TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

April 21, 2000

CONTENTS

            WIZDOM

                  (1)     Anne’s Cloud, Part 3, Denise Meyer

            CONNECTIONS

                  (2)     4th Annual TOC for Education International Conference

            QUOTE

                  (3)     Eric Jensen

            EDITORS’ NOTE

                  (4)     Kay Buckner-Seal and Cheryl Edwards

WIZDOM

(1)      Anne’s Cloud, Part 3

By Denise Meyer, Los Angeles, CA, USA

 

Editor’s Note:  In the last episode, Anne broke the cloud on the wrong side and left Mr. Alvarez seething!  Upon reflection, she made an injection on her side of the conflict.  Read to find out how Mr. Alvarez reacted to the situation this time.  If you would like to read the previous episodes in TACTics, 4/7/00 and 4/14/00, visit our website at: www.nwfl.net/suerken/toc

 

      Her hands shaking with emotion, she took the paper with the cloud on it to confront Mr. Alvarez.  “Mr. Alvarez, can I have a moment of your time?”

      “Yes?” he responded and stopped what he was doing to listen.

      Anne took her crumpled paper full of scribbles and marks and began reading her cloud following the communication guidelines as best she could.  “I think we both want to have a good working relationship, don’t we?”

      “Yes,”  answered Mr. Alvarez.

      “In order to have a good working relationship, I understand that you must have a successful staff meeting?”  She asked the statement as if it were a question.  She knew she needed to wait to see if he would express a different need but there was no immediate response so she continued.  “And in order to have a successful staff meeting, you must have me at the meeting.”

      “Well, you don’t have to be there…” he began and sort of trailed off without completing the thought.  It seemed to Anne that he was backing off from his previous insistence that she be there.

      Anne continued, “However, in order to have a good working relationship, I must have my ideas and opinions valued.  And in order to have that, I must go to my training.”  She then began to explain her assumptions, “At first I assumed I had to be at the entire training session but as I thought about it, I realized that I could miss the first two hours because it’s mainly review.  That’s why I was hoping the staff meeting would start earlier.  Since the meeting usually lasts two hours, if we started at 8:00, I could get to my training a little after 10:00 and not miss too much of the training.”

      Mr. Alvarez smiled and said,  “I’ll tell you what, we’ll start at 9:00 as usual but everything that pertains to you we’ll do at the beginning and I’ll have you out of here by 10:00.  I promise.” 

      “I really like what you put here,” he said, pointing to the common objective on her paper, “that we both want a good relationship.  I think that’s very important.  Thank you for coming in and talking it out with me.”

      Anne left the office beaming.  As she went back to her desk to prepare for the meeting, she thought about the difference in her feelings before she walked into the office and when she walked out.  She had gone in angry, nervous and scared at the thought of confronting her boss.  The paper she was holding had been shaking in her trembling hand.  She did something she had never done before.  What had made the change?  She realized that the paper in her hand had guided her communication.  She had gone in knowing what to say because she had thought it through in a logical way.  That made all the difference.  Without having thought it through, without that paper, she would not have been able to talk to him about this problem.  The cloud had given her the strength to do something different.

      The meeting started at 9:00 and Anne was excused at 9:45.  When she arrived at the training they were still talking about yesterday’s lesson.  Anne shared her story before they got into the day’s work.

      The next Monday, after the training, Anne found a note from Mr. Alvarez on her desk.  It read as follows:

     

                Dear Anne,

      Thank you so much for coming in to talk over our small problem.  Yes, many times we don’t consider other people’s priorities.  That is why communication is so important. You are an excellent teacher.  I am happy to have you on my staff. 

                Mr. Alvarez

 

Anne could see that these tools for resolving conflict were going to serve her in more ways than one. 

CONNECTIONS

(2)     4th Annual TOC for Education International Conference

Sheraton Ambassador Hotel

Monterrey, Mexico

August 9-12, 2000

Lodging: (*Room rates are based on single OR double occupancy.)

Classic room—            $86(+tax)            For more than two people to a room, there is a $15.00 charge for each extra person.

Executive room—        $116(+tax)            For more than two people to a room there is a $25.00 charge for each extra person.

 

Registration for conference rates must be made before July 25.  After this date, rooms will be released and on a space available basis.  Make reservations directly with the hotel by identifying yourself as a member of TOC for Education.

           

           

To make reservations from:

                Mexico — (direct to the hotel):            1.800.832.8400 

                        USA & Canada— (central reservation):            1.800.325.3535

            Nations outside of North America—(switchboard):            1.528.380.7000

(3)      QUOTE

“There is no such thing as an unmotivated student, there are only unmotivated states of mind.” —Eric Jensen

(4)      EDITORS’ NOTE

To our entire TOCFE Family, please continue to share so that we all may maintain our POOGI.  Have a pleasant week!

 

Send HYPERLINK to:

            bucknek@resa.net

            redwards@sault.com  NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!

           

Send mail to:

            Cheryl A. Edwards

            2253 S. Hill Island Road

            Cedarville, MI 49719 USA