COIL Learning Outcomes (CLO)

• CLO#1: Identify self in relationship to the unique backgrounds of others including professional discipline, culture, and geographic location on intercultural communication and collaboration (Global self-awareness; Perspective-taking)

• CLO#2: Analyze cultural competencies in mental health and early childhood education (Perspective-taking)

• CLO#3: Increase global awareness by identifying current issues affecting children, families and communities (Global systems)

• CLO#4: Evaluate current issues to determine advocacy focus (Global systems)

• CLO#5: Develop perspective on the effects of current issue on children, families, and community (Personal and social responsibility)

• CLO#6: Create actionable advocacy plans through intercultural collaboration (Intercultural competence & knowledge application)

• CLO#7: Generate a visual representation of diverse perspectives in the collaborative process (Intercultural competence and knowledge application). 

• CLO#8: Apply critical reflection of COIL competencies. 

During the second phase (module 2) of the COIL experience, you will forge relationships with your group members by viewing videos and readings which will deliver nuggets of content on the challenges faced by children, families and communities. Small groups will be assigned by Dr. B and Dr. Autrey, and will intentionally include two students from each university. Module two will last for two weeks.

The focus of phase three (module 3) is completing a collaborative project. Applying intercultural competence, you will compile a list of advocacy ideas that address the identified issue and its effect on children, families and community. You and your small group colleagues will represent the information in a Mind Map with the identified issue in the center bubble and outside bubbles focused on children, families, and community. Module three lasts for three weeks.

The concluding phase takes place during module 4 , which is the final week of the COIL experience. The focus of this module is to introspect on the collaboration process and advancement of COIL competencies.

The focus of this module is to build trust between colleagues within the classroom community. We will explore the unique backgrounds of our colleagues, identify commonalities, and  explore perspective-taking in communication and collaboration norms (CLO 1, CLO 2).

Module 1 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

• MLO 1.1: Identify commonalities amongst colleagues in the classroom community (CLO 1).

• MLO 1.2: Relate your cultural and personal identity to those within the classroom community (CLO 1, CLO 2)

• MLO 1.3: Analyze culture on communication and collaboration (CLO 1).

Katie Cole, Tiffany Merchant , and Britney Passmore (NMU), Nneka Abakporo and Isaac Lim (CityU)

Group B

Betsy Wilson, Clara Rua Arcilla and Ashley Scott (NMU), David Abdelmalek and Elyshau Wilson(City U)

Group C

Jessica Waddell, Tina Tenhopen and Holly O'Driscoll (NMU), Skyla Altmann and Patricia Wilkins (CityU)

Group D

Leslie Trenary, Jenny Simon and Laura Corr (NMU), Darci Cook (CityU)

Group E

Rachel Forstat, Hunter Stobiereski and Dana Montague (NMU), Nicholas Fuqua and Safa Sumiea (CityU)

Group F

Megan Hudechek and Alexis Renock (NMU), Matthew Jurasek and Lizette Rodriguez (CityU)

Group G

Yamini Khoje and Vanessa Martinez (NMU), Sarah Nicholas and Kaitlyn Paz (CityU)

Let's try that here - let's see what we have in common. 

Click the plus sign and tell us about the community you live in, what you see when you go to work, and what you enjoy doing when you are not working.

Be as specific as you can, for example, I ride the train to work and pass by two lakes and enjoy seeing boats and wildlife. I enjoy going hiking in the forests around me....

Don't forget to add your name! 

Comment on your colleagues' posts and build on what they say.  Let's see if we can find 3 things we all have in common.

The focus of this module is for small groups to work together to compile a list of advocacy ideas that address the identified issue and its effect on children, families and community. Represent the information in a Mind Map with the identified issue in the center bubble and outside bubbles focused on children, families, and community.

Module 3 Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

• MLO 3.1: Analyze global perspectives to address an issue affecting children, families and community (CLO 6)

• MLO 3.2: Apply intercultural and perspective taking to problem-solve issues affecting children, families, and community (CLO 5, CLO 6). 

• MLO 3.3: Explore six advocacy intervention levels as described by Ratts et al. (2015) (CLO 6).

• MLO 3.4: Create a plan for addressing issues across intervention levels for each population focus (CLO 6, CLO  7)

Don't forget to share your group members' names when you share your work!

This template was available on Canva and had a share option where multiple people could contribute to the project at the same time. If you are not sure of a program to use in your group, this is one option that seemed user friendly and free to use after creating an account.

Create a MindMap where the center bubble represents the identified issue. The first layer of outside bubbles (3 total) will represent the categories of 1) children, 2) families, and 3) communities. The second layer of bubbles stemming from those should represent advocacy ideas across the 6 advocacy levels described by Ratts et al. (2015). 

After you finish, come back to the Padlet and post your MindMap in the next Module to the right!

By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

• MLO 4.1: Review and synthesize results of intercultural collaboration to problem-solve issues affecting children, families, and community (CLO3, CLO5)

• MLO 4.2: Evaluate the relationship of self to intercultural communication and collaboration efforts (CLO1)

• MLO 4.3: Apply critical reflection to appraise COIL competencies (CLO8)

As you look through them, comment on 2 to add another advocacy idea or make a connection to how the other group's MindMap overlap your group's topic or advocacy ideas.

Let's see if there are any bigger themes present across multiple MindMaps.

Remember to give your name on your responses if you show up as Anonymous.

In your journal, answer the following questions:

1) What has been meaningful about the collaborative process?

2) What have you learned about yourself?

3) What have you learned about how you work with others?

4) What is it like to collaborate interculturally? Across disciplines?

5) What is it like to observe the outcomes of other collaborations?

Upload your journal entry here as a response comment.

Reference

Canada Council for the Arts (2015). What does culture mean to you? [Video]. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SidKFCZ65ik

Reference

SOM Diversity (2018). Cultural competency introductory video. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcFADtVc5FM

Initial Padlet Post

Add a post that describes what culture is to you and how it influences your daily life, including how you communicate and collaborate with others.

Don't forget to add your name to your post.

Responses

Review several people's posts, and meaningfully and substantively respond to two people whose post resonated with you.

A Zoom link has been provided in this Padlet, before Module 1. You may also meet through another virtual live app such as FaceTime.

During your conversation, discuss the following:

• Who are you named after and why?

• Where does your name originate from?

• Is there a story connected to your name?

• Do people sometimes pronounce of write your name in a wrong way? If so, how does that make you feel?

• What special meaning does your name hold for you?

• What special memories or stories are associated with your name?

• Has your named changed over time, and if so, why.

• How do you prefer to be called?

• How do your relatives or close friends call you?

References

PRACTICE Project (n.d.). Activity 1: The story of my name. https://practice-school.eu/activity1-story-of-my-name/

University of Michigan (n.d.). Name story. Equitable Teaching. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/equitable-teaching/name-story/

Password: Wildcat

During this module you will use intercultural perspective-taking and communication to compare interdisciplinary competencies.

Module 2 Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• MLO 2.1: Examine professional competencies related to mental health and childhood development professions (CLO 1). 

• MLO 2.2: Compare cultural competencies between mental health and childhood development professions (CLO 2).

• MLO 2.3: Identify current issues affecting children, families and community (CLO 1, CLO 4).  

• MLO 2.4: Examine perspective-taking and intercultural communication in building consensus 

• MLO 2.5: Apply critical reflection to appraise module learning outcomes (CLO 1).

For this module, you will compare the competencies for early childhood education and counselling. Begin first, by reading the competencies for equity in early childhood education.

For this post, you will look for commonalities and differences between the counselling and early childhood competencies addressed in Ratts et al., (2015) and NAEYC (2019).

Initial Padlet Post

Share what resonated with you after reading both sets of competencies.

Share what commonalities and differences you noticed.

Responses

Read a selection of your colleagues' posts and meaningfully and substantively respond to at least two people.

Instructions

Step 1

Schedule a Zoom meeting with your group members.

Step 2

During your small group meeting, create a MindMap identifying ONE issue within each geographic area (Seattle area and Michigan), affecting children, families and the community. The outside bubbles of the MindMap will represent 1) individual geographic issues identified by all group members 2)The center bubble should represent the commonality shared across the bubbles.

During your small group Zoom discussion, talk about the common factors and how they affect children, families and the community.

Step 3

Come back to the Padlet and post your MindMap in the next column to the right.

• Katie Cole (NMU), Britney Passmore, and Nneka Abakporo (CityU)

• Tiffany Merchant (NMU) and Isaac Lim (CityU)

• Betsy Wilson (NMU) and David Abdelmalek (CityU)

• Clara Rua Arcilla, Ashley Scott (NMU) and Elyshau Wilson(CityU)

• Jessica Waddell (NMU) and Patricia Wilkins (CityU)

• Tina Tenhopen, Holly O'Driscoll (NMU), and Skyla Altmann (CityU)

• Leslie Trenary, Jenny Simon (NMU) and Darci Cook (CityU)

• Rachel Forstat, Laura Corr (NMU) and Safa Sumiea (CityU)

• Hunter Stobiereski and Dana Montague (NMU), and Nicholas Fuqua (CityU)

• Megan Hudechek (NMU) and Matthew Jurasek (CityU)

• Alexis Renock (NMU) and Lizette Rodriguez (CityU)

• Yamini Khoje (NMU) and Sarah Nicholas (CityU)

• Vanessa Martinez (NMU)and Kaitlyn Paz (CityU)

Click on the "+" sign at the top of this column, and add your MindMap

Colleague Responses

Review several of your colleagues' MindMaps, and meaningfully and substantively respond to at least two people's posts.

