Cultural Diversity

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

Yes, I do find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures I am more comfortable communicating with my family and friends where I used slang and speak in a more relaxed casual tone. When I am communicating with different groups and cultures I speak in a more professional tone and try to be aware of the cultural differences so that I do not offend anyone.

 

Based on what I have learned this week three strategies I could use to help me communicate more effectively with people from different groups and culture would be to try to withhold judgment long enough to gain a deeper understanding than first impressions allows, by doing this it allows me a chance to understand what is actually expected of me as well the what I am expected to offer my students and their families. Next applying appropriate emotions when communicating try to provide a welcoming and inviting pose being sensitive to the issues and needs of the community. Lastly recognizing that unwritten cultural rules of nonverbal communication takes time and patience.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

• "Understanding and Appreciating Cultural Differences" (pp. 36–38)

Communication! (Friend's television show)

(Sound turned off)

What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?


Having the sound turned if I thought the characters' relationships were friendly in different scene within the show I saw them smiling, laughing and comforting one of the characters who I assume was going through a break up.




What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

Based on the nonverbal behavior I observed one character seemed sad and/ or depressed, while the other characters seemed concerned and tried to comfort the sad character. 






(Sound turned on)


What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?


The characters' relationship based on how they are communicating I think have been friends for quite some time. The characters are comfortable with each and a lot of time together. One character is going through a break up several characters make light of the situation through sarcasm and jokes. 


What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?


Based my observation the feelings and expression of the character show that the cast is familiar with one another they do not mind expressing their emotions to one another.

Professional Hopes and Goals

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse background my hope is that they understand that everyone will not respect and understand their culture and the way they do things at home. However; my hope is that they continue to push forward with their careers and education and not allow barriers to hinder their success.

As I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds the goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is that we as professionals do our part to ensure that every child regardless of their ethnic background receive an adequate education. 

I want to thank my colleagues for all their input and insight throughout this course. I have greatly learned a lot from our professor and my colleagues. Learning about diversity, equity, and social justice has allowed me to look at myself as a professional and how I can improve the lives of all my students by addressing bias behavior, making my students culturally responsive, and helping them develop a level of tolerance for other people's differences.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My families' Country: Mexico


5 way in which I would prepare to be  culturally responsive to this family:

• I would first brush up on my Spanish ensure that I know the fundamental of Spanish.
• Learn the families dynamics.
• Search way to integrate their cultural tradition into the classroom curriculum.
• Add classroom visuals reflecting their racial and ethnic diversity of the classroom.
• Prepare my other students

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family:

My hope is that the preparations I have made will benefit myself as well as the family would be to making learning fun. My hope it to get the family excited about the child learning because they feel included. I hope that my preparations help me become a teacher , and makes it easier to teach someone of a different culture than my own.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When I was a little girl I remember my grandmother telling me the story of Emmet Till, a young African American boy, who was murdered for flirting with a white woman. For my young mind the story bought up so many questions. Why did he have to die for flirting with a white woman? What is wrong with him liking white woman? What happen to the people that killed him? I remember my grandmother taking her time to explain to me how life was years ago. After several more questions I soon learned that years before I was born things were different, African Americans were not afford the privileges that whites had. The murderers of Emmet Till were acquitted because they were white.

After hearing the story of Emmet Till I felt powerless, and angry, how could people simply dislike you because of the color of your skin? I felt as if the government failed to protect and seek justice for Emmet and his family. I remember feeling sad and scared, that if I acted in a way that was not suitable to “White America” I could be next. The world would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity.