Conflict Resolution

As I have mentioned in the past I am a center director of an early childhood learning center.   I hired a new staff member about 3 months ago that was recently transitioned into a new preschool classroom.  My assistant and I have felt that this teacher is really struggling in this particular age group and needs additional training.  On top of that, I have has a couple parent concerns brought to my attention that they feel she is not doing well and the classroom seems out of control.  In a perfect world, I would have pulled her out of the classroom and completed one on one training with her to ensure that she was comfortable with routines, curriculum and classroom management techniques.  Because our world in early childhood is not always perfect, I went with another choice.  I chose to pull her from that particular classroom and place her as a co-teacher in another classroom.  The idea is to pair her with a strong teacher with whom she can learn the routines, curriculum, and classroom management techniques and become proficient.  Once she and I both feel confident that she can lead a classroom on her own, she would then be given her own room.

The conflict arose because this teacher feels like she is doing well and was beginning to feel comfortable with the classroom.  When sitting down and having a conversation with her, I did not ask much of her opinion.  I basically told her what my decision was and provided some backup reasons to my ‘why’.  The teacher was in tears and felt she was being given a demotion.  

Due to the communication and conflict strategies I have learned this week, I am circling back around to speak to the teacher again.  Had I known these strategies earlier, I feel my conversation may have gone more smoothly.  If I would have used the knowledge of Magda Gerber’s 3 R’s, I think the conversation would have been more of a two-way conversation versus one-way.  I should have been more responsive to her individual needs and come to a compromise.  If I would have spoken more about the goal of additional training being beneficial for her and the children maybe the teacher would not have felt isolated and attacked.

I would have also used Marshall B. Rosenberg’s nonviolent communication principles.  Although I did not get violent or even raise my voice during our conversation, I feel like I did not use empathetic listening.  Listening to another during conversation is critical.  People express their observations, feelings, needs and requests during conversation and it is crucial to hear them out so that a compromise can be obtained.  

My goal is to circle back and have a follow up conversation with this teacher using Magda Gerber’s 3 R’s as well as Marshall B. Rosenberg’s nonviolent communication principles.    I would like to find a broader range of solutions that both the teacher and I are comfortable with.