Thank you!

I wanted to say thank you to all of my colleagues.  I am a people person and love to interact with others.  I was worried about an online class setting and how I would build relationships with others.  I was especially worried this time around because I had just taken a session off and came back to all new names.  Everyone has been wonderful, supportive, and kind.  I have learned so much from you and loved reading the discussion posts every week.  Thank you and I wish you the best in your future classes. 

Adjourning

I just completed my 11^th year of teaching and have worked with many wonderful people over that time.  The first school I worked at I stayed for 8 years.  I became very close to the five women I taught first grade with.  We all taught together for 4 years. We worked well together, had established norms and roles, and everyone respected each other.  When the first member of our team left, we met at a special restaurant for dinner and reminisced about the memories we had together.   As other group members left, we followed the same tradition.  In the past 4 years, we have all left the school but we keep in contact through Facebook and phone calls.  Some of us still live in town and we try to meet for dinner at least twice a year. 

I imagine adjourning from my colleagues at Walden with messages of thanks and well wishes.  We can keep in contact through the blogs we have developed during our course work. 

Conflict Resolution

Having a two year old and a newborn at home has been an adjustment for my husband and I.  We also both work full time and I am going to school.  With all of the craziness there has been many arguments and disagreements.  Especially when it comes to our two year old son.  He has been throwing fits and testing both of us on a daily basis.  My husband is a wonderful father and is great with the kids, but he has been having a difficult time dealing with our son and will lose patience very fast.  When I try to give him suggestions or help, he gets more upset because he feels that I think he can't take care of it himself. 

I have been trying to use the cooperative strategies from our text this week. The first one to focus on the issue and not be verbally aggressive.  I choose my words carefully and try not to say "You should not do that" or "Do it this way".  Instead I try to say, "Maybe he would like...".  Another strategy I use is to reassure my partner.  I remind my husband that our son's fits are often not a direct result of something he did and that he is learning how to control his emotions.  I also remind him that he is a wonderful father and this is a stage we just have to get through, it will pass.  (And lead to another challenging stage, but I don't mention that to him now.) :)

Effective communication is such an important part of life.  It impacts every relationship, personal or professional.  I am so glad I have this class as a reminder of the proper and effective ways to communicate.