Adjourning, Adjourning, Adjourning

Adjourning....Adjourning...Adjourning..

I was a part of a great organization called "Anytown" and now called "Camp Lead."  The group was comprised of college graduates who had all once participated in the program as delegates and now counselors.  They were amazing people, and we all worked together very well to make an exciting week for more than 80 young adults who were rising juniors and seniors in high school.  Seeing the young kids grow intellectually, spiritually, physically and mentally was a rewarding experience as an instructor.  For those two weeks of living in a small community, we built strength that could get us through even the toughest of days.  The hardest part of leaving/parting away from the group at the end of the session, was the absence of unity and harmony, outside of the program.  The group had a focus and it performed and it meet its requirements and then some, each season for more than 7 years. 

                The type of closing rituals that I have experienced are:  round table communication, camp fire reflection the night before, and hugging session where you thank each person verbally and with a hug.  I have never left there feeling empty, except for the fact, that life outside the group, was different and not so scheduled nor sheltered.  I think leaving this group of colleagues here at Walden will be hard, but okay, because it will hopefully mean we participated and completed another chapter in our lives and so if nothing else, we will have friends that we can communicate with, beyond this program.  Adjourning in my opinion is a vital and essential part of teamwork because it bring closure at many levels, and it exhibits growth, failure and reflection.  Without adjourning, I believe that it would be difficult to evaluate and adjust. 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

I decided to use the role of mommy for this assignment.  I am always in constant conflict at home and it is like I am thrown the middle of the mess and none of my kids take responsibility.  All of them are always the victim and so no matter what I decide, I am wrong.  As I looked over the reading for this week, I particularly liked the  (Allocation of Power) because I think that it would truly help me at home.  If I can delegate privileges based on their ages etc, then it will hopefully motivate each of them to be or try to do their best.  Since my oldest feels unhear, left out etc, then I would allocate him a larger amount of good responsbility so that he feels special and mature.  The other method would be (Compromise).  I have issues at home with trying to stick to the rules with the children, so I think that it would help if I were able to give them options and be willing to let them choose and support their decisions.  By compromising I am sort of eliminating rage, crying and unwilling behavior, by empowering them with compromise which give them options.

I can definitely use some of the principles of nonviolent communication to resolve this conflict, because through applying the principles, the base issue is uncovered without suggested opinion and it teaches the observer/educator etc, to focus on ways to resolve conflict.

 

Self Communication Evaluation

Self Communication Evaluation

(My thoughts, their thoughts)

         I am not surprised at my outcome of the exercise because in dealing with my son who was one of my family members that participate,  no matter what the reality is, he is the victim so my communication is off, my listening is off and my verbal aggressiveness according to him.   I truly expected that, but it was only fair to let him have a chance, and also the fact that I live in an area where I do not have many associates. What I found unique is that although I do not say a lot of things out loud, my internalized thoughts were that of some of the questions. I think mentally sometimes I do get frustrated when something needs to be done, and because of strong will a person refuses and makes a stand based off of being stubborn. For example, my roommate who rents to us, is single and has been so being around kids is different for him, but he enjoys them. He got cable just because he could even though we talked about the fact that the kids would not play anymore, and they would get fixed on the TV. I asked if he would put it in his room so that they would not feel the need to stay on the couch all day with no activity, and he would not. Another example, I asked if he could leave the key, and  he said yes, well he decided to hide it, which was fine, but where he hid the key was the problem. He took a sign and laid over the key, which he place on the ground in the grass next to the house. Well we got home at 11 pm and it was dark and the key was like a needle in a haystack. I was so upset, because once again I felt that it could have been handled better. When I asked him why, he said well "I did not want anyone to see where I put the key" and I thought to myself, "you did not want anyone including yourself to be able to find it either"; but I kept that to myself and few other things LOl. What I am trying to say is, when I encounter stuff like that, in my head a few thoughts that aren't so nice surface, but I do not let it come out of my mouth out of respect.

I guess I learned that "if you can't say something nice, then you should not say anything at all".

My thoughs:  Communication is the gateway to understanding, and if one cannot convey their ideas appropriately, then they can end up being misunderstood.  Also, I do believe that how you view yourself, does play an active role, in how we communicate with others, and I feel that if our self-concept is poor, then we tend to convey ourselves as such.  For the most part people see me as better than I see myself, but of course with my son will always have a selective perception of me, because he is close to me and he has his own personal reasoning.  Last, but not least limited self-denigration, in my opinion can improve a person's self concept, because we are our own worst enemy at times.

Reference:

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

         sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

 "Communication Anxiety Inventory" and "Verbal Aggressiveness Scale"
Copyright 2009 Taylor & Francis Group LLC Books. Used with permission from Routledge via the Copyright Clearance Center.

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.

