1st Day Reflection

Since attending the first day of class I have visited with my superintendent about how he goes about negotiations and the very first thing he stated was that you have to have trust with the people at the table. I thought it was quite interesting that the first thing he mentioned was the first thing we talked about in class. He has negotiated several contracts and he said that the thing he finds most beneficial is taking time (before negotiations start) to get to know the people that will be across the table from you. He also spends time with the the school attorney before hand to find out what the hot topics are that the state association is pushing through the state legislature so he will have a better idea about what the union might be asking for. It's clear to me after the first day of class and after visiting with my superintendent that you must spend time before hand to make sure you are prepared so others at the table think you know what you are doing.