Thanks!

To everyone that has enriched my learning during this course, I would like to thank. There are many times that I feel I know everything there is to know in the field of early childhood. Then I read the many post by everyone and realize that no matter how old you get or how many years you have been in the field someone can teach  you something. That is what has happened during this course. I would like to wish everyone the best, and I look forward to speaking with you again.

Teamwork

Working in a trusted team takes time for me. The word trust is a BIG word. I do not think that trust can be built in  a short time that a team may work together on a project. A team that works together for years can truly build a trusting relationship. I understand that there needs to be basic trust built on every team and sometimes this needs to be done quickly. I tend to have a harder time doing this.
The one team that I worked with on many different tasks took place early on in my carrer. This team consisted of three other teachers and we collaberated on many things. The trust was built over time. We all felt that we could say whatever we needed with no fear of insulting anyone, because our goal was always the same. I would consider us a high perfoming group. We have all moved on to different things, and leaving this group was very sad for me. I do not think I have felt such a connection with any other group since. It was hard to leave becuase not only did we trust each other, we were friends. We have not seen each othe over the years, but occasioanly i run into one of them. I truly miss working with them.
This assignment has made me think about them alot. I would like to find that same trust with the groups i work with now. I didnt relaize that because of the trust we built and eventually friendship we accomplished many great things. I have been thinking about why that happeded within this group and not others i have worked with. I think the reason is we all had such a passion for what we do, our excitement about our work was what brought us together. This made me relize that the reason a group works well or doesnt is that passion. Is there heart really in it? If it isnt they will not be a productive member of the group.
I think that the adjourning part of team work is important. Everyone needs closure to all aspects of there life. We need to celebrate our accomplishments. I realize how important that is now. I am planning a night our for my staff (I am paying, since I am the owner). I am doing this to acknowledge everyones hard work throughout the year and their accomplishments. It may not be much, but I feel that we need to put closure to the old school year and prepare for the new. Sometimes with the stress of everyday taks, we can forget to appreciate one another, this is my way of telling everyone what a great job they did and thank you.

Conflicts with Communication

I dont usually have conflicts with anyone since I seem to avoid them. Since conflict is "a negative interaction between two or more interdependent people, rooted in some actual or perceived disagreement"(O'Hair & Weimann, 2012. p. 220). The biggest issue that I deal with is not a disagreement or conflict, it is usually just different ideas that are being discussed in a meeting, and compromise is neccassary. I find myself using negotiation strategies to get my point across. I also use cooperative strategies. "Strategies that benefit the relationship, serve mutual rather than individual goals, and strive to produce solutions that benifit both parties"(O'Hare & Weimann, 2012. p.236). I have always been the peace maker, I tend to see both sides all the time and try to come up with a solution that makes everyone happy. This prevents many conflicts or disagreements in my life.

Most colleagues that I spoke with agree that using compromise is the most effective form of solving conflicts and disagreements. This tends to make everyone feel like they have had an input in whatever problem they are facing.

References

O'Hare, D.m Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin.

Communication Evaluation

Doing these evaluations was a challenge. I had to really think about the question and make sure that I was answering it honestly. The way I percieve myself and the way I actually communicate are different. I scored in group 1 for listening styles and this did not surprise me I often trust everyone no matter what and get burned because of it. The one thing that surprise me  was my verbal aggressiveness score. I don't agree with it, it says that with little provacation I might cross the line from "argumentativeness". I don't think that I do that but I will definatley take notice from now on. This is a charecterisitc that may very well affect my professional and personal life. I do not want people to view me this way. I am thinking thaty maybe because I have always been so trustworthy of people that maybe my defense is up and this makes me a little argumentative. The other evaluations were similar to how I evalluated myself, I am going to take this information and improve on areas that need it.

I have learned through this exercise that there are many aspects within communication. How others percieve you is very important. I want my staff, children and family to feel that they can talk to me and would not be judeged or ridiculed. I am going to make sure that I do this and become a more effective communicator.