Next, place click on ONE "heart" emoji for the issue that resonates the most with you.

TED. (2009, Oct. 7). The danger of a single story: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&t=3s

An essential aspect of a COIL experience is critical reflection on applying intercultural competence and perspective-taking in building consensus on the topic you will focus in your small group advocacy projects in the next module.

During your institutional reflective meeting, you will critically reflect on the Module 2 Resource Video:

TED. (2009, Oct. 7). The danger of a single story: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&t=3s

Preparing for Your Institutional Meeting
In preparation for your institutional meeting, view the video in this post, which focuses on the process of critical reflection.

Review the Module 2 TED video, located in the Module 2 Resource column.

Location: CityU of Seattle Classroom

Location: Zoom Link

Password: Wildcat

At the conclusion of our reflective conversations about everyone's COIL experiences thus far, and on the video, The danger of a single story, small groups expressed their thoughts by creating the lyrics and a song, using Mureka AI Song Generator.

I hope you enjoy the songs posted below.

Dr. B

Location: Zoom link

Password: 382870

The template for the individual Power Flower handout is posted here. This will be the template you should work off of.

Directions to complete:

1. First look at the labels for each petal. Let's use the petal labeled Gender as an example.

2. Then, in the outer petals, identify what the dominant/privileged identity is for that category in your country of residence (the United States). For the Gender petal, the dominant/privileged identity is Cisgender Male. If you get stuck or are unsure, refer to the resource in the post below. There is a power flower with the outside petals filled in for the U.S. as the reference culture.

3. Next, in the center petals, identify your own identities in those categories. For myself (Dr. Kim), I would write Cisgender Female in my Gender petal.

4. Finally, once all petals are completed, it's time to color in your flower. Select one color to represent dominant identities. Use this color to color in all outer petals. Use this same color to also color in any inner petals where your personal identity matched the outer petal. Then, select a different second color. Use the second color to color in all inner petals that did not match the outer petals.

This resource also has some reflection questions to get you thinking about what the activity may mean for you in the context of this COIL.

Step 2: Write a 2-3 sentence caption for each photo. Your caption can be original text for your photo or be quoted text from your individual journal reflection earlier in this module.

Step 3: Post each photo with its caption in the next Padlet column to the right.

We encourage you to create your own team charter that includes your roles, expectations and communication methods, within your small groups.

Every student should complete this survey whether you have opted to participate in research or not. The first question on the survey asks if you are a research participant or just completing as a normal requirement of the class.

Every student should complete this survey whether you have opted to participate in research or not. The first question on the survey asks if you are a research participant or just completing as a normal requirement of the class.

Please share your email or WhatsApp and or LinkedIn to connect as partners or just stay in touch !

Dr. B: cbasse@nmu.edu or (906) 227-2770

During your conversation, share “A day in Your Life” -  Where you work, how you get there, and what you see on the way to work. How does your morning commute affect your well-being? 

CityU

In this video, Dr. B explains the research opportunity CityU students may choose to participate in during this COIL Collaboration.

View video script at this LINK.

Listen to the video, and if you are interested in participating in this research study, please do the following:

1) Read the CityU Research Participant Informed Consent below:

Informed Consent Document - CityU

2) Sign the Participant Informed Consent on the MS Form Link below.

Sign Informed Consent - MS Forms

In this video, Dr. Kim explains the research opportunity NMU students may choose to participate in during this COIL Collaboration.

View video script at this LINK.

Listen to the video, and if you are interested in participating in this research study, please do the following:

1) Read the NMU Informed Consent Form, below:

Informed Consent Document - NMU

2) Sign the NMU Informed Consent Form, below:

Sign Informed Consent - MS Forms

We are also known for our seasonal snow accumulations -- last year we had 331 inches in total. With that comes a love for all things winter: hockey, skating, skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling. However, I tend to enjoy a bonfire with a hot drink in hand more than anything else.

I love seeing the forests that surround my community on my drive to work, especially the pine and birch trees. Since my job is on campus, when I take the back way in I often see the track and cross country athletes running. I also pass the local middle and high school, and since I work with children 0-5, I often find myself considering the paths and general development of children through to adulthood.

When I am not working, you will find me on one of the many hiking trails, and I especially love being near the water (if not, in it). Whether it is the lake, a river, or waterfall, I feel most grounded when I am near water.

I live in SeaTac, WA.  It’s a high traffic, industrial area.  Much of this is because this is the city where the biggest airport in Washington state is located.  I live minutes away from the airport.  Every morning on my commute, I tend to drive through the backroads to avoid all heavy traffic areas.  I am blessed to work just 8 minutes from my home.  The Seattle area has it’s reputation for having very gloomy weather.  It rains almost year-round. I prefer the rays of sunshine and cool weather- but the rain doesn’t bother me.  I’ve lived here almost 11 years. The transition into the fall is my absolute favorite in Washington.  We are truly an evergreen state and seeing the green trees change their color really paints the town beautifully. I really appreciate the sweater weather too. 

Every morning on my commute to my workplace at a local high school, I tend to not see many people out walking.  I am usually heading to work at 6:20am in the morning. The sun is usually rising at 7:20am. The colors in the sky are gorgeous in the mornings when its not cloudy.  I've attached a picture I took from my workplace parking lot last October. You can see the peak of Mt. Rainier in the distance. In this same direction as the picture, we can see planes flying and landing into the airport territory.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband and 3 kids. We like going to local lakes, parks and flea market, often taking our Pomeranian dog Daisy along too. I especially enjoy short day adventures. Sometimes this involves 3 hour drives back to the tri-cities. There is so much to explore in my community and I appreciate that the most while living here.

My name is Hunter, and I am currently a lead teacher in a GSRP classroom in a small town called Fowlerville, MI. I live and work in a rural town that has a big agricultural industry. Many people own and live on farms, and families support one another with that. It is a part of the culture where I live. On my way to work, I pass several fields of corn, beans, and wheat. I drive on backroads and take the one main road to the schools, which is paved. In town, there is a "main 4" stoplight I pass through as well. It is a small town with a small population.

In my free time, I love to be outdoors. I enjoy gardening, going for bike rides, hikes, and playing with my dog. I spend the majority of my time outside when I can. I also enjoy coloring and painting when I am feeling overwhelmed or want something quiet to do.

My name is David, I use he/him pronouns, and I am a counseling student at City University. I live in University Place, which is about 45 minutes south of Seattle. University Place is a quiet, friendly place. People often wave hello to me as I go by on a run or walk, usually having something interesting to tell me. The apartment complex I live in is very diverse, with many adults, children, and pets sharing our living space. There is a small patch of tanbark in the center of our parking structure for the dogs to congregate and run around off leash. We can hear their barks through the night as the commuters return and take their beloved pets on walks.

I have the privilege of working directly within the mental health field, in a small community called The Joy & Wellness Center. We are positioned at the second story of a little shopping center, which overlooks the train-tracks. Every 15-30 minutes, a rumbling is felt in the floor, and a loud whistle is heard for miles. It can make for an interesting time working with clients, especially if we are working on something that requires a lot of focus!

As I mentioned before, I enjoy running when I am not working or in school. Running is a sport of discipline and mental toughness, which I am a huge proponent of. I enjoy the process of breaking down barriers, especially mental ones, and becoming something you never thought was possible. There are days where I ambitiously conquer 15 miles, and other days where I am just proud of myself for getting out the door. There is so much in this sport for everyone, and I would love to talk to you about running, especially if you think running isn't for you!

Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my husband and two boys. We enjoy spending time outdoors together! I love hiking local trails and finding quiet moments to read and recharge.

My perfect morning before work includes a fridge-cold Red Bull while I get ready for the day, followed by 10-15 minutes of morning mindfulness and stretching. I recently began that morning routine, and I have loved it!

I am so lucky to have found housing close to my work this year. I have a 5-minute drive to the elementary school I work at, and on the way, I get to pick up my coworker, my brother! Though our drive is short, we have many great views that we admire as often as we can. My drive includes two stop lights and two school zones, which amazes me in the best way. My hometown has no stop lights and three schools total, so I love the diversity in the drive I get to have now. My favorite mornings are the foggy, low cloud days. My work sits at the bottom of a hill, and it seems like a trance going from the sunny, beautiful morning, into the misty fog that lies on the hill. Often, we get the view of Mt. Rainer in the distance, which is so settling to me. I grew up in north Washington, where the view of Mt. Baker lined my every movement.

