Reflecting on Learning

 

 

 

 

Reflecting on Learning

            One of my most passionate hopes for students and families is that they can achieve any goal that they have without facing biases. All children deserve to feel valued and accepted so they can obtain high self esteem.  I see the stress on the faces of the families that I serve daily because they are struggling to survive economically in today’s world.  This stress is reflected in the children because they are living in dilapidated housing, have limited clothing, and they are often hungry.  I know this sounds like I am speaking about a third world country but I am talking about poor families that live in the Nation’s capitol and the home of the President of the United States.  By taking an anti-bias stance in education it is my dream to create high functioning adults of the future by nurturing these children why they are young.  I cannot sit back and wait for someone else to make the change because the change has to start with me. I also will employ other colleagues and parents on my journey because there needs to be a collective effort.  When examining biases it takes different insights and perspectives (Derman -Sparks & Edwards, 2012).  This course has opened my eyes to the ugliness of various types of biases and it is my obligation to make sure that every individual feels honored and respected.

            I would like to thank my classmates for sharing their personal experiences with biases.  Our lives are so much richer when we can share our thoughts, biases, and our innermost fears. I have grown professionally and personally because of the interactions.  Now that task is at hand for us to use what we have learned to make a significant difference in the lives of others.  I wish everybody much success in your professional endeavors!

 

 

 

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

            ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children

            (NAEYC}.

 

 

           



Impacts on Early Emotional Development

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

            I selected the country of Cameroon because my sister had a DNA swab done a couple of years ago and we discovered that our ancestors came from Cameroon.  There is an alarming rate of malnutrition among mothers and children that have come from Central Africa to Cameroon because of wars (Press Centre, n.d.)   There are many children that are starving and malnourished in health facilities and the end result is often death.  UNICEF has been instrumental in helping these malnourished mothers and children and remains a beacon for their survival (Press Centre, n.d.).  UNICEF representative’s goal is to fight for the well being of all children because children cannot develop successfully without proper nutrition (Press Centre, n.d.).  A hungry child has very difficult time learning.

            It is so sad to see that there are children staring right in the US and this country is supposed to be one of the richest nations in the world but we allow our youngest citizens to starve.   I have personally experience this tragedy at the school where I am teaching, these impoverished children come in hungry and they often ask for seconds and sometimes third servings because they are lacking food at home.  When these children are full then they are ready to learn and receive new information.  It is my personal goal to make sure all inner city schools provide food and clothing banks for children and families.  Our families are hurting and not enough people seem to care.  As an early childhood professional I believe that it is my duty to handle the needs of the whole child.  I also hope to one day travel to Cameroon and try to help the children and families achieve better living conditions.

References

Press centre. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from

               http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_73991.html



The Sexualization of Early Childhood

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

 

In the book excerpt “So sexy so soon” the authors stated that children are being sexualized at a very early age because of the media and advertising (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  This phenomenon is presenting many problems for children and their parents because young children are not developmentally prepared to handle these feelings (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). I have noticed recently in my own preschool class that the children seem to be highly sexualized all of a sudden and I have been searching for ways to solve this problem.  One 4-old girl started showing her bottom to her classmates after going to the bathroom.  This action seemed to have a domino effect and other children repeated the same action while laughing.  The adult teachers in the class spoke with the children and explained that these actions were inappropriate.  We also told the girl’s parents but the mom denied the action.  Just last Friday a 3-year old boy was in the bathroom with a 3-year old girl and started caressing her from behind so we also had to have a discussion with them.  I spoke to the little boy’s father and his first response was that he planned to beat his son with a belt.  I cautioned the dad about taking such a harsh action, and I asked him if his son saw this behavior in the home.  The father informed me that his son did not get this from him and his wife but he felt that his son saw too many movies that were inappropriate.  He also mentioned a Chicken Little movie had hugging in the movie and his wife let his son watch adult movies like “White Chicks”.  The dad said that he has told his wife to stop letting their son watch those movies but his wife replied that she did not want their son to in his room alone.

            I have decided to read books to my class concerning good touches and bad touches, so we could have an open discussion about these behaviors.  My next step will be to have a meeting with the parents and have our school psychologist lead our session.  Children need to learn to be children again and not highly sexualized little adults.  I feel that the advertisers are the culprits, so teachers and parents have to save our children by controlling what they see.

