Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Angry

The thing that made me angry today: Mrs. C. 

I have a student currently and I have been working with her for 6 weeks.  She is fresh.  She has only been applying her book knowledge for a total of maybe 3 weeks.  So I have to take everything with a grain of salt.  I have to look and assess her differently from some one who has been working in this field for years as an aid or assistant or anything else.  With that being said my student is doing amazing.  I am floored at the progress she is making.  Today I was even talking to her and as I was making suggestions she was 2 steps ahead of me.  It was amazing.  I'm rubbing off on her, I'm so happy.

However, today my student's supervisor came to observe her.  The end result of this was meeting was tears.  The last time this supervisor was in charge of one of my students the result was the same.  I mean really lady?  What gives you the right to make these girls cry.  You barley know these girls.  You don't know how many hours they spend prepping, researching, writing, planning.  You don't know how much they talk with me, ask me what my opinion is, what I would do.  If anyone on this planet has the right to make these girls cry it is ME.  If anyone needs to tell these girls they aren't working hard enough, or doing enough it is ME!  LEAVE THEM ALONE!

Plus at this stage in the game, the majority of the sessions have bits of me.  My idea, my games, my models, my help, my brain.  So when this lady comes in and criticizes therapy she is criticizing ME.  I have been a therapist for over 6 years now.  Every year I grow more, I learn more and I re-assess and change.  This past year I have learned WAY more than I have in probably the past 2 years combined.  So lady, you coming in 2 years in a row and making these girls cry and tell them that they are not good therapist you are telling me that.  And you know what?  I have spent way to long listening to people tell me that I am not good enough, that I am not "smart" enough to succeed at what I want to do.  It's people like you that make me hate school, that made me call my parents weekly, made me think I should leave school because I just couldn't do it.  People like you should not be teachers.  You are dream crushers.  I might not be the best report writer, or practical application person but gosh darn it I am a fantastic therapist.  My kids love me, my parents love me and I get results.  I connect with these kids and parents in a way some of your straight A students never could.  You want to know why?  Because these parents are coming to me telling me that they are being told there child won't be able to X Y or Z.  And I can honestly look in their eyes and tell them that's non-sense and their child will do what ever they set there mind to. Just look at me. 

So Mrs. C, Mrs. Foster and all you other teachers that told me I won't be able to do it.  :-P

I think I'm done now. *sigh*

1 comment:

Jennifer O said...

You are smart and clever enough to do anything! The most important thing about being a therapist is not being able to write good reports, but that you get progress from your kids and you have good relationships with them and their parents. Book skills do not make a good therapist, personality does.