Along with this job, I also coach softball at the high school level in the spring. The softball community is a huge part of my life, and I am overjoyed that I get to help continue to grow this community. On top of that, the high school I coach at is the most beautiful school I have ever seen. When I first moved to this area, I spent years thinking the school was a museum! This school lays in downtown Renton, which is an extremely chaotic area, but from my experiences, I find it calming that I've come to understand it.

I also live in Everett, Washington to help out my mom and my disabled brother, who has autism. When my mom is going to work on my off days, I go home and take care of my brother and it is relaxing at times, but there can be times when he wants something and he would using his iPad for communication, so I have to give it to him anyways.

On my off days, I like to spend time with my family as best as I can because I am always busy with work and myself, but spending time with them is the greatest thing I always like to do. I also like going on hikes because it really de-stresses me and I love being around nature, seeing lakes and trees, and absorbing the atmosphere of it. Also, I really love doing nails and nail art! I just started doing nails about 5 years ago during COVID and it started as a habit and addictive, but as I started watching tutorials and looking at pictures on Tumblr, I am obsessed with it now and I am starting to learn how to use Gel-X, instead of press-on nails.

My name is Tricia, and I use she/her pronouns. I look forward to working with all of you during this COIL.

I live in Redmond, Washington which is home to Microsoft's main campuses. It is a nice mix between urban and suburban with a beautiful (but always under construction) downtown and some diverse neighborhoods connecting us to other nearby cities. Redmond is a very walkable city, especially when you get closer to the Microsoft and SpaceX campuses.

My drive to work takes me through two different neighborhoods and right by a couple of high schools. I have an opposite commute since I work night shift, so on my way to work I get to see all of the houses that have their Christmas lights up! On my way home I drive right through lots of school traffic so it can be nice to see the kids walking to school and remembering being in their shoes.

I tend to be pretty busy between work and now school, but when I have free time I like to spend time with my family and my animals. I'm mostly a homebody so I spend a lot of time reading and cooking.

I come from a very respect-oriented family, so when it comes to my workplace, I am very conscious of the "chain of command". However, I work for a tiny company with less than 10 employees where my boss views and treats us more like family. In this instance, I have two aspects of my culture that are in conflict.

On the one hand, I am used to treating superiors at work very respectfully but clinically. On the other, I personally like to meet people where they approach me. So, I struggle sometimes to work with people at my work who are "higher up" than myself as everyone is much more like a family than coworkers. I have come to reconcile that the aspect of my culture that shines through the most at work is my social nature rather than my professional.

My drive to work brings me all the way through the gut of Seattle, where every day I must wrestle with the decision to lose 5 minutes by taking I-5, or pay $1.25 to take the SR-99 tunnel. I usually take the tunnel. I love seeing the way the light reflects off of the buildings of Seattle in the morning. I grew up here so it always amazes me to see how much the skyline has changed over the years.

I'm heavily involved in the local theatre scene in Seattle, particularly improv comedy. I'm almost always involved in a couple of productions at any given time; performing, teaching, and/or directing. I love other forms of art too, like sculpture and poetry.

On my way to east Lansing I have a 45 minute sometimes a hour commute to work plus back home. So I usually take time for myself on my way to work, stopping for coffee or I'll make coffee at home and I will listen to a podcast each morning, sometimes its a silent drive to work as well.

I am currently an MSW student at Northern, and my internship has been at the community mental health agency, which is about 30 minutes from my home, and I have had the privilege of being an outpatient therapist intern along with doing Infant Mental Health. When I am not at my internship, I am working at my local library.

My drive to work is my favorite, especially during the fall, since my drive is usually through roads in the middle of the woods. I find the most joy doing things such as hiking, kayaking, or hammocking. I also love to curl up with a good book, color, bake, or simply watch a comfort show or movie (my current obsession is Abbot Elementary). I try to find joy in the simple things, and that has been something that has helped me the most since starting grad school.

I wanted to attach a picture of my most recent trip to Colorado this past June with my family, to share the beauty of Colorado and the Rockies!

My name is Clara Rua, and I live in Ortonville, in northern Oakland County, Michigan. What I love most about living here is the mix of rural tranquility and access to nearby cities like Holly, Grand Blanc, Clarkston, and Flint. Ortonville has that peaceful “up north” feeling — the trees, open spaces, and even the fresh scents from nearby farms. Coming from a busy city full of traffic and concrete, I’ve learned to truly appreciate Michigan’s natural beauty.

I grew up in Medellín, Colombia, where I am originally from. Some people have asked me recently what language we speak there; Spanish is our native language. I also had the opportunity to live in Windsor, Canada, for a few years before moving to the United States, where I’ve lived for the past ten years. I can definitely say that my heart belongs to two countries. I love the beauty, contrast, and opportunities that both have given me, and I carry a piece of my culture with me wherever I go.

My commute is about 35–40 minutes, and I use that time to reflect and enjoy the sunrise. It’s my quiet moment of gratitude before the day begins. My ride transitions from rural to suburban. I go from tall trees and green spaces to small lots and manicured lawns. After work, I drive about 40 minutes to pick up my children from school, often admiring the same scenic views.

In my free time, I’ve come to enjoy simple, peaceful moments. I love sitting in my backyard with a cup of coffee, listening to the leaves rustling and the squirrels playing. Life can feel busy balancing work, family, and school, so quiet moments, even a short walk, help me reconnect and recharge.

Before the pandemic, I worked as a Spanish substitute teacher at my children’s school, and that experience awakened a new passion for working with children and families. Now, I serve as a Bilingual Family Liaison in the Waterford School District, where I assist families with enrollment and provide interpreting support for meetings and evaluations. Each day brings something new, and I feel grateful to help families feel supported and connected.

I look forward to learning and sharing with all of you!

Tiffany Merchant

Hello, my name is Tiffany. I live in Lansing, Michigan and work at a Junior High School in a GSRP classroom. I currently live and work on the southside of the community. We are best known for our University Michigan State the home of the Spartan's and the home of the pro minor league baseball team the Lugnuts. For the most part the southside area is a semi quiet neighborhood. We do sometimes have teen incidents that occur, this community is showing a lot of growth and expansion. We have old schools being rebuilt and new businesses opening.

I only live a short distance from were I currently work, but will be moving soon. On my drive to work I see convenient stores on every corner and often I see deer in local neighborhood streets and front yards. There also is a lot of road closures because of road repairs down many streets. When I am not working, I enjoy catching up on my favorite Tv shows since I spends a lot of time doing reading, homework, anecdotal notes. I also love spending time with family and friends traveling taking weekend getaways. In addition to that I love shopping because its a big stress reliever for me (laughing) not to mention the great bargains I find. One thing I have learned to appreciate is making time for self by meditating in a quiet space to relax and reflect on all I have going on in my life.

I teach in a classroom located in a high school vocational center. It’s a unique setting where I get to see high school students learning hands-on job skills while I work with younger students who need extra support. It’s a busy and exciting place to be, and I really enjoy being part of it.

Outside of work, I love to read and listen to music to relax. I also recently got a new dog named Bear. He’s playful and full of energy, and he’s quickly become a big part of my life. Spending time with him helps me recharge after a long day at school.

Milford is surrounded by natural beauty including a metro park, state park, many lakes, and the Huron River. Many residents  take advantage of Milford’s outdoor recreation and on any given day you will see people hiking, biking, kayaking, and more along the Huron River and Milford Trail. Milford blends some suburban convenience with the peacefulness of a close-knit, nature-oriented community.

I am an Early Childhood Special Education teacher at the Early Childhood Center that is only 2 miles from home. My drive to work each day is short, but peaceful. I begin my drive on a tree-lined country dirt road. I often pass deer and Sand Hill Cranes before the road quickly turns to pavement and approaches the side entrance of Milford High School. I drive my 15 year old daughter to high school each morning on my way to work so I drive down the long boulevard leading to the front of the high school. I see many student drivers, parents, and buses all on their way in as well. I appreciate the time I have with my daughter each morning, and I love our quick morning talks. As I head away from the high school I take Milford Road and head directly to my school, passing a mile of local businesses and a few neighborhoods before I arrive.

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my family and being outdoors. We love playing yard games, hosting bonfires, swimming, and taking walks.

In daily life, culture influences everything from how we greet people, make decisions, and express emotions, to how we work in teams and resolve conflicts. For example:

Culture, to me, starts with my close-knit family, where I learned the values that guide me every day; hard work, loyalty, honesty, and kindness. Growing up, I was taught the importance of caring for others, being understanding, and always giving my best, whether it was for family, friends, or in my work. These beliefs aren’t just ideas; they shape how I treat people and how I carry myself in every situation.

Because of this foundation, the way I communicate and collaborate is deeply rooted in building strong, respectful relationships. I value trust and open, honest conversations, and I try to lead with empathy and patience. Whether I’m working on a team or supporting someone in need, I bring those family-taught values with me. I try to focus on doing the right thing, staying loyal to those around me, and helping others feel seen, heard, and appreciated.

