AAS 1301

Evidenced by Managing, Listening Effectively, and Empathizing

Leadership is the process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards the achievement of a goal. I have been a paraprofessional in a self-contained special education classroom for the past four years in Texarkana Independent School District. I have learned that in order to be an effective leader one must acquire a great understanding of active listening, managing others in regards to safety, and empathizing with both students and staff, respectively. Thanks to this learning process, I am more knowledgeable in the classroom where my leadership skills are put to use on a continual basis. This knowledge is evidenced daily by managing student behaviors to ensure safety, listening effectively to other staff members, learning how to empathize with coworkers, and modeling for others the importance of leadership in and around the school.

LEADERSHIP: MANAGING

CONCRETE EXPERIENCE

It has been my experience that others often do not interject because they know I am capable and consistent with my students’ behavior expectations. If there are comments, others are usually asking if I require any assistance. I can often be heard saying routine behavior expectation statements, “hands down”, “walking feet”, and/or “finish”. The actions taken by me is one of an active observer. I will always try and give my students ample response time when given a directive to ensure they are successful but there are times when I must implement the desired behavior on the student’s behalf. In my current role as a special education paraprofessional, I am able to utilize leadership and management techniques in regards to student behavior on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. Specific leadership and behavior management techniques include cueing the students to perform different tasks that are assigned in the classroom. I accomplish this by providing varying degrees of prompting (physical, gestural, and verbal), and also redirecting the student back to the desired behavior or activity. Most, if not all of these take place within the classroom walls, but can also occur anywhere within the building at any given time. My role is often viewed of that as support to the classroom teacher, but a lot of the times I am in a one-on-one situation with a student during a difficult time, behaviorally speaking.

REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION

The effects of leadership in regards to the management of behaviors can be described and analyzed in several examples. First, is the aspect of safety; I can only imagine how chaotic our classroom would run if I were not able to actively implement behavior accommodations in my classroom. The use of the pictures and verbal/physical prompts provide the necessary scaffolding to ensure my students’ successes, whatever those might be. Secondly, is the ability for the students to communicate more effectively when their behaviors are controlled. When I provide a challenging student the opportunity to express his wants and needs I notice a significant decrease in problematic behaviors. If I can effectively utilize the visuals and behavior modifications I have found that my students are calmer and overall more engaged. These situations are similar to what I have observed with my own child. He sometimes struggles to communicate effectively and I have noticed when I utilize some of the same techniques he exhibits less distressed behaviors and clearly defined thoughts. I will continue to utilize this behavior management technique to instill confidence and effective communication skills.

LEADERSHIP: LISTENING EFFECTIVELY

CONCRETE EXPERIENCE

Secondly, my experience with listening effectively first came to me during my first day of work and has not since left me. I knew I would have to listen to each and every directive from my principal in regards to what she would be expecting of me on a daily basis. This could change on a daily basis until I was placed permanently in the special education classroom so I needed to make sure I took my role as active listener seriously. I carried that skill over to the classroom when actively listening to my classroom teacher’s expectations. My teacher would go over the daily schedule which could change by the minute. The teacher and I had to be able to understand what the other was saying, sometimes with no words at all. My actions were that of a listener. I would respond when necessary to demonstrate my understanding of the directives, but most of the time would remain in a state of listening. This skill also transferred over to the students. I would have to listen to their needs, and that can be difficult with non-verbal students. Just because the majority of my students are non-verbal, it does not mean they are non-vocal. I was able to listen to their sounds and observe their body language. This would tell me their current state or mood and I was able to respond accordingly.

REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION

The effects of leadership in regards to listening effectively can be described and analyzed in several examples. First, is the aspect of respect; imagine feeling passionately about something and how excited you are to share your ideas and experiences only to have someone not give you a listening ear. I am always very mindful to give the respect I would want in return when someone is speaking to me. This is most important when we are dealing with parents. Parents want to know that their concerns are being heard and solutions are being created. Additionally, when I am conversing with my classroom teacher, I make sure to listen effectively to her suggestions for the day’s activities. When I listen effectively, I can ensure that the person speaking feels respected and that their opinions are meaningful to me. These situations are similar to what I have observed with my youngest child who is hearing impaired. He sometimes struggles to communicate effectively and I have noticed when I listen to his needs, again he exhibits less distressed behaviors. I have to make sure he is looking at me when I am speaking and I make sure to do the same when he speaks to me. I will continue to utilize this technique to instill confidence and effective listening skills.

