The first person I have a positive relationship is my husband, John. We have been married for eight years. Even though in marriages, you have ups and downs, I consider my relationship with John to be quite positive. John is always upbeat and caring. I believe that we work together to be a team. He gives me space when I need it and I do the same for him. We could not be two more different people, yet we respect and appreciate those differences in each other. Most of the time, I think it's what really makes us "work". When I get to feeling down or I am taking life too seriously, John is always there to make me smile and lift me up. We have learned together that marriage takes giving of each other, respect, patience and learning to not sweat the small stuff!
The next relationship that I love and is probably the most special to me is the relationship I have with my daughter Emilee. She is my only child. She is 7 years old and she is in the 1st grade. Until Emilee came into my world, I had no clue that I could ever love someone so much! She is kind, giving and tender-hearted. I love that we love so many of the same things. Being able to do special things together like paint our nails, go to see the newest Chipmunk movie or just sitting down to read a book together means the world to me. At times, because I deal with children all day, I have to remind myself that her time with me is unique and special and I need to add a little extra patience to my load. I'm the only mom she has! She is EVERYTHING to me and I couldn't imagine a world without her!
A relationship that is very important to me is that of the one between my students and myself. I have the best class of second-graders that anyone could ever ask for. Over the years my students have taught me that I am not just the teacher, but a student myself, as I am learning from them. I am very big on being respectful, kind and helpful in my classroom. However, that is not just a rule for the children to follow, but one for me as well. In fact, today my daughter was sick and I was home. Obviously, I wanted to be with my daughter when she needed me, yet I had a piece of me that was quite disappointed because we learned about Harriet Tubman's childhood and the children were SOOO excited about learning more. Today they were supposed to learn about the underground railroad and more from her life. I was sad to miss out on that with them. They are one special group of children!
Another person I have a positive relationship with is Emilee's teacher, Mrs. Yinger. She has a "looping" classroom, so she was Emilee's kindergarten teacher, as well as her first grade teacher this year. She is a WONDERFUL teacher! Emilee was diagnosed with ADHD (non-attentive type, no hyperactivity). Mrs. yinger has been non-judgmental and has been willing to work WITH us to help Emilee succeed. She keeps parents informed on what is going on and treats the children with so much care and respect. I have found myself modeling the good relationship builders that i see Mrs. Yinger doing. She has been a wonderful influence on our family!
To me, being someone's partner means that you are willing to work with them, show respect towards them and be there when you need them. I feel that every one of these relationships are partnerships. Of course, at times, all partnerships can be challenging. My husband is my partner, but we have to work on compromising and sometimes doing what is best for the other person and not just ourselves. In my partnership with my daughter, I have to show her that I deserve respect, but by giving her respect. At times, that is easier than it sounds. In my partnership with my students, I have to be willing to understand that I don't know everything and that I will be learning from them and their parents, even if at times the lessons aren't always easy ones. In my partnership with Emilee's teacher, I have to step back, even though I am a teacher to, and realize that as Emilee's classroom teacher, that she sees Emilee in a different capacity as me. This was crucial in us seeing her ADHD and not denying it any longer.
All of these relationships are important to my life as an early childhood educator. having a caring heart, loads of patience, being able to compromise, being willing to learn from your mistakes and being willing to take a step-back are all qualities that I see important to my job as an educator.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a wonderful blog! You are right, in marriages, sometimes we do have to compromise. But, when we compromise and work together, it makes for a phenomenal partnership!
I especially like your comment about your daughter's teacher seeing her in a different capacity than you, as her parent, sees her. That is very inspiring to hear. I believe that is a very difficult task to master.
I look forward to reading all of your blog postings!!
Susan
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI love your reflections on various special relationships in which you are engaged. I smiled when I read your reflection on your daughter Emilee. It's the small things and times together that make relationships so special and meaningful. I would guess that Emilee will always remember the times that her mom spent painting her nails. This is a special activity I have in common with my niece.
Becky
Nicely done Mrs. Rachel. I enjoyed reading your post. This was very beneficial and it seems as if you and your family have a very close bond, which is great.
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