My home is a stone's throw down the road in Lansing where I live with my beautiful wife of 8 years, Kris, and our sweet furbabes, Stella and Milo.

I work in a childcare-based center. I am an assistant GSRP teacher. I live 4 miles from work. Depending on the day, it can take me 8 minutes to get to work or 12 minutes. On my way to work, it is a bustling area with many shops and restaurants.  I live in a subdivision. I make three lefts on my way to work and only two rights. I love having a short commute, so I don’t have to get up as early.  The con of living so close is that I do not have the time to decompress before getting home.

When I am not at work, I hang out with my family. I have two nephews, with one on the way. I spend time with my best friend. I have a game night once a month with my co-workers. I put together LEGOs and read books to relax on weekends. My favorite restaurant near me is Amore's. I love their chicken pot pie soup.

Culture influences my day-to-day life because it influences the way I operate. I am from a small farming town, so I grew up and was raised by people who found that a hard and consistent work ethic was the only way to work, so I am very hardworking, whether that be in school, my internship, or my job. I also grew up in a community where everyone shows up for one another. Something I love about my small town culture is that when something happens in the community, it affects all of us, and we are always ready to help one another. I also grew up being taught to respect everyone, have empathy for others, and that honesty and kindness are the best way to go through life. Being taught these values at a young age shaped me into who I am today and how I move about in the world.

When it comes to working and collaborating with others, I display these cultural values because I am always trying to make sure everybody is on the same page, understanding, and helping when it i needed. The people you work with deserve your respect and kindness, and I want to make sure that when collaborating with others, we are all getting what we need, even if that means taking a different route than I had in mind. Something that I have learned individually outside of my family and community culture that I use daily in work, school, and my internship is that just because someone is doing something differently than you would, it does not mean it is wrong. This is a value that I am going to incorporate into my future family culture because it is important to remember that there is rarely just one right way to do things.

I currently live in one of the neighborhoods of Okemos, called ‘Preserve’.

Okemos is home to a well-regarded public school system, which is a major draw for families. Okemos offers a good balance of a peaceful lifestyle with easy access to the jobs and activities in nearby Lansing and East Lansing. We have numerous parks and natural areas such as the Harris Nature Center. The area is recognized as a desirable place to live, often ranking highly on lists of the best places to live in Michigan.

Our neighborhood comes under Meridian Township. This is one of residential area praised for family-friendly atmosphere, clean, well-maintained parks and trails, and convenient location to top-rated schools. Okemos High School (OHS) is few meters walking to this neighborhood. This area is known for its interconnecting walking nature trails, which connects nearby neighborhoods as well has reserved forest areas along with golf courses.

Each morning, I take a short 8-minute drive to work down one road, Milford Rd, where I pass quiet neighborhoods, open fields, and even a golf course along the way. The drive gives me a few calm moments before the busy and joyful energy of my GSRP classroom day begins.

When I'm not working, you can usually find me spending time outdoors. I love working on projects around the house, especially anything that lets me enjoy fresh air and sunshine. One of my favorite spots is Kensington Metropark, which has a beautiful lake, walking and bike trails, and a small farm that my family loves to visit. We often spend weekends there riding bikes or visiting the animals with our kids. Currently, during the fall season, you can also catch me and my family watching football! Go Lions!

On my commute to work I first take my daughter to school in a different town from where we live. We pass corn fields and farm equipment since harvesting corn is happening currently. My work is in yet another town. I work in a city with a population around 10,000. I work for the local school district in their GSRP program as a Lead teacher. We have our own building dedicated to 4 GSRP classrooms and 2 tuition-based preschool classrooms.

When I am not working I enjoy relaxing at home. True crime documentaries are a favorite of mine. I enjoy watching my daughter play sports and going beyond our little community for shopping and restaurants. We also have chickens and cows so there is usually something to do with them when not at work.

Hi All. My name is Sarah. I live in a large city, Tacoma in Washington. I live right in downtown, I can see the puget sound from my 4th floor apartment. I live with my husband and two step daughters. My weekday mornings are usually spent getting them ready and then getting myself ready to go to work. I am usually woken up without an alarm but by my cat, Lobster.

I work as a paraeducator at a high school in Auburn which is a 30 to 60 min drive depending on traffic. Yes, it can vary that much unfortunately. Jenny I am jealous of your scenic drive! I love the time to listen to audiobooks (currently listening to the "He Who Fights With Monsters" series). Outside of work I love to go to hot yoga, playing games with the girls or watching tv shows with my husband. We are suckers for anything Gordon Ramsey:)

We are close to so many things to do living in a large city. We have huge beautiful park near us with an abortorium that we try to go to weekly. We are also close to 2 theaters that have shows for the Tacoma Ballet and opera. We are near a movie theater as well that hold unique showings that we try to get to. Alot is near us that we love doing but we also love being homebodies.

When I am not working, i enjoy going for walks, meeting up with friends, playing video games or just sleeping the day away when I need to catch up on my rest.

Culture is a sense of belonging that I do not believe I experience in a meaningful way. I do not feel a deep connection or sense of belonging to any group. My family does not consist of multiple generations or extended relations (if that makes sense).

I communicate with others the way I want to be communicated with. I have also had a good amount of life experiences that have influenced my ability to be extroverted when needed and relatable. It has taken many years to realize we all just want to be spoken to with respect and without judgement. I approach interactions with an honest interest in understanding the other person and connecting. Also a dab of sarcasm.

When I communicate with others within my cultural values it is more timid, nervous, and accepting. When it comes to being timid and nervous, I always get a perception that people think that I am weird or I don't do anything, which is not the case. I try to be open about myself and even respect others as my parents would tell me and if I am not with my family, they would always tell me to be careful and safe because of their perceptions of America, but my friends would talk to my parents to tell them that I am okay and safe. When I am collaborating with others, I am able to listen to others as my parents would tell me and learning discipline myself through maturity by understanding different opinions and explaining answers through questions and examples within those opinions. Even sharing any input or ideas shows that maturity within myself that I love collaborating with others and trying to get to know them as peers, classmates, or co-workers is a learning and wonderful experience by understanding others.

As I’ve grown and spent time in different environments, I’ve realized that culture is also shaped by the places we’re part of, like schools, workplaces, or any group where people come together. Each of these places has its own rhythm, expectations, and shared ways of doing things. The people in those spaces help build that culture, and over time, you learn how to read it, respond to it, and find your place within it.

To me, culture is more than language or ethnicity. It’s about the experiences that shape us, the values we hold, and the way we connect with others.

Culture influences my daily life in several different ways. The food I eat, the holidays I celebrate, the music I listen to, and how I interact with the people in my daily life. It affects my routines, priorities, and how I show respect and care for others. An example would be that I was raised to be hard-working, kind, and helpful to others, and I carry those values in each area of my daily life.

When it comes to communication and collaboration, my culture also plays a role. My background and experiences influence how I express myself, listen to others, and how to handle disagreements. I tend to communicate respectfully and calmly to create a positive environment and relationships. I also try to remember to be aware that others may have different communication styles to help me be more open-minded and flexible when working with others.

Overall, culture influences how I perceive the world and how I interact with people. Understanding my own culture and learning about others helps me be respectful and mindful of each person!

I am lucky to say that I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I live in rural town in Western Washington, called Yelm. We are about 40 minutes away from the base of Mount Rainier and when the "mountain is out," this is my view coming home from work. It really never gets old. The town I live in has about 10,000 people and is just north of Washington's Capital, Olympia. Our town has a lot of charm and has that small town feel to it and although it is a small town, it is also very diverse. We are about 20 minutes away from JBLM, a Military Base, and we have a large amount of military families that live in our area.

I have been a school counselor now for 12 years and spent 9 years in a Middle School in Tacoma, WA. I currently work as a school counselor in a High School of about 1700 students. It is a joy and so rewarding to work with students this age, yet, challenging all at the same time.

My husband and I live about 8 miles away from the high school I work at, so my commute is very short. We have two adult boys and 2 Dachshund puppies, who keep us very busy. We love to ride bikes, run, hike, and do anything that involves the outdoors.

I am looking forward to these next few weeks and getting to know and work with all of you!!

What is culture:

To me culture can be describe in many different ways. I feel it represents several facets of one’s personal and professional and social life. It can be unique by the way we communicate with others, from the way we symbolize and show expressions, and language. Culture is beliefs and values that are shared amongst several people and groups. These values and beliefs shape the way we interact and behave within society and guide us to form customs and practices that we pass down through generations to generations.  In my daily life culture influences my interaction along with my decisions-making. Culture influences me to be more open-minded and appreciative and respectful of others. Being around diverse cultures has helped me to grow personally and professionally into a better person. I find that culture impacts communication and collaboration with others. I feel I have become more patient, respectful and mindful since I‘ve been working within a school system. For instance, as we begin to understand other cultures we gain knowledge on different ways to communicate, verbally and non-verbally especially when there’s been minimal exposure. We learn to create solutions, enhance and find ways to bring collaboration to influence and benefit the relationships between multi-cultures.       

