WORKING WITH ADULTS

HD411 Working with Adults/online class

Alma Ramirez-Rodriguez
Philosophy Statement
Pacific Oaks College
June 21, 2015
Professor Dr. Earl Ruhnke

Working with Adults

Philosophy Working with Adults
In developing a philosophy statement, there are some question that come to mind
1. When adults are treated with respect, how effective are they in their work environment?
Perhaps, many adults spend a great time outside of their actual home thus making their
work environment a second home. This is where many adults give it their all and others feel
unvalued and become less interested. Every aspect and idea of each person at a work site is a
representation of it unless it is proven otherwise.
2. Skeletons in the closet, how does that contribute to a persons personality?
Traumatic experiences can affect an adults way of seeing things, making it difficult for a
work environment to succeed. Adults should take the time to reflect on themselves before
becoming a supervisor or lead in their group. Making this an important point to what each person
has to offer. Going through this philosophy statement I became interested on how adults have
surfaced due to their past. I do believe that past traumas, experiences and society make a person
for who they have become.
Working with adults, is not always easy and to come up with a technique for adults to
reflect and become understanding people is what I will seek to understand. I also want to learn
how I can become a better adult for when I go back into the working world and not let my past
emotions interfere in the work environment.
I believe that each adult is unique, regardless of religion, gender, race and ethnicity. They
need a caring, understanding, secure and an atmosphere where adults can continue to grow. The
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learning environment consisting of social, emotional and logical growth helping the adults feel
comfortable and not judged. Adults can feel safe and open to the communication; there should be
certain steps to begin and maintain this type of environment, respecting each individual, focus on
their positive attributes and facilitate as a guide.
When a supervisor or coworker respects each others differences, it also reflects the
respect that they have for themselves thus opening the floor for different opinions and ideas. If
the supervisor directs him/herself to the group with an idea instead of demanding the coworkers,
they are susceptive to add their opinions without feeling judged; In other words making the
environment a common respectful ground.
It is very important to focus on their positive attributes; this can help the environment be
a peaceful place, it gives the adult to learn and grow from their mistakes. For instance, if a report
has certain pieces missing, directing it in a manner where the adult feels unappreciated for their
efforts, it makes the adult shutdown and make the environment bitter.
Facilitating as a guide, would be the most important feature. When a supervisor or other
adults are guided with patience, nurture and understanding it reflects on the working
environment. It becomes a great opportunity to allow and discover themselves with skills. As a
guide it is crucial to give information rather than imposing the information. When adults add
information or an opinion to a conversation it allows the adult to learn and discover themselves.
Another important factor intertwined with working with adults is communication; its not
just based on giving information. Communication goes a long way, it is based on feelings,
emotions and passion behind the information. Communication has two components that of

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receiving and the sender, in a work environment this component is lost sometimes. Supervisors
and lead team members, speak with authority and demanding demeanors. Communication are
skills combined with engaged listening, communicating assertively and managing stress.
An online article explains the engaged listener, When you really listen you are engaged
with what is being said- you will hear the subtle intonations in someones voice that tell you how
that person is feeling and the emotions they are trying to communicate. (Mindtools, 2014).
Reflecting back on the previous post of each individual, this important key element did not seem
to reflect, a few supervisors spoke without engaging and not listening with what the entire team
had to say, this does happen quite often. To make an environment work is to create a bond
between coworkers beginning with engaging as a listener.
Assertiveness, is honest communication in expressing ones needs and wants. This form
of communication is allowing open conversations to happen, where neither person feels
threatened or judged. When assertiveness is not displayed the work environment becomes hostile
where all or certain workers shut down and become less effective with their work.
Communication goes hand in hand with adult developmental theories which Erik Erikson
theorized stages of life and how each can affect the next stage. Working with adults is not always
easy because of the dynamics and ideas that each individual has. Knowing the background or a
little bit of a person story can shift that dynamic. For example, a supervisor who speaks with
authority does not mean that she is rude and angry. It is most likely that they have had a difficult
upbringing where they had many struggles.

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Learning to listen, Learning to teach, gives important points about adults. One that
speaks to me is Principle number nine clear roles it explains the importance of communication
between the learner and the teacher, supervisor or lead team member. If the teachers role does
not lend itself to dialogue, learner will not seek them out. I find this to have truth as taking this
online class has been challenging in many ways, since I am a visual learner and the interaction
between the teacher and myself is very important. Identifying that the interaction of the teacher
was not present unless something was not followed, I felt the need to seek my fellow peers. With
that I was able to continue with the dynamic of the class.
Working with adults, is becoming a part of a community a sense of kinship. It is a thing
of becoming us and not them because of higher positions. It is finding the similarities of each
other and thriving and expanding with ideas. A place where dedication, understanding,
encouragement and nurture takes places. Kinship is togetherness, acceptance, assertiveness,
engagement, listening, communication, and non-judgmental.
Our community was part of the course working with adults, I learned that our community
thrived on each others experiences and concerns. Our similarities flourished with the skills
pointed out on the power point, supporting and helping each other to continue the success. I
learned that we gave each other the respect to grow developmentally, cognitively and
emotionally. Thus reflecting on our past, and fulfilling the future with changes.
The stuns of growth often occur by past experiences leading to low self-esteem,
insecurity and depression. In other cases past experiences have also shown the opposite of
insecurity by becoming overconfident to the point of always thinking that the person is right and
what others might say is wrong or never taken into consideration. This also stunning the potential
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growth of an individual. Believing that they have the power to overpower others, when there is
room to reflect, allowing one self to process and to problem solve it is given the potential to
recover and adapt to new situations that can improve an overall of society.
And so, embracing each individual with their unique abilities; the adult can grow and
learn in an environment where they feel understood, cared for and nurtured. The sense of
equality and non-discrimination is what makes a working adult flourish and feels safe. To make
my philosophy statement more inclusive I need to consider the individuals experience and apply
theories to other cultures, race, religion, gender ethnicity, age group, sexual orientation and
economic level.

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References
MindTools. (2014, June 19). Adult learning, communication and skills. Retrieved June 19, 2015,
from http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html?
Vella, J. (1994). Clear roles. In learning to listen, learning to teach: The power of dialogue in
educating adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.