It has been a wonderful journey learning the importance of communication skills and styles when communicating with others. How my own schemas and personal experiences influence my perspective when communicating, responding, and connecting with others? I have gained valuable information and knowledge to help guide my professional and personal growth as a communicator. I would like to take the time to thank my colleagues and professor for their support, knowledge, and guidance through the discussions, blog assignments, and applications to help gain insight at becoming a competent communicator in the early childhood field. As we move forward and partake in our specialty, I wish everyone the best of luck in completing their Master’s Program. I am more than willing to stay connected with everyone and you can email me at my Walden account! It was great collaborating with all my colleagues and professor to grow professionally and personally as an early childhood professional in my goals of becoming a Director of an early childhood program in my future!
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Team Development – Adjourning Stage
My involvement with a team is mostly with my co-teachers I work with on a regular basis. I never not been a part of a large project or event where the adjourning stage took place. I am able to collect my thoughts and remember a moment in time when I had a hard time saying goodbye to a close team member who was moving on to become a Nanny. The early childhood program setting I belong to, there are a total of 3 teachers who form a teaching team when working and teaching with the young children and their families. It was during the summer months when one team member announced that she would be moving on and working as a Nanny. As her team member, I was proud of her accomplishment on achieving her newest role in the early childhood field. We held a celebration for her and wished her the best of luck on her new adventure and journey with young children. This celebration was of hope, luck, and support for her by making a change on a professional level. As a team, we kept in contact with her and continued to support her journey and professional career choice change. She was successful and happy with the choice of becoming a Nanny. It felt like we were a team within the classroom, even though she was now a Nanny. We shared our thoughts, struggles, and challenges we were facing and supported each other through them. This teacher has recently rejoined the team and it is nice to have her back.
Our teaching team had a strong, high-performing, effective team, that helped guided and supported each other through the struggles and challenges they would face in the setting, as well as their personal journey. It was hard to see her go, especially when she and I were hired at the same time and started on the same day. Each of us were able to express ourselves openly and honestly. As a team, we were able to come together and agree on the common goal and vision for our students. When a conflict or struggle presented themselves, we took the time to work it out together and try various strategies to help us overcome the challenges we faced as a team. We worked will with each other and never questioned the others actions unless we felt the effects were not supporting the children or ourselves as a team. It was a strong team that got along well and supported each other’s professional and personal growth.
I will miss seeing familiar names as we begin our journey on our specific paths of career domain as we move forth at completing our Master’s. I have been able to connect with my colleagues from around the world on a professional and personal level. I have never met any of my colleagues, but with their guidance, support, and encouragement through our classes have helped me grow professionally and personally as an early childhood professional. Each colleague shared valuable information and experiences with the group that helped myself gain knowledge and understandings of the course material. I will true miss those that I had a connection with over the last 7 classes in this program, I want to stay connected with them and support them through the rest of their journey at completing their program. As a group, we have formed relationships and bonds with another through the experiences and connections we make through the discussions, blogs, and comments we make to another over time. Thank you for helping me achieve my goals and accomplishments and I wish for my team of colleagues to strive for their goals and accomplishments.
Reference:
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 4, 2015
Conflicts and Nonviolent Communication
At my early childhood setting, I was dealing with a child who exhibited challenging behavior. This child was only 2 years old and he would throw toys across the room, hit, push, kick, and bite the other children and teachers. I redirect the child to another area of the room and speak with him in a firm voice, “No Hitting,” “No Biting,” and he would smile and laugh in my face. I would continue to redirect him away from the other children in the classroom and state in a firm voice that his behavior is not acceptable. When he became oral and mouthed toys, I offered him a chew tube for him to chew on instead of the toys. It would help for a short time and I would try to sit with him during this time and read a story. I even speak with his mom on many occasions about his behavior and would ask if she had noticed any of these behaviors at home. She would tell me that he does not act like that at home, but on a few occasions has attempted to bite her. I asked her what she would do when he would bite her. She would tell me, “No Biting.” Over time, I continued to work with him on understanding his emotions and model appropriate behaviors when interacting with his peers and teachers. Then I noticed his behavior increased in I continued to implement the same techniques that have been working with him for some time. This time they did not work for him. I spoke with his mom about it and I was able to get her permission for a Mental Health Consultant from Early Intervention come to the program and make an observation. She agreed and the consultant came to observe the child and offered the suggestion to help him overcome his emotional outbursts. I would use these suggestions on top of the techniques I was using to him again. I would offer sensory activities: play dough, goop, paint, finger paint to help him calm his body. I would offer the chew tube when he began to mouth the toys and I would try my best to give him extra hugs and one-on-one time to support his social-emotional development and his self-regulation. One day he threw a toy at another child and the sound it made was like the child broke his head open. It was not the case but loud enough to send the gut instinct through my body. I was shaken to my core at what happen when I was close by towards the children. It took this accident to finally get the support I needed as a teacher and the support needed for the child. My supervisor was well aware of the situation and concerns about this child and it took for an accident to happen to make the child receive the real help he needed. The child when to a different early childhood setting that is known as a Family Day Care Center.
I showed my compassion and patience with this child to offer him the support and guidance he was seeking out at dealing with his emotions. I worked very closely with his mom and ask questions to find out how she handles the situations at home, though I never got her to truly admit he was having these behaviors at home until she made a call to early intervention for him to be assessed. I used my compassion with this family to offer them the best support I could help the child learn ways to deal with his emotional outbursts in different settings. I even respected her responses when I would speak with her regarding the challenging behavior that was increasing over time. The Mom respected my efforts at helping her son overcome his emotional struggles and help him manage them in an appropriate manner. I have a close relationship with this family and I felt through this process that I had it more with the child compared to the mom. I shared my feelings and concerns with her and clearly stated to her the observations I had, feels, needs, and respect about finding solutions to help him deal with his emotions.
What ways would you have handled the child’s emotional outbursts? How would you speak your concerns with your supervisor to truly be heard about the challenges a teacher is facing in the classroom? How would you express your feelings about your concerns being pushed aside and not taken seriously?
Reference:
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