Next step in the journey

Well after two years of job interviews and application one has finally paid off.

I have recently been hire by a local school district to be their resource teacher for preschool.  It looks to be a fun and different job for me.

More to come later, as well as things to do with your child to encourage their development and school readiness.

I include my Wordle because it express what I have learned in the past 20 months. Sorry for it being sideways but sometimes that the way life is.   I have enjoyed this journey. Although there have been times that I have wanted to give up I knew that was not the right thing to do.  After all I am a mother of two daughters who look to me for inspiration.  I teach 8 young children who need to know that learning is fun and needed to get ahead in this world.  I have also learned more in this Master series than I did in my Bachelor program, I think I have said this once before but it is true.

I have enjoyed learning from all of you.  You have given me things to think about as we have gone through each class.  You have also pushed me to look outside my own world of think and being to see what is out there and how things could be.  Best of luck to all of you as you move forward. God be with you all.

It would be nice to see or keep in touch with each of you so if you are ever in the Seattle/ Tacoma Washington area I can be your tour guide. Laury Togstad  begwon@juno.com

And remember to reach for your star!

 

International Jobs

The first organization I choose was Save the Children.  One reason is the television ads I see on the weekends. Are they really as good as they say when I listen to them? Yes they are with some big corporate sponsor backing them up such as: IKEA, Pepsi and American Girl. They have some job openings the key to finding them is selecting the right categories from their drop down menu on their job tab.  I was able to find one this way.  Child Protection Services it is not what we think of when you hear child protection.  This person is helping put together a CPS system in Haiti, with a BA in Social Work and 8 years experience in the field or related experience. Knowing French or Creole is a plus.

My next was fhi360 this organization works at empowering the citizen and families to become the best they can be. They do this through hands-on work based on evidence based knowledge.  To me this means they take what has been done by others that are working and apply it to what they need in the town or country they are working in.  I noticed that many of the jobs in the United State are behind the scenes or training those that are going to the different countries that are in need of aid.

My final organization is UNICEF we know them from other classes that we have taken so I decide to see what else they are working on. Currently they are working HIV/AIDS prevention and educating girls in countries that look at women as second class citizens. Again IKEA is a major donor as well as H&M and Pampers. I choose to look at short term jobs with many of them being out of the United States. The one piece I found interesting is that to be consider for higher paying jobs you have to relinquish your citizenship if it is different  than you nationality.

I think that if I was twenty years younger I would consider a job that is offered by any of these organizations. I knew that you needed some of the education background for them but I also see that they need hands on help in implementing their programs and it also would have given me the chance to enhance my language skills. 

Resources:   

   http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

http://www.unicef.org/

National and Federal Communities

While searching for information I came across Teaching for Change. They are an organization that helps promote social justice through parent, student and teacher involvement. They also reach out to the larger community through the school and students to show how social change can happen by rethinking old values and ideas.  They have an early childhood component that involves observation of your classroom and feedback as to what is needed to become more culturally responsive.  They do have an online bookstore as well as a physical store in Washington DC, with books that could be read to preschool age as well as books for elementary age children and resources for teacher and adults.  They currently do have two position open one for the bookstore and the other is an instructional coach. 

My second organization is National HeadStart Association.  I love what HeadStart stand for: Parents advocating for their children and themselves. Giving parents a chance to go back to school or further their education.  Giving children a chance to grow and learn in a safe and developmentally appropriate environment.  The national web site has listing for conferences for both parents and teacher to attend.  They also have a jobs board that list nation-wide openings. In order to access job information you have to become a member, which I am currently not.

I now have a strange choice of places to check out the Unites States Department of Education.  It covers everything for how states and what state are exempt from No Child Left Behind to news letter for teachers and workshop we can attend.  But it also covers student’s loan and how to find the right college for yourself or your child. I did not find a place to apply for jobs this first time around looking at the website, I will have to further looking at a later date.

