WK 8 Moving On

I know that without support from my colleagues through discussions and blogs, it would be difficult to keep pushing forward. Even though we have never met, I feel like all of us have the same goals in mind.  I also tried to be positive throughout any situations and with positive and mature adults, if helps make it so much easier. This class has defintely helped me with my communication and collaboration skills and I feel the same for my colleagues.

My wish for my colleagues is that they continue to reach for the stars and keep in mind the reason that wse are doing this and it is for the future generations. They need all of the support and positive encouragement that we ALL can give them. We have to remember if we just help to change one life, we have made an accomplishment. With all of the early childhood professionals that are in the field, that would be alot of lives that we would touch.

My contact information is jesselori@bellsouth.net, lori.gardner@clayton.k12.ga.us, (404) 402-3099 cell phone.

Good luck and best wishes to all, if I can be of any assistance to any of you, please feel free to contact me.


think about how your colleagues have supported you, how you have supported them, and what you wish for your colleagues as they continue on their professional path

WK 6 Team Building and Collaboration

    In my judgment, I do feel that the high-performing groups are the hardest to leave, since it takes a team to make the group to perform, then once the goals have been accomplished it is hard to say goodbye.
   Also, groups that have the clearest established goals and objectives, along with a leader and a great dependable team are also very hard to leave.
   The hardest group I would say for me to leave was when I received a promotion this school year as a Lead teacher and I am no longer a part of the Paraprofessional team at my job. The paraprofessionals at my primary school have a great relationship,they go out to eat, they exchange gifts and just look out for each other and take care of each other.
   When the paraprofessionals found out that I had been promoted, they prepared for me a secret luncheon during the week of pre-planning, I was so shocked and they truly caught me off guard.
   Another group that is hard for me to disconnect from is my high school graduating class, we were the first class to graduate from a new high school and over the years we have set up many alumni invents and regardless of what is going on in my life, I will drop it or postpone it to participate with my high school classmates. My husband just shakes his head and laughs.
    I truly have not thought about saying Good-bye to my colleagues after this class is completed. I would hope that we all some how keep in touch rather through internet, text messages, etc. We have built some strong relationships, eventhough we have never met in person, I love the atmosphere and I know that the individuals that have been in many of my classes since Sept of 2010, have the best interest for young children and their families at hand.
    Adjourning, is letting us know that the job is complete as well as relationships have been built. As a team member, you have learned to trust and respect those that were in your group. All members of the group have worked effectively to reach a common goal.

Wk 5 Communication in action

   I have problems communicating with my 19 year old son. He thinks he knows everything and some of the choices that he is making currently in his life are not good ones.  If I say something to him, he swears that I don't know anything, he says "Ma, your are from the old school and this is new school."
   So I have been biting my tongue and I am letting him spread his wings and fly on his own. I told him in order to live in my house he either needed to enroll in college and/or get a job, so guess what he decided to do. Move out without doing either one.
   All I can do is pray that God keeps him safe and sound from any hurt, harm or danger. Hwever, it is hard for me not to express my voice, because he is my son. Any suggestions?

WK 4 Who Am I As A Communicator?

What is the one thing that surprised you the most? I think the one thing that surprised me the most is that the scores for the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale were so different from my husband and co teacher. However, I am going to work on that and that is 1 important goal for me now that I see I need help with it.  What other insights about communication did you gain this week? That I am very concerned with others, however sometimes I tend to be very trusting and it can cause problems for me and the ones involved.
I loved this assignment, I learned alot about myself and what I need to work on to help me to be a better communicator to the young children, families, colleagues and others that I may communicate with throughout my career. This is a resource that I can use to grow and develop and maybe help others along the way.

WK 3 Communication and Culture

   Yes, I do find myself communicating with people from different groups and cultures differently after this wee.
The three strategies I could use to help communicate more effectively with the people or groups I have identified:
    First, I think it is important to have whatever paperwork that is being sent home to parents easyfor them to read, so I try to have copies in their language so that they know what is going on and so they do not miss out on important information concerning their child and school.
    Second, my school system has parent liasions that are available to help teachers and other early childhood professionals, to communicate or collect resources for parents of children, as well as the child itself.
   Third, I feel that it might be helpful to help parents by introducing them to parents that may be having the same issues or just may be new to the area and would like to become familiar with their community.
   As an early childhood professionals, I have to be available to help all children and their parents, if I can not help them, then it is my place to connect them with the proper resources to help them, regardless of the situation.

WK 2 Communication

      I decided to watch a show on ESPN called the CENTER.  I have never watched anything that talks about athletes and what is going on. However, I do like sports, so this was very interesteing to me.
     WITHOUT SOUND:
    I think the reporters have respect for each other, however they have their own opinions and they see the same things just in different perspectives. I feel that they are expressing how they feel through their hand gestures and facial expressions, there is alot of smiling and it seems that there is alot of conversations being interrupted and everybody trying to talk over each other.
     WITH SOUND: I still feel that they respect each other, but just have so many different opinions and everybody wants to be right and in the real world we know that, that is impossible. Yes, because there is only certain shows that I watch on a regular basis. I know the people that are on the show and I feel a connection with them, due to watching the show regularly.
      I learned that communication is very detailed and deserves the speaker as well as the listener to be focused in on what is being said and what is being heard.
    The aha moment for me, was watching these grown men, interrupt each other and then laugh at their colleagues the whole time they were speaking. I know that when I am in a conversation, I hate to be interrupted and cut-off in the middle of a sentence, show I can only imagine how I would be on live television in front of millions of people.   
    In closing, I think we MUST be considerate of each other, as well as children and their families and not only LISTEN to what is being said, but HEAR what is being said.

6165-2 Wk 1 Communication

   For this week's blog assignment, I chose to use my God-son as my example. Zaire is only 15 months old, however when he grandmother comes home from work, Zaire meets her with his hands in the air and he is babbling and making sounds, the grandmother swears that Zaire is telling on his mother that he has been with all day with. Even if the grandmother goes into a different part of the house, Zaire follows her and continues these gestures and sounds for a good bit of an hour or longer, everyday. I didn't believe her until I met her at her house last Friday evening to go and have dinner together. When we walked into the house, he began to babble, wave his hands and look back at his mother.
    I believe that Zaire has effective communcation, I told his mother, she better watch out, because when he really starts talking he is going to tell on her for everything and he will be sincere when he begans to speak.
    I am not sure if I would model this behavior, but I find it amazing that a 15 month old toddler, using his hands and babbling all while looking at this mother. We do not know what he is trying to say, however he surely knows, due to the actions and gestures he shows while trying to relay his messages to those who will listen.