Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child.

I would start by letting the family know that I understand their concerns at the same time I would assure them that everyone that works in the early childhood center is trained and is able to work with each individual child and their needs. I would also let them know that we are a group of diverse individuals. We have to treat everyone with respect without discriminating on their race, culture, sexual orientation and or religion.

 

If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children? (Note: if you have not had a personal experience, ask a family member, friend, or colleague)

Growing up I have heard the homophobic terms “fag”, “gay”, “sissy” and “tom boy” used. One boy in particular in my neighborhood growing up other children would call a “fag”. This young man was nice, friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. He always preferred to hang around girls and not boys. The other children in the neighborhood and at our middle school called him “fag” to his face and every time they saw him it did not matter where he was or with. I believe what they spoke of him had an influence on his life. This young man is now in a relationship with another young man and dresses like a female.

Note Of Thanks

I would like to thank Dr. Thomason and my colleagues for the feedback they have provided me with during the Communication and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field course. I appreciate the insight and ideas you have shared during this period. My wish for you as a colleague is to fulfill your desires in life and on your professional journey.

My Email is: williams606@att.net

Working In Groups/Teams

The adjourning stage makes me think of my colleagues at the end of a school year and my graduate school colleagues at the end of a course. In both groups expectations are established and we should be high in performance. The groups that have clearly established norms would be the hardest to leave because the expectations are known and goals have been voiced.

When we end a school year we go out to eat and enjoy each other we talk about individual plans we may have during our vacation. My colleagues in graduate school we end up by thanking each other for be supportive with comments they have provided during the course and wish them the best on their educational journey. My hopes are to wish everyone future success on their educational journey and for them to be prosperous and obtain all the goals they set.

The adjourning stage is where we evaluate what happens and capture lessons learned. This will provide an opportunity to say goodbye to each other and wish each other luck on future endeavors (Abudi, 2010).   

Reference

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study.

Conflict Resolution

Our school district is one of many in the State of Louisiana that are faced with losing state funding. Remind you that our school district is number two in the state with Leap and ACT testing we have an overall grade of A out of seventy other school districts. On last week the Superintendent of our school system met with us and told the employees they would be laying off 18- 20 teacher for the next school year. Other districts do not offer a free universal Pre-K program they charge parents monthly for those services. Employees have voiced their opinion stating maybe they should charge a fee Pre-K programs so you would not have to fire these teachers and it would also bring money to the district.

I work with the Head Start program that is federally funded and the school board is our grantee this would not affect us unless the school board decide to stop being the grantee for the program. On the other hand the sequester that we are dealing with Congress cutting 5%of funding for all Early Head Start and Head Start programs will have an effect on us. I made a suggestion that if parents provide supplies such as pampers, milk, wipes, paper towels, crayons, markers, playdoh and ziploc bags plus if we let an employee drive the bus route that has a CDL license we can cancel the contract and this would help out with money’s being spent and save the program.

I can implement the win/win approach of the conflict resolution kit and their strategies of going back to the underlying needs and attack the problem not the people.

Now I would pose a question to my colleagues for suggestion with these issues we are faced with.

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages

Who Am I As A Communicator?

What surprised me the most with the assessment results is that I was observed as being a people oriented individual that is empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This helps in building relationships but it can interfere with proper judgment and cause me to be very trusting of others. The evaluators observed the same characteristics in me. This is a little surprising because I treat everyone like I would want to be treated. I am trusting of others until they give me a reason not to trust them.

Insights I have gained from the communication assessments are that engaging in verbal aggressiveness does not mean you don’t respect others. Another insight gained is that  individuals should maintain a balance between respect and consideration for others views and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of the position and not the person holding the position. In being an effective communicator I can implement some of these suggestions into building relationships with the children and their families I serve.

 

References

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

By utilizing the learning resources this week I have gained ways to effectively communicate with others from different cultures, religions, genders and political groups. The ways in which I communicate differently from other of different cultures may include language, the wording of verbal communication, the non- verbal communication cues are different and I have learned to be sensitive in the way I communicate with others.

Strategies I can use to effectively communicate with others are to use the “Platinum Rule”, do to others as they themselves would like to be treated. Build strong relationships that are truthful and positive. Also I should be precise and detailed when communicating with others to make sure that I am understood and that others may understand.

 

References

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

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

 

Observing Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

The experience I gained from watching the show with no volume is that I had to rely on non-verbal communication and cues to gain understanding of what the plot of the show is about.  I had to pay attention to body movements, gestures and facial expressions to gain an understanding of the show. This process of observing non-verbal communication requires more time and all of your attention must be given, to the show you are watching. I misunderstood several scenes in the show and gathered my own thought of what was going on. Later I realized my assumption of what was happening was incorrect.

 

Once I began to watch the show with the volume on I was able to gain true insight of what the show was about. Verbal communication skills are important to us as individuals in many aspects of our lives. We are able to know what is being said and also understand the reasoning for the characters actions. From verbal communication I was able to gather that the plot of the show was that you should never judge a person for their pass because you never know when secrets from your pass will come to hunt you and cause you to loss and hurt the people you love. Listening plays an important role in communication as well you are able understand, learn, analyze, evaluate, comfort and enjoy what is being said.

I enjoyed this assignment it made me realize how important verbal and non-verbal communication are to us as individuals and how we must rely on them to function in life.

 

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