Resources:

www.ed.gov/

http://www.nhsa.org/  

www.teachingforchange.org/profdev/ecei/antibias

Exploring Roles

The blog this week is where I am at currently with my life.  I have been on a new job search for a year now.  Jobs within the local school districts in preschool whether it is through HeadStart, ECEAP or developmental preschool are hard to come by.  I would like to work within my local school district where my daughter attends so I keep applying for jobs at this point I am considering becoming under-employed just to get my foot in the door.  We are doing some creative thing in regards to meeting NCLB such as half days once a week for planning and conferencing both with parents and other teachers. In the k-6 grade level we have moved to 90 minutes of literature and math within the school day and have add in a new math curriculum that is hands on for k-3. 

The next job I have looked at but miss the dead line for applying will reapply if it comes open again is for our states new QRIS call Early Achievers. This job involves coaching or giving technical assistance to child care centers and family child care as they move up the tiers for more points and higher state reimbursement for child care services.  The job requires knowledge of child care and at least a bachelor degree.  Which I have both and a willingness to become a state trainer which I have no problem wanting to do since that is one of my capstone projects.

The last would be any job in any school district in the area or one in the Department of Early Learning which is where our QRIS system is located as well as our state licensing for child care centers and family child cares.  I have many of qualification for these jobs they just need to have an opening for employment. 

My saving grace is that I do have a job. I own my own family child care and I am able to use what I need to teach the children I care for to give them the best possible start to school and guidance in the later school years (1-6 grades). Also, whatever I have learned this past year I am able to use it as quickly as I can assimilate into my brain and make it mine.       

Capstone Welcome

Welcome to the final set of blogs for our masters in teaching and diversity.  I hope you enjoy my blog these next eight weeks.

Hopes, inspirations and thank you

My most impassionate hope for the children, families and professional in regards to anti-bias education would have to be one of looking beyond.  Looking beyond what they see as a skin color, a disability, and a family structure. Looking to who is this person, how can I best serve him and what can this family teach me.  Asking the questions that are hard to ask, and patiently waiting for the answer that may have to come weeks later.  That we can look at each other as being on the same team, wanting what is best for all children.  So that all children can be seen as equals that help each other out in times of need. 

I would also like to take the time to thank all of you who have read my blog and discussion post the past eight weeks.  You have made me think beyond my world to the large picture.  I hope as we move to our last class and capstone projects we can continue to be a source of help and inspiration

UNICEF Costa Rica

I chose the area of Latin America more specifically Costa Rica because of an upcoming trip my youngest daughter is taking next year through Girl Scouting.

Many of the articles on the web site are a year or two old so accuracy is a bit harder.  But what I was able to gather from for the statistics portion is that poverty and young mothers are still prevalent in Costa Rica.  Many families live on $6580.00 a year and that motherhood comes at a young age for most girls before they are 18 years old but the percentage number is not giving.  The same hold true for marriages or unions or those whose spouses who endorse wife beating. 

Many of the children do attend school.  Most of them appear to have a basic education preschool-6 grade with some going on to higher education, mostly boys.

When living with a mom who has a lower education level they may become overwhelmed with care for infant and toddlers.  These moms may not have the support network to know what is appropriate for a child to do or even how to go about basic care routines for their child. The mothers are educated on vaccines but few of them breast feed past the first 6 months, if at all.    

On the more positive note Costa Rica has signed the Child Public Policy and is starting to make strides towards seeing that children are place first when decision are made. I see this as a giant step in the right direction so that the children of Costa Rica can have a childhood and education like my daughter has received.  As I help her understand the sights she will be seeing as her travels from the larger city of San Jose to the rainforest ranch I plan on letting her know she may see families that look to have a mother her age.  Also I think about what I want to be able to do impact the children in Costa Rica. I feel that it could go beyond supporting UNICEF but maybe see what my church is doing there and supporting that mission field with what is needed.     

