I have wondered if I should start a blog about my journey to high school. It started out as The Incredible Journey---my path to further understanding and kick-ass-ive-ness as a speech-language pathologist. After 12 decidedly UN-kick-ass weeks, I wonder if I shouldn't just step away from the keyboard. After all, does explaining and complaining make things more real? Should I just keep quiet, put my head down and make it less real by not acknowledging it out loud? HA! My people know that just sucking it up silently is Lico's forte, NOT MINE! So, my goal is to acknowledge publicly my challenges so that I am more accountable to make positive changes. I don't want to be a quitter and I do want to love my job again.
I invite you to lurk, to comment, to question. Just please don't say, "I'm sure you're doing a great job!" or "you are your own worst critic!" or "Don't worry!" I appreciate your kindness and intentions, but my goal is to learn, grow and change.
Hi there Denise! Welcome to the blogging world! Can't wait to read more! :) Jill
ReplyDeleteDenise, from a secondary person who loved working with secondary kids, the thought that was always foremost in my mind was, "How do I help this student become as functional an adult as possible?", which is a very different question than gets asked in elementary school. I don't know what it is like for a speech person, but for a PT, it meant changing my focus from making sure they maintained their range of motion by me doing it to figuring out how to make it important for them to maintain as a means of doing something else. It meant teaching them how to handle a rehab doctor's appointment or how to call the wheelchair place to get their chair fixed. It didn't mean just handing them the phone or demanding that they do it by themselves but rather teaching them how to go about it and being next to them to support them on their first try at doing it themselves. It involved looking at what skills I thought they would need to be a functional adult and then talking with them about what they thought they would like to be able to do. For example, If you want to live on your own after high school, what do you need to be able to do? For me, this was a great help in figuring out how to work with secondary students. Feel free to call and chat or if you send me your number, I'll call you. Changing from elementary to secondary is a major mind shift but, knowing you, I have no doubt you will be successful.
ReplyDeleteHey Denise, I've switched jobs twice since leaving SPPS. In each new situation, 70% of my skill set (which I was confident about and proud of) became obsolete. And what I did know was not valued or even recognized. The first year someplace just is horrendous. I empathize completely. I will say that it is a STEEP uphill climb, but I really like how much I have learned and how much broader and stronger my skill set is now, in terms of working with students, teachers and administrators.
ReplyDeleteWell, there are many different ways to analyze the situation:
ReplyDelete1. From the metaphysical point of view: If you are there is for a reason and it is good. Something good will come from all this.
2. The other would be a more negative point of view, and it can summarize as: you tried did not work, move on.
However, the real question here is the same for everything in life.... Why are you doing this? Why would you want to stay there and/or Why should you go away?
There was a reason for you to go to another school... maybe you needed the change, maybe you wanted a new challenge. Well, there you go, now the questions are: Are you being challenge? Are you being challenge in he way you wanted to be?
Now put in a balance the reasons to stay:
1. Maybe it is not working very well but on the positive side you have a job and this is great considering how things are everywhere.
2. Maybe the challenge is there but not in the way you expected... Do you think it is going to change? How long are you willing to stay there under the current circumstances?
3. Are you gonna stay for the right or wrong reasons?... obviously what is right for you might be wrong for someone else... so this is a conversation with yourself.
Very important: Are you happy with the current situation? or Would you feel happier changing to another place or staying and trying a little bit longer?
If staying and trying is your main motivation now, focus on that. You need to find something that motivates you to go to work everyday because if you don't have that a change is needed for your own benefit.
I know this might sound very selfish... me, me , me. How do I feel, Do I want to stay?... etc But you need to know that.
Also, you can ask yourself, is this situation affecting my life, my family, my environment, my job.
I think we all know what we need to do even in the worst situation, so find that one thing, the goal, the motivation to go. If you have one thing you will have a purpose to go every morning to work even if it is hard, and slowly other things will get better.
However, if you cannot find that one thing to keep you moving and working or if your reason is not strong enough... Well, there it is you have your answer.
Remember: Más vale que digan: aquí corrió y no aquí quedó. LOL