Time Well Spent

From this course we gained a wealth of information that has helped us gain knowledge and strengths within the early childhood field. There are three deeply felt learning’s that I have gained from this program that I wish to share. My new found passion for anti-bias work, the importance of leadership, and my own ability to network with other early childhood professionals. I have found from the work I have done for this program my passion for anti-bias work has flourished. I have implemented the importance of anti-bias work to my teachers at my daycare center. I have also done a staff development training on anti-bias work and had preschool teachers create lessons on diversity. Before I took over as director, 63 of the 64 children were white, middle to high class families. Not only the staff but also the children had little to no exposure to diversity. I truly believe because of my master’s program I have gained a better understanding of the importance of anti-bias work and have implemented the importance through my work.

I feel a huge part of my success in the early childhood field will be due to my ability to understand my leadership style.  Before I can establish myself as a strong professional in the field I feel I must understand myself as a leader and the ability of leading a group. From this program I have learned the importance of creating leadership groups and the different roles individuals can play. From the beginning of this program we have been faced with assignments that have allowed us to jump out of our comfort zone and network with other early childhood professionals. I know feel because of this course I have the ability to outreach and talk to any early childhood professionals in the field. From this program I gained experience interviewing, observing, and collaborating with other professionals which has built up my ability to network with others.

As my master program comes to an end the most out weighing long term goal I have set for myself is to continue working in the early childhood field by gaining an administrative role for our local school district. This goal is so important to me because I wish to continue my advocacy for the early childhood field which a position at the school would do. It would also allow me to continue to collaborate and network with other professionals within the field. The opportunities for early childhood exposure at our school district are huge.  The school district collaborates with local and state professionals to better serve the children of our community. I unfortunately applied for a position last week with the school district, had an interview but did not receive the job. It was not an administrative role, however, it was a position at the early childhood office which would help me network and build school connections.

To Ms. Dartt and my colleagues,

I could not thank you enough for the collaboration we built throughout this course. Your continued efforts towards your own success have helped me achieve my goals as well. An example of this would include your timely response to initial posts and responses to blogs and discussions. Without your input I would not have gotten as far in this course. I looked to Dr. Dartt and my colleagues for advice and ideas. We shared personal and professional experience which has impacted my work in the early childhood field. Some examples of this include just this week, a colleague opened up my eyes to the way in which I understand my own style of leadership. When discussing my leadership in prior assignments I looked at it through the viewpoint of how I want my employees to view me. However, leadership is also how you impact the children you work with, which is evident to me, however, I must focus on this as an important component to my leadership style.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Education Specialist

This position is of interest to me based off of the responsibility it holds of ensuring children’s basic need are met. A large portion of this job is to ensure child protection, health, nutrition, and water are met, along with sanitization of their living environment. I have always had a passion working for non-profit organizations that provide children with basic need. However, this position is going further to provide children with basic needs we take for granted in my current community.

Purpose of the Position

Accountable for formulation, design, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of the Education in Emergencies (EiE) program to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the program management, delivery and accomplishment of program goals and objectives. Across the Education in Emergencies program, accountable for identifying gender inequalities in Education in Emergencies, developing innovative approaches and programmes to eliminating these disparities. Promotes intersectoral partnerships in order to ensure that progress benefits mutually education and other programs, in particular Child Protection, Health, Nutrition, Water and Environmental Sanitation.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Education Background:
Advanced university degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Education; Primary Education, or Social Sciences fields relevant to international development assistance.
Some demonstrative capacity to identify and monitor gender inequalities, as well as develop and implement gender mainstreaming in programmes.

Work Experience:
Eight years of progressively professional work experience at national and international levels in fields relevant to Education programmes. Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset. Background and experience working with and in Emergency leading Education response in several countries.

Language Proficiency:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language is considered an asset.

Competencies of Successful Candidate
–  Commitment
–  Diversity and Inclusion
–  Integrity
–  Communication
–  Working with People
–  Drive for Results
–  Leading and Supervising
–  Formulating Strategies and Concepts
–  Analyzing
–  Relating and Networking
(United Nations Children’s Fund, n.d.).

Early Childhood Coordinator

This position is of interest to me because I feel I meet all of the experience and education requirements. The work seems similar to the work I have done for head start and also for a women’s shelter. I enjoy going on home visits to build relationships with families in order to better identify the needs of their family. This position seems to be very hands on with the families in order to ensure the best delivery of services.

