Farewell and good luck!

To all of my colleagues,

This course has truly challenged me in taking a closer look at my own communication skills.  It is only now that I have realized some of my flaws in communicating, as well as some of the skills that come very naturally to me.  I believe that effective communication and collaboration will take us far in our chosen field and am honored to have spent this time with you exploring our individual abilities.  Thank you for letting me get to know all of you on a personal level and opening up to truly evaluate yourselves and ways in which we can all improve as communicators.

I wish you all luck as you venture off into your specialties and hope that I will stay with some of you along my journey.  It's hard to believe that we're getting so close to the finish line, and wonderful to think of all the skills and knowledge we have acquired together along the way.  I wish you all the best and hope you will consider keeping in touch.  I will be sending out an email with my contact information, as I would like to stay in touch and continue to have your support and feedback throughout this program.  I will also continue to view your blogs and share your insights along my way.  Thank you all again and good luck to each and every one of you!

Be well and stay happy,
Raina

Team Building and Collaboration

Being an educator requires us to work in groups regularly.  We work with our
colleagues and children’s families.  There is also the expectation of
continuous learning that allows us to work with other colleagues from
different areas through conferences, workshops, etc.  I have spent the
majority of my career teaching in the field of environmental education.  In
each of these positions, I was required to not only work with my colleagues,
but to live with them also.  Because of the uniqueness of such situations, a
great amount of teambuilding was necessary.  I have worked with 12 different
groups throughout my time in environmental education; some had team leaders
that guided us through the five stages of team development, and others were
not strong leaders and could not help our group dynamic. 

Throughout this time in my life, I was in a relationship with one of the men
in nearly all of these groups.  I feel that our relationship often offset the
group dynamic.  My ex was controlling of situations and expected me to take
his side; this often left other group members feeling as if it was he and I
against them.  This is not a positive way to work as a group and led others to
believe that they were not an intricate part of the dynamic because my ex
always took control and became very angry when others disregarded his
opinions, or confronted him.  This left those groups in the Storming stage.
We were in constant conflict and it was very stressful for the team leader,
who consistently had to intervene and also deal with my ex’s abuse.  These
groups were easy to leave.  I always felt ashamed of the role I played in them
and always felt as if they were highly unproductive. 

The groups that have been the most difficult to move on from have been those
that were successful and had clearly established norms.  In environmental
education, we developed as a group over the course of mere months, but by the
end we were like a family and functioned fluidly at work.  Things worked
seamlessly; others picked up where someone else had faltered and mistakes were
discussed and forgiven easily.  These were groups I was a part of on my own;
without my ex.  We were more capable of listening to one another and resolving
conflict without an overbearing member in the group.  In addition, I was able
to feel more connected to the rest of the group and not feel as though I had
to “choose sides.”  One of these groups was formed during a winter season in
Massachusetts.  We all lived in a nice house and spent all of our free time
together.  At work, we were able to try new ideas and work through them; if
they didn’t work we did not become angry with one another and blame each
other, and if they did work, we celebrated as a team.  No one was greedy with
the glory.  I think the greatest accomplishments of groups who are able to
reach the Performing stage, is that they are able to speak to one another
about any crisis they might be having, or any feeling of being “left out” and
truly feel “heard.”  This is important in a good group dynamic.  That group
was the hardest to leave; we had all grown to truly love and respect one
another and we worked together without effort by the end of our eight week
season. 

When in the Adjourning stage of a productive team, it can be very difficult to
say goodbye.  I think it’s important to celebrate the accomplishments of a
team.  One of the most memorable adjournment rituals I’ve had was with a team
in Massachusetts.  We had a three day workshop and teams from various sites in
our environmental education program had come together to learn from one
another, share stories, and celebrate.  At the end of the conference, we had a
big dinner together where each team shared the lesson plan that they had been
working on during the conference and gave a mock presentation of it.  We then
all shared our stories of working together.  We were able to laugh at our
mistakes and learn from our accomplishments.  We all shared dinner and a
bonfire afterward and then said our goodbyes in the morning.  I felt that this
was a great way to adjourn. 

When separating from my peers and colleagues after completing my Master’s
program, I feel that it will be difficult to say goodbye.  I would really like
to travel for the graduation ceremony, in hopes that I will be able to meet
some of the people that I have formed connections with over the course of this
program.  I believe that putting faces to names, celebrating together, and
building a deeper connection would be a wonderful way to reach the Adjourning
stage of this team.  It is important to have closure when working with any
team; to recognize our accomplishments, talk through our differences, and
celebrate moving on together.

References:
 Learning Center. (2011). How to build a team using vision, commitment, and trust. Retrieved from http://www.learningcenter.net/library/building.shtml

Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

Disagreements and conflicts in the workplace are common in my job.  I work with students who are young adults and have backgrounds that involve a great deal of violent and aggressive approaches to conflict.  Conflicts occur among the students on a daily basis, and quite often between students and staff.  Therefore, as a staff, we have to remain united in order for the students to adhere to rules and restrictions.  If one staff member allows students to “get away” with many things, it hurts the entire group. 

Recently, I have become frustrated with one of the staff members.  There are three of us that teach reading and the demographic of students with whom we work often makes it difficult to be an effective teacher.  We need to show “tough love” and we need to hold each and every student accountable for all of the rules of our program.  If we slip, the students will find that weakness and take advantage of it.  One of the reading teachers is slipping.  She is allowing students to get away without doing any work in her classroom.  She allows them to sleep, wear their hats and coats in the classroom, curse excessively, and get into altercations in the hallway.  She is now viewed as the “place to hang out.”  She is also giving the appearance of being the “cool” teacher, and has projected “witch” status onto my other colleagues and me.  I do not like being considered nasty or mean simply because I adhere to rules and am teaching my students life skills and accountability.  I have spoken to this teacher on several occasions.  I have let her know that she is under a microscope with our superiors, that students are talking about her leniency, and that her job may potentially be on the line.  Nothing has changed. 

After reading a great deal about conflict resolution this week, I have learned a few skills that I believe will assist me in speaking to her about this issue, and if necessary, with my boss.  When I first approached my coworker, I went about it incorrectly.  Because I was afraid of damaging our relationship as peers, I told her her job would be threatened and created a defensive climate; on in which “the people involved feel threatened.  It is an atmosphere of mistrust, suspicion, and apprehension,” (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009).  What I need to do is create a supportive climate.  I need to let my colleague know that I’m here for her, but I need her to understand my needs also.  I need to voice those needs in such a way that I don’t offend her, but still allow her to see my point of view and how her behavior is affecting my days. 

In addition, I can no longer be an escapist and avoid the conflict all together.  Something needs to change in her classroom so that I don’t have to face the abuse from all of the students about how nice she is and what a horrible person I am for holding them accountable.  I need to confront her, but also need to know my communication boundaries.   She may not want to speak with me about this, as I am not her superior, and I may have to go to my boss to have a mediation.  I do not want to cause this teacher to feel as though she is unsupported, I simply want her to see that she is leaving me unsupported, as well as other staff members. 

I would love to know what others would do in such a situation.  How would you approach such a dilemma?

References:

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real Communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.