Short Response Three
Tinto talks of three stages of passage in transitioning to college, separation, transition, and incorporation. In the past when starting a new job at Baltimore County Public Schools the stage that applied to my job most was incorporation. According to Tinto in order to fully incorporate yourself into a new group you must adapt to the behaviors and norms of that group. Tintos stage states that daily personal contact with members of the group both formal and informal is necessary for incorporation to occur. Everyone though is not able to make personal contacts on their own leading one to fail in being incorporated into the new group.
While working for Baltimore County Public Schools, especially in my first year, I found incorporating myself into the school system very difficult. One way in which I had difficulties integrating was in keeping my emotions seperate, by learning not to respond to the natural desire to nurture/mother a student with a neurological disability who was having an emotional or even a behavioral breakdown. In forming relationships with my co-workers is another way in which I failed integrating even though I had daily contact some of which was in an informal/social setting(i.e. lunch/break time). Although many of my co-workers were in my age group and gender I feel that my ignorance in how to work with special needs students with neurological disorders, such as autisim, created an uncomfotable, sometimes strained relationship. By educating myself and hands on experience over time I feel integration occured resulting in successful incorporation into my job.
