See you later alligator!

I cannot express enough thanks to you all for the encouragement, interaction and fun this term! I wish you all well in your journeys! :)

Meeting Adjourned

This past summer, I spent a week at a conference for Conscious Discipline. The conference was set up to establish "school family" in table groups. The first night I was so nervous and unsure about what was going to happen, how I would be able to create relationships and how willing I would be to be honest and vulnerable with people I just met. By the end of the week, I was crying! It was so hard to leave my table group! Every morning we greeted each other, every day we worked in small groups and with partners and by the end of the week we were truly a table family. We all found each other on Facebook, exchanged phone numbers and I still talk to some of the group. It was a hard group to leave I believe because we all had the same goals for the conference, to learn more about Conscious Discipline and we were all willing to jump in with both feet to get the most out of the time we had together.
As far as leaving the group I have come to know in this program, my hope is that we will be able to establish contact through social media, emailing and the Walden University Early Childhood Organization Facebook Page. I feel like it is more difficult to establish relationships in an online program because we are not in contact everyday nor do we see each other face to face. We can establish relationships but I feel it is more difficult. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Also, I would love to figure out how we can adjourn this meeting of the minds in a meaningful way! I am just not sure how to do it with us all in different places. Thoughts?

Conflict and Disagreements

I recently had a disagreement with my co-teacher. She and I had a different way of dealing with a situation and there was great miscommunication. A child in our classroom who is struggling with some emotional regulation and has a bit of a stronger relationship with me that with my co-teacher. In a moment of upset the child screamed at my co-teacher and ran from her. I stopped the child and had her walk back to my co-teacher who then proceeded to help the child. The child calmed down and moved on to the next step in her day. She was on her cot getting ready for rest time and yelled at me that she wanted to get her rest toy. I asked her to calm her body and ask me rather than yell at me. She did and I told her she could go get it. My co-teacher then said, "You didn't know that I told her that when we were settled, I would go get it for her." I felt frustrated because as soon as my co-teacher said that, the child got upset again and began to run around the classroom. I let my co-teacher handle the upset and eventually, the child went to sleep and all was well. Later that afternoon, I approached my co-teacher and said, "It made me feel frustrated that when the child was calm and moving on, you triggered her again when you said she couldn't go get her rest toy." This child has some rage issues and struggles to self-regulate. I wanted to celebrate the regulation and did not see the point in upsetting her once again. My co-teacher relayed to me that the child told her "You will let me, just like my mom lets me when I yell at her". I did not have this information nor did I have the information that my co-teacher had told her she would need to wait to get the rest toy. If I had had this information, I would not have even suggested that the child ask me rather than yell at me. It was a miscommunication between the two adults and we talked about it and came up with a plan to communicate better in the times of this child's upset. It is vital that we present a united front and remain consistent with her. We had to use the 3 R's to settle this minor conflict. My co-teacher and I have a reciprocal respectful relationship and because of that we were able to have this conversation in a calm manner. Another strategy that I used is looking from my co-teacher's point of view. This particular child does not respond to her the same way she responds to me. I have had this child in my class for the last three years. We have a strong bond and I could not let that bond interfere with what my co-teacher was trying to do. We had to compromise in agreeing to communicate more efficiently and in sharing the load so to speak when this child is upset.
While this was a minor conflict, it was a learning experience for me and my co-teacher and for that I am grateful.