Sexualization of young girls

Wow! Has always been my reaction to the sexualization of young children! From ads on TV for this type of doll to the clothes that are market to young children.  As an Early Childhood Educator I have strived to make sure that the children I care for have a healthy image of themselves both how they look and who they are as a person.  My children come in all sort of sizes and shape and in both sexes here no one person is better than the next and what they might see on TV in relation to how to behave stay on the front porch.  Girls do not have to play the victim and boys the aggressor all the time.  And it is not OK for them to either dress in a provocative way or need to show off muscle to gain attention from a friend. 

Personally as a mother of two daughters I have fought back against the norm for what my daughters wear and how they behave.  When shopping for clothes it is hard to find clothes that fit without being too revealing, tight or for girls that are older than what I am shopping for, but we have found them.  Also giving into girls wanting Barbie doll at a young age, I have had girls ask for them when they are three or four.  I just simple explain that their finger muscles are not ready for dressing them at that age and I will give you one when you are six.  When parents ask me about this I say the same thing but also add they do not need to be exposed to wanting to be like Barbie at a young age and the unreal expectation her body type send to them.   I am happy to say by waiting and send them messages that their body is fine the way it is none of the girls I have care for feel that they are too fat, thin, ugly, and pretty or any other “too” you could add. Then I have also seen the other side of girls wanting so much to please a boy or their dad they will do anything, from wearing the skimpy clothes to walking provocatively to them.  Some of the girls doing this without even thinking about what they are doing because of what has gone on in the family and what the father or father figure has exposed the daughter too.  Most of the time these girls have been removed from the house and the male has been charged with molestation and it takes a lot of working with the girls to let them see themselves as a person and not an extension of their dad.

As I work with girls in the different parts of my life I let them know they are in control of their body.  I tell them they are the way God planned them to be. They do not need to act or be “sexy” to get a boy that in fact if they are true to whom they are the boy will like them even more.  So it is fine if you like to play with trucks and want to be a firefighter that there is a boy out there for you but it is also fine if you prefer to play with dolls and read.  There is no right way to behave or be no matter who you are as a person.   

Experiencing an "-ism".

      
The "-ism" I can most relate and have had happen to me would be ageism, both being the youngest employee as well as one of the oldest. In my first job I was not even finished with college and having to work with others who were older than me and had more knowledge about how therapeutic child care worked. I came in with lots of wonderful ideas only to have most of them shot down without even a reason why they would not work. But I stay with the job and realized that to change things it would have to come slowly and carefully.


The other teachers saw me as the "newbie" grilling me about my past and what I like to do in my free time and if I had ever done anything illegal. Making it hard for me to want to share anything with them or even share what I had just learned from college about child development. Then the children had a hard time listening to me because they knew I was new and may not stay long. I guess I had been the third or fourth new teacher they had had in the classroom in as many months. So when I found this out I was determined to stay and show them I cared when the second month came and went they realized that I was going to stay.  Some of the staff started to listen as well as the children but I was still seen as the “newbie”.


The changes happened when our license change to having toddler and the preschool age teachers wondering why the toddlers would listen and follow direction better than the preschool age children. First my new co-teacher and I set out clear rule and role for the children and us. I was not the one who neither was always on bathroom duty nor was I the one in charge of cleaning up every mess the children made. These are a few of the jobs I was first assigned to when I arrived to working at my first child care job. The co-teacher I worked with taught me about working with children in chaos or "at risk" and with special needs and I taught her about making schedules and keeping to a routine.


Now I am at the other end of the spectrum.  Realizing that I have a lot to share but I have learned to wait to share until asked.  I am also older than many of the families I serve and have no problem sharing that fact with any of them.  I keep my gray hair (its been gray for a number of years)  to lend some credibility to what I say and have experienced but I also feel it may be something that is holding me back from getting some of the jobs I have applied for, cannot prove it type of thing.  


Remembering how I was treated as the young new person. I choose to treat the new teachers I hire very differently and listen to what they say and try out the new ideas and if they work great or change them if needed.  I feel no matter how old you are respect is important to how things get done in the work place.  You can still be the boss and friend as the role fits within your work day.  Listen to the young employees they have new knowledge but do not discount those who are older because they are most likely willing to learn new things as well.   

