Aspects of Culture

Yes, I have found myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. In my workplace, we follow formal communications. Communications are both verbal and non verbal. We are considerate of each others personal space, and we follow the state mandated curriculum when teaching our students. When communication with my peers, I maintain eye contact with them, use hand gestures, and I let them finish speaking before I respond if they are asking for a response.

When I am at home in my community, my communication is more informal. There is no cultural diversity in my neighborhood because we are all African Americans.  There is more slang talk between me, my family members, and the neighbors. I find myself correcting my nieces and nephews on their speaking skills. When speaking with them or to them I don't use the N word, and I strongly encourage them not to use the N word either with each other or their friends when communicating.

I have friends who are in the LBGT community. They do not being called homosexuals, and rather be called gay or lesbian. I try to talk with them about their subculture in their neighborhoods. In Atlanta, GA where I lived before I moved back home to my hometown the perception of the LBCT community is astonishing. In Atlanta, GA there is a more accepting of the members of the LBGT community, but here in Middle Georgia the LBGT IS more closeted, fearful, and afraid of a physical confrontation because some people are not accepting of their sexual orientation.

The students that I have taught in special needs just want to be accepted as normal. I had a talk last year with one of my nieces who was 11 years old at the time. She was speaking to me on the special needs children who were in her physical educational class. She commented to me was that they was slow. I told her that special needs children brains does not process information as quick as people with out special needs do. My example to her was to think of your brain as a rabbit when processing information and a special need person brain as a turtle when processing information.

Three strategies which I have learned is in order to live with people from different cultures are that we must begin to learn to appreciate our differences instead of ignoring people, suffering because of them, or wishing they would disappear. Another strategy is to put yourself or walk in that person shoes before you form perceptions of that person of their culture. Next strategy is to learn not to prejudge people on my stereotypes, but get to know them and their culture, and then form my own opinion.

Assingment 2: Blog Assignment

This assignment was very interesting. What I thought when I was watching this Just Shoot Me Episode, A Divorce to remember about the characters was different. The opening of the show Dennis is lying in bed, and he wakes up, and he found out that he was dreaming. In watching this episode without the volume in the opening the male and female characters scene was in the bedroom, I thought the female character and the male character were boyfriend and girlfriend. The next scene switched over to the office where you could tell these people were colleagues and coworkers. There is conversation, and the characters would made eye contact when talking to one another. Hand gesturing was another clue where the characters seem to get along.

The female characters would comfort each other through hugs. In another scene these two coworkers were in the office and by their body language I thought they were man and wife, but when watching with the volume turn on this couple had gotten married by accident in a mass wedding. In the first scene where the guy was dreaming it turned out they were the married couple and not boyfriend and girlfriend. The guy who I thought was married had a one night stand, and it turned out that he had a real date, There were humor between the characters with the volume off, and you could tell that they cared for one another.

If I was watching a show that I knew well then my assumptions would have been more correct. The character roles would have been known to me. The plot would have been revealed by watching the body movement of the characters, facial expression,, and personal space between the characters, tone, and language. I have learned that what you thank you know in communications is not what you know until you have open communication by watching people body language, movement, facial expression, hand gestures, and actually hearing the speech of the communication, and the tone in which the communication is spoken in.

Assignment 2: Blog Assignment

My parents were my first teachers of communication. Older people were to be addresses as mam or sir. When giving a handshake you are to give a firm handshake and to look the person in the eye. I was taught to speak with clarity and not to interrupt or speak over other people during a conversation. There were no talking back to your parents or elders or there would be consequences. There were little diversity in our community with a Caucasian population over 80% and African Americans 19%. Yet my parents taught me to treat everyone with respect even if someone disrespected you.

My parents did not raise me and my siblings to be racist, but we were taught to stand up for what is right. My father taught me how to be a man and to be respectful to women. My mother taught me not to rely on others but to make my own way in life. I was taught not to look down on people, but I was to help people if the resources were available. There were no phones allowed in the kitchen during dinner. My parents were strong and assertive, and yet they both took care of their ailing parents while providing for us at the same time.

I model communication skills from both of my parents. I let peoples personalities and character traits decide if I will allow that person into my inner circle. I don look down on people. I say hello to strangers. My colleagues are treated with respect on the job. I agree to disagree with them, and yet we work together for the good of our students because their education comes first. We share different teaching strategies, and we respect each other.