Summary

Early Steps to School Success program  provides early childhood education services to pregnant women and children birth to five years of age, education services to their parents, and ongoing staff training to the community early childhood educators. The program goals are: 1) children will enter school with the skills necessary for school success, 2) parents will have the knowledge and skills to support their children’s education, 3) home/school connections will be strong and 4) early childhood knowledge and skills in communities will be significantly increased. The job of the Early Childhood Coordinator is to implement the Early Steps to School Success program in the assigned community.

Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact

Provide regular home visits to families (twice monthly) using agency approved home visiting curriculum (40%)

Recruit families with children ages birth to five into the program (10%)

Develop and schedule the program activities, including home visiting, parent/child groups, transition to school activities and other programmatic activities (10%)

Organize and conduct regular (minimum of one per month) parent child groups (10%)

Conduct child screenings and make referrals (5%)

Participate in training and technical assistance activities, including site visits, conference calls and web-based resource sharing (20%)

Participate in the evolution of Early Steps, including data collection, interviewing and videotaping activities (5%)

Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors

Minimum 2-3 years’ experience required. High School diploma or equivalent required; Associates degree in related field preferred. Requires learned knowledge, technical skills and attention to detail to support semi-complex tasks. Highly motivated, flexible, and non-judgmental individual who is eager to learn. Experience working with pregnant women, children ages birth to five, and families in rural areas. Experience with home visiting and leading parent groups. Demonstrated early childhood knowledge, including infant/toddler knowledge. Energetic, motivated and creative. Able to work independently. (Save the Children, 2011).

Education Project Director

This position of education project director appeals to me for many reasons. The project director is incharge or professional development and support staff. This is similar to my current position as daycare center director. I enjoy leading a team of professionals towards the common goal of children’s educational success. This is the first position I see that requries a master’s degree which I will soon have obtained in three weeks! J Without a Master’s degree this position requires a great deal of experience, 15 years! I also really like that the job description focuses on achieving the vision and mision of the organization.

Job Summary / Responsibilities:

The Project Director for the Four Pillars PLUS project in Nigeria leads a team of professional and support staff and is responsible for ensuring that the project attains its goals and meets its obligations in a timely fashion and within the project budget. He provides leadership and management to the Four Pillars PLUS activities, and serves as the primary source of contact regarding the project for all stakeholders.

Essential Job Functions

• Lead a dynamic, collaborative and productive team of professional and support staff that shares a project vision and culture that leads to attaining results and professional fulfillment
• Serve as lead project representative for all relevant stakeholders
• Oversee project implementation plan and logistics
• Ensure that all project activities reflect an agreed upon vision and strategy and are designed and implemented in a technically sound and coordinated fashion to achieve specific project results
• Provide overall technical and management leadership for activities in the five project component areas
• Ensure that required reports and deliverables are submitted in a timely manner and are of high quality
• Develop and maintain excellent client communications
• Maintain close communication with FHI 360 Washington team
• Ensure accurate and proactive dissemination of information about the project
• Other job related duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements

• Master’s Degree required; or Bachelor’s Degree with minimum 15 years of experience in Education, Social Science, Gender Studies, International Development, or other similar fields;
• Must be computer literate (MS Office Package/Internet, etc.)

• Must be able to provide three references from previous employment or university;

 References

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

For this blog assignment we will complete work similar week two’s blog assignment. During week two we looked into local and state organizations and job opportunities. For this assignment we will look into national/federal organizations and job opportunities. When starting this assignment I knew right away the first organization I wanted to look into was the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

This organization has always appealed to me because of the wealth of information I have taken away from their organization. “The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children” (NAEYC, n.d.). Along with their well-known rapport, “NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research… they also advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children” (NAEYC, n.d.).

When looking into job openings there was an opening for Senior Director of Academy of Early Childhood Program Accreditation. I currently hold a director position and feel I could fulfill the below job requirements:

Senior Director, NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation

 NAEYC seeks an effective leader with proven success managing large complex systems and expertise in organizational administration and management to lead the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation. Recognized as the gold standard for excellence in early childhood education, the NAEYC Academy works to improve the quality of child care, preschool and kindergarten programs by establishing high-level, research-based standards and accrediting programs that meet these standards. The Senior Director, working collaboratively within the overall NAEYC staff structure, manages a team of approximately 30 people.  Through strong leadership and effective management, the Senior Director:

