Time Well Spent

I have an unlimited amount of learning from this program. I would like to share what I have been taught.

First:
Children live in the present and have a wide range of capacities and abilities that adapt to the culture and context of their daily lives and the circumstance under which they learn and grow makes a big difference.

Second:
Early experiences carry forward into adult life. Children’s daily experiences are vivid and deeply felt whether they have bad or mediocre experiences which possibly may not be harmful in the long run, but may lead to considerable unhappiness.

Third:
Children who have intimate relationships at home, whose physical and emotional needs are met and who have friendships with other children are primed to learn from the world around them. New experiences and challenges provide them with the learning they need for later competencies.

Fourth:
Children need regular opportunities for vigorous and sustained play such as rough-and-tumble activities, crawling through tubes, ball throwing, jumping over sticks or riding a tricycle are vigorous play.

Fifth:
Quality early childhood programs have common principles, approaches, and tools that guide practice and there is recognition that children’s earliest experiences matter deeply, laying the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and health.

Sixth:
Families and communities are viewed as partners who strengthen the program’s ability to meet the needs of young children. Respect for diversity, equity and inclusion are acknowledged as essential for optimal development.

Here are some of my long-term goals:

First:
My goal is to encourage and guide the physical, cognitive, language, emotional and social development of each child through imaginative play and creative learning.

Second:
My goal is to prepare our students for kindergarten while incorporating play and hands-on learning into the process.

Third:
My goal is to make sure that our children are receiving the best education to help them be whatever they are destine to become or do.

Fourth:
My goal is to make a differences in children and families lives.

My Farewell Message to My Instructor and Colleagues is from an Audio Podcast by Bishop T. D. Jakes- The Potter's House and The Greatness Zone (TGZ)- Introduction to The Greatness Zone
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-potters-touch/id538401206?mt=2
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-greatness-zone/id894216881?mt=2

Images that Reflect What My Experience and Learning in the Program Means to Me:

My Wordle that Illustrates My Experiences and Learning in the MS ECS Program:
http://www.wordle.net/delete?index=8050317&d=WFDE

My Favorite Quotes:

1. It takes a village to raise a child
    ~Unknown~

2. “Think before you speak. Read before you think.”
― Frances Ann Lebowitz, The Fran Lebowitz Reade

3. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
― Bil Keane

4. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 -2 Timothy 1:7

5. The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.
-Psalms 23:1

My Photo:

Contact:
You can contact me through my Gmail or Facebook:
Gmail Address: lmosby601@gmail.com
Facebook: LaCasa Mosby

Job/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

I chose the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as my first international organization because I remember it from a previous course. The "UNICEF has worked with a broad range of partners at global, regional, and country levels" (UNICEF, n.d.). This website was filled with a bunch of activities, events, and the press releases. I seen where it had a blog and it provided you with resources and statistics. There were several  job opportunities, but none of them interest me. I was displease because the UNICEF did not recruit volunteers directly or does not provide scholarships, fellowships or grants.

I chose the Save the Children as my second international organization as I stated before because I remember it from a previous course. "Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm" (Save the Children, 2011). You can make a one-time donation, monthly donation, or ways to give like make a gift donation, make a memorial gift, and sponsor a child along with other ways to help. We can get involved by being an advocate for children, becoming a fundraiser, and spreading the word or joining the cause. It were numerous of jobs and careers currently available, but none of them interest me because you are required to be full-time and I am not ready to leave the United States, so meantime I might visit or give a donation.

I chose the International Step By Step Association because I have never heard of it. "ISSA is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development and their mission s implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of the children’s development and learning" (International Step By Step Association, n.d.). You can become a friend and join as a member or donate to this organization. I did not see no job opportunities, but I did notice that there is going to be an ISSA 2014 International Conference beginning October 10-12, 2014 in Budapest, Hungary and it is called "Creating a society for all: re-considering early childhood services."

