As I learned previously in the week,
the Platinum Rule states that we should do unto others as they themselves would
like to be treated (O'Hair 2012).
Furthermore, a more familiar rule is the Golden Rule that states we
should treat others the way that we would like to be treated. I have already mentioned earlier in the week
but I will state it again, I really don’t care for either of these rules because
if a person does not fully understand how they should be treated than they will
never know how to treat you. In other
words if you don’t love yourself first, how can you ever really love someone
else? At this point in my life I feel
that I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless to how you
feel about yourself. I only associate myself
with people that realize respect, kindness and love should be provided freely
and not earned. Our world would be so
much better if it were surrounded by people who knew how to love one another
rather than “put on shows in front of others.”
The assignment for this week is simply
to explain how I communicate with those outside of my culture. Personally, it has always been easier to
communicate with those who are similar to my culture. However, professionally, I find myself going
out on a limb for the people who are different from me. For example, in my classroom this year I have
several students that are not fluent in English. Whereas, English is the only language that I
know. I want every child to get the most
out of the program so I find myself doing a little more to ensure that we are
able to understand each other. When I
schedule parent teacher conferences, I try to have a translator present so if
there are any questions on either side they can be answered. I had found a website where I can type a
letter and click one button and it will change my entire letter from English to
the language that I need it to be. I
invited the families into the classroom to review the basic numbers, letters
and objects in their language with the children. This allows the children to learn and have
fun at the same time. I have purchased a
dictionary to help me brush up on my language as well. Because these children
and I somehow ended up together I have pushed to allow them to reach their
highest level of potential and I plan to do anything and everything that I can
to ensure that they do.
Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An
introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Tymeshia,
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate to have access to a translator! Unfortunately, this is not always the case and the communication of parents' wishes and school expectations can be difficult. Conversations with administrators for the need of these kinds of services are essential to serving our children and families well.
Sandra
Tymeshia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on loving yourself. It is an important aspect many people need to work on. However, I like the Platinum Rule that we learned about this week because it goes beyond how you feel about yourself. It is asking people to learn about the feelings and emotions of another and act according to how they would like to be treated. For example, you mentioned that you expect to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of how someone feels about themselves. I think someone who treats you like that is following the Platinum Rule because that is how you expect to be treated. I agree that this world would be a much better place if we stopped thinking so much about selfish desires and focused more on how we can positively impact another's life. Thanks for your post!
Stephanie
I know that it can be quite a challenge to have children in your class that only speak a language that you are not familiar with. I think that it is awesome how you are trying to adapt to this challenge. This is a good example of how we have to adjust communication depending on our environment. You are very dedicated not to give up in trying to equally give these children the same chance as all the others in succeeding in education.
ReplyDeleteHello Tymeshia,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I like the fact that you allows people to come in to help you make sure all barrier are down and communication both the parent and teacher is effective, especially when there are two different language are spoken. How do you get the message across to parents who do not speak English when a translator is not available?