This is not Good Bye, instead it's Farewell...

Hello,

         This is to the members of the class "Communication and Collaboration in Early Childhood Education."  I am so blessed to have spent this short period of time getting to know you and learning your stories.  I wish you all well in the future. I hope that you are able to make all of your dreams come true, just believe in yourself and it will happen.  Thanks for reading my posts and sharing your comments.  Good Luck! This is not Good Bye, instead it's Farewell!

Communicating and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field (EDUC - 6165 - 2) Saying Goodbye...

               This week we have been discussing what it feels like to be a part of a group.  Furthermore, it was requested that we mention what group we have been a part of that we found it difficult to separate from the group upon completion of the assignment.  I carefully considered this assignment, and I have come up with only one group of people in my life that have been consistently there for me through thick and thin….my family.  My family is made up of a group of people that God has blessed me with abundantly.  My father has taught me what a “real man” should be like.  My mother has taught me how to conduct myself as a lady.  My brothers have instilled friendship like no other, ensuring that I will always know that they have my back.  My family is the one group of people that would be hard to leave. 

            High performing are very hard to leave.  My family has very clear, established norms.  Also, everyone in the family cares and are concerned about the wellbeing of the others.  It’s not just a thing where we are there for each other for five years and then we want nothing else to do with the others.  We are all in it together forever.  Yes, we have disagreements, but we choose to not hold onto silly things that could damage our relationship. 

            When I separated from my family to head off to college in Greenville, I was heartbroken.  I still remember crying myself to sleep when my parents dropped me off that night.  I imagined that it would be hard to life without them.  However, with time it got better.  Even from a small child, my parents taught me to pray my way through the difficulties of life.  Praying is gotten me far today.  Life has a way of throwing things at you that you are not always ready for, but what helps me is remembering that some things are only in your life for a season, even some people.  Life is like a tree.  The leaves are those people that tend to come around when everything is going well, but they never intend to stay when things get hard.  The leaves change colors, and often times fade away.  The branches are a little stronger that the leaves, but if they are handled the wrong way they will brake as well.  However, the roots of the tree is the foundation.  The foundation is where it all started, and my family is my foundation.  No matter what time of day, no matter how difficult the problem and no matter who it involves there is a strong foundation in my family that will always be there for me.  It was also taught to me to always so “I love you” to my loved ones.  We never knew when it would be one of our lasts days, therefore it was important to say these words upon adjourning to ensure that we knew it if one of us were to go.  Every moment that we spent together was a special moment. 

            I thank God for the four other people that he blessed me with.  I could not have been blessed with a more loving and consist set of people.  My only wish is that one day, when I have a family of my own, I am able to create some of the same qualities and characteristics within my children as my parents created within me.  I want my husband’s love for me to be so strong that NOTHING can ever come between us.  I want my son to know that when things get tough, you stick with it and not give up.  I want my daughter to realize that she does not have to settle for anything less than the best.  More importantly, I want my future family to realize that no one is perfect and that everyone makes mistakes because it is a part of the growth process. But, the thing about making mistakes is owning up to it and then dusting off and moving on.  So many people hide from their mistakes because they are afraid that someone will find out and judge them, but only God can judge you.  Therefore, be grateful of the life that you have lived and learn from your mistakes and love everyone.

Communicating and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field (EDUC - 6165 - 2) Effective Ways to Argue

            For this assignment I was asked to think on an argument that I had with someone and create two new resolutions of how I could have handled the issue.  I will first admit that I have learned so much about communicating effectively sense I have been in this class.

            Typically, I try not to argue with people, I just walk away.  However, there is an argument that stands out in my mind that I don’t mind sharing.  I have a friend, that for the sake of writing this paper I will just call her Charity.  Charity and I were friends since as long as I could remember which means we practically grew up together.  One day I found out some information that was being said about Charity.  Being her best friend, immediately I wanted to share it with her, but I was not sure if that was a wise move.  Therefore, I did not share it right away, instead I took a couple of days and prayed over it.  One day we were hanging out and having a good time.  I figured this is a great time to tell her the news because she is in good spirits, and I decided to tell her the news. She became so angered with me yelling and using profanity at me.  Naturally, I tried to walk away and she followed me.  After the escape route did not work, I began yelling and using some choice words myself.  I knew right away that telling her was the wrong thing to do but it was too late to regret and too early to apologize.  We both needed to take a minute and calm down first.  Moving forward, maybe about six months later we ran into each other at the store and somehow we just picked right back up where we left off.  It was as if we had been talking all along, and no one ever apologized for the issue. 

            From this communications class I have discovered different methods that I could have used.  Here are just a few that I will share with you.  A healthy debate will allow each person to share their opinion without yelling and arguing.  Have specifics and limitations about the relationship so each person knows how far to go, and what not to say.  Consider the various communication channels.  Sometimes you can just send a text and never have to see the person but you got the message out.  Corporation and compromise to resolve the issue.  Focus on specific issues and stay on the subject.  Sometimes preparing yourself is a good way to review the facts.  Consider the alternatives. It does not have to be your way or my way, but let’s create a new way.  In the future my plan is to try one of these methods.