Farewell and Best of Luck

Farewell and Best of Luck

            I do not know about you, but the last seven classes have gone by so quickly.  When I began the Master’s Degree program in November of 2011, it seemed that obtaining my degree would take a long time.  It is hard to believe that we are at a point of working on our specialization.  I have enjoyed getting to know you in this class.  I have appreciated learning from you by reading your discussions and blogs.  I also have gathered knowledge from your responses to my discussion and blog posts.  Your individual perspectives have helped me to see things from a different viewpoint.  Seeing things through someone else’s eyes has helped me to look at problems from many different perspectives.   Thank you so much for sharing!   I hope that the information shared in posts that I made were helpful to you as well.

            As we move on to our specialization, some will continue together and some will take a different path.  I wish you all the best as you move through your specialization classes and into new career paths.  I also hope that I can continue to correspond with you.  As an Education Coordinator, I have discovered how important cooperation and collaboration can be.  It is my wish that we can continue to correspond through email and blogs.

Carol Justis

carol.justis@waldenu.edu

earlychildhoodadvocatecarol.bloggerspot.com

Closing Relationships

Closing relationships at the end of a project

            As I think about the groups of which I have been a part, those that were the hardest to leave were ones in which I developed a strong relationship.  These groups had a clear vision, communicated with each other ways in which to accomplish that vision, and trusted themselves and the other members of the group to complete the goal set forth (Learning Center, 2011).   Most of the groups in which I have participated have been ones that I have worked with for three or more years, such as teachers on grade level at a particular school or groups that I worked with while my husband was serving a church.  Some were easier to leave than others because now as I look back, there were some groups that never got past the storming stage (Adubi, 2010) (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).  In those groups I did not really establish a connection because I always felt that I was competing against others in the group instead of working as a team.  Finding common ground is a great way to begin moving from the storming stage to the norming stage.  Recognizing each person’s strength and allowing them to use their strength to solve a problem or work on a particular aspect of a project is another important element. 

            Each church that we left had a reception the Sunday before our departure.  For us, the reception was bittersweet.  I say this because in our situation while we were sad to leave the members of the church we were currently serving, we were excited about the new challenges we would face with a new church family.  The separations at the schools were a little more difficult because I did not always have a job waiting for me wherever our next church assignment was.  I was more hesitant to leave these schools because of the unknown.  Usually there were times for the grade level in which I worked to go out and celebrate the successes while I was a teacher there.

            This is the last of our general classes in our Master’s Degree program.  We will be taking different paths for our specialization; although, I get the sense that many will be continuing on with me in Administration, Management, and Leadership.  I am hoping that I will be able to continue to blog with some colleagues that I hold in high regard.  It will not be as difficult because we have not been able to meet each other face to face.  That is the one aspect I miss about not physically being in the classroom to read people’s body language, hear their voices for tone, and interpret their gestures and body movements (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 134-135).  For me, the connection is not as strong.  I will miss the intellectual stimulation however.  I will have to use the journals I read for that.

            Adjourning is an essential step because it gives the team an opportunity to evaluate what was accomplished and how it was accomplished (Abudi, 2010).  It validates the things that the team did well.  It also allows the team to determine changes that might need to occur should the team work together again.  Some groups disband before completing this important step.  They lose out on the insights gained by evaluating the project.

References

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

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

Learning Center. (2011). How to build a team using vision, commitment and trust. Retrieved

            from http://www.learningcenter.net/library/building.shtml.

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Boston, MA:

          
           Bedford/St. Martin’s.
 

 

Using Nonviolent Communication in the Workplace

Using Nonviolent Communication in the Workplace

            I have recently returned to work after being out for three months as a result of a car

accident.  Because I am still receiving two hours of physical therapy twice a week, I am only working part time.  I could sense some tension between myself and my co-coordinator.  I went to this person and asked if something was bothering him.  I listened while he explained the frustration that he felt because he and another coordinator had been taking on some of my responsibilities while I was out (The Third Side, n.d.).  He was worn out and hoping that I would have come back full time when I returned to work so that he could return to only his responsibilities.  I rephrased what he said to make sure that I understood him correctly.  I explained the reason for not returning to full time work at this time.  I also asked him what I might be able to do to help him feel more at ease.  He asked if I could begin doing one of the tasks that he was doing for me.  I agreed to reclaim that particular task.  I could see his demeanor change almost immediately.  Since that conversation, we are getting along well and joking with each other which we normally do.  By using some of the skills from nonviolent communication, we were able to have a dialog that was constructive and which gave both parties equal power.  We were able to attack the problem instead of each other (Conflict Resolution Network, n.d.).

