Week 6: Adjourning

Several years ago, before I finished my undergraduate degree, I worked at an elementary school as an instructional aide.  I worked in the after-school program with four other aides and we all became very close.  We worked very well together and we were a “high performing group” dedicated to helping the students in the program.  I worked there for four years until I finished my degree and I was offered a teaching position at another school. 

 This group was difficult for me to leave because we became “a very close knit group” and there was a “sadness at separating and moving on” (Abudi, 2010).  Additionally, after working together for so long we had developed norms or “recurring patterns of behavior or thinking that come to be accepted as the ‘usual’ way of doing things” (O'- Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  However, adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork, when the team makes it to that stage, because it provides a sense of closure. 

The closing rituals that I have personally experienced after working with a team or on a group project have included: celebrating by going out for lunch or dinner, saying thank-you, and saying goodbye but keeping in touch with my group or team members.  As for my colleagues in this program, they have varied from course to course.  However, I have appreciated their willingness to share their personal experiences and their feedback.

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Week 5

Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life.  Share at least 2 strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective.  Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?

For the past few weeks, my husband and I have not been communicating well.  We are not disagreeing or having any major conflicts, just bickering a lot.  After reading about nonviolent communication, I realized that learning to communicate in this way could help us avoid the bickering.  According to the process of nonviolent communication, there are four components that we should use whether we are the speaker or listening: observing, feeling, needs, and requests.  Unfortunately, I think that I have a tendency to make an observation and jump to making a request without communicating my feelings or needs.  For this reason, the strategies that I need to use to improve my communication are expressing my feelings and my needs.  For example, after explaining what I am observing, I should express "how [I am] feeling in relation to what [I am] observing" (Rosenberg, 2003).  The next strategy that I should use is to communicate "the needs, values, desires, ect. that are creating [those] feelings" (Rosenberg, 2003).  

Rosenberg, M. B. (2003). Chapter one: Giving from the heart, the heart of nonviolent communication. In Nonviolent communication: A language of compassion. Retrieved from http://cnvc.org/Training/nvc-chapter-1

Week 4

For our assignment this week, I had to complete three evaluations which assessed my communication skills in the following areas: communication anxiety, verbal aggressiveness, and listening style. Next, I had to choose two people to use the same evaluations to evaluate my communication skills so I chose my husband and a friend and former co-worker, Sandra.  I received the following scores:

Communication Anxiety: 60, 64, 44
Verbal Aggressiveness: 62, 55, 64
Listening Style: Group 1 (all 3)

In the areas of verbal aggressiveness, the results of all three of the evaluations were the same: moderate and people-oriented.  The only thing that surprised me the most was that my listening style "can interfere with proper judgement because you tend to be very trusting of others" (Rubin et al., 2009).  I would not describe myself as a trusting person, at least not in my personal life.  Unfortunately, experience has taught me that very few people are trustworthy.

The first insight that I gained was that my communication anxiety varies depending on the situation.  For example, Sandra evaluated me as "mild" whereas the results for the evaluations conducted by my husband and I resulted in "elevated".  I have noticed that my communication style differs greatly when I am in a professional setting.  I have always had anxiety when I have had to speak publicly in a large group. However, early in my career, I noticed that when I am speaking to children or colleagues, my anxiety is greatly diminished.

The second insight that I gained from the evaluations is that my perception of my communication skills are pretty accurate.  I also found that the perceptions of my communication skills with others are what I expected them to be.

References

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Week 3

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?  If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

I don’t think that I communicate differently with people from other cultures.  However, I do communicate differently with people from different groups.  I think that a lot of it has to do with my relationship to them.  For instance, I communicate differently with parents and co-workers than I do with my friends and family.

Based on what you learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

The first strategy that I could use to help me communicate with people from different groups or cultures is to “develop appropriate knowledge” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011, p. 104).  I need to learn more about the cultures that I work with in order to communicate more effectively.  The second strategy that I could use is to understand cultures differences.  For example, I was raised to be independent but some cultures teach their children to be interdependent (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).  The last strategy that I could use to communicate more effectively is to be mindful when I am communicating with someone from a culture different from my own.  In order to do this, I need to “acknowledge that there is a connection between thoughts and deeds when you interact with a person from a background different from [my] own” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011, p. 108).

Resources

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Week 2

For this assignment, I watched the reality television show, “Toddlers and Tiaras”.  I have never watched this show but I have seen a few commercials in the past.  This episode followed three girls, Rebecca (6 years), Meaghan (9 years), and Ava (2 years), all competing in the “Universal Royalty National Pageant” in Austin, Texas.  Additionally, the competition also includes a competition for adult women and all three of the mothers, Stacey, Phyllis, and Tanya, are also competing.

