Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Tone
Through speaking with people who know me it's become obvious that this blog is a bit of a downer. I don't know how to lighten the tone and I don't want it to sound like this job is always so heavy. I work with middle school kids because they're hilarious. My job involves hanging out with kids all day. And I don't even have a set curriculum that I have to get them through. I'm not held accountable for their test scores. And their behavior is not thought of as a reflection of my work. Like everyone I would rather work less - 30 hours a week would be about right - but I love my job. There's no other career type of job I can imagine having. So, no worries about me. I report to you what may be heavy and tragic but there's a lot of laughter and fun. My job rules.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Downer? I just signed on for some laughs--maybe I'm a sadist. But I'd be inclined to believe that you've tapped that vein disguised as contrived compassion among people giving you feedback. As a sped professional you're obvioiusly not sticking to the script of 'caring helper'--too much wit, humor, and calm. . . . keep up the good work!
I don't know, contrived compassion? I think most people can't imagine themselves in this job because they haven't done it. I couldn't imagine doing special ed either until I started studying it. Maybe the contrived piece comes from the notion that I must be a little off to take this job in the first place? I assure you all: working this job is entirely intentional.
The fact that the "sensitive nature" of your blog has caused you to keep your identity secret demonstrates exactly what folks who work with people having disabilities deal with all the time. It actually goes beyond the nature of what you write to things like job security, reputation, and career path.
America is not a very disability friendly place. Not really. A big part of the reason for this is that paid advocates don't want to take risks that could cause themselves personal harm. Instead they obediantly quiet down and passively watch as needs go unmet rather than insist on what's right.
The work you do IS heavy! People with disabilities are some of the poorest people in our country. They often have terrible healthcare. The unemployment rate for adults is twice that of their non-disabled peers. And Oregon is typical, not a model state, as some would like you to believe.
If you are interested in checking out the DAWG (Disability Activists Work Group) blog, you'll see some of what we've experienced and written about. Keep on tellin' da TRUTH!
Post a Comment