• Maintains the NAEYC program standards as the gold standard of excellence in early childhood education, reflecting current evidence from research and practice.
• Ensures that NAEYC Accreditation supports continuous quality improvement, is rigorous but not unduly burdensome to programs, and provides a valid and reliable assessment of program quality.
• Staffs the work of the Council for NAEYC Accreditation which is delegated authority by the NAEYC Governing Board to ensure the equity, integrity, and accountability of NAEYC Accreditation of programs for young children.
• Works with senior leadership and Council to make NAEYC Accreditation a critical component of total quality improvement processes for early childhood systems at the national, state and local level.
• Reaches out to states and other systems to form partnerships that utilize NAEYC Accreditation as a cost-effective approach to improving early childhood systems.
• Demonstrates a strong grasp of the financing of early learning and the financing of early childhood systems in order to achieve continuous quality improvement and ensure the NAEYC Academy’s fiscal viability.
• Ensures mission-focused, cost-effective day-to-day operations of the NAEYC Academy, through supervising and mentoring staff, fiscal management (e.g. develop and monitor budgets, contract management), planning and execution.

Requirements: Demonstrated leadership and management skills administering early childhood systems and quality improvement initiatives.  Demonstrated track record of staff supervision that motivates excellent performance and supports ongoing staff development. Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Strong conceptual and analytic skills and talent for innovation. Advanced degree in nonprofit management, business administration and/or early childhood education/child development preferred. Some travel required.

Salary commensurate with knowledge and experience; excellent benefits. Position is based at the NAEYC headquarters located in Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/about/jobs

The second nationally known organization I looked into was ZERO TO THREE. This is also another organization I frequently look to for resources and ideas. “ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development” (ZERO TO THREE, 2014). I also chose this organization because I feel their mission aligns with my goals in the early childhood field. ZERO TO THREE’s mission “is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life” (ZER TO THREE, 2014).

ZERO TO THREE had several job openings to search from. The job opening that interested me was Program Manager, Resource Development. The job pertained a lot of staff development and professional relationships which is one aspect I truly enjoy about my current job. Below if the job description and skills/education needed:

Summary

The resource development manager of the National Center on EHS-CC Partnerships is responsible for overseeing the EHS CCP’s knowledge/resource development and management component and team, developing and organizing a comprehensive body of knowledge related to partnerships and providing resources. The resource development manager serves as part of the center’s leadership team, with the project director, training/technical assistance program manager and partner organizations lead managers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Excellent knowledge of and experience with infants and toddlers, Early Head Start program, child care programs and systems, including Family Child Care
• At least ten years of experience in the early childhood field at various levels
• Experience and capability in results-based work, using logic models and tracking outcomes
• Clear and concise writing skills
• Effective training and technical assistance skills
• Ability to work independently
• Master’s degree in early childhood development of related field

The rest of the job summary can be found at http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/careers/jobs/program-manager-resource-development-ehs-ccp.pdf

The last organization I looked into was Head Start. I previously worked for Head Start and have always loved what the organization has done for the community. During week 2 I looked into local job openings. I now looked into the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECKLC) website to find more nationally known titles. The position I found available was Child Development Program Manager. The job description and skills are depicted below:

Duties

Provide overall management, planning, implementation and evaluation of Head Start and ECEAP child development/education and disabilities services as defined in the state and federal Performance Standards and the National Association for the Education of Young Children developmentally appropriate practices for early care and education programs.  This position is responsible to assure best practices and high standards in implementing early educational services.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in child development or early childhood education or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
2. Two year’s supervisory experience in early childhood education; Head Start experience preferred.
3. One year’s experience working directly with young children preferred.
4. Experience with staff development training.
5. Experience working with low-income families, diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
6. Experience working on a management team preferred

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/careers/Region10/Washington/Child%20Development%20Program%20Manager%20I%20-%20Bremerton%20%20-%20%20Washington_2.html

References

An Office of the Administration for Children and Families Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC). (2015). Career Center. Retrieved from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/careers

National Assocation of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. (2015). Job    opportunities. Retrieved from  http://www.naecte.org/

ZERO TO THREE. (2014). Careers. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

http://www.greaterminnesota.org/programs/early-childhood/seed-child-development-centers/

The first organization that appeals to me is Greater Minnesota Family Services. This local organization spreads across southern Minnesota and has a great impact on the community. They provide social and emotional development services to children. This company particularly sticks out to me because my mother fostered two children last year who had lost their mother. The SEED’s program did everything to help the children socially and emotionally. My mom can only speak wonders about what this organization has done for the well-being of these children.