While watching the show on mute, I was able get the basic information, such as names, ages, locations, and parents’ names from the subtitles.  Based on the number of trophies, ribbons, sashes, and medals each girl has, they all appear to have experience competing in pageants.  The first contestant, Rebecca, is coached by her mother, Stacey, who appears to be serious but also friendly.  The second contestant, Meaghan, is also coached by her mother, Phyllis, who appears to be very serious and competitive.  I am assuming that she is competitive based on all of the coaching that she does while Meaghan is practicing.  The last girl, Ava, is coached by her father, David and her mother, Tanya, plays more of a supporting role.  David teaches Ava her routine, does her makeup and hair, and sews her costumes.  When the trophies are given out, all of the girls get different trophies and all of the parents, except for David, appear to be happy.  Without the sound on, it is difficult for me to understand why he appears to be so upset.  All of the parents appear to have good relationships with their daughters.  However, the relationship between Meaghan and Phyllis seems to be really competitive.  I was not able to detect any conflicts between the characters based on their non-verbal communication.  Except for David, I found it extremely difficult to try to read the feelings of the other cast members, based on their behavior, because they all just seem to smile a lot.

While watching with the sound on, I was not surprised that the assumptions that I made based on their non-verbal communication were mostly correct.  However, I do have to admit that I had preconceived notions about “pageant mothers” that were not correct.  I was expecting all of the mothers to be extremely competitive and for them to all be pushing their daughters really hard.  I had also assumed that all of the mothers would be former competitors but it was not mentioned and Phyllis was the only mother that appeared to be serious about their own competitions.  I do think that if I had watched this show in the past, my assumptions would have been more accurate.  Additionally, if I had been watching a show that I watch regularly, with characters that I already know about, my assumptions would have been based on the knowledge that I already have of those particular characters.

Final Blog Post

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development.

The first consequence of learning about the international early childhood field was learning about the high rate of child abuse in Belize by listening to the podcast with Delfena Mitchell.  Mrs. Mitchell is the director of Liberty Children’s Home in Belize which is a home for children that have suffered abuse or abandonment (World Forum Foundation, 2013a).

The second consequence of learning about the international early childhood field was learning about childhood poverty in China.  The number of children living in poverty is much higher in Western China than Eastern China.  As a result, many children in Western China are not receiving an education because their parents cannot afford to send them (Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre, n.d.).

The third and last consequence of learning about the international early childhood field was learning about the international resources that are available for professionals.  These resources include: the website for UNESCO (2013), the podcasts available on the World Forum Foundation (2013b) website, and the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (n.d).

One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations.

One goal that I have for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends is to continue to be informed throughout my career.  After I complete this program, I hope to stay informed about the issues and trends in the field on both the local and international levels.

References

Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=country

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org

World Forum Foundation (2013a). Episode 3: Delfena Mitchell [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_03_DelfenaMitchell.mp3

World Forum Foundation (2013b). World forum radio. Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/world-forum-radio/

UNESCO

Share at least 3 new ideas or insights you gained about issues related to international early childhood education that relate to your professional goals from the UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage:

The first insight that I gained relates to my professional goal of continuing to work with low-income children and I found it in the section for the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).  United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) currently has a research project evaluating access to quality programs for children considered to be in vulnerable groups such as low-income children.  The project “will generate a powerful means of identifying factors that provide a more powerful explanation of the educational achievement levels of vulnerable groups of pupils” (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 2013b, para. 7).

The second insight that I gained relates to my professional goal of learning how to manage an efficient early childhood program.  The UNESCO website provides training materials on management and supervision in the IIEP section.  The training modules include the importance of supervision, “roles and functions”, organization, managing staff, and many more (UNESCO, 2013a, para. 4).

The last insight that I gained also relates to my professional goal of managing a program.  I found a pamphlet in the IIEP section entitled “Preparation, Recruitment, and Retention of Teachers”.  While reading about teacher retention, I was surprised to learn that in the United Kingdom and the United States “30 to 50 percent of teachers leave within the first three to five years” whereas “rates in many other developed countries are low to negligible” (Cooper & Alvarado, 2010, p. 17).  Research has found that “the primary cause of teacher turnover rate seems to be due to poor or difficult working conditions” (p. 19).

