Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

In my small town, homosexuality is not a really big topic that is discussed among the different community members.  We have a few citizens who are in a same sex relationship, but it is not a big issue. Of course we have people who are totally against, but they are still try to respect the individuals and their decisions.

As far as I know homosexuality is not discussed in the Pre-K or the Early Childhood classrooms.  This area has not evolved to that level yet.  I don’t think it is quite appropriate at that age to expose children at that age to that.

 

Groups

I have never really liked group projects, because you either have one person who isn't doing anything and another person who is doing too much. I have always been the one who the even handed one. I tried to contribute as much as I could without taking over the project.

I have been in different groups projects from elementary school until now in my employment. I thought it was bad working in groups when I was young, but it is really worst as I grew older. I have met so many know it all adults.  It is so stressful at work when you have to work with people who think they are the boss too. I have never been in a supervisor position, but I know it has to also be stressful at times because the supervisor is like the leader of the group.

I am a leader, but I try not to be too bossy if I see something that needs to be done and should be done I will address it in hopes of not stepping on anybody's toes.  Teamwork can be rewarding, but different roles have to be established to make sure nobody is offended or left out. I believe people should work on their strong areas, because that will have the group effort even more. In this program, I guess we are something like a group that does teamwork; because we help each other complete the different assignments with our input, suggestions, and comments.

Communication

 

 

On the assignment this week my scores were not too much of a surprise, because my scores on both evaluations were very accurate of who I was. Even the scores of my Mom and co-worker were very close. I have always been known as an extrovert and people’s person. I have do no problem speaking up or speaking out. I enjoy meeting new people and talking to them. I don’t have a problem listening to other people views and opinions.  I have always been the group member that made the presentation. I actually volunteer to make public presentations if no one else does.

I will work on being a better listener, because I do have an issue with interrupting people if I have a strong opinion. I also have a busy brain as in I can talk about 4 different things within 10 minutes of time. The other day, my supervisor called me ADD. She said I skipped to another conversation while she was still processing the other conversation. LOL! I told her that I do all of the time. My Mom said I have been doing this since I was a little girl. When I was little, I stuttered really badly and therapist told my parents that my brain was moving more rapid than my mouth. I guess this is still true as far as my thinking process.

I have never looked at communication as in-depth as I have since this class. Communication goes further than I imagined before this class. It is very interesting. I look forward to the study of communication.

 

 

Effective Communication

Yes, I have different types of communicating with people; because of the different situations or environments I am in.  I am involved with people at work, home, and the community.  I use more casual and personal communication at home rather than I do at work and in the community.  I use more formal and professional communication at work, but at times we have some casual moments and we joke and laugh to lighten the work load.  I have to sensor some of the conversation that I use in the community depending on my audience.  I may have some serious moments and some fun moments, but most importantly it depends on the audience. I mostly use both verbal and nonverbal communications, and I have been told that my nonverbal communication skills are strong especially my anger expressions.

Nonverbal TV vs Verbal TV

The show I chose to watch was, “Orange is the New Black”.  I chose this show, because I hear a lot of people talking about it.  It is a series on Netflix.  It is based on women in prison and they are all different but also the same.  They are very protective of their areas in the prison.  They don’t seem to welcoming to new inmates.  They have to get use to the new people.

            The nonverbal cues include: eye rolling, arm folding, bumping/walking in other people, and status.  They are some very strong nonverbal cues. The assumptions that I make about the characters were close.  I could tell a lot about the nonverbal cues with the sound off, because they were very strong.

            I would have done even better if I could have heard the dialogue at first.  I could tell that the old inmates did not approve of the new inmates. I really enjoyed the show though. I may start watching it.

Professional Goals and Hopes

            A hope I have involving these different issues are:  I hope that the issues of discrimination are solved, because children and families should not be treated differently.  It will be many families from different backgrounds with different habits and beliefs, but they all deserve to learn at the same level.

            Education is so important and Early Childhood Education is the foundation. Children have to be able to get the fundamentals before they are able to get the complex problems.  Children should not be deprived a creditable education, because of their race, sex, background, or family dynamics.

            A goal I would set for myself would be to learn more about diversity, equity, and social justice.  I was lacking a lot about what diversity really was until I started studying and reviewing in this class.  I try to treat everyone with equity whether it’s personal or business and I will continue to do my best in treating people equal.

            I will also complete research further on the subject of social justice. I don’t know too much about it either, but the name is self-explanatory.  I just want to look at different situations where it was a problem with social justice and study it.

Thank You note!!

            Thanks to all of my colleagues and classmates from your comments, suggestions, and feedback.  Some of it was really helpful as I was completing my different assignments.  It is helpful in education when you are receiving feedback and questions from your teachers and peers. Your class engagements and understanding has been greatly appreciated and valued.  I look forward to “meeting” with you all again in a Walden class.