References

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized

 childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

 

 

 

 

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

            I have experienced poverty at one point in my life and now I have a neighbor that has two small children and she has recently become unemployed after making $80,000 a year and she is struggling for existence.  The city recently turned her water off about 4 months ago and recently her gas was turned off and it is winter time.  I have let her fill up bottles of water from my home on a regular basis and my husband bought the family a space heater.  I am sharing this story because times are hard economically for families and while some people are born into poverty which is devastating, there are some people that are suddenly thrust into poverty and it is just as devastating emotionally and physically.  Most of the parents at my early childhood facility are on vouchers and they live in homeless shelters, transitional housing, or inept apartment dwellings.  Classism can render horrific situations and poor families often give up the hope of moving up economically in society.  The question I ask is “How can I make my students and families feel good about themselves?”

            In my classroom I witness many forms of poverty where parents cannot afford to send a change of clothes for their children, and the children are so hungry that they ask me several times during the day when the next meal will be served.  My heart aches for these children and while I understand the struggle they may be experiencing, /I have not felt the feeling of hopelessness that their parents are experiencing.  When children are born into a low socioeconomic status, statistics show that they struggle academically because they do not hear a lot of language in the home (Berger, 2012).  When children are hungry it affects brain function which makes it hard to grasp cognitive skills.

            To help remedy these situations teacher can do several things like become good listeners to children and families and refrain from making judgments (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Educators should offer family activities such as a “Culture Share” that invites parents in to share some good news about their families.  In neighborhoods where food is a scarcity, teachers could offer baskets of fruit in the morning, take home food items in the afternoon.  Each classroom should have a parent resources corner that offers information about family assistance programs.  I would also like to set up parent network meetings so parents, teachers, and social service personnel can exchange helpful information.  Poverty affects all of us in some way and it is an issue that we can try to eradicate together.  My professional career involves addressing the needs of the whole child.

References

Berger, K. (2012). The developing person through the life span (8th ed.). New York: Worth.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

            ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children

            (NAEYC).



Observing Communication

 

 

 

 

Observing Communication

            I was in a preschool classroom and observed Ms. Brown who is a teacher’s assistant interacting with a little boy Chris, who is also a twin.  Chris was working at a table with Ms. Brown during a small group activity and Chris suddenly got up when he had finished the project and walked over to another group’s table.  Ms. Brown got up from her table and re-directed Chris back to her table.  Chris started yelling “No” and told her to leave him alone.  Ms. Brown then raised her voice and told him “stop it”.  Chris ran toward Ms. Brown and started hitting her repeatedly.  She started yelling “stop it”, “I’m tired of you beating on me”.  At that point Chris went full throttle and started running around the room and hitting furniture.  The teacher walked over and spoke to Chris in a low calm voice and asked him to explain to her what happened.  She also pulled a behavior chart she had for him and recounted what happened before the incident occurred and what happened during and after the incident.  She reminded him to use an inside voice and that he had to wait his turn to move to another table.  She also wrote the account of the incident on his behavior chart and explained to him that he would not get a “smiley face” for group time and he would have to improve his behavior if he wanted to ride bikes later on.  Chris began to take deep breaths as instructed by the teacher and he calmed down. The teacher also told him to apologize to Ms. Brown.

            When teachers are communicating with children, children need to feel respected and safe in their environment (Laureate Education, 2011).  In the class scenario Chris was never asked why he wanted to go to another table.  Effective communications with children means taking the time to listen to their thoughts, and then decide what the next step should be in a peaceful manner (Laureate Education, 2011).  Sometimes adults view children as little pawns to be manipulated and they refused to consider that children are human beings with thoughts and feelings.  Teachers need to use teacher-talk and communicate with children and give children the opportunity to ask questions and express thoughts (Dangei & Durden, 2010).  In the case of Ms. Brown and Chris, I think the situation would have been more positive if Ms. Brown had engaged the children more in the activity by asking questions about the project which would have made Chris be more engaged.  The tone of voice makes a difference because when teachers use calm voices when speaking the children feel more relaxed (Dangei & Durden, 2010.  Children should also have the freedom to leave small groups and venture into other interest areas (Dangei & Durden, 2010).  I learned so much from this week’s reading resources and I now know how to better communicate with my students by increasing higher order thinking skills and letting the students lead to help them acquire new knowledge.  Teachers have to take more of a facilitator role which means that we are co-learners with our students.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating

            with young children. Baltimore, MD: Author

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group

            activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using

            the Education Research Complete database.

            http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site



Creating Affirming Environments

 

 

 

 

Creating Affirming Environments

            When creating the anti-bias classroom children’s needs have to be met by recognizing their social indentify.  I would call my program “We Are a Learning Family” because the word “family” denotes closeness.  Upon entering the center families would see family pictures posted on the wall which would let children know that they are important at school.  Separation of parent and children is often made easier when children can view family pictures throughout the day (Laureate Education, 2011).  I would also have a pictorial schedule for the parents to see when they come in and for the children to follow during the day.  Children feel comforted when they know what is coming next in the day.  There would be a multicultural rug in the morning meeting area so children can appreciate visual pictures of different cultures.   When the children enter in the morning there will be music playing from different cultures daily.  Family pictures would be displayed on the wall and there would be a comfort corner with pillows in order to soothe children that may be having emotional melt downs. 

