A few months ago I was working 60+ hours a week managing a Walk-In Clinic that also takes appointments (yes, that is insane, but very do-able). I loved it. There were only two team members (Direct Care Staff) that had ever had a job before and all of them were under 22 years of age! Not a lot of life experience to draw from. But they were a great bunch of young people. They had all of the tools they needed to be able to do their jobs but they just had no direction. Then I came along. The first two weeks they wanted to poison me. That’s right, not kill me, just make me ill enough to go home. But slowly, when they realized I would fight for them and I would work with them, everything changed. It was great!
Down-side! Management. The owner had never worked another job either. He was a visionary, so smart, capable and full of energy. He just had no management qualities at all. Now, we all know that a group of young women, left to their own witts, will back-stab and rug-yank themselves into a frinzy! What a waste of potential talent!
At any rate, after I realized I had taken a break from school (yes, I’m finishing my Bachelors), flushed a perfectly good relationship down the toilet because I never had time for him, and my dog no longer knew who I was, it was time to go. So, I gave my notice (which was taken so well, ha!) and went back to substitute teaching. Teaching High School and Middle School is amazing. These kids are so stressed out about their futures and here I was, a 47 year old grandmother, finishing a college degree and living on a Substitutes salary.
So, now when I work them, I tell them how many choices we have in life and that we have to open a door and look inside before we really know if we are interested in doing something or not. We live so long today and with so much technology available, the options are endless.
Writing is a way to supplement my income as well as investigate the thoughts and opinions not just mine, but those of the students I have the good fortune of meeting each day. Young people dream so big and I think even in color. It helps me to dream bigger too! Writing isn’t just keeping me out of monitary debt, but also imaginary debt.
