I didn't used to have a bad attitude about Monday, but I do
these days. Lately starting a new work week seems like such a drag. Earlier in
September I had worries on the home front but now I am feeling weighted down by
things at work and I'm wondering how to break out of it.
A couple of years ago I realized that I had a horrible attitude towards my job (the one I still have now). It is not a bad job and rather good for me, but I just didn't see it. I remember another Al Anon member saying in a meeting that she had been at her job forever and she felt that it was the only job she could do and that she would never be able to get a different job. I felt that way too, and sometimes, to some extent, I still feel that way.
What helped me then was to do a mini 4th Step related only towards my job. That
helped me figure out that I had issues with my boss. I have since settled those
old problems and now that part of my work life is quite comfortable. Also then,
I realized that I loved my students and that they were the best part of my job.
That has always been the most consistent part of things at my job and one of
the main reasons why I stayed in it. Surprisingly, that has changed and I can't
figure out why.
I thought that maybe I should do another mini 4th step but my brain is so muddled that I can't think of where to begin with it. Even though I usually save all of my Al Anon writing I, for some reason, didn't save that. I did decide that I should, instead, think about each student I have today and think about something that I "got" from them. Like a 4th step inventory, I realized that this includes both positive and negative.
Student 1: an interesting discussion about Chinese traditional painting and a contemporary artist.
Student 2: exercising patience
Student 3: Exercising Patience and suppressing frustration.
Student 4: Suppressing Frustration but enjoying watching her work hard at puzzling things out
Student 5: entertaining conversation with a student I really get along with about the use of various English words
A couple of years ago I realized that I had a horrible attitude towards my job (the one I still have now). It is not a bad job and rather good for me, but I just didn't see it. I remember another Al Anon member saying in a meeting that she had been at her job forever and she felt that it was the only job she could do and that she would never be able to get a different job. I felt that way too, and sometimes, to some extent, I still feel that way.
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| (Photo by Mario Alberto Magallanes Trejo.) |
I thought that maybe I should do another mini 4th step but my brain is so muddled that I can't think of where to begin with it. Even though I usually save all of my Al Anon writing I, for some reason, didn't save that. I did decide that I should, instead, think about each student I have today and think about something that I "got" from them. Like a 4th step inventory, I realized that this includes both positive and negative.
Student 1: an interesting discussion about Chinese traditional painting and a contemporary artist.
Student 2: exercising patience
Student 3: Exercising Patience and suppressing frustration.
Student 4: Suppressing Frustration but enjoying watching her work hard at puzzling things out
Student 5: entertaining conversation with a student I really get along with about the use of various English words
Student 6: exercising patience but still enjoying her
pleasant personality.
On top of this I was alone in the office with the boss
because we have a small office, there is no workstudy during the day, and the
administrative person was out. Even though I was fully booked with students I
had to juggle several things while my boss sat on his office and watched sports
on the internet. (You can tell what kind of husband he would be.) So far this
semester, my pleas to have a workstudy during the day have gone over his head.
So, um, I clearly need to work on patience and resolving my frustration, but there is still plenty to love about my students.
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