As We Continue on Our Professional Paths

As I prepare to move into my specialization I would like to thank all of my colleagues who have been on this journey with me. I have been able to share and learn with everyone in many different ways. It has been very helpful to be able to share with people who share the same visions and have experienced some of the same things that I have as we educate and prepare children to be successful in school and their lives. I would like to wish everyone much success in whatever specialization that you choose. I also look forward to those who will continue this journey with me as we specialize in administration, management and leadership. We are almost there!!!  

Andrea

Adjourning From a Group

The group that was the hardest to adjourn from would have to be the group of women that I worked with while I was working as a Licensing Inspector with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. We had a great leader Lalah Ash and the women in my unit were and still are a great group of women. I loved working with them and they helped to make the job a lot easier. We all had each other’s backs and when someone was out sick or on extended leave we would all spit up the cases and work them as if they were our own without complaints. I could always go to my supervisor for support and assistance and knew that she would be able to help find a solution that would be in the best interest of the children in care. My unit celebrated my marriage with me and the birth of my first child. They also gave me a going away party when I left to begin my teaching career.

It was also hard for me to leave or depart from my Women’s Track and Field team that I trained and competed with for four years of my life. Track and Field was a part of my everyday life from the time I was 12 to 22 years old. I truly miss competing and the friendships and bonds that were created.  

I have enjoyed the discussions and insight that I have gained from my colleagues.  I feel that although we have not been able to bond with one another face to face we have been able to build relationships. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and continue to share and learn from them.

I believe that adjourning is an essential state of teamwork because all relationships that end must have closure. You will either agree to keep in contact or go your separate ways if the relationship was not high performing or cohesive. 

Managing Conflict

A professional conflict that I experienced last school year involved myself and my department chair (DC). My DC was the previous nursery/child care director and decided that she no longer wanted to be in charge of the nursery in order to alleviate some of her workload. When I became the nursery director I arranged the director’s office in a manner that would make it more functional for me as well as provide a safe exit for the preschool children to use in case of emergency. (My office is in between two classrooms that connect). One day I walked into my office and saw a table was back in the office. I removed the table and placed it back. When the DC arrived she came into my office to make copies and then asked me about the table outside. I informed her that someone had placed the table in the office and I removed it because I did not need it. She then told me she placed the table in the office so she could have a place to work when her classroom was occupied in the morning. I informed her that I did not want the table in the office as it made the office cluttered and would make the exit route unsafe. The DC then began to verbally personally attack me and my decision to not have the table in the office. As a result of being verbally attacked I became defensive resulting in an argument.

Looking back on this event and after learning about managing conflict, nonviolent communication and the 3 R’s I would have handled the situation in the following manner instead:

1.       Focus on the issue (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) – I should have made it clear that the reason for the office being rearranged and for me not wanting the table was to ensure the safety of the children. Not to keep her out of her old office or to “shut her out.”

2.       Considered Options and Alternatives (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) -  I should have suggested that she could go work in the Teachers Longue on their computers and tables when she needed a place to work.

This school year I plan to not use the Escapist Strategy and make sure that I am communicating and not avoiding having conversations that need to be had. I will make sure that I am considering the other persons feelings and focuing on the issues and not who is “right or wrong.”

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

Communication Evaluations

This week’s assignment required me to evaluate myself and my communication anxiety, listening and verbal aggressiveness. I also chose my mother and co-worker to also evaluate me in the same areas. I was surprised that based upon my Communication Anxiety assessment that I fall into the Mild category and not the Low. I feel that I am very comfortable and confident when I have to speak in front of others and am only nervous or anxious if I am not familiar with the subject matter or what is to be communicated. My mother and co-worker both ranked me in the Low category so I feel that I am able to mask any anxiety or fear when I am in front of others even though I may not feel the same way on the inside.

Insight that I have gained from these evaluations is that I have the characteristics to be moderately verbally aggressive and will be able to use this in my professional and personal life. I do respect the viewpoints of others and try to rely on the facts and not the person. I do not believe in personally attacking anyone in order to prove a point or make myself look good. I am also aware that the way in which I view myself and the way that I project myself when I am around my family, friends and co-workers will determine their view of me and the ways in which we communicate. 

Communication with People from Different Groups and Cultures

Question: Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?  Explain.

I do find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures because the world calls for the adjustment of our communication methods in order to function in society. The Andrea that goes to work each day to work with children and families is different from the Andrea who is at home and who is at church. Different forums call for different methods of communication. I am not going to speak to my Pastor the same way that I speak to my friends. This is the same for my parents and friends. When I speak to people of a different culture the main thing on my mind is making sure that I do not offend them or make myself look disrespectful or ignorant.

Based on the information that I have learned in my previous course and the past three weeks the strategies that I will use to communicate are:

1.       Put my viewpoints aside in order to view things from the perspective of the person I am communicating with.

2.       Don’t be so quick to judge and make assumptions.

3.       Education myself on other cultures beyond the surface and learn deep cultural facts and information.

4.       Don’t be afraid to ask questions when I am unclear of what is being communicated in order to prevent misunderstanding. 

Interpreting Communication in Television

The show that I chose to view was Return to Amish on TLC. This is a reality show that follows a group of Ex-Amish young adults who left their Amish community and are now retuning to be closer to their Amish family and loved ones.

When I watched the show with the sound off I observed the relationships between the cast to be civil between a husband and wife, brother and sister, mother and son and friends.  Based upon the nonverbal communication the husband and wife were going though something and the wife was trying to make up by giving him a handmade shirt. The brother was taking his sister out to a party that made her feel uncomfortable.  Two friends were out at a restaurant eating and talking to one another and a mother was having a serious conversation with her some about something important. One of the girls from the restaurant is emotional about something that happened at the restaurant.

When I watched the show with the sound on I was correct in my assumption about the husband and the wife. I assumed that Jeremiah and Katie were brother and sister but he is not related to her. He took her to a party and then showed her how to talk to boys without her parent’s knowledge. Katie had never been to party and was uncomfortable about what was going on around her. Rebecca and Chapel were meeting at the restaurant to talk about Rebecca’s previous relationship with Andy who is now with Chapel. Chapel was trying to get information about Andy’s previous relationships with other girls. Mom and was speaking to her son Andy about her concerns about him being with Chapel and her being a bad influence on him. The mom was worried that Andy would go back to jail. The show ended with Chapel giving a confessional about her being called to come into the doctor’s office and her not knowing what it is about.

I believe all of my assumptions would have been correct if I would have been familiar with the character and already knew their back stories as I was watching the show. After completing this exercise the first thing that I have learned is that I am very blessed to have the gift of hearing. I have an aunt who is deaf and I used to watch TV with her as a child and wonder how she knew what was going on and when to laugh when she could not hear what was going on. Looking at a show in which I am not familiar and do not know what is going on what a little frustrating for me as I thought I knew what was going on but had interpreted some of the episode and relationships between the cast incorrectly.

Competent Communication

The person that has demonstrated competent communication in my life has been my mother. She has always spoken to me and others in a way that did not degrade or intimidate. When my mother was upset or wanted to make sure my brother and I were listening to her she would not raise her voice but begin to whisper because she said that whispering would force us to listen to her words. That technique worked with us all of the time and it is something that I use with my own children and in my classroom as well. My mother was also always honest with my brother and me providing reasoning and explanation instead of just dismissing us and telling us what to or not to do. I appreciated that as it would allow me to understand the consequences of my actions and make my own decisions. I believe decision making is a very important skill that has helped me throughout my childhood and into adulthood and it one of the reasons I am successful today.