Adjourning

In the five stages of team development, adjourning is the final stage.  This stage does not always occur, especially when the group was not cohesive, nor when it was a bad experience.  When a team adjourns, they say their good-byes.  The more cohesive the team - the harder the good-byes.  It is more difficult to leave these groups because of the feelings of adequacy, productivity, and camaraderie.  One group in which I participated that was hard to leave was a presenting group for a VAECE (Virginia Association for Early Childhood Educators) conference.  The group consisted of my co-teacher at the time,  Cindy, and two other co-workers who worked with a different age group – Jessie and Rachael.  We were presenting on documentation in the infant classroom, focusing mainly on photography.  We were productive, delivered a program that was gripping, and we just had fun!  One thing that came about from this time together, and was a closing ritual of sorts, was the naming of the “Overachievers’ Club.”  It was merely a name that we gave ourselves as part of an inside joke, but it was one more thing that bonded us.  After our presentation, we spent more time together as a group, and were able to “adjourn” without saying good-bye. 

Leaving my colleagues from my master’s degree in this program will prove to be a challenge.  I do not have the luxury of working with you all on a day-to-day basis, so the contact will be less than in my previous experiences.  I plan to follow the blogs of my colleagues.  There have been several with which I have made personal connections and I look forward to life-long professional connections with them.  It is important to me to properly adjourn because it brings closure to a long process.  It is essential to teamwork. 

Conflict and Communication

Disagreements and conflicts are inevitable.  They are a part of our daily life as humans that we have to figure out how to cope with.  Some are handled well – some, not so well.  As I think about disagreements that have occurred in the past, several come to mind.  One conflict that seems to be a recurring theme in my classroom is the problem of our flex staff leaving the room when they are scheduled to be in our room.  There are a few part-time girls I work with who feel that if we are in ratio, that means they can leave.  Neither my co-teacher nor I are very good with conflict, but it is really becoming an issue.  It is difficult to picture resolution, but I have come up with a couple strategy that I think might help us get there.  My first strategy I picked up from the principles of nonviolent communication (NVC).  This strategy is to focus on the needs of these girls, as well as myself, and try to make them known.  If we make our needs known, they might be more likely to stick around.  If we learn their needs, we might be able to figure out why they keep leaving our room.  My second strategy is compromise.  Once I learn the needs of these girls and make my needs known, I am sure there will need to be some kind of compromise.  This will ensure everyone is respected and has the opportunity to have her needs met. 

We have mentioned it to our administrator on several occasions, and there seems to be little progress.  Or, when we discuss it, it is after-the-fact and we find out that we have both been lied to.  Technically, these girls are not leaving us out of ratio, so there is no serious infraction.  However, we really enjoy taking advantage of having a lower ratio to spend valuable time with our children.  We also generally like the girls who are continually doing this to us and do not want to step on toes or seem like we are tattle-tales.  We want approach this delicately and come to a peaceful resolution that doesn’t make them want to avoid our classroom.  If anyone would like to offer an outsider’s perspective – I welcome it!

Communication Evaluation

As I evaluated my communication through tests this week, it was interesting to see what I thought about myself and the ways in which I communicate.  As interesting as it was, it was even more interesting to see what others said about me.  I asked my husband, James, and my co-teacher/friend, Elyse, to complete the same tests about me which I completed about myself.  This gave me a snap shot of how others view my communication skills.  We took three tests: Communication Anxiety, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Listening Styles Profile.

Communication Anxiety

This was the only test which showed different results at the end.  I rated myself as having moderate anxiety which means I am somewhat concerned about a number of communication contexts, but probably not all.  This mid-point level of anxiety is situation.  I felt that this accurately described how I felt.  James and Elyse rated me as having lower anxiety – only mild.  This means I only feel a little uneasy in some communication situations and somewhat more confident in other contexts.  In other words, I don’t typically worry a great deal about communication.  These results show me that although I can feel anxious at times, I show less anxiety than I feel.  I am pleased with this test’s results.

Verbal Aggressiveness

This test yielded the same results from both parties.  The results labeled me as only moderately aggressive.  I maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position.  I was pleased with these results and glad that I am not viewed as more aggressive.

Listening Styles Profile

This test also yielded the same results from both parties.  I was designated as people-oriented, which means I am empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others.  This enables me to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because I tend to be very trusting of others. 

As I think of these results in a professional context, I see them benefiting me.  I feel like I am an effective communicator and these results confirm that.