End of Another Class

Farewell for Now

I appreciate every one of my colleagues.  I enjoy all the delightful feedback and input about classroom topics.  I especially appreciate those who challenge me to think and validate something that I have stated.  We are all different with different points of views.  Different concepts and views is what challenges us to even stand stronger with our stance, or see it another way.

Of course our professors play a huge role in our development.  They usually set the tone of the classroom and our discussions.  I always like their mini bios at the beginning of the class; especially when they talk about their family and pets.  It’s always great to read about what someone loves the most.

It always delights me to see some of the familiar names in my new classes that I may have had in my previous classes.  This makes me feel like we are all in this together.  Due to the scope of our studies we cannot forge huge bonds.  However the bond that we do have is of a mutual respect.  I will continue to encourage and support my classroom colleagues as we work towards the next step in our journey.  Here’s to big things happening!

Sherry Middleton

zherry99@yahoo.com

716 812 49040

It's A Wrap...Adjourned

Adjourning

I was a part of this radio blog show.  I absolutely loved it.  We had to come up with our own program.  This consisted of the content of the show.  We had map out when we would go to a commercial and introduce new speakers.  The main host who paid for the radio blog spot ended up relocating and chose to discontinue her show.  It was sad to see her go and our team of personalities go their separate ways.  We celebrated with pizza and snacks and a very “racy” last show.  Our intentions were to keep and touch, but that didn’t happen.  A couple of us are still Facebook friends but we do not really interact.

The adjourning stage to my current master’s program and my colleagues will be bitter sweet.  I will be happy to have completed another mile stone in my life.  However I will not be able to interact with my colleagues.  Due to the nature of our interactions being online there is not a huge personal bond.  We are not in the position to share jokes or be in funny situations with one another.  It is refreshing to see familiar names from course to course but that and our post is all we really have. Although there is a professional bond.  There is also the curiosity about everyone’s future.  I wonder who will achieve their professional goals, how these courses will shape us as educational professionals.  Best of all what will be each our great contribution to the field of early education.

3 R's and Nonviolent Communication

3 R's at there best!!!

I try to make it a common practice to avoid confrontational situations at work.  This is not always possible.  My manager and I seem to constantly bump heads at work.  My co-workers and I all agree when we say he is a great guy but a horrible manager.  One of the things that he lacks is good communication skills.

He sent me an email the other day questioning my activities and productivity for the day.  I vaguely explained to him what I was doing.  I did it in a vague manner because I did not think that I had to list every single activity that I was doing at the moment.  I had never had to answer a question like that in the 8 years that I have been working for the company. 

I thought that that was the end of the correspondence.  I finished up my day and started my weekend.  I found an email waiting for me Monday morning questioning the response that I had given my manager.  I was a little thrown back.  I then answered my manager in more detail and explained to him that I did not think that it was necessary for me to go into great detail in my previous email. 

He then called a short meeting with me.  He told me that he did not mean to come off as if he was questioning me or mean to offend me.  I then told him that is exactly how I felt.  I had originally felt disrespected by the emails. I am happy that he thought he enough of me to even address the matter and not let there be bad blood between us.  Originally I felt that my manager came at me in a confrontational manner and my response was confrontational.  When he communicated to me in a nonviolent manner, it then made me respond in a nonviolent manner.  We both felt accomplished after talking and realizing what the other felt, needed, and wanted. 

Am I a Good Communicator or Not?

Am I a Good Communicator or Not?

I have always considered myself a descent communicator when it comes to work, family, and friends.  I know that I am not the best communicator when it comes to my relationships.  Mainly because I tend to hold things in until I am fed up and there is not much reasoning with me.  In reference to communicating with some of my friends the things that I want to say do not always come out too clear.  I tend to try to “candy coat” certain thoughts that come in my head.  For example when you want to tell your friend that the outfit that she is wearing makes her look fat or it just simply does not flatter her at all.  I want to say it just like I think it.  However not everyone is able to receive criticism in a direct straight forward manner.  In cases like this my message and point is not always received because of the diplomatic manner I try to relay my communication in. 

My boyfriend thinks that I have awful communication skills.  I think one of the main reasons for this is because of our cultural differences.  I also do not think we completely listen to each other.  Which causes the other one to get frustrated.  I guess we can be thankful that we do not have too many situations where it is a huge hindrance on our relationship.  It is something we both recognize and know that we have to work on it.

