Farewell to 6165

It is getting exciting as this program continues to move forward and I dream about being almost done.  I know there is about a year left, but I am happy to see how far we have come together and that I have been able to stick with it.  I have also found a greater love for really learning on my own and find that I spend tons of time just doing extra research and reading extra articles and staying more on top of current events and trends in the field.  I would say my eyes have really opened to more that is happening in  my field.

Additionally, I have been happy to meet so many of my colleagues who are willing to share their ideas and experiences in the field to help me to be a better person and think about how I might handle situations.  It has been nice that I have had many of the same people in my classes along the way, and hope that as I continue to move forward that there will still be many of you that I know and am familiar with.  I wish all of you the best in your journey and encourage you to stick with it for another year and be proud when you have finished!  I would love to stay in touch and can always be reached at khcondie@gmail.com.

Adjourning in Project Work

At most of my adjourning meetings I like to hold a reflective conversation and talk about all that went well and the things that could have been improved.  I have someone take notes and save this information to use again for similar projects, to make each project better than the next.  This is also a great time to celebrate successes, not just with the project but with individuals.  In what ways did this project grow individuals?  Did someone step out of their comfort zone?  Did someone go above and beyond the call of duty?  Did someone do something new for the first time?  I believe part of forming teams for projects is also part of growing individuals and helping them reach their personal goals.

When they teams are adjourning, and they will most likely not see one another again, I think a celebration good-bye party is in order.  Play some games, invite their loved ones and reminisce for a little bit.  Have the opportunity to share desires to remain in contact more in the future and in what capacity.

When teams are adjourning that will continue to see one another, a smaller celebration or public recognition is enough.  While I have over 30 people who work for me, we typically are forming small teams to complete projects.  When the project is completed, the teamwork is done, but those who were on the team will continue to work with one another and see one another in the workplace.  They are just not concentrating on this specific project.  I believe adjourning provides you with closure and an opportunity for reflection.

As it comes time to adjourn from my group of colleagues, I hope that I will have grown to know a group of professionals whom I can call upon and rely on when I need help in my field.  Lately I have become very involved in what is happening in the education sector in my community.  The more I learn, the more questions I have.  It is through reaching out to other professionals in the field that I have grown.  I hope to be able to continue to be connected to them where we can share the occasional emails.

Conflict Resolution

Working for a nonprofit organization requires funding from many private individuals and corporations as well as federal, state, and private grants.  While private donations typically don't require anything in return, grants stipulate that you uphold certain requirements and report back statistics of how your program properly implemented those things.

A new government grant opportunity became available in the field of early childhood.  The government is offering a large sum of money to organizations to help promote and implement quality early education for preschool age children.  On the surface, the grant is very appealing and certainly will bring about a large sum of money to fund such a program.  What goes unseen by the untrained eye is how the grant funds are defining a quality program and what it is asking of the organizations who accept the funding.

For the development director, whose sole responsibility is to find funding for our organization to keep us in business, this opportunity is definitely intriguing and worth the fight, even if it means sacrificing or changing practices to accommodate the requirements of the program.  For myself as the director of our early childhood programs, my responsibility is to look after the best interest of the children, their families, their education, and my teachers.  How can I ask my teachers to teach and assess young children in a manner that does not compliment our current practices, beliefs and core values and does not follow what we understand developmentally appropriate practice to mean?

Certainly, this creates a conflict between myself and my development director.  It also expands it reach beyond just the two of us.  I must be the spokesperson for our program while she must be the spokesperson for our administration and board of directors, those who do not have a background and education in early childhood but instead in principles of business management.  Indeed, this is an area that creates conflict.

For now, we have put it on the back burner until we can have a chance to gather additional information and come back together to talk about whether or not our organization will seek this funding.  Here are some things I have learned that I must do to prepare to address this conflict with my co-worker:

• Prepare myself by increasing my knowledge and doing my research.  Talk with other professionals in my field, talk with my teaching staff, and research national organizations that take a stand for early childhood education and determine how they would respond to the requirements of this grant.
• In my research and preparation, gather information for both sides, not just my own.  Be willing to understand both sides of the conflict and come up with some creative possible compromises.  Is there a way that we can both get our needs met? This will help in staying focused on the actual problem: our organization needs money and we need to uphold developmentally, culturally, and individually appropriate practice.
• Determine what areas I am willing to compromise and what areas I am not willing to compromise.  Perhaps  making a list of items in priority of what I am willing to abide by in the grant and what I am not.
• Learn to manage my own emotions.  While I may personally feel strongly for or against an aspect of this conflict, I  must learn to manage and appropriately express those emotions.  I must also be aware of the feelings of the other people involved in this conflict, either directly or indirectly.

If I properly take these steps, I believe that I will be more prepared to address this conflict in a constructive manner, whether that be that the outcome comes out the way I hope, or a way that both sides can live with.