There are three posts this week. Be sure to read them all.

Have a great week!

Dear Class: A spider web of thoughts...I would love to hear your comments

“Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”



My thoughts lately have been like a spider web; tangled, twisted, and spun in all directions, yet somehow all connected. I have been deeply affected by the diversity presentation and I have not been able to find peace with everything that I have been feeling. I was profoundly troubled by how this presentation was presented. My heart immediately went out to the students placed on the stage and I was devastated that they had to "bleed" for the majority yet again, without any warning or preparation. I was appalled; I still am. I have been angry with the presenter and have tried to understand how and why he did this. I have discussed with my students, co-workers, friends and family about the event, asking their thoughts and feelings. I have been searching for answers. But my focus has not been in the right place. I have made a grave mistake, and I wish to share it with you. I believe that in order to be an effective communicator one needs to be honest, support what they have to say, be able to see and admit mistakes, be real, be active listeners and really hear what others are saying, and understand who you are speaking to (race, sex, age, abilities, cultures, religions, etc). In order for me to be effective, I want to admit my mistake to you.

Last night, I spoke with a very special person, I had never met her before. She works directly with these students that were placed on stage. She was shocked when the students were put on the stage, she asked for this not to happen prior to the event. She too has been deeply affected by this event and is still checking in with these students to be sure they are okay. As she spoke, tears flowed freely down her face, and she without realizing it, reminded me of something that I need to share with all of you. The students on the stage and their message should be the focus nothing else, not Lee Mun Wah. These brave students shared with us freely and tried to help us get a glimpse of what their lives are like as minorities. What they said was honest and from their hearts. Their messages were powerful and real. They did not lie to us, they opened their hearts. By doing this we saw their pain. They were all true to themselves, and did it in front of hundreds of people.

It is true, we all have experienced things that hurtful, and unjust. We have been hurt for reasons that we cannot change. But can you imagine being judged, simply for the color of your skin and for your very being; who you are? My daughters, are minorities. They are even minorities within their own family. What is this like for them? How do they feel when they are surrounded by people that do not look like them? When they tell me one day that they feel alone, should I become defensive and get angry and tell them that they are loved with my entire heart and soul and that I would die for them if I had to? Should I feel hurt? I should only feel hurt for them. I need to hear them and put my feelings aside. I know I will hurt them, never intentionally, but I will. My parents hurt me when they could not understand why I felt isolated within my own family even though they did all in their power not to make me feel this way. I need to realize this is THEIR hurt and accept it. We immediately think to ourselves, that we haven't done anything. We defend that we are not racist. But really that is not what is being said. What is being said is how they feel and we should listen with an open mind and an open heart.

Let us remember, what we heard at this presentation. These are their stories and they have happened, and this is how they feel. Racism exists and it hurts. They have been hurt. We can change it. We can make a difference. We can acknowledge it. We start by breaking down the barriers; not reacting, but listening. We need to hear them and hear their stories. We need to see them as not only how they identify themselves, but also as individuals. Embrace what they said and learn from them.

I would love to hear your comments. Please feel free to comment here.

I am proud of all of you. I am honored to be a part of this journey with you. Lets be honest with each other, really honest. That is how we grow. Thank you for helping me become a better educator and person.

Monica

Blog #12: The Beauty Within, Finding it in ourselves so we can find it in others

Information taken from:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Inner-Beauty---How-Can-You-Find-It?&id=4902743

What each of us keep bottled up inside is a great determinant of what we put out for others to see. Most times it does not talk of who or what we really are but shifts attention from what we truly want to that other flaw that we want to suppress.

Our temper, our mind disposition even our state of mind or intellectual ability often comes to war with what we want to put out there as society demands. What the society wants us to put out is what brings most of us down and makes us think less of ourselves.

What we fail to see is that inner beauty that exists within you. The being that is rooted deep in us is what we should use as a big part or our life. Finding that inner beauty is an issue that most of us has to deal with most days.

In us, we possess a great power or presence that we most times overlook because we want to make something out of ourselves to make people look differently at us.

Our inner being makes us who we really are and no matter how long we fight it, it will always come out. Our inner being is as strong as a wind after a heavy rain that always makes its presence felt even after the downpour.