Observing Communications

I had a parent come in at the end of nap the other day and noticed her child was not awake yet. Rather than jolt him awake she took the time to rub his back and identify herself to him, usually I am the one waking him up on Friday's and carrying him down the hall to put his shoes on. This day he always gets a short nap. As she woke him up she talked to him gently and soothingly. The mom also gave him choices as he woke up. Do you want to walk down the hall or be carried, take a snack from Miss Laury to McDonald's when you’re done with OT? With each choice he was given if it upset him she calmed him down and asked the question again, still in calm, soothing voice. As he left she prompted him how what to say for goodbyes.

What I noticed is that mom with each move and choice she was telling him what was need to be done or what she was going to do. Such as your blanket need to go in the washer (she guided him to me in the laundry room), do you need help with your shoes (handed him his shoes and remind him to unvelcro), or do you want me to carry you to the car (told him to help jump to be in her arms). These are very much the same strategies that were use in the article written by Kovach and Da Ros-Vosele, when they talked about talking with infants. Although this child is not an infant, parts of his thinking skills and verbal skill are at a level much younger than his actual age. Had the mom not taken the time waking him up the outcome would have been disastrous, crying, screaming and kicking would have happened. Then the appointment for OT would have been more of calming him down rather than helping him figure out what to do with his body and keep him grounded for the week to come.

As I read the articles I took my time with most of the children as time allowed. Especially my two youngest children, an infant and toddler, I care for. Most of their interaction are just being and realizing that there are other people to interact with. As I talked with them I remember to wait for their response and if I needed to do something with them or to them I talked about as I did it such as putting on shoes to go outside or change a diaper. But I really tried to stop and listen to what they had to say and now will begin to work with the older ones to wait to talk with me until their friend is done talking with me; many times they want to all talk with me at once
Resource:
 Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50.
Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95

My Improved Family child care

My home has been opened up for family child care for the last 15 years. Much like Adriana's home I take time to talk with the parents daily at both parts of the day. I ask about their morning, what else they need for school or start the day and how was their evening. When parent pick up I talk about the things we did during the day and with my school age children I tell them if homework has been done. I also talk about any behavior issue we may be having or working on and let them know of the good things they did during the day. In the morning each child gives their parent a hug and says “I love you" to their parent, something I insist on long story to be told later.

I have posters that show different ethnic groups as well as some books but those I read out loud have more diversity. Although this collection of books and poster could and should be expanded to include more of a diverse population and extra copies for them to look at when they want to, I plan on expand time and money allow me.  I have a doll house that my children love to play with that has a family that could be configured how a child wants from two mommies to grandma heading the house to mixed racial coupling and different types of siblings as well.

I could include more pictures of my students on the walls as well as what their families look like and their favorite things to do. Through looking for pictures for the power point presentation I found wonderful picture, books, puzzles and adaptive equipment to add to my curriculum.  These will show feelings, families and children with disabilities that many of my children will not experience in everyday life.

I have an array of art supplies that that reflect not only the diversity of cultures but let each child create what they want.

I do allow respectful sharing of feelings but unlike Adriana I do not allow a child to carry on about crying.  Yes they can cry but there is a limit what many of my other students and I can take.  I teach them to slow down, calm down and breathe. By doing this I can help give them the words or they can tell me what is wrong. 

I have started to change the way I do my planning and implementing what I do in my home, much of it is to reflect what I have learned here as well as in my BA program.  Although I know when I make the move to a school building I will lose some piece of what I love about my work I will also gain because I will be able to share easier with other teachers. 

Reflection on my learning

My hope is that as I work with families and children who are from a different culture or background than myself, I can remain open and honest with them and me.  To continue to ask questions of them and myself when I do not understand something or feel frustrated at the roadblock I encounter.  My final hope is that my classroom will reflect not only the families I serve but the larger community we live in.   I hope to post pictures of the families I serve but also showing what other families may look like.  Read books and tell stories that come from different points of view, show other cultures and families.  I will try hard not to take the tourist approach in presenting these ideas.

