Time Well Spent

I would like to thank each and every one of you for the time spent in this course. I have learned much about social issues and things I can be doing to support changed and advocacy for young children.

3 Learnings:

1. Progression is something that I have learned much about throughout this course. The capstone assignment enlightened me to paying attention to details. What may not seem like a big detail to me or may seem unimportant is actually part of a much larger picture. I was able to see how each piece fit together for the common goal of finishing the capstone.
2. The second thing that I learned is about advocacy, ways to do it, the importance of it and how I can be an advocate for children.
3. Global organizations is the final things that I learned much about during my time working on this capstone course. Though I am familiar with some global organizations, I was not aware of all of the work that is being done by these global organizations. Researching different jobs that are available through these organizations has really opened my eyes to different opportunities that I will potentially have in the future.

I would also like to extend a note of thanks to each and every one of my colleagues! It was so wonderfully working with you all and reading your posts throughout the semester. I have learned much about early childhood through this course and I will carry the things I learned through my interactions with you all as I continue my journey.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

3 International Organizations:

1. UNICEF- http://www.unicef.org/about/ UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality.  That makes us unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young.

2. Save the Children- http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm  Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When disaster strikes, we put children's needs first. We advocate for and achieve large-scale change for children. We save children's lives. Join us.

3. Association for Childhood Education International- http://acei.org/ A charitable organization interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children.

ACEI, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life. - See more at: http://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html#sthash.tlQjCEQE.dpuf

ACEI, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life. - See more at: http://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html#sthash.tlQjCEQE.dpuf

ACEI, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life. - See more at: http://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html#sthash.tlQjCEQE.dpuf

ACEI, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life. - See more at: http://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html#sthash.tlQjCEQE.dpuf

ACEI, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life. - See more at: http://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html#sthash.tlQjCEQE.dpuf

Job Opportunities:

1. Education Specialist- Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Representative, the incumbent is accountable for the development, design, planning, implementation and management of the Child Development and Education programme within the country programme

2. Associate Director Campaign Communications- The Associate Director of Campaign Communications will support the execution of the campaign communications strategy for the Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) around the two priority issues: newborn and child survival globally and early childhood development domestically. The Associate Director will be responsible for developing communications materials and other assets to support the campaigns; managing the social and new media strategy for the campaigns; and facilitating internal communication within Save the Children as it relates to campaign activities. This position will work closely with the Marketing and Communications division within the Save the Children to ensure brand consistency, platform integration (websites) and coordination of messaging. This position is central to broadening the thought leadership, visibility and brand credibility of Save the Children. It also has a strong link to our ability to move policy makers and the public to care about the campaign’s priority issues. 

For the jobs listed above you would be required to have knowledge of early childhood as well as a passion for helping young children. Each of these organizations promote advocacy. You would also have to have some communications skills as well as some leadership skills to complete the jobs. 

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

3 National or Federal Organizations:

1.NAEYC or The National Association for the Education of Young Children is a national organization that supports the development of young children. http://www.naeyc.org/ According to the NAEYC website their mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources. This is an organization that I have worked with in the past and I am considering becoming a member of NAEYC. One of the helpful resources that I have utilized in the past in their publications. 

2. National Education Association- http://www.nea.org/home/18163.htm This is an organization that also supports the growth and development of young children. According to their website their mission is to "The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education" This organization works more closely with the Federal government than NAEYC does.

3. Help Me Grow is another national organization that supports children and families http://www.helpmegrownational.org/ Help Me Grow provides a plethora of resources for families of young children. It is through these resources that families are given opportunities. Their mission is to "The mission of the Help Me Grow National Center is to enable and support the building of HMG systems across the country so that states can implement effective, universal, early surveillance and screening for all children and link those at risk for developmental and behavioral problems to appropriate programs and services."

Job Opportunities:

1. Senior Director for NAEYC

2. Child Advocate

3.National Head Start

Skills/Experience needed for these jobs:

Each of the jobs mentioned above would require a person with extensive knowledge about early childhood development. Good interpersonal skills are also required for these jobs because each of these jobs requires the individual to work with other adults and children as well. Adequate written and oral communication are also skills that should be possessed for the job.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

3 local resources:

Help Me Grow: Though I do not know much about this organization it is one that I would be interested in becoming more involved with. Their website describes what they do as being “The Help Me Grow program is designed to ensure Ohio’s children receive a healthy birth and the resources to warrant a healthy and productive start in life.” I believe that this organization is one that provides positive resources to children and families. 

