What might be making you a tad apprehensive, but might not, as it's too soon to tell
 

for Monster

An approaching orchestra deadline, for which I have planned ahead and will probably have enough time to complete my work. But maybe not.

I reckon you'll be done when the curtain goes up.

thanks f3. Although now it's making me wish I hadn't although I'm reasonable sure that it's a good thing I did. But I got a Doover.

I've had discussions with a company I worked for previously over the phone and via email and I think I've sent all the right "I'm really keen" and "we both know that I'm amazing at my job" and "I can start within a month" kind of vibes. The COO was going to ring last night (it's overseas) and emailed yesterday, but I haven't heard anything so I'm really hoping that it's a case of they're relaxed with the fact that they've all but hired someone and we just have to sort out the details and not that they've found someone else who can start earlier than me or other people they've been speaking to have less questions than me. If I do actually get the job, we can do Round 2 of Where is Casimendocina? (Ali and Zen will not be allowed to participate as they already know the location).

But if you do get the job, as it appears you will, you know the answers to your questions, and can move with confidence.
It just occurred to me, the questions may show them you know the ropes and can hit the ground running. :thumbsup:

Cheers Bruce.

Given that I know exactly what the work is like as I've done it before and loved it, I mainly asked them questions about the logistics of the pay side of things (transferring money home takes some setting up). I'm checking with a former student who also works for the organisation to see what she advises about whether I wait for them to contact me or contact them myself first. Aside from that, the whole thought process in between has developed into whatever happens will turn out for the best. If I don't go o/s, I can go interstate, have a temporary career change. The options are not limitless, but broad.

Monster, what's a Doover?


As to the thread subject, I have this sort of vague inkling in the back of my head that maybe I'll go back to school. I'm nowhere near decided, let alone committed, so there's nothing to be apprehensive about just yet. But I might get there.

It's what they call a do-over in Hector's class. they even have a doover stamp.

Looking good. (They hadn't called as there was a public holiday). We're now talking dates and flight times.

Finished this morning at 10am, first rehearsal with orchestra is tomorrow afternoon ... time management FTW!

Being back after two years, knowing noone saved my seat.

Of course we did, sit right over here... oh, throw that crap on the floor... and tell us what you've been up to. ;)

Well.

Aside from saving that humpback whale? I've been learning mandarin and improving my internet slang (IE: w00t! LOL & GTFO (all toughies for me, before))... I raised a small bitter ex-wife into a 'great' ex-wife. FWB. Note I didn't say 'large' ex-wife. No need to judge when a thesaurus is handy.

I was on TV. I was on Radio. I sat on everything.

It rained. It was a DARK AND STORMY NIGHT.

Double Rainbow.

Hence.....

You didn't run for the Senate?

Of course I did. I had the runs for the first seat. Sadly I lost the race and crapped myself.

Ah, that's probably when Willie stole Kate Middleton away.

Kate Middleton will steal my dreams tonight.

I gotta press my bunk now. Toodles!

Is fo0hzy Radar?

God I hope not, fo0hzy is too close for comfort....

No.

Radar was not clever, nor seemingly charming :)

Nirvana and Fo0hzy, sitting in a tree.......

..be careful now, 'Vana, this will be your 1,500th post, make it count! :lol:

In keeping with this thread and for post 1501 :) I entered a dog for Westminster, you can mail the entries by Nov 16th but you will not know if your dog got in until after Dec 3rd :thepain:

RADAR??? Oh God no. I remember him. Putz. :D

Radar was a she.

Now let's don't start that...

Foiled again.

Just got called into a meeting with the upper management. The owners have appointed the Big Boss from our sister stores to a position above my boss. I know very little about this guy. He says he's going to make us more profitable. He says he's going to fix our broken processes. He says no one is getting fired. He says the guys that work in his other two (smaller) stores make more than we do. He says we're going to make more, but we're going to have to learn to do our jobs differently/better.

