possibly cloud my judgment in some ways. This is an area that I feel I need to work on the most. I feel that empathy is necessary in most areas of communication when used in the appropriate context. However, we must be careful not to allow it to cloud our judgment especially when tough decisions need to be made as educators and administrators.

Communication and Culture

The Crayon Box Talked
Wouldn't it be terrible? Wouldn't it be sad?
If just one single color was the color that we had?
If everything was purple? Or red? Or blue? Or green?
If yellow, pink, or orange was all that could be seen?
Can you just imagine how dull world would be
If just one single color was all we got to see?

Communication is like a rainbow, a bag of M&M's, a box of crayons or a bowl of Skittles. It comes in so many colors and flavors. I enjoy looking at a rainbow in the sky and admiring the many different colors after a wonderful rain shower. The many different flavors of M&M's and Skittles entice my taste buds. I enjoy the many colors in a box of crayons because they remind me of the many different cultures and personalities that make up this world. This is the way I feel about communication.

I enjoy talking to people from all walks of life. Learning about the cultures represented around me is very intriguing to me. I must admit that I do communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures than those within my culture. I am very confident in my culture because there are strong similarities and common interests of those within my culture such as the foods we eat, the holidays we celebrate as well as the places we frequent.

When I am communicating with people from a different group or culture, I take a step back in order to take in the many facets of that culture. I enjoy observing their culture and experiencing it from an observer's perspective. I ask questions and participate in their activities as much as possible. I really have no problem being myself in any environment but I am more reserved when within a different culture. As far as my dialect when verbally communicating with others from a different culture, I find myself being very cautious of the words I use and the tone in which I use them. It is very different than talking to those within my culture because I am able to use phrases and certain slang and be easily understood. I am more relaxed when within my own culture but tend to be slightly guarded when interacting with those from other cultures until I get to know them and feel more comfortable around them.

Moreover, I enjoy all people. It does not matter what culture a person is from. we are all just like that box of crayons. We make a statement alone but scream diversity when put together. I enjoy sampling each color as I paint my picture of life.

That Was NOT What I Thought They Said!!

My favorite show...MONK!

This week's Blog assignment was so much fun! I have a long list of recorded shows already on my DVR so I chose to watch an episode of Monk. Now this show is very difficult to watch even with the volume turned up however, when you watch it with the volume turned down, the facial expressions and body language tell one story but when I turned the volume up and watched the show again, the verbal communication changed my perception of the story all together.

The episode I watched was showed a party scene where men and women were having a party. A couple seemed to be having a good conversation from the looks of their facial expressions and body language with the volume turned down, however, when I watched the episode again with they were actually arguing and the woman (to my surprise) was threatening to kill the man. In the end, she was found to be guilty of that murder however, she played the part as the grieving wife throughout the episode. Of course Monk solved the case but even he was deceived throughout most of the episode.

I learned through this exercise that nonverbal cues alone, can lead to misinterpretations of the message someone is trying to send. However, nonverbal cues coupled with verbal communication gives a more clear and effective message to the receiver of the message.

I have found that I pay very close attention to not only what a person is saying but also to the nonverbal messages the person sends when talking to me. Sometimes that is the true message and not so much the words that are coming out of the person's mouth. "Women usually pay more attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues when evaluating their partners and deciding how much of themselves they should reveal to those partners, whereas men attend more to the verbal information alone(O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012)."

Being able to read a person's nonverbal cues is a great tool to use when working in the field of early childhood education because many times a child will not open up to you unless you are able to read their nonverbal cues and ask more open-ended questions that will help the child feel more comfortable about sharing.

Communication is very intriguing and it has been a very interesting journey so far learning about the many different ways to do so both verbally and nonverbally.

My Communication SHE-RO

I must admit that I am super excited about this Communication and Collaboration course. My absolute favorite communicator is Oprah Winfrey. She is simply amazing at anything she puts herself into. I particularly appreciate the fact that the Oprah Winfrey Show gave her a platform from which she was able to impact so many peoples' lives. This influence allowed her to cross racial lines and because of this she is loved by people from all walks of life. Oprah is a Master Communicator and is able the difficult questions in a non-threatening way which provokes the interviewees to be very candid in their answers. I was always amazed how she is able to capture the essence of the subject at hand.

Oprah inspires me to set my sights on a goal and persevere until I accomplish them. I am so encourage by the school she opened in South Africa which is called the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. I am so excited about one day opening a Child Development Center/Youth Activity Center where I will be able to mentor young children and make a difference in my community.

I strive to continue to grow in the area of communication, not only through written communication but also verbal communication with others. I enjoy the art of communication and I enjoy interacting with others in positive ways.