Ohio Guidestones: Ohio Guidestones is an organization in central Ohio that advocates for children and families. On their website they state their mission as being “built on a solid foundation of experience and expertise, rooted in faith and a legacy of serving children and families. Our range of flexible, customized programs build upon one another so they address every aspect of a person’s needs. We’re a solutions-focused organization with passionate people committed to providing direction and inspiration to children, families and communities to help them become stronger.” This is an organization that I just recently found out about and it is one that I would be interested in becoming involved with or potentially work for. I believe in the mission of what they are doing to help children and families. 

OAEYC: This organization is the Ohio chapter for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. I currently live in Ohio and this organization is one that I have used as a resource in my work with young children. NAEYC has strong roots in early childhood field and is an organization that I have found to be a very useful resource in the past in my work with children. 

Jobs I’d be interested in pursuing:

-Clinical Assistant- This position is one that I would be interested to have as a job. This is a position I found online and it is a position for Cincinnati Children’s. The job responsibilities surrounding this job included developing developmentally appropriate activities and material for children and families.  The purpose of this job is to help children keep from falling behind during their stay in the hospital. One thing that interests me about this job is the fact that I have a younger brother who was born with special needs and this job would give me the opportunity to help children who are in the hospital like he was. 

-Youth Director- This job is one that would be at a YMCA. I believe that this would be a good job that I would like to pursue because it is a job that would help troubled youth. My hope is that at this job I would be benefit to children and families. 

-Parent Mentor- I recently found out about this job in the area where I live. This job is for Ohio Guidestone which is one of the organizations mentioned above. This is a job that would require me to work with parents and families guiding them through the growth and development of children. 

For each of these jobs I would be required to have a level of patience and understanding with both the families and the children. I would also be required to have knowledge of the growth and development of young children.

Thank you

I would like to thank all of my colleagues that I have had the privilege of working with this semester. I have learned many things about each of you and I have learned some things about myself too. I appreciate the support and collaboration that I have had with each of you. I wish you all luck on your future classes.

Team Building and Collaboration

I guess one group that I would consider hard to leave was my graduating class in High School. Though I had some rough times in High School, I look back and think fondly of many of the memories. I consider this a group and even to some extent a team development because of all of the different challenges we faced as a group. My senior class has some particular struggles because of some scandalous information that came about our senior year. Our class faced these challenges and actually became more united as a result of them. We even lost our class adviser because of some information that came to the surface and we were all devastated by this.

Like any Senior Class in High School, my class had rituals. We went on a Senior Trip, everyone had senior parties and of course we had Graduation as a final farewell. I think my Senior Class was one of the hardest groups to leave because It wasn't just saying goodbye to a group of people, it was also completely ending a chapter in my life and beginning a new one. Leaving my coworkers at one job to start a new job produced similar feelings to those that I experienced finishing High School, but they were different because the amount of time that had elapsed was different and therefore my feelings were strong, but not so emotionally invested as they had been with my classmates.  I think saying goodbye to my Colleagues after this Master's Degree program will be somewhat similar to saying goodbye to my High School classmates, but it will also be different.

My eyes have really been open to a whole new viewpoint of working as a group and team development. I have gained a lot of insight and I have a new perspective about it. I reflected on different groups of people that I worked with throughout my life. I think if nothing else, it has given me an appreciation for working in a group. The Five Stages of Team Development are something that I will always keep in the back of my mind when working in a group.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

• Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict? I have recently been having some squabbles with  a friend of mine. He is actually an ex-boyfriend who I have stayed very close friends with. We had some communication issues before we broke up and we have been working on solving these issues. Though we are closer to where we need to be, we are not quite there yet. Our two biggest issues is I don't like to open up for fear of rejection and he has a short temper. Sometimes we will be trying to communicate and my lack of wanting to open up will upset him and make him lose his temper, making me shut down and retreat even more, which then makes him more upset and he starts yelling, calling me names and get volatile. One of our most recent disagreements is the fact that he always wants to talk on the phone and I don't like talking on the phone. Sometimes I feel trapped when we are talking on the phone because that is when he gets upset with me. I would rather talk in person or text message each other. One strategy for me would be to possibly compromise and agree to talk on the phone, but maybe I could agree to do this and then if things escalate to a place where I am not comfortable, I can tell him we need to get off the phone and if he does not listen then I will just hang up the phone. The other strategy I would consider trying would be for us to possibly write things down before we come to each other to talk about them. Sometimes I literally need to visual and see what I want to say before I can actually say it to another person. I also think this would help because he and I tend to interrupt one another a lot. We have both acknowledged that this is a problem, but we have not really been able to figure out how to solve it yet. I think implementing the principles or nonviolent communication or the 3 r's would definitely help our situation. I specifically think the 3 r's could help us and would help.
  
