When I think about diversity I often refer back to my current program. I work in a program with a huge variety of families with different backgrounds, culture and income levels. I find myself having to act and conduct myself with some families in a different way. I feel it is important to give every family the same respect at all times. I know that certain families expect a certain amount of respect and they feel that they should be handled in a different way than other families.
For example, I have families that are high income families and they feel that they should receive more services and individualized just because they pay more and they are in the highest category. I feel that this is so untrue. I try to treat each family the same, no exceptions. I also have some families that are low income and they feel they should receive free childcare just because they are low income and it should still be the same quality as every family. Again, I saw that all families should be treated the same way. The last example is the families that we have in our center that are from another country. We have some families that feel that they are exempt from following certain rules because of their diversity. I feel that we have to have a happy medium. All families should follow the rules and regulations of our program.
The three ways that I feel that I should use to help me communicate more effectively are to :
- Listen to the families and give them my undivided attention.
- Respect each family and request and cultural decisions while the child is in my care.
- I want to be more aware of the ways that I react and look at families. For example, I want to be more conscious of my facial expressions when dealing with families’ issues and concerns.
I also try to treat all families in the same way, but when I think about it honestly - I simply feel more comfortable with some people than I do with others, and I am sure that is apparent in my interactions with them. It is difficult to truly treat everyone the same as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for trying to address each of these types of families in an equal way. I think it is very hard to meet everyone's needs and expectations. As "Mamaearth" said above, I am also more comfortable with some families more than others and it is probably noticeable in my interactions with them.
ReplyDeleteE. Watson,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you try to treat all families in the same way. MAny people don't care about others enough to try to treat them better. I do try but I have to admit that I do treat people differently. Most of the time it is done without me realizing.
I agree that everyone should be treated with the same respect. But I will also admit to talking to people differently depending on the situation.
ReplyDelete