References:

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

Job/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

Here are my three National, Non-federal Organizations Serving the ECE Community:
(1). National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
(2). National Head Start Association (NHSA)
(3). Nemours

I chose the first organizations because poverty is a big issue world-wide and especially in the early childhood field. It is my hope and desire that poverty would decreased dramatically because I don't believe that it will ever end due to the fact that we take advantage of things such as clothes, food, shelter, water, and etc. My second choice was chosen because I am going to change my age group and focus on Head Start children for my Capstone Project because those years are very important and critical when it comes to play and hands on learning. The last organization was chosen because I had never heard of it before and it deals with "a children's health system devoted to treating and preventing illnesses from birth through adolescence while focusing on policy and practice changes that improve the environments where children live, learn and play" (http://www.eceobesityprevention.org/getting-started/national-organizations/).

I did not find no job opportunities on the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) websites, but I was interested in the Making Work Supports Work project because the "“Work support” benefits—such as earned income tax credits, child care subsidies, health insurance, and food stamps—can help families close the gap between low earnings and basic expenses, but work supports are means-tested, so families lose eligibility as they work and earn more and small increases in earnings can trigger sharp reductions in benefits, leaving families no better off—or even worse off—than before. In short, working more doesn't always pay" (http://nccp.org/topics/worksupports.html).

There were no job opportunities currently available, but there were NHSA Conferences and Training Opportunities that interest me such as the 2014 Fall Leadership Institute and the 31st Parent Conferences and Family Engagement Institutes. The Ongoing Training for the Spring 2014 Director's Webinar Series on Early Childhood Education interest me and it included many  on-demand webinars and our Innovations for Better Outcomes series. Also, the Ongoing Training for Basic Family Services and Basic Health Services Credentials Program in which "The National Head Start Association understands the importance of enlisting skilled family and health service professionals in providing comprehensive, high quality services to children and their families; therefore, NHSA offers two credentials that are specifically focused on these critical support services to families and The Basic Family Services and Basic Health Services Credentials Program is designed for Head Start family and health services providers to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities in 12 competency areas and the Head Start Program Performance Standards" (http://www.nhsa.org/professional_development/credentials_program).

I could search jobs on the Nemours website, but the careers interest me such as the Therapy & Rehabilitation because I wanted to go to college for Sports Medicine and "they have access to a newly opened world-class Sports Medicine Center, offering expansive rehabilitative equipment and resources" (http://www.nemours.org/careers/locations/delaware/therapy.html).

References:
National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). (2014). Work support. Retrieved from http://nccp.org/topics/worksupports.html

National Head Start Association (NHSA). (2014). NHSA conferences and training opportunities. Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/professional_development

Nemours. (2014). Therapy & Rehabilitation. Retrieved from http://www.nemours.org/careers/locations/delaware/therapy.html

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The National AfterSchool Association (NAA), The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, and The STAND for children are organizations that are at the local and state level, but they are associated with communities of practice. I chose these three organizations based on my Capstone Project. because later on I know that it will be useful when it comes to the final project. Also, I wanted to find organizations that I have never heard of so that I could learn new information to share with my colleagues so that we can instill this knowledge into our children minds in hopes of them wanting to learn.

The NAA had three job opportunities currently available that interest me like Leadership at the Movies-Part 1 & 2, Talk Tuesday, and Ten Tips for Hiring. The National Center for Fair & Open Testing website did have a numerous of job opportunities which are currently available, but I just looked through a couple of pages and decided that the New Research, Good Reads interest me. The STAND for children website did have job opportunities that are currently available, but it did not interest me.