References

Cooper, J. M. & Alvarado, A. (2006). Preparation, recruitment, and retention of teachers. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001520/152023e.pdf

UNESCO/International Institute for Educational Planning (2013a). IIEP training materials. Retrieved from http://www.iiep.unesco.org/capacity-development/training/training-materials/school-supervision.html

UNESCO/International Institute for Educational Planning (2013b). Strategies to improve access and retention of vulnerable students. Retrieved from http://www.iiep.unesco.org/research/equity-access-and-quality/improve-access-and-retention.html

Sharing Web Resources: Part 2

Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead? Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

The Zero to Three website provides the following outside links:

1. The Early Head Start National Resource Center: http://www.ehsnrc.org/
2. Technical assistance for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting/ta/index.html
3. The National Training Institute (sponsored by Zero to Three): http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1185937

 I chose to search the Early Head Start National Resource Center website.  I then chose to search the area of the site “News You Can Use”   http://www.ehsnrc.org/Publications/newsyoucanuse.htm which provided an article from October 2012: “Supporting Early Math Learning for Infants and Toddlers”.  It was an interesting article about how early childhood professionals can identify and support early math learning for infants and toddlers.  For instance, object permanence supports math learning for infants because it involves change and time which are necessary components of math.

If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

Since I signed up for the newsletter, “The Baby Monitor”, I have only received it once (in May) even though, according to the website, it is a bi-weekly newsletter.  After checking the website, I discovered that no other newsletters have been published since the one I received last month.  Perhaps they are taking the summer off?

The newsletter did provide information related to the issue of accessibility.  Specifically, in the state of New Mexico a new bill was signed into law in April 2013 that will provide $5.75 million dollars for Pre-K and $2 million for home visiting.

Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

The website does contain a report, in the Public Policy section, which addresses the issue of increasing access to early childhood programs.  The report, “Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants and Toddlers” (2012) details that “despite difficult economic time, 23 states have at least one initiative that builds on the federally-funded [Early Head Start] program” (Colvard & Schmit, 2012, p. 5).

References

Colvard, J. & Schmit, S. (2012, September). Expanding access to early head start: State initiatives or infants and toddlers at risk. Center for Law and Social Policy-ZERO TO THREE. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/pdf/expanding-access-to-ehs-paper.pdf

"Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 2"

Alternative assignment:

After reading about the descriptions of the podcasts on the World Forum Foundation (2013) website, I chose to listen to the podcast “Episode 3: Delfena Mitchell”.  Delfena Mitchell is the director of Liberty Children’s Home in Belize city in the country of Belize.  Liberty Children’s Home is a residential center for children that “have been abandoned, abused, or orphaned and many have special needs or are HIV positive” (World Forum Foundation, 2013b, para. 20).  According to Delfena Mitchell, Belize has “the number one incidents of child abuse in the whole Caribbean” (World Forum Foundation, 2013a).  Many of the children that arrive at the Liberty Children’s Home have endured so much abuse that they are “broken down” and they need time to adjust before they can attend school with the other children in the community.  She gave the example of a nine-year-old boy named Joseph who had not spoken in over a year because of the physical abuse that he endured.  However, after Joseph had lived at the Liberty Children’s Home, he began to speak again (she does not specify how long he had lived there).

The link that was provided for Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/) did not work; I was redirected to the home page.  However, after some searching I located it at: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/.  The website provides information about “Global Children’s Initiative” projects in Zambia, Brazil, and Chile.  The program in Chile, “Un Buen Comienzo” (UBC), or “A Good Start” is a project designed to “improve early childhood education through teacher professional development” (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2012b, para. 1).  I gained the following insights about the project “Un Buen Comienzo”:

• The project began in 2007, operating at four sites and it will eventually expand to 60.
• The project is designed to improve language development, health, socioemotional development and family involvement.
• Once the project has expanded to 60 schools it will involve a longitudinal evaluation known as “a cluster-randomized experiment” (Center on the Developing, 2012b, para. 4).

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2012a). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ubc/

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2012b). Un buen comienzo. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ubc/

World Forum Foundation (2013a). Episode 3: Delfena Mitchell [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_03_DelfenaMitchell.mp3

World Forum Foundation (2013b). World forum radio. Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/world-forum-radio/

Sharing Web Resources-Part 2

As a former elementary school teacher, the early education field is completely new to me so the majority of the information that I have learned in this program is relevant to my current professional development.  While evaluating the Zero to Three website, I found the report Common Vision, Different Paths: Five States’ Journeys toward Comprehensive Prenatal-to-Five Systems (2007), which was co-authored by Pre-K Now and Zero to Three.  The report provides information about the history of early education in five states: California, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.  Since I live in California, this information pertains to my professional development.  For instance, I did not know that in California, early childhood education began 60 years ago, in 1943.