My goal is paraphrased from this weeks readings: that one day we will not have to worry about purposely teaching use anti-bias curriculum.  That this style of teaching comes naturally to all as we reach out and learn about each other and what makes us the same but also different.

Thank you all for being there to support my learning and growing.  You have cause me to grow and rethink my position about the world and what it means to be diverse.  We are very close to the end of the program, as we continue to move forward I hope we will continue to support each other with questions, answers and reflection about our learning.      

Family, Friends and Community

Answering with silence

This was  a tough post to remember if I had been silent to either of my daughters when asked about someones appearance.  Then I remember about the lady who has the same skin condition that Micheal Jackson had where it mottled both with dark and light pigment. 

While at the checkout stand my oldest daughter saw the lady at the same time other child did both asked about her the other parent said nothing while I said "I do not know what is wrong. Shall we go together and ask?"  Wanting to find out what my daughter comfort level was she ask me a gain this time I said it a little louder for the other parent and child to hear, my daughter declined asking her but I let her know that when asked most people are willing to talk about what is wrong and help educate others.  I felt bad for the other child who kept staring at the lady, while my daughter had moved on to finding other things at the stand to ask for.  I have let my daughters know and the children I care for that it is okay to ask why is that person different than me. I will find an answer and tell them or we go and ask the person themselves. 

A few years later I happened to meet the lady my daughter was talking about and ask about her skin condition.  She is a very open and honest person with a very kind heart.  I do not remember her first name but her last name stuck with me because of the Micheal Jackson connection she made when talking about her skin, Mrs Jackson. Most of her siblings have the same condition but her children do not.   

Dealing with gender based biases

As I looked at my chooses for this week blog and what was going on around me as a teacher I am choosing to write about books and terms used towards a child. 

I realized that the books I have in my collection have some diversity but fail in showing same sex couples or even two older children may even teens that are dealing with being gay or lesbian.  I also realize that there are parents out there who may and will not accept this life style choice.  I would first question them about what they know about this life style and then proceed to tell them by not saying anything at all about same sex couples they are deny what could be a fact of life of many people their child may encounter as they grow older.  We then reinforce the stereotypes and fear that people who are different or very different than themselves are "bad" when in reality they maybe a good or great person. But before in include books on this topic I would look for one that are sensitive to topic and show families that are love and that may happen in different ways; through divorce and/or adoption. I would let my families preview them and let them know I was planning on teaching about families and in the inclusion of families which would mirror what I have here; tradition, blended and adopted, I would also include same sex families because they might encounter this type of family in their own neighborhood or elementary school (I know they will at school).  We would also talk about being respectful to all types of families and that no one type of family is the right type of family but your family is is just right for you. 

This week I has been a week for one little boy I care for.  He has tried out lots of  phrases that are demeaning and hurtful to most people. The boy is in elementary school so some of what might be said at my child care might come from the playground but they other day on the way home from school he said "that is so gay"  to my two younger boys as they held hands walking home from school.  This was fine by me because I know they are best of friends, have known each other since the youngest one came here for child care.  When I turned around to ask him what he meant by that he reply was, " Oh nothing they're just holding hands." I then explained that what he said was hurtful and that he needed to rethink his words before he talks.  His reply was, "Jenny's son says it".  "Jenny's son is not here for me to care for but it is hurtful to people and not right. To used it that tone of voice or way at my house.  Understand?",  was my reply to him. With this his sister chimed in with the other meaning of gay and I said yes that is one meaning but the word has two meaning and the other could be taken as being mean if the tone of voice is wrong.  She goes on to say I like the one that means happy I agreed with her because she was not ready to learn about the other meaning yet when I asked her.         

Moving forward but looking back!

Thank you all for being classmates with me.  I have learned from each of you many different idea and ways to do things.  I will take these with me as I move on in life and in the next few classes.  Yes some of us are in the same track, I peeked at next week classlist.  I have already started to use much of the information from this class in other part of my work, social life and volunteer work I do.  I learned more from this class on collaboration and communication than I did in the BA program I did with two intensive weekend in person with classmate I already knew.