The Leadership at the Movies-Part 1 & 2 offers the first five leadership principles which can earn you "two thumbs up" from your colleagues and funders as well as the youth and families you serve and the last five principles are the next steps to completing that transformation. The Talk Tuesday helps our young people develop the skills and talents to find gainful employment and to attract businesses to our cities. The Ten Tips for Hiring provides you with ten steps to getting the right people in the door that will put you on track to strengthening your team. (National AfterSchool Association-NAA) http://naaweb.org/professional-development/item/132-leadership-at-the-movies-part-1 and http://naaweb.org/professional-development/item/135-leadership-at-the-movies-part-2 

The New Research, Good Reads was a study that found a significant increase in incarceration rates for students who fail high-stakes exit exams. The Effect of High School Exit Exams on Graduation, Employment, Wages and Incarceration shows that students who fail these exams were more than 12 percent more likely to face incarceration than students who pass and these states also had lower graduation rates than states without these exams (National Center for Fair & Open Testing)http://www.fairtest.org/new-research-good-reads 

I think that if you are apart of these organizations, then they will help you with the skills and experiences that you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles.

References:

National AfterSchool Association (NAA). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://naaweb.org/?searchword=employment&searchphrase=any&limit=20&ordering=newest&view=search&option=com_search

National Center for Fair & Open Testing. (2013, Nov 9). New research, Good reads. Retrieved from http://www.fairtest.org/new-research-good-reads

STAND for children. (n.d.). Employment opportunities. Retrieved from https://careers-stand.icims.com/jobs/search?ss=1&searchKeyword=louisiana&searchCategory

Reflecting on Learning

I am excited that I have come this far with only eight weeks left before I will be graduating with my Masters. I am determined to stay focus with the Lord's help because I tend to get distracted, lazy, and procrastinate. In the future as an early childhood professional, my most passionate hope for the children and families with whom I work or will work is to apply what I have learned and put it into practice what I have been taught throughout this course of study to my personal and professional life. I am aware that all the books and resources in the world cannot teach me everything that I need to know about children and their families when working with them because some things will come from experiments, hands-on activities, observation/observing, persona dolls, personal stories, teachable moments, and etc.

To All My Colleagues:
First of all, I would like to say thank you all for being helpful and supportive of me throughout this program through your blogs and group discussions. Secondly, I am please to say that it was interesting and wonderful working with you all. Thirdly, I hope to see you all in our last course as we prepare to graduate together. Fourthly, I wish all of you the best in this educational and life journey! Lastly, but not least, I would like to thank Dr. Kien for all of her feedback on my papers which will help me in the future and for grading and responding to all of my questions in a timely manner. I enjoyed working with you as well.

PS: ALWAYS REMEMBER TO KEEP GOD FIRST IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

To my colleagues, I chose France as the area of the world because I have always dreamed of visiting it. I have seen in books, magazines, movies, and on television how they show France as being beautiful to me. The language of the people is spoken in French in which I know a little of it because I took classes in high school. It has been a  many years ago since I have spoken French. I will have to refresh  my mind by getting a tutor to help me or by listening to cds that can teach me as well.

One challenge that children in this region of the world are confronting would be a series of workshops on the conditions of vulnerable children. It is estimated that more than 2 million French children are living below the European poverty line. Another challenge was to stop the recruitment of children in armed conflict. A third challenge is when 2 million children are trafficked worldwide and more than 100,000 websites use pornographic pictures or videos of children. The last challenge was when a boy orphaned by AIDS demand action for children. These experiences might have an effect on children's emotional well-being and development because "AIDS related illness killed more than half a million children worldwide and 540,00 children under the age of 15 became infected with HIV" (UNICEF).

My personal and professional reflection is when "UNICEF France Chairman Jacques Hintzy states that millions of children in the country, especially those from diverse backgrounds were living in poverty and exclusion in which tens of thousands of teenagers have expressed their anxiety about the future" (UNICEF). The insights that I gained is how France has to depend on other people and partner with organizations and nations to help children with AIDS/HIV, child exploitation, children in armed conflict, and promotion of children's rights. These influences they may have on me as a person and as an early childhood professional is to ensure the children, parents, and teachers that there are interventions and resources that will help them to face challenges and illnesses whenever they do occur.

