Communication: Lessons From a Friend

This week I was asked to share with you all about a person whom I know that demonstrates competent communication in certain contexts. I chose to write about my good, long time friend Shayna.

Shayna has always engaged in philanthropic careers and ventures. She has an advanced degree in anthropology and has, hence, studied human behavior for many years. One of her strengths is communicating with other professionals in her field. However, she also has a way with people who are suffering and in need of support. She worked for several years as a patient navigator for the American Cancer Society. In this capacity, as well as in her personal life, she is an active listener and often asks reflective questions to help a person think through their problem or concern.

Not only would I want to model my communication style after Shayna but I often do just that. I try to draw from some of the conversations we have had when helping a friend in need. I often think about how she might react or what question she might ask if I came to her with the same problem. Her way of supporting while still probing is lovely.

She is a genuine person and also very direct. I respect that in communication because I never want to feel, or make someone else feel, like I am not saying what I really think.

Shayna can sometimes be quite blunt in her attempt to be direct. I do use caution not to be too blunt in my own communication with others, especially in professional settings.

I adore my friend and value her conversational style and intellect tremendously. I also have a great fondness for her fun, spunky spirit!

Professional Hopes, Goals, and Thanks

As we wrap up another class in our MS of Early Childhood Studies program I wish to share some of the inspiring ideas that are brewing because of my renewed thinking about anti-bias, diversity rich education.

One hope...

I hope that when working with adults from diverse backgrounds that I will hear all of their voices. Everyone

has something to bring to the table and I want to create a space where it is safe to share each perspective.

One goal...

My goal is to help professionalize the field of early childhood education so that the adults and children in the environments are respected and valued regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, status, age, or other social identity or cultural component.

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A note of thanks...

I want to thank each of my colleagues who took the time to interact with and support me throughout this course. I wish the best for all of you in the pursuit of anti-bias and culturally competent education. As I work with the other adults in the field I often bring to mind an interaction that I had with one of you through our discussions and blogs. You have all helped me to continue to expand my reflective practices so that I can contribute to the vision of an education system without oppression or privilege.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin.

The name of “your” family’s country of origin 

I have chosen to imagine that this family is from Tanzania, a country on the continent of Africa.

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family 

1. Have in place a cultural competency plan which supports all newly enrolled children, regardless of their country of origin. This might include a family survey about their home culture and/or plans of how to incorporate each child's home culture into the classroom.

2. Discover if the family and I will need an interpreter in order to support two-way communication.

3. Use the internet, books, and other print sources to study the culture and traditions of Tanzania.

4. Make an attempt to contact an international organization to gather more information about the educational structure and practices in Tanzania.

5. Strive to contact an actual early childhood professional from Tanzania and form a professional relationship with that person. 

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

Any attempt to provide culturally competent, anti-bias education will benefit all children in the classroom or other setting. By understanding more about the individual child, the family, and the culture of their country of origin I hope that I would be able to provide a more inclusive environment for this child and family. The aim would be to show this family that they and their child are important to me and that I understand that their family culture is significant to their ways of thinking about parenting and education (as well as many other aspects of their lives). Of course, I would also benefit because I would have a better foundation for forming a trusting partnership with the family and relationship with the child.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

This week we have been challenged to describe a time we encountered bias, prejudice, and/or oppression. This encounter could be in our own lives or something we have witnessed (in real life or in a fictional setting). Then we were instructed to discuss some specific aspects of our reaction to this bias and what will have to change to turn the incident into an opportunity for equity.

I know this is a platform where I usually discuss early childhood education but this post is going to be a little different. I am going to address wrongful convictions. I am a huge fan of true crime shows and especially podcasts about the injustices that are inherent in our criminal justice system. Some of my favorites include Truth and Justice, Undisclosed, and Actual Innocence. You can click the links I have provided here or below to access these podcasts.

The system is full of biases and prejudices and many times I have listened to stories of wrongful conviction based on what is called confirmation bias. The police, prosecutors, and the like focus on one person and will take any alleged evidence they find which does not support their theory and make it disappear or change their story to fit it. Many times the prejudices that are carried out are based on race, lack of wealth or other minority factors.

There is already a lack of equity because the accused hold no power while the state holds this person's life, often literally, in their hands. The prejudices that exist based on race are particularly difficult to overcome because the oppressed already have a disadvantage due to not being members of the dominant culture. Institutionalized oppression is at work in the most egregious way when a member of a targeted social group is accused of a crime they did not commit.

The feelings that have stirred up for me as I have become more familiar with these cases are varied and strong. I feel angry, confused, hurt, and powerless. I have recently wished that I could go to law school so that I could change some of these injustices from within the system. This is the only way that greater equity can be reached.

We have to stand up as a society and refuse to accept the injustices that exist based on institutionalized oppression. When we serve on juries we have to pay close attention and make decisions based on actual evidence, not on personal biases and prejudices. We have to become informed about who we are voting into public offices, particularly those who make decisions about how to prosecute the accused. We must pay attention to the laws and bills that are being considered and advocate for social change that will bring about equity for all, especially those who have been historically oppressed.

   Truth and Justice Podcast

    Undisclosed Podcast

    Actual Innocence Podcast