Thank you all!  Best of luck to each of you as you start on your speciality!  I hope to see you at Graduation next year!

Saying "good-bye" to a group.

The most recent group that I finish with did nothing for "good-byes" it is a church council so it is on going. The another group I belonged to talked about a celebration but in never happened although it did have a wrap up meeting to review our findings. I do not feel disapppoint because I see the group members frequently.

The other group I  belong to, Girl Scouts, does something at the end of the school year.  We recognize the achievement the girls have done and those girl who are moving on th new age levels, graduating from high school or new girls joining the troop.

As we get closer to graduating from this course of study I hope that we can either stay in contact through social media, blogs or even see each other at graduation.  Although face to face will be hard because we live all over the United States.  Staying in contact maybe a way to help problem solve if needed as we work with our students and co-workers. 

In a Conflict?

Right now I am not in any type of conflict other than dealing with a moody teenage daughter.  I deal with her by just listening and asking if she wants my help.  Most of time I am the person she is just venting to or I have to be the mom and say "because I said so". Yes! I know that is not the right thing to do but it is not that often and often revolves around doing things as a family or with family.

However my oldest daughter, Jessica, is trying to establish a relationship with her new mother-in-law which is a her conflict that she bring to me, so in a round about way it is my conflict too. What she see as her problem is her mother-in-law goes to her son to find out what is going on with Jessica rather than ask her directly.  What I have told her over and over is that in order to establish this relationship ask her mother-in-law about herself first then she will ask about you(Jessica) then NICELY thank her for asking and respond.  That is a key concept for her to understand "nice" even though I have drilled into her head for years it seems to have taken a backseat lately.  The other part of this equation is the mother-in-law lives in another state so communication is either by phone, text, or skype. I know in my heart will work out for them but they will each need to realize who is the important person in the relationship and by putting the son/husband in the middle is not good.

I fall back on the old adage " you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinger."  If she can be the honey then her mother-in-law will start asking about her rather than go to her son.        

Profile in communication

The profile I did was very similar to those done by my husband and a child care parent.  NO big surprise  I am a people-oriented listener but I try hard not to let it interfer with my judgement. This has gotten better over the years  and to be honest I still hold people at arms length before giving trusted information to them.

I must do a great job of covering my nerves. My husband  and the parent rated my as having mild anxiety when I am really very anxious person when I have to speak in front of an audience. Although I felt better about public speaking this last time in an interview than I have all year long in this job search process.

The verbal aggression scale was interesting to view. My husband rated me as "significant" and I can see this because at home I can let him know how I feel without it leave the walls of our house. I have on more than one occiasion said some teens have "rocks for brain" because of the things they show younger children  to do and the younger child then tries to copy it.  However the parent and I scored closer together  in the moderate range because I try not to hurt other feels when they say something but ask them how they might do that or lets give it a try and if it does not work we'll try something else or prove that statement to me; where did you get your information.

As I look to how to use this assessment I will try to work on my feeling of public speaking so I am closer to what I appear to be this is not a bad goal to work on considering I would like to do workshops on being a teacher in the early childhood field. This is also a good personal goal when interacting in new situations such as parties and workshops and conference that I am invited to or go to.

Communication Styles

This has not been the best week to view my own communication styles.  We have had a snowstorm, ice storm and power outages, leaving me to only talk on the telephone with people and a doctor when my husband when to hospital to have a rod removed from his arm.

So through these limited interaction I tried to pay attention to whomever I was talking to, no multi-tasking!  This was hard to do at first but has become easier.  I can now pay attention to what they are saying to me.  One parent called to tell me they were not coming in because of the snow and ice but as I listen more I found out that the little girl is afraid the power is going to go out and they leave a light on until the parents go to bed and dad turns it back on in the morning before he leaves for work.  I remembered about this fear but thought the daughter was over it because nothing had been said for a long time.  In another conversation I was able to express my fear of my husband being late returning home from work, I had heard about several bad car crashed on his route home. my friend reassured me he was fine and to wait to call him until later that morning.