            I am wondering if any of my colleagues have recently had success using these techniques and what you found the end result to be.  Are you feeling more at peace?  Can you feel the need for dominance dissipate?

References

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit.  Retrieved from

            http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3.

The Third Side. (n.d.). The third side. Retrieved from http://www.thirdside.org.

Perceptions and How they Affect Our Lives

Perceptions and How They Affect Our Lives

            This week’s exercises were a great way to examine the perceptions that we have of ourselves and others and how others perceive us.  The one thing that surprised me the most about my communication skills is that I am moderately verbally aggressive (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009).  Everyone, including myself, scored me in the moderate range for verbal aggression.  In thinking about myself, I do not perceive myself as being verbally aggressive at all.  I try to be respectful of the people to whom I am talking.  I had not considered the passion that I have for early childhood as making me come across as aggressive. 

            I also found out that I have more communication anxiety at work than I do at home according to a couple of my teachers.  I think that this might be because the expectations at work are much higher than they are when I am with my family.  Family generally accepts you for who you are.  Sometimes at work not all information is shared.  When I share information that I have received with staff,  there are generally more questions that arise.  This causes me to experience anxiety as I share information with staff.  In the future I will ask more questions to gain clarity about information that is to be shared with staff.  I will wait to share information with my staff until I have all of the information that I need in order to accurately communicate it.  I will also share the information in a variety of formats instead of just talking so that everyone clearly understands the information.  Putting the information in an agenda type format would be helpful for people who are visual learners.

            I wish that I could sing every message that I have to say to others.  Unfortunately, this is not possible.  Moving forward, I will strive to lift up my staff in their interactions with each other to build their self-esteem and relationship as a team.  This will strengthen our program as a whole.  I will also spend more time listening so that I can give them the tools they need in the classroom to help the children and families achieve success as well.  I will also be mindful of my voice and tone (O’Hair & Wiemann, p. 137-138, 2012) when speaking so that I do not offend or put people on the defensive as I explain my passion about early childhood education or any other topic for which I have passion.

References

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (2009). Communication Research Measures: A Sourcebook. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6165/04/mm/quiz/quiz_communication/index.html

Strategies for Communicating with People or Groups

Strategies for communicating with people or groups

            I have been away from work for over three months after surviving a very serious car accident.  These are people that I have been working with for several years.  As a result of this class, I find myself taking more time to listen to what they have to say and being more observant of their nonverbal communication (Nadig, L. A., 2010).  Just today, one staff member came to me in my office to ask about what time the staff could leave since we were expecting several inches of snow.  I could tell because of her tone and body language that she was fearful for her safety.  Because I was able to listen with my eyes and ears, I assured her that I would go and talk with the director and executive director.  Within a few moments, I was able to communicate good news that the staff could leave right away!  While I am not always able to communicate great news, when there is unpopular news, I am able to justify to the staff why a decision is made the way that it is.

            The demographics of the population of children and families we serve in Williamsburg, Virginia are constantly changing.  When I began as education/disabilities coordinator eight years ago, there were eight Latino children in our program.  This year there are 40 Latino children from different cultures as well as students from Morocco, Kenya, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.  Therefore, another strategy I must use is understanding my own culture and the culture of others (Gonzalez-Mena, J., p. 36, 2010).  Even the Latino families have different cultures that I must learn about by having conversations with the families and researching their cultures on the internet.  When using the internet, it is important to use sites that are reputable.

            When I am working with colleagues, community partners, family members or any other people or groups, being objective and avoiding ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and prejudice, will help me to gain respect (Zhou, B. & Cui, F., p. 79, 2007) with whoever I am having conversation.  It will also help the people or groups involved to “achieve mutual benefit” (Zhou, B. & Cui, F., p. 81, 2007).  Everyone will be a winner!

References

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010).  50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families.

            Understanding and Appreciating Cultural Differences (pp. 36-38). Upper Saddle River,

            NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Nadig, L. A. (2010). Tips on effective listening. Retrieved from

             http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm.

Zhou, B. & Cui, F. (2007). On the promotion of intercultural communication competence. Sino-

            US English Teaching, 4(9), 77-81.  Retrieved from the Walden Library using Education

            Research Complete database.

