Part 13: Staff Meetings
Oooh. #13, the magical number! Yes, my experience with staff meetings wasn't among my favorite things to do. I'm going to try to discuss this carefully so that no one feels like it's an attack on them should this post be discovered by someone who had such meetings with me.
- Sporadic Meeting Schedule: Yes, there were certain days and times set apart for such meetings; however, not all of them were kept, and it wasn't unheard of to have one cancel last minute after I'd taken valuable time to join it. There were needs at home and a busy work load that restricted my time availability, and I needed forewarning in order to make arrangements. The inconsistency made it extremely difficult to figure it all out.
- Inapplicable Topics: At least half of the meeting was addressing the needs of other staff who were involved in other responsibilities that I didn't handle often if at all. Sometimes I had no clue what they were talking about. There were more of them than of me, so they got most of the attention. So many times I went to those meetings trying to figure out why they insisted on me being there.
- On Different Wavelengths: There were things I was asked to do that I didn't understand why it had to be done that certain way and not another way. Some decisions were made in the name of efficiency that ended up being an overwhelmingly large increase of workload for me, and along with that an increase of my stress levels. I'm usually good at trying to understand someone's opinion and perspective, and will bend to a certain point, but I have my limits, particularly if I'm extremely stressed.
There are probably more things I could say, but I'm not wanting to. I want to keep this one short. I don't want to go further into it, because there are more pleasant memories and associations than bad ones, and this is focusing more on the bad ones.
As difficult as some memories can be, sometimes they are good to have, because they teach me something that good and pleasant times don't always show. First, I learn about my strength. Second, I learn about my limits. Third, I learn about the people around me, and perhaps who my real friends are (those who will stick with me whether I deserve it or not). Fourth, the comfort and support I receive from my faith to help me pick myself up and keep trying, despite what others might think of me.
That's a sidetrack, but there you are anyway. Enjoy my new photo:
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| Took this picture last weekend. Lilacs with the snowball bush in the background. One of my new favorites for the year. |
