Often I have been in situations where I say something heartfelt and what I feel to be true, but then it is misinterpreted. Being a first-year teacher, expressing myself has been a challenge all year, which is strange for me, who loves reading, writing, and communicating.

Today I realized what it is that I need some work on: diplomacy. I need to learn to speak like a politician. Why? By learning this kind of "language," I can express what I mean without being misinterpreted or without coming across as ignorant, sensitive, mean, or naive. Everyone who works in a professional environment needs to be adept at this skill. For instance, instead of saying, "I'm afraid you won't listen to me," say, "How will you use my comments to do ______?" In this way, your concerns/opinions are heard and you will receive a response that you want. A diplomatic way of speaking tends to be straight forward and clear, which helps to avoid misunderstandings. The other trick I learned is that you should ask the person to do something that will show you the change that you want to see, or that they have taken your concern into consideration.

For the teachers out there, it's like writing your standards on the board. Ask yourself: is this observable? Is this measurable? I can't see if you understand something, but I can see your level of understanding if you write about it or say it. Diplomacy should function the same way because, unfortunately, someone's "word" might not always be trustworthy.