Competent Communication

I have heard many people talk giving speeches and lectures from professionals in early childhood and other educations, as well as Doctors, lawyers, policy makers, Pastors, and Ministers. Of all of the people that I have heard communicate there is one that if I had to be like them I would be like her. She is my oldest sister, Assistant Principal at the middle school, and Minister of the Gospel Bernice Johnson Martin. Bernice has a way of communication with people that catches all of their attention. Her way of communicating actually draws you into a deep understanding, and the way she communicated what she is saying is easy to understand and grasp. When I see her in action it is like she is in dual roles. She is at one time in teacher mode then in other times she is in Minister mode, but in either mode she effectively gets her point across to the listeners. She never loses her listeners in fancy jargon that is an onslaught of words without meaning. The communicating style that she has is understandable to those who have little education to those that are of highly educated. She has a great way of getting people to understand what she is saying and it all makes sense. Bernice delivers her words in a clear concise manner that always captures the attention of her listeners. She is an excellent model of competent communication

Bernice Johnson Martin

Assitstant Principal Turner Co. Middle School

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have for working with children and families from a diverse background is that I want these families and children to realize that I am a woman that they can depend on to help them press their way through any situation that they might go through, and that I truly care what happens to them and their children.


One goal that I would like to set for the education field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice would be a Cultural Awareness Liaison for the school system in Turner Co. This person would have a multicultural educational background that would allow them to advocate for fairness in the schools for the children in the marginalized groups.


I would like to thank each and every last one of you for your feed backs on mt blog postings as well as on discussion postings. I have enjoyed this course and I leave truly believing that I have learned something that I can use in my career as an early childhood educator. Again thanks you guys for being there.




Sincerely,




Melanie

My New Russian Student

I am a teacher at the local elementary school where I teach 4th grade and I have been notified by the Principal that I will be getting a new student and that student is from Russia. I have no idea what the customs and culture is in Russia so I began to prepare my self so that when I am introduced to the child and his family I will be prepared. I want to make the new student feel at home so I will have to learn things from his Russian life so that I can incorporate it into his new life at school.

5 ways I will prepare myself to meet my new Russian student and his family.

• When I meet the new student I will give a firm handshake to him and his dad and look them directly in the eyes. It is Russian custom that whenever you greet each other that the males will give a firm, almost bone crushing handshake, maintain direct eye contact, and give the appropriate greeting for the time of day. The handshake for a woman is less firm. If I were good friends with the mother I would kiss her on the cheek three times starting with the left and then rotating.
• I would be able to tell the new student's fathers name the students middle name which would be the fathers first name with "vich or ovich" added to it.
• If I were invited to their home for dinner I would dress in office clothes because this shows respect for the hosts. I would take a small gift along with me. If I were a guy I would take flowers, but not yellow flowers because they are seen as bad luck.
• I should know that Russian children attend school from ages 6-17, and elementary education lasts for 9 grades. After the 9th grade they either go to secondary school or vocational school. So I will have to help the child adjust to his new school system. After secondary education the student can go onto high education which is equivalent to college for us.
• I will need to keep in mind that the Russian schools have classroom that range from 20-30 students, the students are together from the 1st grade to the last grade, the students in primary school will stay with the same teacher for all subjects and do not change classes, the school day is from 8:00-1 or 2:00.

This information that I have learned would help me to be able to help the student adjust to a new school system with very few problems, because I would be able to lead him through the changes that he will have to make in order to adjust to an American school system which is very different from a Russian school system. i would also need this information so that I would know how to operated as a teacher to a Russian student. I would have to make adjustments as well as the student.



Personal Experiences of Bias, Prejudice, and/or Oppression

One day I was in a clothing store browsing around to find me something to wear. So I was just walking from place to place in the store just looking around. So I noticed that this employee was following me around in the store. So I would move around intentionally to see if she was following me and everywhere I would move she would follow. I had found a shirt that I liked and really wanted it, but after the employee kept following me I put it down, and left the store. I went to another store and bought what I needed.

That lady was following me around as if I was about to walk out with that whole store stuffed under my shirt.I know that she was watching me to see if I were going to steal something, but rest assured I do not steal and if I do not have the money to pay for it then it will stay in their store. I have seen it many of times where there are workers in a store that will follow a black person around in the store and not follow anyone else. I guess that is because they think that black people will steal, but there are people from every race that steals so one group of people can't be singled out as thieves.

I have to be honest when that happened to me it upset me because I do not steal and I was being followed as if my picture and name had been left at the store by the cops identifying me as a thief. I am not sure that they employee would be able to change because she felt that she was doing her job.Maybe that store had had an increase in missing products and the employees were ordered to follow the shoppers, who knows. I only know that I do not like being followed around in a store on the assumption that I might be a thief.