My family thinks that I am a good communicator.  I think that this is because my immediate family is able to be as blunt as we like with each other.  This way there is no room for any misinterpretation.  This works for us because we do not tend to be too sensitive.  This is just a problem when we are communicating with others.  At least for me it is.

My friends are split.  I think when it comes to my friends; the ones who do not like the things that I have to say are the ones who say that they do not think that I am effective communicator.  However the friends who I mainly seem to agree with or am able to be more direct with say that they think that I am a very effective communicator.

Adapting to different ways to Communicate

Adapting to different ways to Communicate

I think that it is human nature to adapt the way you communicate to fit with different groups and cultures.  A person adapting the way they communicate with different cultures and groups is an effective way to communicate.  A teaching professional would not speak to a child the way they would speak to a child’s parents.

Another good example would be the way many of my company’s marketing and sells department communicates with the associates in the warehouse verses the CFO’s and other executives.  Our sells department wears jeans and have a laid back approach when visiting the warehouses to market a product.  The same sell professionals dress in suits and they take a more formal approach when speaking to the CFO’s and executives. 

The way I speak to my parents differs from the way I speak with my family.  I tend to use more slang and animation when speaking to my friends.  My parents will often get a filtered version of a story verse the story that I will tell my friends.

I will try to apply the platinum rule whenever possible.  I will definitely put great efforts towards putting my shoes in the other person’s shoes.  A person challenging themselves to be learn and understand about different cultures.  This will help them not be guilty of culture myopia.

We are used to adults and children interacting in a certain manner.  In most cases when someone speaks in a manner that is not acceptable it taken in an unpleasant way.

Listen Linda-A little boy tries to convenience his mother to give him a cupcake!

http://pix11.com/2014/03/19/little-boy-who-argued-with-mom-for-cupcakes-gets-major-surprise-from-ellen/#axzz2wkZ7wDy7

How In tuned are you?

How In tuned are you?

The show that I chose to watch was Resurrection.  Based on the characters non-verbal’s the characters in the show seemed happy, sad, concerned, mysterious, and loving.  I would guess that this is a show about a boy who must have ran away or something and finally reunited with his family.  The grandparents seemed very surprised to see the little boy.

When I watch the show with sound I see that I was correct for the most part in regards to the non-verbal.  There are a few things that was present in the story line that I would not have guess just by watching the show without sound and going by their non-verbal’s and gestures.  The boy was killed 32 years ago and all of a sudden showed up on his parents door step who know look old enough to be his grandparents.  You would not be able to tell that most of the people in the story line was related to the boy in some kind of way.  The doctor seemed to be the long lost child’s cousin, and the priest was the child’s childhood friend.  I see that the main concern is how did this boy come back to life, and is it really him?

I chose this show because it is a new show and I thought that it would be hard to have any preconceived notions about it.  My guesses about the non-verbal communication was valid however for the slightly different reasons.  My guess about the emotions being showed was right but the reason based on the story line was not 100%.

If I would have chosen a show like Greys Anatomy I could watch this without the sound and be 90% accurate on what happened in that episode.  This is because I am very familiar with the story line and the characters.   However if someone who was not familiar with the story line would watch Grey's Anatomy without sound would see a variety of emotions being expressed. 

I see that we can be correct when it comes to accessing someone’s mood by their non-verbal’s however it is important not to think you know the whole story.  I think that non-verbal communication will let you know how someone is feeling but not necessarily why.

Model of A Good Communicator!

Model of A Good Communicator

Good communication is key to most successful relationships; rather it be on a professional or personal level.  My senior director is one of the best communicators I know.  He comes straight out and ask you for what he needs.  When you have an issue he listens completely before he responds.  Rodger will take your concern into consideration no matter how small or big your request is.  The key to a good communicator is to give someone your complete attention, good eye contact, encouraging non-verbal gestures, and respect.   

One thing that I can definitely learn from Rodger is to let people finish.  Yes!!!  I can be one of those kind of people.  If someone says something that triggers a thought of my own; I end up interrupting them.  If I am not letting a person finish then I am not giving them a chance to get their whole idea of across.  I am going to strive to let Rodger be more of an influence on me when it comes to effective communication.