In terms of communication, I come from a family who values directness. I realize that not everyone feels this way, that confrontation can be more intimidating than it feels for me. I do enjoy communicating explicitly, especially because it takes some of the guesswork out of my intentions and ideas. I enjoy living with all my cards laid out on the table and greatly value integrity. I believe that this contributes to my collaboration with others as well, especially those who appreciate honesty. I acknowledge that all of this is biased in my own experiences, which certainly affect my worldview of my own culture and other's as well.

I have experienced and been a part of a few different cultures throughout my life. I would say each company I have worked for has had its own unique cultures there, same with school. Additionally I have had friends and colleagues that weren't from the US originally that shared their cultural norms and traditions with me.

Things I think that most families might do but is part of a tradition that is in my family like with holidays or the way I grew up I thought was normal. But it's the environment we are brought up in and live in since a young age. Culture can be the interactions you have with others through experiences lived. Culture can be what your family shared with you or the relationships from the others you meet in this world. Culture is the way we meet others and how we communicate with others.

For my I am very shy, but my parents have taught me how to order my own food at a young age at a restaurant to start those relationships and communication skills.

My parents have taken me on trips to different places in the US, but I have also traveled outside of the US like to Japan when I was 16 without my parents, and just my best friend while traveling with a band that we performed for two weeks meeting new people, and seeing different cultures right there in front of us.

In the classroom, culture shows up in every interaction; through language, family traditions, and how children express themselves. My role is to honor and reflect the diverse cultures children and families bring while being mindful of the cultural lens I bring as an educator. I aim to create an environment where all children feel respected, represented, and safe to be themselves.

In my own family, culture was shaped by both spoken and unspoken traditions. As I raise my children, I think intentionally about what I want to carry forward and what I want to do differently. For me, creating culture at home means prioritizing connection, empathy, and a sense of belonging.

Culture, to me, is a foundation for identity and community. Whether in the classroom or at home, it guides how we grow, relate to others, and help children feel seen and valued.

One of the most distinct expressions of culture I personally notice is in humor -- the way people express themselves through jokes and references. I come from a family of people who love to laugh, and humor is a major way I find common connection between people I interact with in the world. Humor can kind of be seen as a "meta layer" on culture, and thus a fairly broad reflection of the different values and traditions contained therein. What people find funny, what is and is not acceptable to joke about, and specific references work to reinforce norms within a culture, and signal group membership between people. Conversely, the distance between cultures can be evidenced by how broad the humor that appeals to both needs to be. However, there's some stuff we all find funny -- if a universal human culture can be said to exist, humor is definitely part of it.

Where do you work?

Alexis - I work in a company-owned daycare. I am the assistant GSRP teacher in our 2nd GSRP room. 

Lizette- I work at a Title I high school in Burien, WA.  I am one of the attendance specialists there

Matt - I’m a stage actor and paraprofessional substitute for Seattle Public Schools

Megan: I am an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher in Huron Valley Schools in Michigan.

How do you get to work?

Alexis- I drive to work. 

Lizette- I drive every morning

Matt - Me? I drive.

Megan: I drive to work in the morning with my 15-year-old daughter ( I drop her off at school on my way).

What do you see on your way to work? 

Alexis- I see restaurants and stores and lots of commuters, going to school or work or home.

Lizette- My commute is very short, not much to see

Matt - The city of Seattle, the tunnel, and local businesses

Megan- I travel both dirt/gravel roads and paved roads. I have a 2-mile commute. I pass horse pastures, the high school, local businesses, neighborhoods, wildlife, and a lot of trees.

How does your morning commute affect your well-being?

Alexis- it depends on whether I am running late in the morning.  

Lizette- My commute is really short.  I appreciate that I can sleep in a little longer and make my morning coffee

Matt - I use my commute as meditation time – as long as I’m not late, I find it relaxing.

Megan: I cherish my time with my daughter; we both enjoy the beautiful sunrises together. After I drop her off at school, I enjoy a few minutes of quiet with my warm coffee before my busy day begins in the classroom.

In my classroom, every year I have children from many different cultures, and I feel so happy to lean about each one. This year, I have 11 families who speak different languages and come from different cultural backgrounds. I am really excited to learn more about their cultures and traditions.

A large part of what culture is involves communication and language. Although, we primarily speak English in my place of work, it's important to know if there is language barrier and to be prepared for it before helping a student or parent.

Culture to me is a Big, Unique House

The whole house, with its unique architectural style, furniture, and wall colors, is the shared culture. It represents the traditions, rules, and beliefs that everyone in that community agrees on. This shared design makes the house welcoming and harmonious because all the residents understand how to live together.

However, each person also gets their own Room inside the house. Your room is your personal identity and personal flair, your own opinions, hobbies, and style.

The simple rule is that while you have the freedom to decorate your room however you like, your choices shouldn't clash with the main style of the house. Your personal choices should still complement the overarching theme.

Ultimately, just like every culture is different, every house is a unique masterpiece that reflects its own special values and identity. You are free to be an individual, but you are also part of something bigger, where you feel safe and belong.

After watching the videos, I realized just how much culture shapes the way we experience the world. I noticed that everyone has their own way of expressing themselves and working with others. Some people are outgoing and share a lot, while others are quieter and more thoughtful. These differences reminded me that culture affects not just how we communicate, but also how comfortable we feel in group settings.

In my daily life, I try to be polite and understanding of others’ viewpoints before sharing my own. My background has taught me to value cooperation, patience, and kindness, especially when working with people whose habits or opinions are different from mine.

When I collaborate with others, I try to be aware of cultural differences. I make an effort to include everyone, avoid assumptions, and use clear language that helps everyone feel included. Being mindful of culture helps me build stronger relationships and work more effectively with others. It also shows me that learning about different cultures can broaden my perspective and help me be more empathetic, both personally and professionally.

I see culture from the cultural heritage aspect. My family traditions, language, religion, beliefs, values and customs that have been passed down from my family impacts who I am as a person today. My culture and love for my Mexican heritage is continuing traditions and sharing my family values with my own children. Teaching them where our family originated in Mexico and maintaining our language is so important for future generations. I am very empathetic with others because those are values my parents passed down to me. Respect was also very drilled into my upbringing.

I also recognize culture from the community/era lens. Generations of humans and demographic groups can have cultures. I moved from California to Seattle 11 years ago and the difference in sports teams, food, language and music interests are vast. Even the way humans interact with others is different. I think of millennials versus gen z. Our values are different our music interest our work ethic.

From meeting with my group and partner, I learned that your location can impact how you relate to the world around you. There can be a tight nit community or very independent points of view. Our values are different from eachother because we were raised in different nucleal families and different communities.

Culture affects how I interact with children, families, and coworkers every day. It shapes the way I talk, listen, and respond to parents and coworkers. I try to be mindful of different traditions, communication styles, and values, because they influence how people understand and participate in all areas of everyday life. Culture also helps me think about my own beliefs and how I can create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for myself personally and for my classroom.

Overall, when I think of culture i thing of passions, habits, and share views. Culture flows into every aspect of our lives whether it be home, work, or personal relationships. Culture influences how I communicate and collaborate with others by shaping an understanding of the world around me. I use empathy, awareness of the diversity around me to build communities of caring learners in my classroom. Culture is shaped by our social interactions and the experiences we live. When creating my lesson plans for my students I keep this in mind. It is important for me to model and teach respect daily. It is important for our character.

I have watched my family communicate for 31 years. It has influenced me in good ways and bad. I find it interesting what can affect your way of communicating. It's not just your ability to communicate that comes into effect when talking and dealing with others. It’s also their ability to communicate. I think as long as I keep growing my ability to communicate. I'll be able to understand why and how people communicate with me. I will have a higher chance of communicating effectively with coworkers and collaborating with my peers.

We carry traditions, social norms, and other expectations with us that impact how we live. Growing up in the country, it was considered polite to wave hello with a “farmer’s wave” when passing someone while driving. This expectation would be unsustainable in a large city, however, because there are simply too many people. Another difference in communication between cultures includes metaphors – a few days ago I taught a teacher from South Korea how to sing “Take me out to the ball game,” because a child was singing it, and I realized that ESL speakers are translating a lot more than just words when communicating.

Educators attempt to look through the lens of each child's culture constantly -- when planning lessons, considering preferences and behaviors, during assessments, and setting up the classroom environment. We ask ourselves questions like: Can each child see themselves represented here? Do they feel seen, heard, and understood?

David was so engaging and disarming, I enjoyed listening to him talk about his name; he spoke with such pride that it was easy to listen to the history of his name. His name means 'beloved'. What a beautiful meaning!

He is biracial, with Japanese and Egyptian parents. His father is a proud man and believes that the family name is important and should have a legacy. David is working to fulfill that legacy.

I really enjoyed hearing David speak with pride and conviction; he is demonstrating determination and vigor to live up to his given name.

