Goodbyes are something I am far
to use to being a military spouse it is a constant struggle learning to say the
“see you later” to people who have at times become family. At Mountain Home Air
Force Base in Idaho leaving the team there was one of the hardest “see you
later” I had done.
When I began I was informed I was
coming in at a difficult highly translational time due to the leaving of a volatile
director and recent incoming of the director whom I transferred in with. The beginning
was tough the distrust and poor communication was rapid throughout the program,
however with time the new director through positive communication and making it
through the storm of team building began to create an environment of trust and
personal as well as professional growth (Abudi, G., 2010).
She established what was expected
from all and the open-door policy that could be closed if it was a more private
mater to be discussed. Fairness and the ability to rally us together for the
greatness and growth of the children was what really began to shine throughout
the program and the forming stage took hold once the trust was obtained by the
staff (Abudi, G.,
2010). She was also a leader she was
passionate about early learning and created the highest quality, most welcoming
environment possible for all involved. Her vision was clear and through her
leadership, action and delegation allowing for others to feel valued throughout
the program we all began to thrive and come together to create the environment the
children deserved (Laureate Education (Producer), 2011).
The goodbye potluck was the tradition as a
teacher or support member left the program. The favorite foods and of course
the “you have to bring that because it’s amazing” were brought to the training
room and shared. Plaques, cards and tokens of appreciation were given to the
member of the family soon to part and start anew.
Through this master’s program I have learned so
much from all of my colleagues. I have learned about programs such as head
start and others that everyone has shared. Being able to see what is valued and
what the issues are throughout has been valuable with my daily work. I hope to
remain in touch with as many as possible to continue to share thoughts, ideas
and success as we continue to grow in our early learning career. The discussion
boards have been a large wealth of knowledge learning from others and what
everyone has to share.
Reference
Laureate
Education (Producer). (2011). Team building strategies [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