Reference:
UNICEF. (22005). At a glance: France.  Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/france.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood would be that children learn from their environment whether it is negative or positive through others,music,siblings,television,and etc.The first part of this topic was shocking , but as I began to read on,it was very informative, insightful, and interesting. It was nice to know that help is on the way even though "today's sexualized childhood is very distressing and there's no way around that "(Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.7).From my personal experience, I have seen a bunch of bullying, child abuse and neglect, and domestic violence that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.

One implication that this may have on children's healthy development is that it can affect children s brain development even if they are are not the victim and it will lead to problems with the emotions and behavior which makes it complicated for them to learn .Another implication is when children are affected by the stress of violence which affects their growing brain and might delay normal childhood milestones. A third implication is when children are being harmed as a very way of getting at the other adult and child's needs might be neglected.The last implication is that the children who are being bullied are more than likely to be prone to depression and suicidal tendencies even when they grow up and they are most likely to be sick with headaches and stomach troubles.As an early childhood professional,to the best of my response to these concern and to reduce the negative impact on children i would change attitudes,support the victims,teach children to have acceptable behavior towards each others,supervise aggressive behavior into acceptable activities. The way in which my awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week is that children are more knowledgeable and wiser about learning and paying close attention to their surroundings.

Reference:
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practices

I feel like there are consequences that you should expect for the children and their families with whom you work while you experience specific "-ism(s)".For example, if a child sees an interracial couple or parents at school and tells another student that the mommy and daddy is different colors, but they suppose to be the same color. Another example would be a child who has a Black father and a white mother, but when he/she see some Black woman at school and says "I did not know women are Black " which also represents sexism because it was a discrimination against women. The examples of "-ism(s)" that I provide could be happening in my personal life.

I had a personal experience with religionism when I use to work for The Boys & Girls Club of the Miss-Lou and it was two Jehovah Witness's boy who would come majority of the time, but this particular day we where having a Christian Religious Choir that was made of teenagers from different areas of cities/towns who were coming to perform for our children, so when the oldest boy found out that it was a religious group, he then pulled me to the side and said my little brother and I cannot participate. I asked him why and he said that our parents will not allow us because they were a different religion. I had to take both of the boys and put them into another room.

Observing Communication

I was unable to observe an adult and young child communicating in a real-life setting, so I viewed this type of interaction in a book called Helen Keller. An account of my observation was the story of Helen Keller when she was a healthy child until she became both blind and deaf due to a nearly fatal illness (brain fever) or (Historians believe that Helen had contracted either scarlet fever or meningitis) at the age of 19 months until she died on June 01, 1968 at her residence at the age of 87 after suffering from a heart attack. First, I learned and noticed that Helen was a wild child because she would break dishes, and then slap and bite her family members. Secondly, I learned and noticed that Helen Keller meets with Alexander Graham Bell when he advised that her parents write to the director of the Perkins Institute for the Blind and several months later the Kellers finally heard back from the director who had found a teacher name Annie Sullivan for Helen Keller. Thirdly, I learned and noticed that Annie took a job for the course of her life as a teacher to Helen without no knowledge and understanding of formal training to teach a deaf-blind child at the age of 20 (Annie) when she arrived at the Keller's house on March 03, 1987 and Helen called it the day as "my soul's birthday." Fourthly, I learned and noticed that Helen and Annie went through tough times such as battle of wills when the the teacher and pupil were very strong-willed and often clashing, Helen's breakthrough of learning how read and write, fame for Helen and Annie when they became famous overnight due to Annie sending in regularly reports on Helen's progress to the director of Perkins Institute and then he released Helen's story to the press, Helen and Annie go on the road. Lastly, I learned and noticed that Helen Keller was the spokesperson for this newly formed organization called the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), and then afterwards Helen lost Annie (the teacher) because of health deterioration over several years when she completely lost her sight (blind) and could no longer travel.