Thanks,

Theressa Lee

 

Welcoming Families From Around the World-Germany

Germany.

-I will study the different cultures of Germany: their languages, the types of food they eat, and their hobbies.

-I will study the countries dialects, so I can at least understand a little of what they are saying.

-I will buy the different types of foods that they are accustom to eating.  I found that pork is their top meat and Germans also like: cabbage, beets, cold cuts, cheese, and salads.  The favorite alcoholic beverages are:  beer, brandy, and schnapps.

-I will assist the family with finding employment.  I would discuss with them about their educational and vocational goals and skills.

-I will make sure that the family is comfortable and their needs are being met to the best of my ability.

            I hope that I receive enough time in order to make sure I am at least partially prepared for the group.  I know that I like to be feel comfortable and wanted, so I would do my best to make sure that the visiting group is also.  It would be so exciting to learn about another culture other than my own.

  

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have experienced prejudice on several occasions, but the most memorable and frequent occurrences have been at a little hometown diner.  It is owned by a Caucasian couple, and it has all Caucasian employees. The prejudice is very prevalent when the diner has a lot of Caucasian customers, mostly Caucasian men.  My co-workers and I frequent the diner at least twice a week.  The employees are very familiar with us and they know our usual orders and everything.  It is one of the employees who is a lot friendlier than the others.  She usually acts the same way all of the time.

In one particular case, we had pre-ordered our food and when we arrived it was already sitting on the table not covered.  We asked, how long had it been out. The waitress replied that they had just sat it out.  The diner was packed, so people were walking by the table and our meal was exposed to all of the elements. We all felt that it was inappropriate.  We wanted to know why the food couldn’t be held in the kitchen area until we arrived.  After several questions, the restaurant would not admit any wrong doing. Keep in mind at the time, the restaurant was filled with Caucasian’s.  We just sat down and ate our food.  That was the icing on the cake.  We do not frequent the diner much now, because that situation was beyond rude and disrespectful.

I feel in this day and time, we should all be treated equal if we all are paying customers.  Racism and prejudice is still very prevalent in American today.

           

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week I recalled a situation of microagression that I encountered about different economic/educational class.  I was having a conversation with this guy and he was discussing the difference of our salaries, jobs, and educational backgrounds. 

He asked me how long I attended college.  I told him and then we discussed my profession.  He then told me how much he made per year and about his job. He said, “I make almost double your salary and I have not went to college for one day.” We went into a deep debate about our jobs and our different working conditions.

His job is quite different from mine.  He is only home two weeks out of the month, so he usually misses most all of the major holidays.  I reminded him that I am able to come home every day after 8 hours of working and I am off on weekends.  Money is important, but I would rather have my job and schedule.  I enjoy having my evenings with my family and having weekends off.  His job is more strenuous than mine, so he is basically getting paid for the time and work that he is doing.

I did become a little offended and he tried to tell me that he did not mean to be offensive. He was only trying to make a point.

 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I talked with about three different types of people: a Caucasian lady in her 40s, an African American Man in his 30s, and an African American lady in her 30s; because I wanted to get different point of views.

In the discussion of culture, I received answers like it’s a person’s background, ethnicity, sex preference, values and how a person was raised. I informed them that those answers are correct, but culture goes further than we have imagined or thought we knew. As we discussed diversity; they mentioned ages, races, sexual preference, religion beliefs, abortion, and many other common things that we would consider a diverse issue. One of them said diversity is just that, diversity because it means different.

As we were discussing it, we mentioned similar things in relation to both culture and diversity. It was an interesting conversation.  I learned different views from them concerning culture and they learned new things from me. I told them that our dialect and even the type of television we watch is considered culture all of them were surprised, but as we discussed it.  They could see how they could be considered culture. I have learned that the topics are so broad and this class has taught me so much more already.

My Family Culture

If I had to take three items they would be (1) Bible, (2) Family Pictures, and (3) Computer.  I would take my Bible, because it contains the stories that I grew up on and it contains the lessons I try to apply to my daily life.  I would take a family picture, because I would like to cherish the memories of my family and be able to look at their faces.  I would take a computer, because I should be able to access the World Wide Web (WWW).  The internet would keep me in tuned with the most current events.

            If I could only keep one item, it would be my Bible.  Even though I also chose a family portrait and a computer; in my eyes the Bible would outweigh the both of them.  This is due to the fact that the Bible is the connection to God, and God is the head link to everything.  He will help you get through anything else that you are lacking in life.

            I have always known that family is important, but I am now learning that importance of family culture and how things are done by different individuals.