Reflection 4

Posted on February 23, 2008

I feel like this blog entry may be close to my last discussion post, "my thoughts on consulting." The readings so far have really helped me to slow down and reflect on my practices and how things are going. I have been trying to define my role for myself over the course of the past 1.5 years in my position and have had a difficult time. In trying to learn the ropes and where I fit in the school community I let myself be taken advantage of and my role became more of doing whatever anyone asked. With the information in this text and a better understanding of my school and how things work, I am feeling more comfortable defining my role for myself and becoming more assertive. There are some teachers that I just click with and we problem solve together well. There are others that tell me how it is what what I need to do. I am am still figuring out how to turn the "assignments" from other staff to team problem solving where we work together to meet a child's needs. I don't believe that because they are 'mine' they are out of the room for "X" subject. The communication and interpersonal skills outlined for an effective collaborative consultant are really helpful for me to put my finger on the areas that I need to improve and gain more confidence.