Teetering

always on the brink, trying never to show it...

Monday, December 05, 2005

seminars

Today was seminar day. Something I'd agreed to go to, to be "educated" in a topic of choice--today's choice was a buffet of Asperger, Bipolar and Conduct Disorders. A smorgasbord, if you will pardon the expression.

Anyhoo, I'd forgotten completely that I'd agreed to this seminar...last week a coworker reminded me and asked if I wanted to carpool. My, December came quickly. So I gave some instructions to my graduate student that I thought inherently included the directive to "Stay here in the district" and went along on my merry way this morning. We were joined by several others from our workplace, dispelling any false beliefs/hopes/whathaveyou that we'd be cutting out early. And during the morning I was treated to several, "And here comes..." types of statements, none the least of which was more surprising than, "There is your graduate student." What the hell?

This is the second grievous incident. The first was a willy-nilly act of complete disregard for the fact that we are working with real, live children with real, live families. Today's incident included "skipping" at least one counseling session with a counseling student, at best, and completely disregarding what she knew she was supposed to be doing at worst. I'm hoping for at best, but thinking she's at worst.

I think she thinks she's on a playground of digitally cloned kids and she gets to play all she wants. I don't think she understands that people are counting on her to do what she is supposed to be doing.

This is not the first sign of her impulsive and flighty behavior.

I think I have to fire her. How do you fire somebody who is volunteering? And the problem with that is, it may just get her kicked out of her graduate program. I don't know, I'm not sure. But she found me late as a site supervisor, and I'm thinking there's a reason for that.

You should have seen the look on her face when she saw me standing in front of her. In my defense, I don't think I looked particularly frightening, but she visibly double-took and then stood at attention...I suppose I did that when my supervisors showed up during graduate school as well, but it was still a little disconcerting. Did she think I wouldn't figure it out? At least she was doing something toward her education.

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