Thank you!!

I have enjoyed the last 8 weeks in this class. All of my classmates have shared their thoughts and perspectives and have truly helped me to grow as an educator and a person. I look forward to

seeing some of you in other classes. I hope our paths will cross again.

Saying Good Bye

       Many of the groups that I have worked in or work with continually have members that I have worked with on other groups or in other projects before, so saying good bye doesn’t always mean good bye. It usually means until next time.  I live and work in a small town so most of the people I work with in one area of my life are a part of other areas as well. There are two groups that end every year and reconvene at a later time that actually have a formal good bye process and those are Vacation Bible School and Relay for Life.

            During Vacation Bible School at my church planning generally starts in January and the final result is a one week camp for the kids in July. Saying good bye to this team of people can be difficult because you never know who will return in January. Every night of Vacation Bible School we have a team meeting were we give what’s called “Big Ups” or special recognition for jobs done extremely well and we also talk about things that could use improvement. I believe this is important because we spend 6 months planning for one week of teaching so it is important for everyone to know that their hard work has paid off.  At the end of the week we have some kind of volunteer party where we serve desserts or just hang out to celebrate the victories of the week. At this party we commend everyone for a job well done. I have one rule, no negative speak. Things that need improvement can be discussed when we start planning our next Vacation Bible School. I think it is important to end the year on a high note and give everyone extra credit for a job well done to keep their spirits positive and wanting to return in January.

            Another group that formally ends every April is my Relay for Life team. This is the first year I was in this team and the leader didn’t really end it with anything special. We just went to the last event and that was it, it was a little anticlimactic. It left me wanting more and feeling a little underappreciated and I am contemplating whether or not I am going to be a member of that particular team again next year. I want to feel like the work I am doing matters and like I am a part of something important and I did not get that feeling from the team leader.

            Leaving this group if students will be difficult. Upon exiting this program I hope that I will maintain contact with some of the other students because they are great educators with a heart for children. It is rare, even in the field, to find teachers who share such common passion for children and want to share their passion and gained knowledge with others. I look forward to sharing information, resources and experiences with them later. 

Resolving Conflict

               Until recently I never really thought about what went into the process of communication. I spoke when I needed to and listened when it was appropriate but I never thought about the type of words being used and whether or not my speaking and listening skills were showing respect to the others involved in the communication process. I recently had a conflict or altercation with one of my staff members that resulted in unnecessary yelling by both myself and my staff member.

            One of my teachers was not happy with a decision that I made and voiced her opinion. I have always been okay with hearing what my employees have to say and this time was no different until the teacher started talking about things that she was not informed about. When she started doing this she was saying things that were not accurate and instead of calmly explaining the situation I tried to just shut her down and end the conversation. This did not go over well and she started yelling at me which caused me to become angry and yell back at her. Ultimately I shut the conversation down by saying something to the effect of, “that is my final decision regardless of anyone else’s opinion.” This was not the best way to handle the situation but I was frustrated and needed it to end before things got worse. There are a lot of things that I could have and should have done differently and after a few days both of us discussed things in a more rational matter but I realize now that the situation could have been handled very differently.

            One way that things could have been handled differently would be to respectfully listen to the teachers concerns instead of trying to shut her down. Because she was uninformed I tried to end the conversation when I should have quietly listened to her and then respectfully explained to her the ways in which she was incorrect. This would have let her know that I value her as a person and am interested in what she has to say. By doing this I would be able to build a conversation and help her to become more knowledgeable about the situation at hand.

            Another way that I could handle the situation would be to have been more smoothing and accommodating. This would have helped to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. We could have discussed things later when we had both calmed down some and were able to talk in a more appropriate manner. This technique of conflict resolution could have helped to save those few strenuous days when my coworker and I did not speak to each other at all. It made for a very stressful work environment for both if us. Accommodating her would have made her feel more comfortable and saved us both the trouble of arguing.