It’s
interesting to reflect on my adult life vs. my childhood/teenage years and the
people I’m surrounded by. I would definitely say that before I was in college I
mainly associated with people who were from similar cultures as my own. A lot
of my friends were from my church or from my school and we all lived in close
proximity to one another. In grade and high school it seemed like many people
did not want to be different. In many cases they may have been but did not want
to highlight it.
Ever since I
was in college I have been meeting and working around people from many
different cultural backgrounds. I associate with people who practice different
religions, are of a different socioeconomic background, age, sexual orientation and
race than myself.
In some ways
I communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures. I tend
to ask more questions to someone who I don’t know very much about. As an early
childhood educator it is important for me to work on being an effective
communicator with everyone in my program. Some tips for workers in this field
include:
- look at situations from the eyes of the child/family you serve
- withhold judgment on families and work to get to know them
- ask questions, learn names and show respect to all families and children in your program
I agree with you that it is important to look at the situation from the eye of the child or family. For most families we are their first experience in an educational setting. We set the foundation for building their schema's about how the educational system works. If we are not diligent about working on a partnership and relationship we could ruin that ability for families to trust any other educator. After all they are entrusting us with their children, that's a big deal!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point with when growing up we were not exposed to diversity but as you entered college and the workforce you started to interact with more diverse people. This situation may hold true for a lot of people. This may make communication among diverse people a little more difficult at first because it is new. But once people become more comfortable communication becomes easier. Thanks for sharing.
Great post Laura,
ReplyDeleteWe do tend to communicate and associate with people who are similar to us growing up as children. When we start to venture out into adulthood, we begin to experience a whole new world out there filled with different groups and cultures. This is when we learn about the different ways to effectively communicate with others who are different from us. It is crucial for us to be effective and competent communicators.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned quite a few similarities that I do as well, asking questions when I am trying to get to know a person and their culture. When I know the person and their background well, having a conversation comes natural and comfortable. Nice posting.
I think I'm opposite of you when I talk to someone that I don't know. I normally will not ask questions to people that I have never talked with or know anything about them. The reason I don't do that is because I don't want the person to think that I'm being noisy so I wait until the person is ready to tell me about them when they are ready to reveal that information.
ReplyDeleteQuintel
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, and I must agree with you as far as your tips and strategies are concerned! We should always have an opened mind when it comes to different families and children. We don't really know how they are unless we get to know them! I was in a similar situation this year! I judged a child based off of what was told to me. I didn't give the child a chance, and I thought of her negatively before I even met her. However I was completely wrong!! I used that has a learning experience to always get to know the children and families for yourself! Keep the line of communication open, and always have compassion for families and their situation. You never know what people are going through!
Eboni
hi laura,
ReplyDeleteIts amazing when we take a step back and reminisce about our younger days and compare it to the life we live today. Everything including our way (culture) of life has definitely changed in different directions. I can remember the 90's like it was yesterday, life was easy and I had no worries, but today I completely stressed with responsibilities.
We look at life through many lens and its up to us to live our life the way we want and make the best of it.
-Talisha