It's been my opinion for 5+ years that our current leader is indecisive and inconsistent. Our #2 guy should really be our #1, but #1 hired #2.

I don't mind being uncomfortable if I can improve, and make more money. I also know that if I can't tolerate this guy, I can bounce and go work pretty much anywhere with this job I've had for the last 8 years on my resume.... and that it would be closer to home.

I'm cautiously optimistic today. I hope this guy really does know what he's doing. I hope he's consistent. I don't even mind too much if he's an asshole. Just as long as he's always an asshole. I can't abide a guy that shits on you and then wants to joke around at the end of the day.

Agreed, inconsistent bosses are ulcer material. Hard to hit the target when it's moving erratically.

well, today we had a 3.5 hour meeting in which newboss identified the areas of this dealership that are performing at sub par levels. He also told us what we are going to do to fix it, and how long it was going to take. he made us commit to specific improvements in bottom line $$ improvement.

I came away with the realization that I don't know nearly as much about the car business as I could. This guy knows his shit. I hope I have the opportunity to learn some of it from him. Much of the improvement he needs out of my department depend on improvements to other departments... but I may need to get more involved in those departments to help affect them. I'm kind of stoked about it, really.

Nice to have a Captain steering the ship again.

Well that's cool! I hope it works out really well for you. If it winds up sucking, you can always go elsewhere.

I haven't seen my black kitty-cat since last night. I don't know where she is - she's NOT in the house. I hope I find her. I've had her since she was a kitten and she doesn't go outside but sometimes she escapes to the outside.

I hope she's not hurt or being held somewhere or picked up by animal control. I am very sad about this. I love her.

:apaw::apaw::apaw: :(

Two and a half weeks in and I'm worried about my new co-teacher just not getting it. She just doesn't seem to like kids, especially special ed kids. I'm leading this horse to water but she continuously turns her nose up to it.:mad2:

Ohh, Tril. Hope you find her soon. *hugs*

I found her!!! She was outside by the shed! Yay!

Congratulations on being reintroduced to the pleasures of your pussy. ;)

Griff, that's a shame. Can you lead by example or forced to bitch-slapping?

Sorry to hear that, Griff. So many people seem to get into teaching just because they think it'll be reduced hours and summers off, and so many of those seem to go into special ed because they think it'll be even easier. Give her the hardest tasks, and maybe she'll quit?

Round here they go into special ed because they can't make it in the regular classrooms and special ed teachers are in shorter supply :(

With one notable exception, in my experience (one of my children was in special ed until high school) I have to agree. The exception was, truly, an exceptional teacher. Long may he live and prosper.

@Trilby - so glad you found your kitteh! :)

Griff is exceptional at everything he tackles.

Of that I have no doubt. So, assuming Griff didn't spend several years teaching in Erie, PA, there are at least two exceptional special ed teachers in this country.

Hopefully there are more.

Thanks guys. I'm trying to lead by example but this one...

The teachers I work with have SEN (special education needs) children in their classroom with no special training. From what I can gather. Just what they had originally. Then again, I'm basing this mostly on the teacher who I worked with for a year, last year, who had no idea how much I despised bananas.

She did say, and I believe I quote accurately, "I know nothing about autism." As if it was something she would be adding to her CV.

LSAs who work with autistic children, Downs Syndrome children and children with other named needs, get to go on courses. But sometimes the teachers are obstructive when it comes to implementing teaching techniques specific to a child's needs. Mrs Banana (NOT Monster's MIL!) was very much a fan of "He needs to learn that he can't/ must/ should..." without considering how best to adapt that Tiger's mindset. It was assumed from the outset - as far as I can tell - that I was pandering to him and letting him get away with things. I was dealing with a boy who would go home and bash his head on the floor. Who would cry for hours on end with no explanation. Who could not understand why "Awesome Addition" ended after three minutes and not when he had finished (we dealt with this one via a social story and lots of conversation because I was there at that time of day).

