Competent Communicator

After carefully thinking about the characteristics of a good communicator, I chose my friend, Tarneca. I think that Tarneca is a great communicator because the type of person who listens to the person that she is speaking with, whether she agrees with them or not. She also maintains eye contact in the middle of a conversation to show the other person that she is being attentive to what is going on or what is said. Another thing that she does is she doesn't entertain any negativity. There are some people who try to invite her to conversations that are not productive to anyone involved (gossip); she is very subtle and polite when she maneuvers around the negative conversation. I think that these are things that I need to learn to become a great communicator because unfortunately, I find myself being very snippy when people try to invite me into negative talk about something or somebody else. I don't have a poker face. I am very animated when I am bored out of my mind of listening to someone else. It would be nice to pretend that I am a great communicator but I am not. I know that there are things that I have to and need to work on in order to be successful in and outside of the classroom.

Farewell to my classmates...

It is always exciting when entering into a new class and making new friends--some that you are sure to stay in contact with for a period of time. Teaching is the exact same way. We meet new people all the time as teachers and through this meeting, we learn to respect them and value them as human beings. The one hope that I have for teachers, when dealing with diverse children is to remember to always respect them. They may not be like you or I but they have been placed in your care; therefore, you must respect them and handle them with care. My goal is to practice the same thing that I have been preaching to others and that goal is to maintain some type of culture responsiveness to my students who are different. As I end this particular class, I would like to say Thank you to my professor and classmates because you all have truly made this a wonderful experience.

"El Salvador"

For week 7's assignment, I was to select a country that I was unfamiliar with and prepare a fictional place for an emigrated child's arrival. I chose to place myself in the position of a teacher in a middle school setting. The child who is in my care comes to me from El Salvador. The country of El Salvador is rich in history and I was amazed at some of the facts that I found out. While reading the history of El Salvador, I thought of ways that I could become more culturally responsive to the student who has been placed in my care. Listed below are ways that I plan to become culturally responsive:

1. Design an instructional method whereas I am incorporating some type of background knowledge of the student in questioning. I think that by doing this the student will feel more comfortable being in the classroom setting.

2. Incorporate books and other activities for that particular student's enjoyment. Again, this will allow the student to see that my getting to know him/her is imporant and this will build a repor with teacher and student.

3. Implement cooperative learning groups so that the other students may become involved in the "getting to know" the new student process. It is intimidating being in a classroom where everyone knows everyone there except you.

4. Incorporate show and tell in the classroom will allow that particular student in the classroom to bring in a piece of himself so that we can all partake in the sharing of ideas and culture.

5. Collaborating with the family is a great way to find out more about the student's customs and traditions so that some of these can be celebrated rather than denied with the classroom.

I chose to put the main focus on the child in the classroom because it is here that I will more than likely have the most contact with the student. Also, I think that these things will help the student to become successful within the classroom. There has been a time where the students have become so enthralled in a lesson that they have gone home to share it with the parent. The parent is need for academic achievement and student success.

Response to Questions For Week 6

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like?

I was in a situation where I was teaching a summer course and this particular parent thought that I shouldn't be allowed to teach her daughter due to some lies that her daughter told to get out of that particular class, because she stuck out like a sore thumb. Instead of the parent telling her daughter that she could drop the class or following through with the class because she committed herself to it, the parent chose to make problems for me. Before this happened, I and the parent were friends which made this a sad event. I told my dear friend that we would never be as we were and we are not.

One fictional character was Perfect. The character was from a book called Perfect Peace. The book was wonderful. Perfect was born a boy but his mother wanted a girl so she sought to transform this boy into a girl. When he was eight, she finally told him the truth and tried to force this child into being a boy. They even tried to beat some male tendencies into this child. He grew up finding other boys attractive and not being able to share his feelings with anyone, he kep his feelings hidden which caused him the greatest pain. I love the character, Perfect, because here we gave fiction imitating life. Society has made it hard for people who love the same sex to explore and be themselves. It is truly a sad occasion. Here it is 2012, and we haven't progressed in this particular area of discrimination.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

Each of the situations described above shows a lack of equity, because we weren't treated fairly. We were judged based on someone else's opinion of what we were/are. No one took the time out to try to accept us for what we were nor did they try to find out if the rumors that circulate about us were true or not. We were tried and convicted because we were different and that is the bottom line.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

I was hurt that the parent, who I had been friends with for twenty years, believed her daught, who was a known liar. I understand the need to believe your children, but teaching has taught me to be patient and look at things from every angle.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

For the character in the book, some of the people in the community did finally change after this young man grew up and became successful. He didn't change who he was; he prayed for acceptance and the Lord granted him acceptance but not from others, but from himself. The young man learned to accept himself, because there wasn't anything wrong with him--people made it appear to be that way because there was something wrong with them. The incident afforded him an opportunity to live out his dream and prove others wrong.

