communicating with different cultural groups

The question to be addressed is, do I have a difficult time communicating with people from different cultural groups.

What someone does in their private time and with their life does not concern me. I treat ALL people with kindness and the same level of consideration. Who someone is and the culture of a person does not determine how they deserve to be treated.
What I do have learned during my time in Belgium is that I have a difficult time communicating with people who speak a different language and little to no English. There is no way to have an effective conversation that way.
Its difficult because we can't understand each other in order to accomplish whatever it is to be accomplished.

Body Language and Facial Expressions

Show:
Love Thy Neighbor
S06E118
19 min segment.

This episode starts with two women appearing to be lurking at the front door of someones home. They are smiling and talking and laughing. They appear to be friends based on their interaction how close they get to each other etc. The ring the doorbell rush in the house and the situation seems tense. One woman has a bat the other has a brick they are talking to a man who is holding his hands up. The women are no longer smiling, they are pointing and looking angry. The man is looking confused.

The non-verbal expressions are that of a tense situation. Two women confronting a man about a serious issue. 
I was close:

The two older women are confronting the man who has gotten a woman that they know and love pregnant. They are under the impression that he knows that she is pregnant and is not willing to accept the responsibility. When it turns out that he had no idea she was pregnant.
Had I been watching the show with the sound the only thing that would have been different would have been that I would have known exactly what was going on.

Body language and facial expressions are things that I try to pick up on easily and quickly because they tell us a lot. They tell us more than the words we say. Just like women often say I am fine, with their arms folded and looking discontent.
What I learned, rather what was confirmed, was that body language is essential to understanding how someone feels, what they are thinking, and what they are feeling.

Competent Communication

There isn't a single person that I know that demonstrates competent communication. Everyone that I know is a work in progress. There are things that people in my inner circle do as part of their progress, but when reviewing the assignment no particular person came to mind.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I would first like to say thank you to my colleagues for traveling this academic journey with me. Keep going, keep pushing, the end is near.

I hope to be the educator that parents and students adore alike. I want to be the reason a student or a parent feels more comfortable in exactly who they are. I hope to facilitate the cultural competence of my students as well as myself. 

Moving forward my goal is to continue to grow, to keep learning, and to take risks. I feel like the biggest lessons in life are learned through risks. I plan to put myself out there to ask questions and get to know and understand culturally my students.  

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Scenerio:

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

If I were to gain a student from another country such as, Germany, I would have a leg up considering I have been there and know some about the culture. 

However, to best be prepared, I would:

1: freshen up on popular/ common phrases

2: begin to get to know the parents and their values and their expectations

3: have the family come in early to help them get familiar with the american way of education 

4: set up a time for the parents to come in and educate the class on german culture

5: implement the things that I learn regarding the german culture to most appropriately interact with the student and the family.

• These preparations help me to learn first-hand information and allows the parents to feel appreciated for who they are as well as helping them to understand the level of self-investment I have in my students as well as their families. 

The personal side of bais, prejudice, and oppression

My mother, being a more masculine lesbian, in her relationship, she has often experienced biases when in a highly professional environment with strangers. The strangers engage in conversations and she is often excluded from the conversation. They discuss their degrees, and it seemed as though she was intentionally excluded from the conversations. Eye contact was often low and so are introductions. 

I have witnessed sometimes being with her, she is treated differently when she is dressed comfortably vs. when she is dressed like a lady.

Until, when in professional environments, she mentions her employer the level of respect is low.

Knowing that my mother is treated differently simply because of the way she decides to dress is sad and pretty pathetic. It says more about the people that prejudge her than herself. 

From my mother's experience, I understand even more how important it is to not judge a book by its cover.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

• Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?
• In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people.

I currently work as the Army Education Counselor, people come to me to inquire about VA benefits, TA (Tuition Assistance), and the big question..... What should I do with my life?

Recently I had a student come into my office and basically express that they thought I was not old enough or qualified enough to do my job without knowing my credentials, or capability. I can only assume that I look young, he felt that I would be unable to help him.

I felt insulted and was curious on what basis he established these ideas about me. But I did not let it bother me. I have learned to let things roll off my back in regards to things people say or feel about me. 

This weeks lesson got me thinking more about things I should and should not say. I think more than anything this week has made me more sensitive to people and their culture and how I express my ignorance.