• Also, if appropriate, ask your colleagues for their input and advice regarding, if not specific problems, how they have learned to be more effective communicators as it relates to conflict resolution skills. I would be more than happy to hear any advice offered by colleagues. One of the more important lessons I've learned so far in this class is the fact that everyone communicates differently. I've also learned that our experiences certainly effect how we communicate. As a result of this, I realize the importance of making compromises to communicate more effectively.

Who am I as a Communicator?

This course has truly been one of self-reflection for me. I think everyone wants to believe that they are excellent communicators, but in reality each an every person has an area of communication that could use a little work. I have re-evaluated how I communicate and ways that I can be doing it better.

I used to always believe that I was a decent communicator and that if I had an issue I was able to confront people about it. Growing up I felt confident saying how I felt and approaching other people. My parents often discouraged this in me. They also led me to believe, through their behavior and words, that the things had to say were not important. So, to some extent I just stopped speaking altogether, since clearly it did not matter. Due to a relationship that became somewhat verbally abusive, where I was on the receiving end, I believe that this greatly affect how I communicate. I have become less comfortable communicating with others and I have become anxious about talking to people because I am afraid to upset people.

The older I have gotten, written forms of communication are the primary form of communication that I feel the most comfortable using. Sometimes leaving a note, or sending and an email or letter are easier for me to sort out my thoughts and I feel more comfortable communicating through that.

A friend of mine pointed out to me that I 'bottle everything up inside' and I need to learn to talk. I tried explaining to him my fears of talking and he told me that I needed to get over and let things go. Though I agree with him to an extent, this is much much easier said than done. You cannot just 'let things go' always. Some hurt takes a very long time to heal.

The two things that I have learned this week are:

1. I need to work on becoming more confident in my communication. It is not healthy for me to always be a good listener, but never have other people pay attention to me. 

2. Sometimes, in communication, compromises are necessary. I may not feel comfortable communicating in person, but other people may need to communicate that way. So, somehow we would need to come to an agreement about how to best communicate to meet each others needs.

Communicating with People from Different Cultures and People Groups

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? I feel like there are certain times that I do communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures.
• If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?Some of this I think is because of Cultural Myopia and some of it I think is just a natural part of communicating. I find that sometimes language barriers create differences in how I communicate with different people groups and cultures.  In the discussion board for this week, I explained the details of a story that I experienced where communication was difficult: " There have been times in my life where I have been less sensitive than I should have been to immigrants who have moved here that do not speak English. I had an attitude that, they came here so they should learn English. In time, I have come to understand that it is not right of me to have this attitude. Another thing that I have struggled with is other differences in culture. I worked at an hourly drop off service in a medical building for a few years. There were times when, not only would the language barrier cause difficulties, but so would the behavior of the children. There is a specific time that I remember where a mother and her sister were dropping off three children. The mother spoke very little English and the little boy, who was four, tried to help translate for us, but he was a little bit confused as well. The women left and I engaged the child and tried to play with him. The little boy was a little bit apprehensive at first, but as his time in my care progressed, he became very aggressive. He called me the B word and kicked me. I used what I know about early childhood development to try to gently correct his behavior and he spit in my face. It got to the point where I finally needed to locate the mother because the situation was getting out of hand and causing issues for the other children in my care. When the mother returned she would not look the little boy in the eye and did not say anything to me. The liaison who helped the mother that day and was actually a translated for her stopped later that day to discuss the situation. She explained to me that culturally the men, even the youngest of men, are dominant over women, which is why he kept calling me the B word and his mother would not look him in the eye. She told me that next time if I needed help she could assist me.  I was trying to be helpful and understanding, but this particular situation caused a lot of frustration for me. I do not set unrealistic expectations for children, but respect is one that I do have." I learned a lot from this experience and it has helped improve my communication with different people groups since then.I have learned ways to become more understanding toward others and also to adapt communication.

3 Strategies

1. One strategy that I would use to improve my communication with people from different groups and cultures would be to implement The Platinum Rule. Imagining what it must feel like to be the other person would be an effective way to increase my understanding and sensitivity toward them.
2. Find different ways to communicate other than verbal. There may be times when written communication may be more suitable than verbal communication.
3. My third strategy for improving my communication would be to think back to past experiences with the same issue. I need to let my experiences...negative and positive, make me a better person.

