equus

I needed to hear that this morning. My interview panel had an average age of 13 with the only adult given power of vito but not power to appoint! They hired me because I said I's learn and I think they knew I would go in and do what I could even if I came out wishing the ground would open up and swallow me!

I'm only me and and can only do what I can do but I want to do better. If I can win them round I get one result if I don't then nothing changes. The first project began because I said no to picking out the kids most able and only asking them what they thought about where they lived. I don't want it to always be that way, I really DO believe we can do much better than that.

bahookie

Course you do.
I bet if you follow the advice (particularly the bullet points from chapter headings and timing) you'll get that message across effectively. If tempted to elaborate when asked a question - to the point of quoting lengthy extracts of anything - I would offer a nugget and a later explanation.

j

Autumn

Hey Eq.

The words you use to describe what was said to you sounds like it was delivered in an intimidating manner. I venture to guess you didn't further inquire to your superiors any further for more detail, or they didn't offer specifics? Perhaps you could arrange to meet with the individual(s) who passed you this information. Open communication is always a boon in the workplace (even if the comments you posted didn't originate from there).

equus

Just a little update...

The woman I'd asked to give me some pointers was a star! I have so much respect for her and she is vibrant with enthusiasm for learning - but clear in the impacts too much emotion can have on presentation.

After feeling as though maybe I had gone too far I got a little boost today. I got fresh feedback from a different manager of one of the homes, it was nice to hear something positive but the best bit was him saying he was glad I was presenting it. I have faults - lots of them, but HELL I want this to work and I WILL try my heart out to learn well, listen, and present the information the best I can.

All the preparation is done, in less than 12 hours it will be done and over. I will speak quietly, stay on topic, listen carefully and just bloody try....

I care so much about this, to date it has to be the most important thing I've ever tried to achieve - I so don't want to let it down now, I have worked hard.

shockozulu

Good luck! I'm sorry I wasn't able to help more but life decided to throw me some curveballs.

equus

Hey - no worries, I like to be able to ask and I like it even more to know that doesn't put pressure on!!
Thanks for the luck.....

BigSis

Good Luck....

To sleep tonight, make a list of all you need to do tomorrow to be ready for the presentation -write it down... that can take it right out of your brain and allow you a good night's sleep.

You will do wonderful - I REALLY liked the advice earlier that they chose YOU because they know you can do the job well... (((((Equus))))

equus

My pre meeting with my line manager starts in an hour, 15 minutes of that then off we go!!

All the preperation on the work is done - I'm not as confident about my own mental preperation but if I get stuck I'm going to try and smile!!

Thank you ALL so much, sorry I was a bit touchy when I felt very raw. For me it's right to gather lots of info, because I'm FAR from perfect it's something that bails me out and helps me to be of use. When I run out of answers or ability as a person I fall back on knowledge which I work hard at making sound.

equus

The agenda item was deferred. I'm looking for the opportunity in this because it stinks!

Till the last day they pay me I'm not going to stop, nor am I going to be bribed into only 'appearing' to do my job.

brigid

Equus I am a teacher, or used to do it full time. Now I am into my phd (am still sorting out if it is really what I want) and do some teaching, I understand what you feel about teachers in your past. It is confronting for a person to be challenged by someone with a truly inquisitive mind, particularly if that person is more inquisitive. It challenges the whole self concept of the person on the other end, what if they can't answer or understand the question? How will they appear to everyone else? In the teachers position it may affect their percieved role in the classroom, standing/superiority/authority.

People do tend to see the world through their own eyes and are proud of what they know and can do and find it a bit of a downer when someone else knows more or thinks more or understands more. NOT EVERYONE .. but my experience is to not challenge most people too much and they are happy in their zone, gently, gently if I want to widen that zone.

I did honours presentations last year .... I know that people really need little information without too much detail and can't digest as much as the knowledge I have built up all in one sitting. It takes me time to get my understanding and I can't give it all to someone else at once, I have to respect my own intelligence. I STILL wanted to present ALL the details ALL at once!!!! I so HAD to cut it all down and not presume that everyone was on my level. They were on my level in their own areas, just not on my level in my area .... I was excited by my stuff and to get that across I have to get others on side and present an interesting main points summary, a little humour, a little light, a little complicated. BUT definitely not all the details that I find so intriguing.

Luckily my supervisor made numerous suggestions and revised with me. It was interesting for me though ... after teaching you would think that I would have learnt that lesson well, but not when I really wanted to make an impact.