SEED

Social Emotional Enrichment & Development Programs

Planting the Seeds to Success

SEED emphasizes the emotional and social development of your child while it supplements academic abilities. Social and emotional skills supplement your child’s success throughout his of her life. SEED helps children develop connections between their brain and their behaviors. SEED’s goals is to provide your child with the confidence to succeed in school and life.

In the Mankato location they have the following job opportunity open: Full-time early childhood mental health license therapist.

Services are done at the Early Childhood site and Families’ homes. We are looking for people who have a passion to help at-risk children and families, and invest yourself as an equal in your local team group. Duties include DC 0-3 Diagnostic Assessments, in-home family therapy, and serving in our SEED location in Mankato. Some non-traditional hours, afternoons and early evenings (2-3). Licensed Therapist (LP, LICSW, LMFT or LPCC) or Master’s Degree working toward license in the field . GMFS has a competitive compensation and benefits package including health insurance, Long-term disability, paid leave time, supervision, Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and much more. To Apply, submit Resume to employment@greaterminnesota.org. EOE.

Skills needed for this job:

• Communication skills
• Passion for the early childhood field
• Masters degree preferred
• Licenses (LP, LICSW, LMFT, or LPCC)

http://mankatoymca.org/

The second organization in which appeals to me is the YMCA. YMCA’s are located all across the United States. I previously worked for this organization in the brother/sister program and also as a teacher. This organization appeals to me because of the fun atmosphere and the services they are able to offer families. Services range from family fun in the swimming pool to one-on-one after school care. All activities in which promote family engagement and educational fun.

Vision

To gather communities, making accessible to all high quality programs and services that promote and develop health spirit, mind, body and social well-being throughout South Central Minnesota.

Areas of Focus

Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility

There are currently no openings at my local YMCA. The position in which I would like to apply for is the youth program coordinator. While obtaining my four year degree I interned with the youth program coordinator at the YMCA. I learned the skills needed to fulfill the job which include budgeting, personal skills, management skills, curriculum planning ability, and schedule coordinating.

http://www.mnvac.org/mvac_main.php

The last organization in which appeals to me is Minnesota Valley Action Council. This local organization is home to our communities Head Start program and many other great resources.

Each Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC) county office can help you find what service you need. If MVAC does not provide the service, we will refer you to the organization that does provide it.

• Emergency Services
• Services for Parents and Children
• Adult Basic Education Services
• Career Exploration and Employment Services
• Self-Employment Services
• Counseling Services
• Health Services
• Food and Clothing Services

This organization appeals to me because of the impact they have on the community. MVAC is dedicated to proving as many services as possible to families in need. I previously worked for the Head Start program at MVAC and truly enjoyed my time there. If I were to look for an open job, I would apply for the Early Childhood Director. This individual was not only in charge of Head Start but also was involved on the committee board for other parts of the organization such as food hub, energy assistance, and Wheel get there. For this position you must be able to multi-task as you jump from task to task. You will work with many individuals on a daily basis so communication is a must. The Early Childhood Director is in charge of the state allocated budget as well.

References

Greater Minnesota Family Services. (2015). Retrieved from             http://www.greaterminnesota.org/employment/

Minnesota Valley Action Council. (n.d.). About MVAC. Retrieved from    http://www.mnvac.org/about_us.php

YMCA. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from http://mankatoymca.org/about/

6164 Week 8 Blog

When it comes to the work I do in the early childhood field, I hope to be able to instill a an anti-bias learning environment within the daycare I run. In order to do this I hope to:

• Provide a sense of belonging to children and families within the center
• Allow children and families to experience affirmation of their identities and cultures
• Provide equal access for children to participate in order “to become successful, contributing members of society” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 2)
• Provide families with the resources they need
• Teach children and families how to live, learn, and work together in diverse environments

One goal I have set forth for myself is to implement a session on anti-bias education in one of my staff meetings. I feel all of my staff members could learn from an educational meeting on how to provide anti-bias education.

Colleagues,

Thank you for all of the hard work you have put into this course without your dedication I would not have gained new insights from your work. You have been helpful through discussions, assignments, and blogs. Your feedback has allowed me to think outside of the box and I thank you for your diversity!

References

Derman-Sparks, L. and Edwards. J. O. (2010) Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington D.C.: National Association for the Education of young Children.

