5 Stages ofTeam Development

After studying the five stages I have found that was very informational and to the point. When I think about the groups that I have been in, the ones that were high performance were the hardest to leave. When you are in a group and everyone is on the same accord and performing at their best it motivates you, and makes you feel good about the work that you are doing and that the group is doing as a whole. Groups that I have been in that have clear and precise norms seem to function the best. This is the stage were things become the “usual” way of doing things. When it comes to closing rituals I have wished that I had stayed in contact, or even gotten their information to keep in touch or refer back to them when I need some help or advice about something. As I adjourn from working with my many colleagues during the process of this degree, I plan to do things differently. I plan to keep in touch with some of them so that along my journey I can have someone to call on when I need some reassurance about whatever I am going through in the educational process at the time. I think that adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork; because once you come together and get past the storming stage you develop a type of bond with one another and the adjourning part just ends things on a good note. 

Conflict Resolution

In life there will always be disagreements or conflicts that will have to be solved with the nonviolent communication process or the 3R's. Currently at work I have been having conflict with my newly appointed supervisor. Previously she and I were friends and hung out after work, but things changed and we didn't hang as much anymore. I began to see her differently so I fell back from the entire situation. Things grew intense between us because I fell back and then out of nowhere she is my new supervisor. It was absolutely no problem for me, but she is very mean and low-down. I am always very polite, making sure that I am respectfully getting my points across clearly. It has gotten to the point where no matter how she tries to mistreat she can't, because I don't let her negativity influence my attitude then she has no reason and often finds it difficult to be ugly. The dynamic communication techniques of Nonviolent Communication transform potential conflicts into peaceful dialogues (Gray, n.d.). I go to work for one thing and that is to provide for my family, and I am going to make sure that she and I don't have any further problems.


Gray, John Ph.D., Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.  (n.d.)

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

Who am I as a Communicator?

After taking the assessment I saw that I see my self almost the same way as others. I saw myself as a great communicator who has a great balance between respect and consideration for others. I see myself as people oriented, very emapathetic and concerned for others. I have always seen myself this way, but I was curious as to how others see me. I asked my cousin and my co-worker to both take the assessment as it relates to me. To my surprise they saw me totally differently. My cousin saw me as an alright communicator and confrontational. Very passionate about certain things and always standing my ground. I understand her feelings now when I think about them because she often gets the raw, uncut me. My co-worker on the other hand saw me just as I see myself, but more businesslike. At work I am straight to the point and very clear about whatever it is I am communicating about so I absolutely see how she could feel that way about me. I asked them both to be as honest as possible and this maid for a very interesting and exciting assignment.

Cultural Diversity

My life is full of diversity. There is diversity in my family and friends. There is diversity at work, in my community, and at my childrens school. At work I have to approach diversity very careful. I have to try not offend anyone, but at the same time not lose who I am and what I stand for. There are a lot of my co-workers that have different views from me whether it be reliegon, sex, or politics. The most sensitive one is politics. We all have different views on how things should be done and why things are done a special way. Politics is one of the things we try not to discuss in my office because it usually ends in a heated argument. You can't be mindful unless you listen to what people say(O'Hair & Wieman 2012). Reliegon is also a very sensitive topic in our office. When working in a diversified environment one has to be very careful about the things that he or she speaks out about. Learning about other cultures is a great start to improving intercultural communication, but many scholars believe that we also need to spend time with members of other cultures and co-cultures, virtually and face to face(O'Hair & Weiman 2012). Most times I find myself not joining in on any of the conversations no matter how passionate I am about the topic.

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Competent Communication

When I think of someone who has demonstrated competent communication and done so effectively, I think of my elementary school principal Mrs. Lorene Bentlty Cannon. She is a wonderful communicator, and always speaks well in whatever the situation may be. Mrs. Cannon is very well educated and takes her job very serious. I have never seen her out of character nomatter how harsh the company is she has. She is always polite and speaks with a graceful tone. I want to be able to speak and communicate as well as her. When communication is done effectively, great things happen.

Professional Hopes and Goals

I hope to help end the negativity associated with diversity in the course of career. I hope to help children who are seen as different and help them be accepted by everyone. I plan to make moves in the communities that have never been attempted before. Children are very special to me and I have a passion that burns deep as it relates to children and a fair education.

I would make a lot of changes in education dealing with diversity, equity, and social justice. I would ake sure that all educators dealing with students who are diverse are very open and welcoming. Making the children feel as comfortable as possible so that they can do the best that they can. Being open and understanding can really make a difference.

I would like to THANK each and everyone on my colleagues for a very successful eight week term. I have enjoyed reading your many posts and commenting on them too. This class has been very interesting. Learning about diversity has been the best subject area I have studied so far.

Welcoming Families Around The World

The name of the country that the new family is from is Fiji.

There are so many ways to prepare myself with the proper knowledge about this family. The things that I am going to do are:

1. I will google Fiji to actually read about the country and thier ways of doing things.

2. I will make sure I learn everything I need to know about thier culture so that I don't do or say anything that is disrespectful or insulting.

3. I will get to know the family, each person individually so that I can relate to them on a different level.

4. I will be very open to the differences we have in our cultures opposed to thiers and the way they do things.

5. I will also be very sensitive to thier beliefs and way of life.

I am hopeful that this will not only benefit my family, but the family from Fiji as well. I want my family to be aware and open to the very diversified world we live in and able to adapt to any situation without being bias.