The limited face to face interaction I had was talking to surgical staff, a doctor and store clerks as my husband drove me around on a various errands.  With the store clerks after their usual greeting I would ask how their day was going and thank them for coming to work. Most seemed surprised at being thank even the surgical nurse was surprise, and said "it was my pleasure to help you today" as we loaded my husband into the car. There was one encounter that even being overly nice to the store clerk did not change he just did he job with greeting but no personality. With the staff at the hospital I asked a lot of question especially of the doctor. And then listen not trying to interrupt or act like I knew what was  going to happen based on past experience with the surgery my husband was having.

Three strategies I will use: when talking on the phone NO multi-tasking then the person has my true undivided attention just as though they were sitting with me in my house.  Be more reciprocal in conversation with staff in the store and thank them no matter what the weather is, the snowstorm is the start for me.  And finally just ask question then listen to the replies.      

Watching the Television

This was an interesting idea to watch the television with the sound off then if possible later listen to the show. I got two different interpretation of the show still with the same meaning.  I watched "Shake It Up"  on the Disney channel, usually a show I listen to because my daughter is watching it and I a busy doing things around the house and homework.

I knew that the two girls are friends and  each has a brother. A new person was on the show and the mother of the one girl was finally shown.  As I watched to figure out who the other person was just a few minutes into the show when I figured out he was either a dad or uncle.  At the part where they are eating dinner I finally realized he was the dad. In one scene he is carrying his daughter off a dance stage and in another they are sitting in an observation room for an O.R. and dancing. I could not get the connection to this part other than to know the dad did not want his daughter dancing and she wants to dance. There is a scene where the daughter and dad are sitting in a restaurant having a heated discussion, body language told me this. grumpy looking faces, crossed arms, aggressively pointing fingers at each other and looking away from each other.

Now with the sound on there was some different interpretation  of what I was seeing. When the man came in holding a lunch bag he was looking for an excuse to hug his daughter and then his son. During the hug her friend comes up to ask about dancing the daughter tries to play off doing math homework. A scene that is confusing without words.  At the dinner the dad put his foot down about being involved in "show biz" and that his children were going to be doctors because he is one and the grandfather is one.  The dad is upset with the daughter when he finds her dancing on TV and that is why he carries her of the TV show.  And the scene in the O.R. is her proving to her dad how much she really likes to dance.

I normally do not just sit and watch TV, I am always doing something when it is on nor do I watch the same show two times in one week.  But this proved to be interesting sound/no sound.  I gave the show a different meaning.  How we use our bodies when trying to cover something up, hand gestures and how we talk using our mouths.  My biggest 'aha" came when I watch with no sound and how we use  our bodies and face to communicate.  I am working with a child to read my face for what I am trying to say 'I am happy', 'I am upset with what you did'. I could not understand why he is having trouble get this until I did this exercise.  He is always be talked to or at by others not having to rely on the visual part of the conversation.  Both parts of the conversation are needed to get the true meaning of what is being said and conveyed.   

Who do I Admire?

There really is no one person that I would pattern my communication skills after but rather a group of individuals that each have a quality I like.

The first would be my mom. She know when to stand up for my brother and I and when to set us free.  She has told teachers they are wrong about us and to look at the facts before judging her or her children.  She gave us the gift to speak our mind when needed and to know when to be respectful of our thought and others.  Next, would be the pastor of our church. For getting up every Sunday morning and speaking in front of the congregation.  He holds my attention as well as that of my daughters.  He know how to sprinkle the sermon with humor and information to get the message across for the week.  Finally, one of my professor I had in the BA program I graduated from.  She spoke her mind and had no trouble calling us out to support or fact but was sensitive enough to know when we needed a break and to cool off or pull ourselves together. Her class was one that explored our feelings about us and our lives that we had lived.


As I look at each of these people that have come into my life I hope that as I continue to gain more experience in my communication skill I can take each of the peoples characteristic and make them mine.