I would have a large variety of multicultural books in every area in the room in all centers.  I would have a lot of learning materials including skin colored crayons and paints so children create artwork that matches their own skin color.  Families would be invited to come into the classroom once a week to share cultural stories, or share cultural artifacts with the class so the children can learn to appreciate differences.  There would also be a big basket of persona dolls that represent various cultures so children can use in the different interest areas (blocks, dramatic play, library, etc.) in the classroom.  When all cultures are represented in the classroom in a positive way, children and families feel a sense of belonging (Derman -Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  My goal is to provide a welcoming environment where all children can strive and thrive to be respected, proud, intelligent and caring citizens that would advocate for justice around the world.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

            ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children

            (NAEYC).

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an

            anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author

 



What I Have Learned

 

 

 

 

What I Have Learned

            It is my desire to help children and families of diverse backgrounds by greeting them with a welcoming heart, loving spirit, and a listening ear with the hopes of making their lives better.  I have learned that quality early childhood education is a valuable gift for every child because it enhances cognitive, emotional, and developmental growth.  Anti-bias educators are extremely concerned about the future of all children and making sure that they are respected (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).   I am committed to do the work and make sure these goals are manifested in my personal and professional career.

          One goal that I would like to see take place in the early childhood field is the acceptance of an anti-bias curriculum because it makes children’s lives to become whole.  Every child deserves the right to live a quality life without biases and free from exploitation and unsafe environments (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Family culture needs to be recognized in the learning environment so children can feel a home/school connection and take pride in their cultural identity and customs (Woodward & Oates, 2010).  It is very important for students to hear their home language in the classroom when experiencing early education because it strengthens them socially and academically because it creates self-worth (Woodward & Oates, 2010).  I will continue to be a strong advocate for social justice and equity for all children and families from diverse backgrounds so they can have feelings of belonging to society.

          I wish my colleagues continued success in the field of anti-bias education and I am thankful that they freely shared personal experiences during this journey.  My outlook on life has been positively impacted because of the classroom interactions and I am a better person for it.  Collaboration makes us stronger because when we share with another person, we become a part of their story and their experience.

 

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children

          and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Woodhead, M., & Oates, J. (Eds.) (2010). Early childhood in focus 6: Culture and Learning.

            Milton Keynes: The Open University

 

 

 

 

 



Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All ( Live in 1987 at the Grammys)

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

 

 

 

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

            I can recall greeting my Hispanic neighbor Maria about a month ago with my 5 year old niece Haidyn in tow.  Neighbor stopped down and in a friendly manner she greeted Haidyn and said “Hi! How are you doing?”  Haidyn remarked “I can’t understand what she’s saying because she talks funny”.  Maria explained to Haidyn that she was not talking funny and that she was speaking English.  I was so embarrassed and shocked at that moment but I did correct Haidyn and I told her that what she said was inappropriate and not nice.  Haidyn had a puzzled look on her face because she felt that she was just being honest but now she realized that she did something wrong but really had no explanation of why what she said was wrong. 

In retrospect I guess I should have shared with Haidyn different examples of various people who speak English with different accents explaining the beauty of diversity.  According to Harro’s "Cycle of Liberation" there is a continuous cycle that we endure when we are trying to break down our stereotypes and trying to rid ourselves of oppression (Harro, 2008).  As an anti-bias early childhood educator the teacher needs to listen to children and when they voice stereotypes it is helpful to address the issue right away and supply the student with resources (books, movies, recordings) that will help children to analyze the issue (Laureate Education, n.d.).   If a group of Caucasian girls announce that they are excluding an African American girl from playing with them because they feel she is not pretty enough.  The anti-bias teacher needs to step in and show them pictures of multicultural children playing together and do role play with persona dolls of various cultures in order to show these girls the correct way to welcome children that may not look like them.  Teacher’s can utilize read-alouds in the classroom to promote cultural diversity by selecting books that represent different cultures in the classroom and beyond because children really pay attention to what books teachers select (Hall, 2008).