There is an article on the Zero to Three website which directly addresses economists supporting the early childhood field.  The article, Partnering with the Business Community & Economists to Advance a Birth to Five Policy Agenda (2007), provides several tips and examples of how early childhood programs can partner with businesses.

References

Dugger, R. H., & Rappaport, D. M. (2007). Partnering with the business community & economists to advance a birth to five policy agenda. Retrieved from http://zttcfn.convio.net/site/DocServer/Partnering_with_the_Business_Community_final.pdf?docID=4361

Pre-K Now & Zero to Three (2007). Common vision, different paths: Five states’ journeys toward comprehensive prenatal-to-five systems. Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Common_Vision__Different_Paths_Final.pdf?docID=4521

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

If you chose the podcast alternative, report what you learned from the podcast as well as any results from communicating with the early childhood professional from the podcast.

Since I never heard back from either of the professionals that I contacted in Week 1, I chose to do the alternative assignment for this week. I chose the podcast interviewing Barbara Jones who “founded the Pine Grove School in Falmouth, Maine 25 years ago” (World Forum Foundation).  In the podcast, Barbara Jones describes her journey to founding the school.  Back in the 1960’s Jones had graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in education.  However, the public school system did not appeal to her so she chose to look for a job in a more alternative setting.  As a result, she traveled to California and found a job working as a Montessori teacher.  Several years later, while visiting the East Coast, Jones drove by a little school house, the property in Falmouth, Maine that would later become the Pine Grove School.  Unfortunately, the property was not for sale at that time.  However, when the owners decided to sell the property several years later, they remembered a letter that Jones had written them asking them to contact her if they ever decided to sell. The school and the grounds are beautiful.  Here is a link if you would like to see pictures of the school: http://www.pinegrovecenter.com/pages/photos.html

If you have not yet received a response, go to the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/), read about childhood poverty in one country, and share at least three insights or ideas you gained from studying the website.

I tried contacting Barbara Jones but I had not heard anything back yet.  Since I did not receive a response, I visited the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre.  I gained the following three insights about childhood poverty in China:

• As of 2003, “4.2 million children live in absolute poverty and 8.7 live in disadvantages conditions” (Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre, n.d., para. 5). However, the amount of children living in poverty has declined since the 1990’s. 

• Poverty is more prevalent in Western China than Eastern China. As a result, 15% less children in Western China complete primary school than those in Eastern China (Child Poverty Research, n.d.). 

• In Beijing, China, 75% of the families living in poverty in 2002 “could not afford all children’s education costs such as tuition fees” (Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre, n.d., para. 5). 

References

Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre (n.d.). Country overviews. Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=country

World Forum Foundation (Producer). (2013). Episode 9: Barbara Jones [Audi podcast]. Retrieved from http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_09_BarbaraJones.mp3

Sharing Web Resources

I chose the organization Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (2012) and their link is: http://www.zerotothree.org.  Zero to Three (2012) “is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers” (Zero to Three, 2012a, para. 1).  The website provides information in numerous areas such as development, play, nutrition, school readiness, public policy and many others.

The issue on the website that caught my attention was school readiness.  The organization has a “School Readiness Interactive” tool that provides information about children from birth to 3-years-old in the following areas: “Language & Literacy”, “Thinking Skills”, “Self-Control”, & “Self-Confidence” (Zero to Three, 2012b).

I had to search rather extensively in order to find any information about the topic of this week: “Changing Demographics and Diversity”.  There were some archived articles about diversity but in order to read the articles, I would have had to buy the entire Zero to Three Journal for $15.00.  However, I did find a document created by Zero to Three in the “Public Policy” section about professional development which addressed both changing demographics and diversity.  For example, Zero to Three recommends: “professional development of the infant-toddler workforce should support practitioners in addressing the ethnic, racial, and linguistic diversity of the families they serve and prepare them for culturally competent and sensitive practice” (Gebhard, Ochshorn, & Jones, 2012, p. 5).

References

Gebhard, B., Ochshorn, S., Jones, L. (2012). Toward a bright future for our youngest children.  Retrieved from Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families website: http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/professional-development-final-for-web.pdf

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (2012a). About us. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (2012b). School readiness interactive birth to three. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education/school-readiness-interactive-birth-to-3

Getting Ready: Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

The first professional that I contacted, Sibohan Fitzpatrick, was listed as the main contact for The Early Years Organisation aka the Northern Ireland Preschool Playgroups Association (NIPPA).  Unfortunately, the e-mail was sent back to me as failed/undeliverable. The second professional that I contacted, Mrs. Bimbo Are, is located in Nigeria and she works for the Niger Delta Academic Foundation.  The last professional that I contacted, Ms. Ivy Kok, is the program director for the Association for Early Childhood Educators in Singapore.  I have not heard anything back from either professional, but I look forward to hearing what they say.  For the second part of the assignment, I chose Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. The link for the newsletter did not work but I was able to register on the website and choose a newsletter as part of the registration process.