The connections between what I observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week's resources was that Annie Sullivan did present an equally irresistible challenge when she dealt with Helen being confused and her doubtful family. Annie was successful in the end when she teaches Helen how to communicate with other their language by including its purpose, power, and how it promotes children's thinking (Rainer, J., & Durden, 2010). Annie taught Helen self-control which help her to be more open to learning. I feel as though nothing should have be done to make the communication more affirming and effective.

My thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions that I observed may have affected the child's feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child's sense of worth was that Helen was actually affectionate sometimes, but at the same time she had a devilishness side when she smashed continuously to smash the dishes and and bites people. Helen, at heart was a child that desires to be loved and hopes to understand the world in which Annie opens up the door to that world. My insights on how the adult-child communication that I observed this week compares to the ways in which I communicate with the children is that they tend to throw tantrums when things go wrong or they cannot have their way and that is when I find a method/strategy to punish them to let them know that this is the consequences of acting out. What I have learned about myself this week with respect to how well I talk with and listen to young children is that I am easily to get bored sometimes with our conversation because they tend to rumble off or they be like do not worry about just forget it. I can improve by thinking positive when it comes to our conversation because they could teach me something new or I could suggest to them to tell me something exciting that happened to them that day.

Reference:
Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Creating Affirming Environments

While I was imagining opening my own Family Child Care, my setting would look like a large group home that has a large number of children from the ages of four to six years old (16 children maximum) in which a provider and assistant is present. The rationale for my choices is because I do not want my home to be crowded with cribs, high chairs or booster seats, play pens, and strollers. I tend to be organized and I do not like a cluster of things. My elements that I think I might want to include are: covers on the electrical sockets, smoke detectors throughout my home especially in the rooms where the children are at, a first aid kit, mats for the children to take a nap and rest, a various of age-appropriate toys, games, books, and outdoor equipment and toys. One reason for the use of these items would be to make my Family Child Care Home child safe. Another reason is for my home to be properly equipped for child care which is vital and necessary for the proper growth and development of the children in my program. The first way that I will strive to ensure that every child and family feels welcomed and respected is by accepting and understanding that they are unique and they all learn differently. Another way in which I will strive is to provide a home environment that is fun, but educational as well while receiving the love in which they deserve. A third way for me to strive is for them to develop and mature emotionally, physically, intellectually, and socially through their unique needs and wants which will be met as they grow into individuals. My fourth way of my striving is to provide a safe, well structured, caring, socially active, and a fun environment that is the foundation to being successfully and preparing every child for the future. Lastly, I will strive to provide a happy, fun, safe, caring, and educational environment which builds on children's strengths and weakness while building a strong relationship with their families. I might utilize the ideas from the free play area, the couch, the dolls, and dramatic play area from the tour of Adriana's care home featured in the media segment (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). The aspects that I found in the readings and media segment that inspired me to create "my" environment the way I envision it was that both of them provided similarities and differences of diverse, anti-bias materials such as books, music, DVDs, puzzles, drawing materials, blocks and legos, and wall hangings (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p. 52 and Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

References
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author

What I Have Learned

One hope that I have when thinking about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that we all need to realize and accept that God made us all different for a reason and we can learn to respect and value people regardless of their race, physical abilities, and the language that they speak. Another goal is that teachers need to address and introduce diversity in the classroom, get to know the children and their families, and learn to appreciate differences.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that parents/teachers should teach children at an early age to recognize their own biases so that they can see the world as anti-bias and then they can achieve their aspirations, dreams, and goals while feeling very confident that whatever they are trying to accomplish in life is possible.

To All Of My Colleagues:
I would like to thank you all for sharing your blog and discussion posts as well as your personal stories. I have learned a lot throughout this course thanks to Dr. Klein for her feedback and resources that will help me to improve in areas where I am weak in. Now, I am more aware of my biases and discomforts that I will definitely be working towards in the near future to change if it is necessary. I wish you all the best in your educational and life journey. May God Bless!!!!

