Working in Groups

When working in groups I have discovered that it is most difficult to leave a group when the group works well together.  The group has created a bond and the bond is strongest when the team members can relate to one another.  For example when I had to work with other education professionals to grade a sister school, we became comfortable and close to hold discussions.  When our adventure was over we found it difficult to part ways and return to our own schools.  We all stayed in touch and continued working with each other through emails.  When I compare this work to the work I did in college with group work, I realize now that my college groups were  not as effective as this professional group.  We did not work together well as goals were not set and roles were not distributed properly. Each member of the college group was simply out to get a good grade; it did not matter how effective our planning or strategy was as long as the outcome was a positive and each member of the group contributed.  Also, if one member of the group did not finish all of the work adequately, then the other members would simply pick up the slack.  At the end of the group or class, we would all part ways.  No further contact was made nor was it desired.
  I did notice that at the end of my first Master's program with Walden University, there was a sense of loss, or sadness.  I had been with the same group of adults for 18 months, and at the end there was nothing left.  That is the only part of the online programs that is not my favorite.  I can only hope that when this program ends I will have built some type of professional relationships with others so I can continue to get outside professionals.  

The 3 R's to Resolve Disagreements and Conflicts

   This week at my school was quite possibly one of the most challenging weeks of my teaching career.  I had a huge disagreement with the other math interventionist with whom I share a room with.  Here is a brief summary of what the disagreement was about:  a female student who does listen to women very well (issues with the mother), confided in me that she had been making poor choices with regards to her life.  She had been stealing gum from a local drugstore and was not eating.  The girl insisted that she had stopped stealing and she had been eating more often.  The girl is clean, fed, and dressed everyday for school and there are no signs of neglect.  I told the girl that I care for her and her brother and that I am glad she was making better choices but if I found out that she was stealing again that I would have to call her father.  The other math interventionist over heard this discussion and apparently discussed it with her husband that night.  She came in the following morning and informed me that if I did not discuss this with administration and call CPS, the police, and the drugstore that she would.  She felt I did not handle the situation well and that I needed to do more.  I felt as if I had been put into a corner and had no way of getting out.  After a discussion with my administration they felt the issue had been handled well and that I had done everything correctly.  At the school level there was nothing to be done because the children were not being neglected and the stealing was a police matter.  Needless to say  the other math interventionist was not pleased and still felt that the police and the drugstore needed to be called.  
   Based on the readings this week, I used the 3 R's to help resolve this conflict.  I will admit that I was very upset with the entire situation and felt that I had been backed into a corner.  I respectfully listened to her point of view, and then I expressed my concerns in a calm manner.  Even though I was quite angry I did not get aggressive or yell at my co-worker.  I also was honestly listening to the other side of this discussion and took all of her points into consideration.  I was responsive to the communicator in a calm manner and gave the same considerations in listening that I would have liked for myself.  I kept eye contact with the speaker and again, expressed my concerns and feelings in a strong yet calm manner.  

Perhaps to solve this conflict better  I could have suggested a compromise to the issue at hand.  I was clear on how I felt and what had happened, but she was strongly against any other options other than what she proposed.  I wish that she would have listened to other solutions that I could have been used to handle the situation.  However, she would not take any other options for a resolution other than her own.  

Communication Evaluation

  When I saw the results for my communication evaluation compared to those who evaluated me I was surprised.  There was not a huge difference, but the difference did come in the way that I evaluate myself compared to others.  I do not give myself enough credit when it comes to assessing my listening skills.  When it comes to communication, I speak clearly and effectively.  I do have some public speaking anxiety, but not much.  My weakest area is with listening.  I do not actively listen as well as I thought I did.  As I read through the questions of the survey, I realized that I need to continue working on my listening skills; especially when it comes to listening to others if there is a time crunch.  However I am wondering if I took the survey from different points of view just as I had my significant other take the test and a co-worker.  With two different thought processes in mind I can only hypothesize that results would vary.