I've never liked my name much, but as I've gotten older, it's become apparent that it is part of my identity. When I became a mother, it was important for me and my husband to choose names that would carry our children into adulthood. One's name is their initial identity, so we were thoughtful (I hope) in choosing the names for our children. They seem happy with them, and they are almost all adults now, so maybe job well done?

My culture has demonstrated respect for others and generally putting others first. Because of that, I generally put other's needs before mine, not in a way that is a detriment, but because my culture reveres caretakers. We may not be vocal about our needs or our feelings, but we place importance on the needs of others. Additionally, I tend to have concern about how I appear to others, another cultural byproduct. Ensuring that I put my best foot forward and bring about honesty and comfort are essential. I do feel like that some of the ideas of my culture may appear outdated or not aligned with modern ideals, but it is what I have been not only raised with but instilled in me. It is hard to break ties with values, traditions, and norms that have been with us for so long.

My cultural background also influences how I communicate and collaborate with others. I try to balance being both direct and indirect, depending on the situation, while always valuing politeness, personal space, and active listening. Respect plays a significant role in how I interact with people. I value authority and believe in addressing concerns appropriately rather than going above or behind my supervisors. As a teacher, teamwork is essential to me. I enjoy building collaboration within my school and believe that everyone has something valuable to contribute and learn from one another. I carry a deep respect for elders, recognizing the wisdom and experiences they bring to our community. Overall, my culture has shaped me into someone who leads with respect, empathy, and a strong sense of purpose in everything I do.

The biggest difference really comes down to the context in which these frameworks are applied. NAEYC is centered on child development and early education, while MSJCC is rooted in mental health and counseling. Educators are thinking about curriculum and classroom environment, while counselors are focused more on therapeutic relationships and identity development. Still, both frameworks share a strong foundation: a commitment to serving diverse communities in ways that are reflective, inclusive, and socially just. It’s a reminder that no matter the field, cultural competence and equity should be at the heart of professional practice.

Another consideration that I found powerful was the mention of strengths. Coming from the counseling side of our classroom, I have seen first-hand how quickly we start to pick people apart based on diagnosis and symptoms. There are strengths to be found in each person, which require cultural sensitivity to fully appreciate. What may be a strength in our western, individualized culture may be looked down upon in another culture. This ability of ours to navigate nuanced challenges is vital to providing real change for the people we serve. I appreciate both of these articles for reminding us to stay aware of our clients’ strengths while we continue to develop an understanding of their identity.

A final thought that stuck with me through reading these articles was the mention of validating assessment tools for an appropriate population. Specifically, this was mentioned in the NAEYC article, but the sentiment is missing from the Multicultural Counseling Competencies article. I work in the world of psychological testing, where the options for demographically sensitive normative data are hard to come by. Most tests norm children based on grade, age, and/or gender, which is easy to see how dozens of other cultural elements such as race fall through the cracks. More research is necessary to create a more complete picture and polish the existing tools to be appropriate for more populations.

The main difference between the two is what part of life they focus on. The NAEYC is about early childhood education and making sure that all young children have equal access to learning and that teachers use culturally responsive teaching methods. The MSJCC, on the other hand, focuses on counseling and helping professionals support people from all backgrounds in mental health and personal growth. While NAEYC looks at fairness in classrooms and schools, MSJCC looks at fairness in counseling relationships and mental health systems.

Even though they work in different fields, both groups share a common goal of helping professionals use self-awareness, respect, and advocacy to make positive changes for individuals and communities. They remind educators and counselors that equity and justice don’t happen automatically, but instead they take reflection, action, and a commitment to treating everyone with fairness and compassion.

Self awareness and reflection. Both educators and counselors need to understand their own identities, values, and biases.

Cultural humility and responsiveness.

Both professions emphasize being open and adaptable when working with people from diverse backgrounds.

Commitment to equity and social justice.

Early childhood professionals advocate for fair access to quality education, anti-bias teaching, and inclusive policies.

Counselors advocate for clients by addressing the systemic barriers that affect mental health and wellbeing. Meaningful relationships are central in both areas.

Both frameworks call for professionals to understand how larger systems (education, healthcare, and social policy) shape individual experiences.

I believe the biggest shared thread between the NAEYC competencies and the MSJCC is the belief that equity and justice are core professional responsibilities.

Differences include settings. Educational setting vs. counseling setting.

NAEYC's emphasis on early human development where the MSJCC's emphasis is on lifespan development. The difference of Student vs. client.

I was more focused on trying to find commonality and I think it was easier to find common themes compared to differences.

The biggest difference I noticed between the two articles was the field of focus on supported populations. As would make sense for early childhood educators, there was a strong emphasis on providing a secure and equitable base for children to grow into their systems. With counselors, a lot of the time, we are looking at how our clients already fit into their systems and working on advocating for equity within potentially larger social systems that span the whole lifetime. Overall, I found it quite enjoyable to read about how similar our two groups are.

The fundamental mission of both the counseling and early childhood education competencies is to recognize and proactively mitigate the deleterious effects of systemic bias. Both fields anchor their professional practice around three critical, shared pillars.

1. Focus on Counselor Self-Awareness and Internal Work.

2. Systemic and Multilevel Advocacy:

Both sets of competencies emphatically assert that professional duty must extend beyond the individual client-practitioner relationship to confront and address the influence of larger societal and institutional forces.

3. Client, Child-Centered Strengths and Cultural Competency:

In both disciplines, the individual's cultural background, inherent strengths, and family structure are not viewed as obstacles, but rather as foundational assets upon which growth and intervention must be built.

Differences:

focus on role and developmental stage

professional role (counselor vs. teacher) and the age of the client (adults/youth vs. children, birth to age 8), also the language used, and lastly, the goal of intervention.

The Early Childhood Education by NAEYC and Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies both share commonalities and also have some differentiations in the way they apply and approach for specific outcomes on framework. Some of the commonalities I noticed were that both have strong focus on the importance of respecting and understanding diversity and cultural awareness. In addition both advocate to address social justice in privilege and power. The MSJCC as an advocacy for mental health and social justice, whereas NAEYC is committed to making sure that equity and inclusion is focused on in early childhood education. Another shared aspect is the importance in developmental phases, NAEYC focuses on young children's developmental needs, while MSJCC deliberates on the experiences of clients.

Looking at some of the differences, NAEYC addresses professionals in the field of early childhood education who work daily with young children opposed to MSJCC focusing on the roles of counselors, therapist and professionals who develop and give strategies and support to individuals dealing with mental health issues. I also recognized the difference in that MSJCC concentrates therapeutic relationships and the advocacy of social justice in their counseling abilities. What resonates and what is appreciated is the importance and their goal of understanding there can be multi stages and influences from both. Each entity provides guidance and support to maintain proper healthy interaction, and relationships, continuous growth and development in both organizations framework.

A difference that I am interpreting after reading both documents is that educators are expected to take on a counseling role. We have this weight to carry that says... teach the curriculum scribed to you... but also build these relationships in such a way that you meet each family and child in your care where they are each day. We do this because we are educational ROCKSTARS ;) But I do think it is so important to recognize the toll that this takes on an educator's health and well being. Educators care for 20 + children at once during the school day, but are expected to create these relationships with the family both during and outside of these school hours. I do often feel that my parent teacher conferences are sometimes used as a counseling session for the family where they can vent, come up with solutions, and gain practical advice for parenting their children. The boundaries of teaching have become very blurred over the years, in my opinion.

A final similarity I will mention is the emphasis on MTSS. Both EC and counselors collaborate in MTSS to best support their class and schools.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, is the opportunity for diverse thinking and leadership skills. In a classroom, there are many opportunities a day for a student to practice leadership skills, and for discussion between students to diversify the topic. In counseling, while diverse thinking is a practiced skill, it is difficult to share with the client, as that may not be their current worldview, and they may be in counseling individually. I find this skill easier to model during a group therapy scenario.

I found that both articles are stating a lot of the same values when it comes to equity and social justice. The differences are found in the nuances in the language used for both professions. I think the overall theme for both is that equity and social justice have been shown and proven to be effective when working with people. Having people feel safe and heard, no matter their background, is imperative while working with them. They also discuss advocacy and how it is necessary to remove the biases and create change in our administrations and governments. I think there needs to be a lot of systemic change to help with removing biases in our communities. To start, both articles discussed being aware of your own biases. NAEYC focused on biases specifically, while the counseling article discussed counselors should be self-aware. You need to be self-aware to recognize your biases. We all have them, and making note of and rectifying the problem will make you a better educator or counselor.

I appreciate how specific the NAEYC was on how an educator should be looking at the programs in place with children and changing them if they don't meet equity standards. I also liked how they discussed trying to create change within the administration and the district if policies are not aligning with the standards in place. This is something I want to be aware of and practice when I do become a school counselor. I want to be an advocate for social justice.

