What surprised me the most about what others thought about my communication styles, was that I do not take time to listen unless it is on my terms.  This was hard to learn about myself because I truly feel that I am a good listener.  It seems to depend on the person or groups you are trying to communicate with it is a hit or miss situation.

The Platinum Rule

I really do not feel that I communicate differently with people from different groups at least I try not to.  What I do find is that people of different groups may communicate with me differently.  The strategies of “Do on to others and you would have them do unto you” and having empathy and listening effectively can help me to communicate more effectively with the people or groups.

Competent Communication

I respect my Site Coordinator as being a competent communicator, she embodies all the qualities that I admirer with regards to communicating effectively. She gives her staff per nit information in a timely matter, she give feedback to issues and concerns in a timely matter. She listens without being judgemental, and she makes everyone feels important and valued. I would very much like to model some of my communication skills after her because she is one in a million.

Early Childhood Australia

Early Childhood Australia, advocates for social justice that ensure quality and equity in all issues of education and care of children from birth to eight years since 1939.  Early Children Australia values the rights of children, leadership, excellence, respect, courage, honesty, openness, collaboration, diversity justice, and social inclusion for children.  Early Childhood Australia is the peak non-profit national, non-governmental organization, and is the leading early childhood publisher. Therefore if you are a leader in the early childhood field or a parent studying in the early childhood or you are just interested the well being of young children, it will be in ones best interest to join an early childhood organization such as Early Childhood Australia. 

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

I found this article to be most interesting because just recently, my husband and I got really sick from the flu and my oldest daughter had to come to our home to take care of us.  We are both in our middle fifties and helpless.  My daughter took us to the doctor, got our meds, groceries, washed our cloths and beddings, cleaned and paid our bills; all the while caring for her family

 The empty nest syndrome is the non-clinical condition that can lead parents with a feelings of loneliness after their children have grown and moved out, is becoming a thing of the past in an age where those individuals are caring for both aging parents and kids who have trouble finding employment and escaping the family home.  Researchers say that this new situation brings with it problems of its own.

Journal of Aging Studies, researchers from Oregon State University report current economic conditions and a highly-competitive job market have made it difficult for young adults to set out on their own, start a career and a family independent of their parents.  At the same time, seniors are living longer, and the special care they need often requires them to move in with their children, potentially placing three generations under the same roof.

“The end result, researchers suggest, are ‘empty nest’ plans that often have to be put on hold, and a mixed bag of emotions, ranging from joy and “happy-to-help” to uncertainty, frustration and exhaustion

“We mostly found very positive feelings about adults helping their children in the emerging adulthood stage of life, from around ages 18 to 30,” explained Karen Hooker, director of the OSU Center for Healthy Aging Research.  “Feelings about helping parents weren’t so much negative as just filled with more angst and uncertainty.  As a society expect to be taking on a parent-caring role, even though most of us will at some point in our lives.  The average middle-aged couple has more parents than children.”

Hooker and her team based their findings on data obtained from six different focus groups between 2009 and 2010. They found the majority of middle-aged parents with young adult children are reasonably happy to help them through tough times, and they also understand it is harder to get started in life now than it was in the recent past. That is due to a variety of different social, economic, and cultural factors, which have “combined to radically challenge the traditional concept of an empty nest,” the scientists said.

“The recession that began in 2008 yielded record unemployment, substantial stock market losses, lower home values and increased demand for higher levels of education,” the university said. “Around the same time, advances in health care and life expectancy have made it possible for many adults to live far longer than they used to – although not always in good health, and often needing extensive care or assistance.”

The study also discovered while parents do not necessarily expect their children to be 100-percent financially independent during their early 20s, they have a somewhat different reaction to caring for aging parents. Mothers and fathers who require an increasing amount of care could be both a joy and a burden.  The care of their parent was not, in most cases, something the middle-aged adults had expected to deal with.

“Many middle-aged people said it was difficult to make any plans, due to disruptions and uncertainty about a parent’s health at any point in time.  And most said they we’re willing to help their aging parents, but a sense of being time-starved was a frequent theme,” the statement said.  “The dual demands of children still transitioning to independence, and aging parents who need increasing amounts of care is causing many of the study participants to re-evaluate their own lives”.

“Some say they want to make better plans for their future so they don’t pose such a burden to their children, and begin researching long-term care insurance.  Soul-searching is apparent,” it added.  “An increasing awareness of the challenges produced by these new life stages may cause more individuals to anticipate their own needs, make more concrete plans for the future, reduce ambivalent approaches, and have more conversations with families about their own late-life care,” the researchers said in their study”.

Staff, R. O. (2013, Januaury 26). Middle Age Adult Have Easier Caring ForTheir Kids Then Their Parents. Retrieved from Red Orbit Your Unniverse Online: http:www.redorbit.com

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The Family’s Country or Origin: The Netherlands

The five ways in which I can prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family: While on home visits and conferences, I must consider the families background; I will ask questions regarding their family history, ways in they would like to communicate their expectations; by gaining insight about their family’s rules and behaviors.  In addition, I will plan lessons that will reflect the child and his/her family’s values and norms.  Furthermore, I can make my classroom culturally sensitive by, providing environmental print, maps, books, posters, and language that reflect the child’s country of origin.  Creating a culturally responsive classroom will help me to recognize my own values and bias which will benefit both me and families.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and oppression

The other day my niece who lives in Chicago ILL and is a Fed-X delivery person, posted on her posted this on her status: “So I'm(black girl) carrying a boxes about 20-30lbs down a hallway, white man barely moves so I can get pass.  The receptionist (of the dominate culture) comes out to help me and she has to walk thru this same hallway with the same boxes, not only does he move out of her way, he ask if she needed help as he gave her hostile glare”.  This, specific incident of bias and prejudices diminished her equity because this was a form of discrimination and stereotypes. The man felt either that she was a strong black women or the white woman was weak and fragile, or he was being prejudice against her; which cause my niece to feel inferior.  This incident brought out feeling of sadness and anger; because of the daily reminders of how things change, but they remain the same.  Society as a whole would have the change in order to turn incidents like these into opportunities of greater equity.