Gracias!

 

A very special thank you to all who have shared and helped me grow throughout our Communication course. I enjoyed our many discussion boards and blog posts which your input has helped me grow into a more competent communicator.  Through you I have gained valuable knowledge and information that will forever stay with me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart in helping me develop my communication skills over these past 8 weeks.  I am eager to begin work with my specialization in Adult Learning.  I wish everyone well as you continue your degrees and specializations.  Good luck and fare thee well!

I bid you ADIEU

I have been working with the same group of Kinder teachers for the past five years.  We were part of a group who shared an identity, had common goals, and had interdependent relationships with each other.   We have helped each other professionally and personally, worked along side one another, and fed off of each other's strengths.  We worked well as a team and became a group of friends.  Our group was cohesive and we identified ourselves "as a sing unit rather than a collection of individuals, which helps hold the group together in the face of adversity" (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012, p. 268).  We were never in competition with one another because we fully trusted our group.  Sadly, this past academic school year was our last together.  The entire team had to part due to other employment opportunities, moving out of town, and opening a new school.  This high performing group was the hardest goodbye any of us had ever gone through.  It took us years to develop the partnerships and friendships we had established.  They became a pat of my primary group like family. 

As a part of our adjourning ritual we cried with one another while wishing each other luck in our future endeavors.  We laughed, hugged, and shed many tears of sadness and joy.  We promised to keep n touch, meet up and have lunch or dinner,  and always cherish all the memories.  It is going to be very different working with a new group and in a sense starting over.

 

I have really enjoyed all that I have learned from Walden's professors and my colleagues but I am looking forward to the end of our program.  My family and I have sacrificed so much for me to continue my education.  The thing I can never have back is the time I spent away from my family.  I have missed many moments from my sons developing years even though all know it is for the good of my family and my job as an Early childhood educator.  I will miss learning and sharing our thoughts and ideas in a very safe and nurturing learning environment.  When we first stated this course we did not know each other and were forced to work with complete strangers.  Our online group transformed into a learning community and we are no longer strangers.  We are a group of people who have a shared identity, have common goals, and had interdependent relationships.  Luckily we will still be ale to communicate with each other through online sources such as blogs or even Facebook. I hope to meet many of you at graduation and wish you the best of luck on your journey into the next chapter. 

 

The Adjourning stage is where "the group members reflect on their accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take another project" (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012, p. 257).  It gives us the opportunity to look back and reflect on our relationships, accomplishments, and is a great way to give closure to the group.  

 

Reference:

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

Conflicts

 

Thinking back on past conflicts makes me take a look at who I am and what I need to work on in order to become an effective competent communicator.  With this course I have found a new wealth of knowledge and have learned strategies to improve my communication skills.  I am currently experiencing conflict in my life and I have been using the NVC's model of empathetically listening and honestly (The Center for Nonviolent Communication, n.d.) speaking through observations, feelings, needs, and requests. 

 

I have also been using these techniques when with friends and family.  My sons who are 4 and 6 years old are together all day long during the summers.  They tend to bicker over toys, snacks, the dog, etc.  We have been using conflict management techniques and turning our unproductive conflict into a productive one (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  We have been watching our words and I have been looking for conflict triggers which can lead to behavior problems. 

 



 

 

My goal professionally and personally is to use more cooperative strategies, 3R's, and NVC skills.  My Pre-K classroom will flourish, succeed, and learn skills that are necessary for the rest of their lives.  There are many songs, plays, books, games, and such that can be used t assist in teaching conflict resolution with children.   



 

 

References:

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.
     Martin’s.
The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication.   
     Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/