Reflecting on Building Relationships

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

Explain why relationships/partnerships are important to you.

Relationships are important to me because they help me to better relate with others, those of the opposite gender.  It is important to cultivate new relationships and deepening existing ones.  Relationships help me to grow and expand many experiences in my life that are important; also they contribute to me having a long, healthy, and happy life.  Relationships help me to deal with stressors in my life better.  When I am going through problems, there is nothing better than the support and encouragement of a close friend to help me sort things out.   Relationships are also important because to me because they add purpose and meaning to my life and help create social interactions with people of different races, cultures and religions.  There are a variety of different kinds of relationships and they all keep us going.  Everyone needs some positive influences in their lives at some point or another and this is another reason why relationships are import to help you realize how much you matter and how important you are.

Partnerships are important to me because when you work with others you can get more accomplished and achieve goals that have been set. Partnerships are also important because they allow me to recognize strengths and weaknesses in myself and others.  In partnerships I have to be able to value trust and be able to handle constructive criticism. Partnerships provide partners with unique resources and benefits.  Relationships that develop over years of a partnership are priceless. I feel that human resources are the most vital elements of a partnership.  

Identify several people with whom you currently have positive relationships and/or partnerships.

The people who I have positive relationships/partnerships with include:

God

My Children (Cordell, Gage, Braxton)

My Assistant (Mrs. Perry)

My Pastor (Reverend Cummins)

My Children’s teachers (Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Robinson, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Williams, Mrs. Lesten, Ms. Webster) 

Describe the ways in which each relationship is positive and factors that contributed to developing and maintaining each relationship

God – God loves me and I know this.  He loves me for who I am regardless of mistakes that I have made and will still make.   God is and will always be in my life no matter what I do.  Prayer, forgiveness, helping others and worship are all factors that contributed to developing and maintaining this relationship.  

My relationship with my children is positive because I make all of the rules and they abide by them.  If there is something that they do not like, we sit down and discuss it and try to make compromises if possible.  My children realize that if rules are not followed and obeyed at home as well as school and other places that there are consequences that follow.  Factor:  Respect, obedience, trust, and honesty.

My partnership/relationship with my assistant is positive because we know what is expected of each other. We respect each other’s opinions and abide by the rules of the classroom.  If one of us will be absent, we let the other know in advance. We are also good friends and when we feel that we need to talk on a personal basis about personal things we do.  Relationships test our boundaries; therefore it is very important to know where to draw the line.  Sometimes we have to listen to our own feelings, regardless of what someone else says, if it feels bad then it is bad.  Factors:  Keeping boundaries, respect, support, shared responsibility, honesty.

My relationship with my pastor is very good.  I have been a member his ministry for 8 years.  He invites members of his congregation to visit and talk when needed.  Our pastor treats everyone the same and there are no picks.  I was his grandson’s teacher and he used to drop him off at school and pick him up sometimes, this is how I became a member of his congregation.  Many pastors feel that having close friendships with their church members will bring about jealously and may divide the church, but this is not the case here.  Here there are also boundaries that are set. 

Factors:  Forgiveness, respect, trust, honesty.

My relationships with my children’s teachers are strictly professional.  I give input on what they need assistance with and they give me feedback on how I can help them at home.  If there are problems with them acting up in class, she will let me know and I will discipline them appropriately.  We work together to ensure that they receive all the help that is needed in order for them to learn, develop and grow in order to reach their full potential.  I feel that when parents and teachers work together regarding the child, it helps them to progress better.  Factors:  Trust, support, honesty, respect.

Describe insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that you have learned from your experience over time.

One of the biggest challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that I have learned from my experiences is that sometimes you may not always agree on everything and your opinions are not always valued.  When one or the other is not truthful it sometimes becomes hard to gain the trust back that you once had.  All relationships are different and sometimes when you have basic friendships with some people, others may feel that you treat them differently when some of your other friends are around.  It just the relationships are different.  When the children have differences it could also interfere or disrupt the relationship between the adults.  I believe that some relationships take more work than others because you feel that it is worth having and saving. 

What do you see as special characteristics of these relationships that make some, if any, partnerships?

Honesty and accountability - when you are able to communicate openly and truthfully, admitting when you are wrong and they are right, admitting mistakes, and accepting responsibility for one’s self. 

Respect – listening to one another and valuing their opinion, being able to give and take constructive criticism, whether positive or negative, attempts to respect and understand and affirm the other’s emotions.

Trust and support – supporting one another in regards to their goals in life, and respecting one another’s right to their own opinions, feelings, activities and interest and friends.  Valuing them as an individual. 

Shared responsibility – making decisions together, no matter how big or small, distributing work in ways that are fair.

Negotiation – being able to compromise, seek solutions to conflicts, accepting change when necessary. 

Commitment – it takes two committed people in order to have a good relationship/partnership and you have to take the good with the bad.

How might your experiences with relationships/partnerships, including your ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact your work as an effective early childhood professional?

I have had many different types of relationships throughout my life.  They have helped me to realize who I am and the kind of person that I turned out to be.  My experiences will enable me to help young children who I come in contact with regardless of who they are or where they come from.  All children are special in their own unique way and I want them to remember me as someone who made an impact on their lives.  I want to show them how special and important they are regardless of what other people may tell them.  I must teach them many things in the process of their development and relationships are one of the most important things.  I want children to always remember me and say “yes I remember Mrs. Campbell, she was, and will always be my favorite teacher.”