I think one of the biggest differences between NAEYC and counseling is the people they are focusing on. NAEYC focuses on children and inclusion, and making sure that teachers can support their learning appropriately. I think that a counselor focuses on creating relationships with their clients and spends time getting to know them on a personal level to create a bond where the client feels trust. They also focus more on the mental health aspect for the people that they are serving. Even as I type these differences out, they are still similar when it comes to creating relationships.

One major difference between the two articles was that the NAEYC article focused mainly on an audience that works within childhood education and their families.  The article expresses the importance of equitable learning opportunities for students of all ages.  Further, explaining that it’s important to scaffold learning and develop trusting relationships for students to learn in a safe environment. The MSJCC article focused more on the mental health counselor perspective and captured an audience for developing counselors with a wide range of clients.   

The one thing that resonated with me from the MSJCC is to develop social justice and multicultural counselors, is to stay current on international and world politics.  I’ve never thought of how this builds an equitable relationship with the client, but it’s essential to make sure our clients feel valued.  Further, I appreciated how they mentioned that global, politics, laws, and theories that influence a diverse population of clients that counselors work with.  

The differences are also there, one of the biggest ones being the focus of each competency and how they are applied. One is focused on the well-being of the child, teaching practice, and focused on the early childhood population. The other is focused on therapeutic practice throughout multiple stages of life. Even though there are similarities, they will be applied differently since they are in two different professions. Both professions are focused on helping people, working with some of our most vulnerable populations, and have similarities, and that is something I did not recognize until just now. 

The first difference that resonated with me was learning about the advocacy and social justice for clients because counselors are able to assists clients of understanding their worldview, values, and beliefs and trying to reflect on their privilege and oppression in their advocacy or promoting multiculturalism and social justice in their working progress for clients. The second difference that resonated with me was the recommendations for school staff and early childhood educators for students because of creative a caring and equitable environment for students and establishing any protocols or assessments for students in their educational progress.

What resonated with me from these documents is how both competencies emphasize the importance of equity and inclusion.  These are core principles in special education. NAEYC encourages educators to create learning environments that are developmentally appropriate and responsive to each child’s unique needs, including those with disabilities. It is a teacher’s responsibility to support diverse learners and ensure every child has access to meaningful learning experiences. MSJCC focuses on how identity, power, and privilege affect children and families, which can help teachers better understand the challenges their students face and be able to advocate more effectively for them.

As a teacher my goal in the classroom is to be sure everyone is being safe to each other and themselves. We use affirmations and words to describe our children in the positive language. Including, “We are strong”, “We are beautiful”, “We are helpful”, “We are teamplayers”. We use these sentences to help children understand what the words mean and how we use the words. Including team players doesn’t mean just in sports, but also in the classroom. We are helpful, because we remind other peers of the rules in the classroom, we ask to give other children hugs to feel better. Or we are strong, because we push our own chair in when we are done sitting in the chairs. But in all what I am saying is that the two articles, we may have different careers, or different settings in our jobs, but our main goal together is to be sure each individual in the classroom is safe, and helping the child succeed with the best steps to get there.

At the same time, I see the differences, NAEYC focuses on creating fair learning environments, supporting child development, and working with families. MSJCC focuses more on counseling, understanding identity, building relationships, and advocating for social justice on a bigger scale. Reflection in counseling guides ethical choices and social justice action, while in early childhood education, reflection guides teaching and classroom decisions.

Reading both documents made me see that even with different focuses, both fields aim for the same thing: helping people grow, feel included, and have the chance to succeed. It also made me think about how I can bring these ideas into my own work and keep learning from others.

Interestingly, I found more similarities between the NAEYC and the MSJCC documents. The ideas of inclusion and integrity are fully integrated in both practices. The biggest difference can be identified as the NAEYC focuses on the significance of the family framework, while the MSJCC focuses on the not just the familial make up, but the cultural and historical significance of the individual as well.

One activity that really stood out to me was the global culture discussion. It was amazing to realize that, for many of us, culture was something we knew existed and was part of who we are, but we rarely stop to think deeply about what it truly represents and signifies. This topic, like so many others in this class, resonates with discoveries I’ve made later in life. It reminds me of the importance of embracing who I am and recognizing the richness of my ancestry and the environment that has shaped me. I also loved hearing how many of us had different perspectives, yet at the same time, very similar ideas. By the end of the discussion, we all seemed to agree: culture is not just something we have, but a living part of who we are, shaping our experiences within our families, communities, societies, and the other groups to which we belong throughout our lives.

The danger of a single story:

What?

What resonated with me the most was when Chimamanda said the danger is not that stereotypes are untrue, but that they are incomplete. As a Colombian, I have lived that. Many times, people only see one story about my country: drugs, Pablo Escobar, and violence. But Colombia is also education, beauty, community, art, innovation, and real everyday people. The single story has erased that part of us.

So what?

This made me realize how powerful one narrative can be. When a single story becomes “the truth,” it can lead others to believe something about us without knowing the whole picture. And that can harm your identity, self-worth, and how others perceive you.

Now what?

Moving forward, I want to be more intentional about not assuming I know someone’s story. I want to listen more, ask more, and stay open. In my professional role, I aim to help create spaces where people can share their whole story, not just the version the world has decided for them.

I think Elizabeth is a beautiful name, it means 'oath of God' or 'God's promise'. However, I've been Betsy since as early as I can remember. When I asked my parents, 'why did you name me Elizabeth if you are just going to call me Betsy?' Their answer was that I looked like a Betsy. Apparently I looked like a Betsy as an infant.

As an emerging student in kindergarten, I had difficulty writing an 's'. So I decided that I was not going to be Betsy any more. I was going to be Beth. I could easily make an h, so why not call myself another derivative of Elizabeth? My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ashby, didn't think that idea was a good one, nor did it get me out of making my s, so I went back to Betsy.

As I've gotten older, I hear more anecdotes from people about how they knew a Betsy in their life or how much they like the name. I generally muse that I don't care for it much, and I prefer Elizabeth. Why don't I go by Elizabeth? Well, I don't think I could answer to it! I've been Betsy or mom for so long, if someone were to call me Elizabeth, I'd probably look around.

I learned that while I am generally introverted, I can be coaxed into enjoying a semi-social/educational meeting of the minds. I can find myself losing confidence and security at times, and I learned that I can feel good about sharing and contribution. I also learned that I miss living in the city sometimes.

I work with others everyday, and I don't ever seem to have any issues; I'm definitely flexible (or I really try to be), so working with others was not a challenge, but it was refreshing to work with others that are facing similar challenges. I found that while I tend to say that I am just fine working on my own, I do enjoy and thrive in an environment that is collaborative.

Collaborating interculturally was one of the most rewarding aspects. It can be easy for me to become a little short-sighted and live in my own bubble, sometimes going through days as they bleed into each other. I was excited to hear about Seattle, it made me miss my home (Houston). I felt connected to the diversity, as I grew up and lived in such a diverse city for so many years. I have always appreciated the fact that my children lived in a place, too, that offered diversity and culture. It made me grateful.

I admit, I was excited to see new posts. Again, being an online student can limit interaction with others, so this collaboration was a way to see other points of view. I developed a curiosity and inquisitiveness from reading how others see challenges and how they view advocacy. I determined that even though we are working with counseling and education, the advocacy part is the same. Ultimately, we are helpers, and wish to find ways to help others, regardless of discipline and cultural differences.

Photo 1: I captured an image of my area using Google Maps. What I value most from this experience is having the chance to connect with people from Seattle and discuss my area. It was interesting to talk about the different places we each live. Every location has its challenges and strengths, but we all agree that there is potential for improvement if people are willing to do the work to make changes.

I think what I have learned about myself was listening to what others had to say because I wanted to learn more about the students from Michigan that I am collaborating with and understand the differences between Seattle and Michigan. In the first week of meeting my group members, some of them mentioned that they have seen a lot of deers in their neighborhood, which I found shocking because in Seattle, there are barely any deers, unless if you are going up north or if you are hiking, so that was interesting to know.

I think what I have learned about how I work with others is my use of communication. Even though, there was certain moments of silence, I was able to maintain a conversation with my group members and as I was communicating more, they started to open up and try to pitch ideas for our mind map. Most of the times, it would be off topic, but I try to circle back onto what we are doing with any ideas for our mind map.

I think what was it like to collaborate interculturally was interesting because during week one of our COIL conversations, we were able to talk about certain traditions that we do during the holidays and how it is important to our family traditions. When it comes to across disciplines, our intercultural perspectives do play a part in our everyday lives, but my group didn't really talk about how our family traditions works across disciplines, but it did parallel to our jobs and school lives during assignments or tasks.

I think what was it like to observe the outcomes of other collaborations was great to read because it was showing a lot of versality within different groups and explaining a lot of topics that they were talking about. Reading the mind maps of different groups also showed different points and perspectives that each group had to share when it comes to similarities in issues in their city or state.

I have learned that I missed some obstacles that families have faced, due to the fact that I have not experienced it myself. It has the importance of paying attention to what's going on in the world because it may not affect me directly but it can directly affect my children  and their families. 