LEADERSHIP: EMPATHIZING

CONCRETE EXPERIENCE

The third and final skill is empathizing. I am able to use calming strategies because I am familiar with their behaviors and I know what works best for the individual student. In the classroom, there are many transitions between activities and this can often be upsetting to the students. I am often observed saying “first you, then you” to activate the students’ working memory of the daily schedule. The students are often receptive to this as many students on the Autism spectrum thrive when visuals are presented. Others can be heard mimicking my language because consistency is just as important as visuals. The actions taken could be identified as getting down on the students’ physical level, rubbing their hand, applying pressure to the shoulders, tops of arms, or back and also, presenting the visual and placing the students hand on the picture to help promote awareness. Empathizing is not something that can be taught; one can either empathize for or with another person/thing or not. When I hear a student in distress or they are visibly upset I am able to immediately empathize with them because I know what it feels like to be upset. By utilizing a picture schedule, I am able to give my most anxious students a clue as to what’s coming next and hopefully decrease some of the tension.

REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION

The effects of leadership in regards to empathizing can be described and analyzed in several examples. First, is the aspect of human nature; empathy is a crucial social component that many people do not possess and I am grateful that I have this understanding in regards to others. Relative to Autism, I have noticed a disconnection with my students in regards to this skill because many of my students are still learning how to relate to others and it is something we address daily in the classroom. My skill for empathy is most notable when my students come in upset or distressed first thing in the morning. From my experience it is best if I allow them some time to self-regulate so we can move on with our daily routine and activities. I can compare this situation to myself and my children. If I wake up not feeling well, my children know to give me some time to gather myself before engaging me in conversation or asking me a lot of questions.

ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION

As a result of this Domain of Knowledge (Leadership) I was able to gain a better understanding of the concepts related to Conscious Discipline. Becky Bailey, the creator of Conscious Discipline, has made it her mission to creating positive environments for children, families and schools. Conscious Discipline can best be described as a “comprehensive management program and a social/emotional curriculum. It is based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices” (Bailey, 2001). Universally, my campus incorporates this strategy throughout the school day. The students are taught proper breathing techniques, self-awareness, self-control and appropriate interaction with others. It is my belief that the use of Conscious Discipline has been one of the most effective strategies to date in regards to maintaining student behaviors and it has been a positive addition to the overall campus morale. It is important to note the autonomy this creates within the students; when a student notices themselves becoming upset or needing a moment to self-regulate they are taught to go to the “safe place” in the classroom. Taking this type of initiative is a skill that will benefit them throughout their lives (Bailey, 2001).

ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION

After receiving several training sessions, I significantly changed the way I deal with situations. I have used the training that has been provided to me at home. As I stated previously, I am the single mother of two young boys. It can be difficult communicating with them but I have learned that being a good listener helps build those positive relationships. Listening is a communication skill that also promotes successful understanding, evaluation of discussions, and interpretation. As a young mother, I tend to fail at times listening to my children’s needs, this in turn, made them frustrated which made it difficult to effectively communicate. With my Conscious Discipline training, I have been able to help my children and my students become more independent and self – reliant; they are now successful in developing the skills to express their thoughts and cope with challenging situations. I have been able to listen more and have open communication that assures them that their opinions are valid and significant. Being a good listener, helps build positive relationships. I want the positive relationships with my family and school. In school, we have to make choices; giving children choices is one way that I am able to be assertive. When I provide two options and allow the child to choose, I am still able to control the outcome since the original two choices were mine to begin with. It also empowers my own children and I have learned that giving choices to my young boys at home makes a difference. Whenever I give a verbal command, I usually include two positive choices. I have found that children are sometimes defiant towards assertive commands and respond better when choices are given; at times it can even make the child feel secure. Being empowered to make choices fosters autonomy in children, while promoting the desired behavioral result as well.

References

Bailey, R. A. (2001). Conscious discipline: 7 basic skills for brain smart classroom management. Oviedo, FL: Conscious Discipline.