Professional Hopes and Goals-Week 8

The one hope that I hope to have when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is to make them feel welcomed into a new environment. I believe that makes all of the difference in the world when moving from one environment to another so it is my goal to make a child and their family's transition as seamless as possible. Most education systems here in the U.S. are responding to this need by implementing the Common Core Curriculum across the country where no matter where a child moves to across forty-eight of the states, they will encounter very similar learning units so that fewer gaps are encountered in their education.
The one goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to offer more training opportunities addressing diversity issues. I believe that sometimes educators are so enthralled in the four corners of their classrooms, centers and in a way set in their ways of doing things that they become less resistant to changing their views regarding the ever changing world around them. We must become more accepting of others and put forth a "meaningful" effort to impact their lives as they enter a new environment.

To some of the most wonderful colleagues: I am so very thankful for your transparency, candidness and thoughtful comments throughout this course. My life has truly been changed and each one of you share a part of that change. I sincerely thank all of you for being a part of the growth I have experienced throughout this course. I wish all of you the very best in your continued educational journey and I hope our paths will cross again really soon.

To Dr. Tuthill, I would like to thank you for being one of the most amazing professors I have encountered in my educational career. You have allowed me to share some of my innermost feelings which has allowed some of my shortcomings to be recognized and faced head-on and you did it so eloquently. Your kind feedback helped me to grow so much and I can't thank you enough for being a part of that growth. Teaching Diversity is certainly a special gift that you have and I am forever grateful for you. Best wishes to you.

Week 7: Welcoming Families From Around the World

I am a Social Service Worker and the family I have been assigned is from the country of Nigeria. In preparation to serve this family I will do the following five things:
1. Research the country of Nigeria to gain a better understanding of their surface culture so that once I meet with them I can begin to build a relationship with them. Parents are more responsive when there is a common thread on which they can build trust and relationships.
2. Living conditions is very important in the field of social work. So, I must research so that I can better understand their family structure and the way they are accustomed to living in their country so that I help them to compare things within their country and how they relate to things in the United States.
3. Learning words in their native language will also help to put my clients at ease with me and because I have always been interested in learning different languages, I could also ask them to help me with learning different words in their language.
4. Home visit will also help to build a good relationship with my family. This is a small thing that means a lot to families. Taking a few minutes to visit a family within their environment shows that you care and that, in itself, is the foundation for building relationships.
5. Making the family feel comfortable in a new environment is very helpful in easing their transition to a new country. By this I mean sharing information about the local area through magazines, brochures and even maps will help them navigate their new environment.
I hope the five things I have shared will benefit my Nigerian family by helping them gain new insight on their new home as well as gaining a new friend in me. I believe everyone desires to feel a sense of belonging especially when new to a place. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their deep culture as well as teaching them about mine so I believe those common threads will benefit both myself and my clients.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

On of the most profound books pertaining to Biases, Prejudice and Oppression I have read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I can remember reading this book and then going to see the movie was a sense of anger and frustration of how African Americans were treated.

The treatment of African Americans in this book was very degrading. Being referred to as diseased, unintelligent, animal-like beings who were trained to obey the orders of White individuals to cook their food, clean their homes and even raise their children while being paid such a low income they could hardly afford food from day to day for their own families.

There was one particular incident in the book that I felt was really humiliating which was when Ms. Hilly (President of a Woman's Society/Bridge Club)wanted Ms. Skeeter (Editor of the newspaper) to write an article for their newspaper called the "Sanitation Plan" discussing why it was important for all homes to have separate bathrooms for the Help because they felt that Black people were diseased and dirty. Ms. Abilene (Ms. Leefolt's "Help")was present was serving the ladies while this conversation was taking place. The look on her face in the movie matched the way I felt in the pit of my stomach as I read the book. What provokes my feelings are the thoughts that as far back as slavery and even in the minds of some today; Black people are supposed to be so ignorant, dirty and unworthy of being treated equitable however, Black people were trusted to do the cooking, cleaning and even caring for the children of their White Masters. What an oxymoron!

The unwarranted acts of racism, oppression, classism, and intentional microagressions towards the African American race in this book was a tragedy. However, the way the "Help" banned together to collaborate on the book that was published by Ms. Skeeter who went totally against her own race and class of peers was encouraging and I enjoyed watching how the tables were turned when some of their deepest and darkest secrets were revealed because of the people who they deemed "invisible" witnessed more than they thought and was willing to share it all in the end.

Although, society has progressed in many ways, the book The Help is a reminder of why we should all people should be treated equitable. I thought this book was a great example of the racism, classism, sexism, microaggressive behaviors as well as oppression that once existed in our society and although we have made strides over the years, there is still work to be done.

This book is a GREAT read! I recommend reading the book before watching the movie but either way, your life and perspective will certainly be changed all while your are thoroughly entertained.