 

 

References

Hall, K. W. (2008). Reflecting on our read-aloud practices: The importance of including culturally

            authentic literature. Young Children, 63(1), 80–86. Retrieved from the Walden Library

using the Education Search Complete database.
        http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=28334270&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Harro, Bobbie (2008). Readings For Diversity and Social Justice, Figure 7.1 on p. 53

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Race/ethnicity [Video file].

            Retrieved from https://class.waldenu

 

 





Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

 

 

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

            Children start to formulate ideas about sexual identity as young as 3 years of age and they attach certain attitudes and behaviors to what toys should be played with for boys versus girls (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Universally gender anatomy is viewed as the same but the designated roles that males and females associate can differ culture to culture (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Early childhood teachers should encourage children to explore freely in the classroom without gender biases in order to become emotionally and academically prepared for the world (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

·       Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families:

      The family structures are rapidly changing in the US and the early childhood field needs to be welcoming to all diverse families gay, heterosexual, and lesbian in order to uplift children.  Classrooms should have books that portray diverse families in order to show validation to the children that it is perfectly fine to come from a diverse family (Laureate Education, n.d.).  When teachers have an open discussion about sexual orientation in the classroom it opens the students’ mind to universal acceptance.

·       If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children?

       I remember several years ago when I had a little boy in my classroom that loved to put on a pink hat and play with dolls.  When his mother would come into the classroom she would demand that he remove the hat because she did not want a “sissy” and she would also fill the same way about him playing with doll.  I explained to her that he was just practicing his parenting skills and learning how to be a caring father.  After a while the boy would sneak to play with a doll and to wear his favorite hat until one day he stopped playing with both items because ultimately he wanted to please his mother.  There were also teachers at the same school who would talk about my student in a negative way because he liked pink hats and dolls.  So while parents need to be educated about anti-bias play, some teachers also need to be educated about the anti-bias classroom so they will not perpetuate such bias and harmful attitudes that stifle our children.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

            ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Sexual orientation [Video file].

            Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 

 



Collaboration Appreciation

 

 

 

Collaboration Appreciation

            I would like to express my appreciation to my classmates for inspiring me and supporting me throughout this course.   I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of others and appreciating the similarities and differences that we all have endured.  We all have become professionally richer because communication and collaboration skills are the key to our success.  Dr. Darragh has given us helpful insights into our learning and now we should be great leaders of collaboration teams.   We have formed a great collaboration team amongst ourselves and we have all fulfilled our goal/vision by completing this course.  I wish everyone continued success and I look forward to joining you all on the next adventure!!!!!!!



What Qualities Make a Great Adjoining Process?

 

 

 

What Qualities Make a Great Adjoining Process?

          A couple of years ago I volunteered to be on the Teachers Retreat committee at my school and I was filled with excitement to be able to contribute to the school as a whole.  The committee consisted of six members and we actually worked well together.  Our goal was to come up with a place to have a teacher’s retreat at a place that most of the teachers would be committed to go.  Our team leader was already selected from the principal and she explained the various roles that needed to be filled by committee members. 

So in the forming stage we talked about what roles we would fill and we already knew each other so there was no need for introductions.  Two of the members created a survey that listed possible retreat locations, possible dates, and a list of activities and this was distributed to all of the teachers.  At every meeting our leader would provide us with a list of duties, goals, results, and what the next plan of action would be which is defined as the agenda (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  The place that was chosen for the retreat was Ocean City, Maryland which is a beach town. We were allowed to select a luxury hotel that had balconies with an ocean view for every room, and each teacher was provided with a $50.00 American Express gift card.  We left on a Friday morning and returned on Sunday evening.  There were team building activities, beach games, trivia games, night socials, and shopping outlet trips that were planned.  Our project was an overwhelming success because we had a strong vision, we established mutual respect and we trusted each other.  Great teams value the opinions of team members and display trust and mutual respect (Laureate Education, 2011).  Our committee displayed these great qualities and we grew to be fond of one another.

The adjourning process was a joyous occasion because we were a very effective committee and we were excited about the upcoming retreat.  Our leader had secretly ordered mugs that read “Working Together Is Success”; to be given to all team members.  The adjoining stage signals the end of a project and a time to reflect on the team experience (Abudi, 2010). During the norming (working as a team) and performing (functioning at an elevated level) stages we were highly effective because we finished our assigned tasks on time and we also helped out on other tasks when needed.  During and at the end of the retreat we received many compliments on how well the activities were run.  The committee members were proud of the accomplishments and we all vowed to work together on future projects together.
Upon completing this Masters program I will miss the informative discussions that we have all had and the helpful information and suggestions from our instructor.  We have become a helpful collaboration team and I will always remember this meaningful experience.  I wish everyone continued success in this program and beyond.
 