Communication Observed from Television

Show: The Big Bang Theory

Viewing of show with sound turned off: I do not regularly watch this show and I have only caught a little bit of an episode here or there while others were watching it. The title of show does not give away what it is about either. I noticed while watching it without the sound on that a couple of the characters use a lot of facial expression. The part of the show I watched with no sound took place in what looks like a college. I was able to observe some other body language from the characters. Some hand gestures and such, but it was really hard to tell what was going on at all. I think the characters are friends or possibly coworkers.

Viewing of show with sound turned on: Watching the show with the sound on did help things make more sense. I was able to hear the tone of voice that went along with the facial expressions I was seeing and I was also able to hear what they were saying to each other. When I had the sound turned on I was also able to hear the laughter that is on some comedy shows when something funny is said or done on the show. I think my assumptions definitely would have been more accurate if I had been watching a show I usually watch. I know the characters in the shows I watch and I am familiar with them. I also know what to expect. With these characters, it was difficult for me to follow some of it, partly because I am unfamiliar with it, partly because it is not a show that particularly interests me.

Reflection: It was interesting to me the difference that having the sound on and off had. I gained some information watching with the sound off, but turning the sound on certainly gave me a clearer understanding of what was going on. I do not watch a lot of television, but when I do watch television I typically watch reality shows, murder mystery shows or home and garden type shows. I was not able tell what the show was going to be able. I could see the characters interacting with one another, but it did not tell me a lot about how they communicate until I turned the sound on. With the sound on I was able to figure out what was going on much easier. This was an interesting assignment to me. After completing the assignment, it made me pay closer attention to the characters in the shows I do watch to see how they communicate.

Great Communicator

My father is a good communicator in public settings but on a personal level he has never been good at communicating with my family.

My dad is a doctor, so it is necessary for him to communicate with different individuals on a daily basis. I know that publicly he is very professional and uses good eye contact when he is speaking. When I was younger, rules in the medical field were different and at various times, I was allowed to do rounds with my dad when he would see patients who are in the hospital. I would watch him and the way he interacted with different people. I think my dad does a good job communicating on a professional level.

In my home there was a lack of communication. My parents would talk but not really communicate. Over time my mother just took care of everything, including my dad. It got to the point where they just wouldn't really communicate at all and my dad seemed to think everything was fine, but my mom was struggling. She has overcome this with time, but I think sometimes it still bothers her. I remember a few times growing up when I would try to say something to my dad or tell him about something and my dad would say, "Shh I'm trying to watch this." or he would simply turn the television up so he could not hear me.

Reflecting on this situation is interesting. I think one reason why I struggle with communicating with others in my life now is because in some ways I lacked  a model of what this should look like. I have had a hard time opening up to people. For me it has always been a matter of, if I just keep quiet and don't talk about it and let things go, then I can keep people happy. This has been proven wrong many times over, but it is still difficult for me. I have a fear of talking to people because I feel as though if I upset them, then they won't want me anymore. I also found this reflection about how my dad communicates interesting because I have not put much though into it before, but it is curious to think that people would communicate differently in different situations. In a professional setting he is a good active listener and he communicates well, but I always felt like at home it was a different story.

Professional Hopes and Goals

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length) One hope of mine about working with children and families is to gain a broader understanding of other cultures. Also,  A goal of mine is to become an advocate for anti bias education. I want to strive to work hard to open doors for children from all backgrounds. My hope would be to teach children and families that they are each valued and important members of society. I want to do this by continually educating myself and the children I am teach about how to be anti-bias. I also want to resources and materials that will help me better meet this goal.
• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length) My goal for the early childhood field is to one day work in a field and an environment where there will be equality within the field. Whether male, female, black, white, purple, pink, green, gay or straight that each person will have an equal opportunity to work in the early childhood field. I think it is crazy that there are still restrictions within this field. I think one of the best ways to teach children how to be anti-bias is to have many different people represented within the field.
• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues Lastly, I would like to thank each of you! I have learned a lot of things from your posts each week and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with each of. I think it is important to collaborate with one another and I feel as though it has been helpful for me to do so with all of you. -Amy 

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Family's Country of Origin: Botswana

Five Preparations to become culturally responsive:

1. I would ensure that my classroom is already culturally diverse through resources and materials including books, poster and activities.
2. I would do my best to study where the child is moving from to make myself knowledgeable of current events and issues from her home country.
3. I would prepare my students for the arrival of the new student. I would explain to them that she is from another country where things are different and it is all of our jobs to make sure that she feels welcome.
4.I would also make sure that I am communicating with the family of the child to see if there are any special things I need to know or different things I can do to make sure that the child feels most comfortable.
5. I would also invite the student and their family in for a a visit to the classroom before the child's first day of school. This would give the child the opportunity to become familiar with their new classroom and would also the the family and I a chance to chat in person.