In some of us, we find id difficult to see it and these leads many people to live a life that is devoid of peace, happiness and they see the worst in everything.
To come to peace with yourself, these are the ways at which you can bring out that TRUE beauty in you that people should see. These ways are:

MEDITATION:
Most people do not see that reason or logic behind this. They believe it is a waste of time. Meditation is a way of opening your mind and soul to everything that is real. It is a way of riding yourself of all fantasies so that you can come to peace with who you are and throw out what you want to pretend to be just to be well liked. Meditation allows you to open up your third eye to see everything that is good about you and your life.

SENSE OF WORTH:
This involves finding what makes you happy and sticking to it by making it an integral part of you at all times and all ways possible. Most research indicates that people that find something to do with their time have less time to worry about what others see in them that are faulty or less useful. It does not have to be what we love. It just have to be what can make a good impression on other people.

IMPROVED SELF AFFECTION:
People dig holes for themselves when they feel something is not going as expected and they see nothing good in themselves. Self-affection is what everyone must have to make it possible for you to push yourself to become a better person. You must always do something to make yourself happy. Do things that bring that beauty in you. Everything falls into place when you have a peace in your mind. Your inner beauty is what makes this something possible to do. Your inner being is what allows you to see the beauty in your ways and in what you find joy in doing no matter how stupid others might think it is.

DEDICATION:
A dedicated person does not have any problem excelling in what they do. They are just reeking of beauty all around them that people does not notice those bad things they do. When you are dedicated to your job; to your family, to your career; it makes you a happy person because all your expectations are met. The peace you feel in your inner consciousness makes it possible for you to do everything at peace. It has no serious hard work to it just the mind that everything is going well and as it should be.

SPIRIT FILLED:
Your inner beauty is what makes your spirit soar when you feel a little depression setting in. When you allow a portion of your life to be dedicated to your spiritual being the result is a feeling that stays with you for a long time. It makes you a fulfilled person and you also see yourself in a way you have never seen yourself. You seem like a new happier person.

I can go on and on but I believe what has been written is enough to makes us rethink what we see within ourselves. People are always out to bring you down, but let what beauty you feel make them think twice and learn from you.

I know the questions I am going to have you address this week may sound a bit cheesy and you may roll your eyes, but lets get serious and think about what makes us beautiful. Really Beautiful? Physical beauty exists in the eyes of the beholder. So, what is beautiful? Ever meet someone and think they are so beautiful, but the more you get to know them their beauty decreases or vice versa? We begin to lose our physical beauty as we age, but our inner beauty continues to grow. How are you beautiful? What makes you beautiful? How do you think seeing your own beauty can help you see the beauty of others? How can this become a process for acceptance, respect and tolerance of others?

Weekly Read :Diversity: Tolerance Through Communication (response required)

Information taken from: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/diversity-tolerance-through-communication-part-1/


There are many controversies currently happening around us, including the Arizona Immigration law, racial profiling, the Cordoba Mosque and the Dove movement, that inspired me to share some peaceful thoughts, and not get into the debate of who is right and who is wrong or even take sides. Hopefully, I'll be able to start a healthy dialog.

The US is a great country - if not the greatest; the founding fathers built it on the spirit of human rights, tolerance, and acceptance of all differences. The US is built on diversity, on a combination of flavors to strengthen the foundation of this country, one flavor enhances the other.

One doesn’t have to agree or like everyone, but one has to treat everyone and every person with respect and equality.What someone thinks is their business, how they act it out is what is important as it concerns others. Having flexibility to integrate is what will get us all to the safe side of the river.

Prejudice is a natural human reaction, we all have distrust and fear from people that don’t look like us or are different from ourselves. Confronting our belief system and find our biases becomes crucial so we can make smart choices about our behavior. Healthy conflicts bring positive changes, effective communications provide safe environment to discuss conflicts and differences. Effective communications creates tolerance, which creates acceptance and respect; both are key solutions to most of our problems.

When people are asked what they think represents difficult communications with others, the answers include:

People that get angry for no reason
People with heavy accents
People that talk all the time and don’t listen
People that listen to us - then re-arrange our words the way they want to understand them
People that always think they are right
People with egos
People that are indirect.
People assume that people that are different from them either by color, age, race, religion, gender, political views are difficult to communicate with, and this is where the communications’ barriers start erecting.

Just because we speak the same language doesn’t mean that we understand each other, perhaps because of factors like where or the way we grew up, the kind of work we do, or our ethnicity, religion and language origin.

But we can effectively communicate and bridge the gaps to a diverse world, and better understand and respect each other words, feelings, thoughts and actions. Effective communication has many forms; the most practical forms are dialog and debate.