Had the parent changed or treated the incident differently, the situation would be one that could have been fair to all parties involved. She could have been fair to myself and her daughter had she investigated before accusing. Had this happened, the child would have known that lying wouldn't be tolerated and the parent and I could have kept out friendship.

My Experience with Microaggressions

I have had a few experiences with microaggressions but they haven't been that many. One incident in particular that stands out at the moment would be the time that I was sitting in a college classroom completing a test. The following day, the teacher was able to grade the test and hand it back to us and this Caucasian, young woman looks at me and says, "How did you make that?" I was proud of my grade but this woman made me feel that there must have been something wrong because my grade was better than hers. It was as if people think that African-American women (in particular) aren't capable of excelling in the field of education. Having this experience makes me not want to ever subject my students to anything of this nature which is why I am mindful of the words that come out of my mouth.

"Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I have a great deal of family members and friends that I could have pose the questions to but I decided to talk to someone whom I had nothing in common with other than the fact that we worked at the same place. *Tim is Caucasian; has parents who are racist and his friends are mostly African-American. My interest in Tim continued as I found out Tim's age which is 54. He is 21 years older than I am and for all of these reasons I decided to ask Tim the following two questions: How would you define culture and diversity? I wasn't prepared for Tim's answers but I believe that when dealing with challenging individuals, it builds your character.
Tim told me that diversity relates to those people whom he grew up in the vicinity of (Caucasian). He didn't have the luxury that most of us had which would include growing up around people of different races and ethnic backgrounds. As for culture, his response was kind of vague because again, he didn't have access to other cultures. His ideals about culture is limited which is acutally kind of sad. I think that ,as adults/parents, we have a tendency to force our own beliefs onto children which stifles their growth such as it was with Tim. Tim, although he didn't admit it to me, shared some of the same beliefs that his parents did. Also, I think that when I asked these questions of him, his mind probably began to wander about all of those people that he came in contact with who weren't Caucasian and how nice and friendly those people could have been. By him being close-minded, he omitted or left out the ability to learn about others. Perhaps, it could have made him a better person. I believe that when we observe and investigate others, it forces us to look at ourselves and examine the type of people that we are and who we want to become. Tim's answers influence me because I am now looking at myself in a different light--needless to say, I am embracing who I am and what I am and I am putting my view of myself before what everyone else thinks I am.

My Family Culture

I have been recently given the task of sharing certain information about my family culture with others. There are some things that are a part of my culture that is very important to me. If I had to evacuate my country or my place of residence, these things would be something that I would most definitely take on my journey. The three items that I would take with me would be photos of family, friends, and students that I have taught, my collection of poetry, and my shoe collection. Each of these things have a story behind them. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the meaning/story behind these items.

My photo collection is important to me because these are people who have shaped and transformed my life. My family has always been there for me no matter the situation or the circumstance. The friends that I have made over the years have begun to look and feel just like family in so many ways. They have given me strength and support to complete my education and they have also provided a listening ear when I have needed advice. My students have made me realize my potential as a teacher. They push me to succeed by being themselves regardless of what that consists of. We all know the type of things that middle school children do and in the midst of it all, I rise to the challenge.

My poetry collection is one that is a true representation of who I am as a person. My poems speaks volumes without me having to say a word. I enjoy writing and I have been writing poetry since I was ten years old.

Last but not least, I would take my shoe collection. I am not a vain personality. I love shoes because as a child, my parents weren't able to afford a lot of them. We weren't rich and we wore mostly clothes that were handed down from one sibling to the next. I never want to be placed in that situation again.

If I had to choose one item to keep, it would be my poetry collection because one day, I plan to be published and those faded pages will be ones that I use as inspiration. The pictures of my family, friends, and students will forever live on in memory and in my heart. I doubt if these things will fade from existence. As for my shoe collection, I would give them up because I know that it is about time that I break this cycle. Although vanity is not my motivation, mentally, I need to get passed my childhood poverty and my outlook on the whole situation.

By completing this activity, I was made to look within myself and pull out some things that I thought I had forgotten. It made me think...