My hope would be that these 5 preparations to become culturally responsive would help the family, child and my classroom of children to become comfortable with the new situation. It would also help me develop a rapport with the family. Although a few of my preparations may not seem as though they directly effect the child they all do. The child is coming from their culture and entering my classroom, which has it's own classroom culture. Filling my classroom with books, posters and activities that are culturally diverse would lay the foundation for cultural acceptance within my classroom. By preparing my students it is already going to prepare them, as well as myself, to be culturally responsive.

Resource: Google Images

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

• What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.  I worked in child care for a number of years and I witnessed a number of different situations that I would consider prejudice. There was one where a little girl and her family used water to clean themselves after using the restroom. In order to meet this need, the little girl used a small watering can. This situation sticks out to me in particular, because I remember a newer teacher substituting in the classroom and this little girl asked her if she could get down her watering can so that she could finish using the restroom. The teacher did not know that this was a need of the child and told the little girl to just wipe and finish. The little girl was upset and I tried to figure out what was wrong. She said what was wrong and it was then explained to the newer teacher that culturally this is how her family did things. The teacher said, "That's weird."
• In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity? I think this situation diminished equity because by the teacher calling what the child's family did 'weird' she was basically saying that it was wrong and she did not necessarily agree with it. Rather than understanding that it was something they do in their culture, she made a judgement about this action, based on her opinion of it.
• What feelings did this incident bring up for you? I felt very sad for the child, it is hard enough being a four year old in preschool and to be different from the other children, but to have a grown up...someone you should be able to trust say that something you do is weird would be very hurtful. It is also giving this child, the impression that she should almost be ashamed of what her family does. I think in this situation the teacher just didn't understand what the child meant and it seemed like she was almost embarrassed and just expressed this the wrong way.
• What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity? I think the teacher would have to change in order for a greater opportunity for equity. Obviously, the child didn't understand what was happening in the situation and the teacher could have used other verbage or had a different attitude in the situation.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

• Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression? One microaggression that I have experienced was religionism. I remember growing up being mocked or picked at for being a Christian. People would either call me a goody two shoes or assume I did not do certain things are simply sneer at me for being a Christian. On both sides of my family different family members have made comments about my family being Christians. It has become frustrating and discouraging throughout my life having these things said to me. More than anything it has made me question myself. Growing up I had a lot of confidence in who I was and what I believed. But with every person who would make a comment in my direction about my religion or make a statement about something I believe I would become a little less confident about it. As much as I would like to believe that people do not influence who I am, it is next to impossible to completely 100% ignore everything that others say to us. I have matured and not let what others say bother me as much, but it does not make it any less hurtful every time someone says something to me about being a Christian. 

• In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people: I have learned a lot about microaggressions this week through the readings and the resources. My knowledge has broadened and expanded regarding this topic. I have been able to put myself in the place of others as well as relate my own personal experiences in regard to this topic. I see the importance of having a sensitive attitude toward this subject. In some ways this subject has taught me that it is necessary to simply agree to disagree about certain things. Every has a different view on things, but it does not mean that they are wrong. This has also made me take a careful look at myself. I am trying to pinpoint biases that I have developed over time and work on them so that I can become a better educator and accommodate children and families better. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Matt – Diversity- I guess I think diversity is like our differences and stuff.

                Culture- Culture is hard to define. I guess it’s like the food we eat and like the stuff we believe in or something.

Roni- Diversity- To me diversity is about the things that make us different. But it goes further than just what we look like and our race. Diversity includes our feelings about things and how we react to different things.

           Culture- Our culture is like our heritage. It is part of us and it makes us tick. Without our culture we would not really have an identity.

Megan- Diversity- To me diversity is like a way to describe things that make us different. Like my husband is African American but like his grandmother is white and his grandpa is black and like his mom and dad are both black. But like I think this is like diversity because he comes from lots of different stuff.

               Culture- I think culture is kind of like our way of life. Like the things that we love and are important to us and stuff like that. Like I said with my husband, his culture is different than my culture which I guess is also diversity. 

 I was interesting hearing my friends discuss these topics from their point of view. I feel like maybe they skimmed the surface on what these words mean but they do not fully appreciate them or understand them even. My knowledge and understanding of these topics is growing and developing as I am taking this course. I think that my friends understand concept of diversity and culture but maybe not to the extent of what they really mean. From their standpoint this is probably their only experience with these words. I am excited to learn even more regarding these words and what they mean.