Dialog is a collection of skills we communicate with to develop understanding and trust. Dialog is conducted between two people, or a group of people. Dialog is a non judgmental, two-way conversation. It is about putting ourselves in the other person's shoes and trying to feel how they feel. It is about developing sets of shared assumptions to use as a foundation to work together to find a way to agree in a non combative way.

While in a debate, we try to win. We concentrate on the weakness of our opponent, on what is wrong with their argument, to prove why our position is right. In a debate we stand our ground, defend our point of view and criticize other perspectives. The goal is to win, but at the end no one really wins.

It is important to understand the difference between dialog that respects both sides, and debate where the belief is that only one opinion is right, and of course it is ours.

In a perfect diverse world, people develop strong opinions. Let their feelings emerge through the process of dialog, but not in a way to cause conflict or in a way to prevent moving forward.

Hmmm....What do you think? Ponder on this statement, "Just because we speak the same language doesn’t mean that we understand each other, perhaps because of factors like where or the way we grew up, the kind of work we do, or our ethnicity, religion and language origin. But we can effectively communicate and bridge the gaps to a diverse world, and better understand and respect each other words, feelings, thoughts and actions. Effective communication has many forms; the most practical forms are dialog and debate."



Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/diversity-tolerance-through-communication-part-1/#ixzz16of8QvT4

Announcements

There are three posts this week that I would like you to read.

We have three posting this week. Be sure to read our Weekly Read, Blog #11, and Dear Class.


Student #3 needs to be ready to conduct their project to their group next week after I have completed our class meeting.

I look forward to seeing all of you next week.
Have a great rest of the week and a beautiful weekend.

Monica

Weekly Read November 18th : What is Diversity? Response Required

Diversity can be defined in many different ways. What does it mean to us?

Diversity is a commitment to recognizing and appreciating the variety of characteristics that make individuals unique in an atmosphere that promotes and celebrates individual and collective achievement.

Examples of these characteristics are: age; cognitive style; culture; disability (mental, learning, physical); economic background; education; ethnicity; gender identity; geographic background; language(s) spoken; marital/partnered status; physical appearance; political affiliation; race; religious beliefs; sexual orientation.
The University of Tennessee Libraries Diversity Committee
Spring 2001; Revised January 2003

I want you to define what diversity means to you.

Blog #11: Did We Build A Community?

I wish to use this blog posting to discuss the presenation on Tuesday, Novemember 16, 2010.

All Dignitas students were required to come together and attend a common experience. This fall, our common experience was a presentation on diversity directed by Lee Mun Wah.

Who is Lee Mun Wah? Information taken from: http://www.nwmissouri.edu/iic/mosaic/bio/Lee_Mun_Wah.htm

Lee Mun Wah, is a nationally-acclaimed lecturer and Master Diversity & Communications Trainer, Lee Mun Wah is a Chinese American community therapist, documentary filmmaker, Special Education educator, performing poet, Asian folkteller and author. He is also the Executive Director of StirFry Seminars & Consulting, which works with corporations, government agencies, educational institutions, and social agencies to facilitate diversity issues through healthy and authentic cross cultural relationships.

In 1993 his first film on Asian Americans, Stolen Ground, won the San Francisco International Film Festival’s Certificate of Merit Award for Best Bay Area Documentary. The National Media Network voted his second film, The Color of Fear, the Gold Medal for the Best Social Studies Documentary in 1995. In 1998 The Color of Fear 2 won the Cindy International Film Festival’s Silver Medal for Best Social Studies Award. In 1995 Oprah Winfrey presented a one-hour special on his work and life, which was viewed by over 15 million viewers across the nation. His latest film, Last Chance for Eden, a six part film series on racism, sexism, and heterosexism was released in the Spring of 2003.

Thousands have taken his workshops and trainings throughout the United States and around the world. Lee Mun Wah believes when we value others for their uniqueness and differences, then we enhance the possibilities for out children and ourselves.

Lee Mun Wah, discussed with the CSS students and their instructors, the importance of building a community and how it should and should not be done. He selected students asked them to join him on the stage. The students that he selected were mostly minorities. The audience was asked basic questions about them. However, although these questions were basic, they were very difficult questions for us to answer. The students on the stage were also asked questions about themselves and their thoughts and feelings. He provoked several emotions during his hour and a half presentation. He asked us to think about how we communicate with each other and acknowledging our differences and stop focusing so hard to see what we have in common.

What did you think was powerful about this presentation? Did you like it? Why or why not? Do you think he helped us build a community? I look forward to your thoughts.