6164 Week 7 blog

For this assignment, I am working in a child care center at as an early childhood teacher. There is a new family enrolled at the center, their child will be joining my class in the next week. The family is moving from Sudan, a country I know very little about. In order to provide the best educational experience, I must prepare myself to be culturally responsive.

1. The first thing I would do is send a welcome letter to the new family. “Distribute a welcoming letter to new families communicating a philosophy of inclusion and respect for diversity” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 38). Remember to print the welcome letter in multiple languages.
2. Schedule an appointment for an intake interview. The information parents provide, will vary. However, “ an intake interview asks participants to describe their families, including extended family members and significant others” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 37).
3. Provide families and staff with a resource library. “Create an inclusive library of resources and referral materials: books, articles, and listings of support services and community advocacy organizations for all kinds of families and family circumstances” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 38).
4. I will make sure to access the classrooms physical environment. I will “create a comfortable space where families can talk with one another or with you” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 38).
5. The last thing I would like to create in my classroom in order to be culturally responsive is a daily log. This will allow families to read the log and know what their children have been up to throughout the school day. However, some families nay not speak the same language. I must translate the log into families home language. This at times can be challenging, however, I must consider ”hiring translators, asking other families members who speak English to help and recruit community volunteers, or learn a second language myself” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 39).

These precautions I am taking will in the end, help the new family moving from Sudan to feel comfortable within their new environment. From these precautions I hope to build positive relationships with the family and provide and anti bias education by promoting their child’s self-identity.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children      (NAEYC).

6164 Week 6 Blog

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

• When thinking of the many forms of bias, prejudice, or oppression I recall many incidents in which I have witnessed individuals being victim to such targets. When thinking of television shows, I can recall multiple episodes, if not every episode of Family Guy, The Simpsons, and South Park that target groups or populations of individuals with prejudice or biased remarks. These television shows make prejudice and demeaning remarks towards many groups based on race, culture, religion, and sex.
• Personally, I have witnessed unintentional bias remarks made towards children’s family at my previous job. One teacher assumed that since a child’s parent wasn’t White, she was unable to speak English. The teacher used an interpreter to set up the fall conference. The child’s mother spoke English and no other language.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

• Although the teacher in the above statement was trying to be accommodating for the family, she in return diminished equity. The teacher did not first give the mother fair treatment. The teacher did not take the time to get to know the family before she made assumptions.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

• The mother in this incident felt belittled and judged. She felt as though the teacher was not getting to know her or her family. Which raised a question wondering if her son was getting fair treatment in the classroom because he wasn’t White.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

• The teacher in this situation just needed to spend the time getting to know her students families. If getting to know each and every one of her students families at the beginning of the year this situation could have been avoided.

6165 Week 6 Blog Assignment

Five stages of team development include forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

• “In the forming stage group members try to negotiate who will be in charge and what the groups goals will be” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 256).
• “After forming, group members move into the storming stage, in which they inevitably begin experiencing conflicts over issues such as who will lead the group and what roles members will play” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).
• “During the norming stage, norms emerge among members that govern expected behavior” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).
• “During the performing stage, members combine their skills and knowledge to work toward the group’s goals and overcome hurdles” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).
• “For groups whose project or task has come to an end, there is an adjourning stage. The group members reflect on their accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take on another project” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).

Many of the groups I have participated in include focus groups, problem-solving groups, and team groups in college. During the adjourning phase I believe it was harder to say good-bye when I was involved in high-performing groups in which I choose my teammates. I always felt when we had the ability to choose our groups, as a whole we were more successful. It was hardest to leave these groups because often times they were my friends and classmates I have been in the program with for two to three years.

“Norms are recurring patterns of behavior or thinking that come to be accepted in a group as the “usual” way of doing things” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257). The groups in which I choose my team members also had the most established norms. We felt more comfortable communicating with each other. Which, in return resulted in patterns of behavior, such as, who was in charge of what, when to collect data, and who to address for what concerns. When working in groups during the time of closing. As a whole, some closing rituals would include going over our finalized project and reflecting on things we did well and things we could have improved on.

As I adjourn from my group of colleagues in my master’s program I hope to have the time to thank them all in my blog. I always hope to explain my thankfulness to several colleagues personally on their own blog. Adjourning is an essential stage to teamwork because it allows you to reflect on your accomplishments as a group. It also allows the team to address any possible areas they could improve on in future group assignments. I believe it is important to reflect on areas of improvement to increase future performance.

