Saturday, April 27, 2013
Well Wishes.....
Wow! What can I say? Never in a million lifetimes did I think I could feel so connected to a group of individuals that I have never seen face to face. There are a couple of you that have really inspired me to do better as a person. We have shared great stories, we have spoke on uncomfortable situations that dug deep into our insecurities. We have shared our biases and perspectives on many different levels. I feel as if I have lived and felt your pain with some of you! I feel we have all grown as early childhood professionals and the only way to continue to climb in upward! Because of us, young children will continue to experience quality early childhood programs, as we mold our future. I wish each of you nothing but success and development in your professional paths. For those of you entering the Teaching and Diversity specialization, we will meet again on May 6th!!!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Adjourning Phase of Team Development
I have been involved in several group settings that the adjourning stage affected me in many different ways. The adjourning stage of a project is when the project is coming to an end and team members are moving off into different directions (Abudi, 2010). There are many aspects of the groups that made for a difficult goodbye. High performing groups have been hard to leave, especially if we started from the bottom and worked our way to the top. Usually when a group starts out together in a less than ideal situation and spend time together problem solving and sorting through issues in order to succeed, it makes harder to leave. We have been through so much together to become high performing.
The group that was hardest for me to leave was when I was promoted from a teacher to a Campus Director. The teachers in this group and I worked very closely together in all aspects of the Early Childhood field. We planned Staff Development Day training together and many other training opportunities. Many of the other teachers were finishing up their degrees and CDA's and were venturing off to fulfill other goals and ambitions.
Our closing ritual consisted of a celebration of everyone's accomplishments! We would also always go to dinner after we completed of Annual Staff Development Day. The preparation for those trainings were always intense. Dinner and drinks always made for a time to unwind and celebrate our success.
I am hoping to get to meet many of my colleagues at graduation! I was not going to participate when I initially enrolled in this degree program, but the closer we get to the end, the more anxious I get to put a face with a name. I find myself looking for familiar names during each course that we take. I hope that many of my colleagues plan to attend graduation and celebrate our goals and accomplishments! There are a couple of my colleagues that I just want to hug because I have heard their story and I am extremely proud of them!
References
Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html
The group that was hardest for me to leave was when I was promoted from a teacher to a Campus Director. The teachers in this group and I worked very closely together in all aspects of the Early Childhood field. We planned Staff Development Day training together and many other training opportunities. Many of the other teachers were finishing up their degrees and CDA's and were venturing off to fulfill other goals and ambitions.
Our closing ritual consisted of a celebration of everyone's accomplishments! We would also always go to dinner after we completed of Annual Staff Development Day. The preparation for those trainings were always intense. Dinner and drinks always made for a time to unwind and celebrate our success.
I am hoping to get to meet many of my colleagues at graduation! I was not going to participate when I initially enrolled in this degree program, but the closer we get to the end, the more anxious I get to put a face with a name. I find myself looking for familiar names during each course that we take. I hope that many of my colleagues plan to attend graduation and celebrate our goals and accomplishments! There are a couple of my colleagues that I just want to hug because I have heard their story and I am extremely proud of them!
References
Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Disagreement/Conflict Strategies
Conflict with colleague
I am currently in the process of being in a conflict with my School Age Manager. I am her superior, but I do not use my power to accomplish goals. Apparently, she and I have very views of the term "showcase ready". I continue to tell her that before she leaves the building to go on her break (she works a split), that the School Age program has to be picture perfect and tour ready. We have tours daily with parents looking for before and after school care for their children. We need to be confident in selling our program.
One strategy that I feel would make me a more effective communicator is to model for my School Age Manager. Being respectful and going into the program and demonstrate to my School Age Manager exactly what my expectations are can be extremely effective. The second strategy I could use is to increase my understanding of exactly what my School Age Manager is trying to convey. Communicating with her and respecting her position in the program can also assist with conflict resolution. It is critical to try and understand both sides of the conflict and come to an agreement. Nonviolent communication keeps us in touch with the natural state of compassion. I will continue to work on and with my School Age manager and encourage her to buy into me and the belief of best practice for our families, both enrolled and perspective families. I told her that I know I am over the top, and a little extreme when it comes to cleaning and organizing, and I can identify that within myself. My School Age Manager also has identified with her faults of not paying attention to detail and ensuring that our program is the best that it can be!
I am currently in the process of being in a conflict with my School Age Manager. I am her superior, but I do not use my power to accomplish goals. Apparently, she and I have very views of the term "showcase ready". I continue to tell her that before she leaves the building to go on her break (she works a split), that the School Age program has to be picture perfect and tour ready. We have tours daily with parents looking for before and after school care for their children. We need to be confident in selling our program.
One strategy that I feel would make me a more effective communicator is to model for my School Age Manager. Being respectful and going into the program and demonstrate to my School Age Manager exactly what my expectations are can be extremely effective. The second strategy I could use is to increase my understanding of exactly what my School Age Manager is trying to convey. Communicating with her and respecting her position in the program can also assist with conflict resolution. It is critical to try and understand both sides of the conflict and come to an agreement. Nonviolent communication keeps us in touch with the natural state of compassion. I will continue to work on and with my School Age manager and encourage her to buy into me and the belief of best practice for our families, both enrolled and perspective families. I told her that I know I am over the top, and a little extreme when it comes to cleaning and organizing, and I can identify that within myself. My School Age Manager also has identified with her faults of not paying attention to detail and ensuring that our program is the best that it can be!
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