Relationship Reflection
My Family Spring 2017
Relationships are very important to me. Good relationships are so very important in my different areas of life. At work, at school, on the sports field, in clubs/groups and in families and friendships. Without having good relationship skills it is very difficult to be successful in life no matter how smart or wealthy you are. Often good relationship skills are learned as a child from good family role models.
I have great relationships with my aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and friends. Basically every important person in my life. I feel like my relationships with these people are good because I am very aware of likes/dislikes and strengths/weaknesses. We know when to push/pull with each other. We also are not "pot stirrers". We do not create drama just for the sake of having it around as "entertainment" or attention. We tell each other when something is positive or negative so that we all can adjust behavior when needed so that things so not simmer for extended periods and then suddenly explode. The lines of communication are always open and we spend a lot of time with each other in close quarters. So good communication is a must!
As I have gone through both highs and lows in life I have learned some things about relationships. For one, I have learned that it is important to say "no". It is okay to let others know you are not Wonder Woman and that you cannot do it all and do it all perfectly. That expectation has put a lot of pressure on both myself and others. It took me a long time to realize that people around me feel much more important when I allow them to help. It makes them feel like they are needed! Another thing that took me long time to understand was the importance of taking advice and asking questions. I always thought that asking questions was something that people who didn't know things or didn't pay attention. When actually asking questions shows that you are paying attention and thinking about the information being presented. Taking someone's advice is the same idea. It shows that you are interested in what someone has to tell you. This is especially important in the school setting. It shows those mentoring you can work as a team and it also shows families that you are interested in their child. Now that I see the importance in asking questions and taking advice, my relationships have improved a great deal!
I see that good relationships have a few special characteristics. First, good relationships have honesty and good listening skills. People who are honest in relationships tell their partners how they feel about something. They have a good relationship as long as the other partner knows to listen and respect that opinion even if they disagree. They know it is ok to "agree to disagree" sometimes and they also know to compromise and meet each other halfway when needed. They also know not to publicize their disagreements. They let each other know how thy feel about something whether good or bad and they feel safe knowing that a differing opinion isn't going to ruin the relationship. They feel safe sharing their feelings. A good partnership also shares the workload and those partners ask for help when needed.
My experiences in safe, caring relationships has allowed me to develop those same types of relationships in my schools; both with students and coworkers. My first grade team is very strong because we have an excellent working relationship. We have great communication, we speak our mind, we share the workload, ask for help, ask each other questions and speak our mind even when we know we might not have everyone in agreement. We are a team and it all runs smoothly because of this. We have respect oft each other and the contributions we make to the team.
Relationships are very important to me. Good relationships are so very important in my different areas of life. At work, at school, on the sports field, in clubs/groups and in families and friendships. Without having good relationship skills it is very difficult to be successful in life no matter how smart or wealthy you are. Often good relationship skills are learned as a child from good family role models. I have great relationships with my aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and friends. Basically every important person in my life. I feel like my relationships with these people are good because I am very aware of likes/dislikes and strengths/weaknesses. We know when to push/pull with each other. We also are not "pot stirrers". We do not create drama just for the sake of having it around as "entertainment" or attention. We tell each other when something is positive or negative so that we all can adjust behavior when needed so that things so not simmer for extended periods and then suddenly explode. The lines of communication are always open and we spend a lot of time with each other in close quarters. So good communication is a must!
As I have gone through both highs and lows in life I have learned some things about relationships. For one, I have learned that it is important to say "no". It is okay to let others know you are not Wonder Woman and that you cannot do it all and do it all perfectly. That expectation has put a lot of pressure on both myself and others. It took me a long time to realize that people around me feel much more important when I allow them to help. It makes them feel like they are needed! Another thing that took me long time to understand was the importance of taking advice and asking questions. I always thought that asking questions was something that people who didn't know things or didn't pay attention. When actually asking questions shows that you are paying attention and thinking about the information being presented. Taking someone's advice is the same idea. It shows that you are interested in what someone has to tell you. This is especially important in the school setting. It shows those mentoring you can work as a team and it also shows families that you are interested in their child. Now that I see the importance in asking questions and taking advice, my relationships have improved a great deal!
I see that good relationships have a few special characteristics. First, good relationships have honesty and good listening skills. People who are honest in relationships tell their partners how they feel about something. They have a good relationship as long as the other partner knows to listen and respect that opinion even if they disagree. They know it is ok to "agree to disagree" sometimes and they also know to compromise and meet each other halfway when needed. They also know not to publicize their disagreements. They let each other know how thy feel about something whether good or bad and they feel safe knowing that a differing opinion isn't going to ruin the relationship. They feel safe sharing their feelings. A good partnership also shares the workload and those partners ask for help when needed.
My experiences in safe, caring relationships has allowed me to develop those same types of relationships in my schools; both with students and coworkers. My first grade team is very strong because we have an excellent working relationship. We have great communication, we speak our mind, we share the workload, ask for help, ask each other questions and speak our mind even when we know we might not have everyone in agreement. We are a team and it all runs smoothly because of this. We have respect oft each other and the contributions we make to the team.
Hello Jill,
ReplyDeleteI believe "honesty and good listening skills" are key in having healthy relationships with others. Without trust and people filling comfortable enough to share their opinions and feelings with people they have frequent interactions with it is almost impossible to have healthy relationships. As a young adult I found it difficult to say "No!" to others who took advantage of my kindness but as I learned from those unpleasant relationships and interactions I gained the ability to decline request. As a result some of those relationships got better whereas others ended. Can relate to your relationship with your grade level team. My team and I have collaborative planning there we share ideas and divid the planning of our daily instructions. Giving us more time to focus on the individual needs of students.
Hi Jill,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. Your statement acknowledging that “it is okay to let others know you are not Wonder Woman and that you cannot do it all and do it all perfectly” spoke to me because it’s something I had to learn for myself. I was dedicating all my time to work and not taking care of myself. I had to learn that I needed to have a balance between the two. It has been a relief and eliminated the additional stress I was putting on myself.
Ashley