I learned that I am a person that will be the first to email my group and see when everyone can meet. I am just not that person that wants to lead the discussion. I will absolutely contribute to what we are talking about but I just don’t want to lead anymore as I have gotten further into school. I learned that working together in a collaborative process opens the door to new ideas. When others in your group ask questions it can help brainstorm further into the topic at hand. Ideas that I would have missed otherwise. 

I enjoy learning about other cultures that open my eyes to different perspectives that I will use in my classroom.  We have a family in my class that have the same background. It was enlightening to learn how they feel about their own name because we then talked about our childhoods in which we both experienced different things. In group discussions, we talked about the immigration problems that some of our students face today.  

To observe other’s collaboration came out so detail was encouraging to see. It shows to me that my peers work hard to see the problems with our systems. The ability to see the issues in our profession gives us an opportunity to help those who need us in better ways than if we didn’t.

I also learned a lot about myself through this process. I realized that the unknown still makes me hesitate, but once I pushed past that feeling, I found myself genuinely enjoying the exchange of ideas. I loved hearing different perspectives and discovering how our experiences, from our routines to our cultures, shape the way we think. I was reminded that I bring my own experiences and background to the conversation, and that these parts of me add value to the group in ways I hadn’t fully acknowledged before.

Working with others reminded me to be mindful of people’s time, to respond promptly, and to show appreciation for every effort. Hearing about my partners’ daily lives, their commutes, the way they experience their mornings, their cities, made me reflect on my own routine, too. I learned to value the little things we shared and the differences that made each of us unique. I believe that no contribution is ever too small; everything counts. Collaboration depends on open-mindedness, kindness, respect, and the soft skills that make people feel seen and valued.

Working interculturally and across disciplines felt meaningful and inspiring. It reminded me that culture, language, personal history, and professional background all shape how we see the world. We each brought a piece of our community into the conversation, and those cultural perspectives enriched our ideas and helped us build something more complete. Even though we came from different states and different fields, our goals connected us.

Seeing the advocacy mind maps from all the groups, including my own, helped me notice how many of our ideas connected. Even though we came from different places and brought different lived experiences, many of us approached advocacy in similar ways. At the same time, each group had its own way of showing how issues relate to strategies, which made the connections even richer. It showed me how intercultural collaboration helps reveal perspectives or solutions that one group alone might not see, leading to stronger and more thoughtful outcomes overall.

Collaborating interculturally is always fun. I enjoy hearing about where people live and how it is different from where I am living. Collaborating across disciplines takes some work because there are definite differences to sift though. If there is a connection between disciplines it is easier to have successful outcomes. If the question is, “what is it like to observe the outcomes of the other small group collaborations”? I don’t have a feeling or thought about it, really. I was focused on all the other things going on. And I was just happy when each assignment was done.

One thing I learned about myself was a skill I have for clearly defining problems before tackling solutions. Working with a team requires getting on the same page about the requirements of the assignment, and with some of the more vague prompts I was able to ask leading questions to the group to help us develop a good grasp on what we were doing. I felt like my team all equally contributed, and one thing that was cool to see is people contributing according to their specific skills in different areas, where we had different people typing, brainstorming, and designing at the same time. 

There were many ways in which our cultures compared and contrasted, with the geographical distance as well as the more rural Michigan settings as compared to urban settings in Seattle. We found more similarities than differences in our first mind map project, for example, but that only made the ways in which we contrast more interesting. Working more with people who were focused on children as opposed to general clinical mental health counseling was interesting, as they always had a much more child-focused viewpoint. Working with several parents was interesting in this light too, as many of their observations came from firsthand experience.

It was cool to see the other teams’ outputs, especially seeing how things like our mind maps compared and contrasted. We all chose relatively similar topics, so it was cool to see how different the interpretations could be. It’s always fun to see creativity on display as well, so I appreciated some of the aesthetic choices that were made by the other teams.

The coil reflective activities have shone a light on how far I have come in my own life. I grew up with many adverse childhood experiences and those who do not know me well would have no idea. Dominantly, I have many characteristics of a white, privileged female that were developed in adulthood. I recognize through this coursework that this could have been far more challenging to accomplish if I were born another race or ethnic group. 

As far as how I work with others, I  noticed I am an organizer and a planner. I initiate collaboration and conversation. In that same regard, I also tend to control the group’s outcome in doing this. I have one idea in mind and then I am thrown off when it is changed. I see this in my own classroom and at home as well. I tend to create this big picture in my mind and then (without vocalizing it) expect everyone to know and follow the plan.I am actively working to be more open minded and vocal in my collaboration with others.  

Through this process, I learned that I’m more adaptable than I expected. Working with varying communication styles, schedules, and disciplinary lenses pushed me to be clearer in my own thinking and more intentional in how I show up for others. 

At first our collaboration required patience, but soon it became energizing. I found that when we took time to understand each other’s contexts, educational systems, counseling approaches, regional influences, our work became richer and more grounded.

Observing the outcomes of other groups’ collaborations reinforced these insights. Even with similar tasks, each team produced something unique, shaped by their backgrounds and group dynamics. It reminded me that collaboration isn’t just about completing a project; it’s about the process of weaving together diverse perspectives to create something none of us could have produced alone.

            The most meaningful part of the COIL collaboration process for me was bringing together diverse backgrounds and skills of other people.  It was interesting to hear others perspectives and experiences and how our domains overlap but also are similar.

            During this COIL collaboration process I have learned how intrigued I am about how others think and live.  I have always been fascinated with culture in general, but as I get older it inspires me to put the meaning of how we actually grow from one other if we let ourselves.

            I have learned through this process that it is important to understand and respect who you are working with during a collaboration.  In doing this you are promoting the wonderful things about culture whether it is someone’s material objects, ideas, values, and attitudes.  I truly value everyone’s culture within my COIL group.

            When you are collaborating interculturally, you are respecting the diverse group of values, attitudes, and behaviors.  You are adapting to norms that are not your expected behaviors.  It is important that everyone on the team feels they are being heard and all solving problem strategies are valued.

            When you are collaborating across disciplines, you are doing all of the above and all domains understand they bring a different set of views and strengths when coming together to complete a common goal.

            This collaboration portrayed the importance of getting to know people to build trust and remove all stereotypes to move ahead to collaborate on a project such as COIL.

            It was inspiring to get the experience to observe the outcomes of other collaborations.  It painted the picture of how people can come together genuinely and make a difference. It was empowering how both the disciplines overlapped in many areas. 

What I have learned about myself is how patient I can be. I have always been patient when it comes to daily tasks or work. But when we meet on zoom it might be a week after the assignment is already posted, and I want to start it right away but I couldn’t because it was a group assignment to work with others.

I have always been a leader and a group worker but I do love working independently at times and getting work done on my own time. I really did enjoy working with others as well as learning everyone's different needs or how to support them when we would collaborate all of our own thoughts and ideas together. I really enjoyed being able to work with others to accomplish working and experiences, or even learning about others while going to different colleges working towards the same goals and outcomes.

had you not learned from them you may not had ever learned about about it or the program. It was neat to see all of the different ways and thoughts that went into the MindMaps outcomes.

I learned that I am more open new ideas than I thought. I also learned that i feel confident sharing my thoughts when the environment is positive and encouraging.

Collaborating interculturally was a valuable experience because I got to understand different backgrounds, communication styles, and ways of thinking. Observing other groups outcomes was inspiring. It showed me how different ideas and teamwork can lead to unique results. It also helped me to reflection what our group did well and what we could improve.

I learned that i am more open to new ideas than I expected. I can adjust quickly, take responsibility, and help others when needed. I also needed that I feel comfortable sharing my ideas when the group feels supportive.

Collaborating with people from different cultures was a really good experience. I got to learn how others think and how their backgrounds shape their ideas. Watching other groups work was inspiring. It showed how teamwork can create many different ideas and solutions. It also helped me compare and think about what our group did well and what we could improve.

During the future collaboration, we should respect & understand different perspective. Also, try to find the common interests & attittude on the subject & get engange in meaningful conversation.

Collaboration is important because everyone learn the best by working together. We get to share our feeling & thoughts during such colloaboration which helps to releive stress.

From this collective insight, one important lesson I want to apply to future collaborations is recognizing the value of every person’s input. Even small contributions help move a group forward. Creating genuine connections, connections that support professional growth, trust, and open communication, makes collaboration more impactful. This experience reminded me that collaboration is not only about completing a task; it is about being present with others, listening, and building something stronger together.

Collaboration is essential in my discipline because education relies on shared responsibility. Teachers, administrators, specialists, and families all contribute to a child’s success, and none of us can do this work alone. Effective collaboration supports communication, problem-solving, and consistency for students. When educators work together with a common purpose, we create environments where children feel supported and can thrive.

Each time I grow professionally or refine my practice, I help build a stronger, more responsive network of support. My advocacy involves continually improving holistically so I can help create equitable access and meet the rising needs of the children and families I serve.