Creating Art

This poem is my representation of what I have learned throughout this course while doing application assignments, blog assignments, group discussions, reflective journals, and watching media segments on children's identities and development and how it is impacted by bias and discomfort.

I Wish...
As I look through the eyes of
my young black sister I
noticed her looking at the
white girl with the long
straight hair I wish my hair
looked like that as she go
about her day she hear her
lips are to big, her hips are to
thick and her but is to big and
as she look at the white girl
she says I wish I had her eyes,
her lips, her hips, her butt, I
wish I was white and as her
day close to an end she hears
the white girl mom say I wish
you had lips like that and my
little black sister says to herself
I no longer want what she got
because she wish she could
look like me

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

I cannot think of a specific time, so I asked a family member about a time when she witnessed an adult reprimand or silence a child after he/she pointed out someone they saw as different. She told me that one day that her eight years old nephew has a problem with stuttering when he talks, so her son and him was playing the video game and when they were talking he started stuttering when her son began laughing and mocking him telling his mom this how he be talking. So, she stopped her son right than and there and had a talk with him by telling him that is not nice to make fun of how he talks because he had his cousin crying and she made him apologize for it. Afterwards, her husband came over to her nephew and gave him some advice by telling him to stop talking so fast and take his time talking, so he started to talk slow and it helped him with his speech.

One message that might have been communicated to this child by the adult's response is that his cousin was made to apologize for laughing and mocking at the way he talks. Another message would be that people do care about him even though he has a speech problem. The last message is that if he take his time to speak, then he can stop stuttering.

An example of how an anti-bias educator might have responded to support the child's or classroom's understanding is by having a discussion to make clear to the students that laughing or mocking a child with a speech problem or disability will not be tolerated in the classroom.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation.

• Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families

At first I would use to say avoid, but in today's society parents, siblings, and others are willing to buy their children books so that they can read and learn and more than likely the books will depict gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families even if the child might not understand and know what it means. I know that since we live in a diverse world that these books can introduce and teach children to distinguish between men/women through non-stereotypical activities and encouragement to take a variety of roles without the limits of gender bias and also it encourages the transformation of play areas into restaurants, factories, theaters, mechanic shops, construction sites, hospitals, and so forth (Course Media: "Start Seeing Diversity: Gender").

• How you would respond to a parent/family members who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child

I would tell them that they should not be so judgmental towards a person's sexuality because you should get to know them first in order to pass judgment and then you can see from personal experiences how this person truly is which can help you to make your decision about homosexual or transgender without all the rumors. I would ask them what if the shoe was on the other foot and how would you feel? I would explain to them that know matter what sexual orientation a person chooses to be should not give you the privilege to discriminate against. Whatever they do in their personal life is their businesses as long as it is not affecting to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their children.

• If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children?

I use to work for a Boys And Girls Club of the Miss-Lou and these children love to say man you gay and quite acting like a sissy if they got hurt during and was crying during activities such as basketball, dodge-ball, football, kickball, and so on. Sometimes when they be in the classroom and a child spoke intelligent (proper) or if their voice was not deep, then they would bust out laughing saying he/she is gay and if a boy would have a twist with his walk, then they would be laughing and telling the other children he a fag. When the girls would  go in and come out the restroom hugging each other and laughing, then someone would scream ugh you all are lesbians. Back in my days when I was coming up I heard all of these homophobic terms being used as an insult by a child toward another child which seem to be common where as now people act like this is something brand new. These types of comments might influence all children in a different way because some make take it offensive or be on the defensive side. It can have a negative and positive effect on all children because it can either break or make them.