My Supports

            Currently, my main supports are my husband, my mother, my church, my close friends, and my mother-in-law.  My husband provides emotional, practical, and physical support.  My husband is also my best friend and he provides me with emotional support whenever I need it in addition to practical support through monetary support.  Since I am healthy I do not require much physical support however, he does provide me with physical support when I need since he is taller than me.  My mother, my church, and my friends provide me with emotional support.  My mother-in-law provides me (and my husband) with practical support in the form of monetary support since my husband cannot work right now due to a disability.  These supports provide me with numerous benefits such as having someone to talk to, reducing stress, helping me overcome challenges, and having the opportunity to go back to school.

            My life would be very difficult without these supports.  I would probably be very stressed out, unhealthy, and unhappy.  I would be stressed out and unhappy because I would have no outlet for expressing my feelings and no way to receive love or comfort. 

            The challenge that I chose is complete loss of monetary support.  If I lost the monetary support from my husband and mother-in-law my life would be radically different.  Without the monetary support from my husband, we would have no way of paying our bills.  Last year my husband and I moved in with my mother-in-law because her husband had recently passed away and she did not like living alone.  The move also helped my husband and I because my husband injured his back on the job and I was laid off due to school budget cuts.  Without the monetary support that my mother-in-law provides, by giving us a place to live, I would have to drop out of school and settle for whatever job that I could find since no one is currently hiring elementary school teachers in my area.  I would probably also be unhealthy because the monetary support that I currently have enables me to maintain a gluten-free diet due to my wheat allergy/celiac disease, so I would be sick all of the time.  Fortunately, I would continue to receive emotional support from my husband, my mother, my church, and my close friends who would help me deal with the stress that this change would bring.

My Connections to Play

"If I get to pick what I want to do, then it's play...if someone else tells me that I have to do it, then it's work."
-Patricia Nourot

"The essence of childhood, of course, is play, which my friends and I did endlessly on street that we reluctantly shared with traffic."
-Bill Cosby

While I was growing up, I had some health problems and as a result, I do not have very many memories of my childhood.  However, I do remember that my friends and I lived close together and we would walk to each others houses to play.  Back then, we could play in the neighborhood without supervision and our parents encouraged us to play.  Unfortunately, children cannot play these days without supervision and due to overcrowding, there are not many places for children to play. Additionally, children do not have to entertain themselves like we did, because of the numerous forms of media that are available to them.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I think that it is important to have positive people in my life who love and support me. Having these relationships also makes me a happier person.

My husband: I am very fortunate to have a great relationship with my husband; he is my best friend. We have been together for 15 years and married for 11 years. Our relationship is not perfect but we have worked very hard to make it great. In the beginning of our relationship, there was a lot of miscommunication but we learned to communicate our feelings and our wants and needs. This relationship is positive because we trust, respect, and support each other. We know how to compromise and we have learned that sometimes we just have to agree to disagree.

My Mom: Mother-daughter relationships can be very complicated.  My mom and I have had issues in our relationship but we have resolved them by talking about them and compromising. I know that my mother loves me and that she would do anything for me. I can depend on her and trust her. Even though we live far away we make an effort to maintain our relationship by talking on the phone every week and seeing each other as often as possible.

The biggest challenges that I have experienced in developing and maintaining relationships have been trust issues and respect.  My sister & I are not close for this reason.  From experience, I have learned that I cannot trust her if I confide in her. Our biggest issue, however, is respect.  My sister is 5 years older than me and she still thinks that she can tell me what to do and that I should do it. She doesn't respect the fact that it is my life and as an adult, I need to make my own decisions, whether she agrees with them or not.  There have been many times that she has made decisions about her own life that I completely disagreed with, but I respected that it was her decision to make.  Trust has also been a challenge in a lot of my friendships.  In the past, I had several friends that I thought I could trust but I found out otherwise.

I consider my relationship with my husband a partnership.  We always make all of our major decisions, which affect both of us, together.   If I have to make a personal decision, that doesn't affect him, I still talk to him about it because I want to know his opinion & because he's good at making me see other points of view or other possibilities (not one of my strengths).

My relationship experiences may impact my work as an effective early childhood professional and my ability to be an active contributor because they have taught me about effective communication, compromising, and respect.  I am able to respectfully communicate with parents and my co-workers.  Furthermore, I know that it is sometimes necessary to compromise which is sometimes necessary in the workplace.