New Developments
Good morning … it’s us again … we’re trying to get through. It’s about 5:24 now so we’ve got basically an hour to write. We just said goodbye to our fishyman. He’s off for another weekend of fishying with his guy friends. He seemed pretty excited. We smooched him up good and umm distressed him last night. *Sigh* Life is nice.I’m doing so far pretty good with thoughts of separation. I haven’t really felt it yet. It’s this time like I know he’s going out to have a good time, so all is good. He confessed he had bought a new rod. AHA! That took a while for him to get around talking of! He had said something previously about feeling guilty … I spose that’s what it was about. He knows he has a very expensive hobby. Maybe this time coming back he’ll think more strongly about getting a fishing boat. This weekend he’s going up to Northern Wisconsin – Lake Dubay. We printed him a map.
Hmm, we’ve been drifty … It’s almost time to take our shower. It looks like our movies are coming, but it seems someone ordered mostly documentaries. No CARTOONS!
There’s something wrong with that. I know, I know we got good movies and even penquin movies, but its not the same thing. Well yes there is a baby penguin so that’s almost like being a cartoon, but not quite. *Sigh*
Maybe we should take our shower first to have more time on the other end.
Ok, we’re back again. Little congested from not having written for a couple of days … not sure what all has gone on.
Last night though we had an appointment with Dr. Marvin. For the first ¾’s part we talked to him about normal stuff, and then the last 15 like the last session we gave over to something new. Last night we tried to align ourselves from where we were last time. It was hard thinking those thoughts through, and it took a bit for Dr. Marvin to get back his memories. I think too much good vacation. Hmpf!
Now I gotta remember what was said. I know there’s an assignment almost to concentrate on the eating parts and trying to hold off even if just for 30-60 seconds. We tried to explain how mad we’d gotten having to walk at the zoo without the chair and how mad or cranky we become in just having to wait for dinner. We think its something much more than just being hungry, though I know that’s a part of it. Maybe there was some reason to feel tortured from youth. We do know that my mother would take her sweet time. I have very clear images of her reading her romance novels before dinner. It was a helpless feeling not to be able to take what we wanted. I always had the impression that we were swiping food.
The session was so much more … remember a tension and sitting on the couch, but pushed up against the back. I think he said something like going through some kind of pressure. I remember trying to work on that Dr. Marvin wasn’t a scary person.
He talked about being out in real time – the present where things wouldn’t seem so dangerous or anger oppressing. We also talked about young parts and old parts switching up some so that younger parts were left to deal with emotional stuff. In some part we always have believed in them being out to educate themselves and our role as a tutor/teacher being necessary to guide them through it. But, then we talked about Dr. M. and Rich guiding us through a lot. Rich likes to take hard stuff while Dr. Marvin coasts along from which ever direction we point.
I’m going to stop now though, because I recognize that our system is trying to close down – It’s like you have a whole room or cave full of lights on and we’re chasing someone from going from switch to switch making everything dark. Hmm, that’s a good analogy. We’ll have to remember it somehow.
Meowy cat is back. She was hesitant to jump up on the table almost like her hopper-upperer was broken … She’d do a little jump, but never fully get off her feet. I lifted her up to watch if she had a limp, but we could see through her pacing that there had been no substantial changes. *Sigh*
Yesterday, we met the new person that Sister is thinking of hiring. I haven’t talked to him yet personally. We met him at the same time the group was meeting him. Sister brought him back. We were working on our work projects to list individually what they’d gotten form work, if they had learned something, and what they wanted to set for their next goals. Usually on Thursdays we jot down their words, and then have them type it. For the two fast people – we get them to open their AOL Journals and then post them there with a picture.
The new guy – whose name is Tom – we forget his whole name he had started having them use. Something like Mr. Gretsky – but, anyway Tom or Mr. Tom stopped by each of the 4 who were present and he asked to read what they were typing. Each showed him their work. He then asked if it were ok he read it out loud. They gave permission. And, then he told them something about something and why their work was good. The clients ate it up hook, line and sinker. Especially the one older female client wanted to pour her heart out. She wanted to seem more helpless than she was.
He was animated to their level and you could tell he was used to being the star of his classroom. Those aren’t necessarily bad qualities, but things left behind that create impressions. We got a little put-out in talking to Rich last night about having someone come in and take over a space between us in the back. Tom if he chose the job by Monday would occupy the room, plus the desk between Rich and us where the Q’s used to be.
I didn’t have a bad impression of him, but I was weary. I saw him acting out the role of being a teacher, and I wasn’t sure how much he was aware of it. I also took a look at his resume. We knew he was an older white man who’d been teaching elementary. His languages turned out to be other than English – Spanish and sign-language. He’s part way through his masters in elementary education.
I can see the writing on the wall … I can tell that sister is already eager to turn the program over to him. I think she wants to make it challenging for him to stay.
I told her that it would be ok, in that he probably knows more about curriculum than I do. She’s mentioning already him being the developmental instructor. Hopefully, I thought that would mean that he take over the staff training as well. At this point I feel a sense of loss, but I think also that I’m not going to gain ground in this direction.
To be fair it would be best to work with him as a team, but I’m at this time more orientated to CARF than teaching especially staff. They would though respect someone who was male – like sister – coming in with a curriculum background. I would like to maintain the position of program director and let him do developmental instructor and I would ideally like someone who was smart and would be willing to work with us. There are a few projects that I don’t want to give up which would demand I stay in the know about what was going on and have the ability to walk in at any time and listen to classes being taught. I want co-lateral if not top dog position in making choices, but I wouldn’t want to undermine him. Sister has made a big deal about him having masters’ courses, but then I’ve had them too. Mine were though in Educational psychology. I would still like to focus on self-concepts.
This guy has apparently worked on a grant before and has participated in athletic, Spanish and reading groups – along with being in on curriculum planning.
I’m afraid of getting another Mr. Bob who works so independently, I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. I feel put off from that and tend then to diminutively discount his work. I don’t see obvious improvements though I like the idea of the individuals getting someone more to talk to. I know he is Christian based as would be Tom, just don’t know what direction he’s headed. Sister tends to throw everything to the new people without checks and balances. I don’t know if she’s going to make my position nothing more than a regular Q. There are some things that I wouldn’t mind giving him. Like he could take the Thinking Group in a flash. Or, maybe come up with one group on his own for Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. That would give all the instructors the extra work time they have been asking for. I’ll have to bring that up to sister too. I already told her that instead of working directly with Sister Florine that he could be taking people out of her room to do goals and work on the Internet. In a sense I would like to see him taking advantage of the room he’s got in the back and his desk area.
I really hope at this point that he comes on board. I think the bottom line we discussed last night with Dr. Marvin is that I feel wary because we don’t know if we’re going to get stuck again, but on the other hand there’s the possibility of getting someone smart to collaborate with. It would make my work very exciting to have someone on an equal interest in education and learning.
One other thing ... I told sister and Dr. M. that I thought he was gay. He's never been married and has mannerisms that are more feminine. I think he lives with a female cousin, and again we're hoping for the best. It's a good sign that he's worked in the school system in that on the positive side he's had to do a lot of colaborating, but on the other side ... he's used to a private room with his students. I'm so tired of secrecy I could spit. I just want to work WITH someone on joint projects that will benefit all.
posted by Ann Marie @ 8/08/2008 06:49:00 AM
Comments: 3