 

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from

            http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Team building strategies [Video file]. Retrieved from

            https://class.waldenu.edu

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.

            Martin's.

 

 



Resolving My Personal Conflicts

 

 

 

 

Resolving My Personal Conflicts

          When two or more people are entangled in a disagreement it can be defined as a conflict (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  Conflict is often unavoidable because often people have difficulty seeing eye to eye on various issues.  The conflicts that can be most challenging are the disagreements that we may have with family members because these are the people that you will be stuck with most of your life and there is an emotional bond that exists.  So the task at hand is how do we resolve conflicts in a peaceable manner and leave all parties feeling satisfied.

          The major conflicts that I experience constantly are with my husband who I have been with for many years.  He has the awful habit of taking off his clothes at night and dropping the clothes on the floor when he changes into his night attire.  This really irks me because I feel that it is unsanitary and he does have a clothes hamper that he rarely uses.  I am constantly telling him to pick up his clothes off of the floor and he refuses to do so until he is ready to wash his clothes.  Our next argument is over the television remote and when and where that one can watch television.  I often like to work on my laptop computer on a small dining table in our den and watch television at the same time.  He often complains about me having my computer on the table and he thinks that I should not be able to watch television and use the computer at the same time because he believes that I am monopolizing two devises at the same time.  So he will often come in the room and change the channel on the television and tells me that I am not allowed to do both.  I automatically get in an argumentative and defensive mode because at that point I believe that my rights are being violated.

          When thinking about the ways that I could resolve these pressing conflicts I start pondering about what techniques could be successful.  I could implore the escapist strategy which means to try to avoid all conflicts at any cost (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  My husband   often uses the Challenging strategy because he becomes very assertive and feels that his way is the only way.  So we have to find a way to come up with some cooperative strategies which is defined as creating solutions that would appeased both people when a disagreement occurs (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).   I think my husband and I should use the 3R’s strategies to solve our conflicts which are to be respectful of our feelings, share our thoughts, and respond to the others needs (The Center for Nonviolent Communication, n.d.).  Sometimes I will pick up his clothes off the floor and wash his dirty clothes to avoid conflict.  When I am on the computer and the television is on I will also ask him if he would like to watch something else and he will respond “yes” or “no thanks” so we are moving toward more peaceful solutions.  We are now moving to more productive conflicts which ease tensions on a thriving relationship.   

 

 

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New

          York: Bedford/St.Martin's

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent

          communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

         



My Communication Skills Evaluation

 

 

 

 

 





My Communication Skills Evaluation

            The communication self-surveys revealed how I interact with people and some of my strengths and weaknesses.   In the Communication Anxiety Inventory test my score was 40 which revealed that I am not comfortable communicating in all arenas; such as speaking in front of large groups of people (Rubin, Palmgreen, & Sypher, 2009). Communication does not seem to be a problem for me because I love interacting with people but I do try to judge a persons’ demeanor to determine the depths of my conversations.  On the Verbal Aggressiveness Test my test score was 65 which is considered moderate which means that I rank medium on the scale, and when confronting people I am very respectful of their feelings (Rubin, Palmgreen, & Sypher, 2009).  On the Listening Styles Profile test it revealed that I loved communicating with people and that I am concerned about their feelings, and that I am able to build relationships because I possess great listening skills (Rubin. Rubin, Graham, Perse, & Seibold, 2009).

 .          I selected my young adult daughter and a neighbor who is also a friend to take the tests in order to reveal how others view my communication skills.   I was surprised that the outcomes were very similar to my own.  My daughter warned me before taking the test that she was going to “let me have it” but I was pleasantly surprised that her scores were not that far from my own  and in all of the same categories on the test..  My friend’s score actually matched mine in the Communication Anxiety Inventory test which was 40 (Rubin, Palmgreen, & Sypher, 2009).   My daughter’s score on the Communication Anxiety Inventory assessment came out as 49 which moved me up to the “moderate” bracket and implied that I suffered from “situational” anxiety which is stage fright (Rubin, Palmgreen, & Sypher, 2009).  That’s the area I need to improve in order to feel comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people.  My girlfriend scored me as a 68 on the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale which is now making me stop and think about how I interact with her because this number is significant.  I never thought that I appeared aggressive to her but now I need to temper my tone when communicating with her in the future.  This exercise taught me a lot about myself and how others see me and I am glad that the test revealed that I am indeed people oriented because I am a teacher and that lets me know that I have chosen the right profession!

 

References

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A

sourcebook. New York: Routledge

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication

            research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge..