"A person's a person no matter how small"-Dr. Seuss

A Moment of Gratitude          I would like to take a moment to show gratitude to the individuals that have contributed to my development and growth as a Master's student: you!  My peers and instructors at Walden have taught me how to view the world through diverse lenses.  As students, we have been challenged to self-assess and share our personal thoughts and experiences to deepen our understandings of the impacts we have made and will make into the future.  I am eternally grateful for the self-awareness I have developed and truly believe I have become a better professional, educator, and person because of the contributions my peers and instructors have given me through feedback and genuine conversation.  As humans, we are always learning and I plan to do exactly that.  Staying connected with one another is one way I can continue my growth and learning in education and professionalism.  I have included my contac...

            When participating in a group, one hopes that the goal or project will have a successful ending, with positive feelings towards each team member.      According to the “Tuckman’s Stages”, the final stage of development in groups is called the adjourning phase, which takes place when the group members have completed their task together and are separating (Abudi, 2010).   Personally, I have had the opportunity to work with a few groups that were successful in progressing through the developmental phases to reach adjournment.   My most memorable experience occurred when I was paired up with a new teacher in a toddler classroom and later we worked together again in a preschool setting.                We immediately began to work together effortlessly because we had a shared focus and passion: the children.   In the beginnin...

Disagreements in the work place is a common occurrence and is sometimes necessary to make progress or positive changes.   The difference between whether the conflict is productive or unproductive is the most important component to conflict and how it can be resolved.   O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven (2015), notes that productive conflict can encourage healthy debates and decision-making, and unproductive conflict can negatively impact relationships and communication styles with others.   Unproductive conflict can occur when the communication climate is negative, when power is unbalanced, and when attitudes towards conflict are not aligned (O’Hair et al, 2015).   In the last year, I experienced all the listed characteristics of unproductive conflict with a colleague and learned a lot about my own communication style and others. My current position at my school falls under three different roles: Toddler Teacher, Infant/Toddler Head Teacher, and Program Di...