 "Listening Styles Profile-16" 

Culture Diversity

Truthfully, I do find myself communicating differently with individuals from other cultures, because it seems like many times when I call customer care for help, they usually have people from other countries for responders.  The individuals know English, but it is limited and it gets a little frustrating when they talk so fast and you can't understand.  So, I ask politely for my responder to repeat and talk a little slower, because I am having trouble understanding.  My main things is to try to be polite and achieve my overall goal, which is to get help, because if the tables were turned, I would want them to be polite with me.

The ways in which I communicate with other groups are: talk slower, pronounce my words clearer, and I ask questions so that I can be of help rather than a hindrance.

One strategy that can help communicate more effectively with people or group is being mindful.  Instead of lumping groups of individuals, I can take into count each of their individual qualities as I encounter them and it helps to relate and communicate better.

Secondly, I can deconstruct my schemas and in doing so, I can eliminate some of the schemas that might have been created based on stereotypes.  I find that it is easy to train oneself to believe something, that is not necessarily based on the true, but rather a preconceived idea; but it is harder to go back and self correct a prior thought process to enhance communication and become more effective with various cultures.

Last but not least, I can expand my perspective.  As a college student, one of the things that was stressed, was to get out on campus and in the community and get involved.  By getting involved, it opens a gateway to understand, and with understand, people can begin to relate and communicate with one another.  Cancer Awareness, Battered women programs, community center involvement, church aide groups (that issue food, clothing and vouchers to those who qualify).  The more one is exposed too, the more he or she expands her perspective.

Communication (Love and Hip Hop)

                I observed  Love and Hip Hop. When I looked at the show, I saw lots of men and women

dancing, and talking.  From what I could see, the expressions on their face told a lot. The girls were

dressed very degrading, but of course that was due to my lack of understanding of their role in the

show.  I basically felt like there was a lot of relationships going on and drama, and must of that was

because of the body language exhibited.  When I turned on the volume  it was just as I suspect,

marriage and dating drama.  Women and men cheating on one another, and a lot of loud arguing. 

Of course the dress attire was due to the dancing in the hip hop business; but despite all of that,

many of the women on their acted like they had no class, which lately I find that is the way that

women of color are portray themselves both verbally and non-verbally in reality shows etc.  There

was strong use of eye contact, voice volumes and facial expressions and for the most part the

women appear to be at war, because of the way they acted towards one another.

Tyler Perry

A.K.A

Madea

            My celebrity of interest that exhibits great communication skills is Tyler Perry.  Over the years, I have watched most of his plays and of course now, I have seen most of his movies.  He has a great personality, and he is not afraid to address the issues of today in his productions.  Tyler smiles, he has great eye contact, and he knows the struggle; so with each performance it shows that he relates to his topics and he tries to make it as real life as he can. Let's face it, no one wants to look, nor listen to a boring person speak;  but in educating we must practice tolerance and acceptance for all.   With that being said, his roles as Tyler Perry, Madea, The brother, the father keeps you engaged and entertained throughout; which shows his level of communication skills.  A profound speaker, actor, entertainer must remember that the key is to get straight to the point, keep things simple/ clear, and communicate to your target audiences; but most of all have confidences in yourself and what you are presenting. My hat goes off to Tyler Perry, who believed in himself enough to get up from poverty and homelessness and make something of himself.

Professional Hopes and Goals

Blog: Professional Hopes and Goals

           

                First, I would like to thank Professor Dartt, and all my colleagues for all the information you shared during this course.  I must say this was a great class, but I would be lying if I say I did not struggle.  Having a new system, and limited training prior to class drained me this semester; and it limited me with time restraints because I struggled to figure things out.  Professor Dartt, you were the exception, because I think you reached out to us and helped your classroom adapt and you encouraged us.  I felt defeated at times, disappointed with my quality of work, which had nothing to do with my ability to do or not to do, but rather the kais of life, and conformity which this course really required with all the changes with Walden University.  I guess, if we all are reading this, then we have just about made it, and my hope is that we all realize that we can make it through the storm, and hopefully after the storm, the sun will shine bright and each of us will reach our goals.

One goal that I have in regards to working with children and families from diverse backgrounds, is  to step away from my own personal assumptions and customs, and see them for who they are and work for the greater good of the children and their families.  I hope to take the opportunity to learn from families and broaden my understanding of their way of life. 

My goals that I would like to set for the Early Childhood Field in regards to diversity and culture, is to embrace the reality that every child does not learn the same, and begin to create curriculums that are inviting to all children and not just a specific race of children/privileged.  I like the "no child left behind", but really at the end of the day, does" no child left behind" mean we pushed kids through without necessary skills, or we forced those who are not capable to adhere to the standards that are above their own personal capabilities?  I hope that the early childhood profession will begin to see that diversity means different  as in unique, and not bad; and  adopt the theme, each one teach one  so that we all can learn to co-exist in the world and classroom.