References

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2010). Real Communication: An Introduction. Bedford/St. Martin’s Boston, New York.

6165 Week 5 Blog Assignment

When thinking about recent conflicts or disagreements, I am able to think of several instances within the workplace. Some of these instances are not directly related to me, however, as the director I am often times the mediator.

In order to better resolve conflict I addressed two possible workspace conflicts and addressed how I could use the 3 R’s approach to better manage conflict. The 3 R’s consist of being responsive, respectful, and reciprocal. Magda Gerber was the developer of the 3 R’s, that were designed to show how ideal relationships can be built over time. I feel in order to build trusting relationships you must have effective communication. “To have respectful relationships, individuals must acknowledge the range and validity of diverse perspectives, at times this means embracing the tension that arises when different perspectives exist” (Corso, 2007, para. 4).

Workplace Conflict:

• 1^st conflict instance was between a lead teacher and her closing staff. She was frustrated that the closing assistant teachers and aides were not completing all of the closing tasks. This lead teacher was getting short with the staff and physically on edge when speaking to me about it.
• What I did: In order to resolve this negative conflict I talked the situation through with the lead teacher. I reminded her that these staff members are both new and if they have not been told about a cleaning task, they would have no idea it was part of their job.
• In regards to the 3 R’s I feel I was responsive to the lead teacher and I first listened to her complaint. I also feel I was respectful to the assistant teacher and aide in the classroom by not taking poorly behind their backs about their job responsibility. I also feel I respectfully addressed the lead teacher and showed her how to educate her closing staff

• 2^nd conflict instance was between myself and a parent. My preschool lead teacher took on his position as the head teacher about 2 months ago. After one month on the job he realized he would no longer be able to manage work and his schooling (he was going back to school online to get his bachelors). One parent was very upset that this lead teacher had put in his two weeks and blamed myself and our daycare center for making poor decisions that were solely based on bettering business needs and not the children’s. This parent expressed his concerns by yelling at my down a hall in front of many students, my staff, and other parents

• What I did: I listened as the parent expressed his concerns. With the short amount of time I had to address the conflict before the parent stormed out, I was able to reassure him of the screening process we go through for all new candidates. I reassured him that his child’s education would not be in jeopardy and let him know what educational steps we were going to take to ensure this. I also explained to the father that we were sad that the lead teacher put his two weeks in; however, we could never hold that against him as he wanted to continue his education. I told the father we were excited for this teacher’s new opportunity.

• In regards to the 3 R’s, I feel I was responsive to the parent as I stood back and listened to his concerns while he yelled at me. I also feel I remained respectful in the whole situation, the parent made me feel belittled and upset, however, I remained calm. I was hurt that he would think I did not take the children of the centers needs first.

• Colleagues: Would you have handled either of these situations differently?

References

Corso, R. M. (2007). PRACTICES FOR ENHANCING CHILDREN’S SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTING CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR. Gifted Child Today, 30(3), 51-56,4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203258935?accountid=14872

6165 Week 4 Blog

As I examined the results from the communication tests I took this week I learned a lot about myself as a communicator. I also had my boyfriend and a coworker take the tested based off how they view my communication. I was pleasantly and happily surprised to see the similarities between their results and mine. The tests we took this week gave us the opportunity to evaluate our own listening and communication styles, skills, and dispositions.

• I have low communication anxiety, meaning “I feel comfortable communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009). My co-worker’s test resulted in the same “low communication” category. However my boyfriend’s test results revealed that he sees me to have mild communication anxiety.
• My verbal aggressiveness level is moderate, I’m able to “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” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009). My co-worker and boyfriend’s test resulted in the same results.
• My listening styles revealed that “I’m empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others, this listening style helps me to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because I tend to be very trusting of others” (Rubin, Rubin, Graham, Perse, & Seibold, 2009). My co-worker and boyfriend’s test resulted in the same results.

The thing that surprised me that most was how similar are results were. This surprised me because I believe I’m very serious and to the point at work so I was hoping verbal aggression did not come off in my tone, which my co-worker proved that it doesn’t. The first insight I gained is that my boyfriend sees my true colors. I’m a very anxious person in general and thought at times I controlled it well, however, my boyfriend at times, still sees anxiety in my communication. The second insight I gained is that my co-workers do that me seriously as a professional within the field of early childhood. As an early childhood director I am young, at my past center, staff struggled with me being their “supervisor”. My new center has been much more welcoming.

References

‘Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures:             A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.