The human mind can remember about 7 new things. Leave the details out and questions may make them come out. Remember that you have an audience and present for them, not for you. Too, people have attention spans and the whole time issue needs to be addressed. Enthusiasm is a great thing in a presentation, in my mind .... one of the other students presented the othed day, he was so into his stuff, much better than some dead pan, boring presentation. It was a little long though.

Here on SR though, write for you, that means you should be as wordy as you want, I think writing is very therapeutic and if you need to investigate every angle of an issue then that is the way you are. Nothing wrong with that at all, the world needs thinkers!!

love and peace,
Brigid

equus

The friend I went to see on wednesday is a teacher, not one that wants the nodding dog kind of trust but definately a teacher!! While I was there she changed 'effect' to affect and I disputed it - that led to a very fun google of definition where I learned my association of affect and emotion was far from complete and she learned that you can use google as a dictionary (and that it has even the history of a word). It is an individual thing - not every teacher wants the trust I was talking about, some thrive on the polar opposite.

You know it was good for me to read your reply because in remembering my school years I've never really put myself in their shoes - maybe because I WAS a child when I percieved my time there so my memory of it is childish. It was difficult for me to understand the level of hatred some teachers had towards me, although they articulated their feeling freely they didn't include 'why' in a way that made sense to me.

I remember one teacher asking me why I lied that I'd lost my book, I said it was polite, so she challenged me to tell the truth - I said 'I don't like the subject, it's boring, I don't want to do it and I can get away with not doing it.' Her response reinforced my perception that the lie was more polite and I returned to it in future - which seemed easier for both of us.

I don't think I ever thought of them because I didn't chase them round, I didn't humiliate them (at least not knowingly), I didn't punish them, I didn't argue unless forced. Mostly I simply wasn't there or was but attempting not to be noticed! One teacher never used to punish me, if work wasn't done she let me do it at break - I did. If I had been missing from her class the week before she asked me to do the work over lunch - I did. She liked me being in the class so I was there more often than not.

Okay - now I really have rambled! It was a frustrating and deeply disappointing morning but those feelings pass - tomorrow is another day and there'll be another way round. I said to my line manager the first qualification to do my job is stubborness to the point of insanity, life has taught me to pick up and push when other folk might give up.

Thanks brigid - you've given me food for thought! (most of which spilled all over this page).

brigid

It is really interesting to hear people's accounts of school and teachers and the effects (or is that affects ... english was never my strong point) on them. People tend to share that stuff with people who let them know they have been a teacher.

My experience of teachers is that they have their own issues just the same as everyone else, too, many have little experience outside an educational institution. There are absolutely fantastic teachers who understand that students learn best when they feel relaxed and supported and there are the control freaks. Same as life really.

It is quite an art though to manage a classroom of varying personalities and moods, I really recommend not to take a teachers perception to heart.

To enjoy learning is to enjoy life! I do think there are many things to learn, experience, question and simply enjoy.

Equus I wouldn't stress on presentations too much. I know with teaching if I felt overly concerned I just projected a year into the future and understood that this was unimportant in the grand scheme. I also just tried to learn and do better, not taking anything personally is a biggie too. I have definitely seen teachers get very defensive and cynical from negative feedback. Can't take yourself too seriously when in the "public" eye. Have fun with it!

One other thing ... I have a lecturer at uni, he is great, but knows heaps and talks at the same rate as his head, only trouble is, I can't quite keep up, I am a newbie to this stuff.

love and peace,
Brigid

equus

The presentation was to ask for a pilot project to access inter....preters (that's google nobbled) and fac....ilitators for kids in children's homes that use aug...mented and alternative communication because of disability. I think it will matter in a year, I put my heart and soul into the report, it's the best work I've ever done and my personal greatest achievment to date. BUT unless I can persaude it to be acted on it won't mean a damn thing to a single kid. It's been proof read by doctors, speech and language therapists, a teacher!, managers of the disability units, the head of child protection for disabled children and many more. It IS precise and holds all the legal references of obligation, covers a variety of concepts and most of all argues it's time to actually DO SOMETHING rather than just say it's a difficult problem.

Before I left for work and before I knew it had been deffered I said to D that if it went through my whole being born would be worth something good - without doubt I've never had chance or luck to be able to do anything which could have such an impact.

But it's deferred not dead and I'm NOT giving up!

brigid

Sorry Equus I should have read more of the posts, I skipped a few. Obviously the more important ones!

Deferred is good! I have also practiced out loud in front of a mirror for those really huge presentations. Hope it all goes really well for you when it does happen.

You being born was a good thing regardless of the presentation!!! NO doubt about it.

love and peace,
Brigid

equus

Hey - no worries, I was just rambling about why I was struggling to shrug it off.