Communication is Key!

Working with other educators can be amazing! You have the ability to have an instant thought partner, a critical friend, and someone who can hold you accountable to reach your goals. Whether a Co-Teacher, a Teacher’s Aide, a Paraprofessional, a Student Teacher, or even a classroom volunteer, EVERY adult in the classroom has one common goal….help our children move to THEIR next level of achievement. Because of this very important charge put on all educators, success in this area is reliant most on one factor…COMMUNICATION!!!

What’s so important about communication? Communication, whether verbal or nonverbal, can set the atmosphere in a positive or negative way. It affects EVERYONE in the room! If the communication is sour, the vibes in the room are very uncomfortable and it can cause a hindrance to an effective learning environment. On the contrary, if communication between the adults is positive, the classroom environment reflects such; children are able to feel safe and thrive academically, emotionally, and socially in such an atmosphere.

What are the key components of effective communication?

Be Open: Open your ears, eyes, and heart! Listen intently to your fellow teammates. See the contribution that each member provides for the betterment of the whole. With a heart of gratitude, recognize that you are not alone in the quest to provide quality education to your students.
Be Honest: We must remember our ultimate goal is to ensure a conducive, productive learning environment for the children. If there is something that is not quite hitting the mark, it’s important to speak up about it!
Be Transparent: Sugarcoating how you feel about something will never get to the root of the problem. People will never understand your position about a matter and fully respect it, if you sweep it under the rug by saying “It’s okay” or not elaborating completely your position behind the situation.
Be Humble: You don’t know EVERYTHING! You can’t see EVERYTHING! You will miss vital information if you try to do everything by yourself. The wonderful thing about being apart of a team is that you have others to work with you. Each person comes with their unique perspectives and it can give you a more complete picture of the situation. When all parties feel that their opinion is valued, you can accomplish much! It opens the door for everyone to share freely with no inhibitions; the type of creativity that can flow in such an atmosphere is AMAZING!!!

How can one work to restore communication that has gone sour? It may sound like I am repeating myself in this next section but really I am not. The way to restore communication is to go back to the basics! Many times, one or more of these components falter which causes the effectiveness of communication to decline. Working diligently to ensure they are apart of the routine on a consistent basis, is the key to restoring (or in some cases, creating) the communication between you and your team.

Be Open: We all tend to look at a situation through our own lens. It is important that we keep an open mind and try to see the other person’s perspective.
Be Honest: Honesty is the best policy! We have all heard that saying! Practicing such is vital to restoring communication that has gone sour. When we really take a look at what caused the negativity in the first place, especially our part in it, we can begin to make intentional steps toward improvement. Until then, we will continue to be in denial and that never solves the problem.
Be Transparent: If your hurt by your teammate’s actions, speak about it. If you don’t, you may begin to harbor feelings that are expressed negatively by your actions.
Be Humble: There may be a time where you are the one who hurt a team member. We are all human, we will make mistakes! If you’re wrong, or you make a mistake, take ownership for it, ask for forgiveness, and be more mindful in the future. Considering the thoughts and feelings of others, especially in times where they have been honest and transparent about how they feel is the best way to restore communication and build trust.

BOTTOMLINE: How you communicate with the other adults in the room can make or break the learning environment that you build for your children. Remember you set the atmosphere and the tone in your room! The children can feel it and eventually they will act accordingly! Model effective communication strategies for your students and watch learning and progressive achievement thrive!