Post of Appreciation

I would like to say thank you to all of my colleagues for supporting me with your brilliant ideas, opinions, resources, and personal stories that I will help me in my career, the future, and my life journey. I hope that I have supported you all through my blogs and group discussions which can be useful to share with others what you have learned. I would like like to wish my colleagues a successful continuation on their professional path. We can stay in contact through my blogs. I post my writings on there which are very spiritual and I know that it will encourage and support you all on your move through this program. Feel free to read and give me some feedback which will help me as well. I have enjoyed my colleagues and this course. May God Bless You All!!!!

The Adjourning Phase

I was in this Christian group called Women of Faith (WOF). I feel like the adjourning aspect of this group was the hardest to say good-bye because we had established a spiritual connection and friendships amongst us and other colleagues. It allowed us to fellowship through bible study, extra-curricular activities, and programs on campus. Most of us stayed in the same dorms and others stayed in different ones, but we would meet in the lobby of the dorm in which I was living in. We stayed in touch with each other by cell phones and email addresses because we knew that this group would end when we all graduated. Our ritual was that we meet at church and have a banquet which involved dinner, preaching, socialization, and reminiscing about the good/bad times in which we all shared.

I think that high-performing groups and groups with the clearest established norms are the hardest to leave because it is about helping each other, learning from failure, sharing information, and trust. They are firm believers when it comes to their vision and being successful. I will adjourn from the group of colleagues in which I have formed while working on my master's degree in this program by wishing everyone the best in their education and life journey. The only communication that I would have with my colleagues is through a social network such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or if they continue to respond to my blogs. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving off into different directions (Abudi, G., 2010).

Disagreement or Conflicts Between Sisters

I recently experienced a disagreement through a message on a social network called Facebook. It was someone that I knew in my personal life in which we called each other sisters. This how the conversation began:
Me: Hello funny acting person lol
Her: Hello, no
Me: Yes, but anyways how are you doing?
Her: Acting funny
Me: Exactly
Her: Hey Casa! You ok now, but you was tripping last night
Me: Hey! I'm good and how was I tripping last night because I said you were funny acting
Her: Yes because that's not true
Me: Why that's not true
Her: Because how I am being funny with you and what reason would I have to be acting funny with you None what so ever
Me: So that is when I told her how I felt and how I don't get attached to people too quick, but I really do like her as a sister, but we don't talk like we use to and I know that she be busy with the kids, church, and her husband, but a text or phone call wouldn't hurt sometimes. It's like she had distant herself from me and I didn't know why.
Her: She told me how she felt and then said well you are going to have to get over that feeling because it is not like that at all.
Me: Oh, trust me I will get over it.
Her: You are making a big deal out of nothing and she is sorry if I feel that way and she hate that I am offended about her response.
Me: I'm not making a big deal out of it I just see it as expressing how I feel. Why you say that I'm offended by your response
Her: Because you said oh trust me I will get over it
Me: You said I need to get over that feeling so that's why I said oh trust me I will get over it
Her: Ok
Me: I'm about to leave it along and I don't want you to have a bad day or be in bad mood
Her: Ok
Me: K, well hopefully you will have a better day
Her: Ok
The End

I felt like I did make a compromise when I said that I would let it be and I told her to have a better day. The two strategies that I have learned about that might help to manage or resolve the conflict more productively would be to be carefully about the choice of words I choose to use and to stop being in my feelings so much. These strategies might be effective because it can stop me from having another disagreement over petite stuff as people would see it. I feel as though our disagreement was deeper than that because later on I found out that she was not only doing me like that, but other closer friends as well.

To my colleagues, I would like you all input and advice regarding my disagreement. How have you all learned to be more effective communicators as it relates to conflict resolution skills?