I found I was torn between the SENDCO's (special educational/ disabled needs co-ordinator) ideal of how a child should be treated in class, and the everyday situation I faced. "Oh, Mrs O, if you're not doing anything..." was common if I was sitting with Tiger on the carpet, especially when the children had been asked to discuss things with a talk-partner. So off I'd go to the photocopier. No, it wasn't beneath me, but I'm not sure it was what the school had been allocated the budget for.

Now, luckily, the new SENDCO is the Deputy Head. I adore her. She's the reason I got into this in the first place. She's a teacher, and a bloody good one, as well as being a kind disiplinarian. She knows the time constraints. She's also been through all the files in detail and communicated to the teachers. "He'll have to learn..." has been replaced by "How can we help him with this?"

I had a minor adjustment the other day when Ms Mc walked past us reading in the corridor. It's a public place but removed from the classroom because that's too busy for an Asbie child. "No, you don't snuggle up to Mrs O, you sit up straight like a good boy" and then "Well done". I'm naughty, I let these things slide. But by telling him firmly and nicely she was also telling me and I will remember. That's one of the reasons to sit in a public space as he gets older after all. He loves to sniff, and although we never cuddle he does sometimes press his nose into my arm as reassurance.

Bin blathering on for ages. Soz.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink, not unless you give it a rap in the throat. ~ Rodney Dangerfield

This is precisely what I'm trying to show her. This is a woman who took a child's schedule (best practice btw) away from him because it was too distracting... for her I think. She doesn't understand typical children of this age group let alone my guys. I may have had a small break through with her last week when she watched as I guided an undiagnosed but obviously somewhere on the spectrum girl through a couple pieces of playground equipment that terrified her preventing her from being with a girl she's bonded with. It took maybe ten minutes of really focused support to get her jumping up and down on the bridge with her friends and accepting that others would do the same. It isn't rocket surgery, you just have to look at the world through that child's eyes.

Yes, the Temple Grandin view. The knack, you gots it. :notworthy

OMG WTF. I haven't even seen a gen. ed. teacher be that stupid. How can you have special ed training and not understand the necessity of schedules?

Well, I have no training in that regard, but understand the need for schedules for autistic children. Actually, not just for autistic children. There are many kids for whom a schedule is a saving grace, an anchor that makes sense of the world.

Setting aside training, how has that teacher not just picked that up from general culture? Presented with pupils with special needs in her class, how has she not just done a quick google? How the fuck can anybody not know this stuff, let alone someone with special training?

She's the gen ed teacher but is a couple credits from dual certification. She actually complains about college instructors who don't know anything about real classrooms.:facepalm:

Ffs.

I've known a few people like her in adult education. People who, when faced with mildly learning disabled adults who've dropped out of schooling because of the massive barriers to learning that they faced, try to recreate a classroom atmosphere and treat them like recalcitrant children. Confirming all their initial anxieties and further entrenching barriers.

Mr Limey had a cold all last week, gradually turning into a cough but we decided not to go see the doc on Friday. All weekend the cough and breathlessness kept getting worse and worse so I decided to take him to the ER in our little cottage hospital, and they've decided to keep him for a couple of days :eek:.
Obviously there they've got the anti-biotics (giving him them IV), oxygen if required etc., but I wasn't expecting to come home without him. What's making me uneasy is that they called in the radiographer to xray him. Straight away. On a Sunday evening. :worried:

An xray means they're checking for pneumonia. Hope Mr. Limey feels better soon!

Sorry it's been a nerve-wracking day, but sounds like they're doing good things for Mr. Limey ... hope he improves quickly! Sending good vibes and positive thoughts.

prayers sent for mr. limey

trading in my paid off car of 12 years in which we've created 100s of thousands of miles of happy road trip memories for a new car with a payment

Congrats! What did you get? Did you go with the Town and Country?

grand caravan. 1pm. I are afraid.