Communication- Nonverbal, Listening, and Verbal

Communication- Nonverbal, Listening, and Verbal

“When you talk, you are only sharing information you already know.  By listening, you have the potential to learn something new.”  Dr. Jim Robusto (personal communication, July, 1997).

Cast from Sex and the City

            This was an interesting experiment.  I chose to watch an old episode of “Sex and the City”.  No, I have never watched it before!  I did already know that the show was about four young women friends who live in New York City, however, I was unaware of the relationship that they had with other people in their lives.  The title of the episode was “The Cold War”.  Based on what I saw, I thought the cold war was between Carrie and her love interest.  When I watched the show again with the sound on, I learned that the cold war was between Carrie and her three other friends.  She was spending more time with him than with them.   Because I was honing in on nonverbal communication, I was amazed at how much I was able to figure out just by watching the nonverbal cues. Their gestures, body movements, facial expressions, and eye behavior told me a great deal about what was being said (O ‘Hair & Wiemann, 2012,p. 134-137).  In the case of Samantha, I could tell that she was doing something with wigs because in every scene she had a different hair color and style.   Proxemics (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 140) also gave me cues about the closeness of each relationship.  For example, in the opening scene, Carrie was with a man in a restaurant sitting very close to each other.  At the dog show, three of the four girls and a gentleman were all sitting very close together, leaning over each other to talk about things related and unrelated to the dog show.  From this exercise I learned that in new situations it is essential to pay attention to nonverbal cues.   The nonverbal cues can tell you a great deal about what people are thinking or feeling.  They can play a major role in any situation, however.

            Had this been a show that I normally watch, I think it would have been easier to figure out what was going on.  Because you learn the relationships between the people in the show, you can predict how they will react with each other and to different situations.  The longer you are in relationship with a person or group of people, the easier it is to gauge their response to a new situation.

References

O’Hair, D. & Wiemann, M., 2012.  Real Communication: An Introduction (2^nd ed.). Boston,

            MA: Bedford/St. Mary’s.

Effective Communicator in Early Childhood Education

Effective Communication in the Work Place

Dr. Whitehead(far left) at our convocation  with our guest speaker  and  Executive Director, Reba Bolden  (far right)

            The person who I have chosen to write about this week is my boss, Dr. Jocelyn Henry-Whitehead.  She is the director of our Head Start program in Williamsburg, VA.  I consider her to be a transformational leader.  Dr. Whitehead is a role model for all of us to follow.  She begins each day by making a connection with each of the members of our staff.  By hugging each individual she breaks down barriers so that people are willing to share opportunities and challenges on a daily basis.  This helps our agency because then challenges can be proactively solved creating a great environment in which to work.

            Dr. Whitehead is willing to stand beside any employee and do the work they are doing.  This is true for teaching assistants, bus drivers, family service workers, teachers, coordinators or human resource staff.  Her willingness to step in boosts the morale of the staff because they know that she knows what they do each day. 

            She solves problems by getting input from all staff members involved.  In this way she is able to get as many solutions as possible and gain consensus about which solution might be the best.  Because the staff has contributed to the solution, they feel more ownership in the solution and are more willing to carry it through to completion.  Dr. Whitehead feels confident in her decision as a result of the input that she has received.

            Dr. Whitehead also uses humor in the way that she presents ideas.  This helps to ease any tension there might be when difficult decisions have to be made.  It allows her to then explain why the difficult decision has to be made and what the advantages are to following this particular path.  Because she initially used humor, it broke down some of the barriers that might have created dissent among the staff.

            Finally, when challenges arise, Dr. Whitehead helps us to use the challenges as opportunities to grow and learn.  She is not punitive if mistakes are made, but asks the staff member what they learned from the challenge and how they plan to respond in future situations that are similar.  This strategy encourages staff members to take risks without the risk of failure.  Better ideas are shared as a result.

            I truly admire my boss.  She has taught me a great deal about being a leader.  I am hoping that when I become a preschool director, I can emulate many of the characteristics that she has modeled for me.  Because of her style, she is able to motivate staff members in a way that allows them to be the most productive.  I hope that, like her, I can recognize and build on people’s strengths to make the agency as strong as it can possibly be.  Unfortunately, I do not have her gift of humor.  I appreciate good humor, but it is comes across as forced when I try to use it.  I will have to find another way to put people at ease.  I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and for her.  I know it has made me a better person and leader.

References

O’Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication: An Introduction (2^nd ed.).

Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2005). Code of Ethical

            Conduct and Statement of Commitment. Retrieved from   

            http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf.