2002-12-05 - 8:47 a.m. I was a bit worried about my job. I've only just been getting by- getting everything I need to have done, done- when I found out from the old case manager, my friend Daphne, that in fact, there's so much more that I'm technically "supposed" to be doing.I've actually only been doing about two thirds or three fourths of my on-paper job description. !!!! But here's the thing- under the grant that pays me, I *cannot* work more than thirty hours a week. And I just *cannot* get everything done that I'm supposed to get done in that time. The problem lies not with my on-paper job description, but with my in-practice job. Things on my job description that I do now: *teach Second Step to four classes at two different schools located in opposite directions out in the hills surrounding Woodbury *do weekly school visits to all of the kids' teachers at two schools, keep logs of these visits *do home visits all over the hills surrounding Woodbury- both regular home visits to all of the kids' families, and special home visits when there has been a specific problem with the child, keep logs on these visits *maintain "art therapy program" at REACH Things not in my job description that I do at REACH *spend fifteen hours of my case-manager time being a staff member for the REACH program. This means I'm a tutor, authority, mediator, cook, and janitor- all the things that come with watching kids. And I like doing this, but it leaves me with less time to do case-managerial things. Things in my job description that I have not been doing: *develop personal case files for all the kids *refer kids and families to the resources available in the Middle Tennessee area *talk to parents and teachers about referring children into the REACH program (of course, we're full right now, so that's kind of nixed) It's those first two that really got to me. That is a lot of time. A lot of time. That is time I don't have during the week. I was talking to Daphne about this, and she helped me to calm down and stop feeling inept by telling me there is just no way- and my superiors know that because Daphne spent a year telling them that. So really, it's not me. And that made me feel a whole lot better. But, two things occurred yesterday. One, I found out that I will be able to work over the two-week Christmas break, so I will have 60 hours to get these case files together!!! And, I found out that we have a new grant for the art program, that will pay me for five extra hours a week!!! Exciting times! I might actually be able to DO MY JOB!! And you have no idea how happy that makes me. I really like this job. It's kind of rough and tumble sometimes, and yes, Woodbury does exist within its own reality, completely disconnected from the reality within which the rest of the world exists, but I really like this job. And I like *doing* it. I like it when I succeed somewhere, help some kid or their family, see some grades come up- whatever. It's nice. It makes me feel like I'm doing something that matters. And the rest of my life is going well too. Michael is awesome, and my spirituality is growing, and I'm getting all buff and nimble, we're paying off my student loan this week and we still have a safety net in the bank. Life is fun.
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