Reflecting on Building Relationships

Relationships and partnerships are an important part of an individual’s life. The positive relationships you are a part of help define who you are. You share part of your life with the people who are close to you. Like in early childhood settings it is important to build trust in partnerships in order to allow for open and honest communication. Some individuals in which I feel I have the strongest relationship with include family members and my boyfriend. Another relationship that is important to me is the relationship with my coworkers.

The most supportive and positive relationship I currently have is with my family. My family includes my father, mother, two brothers, and sister-in-law. This relationship has had a positive bond my whole life because it has stood up through time. My mother and father were the first individuals in my life that were always there for me. They supported my needs and wants from infancy and continue to, till this day. Factors that have contributed to this strong relationship include honesty and communication. Whether I wanted it or not my parents were always there to tell me the honest truth. In my teenage years, I may have loathed the honesty they gave me and wanted no communicating with them but they stayed by my side. After I left for college I realized the things my parents and family had put up with. They stood by my side and supported me through my journeys. We continue to live hours away from each other but keep our relationship strong through communication. A characteristic that makes my families relationships strong is the support we have for one another. We partner together to support each other throughout our journeys. For example my littlest brother just left for college, he is playing baseball and is hours away from home. We all continue to communicate with each and I have been able to attend several games to support his journey.

  

Alongside of my immediate family my boyfriend has been a great support system for me. Love and trust are two factors that have helped build our strong relationship. Before dating we had worked together for five years. Through work we had gained a friendly relationship that allowed for open and positive communication. In order to maintain our relationship of love and trust we have built on honesty. We support each other in our educational path, our career path, and through our aspirations and dreams. Throughout open communication over the past five years we were able to build the trust we had in one another. One large challenge our relationship is facing is purchasing our first house. We have many differing opinions that have truly tested our relationship. Over the past 8 months of searching for a house we learned to communicate our differences and listen to one another rather than being closed minded.

 

The last relationship that is important to me is the relationship that I have built with my co-workers. Having a positive working relationship with my co-workers allows for positive outcomes to prevail in the work place. Our focus at work is the children, when staff are able to work effectively together, we are able to accomplish more. One LARGE challenge this relationship experienced was adding my position as site manager. Before this year the centers never had management staff on site. Management and administration for the 9 counties had a home office in which they worked out of. Teachers, aides, and bus drivers were never held accountable for their actions. Having management on site did not set well with a lot of staff. I started this position in September and am still working on building and making this a positive outcome. For the teachers who have accepted my position I have been able to see the difference it has made in their classroom. We have seen more parent involvement, more resources provided to the families, and teachers have felt less stressed when I ‘m able to help with part of their work load. Together as a working relationship we are a partnership. All the staff in my center have been brought together to partner up and better the lives of the children and families we serve.

The relationships I have discussed today are the relationships that are most important to me. I have had difference experiences from the three different relationships listed. One relationship is through relation, one through love, and one through work. I feel all of my different relationships will help contribute to my work as an early childhood professional. I have had relationships that have built on my communication skills, trust and honesty skills. I feel all of the relationship skills are able to be transferred into the work place. As an early childhood educator I find it important to have open communication with all of my students and their families. This allows families to feel more comfortable in the school setting which results in more parent engagement. Communication skills are also important with co-workers and staff. It is important to be honest when speaking of student and family issues. Trust and honesty can be built with students and families through open communication. It is important caregivers trust you, as you are caring for their child. Throughout the year I do whatever possible to build on these relationships. We hold events within our center, have an open door policy, and are always available to talk and provide resources to families.