Why Plan? Scenario 2

Scenario 2: I have been booked since November to teach a special writing course to the Department of Psychology, but the course was schedule for this month. In January, I inquired about dates as I had not received them yet. By February, I asked again and received them at the end of the month. Still, I did not have a contact, an address, or any pertinent information, all of which were included in prior e-mails to my colleague who arranged this. 

Last Friday, I get what apparently is the secret packet of info. They have kept it so close to their vest for so long, it feels like a spy mission. Included is the address of the department; it is separate from my campus. They were also gracious enough to share the name of the department head and her secretary's name, but no contact info. Do they have unlisted e-mail addresses? 

On Monday, I walked over there to do a run-by to see how long it would take me to get there and to turn in my handouts for the secretary to copy for attendees. Apparently, room number 102 does not exist, because as diligently as I surveyed the floor, the numbering went from 101 to 103 and beyond. Up the hall, down the hall, checking every nook and cranny, no room 102, not even broom closet. On my fifth rotation of the hall, a woman appears with mobile in hand. When she is fumbling for keys, I stand waiting patiently for the phone to disappear in her pocket or for her to call the police assuming my intentions are nefarious. 

Luck! She is the secretary I am looking for. The professor will be in in ten minutes time if I want to wait. We transfer all of the handouts from my USB stick to her computer. I explain all of it to her as well as give my e-mail address again. It is on the front page of the handout as well. Explaining I have no idea where I am suppose to present within the building and I would really like to know if I need to bring my own equipment, she feigns having any knowledge. BUT the professor will be here in ten minutes, yet that story played originally fifteen minutes ago when I arrived. 

The sense of time and distance here are corrupted. You ask someone how far is ...? The response is always "It is only a ten minute walk." In reality, it takes thirty to forty-five minutes if you are wearing your track shoes doing a swift pace of strides. 

I knew her arrival really translated to "She is expected sometime this semester."

Reiterating my e-mail address, I asked to be contacted with pertinent information. 

Equipment - Yes or No (Circle one)

Location - Fill in your answer here.

Still no word.

When I complained to the colleague who arranged this stating there was vital information missing, she wrote back with the same information I had already, nothing new. Yet at the same time, she made me feel like an incompetent for not knowing. What happened to professionalism?

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Enneagram - Revealing My Core

Reader Ray from New Orleans sent me a link to an article on Enneagrams. This of course aroused my curiosity. I had done one these tests many years ago, so it was gnawing at me to see how I had changed. Here are the results of my online test. There are 9 different types. Shame I am an 8. My favorite numbers are 2, 5, and 7. There is a link at the bottom for you to take your own.

Main Type	Overall Self

And then there is the scale:

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism |||||||||||||||||||| 86% Type 2 Helpfulness |||||||||||||||||||| 86% Type 3 Image Focus |||||||||||||||||||| 82% Type 4 Hypersensitivity || 10% Type 5 Detachment |||||||||| 34% Type 6 Anxiety |||||||||||||||| 70% Type 7 Adventurousness |||||||||||||||| 70% Type 8 Aggressiveness |||||||||||||||||||| 86% Type 9 Calmness |||||||||| 38% Your main type is 8 Your variant is social

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

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My Nephew Graduates

It seems that my nephew graduated yesterday. The only reason I know this is because I happened to sign into FaceBook to shamelessly promote my book. I don't receive royalties, but I do like to know it is being sold and purchased. Oh, yea, my nephew.

He graduated Cum Laude with a degree is ? I think it was psychology, but I am not certain. During his four years of college, I think we may have communicated maybe 6 times, but I could be exaggerating the number. When he graduated high school, no one had told me, so this was no surprise. To be fair, I have to say that my brother did mention it would be this May back at the beginning of April in a FaceBook note to me personally. Since my nephew, Kevin was in high school, we have offered to fly he and his younger brother, Paul over for a visit. They never took us up on the offer. I guess we are not what you would call close.

That horny gene comes from my father's side of the family. We had hoped my brother would have had them clipped while Kevin was still a baby, but he didn't. What can you do other than suggest and hope?

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Voice From the Past

I received this e-mail yesterday, which really blew me out of the water. How did she find me? Yes, I taught at MJC from 1987 to 1999. My courses were Human Services 101, the entry level social work course; Human Services 145, the internship course; Psychology 110, Human Sexual Behavior; and once Sociology 101. This is the third student who has hunted me down to say they were inspired to earn their MSW. Others have chosen affiliated fields, but return to tell me about it. This is the first time this has happened since leaving the States.

Hi Dr. James,

I was looking for a professor who taught at MJC in 1995 psychology and human services class. I attended those classes and I was inspired by Dr. James teachings. I am now a graduate of social work and I was just wondering if I am contacting the right person.

If you are the same professor who taught psych 110 in 1995 at MJC please write back. I would love to get some guidance in the social work profession.

Respectfully,

Lupe Larios-Garcia

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Never Get Caught Up

I thought the fall break from teaching would give me time to catch up on things I wanted to do. The last day of teaching, my students arranged a “Coffee Social with Dr. James”. This was something that I had done weekly in the semester past. I would have 6 – 20 students show up to gather in a coffee shop and practice their English. The only rules were that we did not discuss school and everyone paid for their own drinks. We broke rule number one often. I did not realize that what was intended to be an hour of socializing would turn into three hours or more at times. I had not started up the practice this semester. Although I have less students this semester, they do have longer papers. There is also next semester to prepare for, being like a treadmill, you never come to the end of the road.

So on Thursday, October 26^th, we had a coffee social. Only two students showed and the wife of a Fulbrighter, who is from Poland, but speaks incredible English. One of the mental strains of the coffee social is that I do not get to relax and enjoy them. I am the moderator yet again. I feel a need to keep conversation going since the purpose is to practice English. My mind is always in multi-task mode of speaking, listening, and thinking of the next question to spur on the conversation. By the end, I am mentally exhausted. After two hour, I announced that it was time I departed. With a week of vacation, I was declaring this my student-free week, mental rehabilitation.

It was not to be so soon. Hours after getting home, my TA called and asked if I would meet him for coffee on Saturday. He was leaving on Sunday to go home for the week, so I thought sure, why not? He is a wonderful guy, always on the spot when needed, checking in perpetually to see if he can be helpful, so if he wanted another hour or two of my time, I could do it. THEN I am becoming a student-free zone under all costs.

As much as I love my students, I have this reoccurring image from when I was an undergraduate in a psychology course. I don’t remember the concept the instructor was trying to demonstrate, but he had a student, a woman stand on the desk. He then had a student simulate a child and pull on her skirt. Another student was her husband who pulled on her arm, her ‘boss’ pulled on the other arm, her ‘elderly mother’ pulled on her back, a student representing her ‘household chores’ was grabbing her upper arm. Within a half hour, she looked like she had been attacked by a mob and the instructor simply asked “How do you feel with some many people and things dependent on you?” That is how I feel at times. There are occasions when I want to shake off all the responsibilities like a wet dog shakes off water and free myself of everything that drags me down. It is not that I don’t like what I do. If I did not care for my students, I would not offer them my time, concern, and give them the motivation that I do. However, there are bills to monitor long distance, bank accounts to balance, household chores to take care of, computer maintenance to do, school preparation, and the list goes on ad infinitum. Sometimes I just want to do what I want to do and know there is money and time to do it without worrying about someone else.

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