Evaluation

The similarities in how I evaluate myself as a communicator and how others evaluated me is that we both say that I am a good communicator, humble, and a God given talent to help children. I try to keep a creative mind to expand the growth of communicating with the youth. I take my own life experiences and incorporate it into the lives of others. I strive daily to better myself by improving my communication skills by not talking in slang which is a challenge and to stop texting in slang as well. The differences would be that I over think myself when it comes to situations as far as public speaking or being in a small group in which we have to stand in front of the class and give a summary of what we have learned. The one thing that surprised me the most was when they said that I am good communicator because I tend to underestimate how well I can communicate with others. I feel like sometimes when I be communicating with people that my eye contact be off because I have a tendency to look down or away. The new insight that I gained this week about communication is that sometimes we beat upon ourselves because we think that people see us in a negative perspective when in reality they might see us as being more positive.

Communicating Differently With Other Cultures

Yes, I find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. My communication with them would be on different levels because everyone do not communicate the same way. People express or show their communication through verbal and nonverbal skills and cues such as gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, blushing, body position, and tone of voice. I tend to communicate with my children and adolescents, colleagues, community members, co-workers family, friends, peers and etc. in a low language (slang) which is less formal when we are hanging out, but when it comes to a professional setting I try to communicate in a high language.

Based on what I have learned this week, the three strategies I could use to help me communicate more effectively with the people or groups that I have identified are: (1) Ask, (2) Listening,, and (3) The Platinum Rule. Ask, there is no better tool for effective communication. If something strikes you as funny or inappropriate, if you feel the other person is neglecting you or is offended, simply ask him what you can do to remedy the problem. Grievances are like silence- broken when they are spoken out. Listening can help your career, saves time and money, creates opportunities, and strengthens relationships. The Platinum Rule accommodates the feelings of others and you have to understand what drives people and recognize your options for dealing with them.

Television Show

The Brady Brunch

A television show that I do not normally watch was The Brady Brunch. At the beginning of the show I can see that the boy and two girls was excited about something because they came running in the house with their books in their hands screaming and yelling at this woman (mother) to tell her something that had happened at school and then they started singing. Their mother was happy for them, but the other boy had come into the house sad and she went over to see what was wrong with him and that is when the other three children started teasing him and making faces, then he yelled at them and the mother said something and then they stopped. The boy was still moping in bed when his parents came in the room. His parents was trying to see what was wrong with him. He was pouting with his hand on his face and frowning when he was talking to his parents, then his parents said something good to him and he got up and run out the room. His mother brought him a drum set and he was anxious to tell his football team about the news. The football team teased him and walked off.

When I watched it with the sound on, my assumptions was totally wrong because I had the characters mixed up when it came to playing football. It was Bobby that the parents encouraged to play an instrument and Peter was the one being teased by the football team and he was in the Glee Club (choir). Bobby's parents were regretting to buy him the drum set because of all the noise and he was distracting everyone. The daddy came up with a solution to put Bobby and his drum set in the garage in which he called it the studio. Deacon solved the problem about the boys teasing Peter for being in the choir when he told them that he sings and is he a sissy. He said matter of fact he has a group on their team and they perform when they not playing football. Peter didn't quit the choir and Bobby quit the drums and moved on to another instrument in which he didn't know how to play. My assumptions would have been more correct if I had been watching a show that I know well.

This experience was frustrating because I am not good with reading lips when the sound is off. It was very easy to comprehend when the sound was on. I learned that reading lips is hard and hearing and seeing is what make sense when it comes to gesture. 

Communication

I thought about a professor that I took several course under when I was attending Community College. She was on the Yearbook Committee in which she took pictures for it. Also, she was very involved in other organizations as well. She was serious when it came time for her to teach. For example, if she told us we had to take a test on this particular day, trust me, you do not have to remind her because she wrote down what she had told us. Most teacher would had forgotten about the test or reschedule it for another day. As far as extra credit was considered, she did not give it because she gave us two chances to take a test and pass it. You could fail every test that she had given, but if you did your homework and attended class like you were suppose too, then you could still pass. What makes her effective is that she spoke with confident and she knew the information for her classes without evening having her notes. I would model my own communication behaviors after her because she is an organized person who is involved with the community and is always willing to help people.