Blog Assignment: Stage of Development

There has only been one group in my life, which was hardest for me to leave. That group consisted of me, my best friend/twin Lakeshia, and my best friend Tomeka. We first met each other when we were in middle school and instantaneously we were joined at the hip. People and teachers always assumed Lakeshia and I were twins, so we went along with it and surprisingly people did not find out the truth until the day of 8^th grade graduation. Every other week we would stay after school, go to the candy store, and sit out front the school and talk about life. We each had a unique story, which made us very close because we all knew what pain felt like. On the day of graduation we cried until our eyes swelled and vowed to always keep in touch, which we did for a little while, but eventually over the years we were hear from each other every blue moon. Tomeka and I were the exception; I was there for her when her grandparents passed away and she would come to my church every youth choir anniversary and hear me sing.

            Tomeka and Lakeshia were the greatest best friends a girl could ask for but about two years ago, Tomeka became ill and was hospitalized. Classmates would keep me informed and abreast of her situation due to me being off at school but on February 15, 2011 at the age of 23, I lost one of my closest friends in the world. I look back and wish we had more memories together and I wish I could go back to the good old days in middle school when we would sit on the brick wall outside of school and chill and talk for hours. Leaving and adjourning from any group can be painful, but the experience that I went through with losing my friend, I do not take for granted the people in my life. It is my hope that my colleagues and I see the true importance of connecting over these several weeks and build lasting friendships. I wish us all the best and remember to keep your eye on the prize and I cannot wait to possibly meet you all on graduation day. 

Conflict Resoultion

In my classroom, I work with two other teachers both of whom are Teacher Assistants, where I serve as Lead. Recently I was afforded the opportunity to add another teacher into my classroom and since doing so I have noticed that there have been conflict and verbal exchanges between the two teachers. One day as a team we needed to come up with a fundraiser idea for the school and all I noticed was that sparks began to fly. The two teachers could not agree and so I decided I would make the final decision as to what fundraiser we would complete. I have made it known to both teachers that I am not picking sides and that their behavior has influenced the classroom dynamics. I decided that it would be best if I tried to resolve the conflict before taking it to my supervisor. I found that the strategies I learned in classroom management such as become the delegating and neutralizer could benefit me in trying to have both teachers see the importance of working as a team. I have seen some improvement since the initial talk and will continue to be neutral in their disagreements, enforce that respect for each other and the classrooms is given and use communication skills by authors O'Hair and Wiemann to effectively communicate with my entire team