Discussion 1
Work:
Out of the negotiation tactics presented in this discussion, I chose the Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA) tactic as I believe it connects with the way I generally handle things. With the ZOPA tactic, the two parties involved in the negotiation try to find common ground or a common goal in reaching their agreement. The agreement reached in a ZOPA tactic must incorporate some of the other’s ideas. At work, we follow a pacing guide for 5th grade math and there was a particular section, fractions, that I believe my students needed to spend more time on as the quiz grades were falling and students were struggling to grasp the material. When meeting with my instructional coach, I told her that I needed at least 8 more instructional days to sharpen the student’s skills. She said that 8 days was too much and that she would not be able to give up that much time. In addition, since the end of the school year was approaching and the FAST assessment were two months away, we both understood that we would had to incorporate either Saturday school or after school tutoring. Finally, we both came to the the agreement that I would be given 5 days of extra time on this unit and the students that struggled the most, were offered after school tutoring. So, even though I did not get the 8 days I originally asked for, I did get 5 and was offered to lead the after school tutoring sessions which gave me a little bit more money in every paycheck.
College:
With my current doctorate program, I have been working very diligently to balance my professional, personal and scholastic life so that I do not fall behind on my assignments. However, there was a time during my master’s program where I did fall behind because of the living arrangements I had to face when I first moved to New York City. The apartment that I was living in, became condemned, and I had to move out immediately. I could not believe that I had just moved to a new city, with a new job and attending a new college and I had nowhere to live. After many days of staying with friends and hotels, I finally was able to temporarily rent a place. Through all of this struggle, I fell behind on my school work and I had to be honest with one of my professors about not being able to turn in one of my assignments on time. I spoke to my professor and told her that I needed an additional week to finish the assignment and would accept a letter grade deduction for whatever grade I earned on the assignment. She said she sympathized with my situation, but, she could only give me three days and the deduction could be up to two letter grades, depending on how well the paper was written. I had to accept it because I did not want a zero grade to hugely impact my final grade. In applying the ZOPA negotiating tactic, both parties’ ideas were incorporated in the final decision. Rather than the full seven-day extension, I was granted three days, understanding a two letter grade deduction could be applied.
Personal Interactions:
Without knowing it, I have been applying ZOPA when trying to balance my personal/social, scholastic and professional life. Now that I am starting my doctorate program, I know that some of the time that I am spending on other things had to be reallocated. For example, I had to trim the days that I spend tutoring after school from 4 days to 3 and, I had to also make sure that I leave work on time, no later than 4:30, to make sure I had time to study and read for all of my assignments. With my personal and social obligations, my boyfriend agreed to be home to take care of our dog when I was not, especially since I would be away more than previously expected. With my friends, I had to make sure I communicated with them that I was not going to be available Friday nights during school semesters. Friday nights, I go the the library for at least 4 hours to dedicate to bettering myself as a writer as I knew that I would be writing many papers for the duration of this doctorate program. I am negotiating with myself everyday to make sure I balance all of the aspects of my life to make sure I work hard and play hard, as the song says.
Discussion 2
Work:
Out of the negotiation tactics presented in this discussion, I chose the Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA) tactic as I believe it connects with the way I generally handle things. With the ZOPA tactic, the two parties involved in the negotiation try to find common ground or a common goal in reaching their agreement. The agreement reached in a ZOPA tactic must incorporate some of the other’s ideas. At work, we follow a pacing guide for 5th grade math and there was a particular section, fractions, that I believe my students needed to spend more time on as the quiz grades were falling and students were struggling to grasp the material. When meeting with my instructional coach, I told her that I needed at least 8 more instructional days to sharpen the student’s skills. She said that 8 days was too much and that she would not be able to give up that much time. In addition, since the end of the school year was approaching and the FAST assessment were two months away, we both understood that we would had to incorporate either Saturday school or after school tutoring. Finally, we both came to the the agreement that I would be given 5 days of extra time on this unit and the students that struggled the most, were offered after school tutoring. So, even though I did not get the 8 days I originally asked for, I did get 5 and was offered to lead the after school tutoring sessions which gave me a little bit more money in every paycheck.
College:
With my current doctorate program, I have been working very diligently to balance my professional, personal and scholastic life so that I do not fall behind on my assignments. However, there was a time during my master’s program where I did fall behind because of the living arrangements I had to face when I first moved to New York City. The apartment that I was living in, became condemned, and I had to move out immediately. I could not believe that I had just moved to a new city, with a new job and attending a new college and I had nowhere to live. After many days of staying with friends and hotels, I finally was able to temporarily rent a place. Through all of this struggle, I fell behind on my school work and I had to be honest with one of my professors about not being able to turn in one of my assignments on time. I spoke to my professor and told her that I needed an additional week to finish the assignment and would accept a letter grade deduction for whatever grade I earned on the assignment. She said she sympathized with my situation, but, she could only give me three days and the deduction could be up to two letter grades, depending on how well the paper was written. I had to accept it because I did not want a zero grade to hugely impact my final grade. In applying the ZOPA negotiating tactic, both parties’ ideas were incorporated in the final decision. Rather than the full seven-day extension, I was granted three days, understanding a two letter grade deduction could be applied.
Personal Interactions:
Without knowing it, I have been applying ZOPA when trying to balance my personal/social, scholastic and professional life. Now that I am starting my doctorate program, I know that some of the time that I am spending on other things had to be reallocated. For example, I had to trim the days that I spend tutoring after school from 4 days to 3 and, I had to also make sure that I leave work on time, no later than 4:30, to make sure I had time to study and read for all of my assignments. With my personal and social obligations, my boyfriend agreed to be home to take care of our dog when I was not, especially since I would be away more than previously expected. With my friends, I had to make sure I communicated with them that I was not going to be available Friday nights during school semesters. Friday nights, I go the the library for at least 4 hours to dedicate to bettering myself as a writer as I knew that I would be writing many papers for the duration of this doctorate program. I am negotiating with myself everyday to make sure I balance all of the aspects of my life to make sure I work hard and play hard, as the song says.
