Longer...Harder...Hopefully More Conscientious!

As a follow up to yesterday's post...

We are all going to have to earn more education, work longer and also maintain more skills than the generation before us therefore we need to be more conscientious about knowing ourselves (strengths and weaknesses in a work setting), our threshold for stress and how to manage that stress. Because we are all working longer, a career change may occur as our strengths and weaknesses shift throughout our lifespan.

I feel like working as an Occupational Therapist is a good example of this. Years ago individuals went to college to earn a bachelor's degree with a few basic math/anatomy/science/psychology courses and a few courses on the theories that were specifically based on OT. Things have changed and now researching and collecting data is necessary to maintain a career in this field which has increased the course work necessary to have entry level skills as an OT. In the education setting and other public agencies I have heard a rumor

that there were report writers (assistants/secretary's) who wrote the reports based on the therapists notes from the evaluations. So, currently an OT  (and other professions) has to maintain the specific skills necessary to keep up with new ways of collecting data and research, to prove the treatment sessions are successful and also maintain clerical skills. The increased use of technology has also given us the ability to do more throughout the work day. While completing a job analysis for myself (yes, I find it interesting), I figured 20 minutes a day to tend to email. Not that much, is it? Out of a school year it's 61 hours. We all know it's more than that, especially when email is on our phones and available to us at 10pm or on the weekends. Twenty years ago a memo through inter-school mail or a phone call had to be made. Sometimes, people had to wait longer than 60 minutes for your response.

My point is, things have changed. And that means we need to change the way we take care of ourselves and how we approach our jobs. Effort to address your health and well being is a necessity.

The next couple of posts will be more fun....addressing play/leisure activities rather than the 4 letter work...W.O.R.K.

What Does Work Mean to You?

This post is a component of the Siesta Hut.

Work. Oh Boy, what a topic! This is probably the last thing we want to think about on a 3 day weekend. It is a component of life that is heavily focused on in both of my college degrees. My master's degree is heavily focused on providing employment to individuals with disabilities which in turn allows these individuals to be independent, productive members of society. With a degree in Occupational Therapy (my bachelor's degree) I am trained to complete job analysis' on various different careers and occupations.  Basically think of your job and realize that somewhere in their coursework an OT did an assignment that worked on listing every physical and cognitive task involved with your job duties.  And then listed ideas and equipment to make these job duties easier based on the level of impairment an individual may have. Ranging from the stairs you may use to get to your office space, to the amount of physical output or level of long term memory it takes to be productive, to the level of dexterity it takes to punch a time clock or use a computer.

Work. Without it where would you be? Could you pay taxes? Rent? Maintain a car? Participate in play or leisure activities? Maintain your health? Working in America for about 40-60 years during our lifetime is pretty much crucial to a stable middle class life. Yes, really. The burger joint, movie theater or camp counselor jobs we all have throughout high school and college years are included in with earning our educations and skills and finding a place to hopefully gain some type of pension.

40-60 years? My hope is that with my educational background and own personal experiences I am able to break apart and analyze different types of jobs/careers and the individuals level of passion and satisfaction with what they are doing every day. In my case, am I able to lift and carry boxes/bags and fill out redundant pieces of paperwork. Yes, I am. Does this effect my level of performance during treatment planning/sessions and meetings. Yes, it does. Especially if it's an ongoing issue. And I am willing to guess that if you are working for a larger public agency and have been provided with stability and benefits and suffer from a health issue that may be hidden or managed when you are good to yourself, these little things at work really can effect your overall performance. At a public rehabilitation agency I would "pass" an OT evaluation and it would be stated that I am able to perform my essential job duties. What I have noticed is that there are a lot of gaps in terms of how to handle individuals with hidden disabilities in the workforce. Actually, my disability is obvious however my determination and motivation has outweighed the fact that certain components of work can be a challenge.

My goal is to always look at the bigger picture. Work hard. Pay bills and taxes and be a productive member of society, but find that balance of what matters to you and reduce the rest of it.

Stay tuned. This summer quizzes, survey's and hopefully discussion boards will be coming your way to address this issue.

http://20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/

Teacher Appreciation Week

According to all the sales and discounts this is the last day I have to make a tribute to all the great teachers out there. Many times I can tell who I am chatting with (hairdressers, scientists, engineers or Teachers!). Usually they are social and loving to all different types of people and often have great sense of humors. They are the ones at group events who are able to entertain the kids and still able to know what the adults are talking about. They are masters at business casual dress.

As I look around it's not hard to see that public education is changing, Test taking, new curriculum requirements, changing policies, lack of funding, kids that are struggling with a variety of personal issues are all things weighing heavy on educators minds. At times it can be very distracting from the passion and drive that encouraged them to become an educator. I can't help but wonder if home schooling, charter schools or online programs are going to eventually out number public education they way the majority of adults knew it to be. And maybe that's ok? Looking back in history how long have things ever stayed the same? Maybe we shouldn't be so scared or worried about change.

Fortunately people are still human and it is my belief that it is human nature to want to connect, teach and influence individuals of the younger generations. I see these qualities in Izzo and Dantonio, a colleague who has recently opened her very own pre-school because things occurring in the public setting were stealing her passion and drive. I saw it in so many of my educators ranging from a pre-school teacher who sent birthday cards well into my twenties to college instructors. Books such as Tuesday's With Morrie have become famous because of this desired need to connect with our youth and provide an influence, wisdom and knowledge. The educators that I am thinking of influenced me in ways they could never imagine. They were some of the people that believed in me before I believed in myself. And that is what makes educators so special.

Currently working in a public school setting I have 2 sensory reports to write up, Medicaid monthly summaries, a grant to provide information for, my own milage form and a professional development form to complete. These are things I really don't want to do on a beautiful Sunday and because of that feeling I feel like lesser of an OT. But it's important to remember to look at the big picture and maintain a balance.

Down time - A Gift to Yourself

Kim"ism"

Down time can be a good thing, if we allow it to be. I should know - this was a very quiet week for me. It's not preferred that I spend lots of time by myself but I think I would miss these opportunities if I did not have them. I am terrible at multi tasking so I had the chance to get some of the obvious this done like grocery shopping and laundry. I even had the chance to think about washing curtains and cleaning cabinets. I set a couple of personal goals for myself such as going to yoga twice in one week and writing several blogs in one week.

What I have noticed about my down time now versus several years ago, is that I am not a fish out of water when I am forced to be alone. Those feelings of pure loneliness and being uncomfortable have decreased. Don't get me wrong, I prefer to be with people and keep busy (with meaningful tasks) but in my 20s I remember dreading a Sunday alone.

I don't know if it's maturity or all of the yoga I have been going through, but down time is more
appreciated than ever before. I witness an epidemic among American's - the more money you spend and the busier you are the better. I have kind of made it a goal to go against the cool kids with this because it really makes no sense in terms of physical. emotional or mental health.  If you can't spend time with yourself, who else is going to want to be with you? Learn to keep yourself company, listen to your great ideas and give yourself time to follow through with them.

Expectations

There's a lot of Kim "isms" coming this week!

I guess it is important to think about the level of expectation I place on myself and others as well as society's expectations for all of us.

I tend to set very high expectations for myself which means I have very high expectations for other people. This has been a blessing and a curse. I have personally accomplished so much and I don't waste much time on relationships that are unsatisfactory for me. However pushing myself can be exhausting and stressful. Expecting a lot out of other people is also exhausting and stressful and keeps me from forming extremely deep relationships. It has been a shock to learn other people aren't always going to do what you expect them to do.

It is also interesting how expectations tend to shape trends for each generation. Each generation has

been expected to earn a higher level of education, earn more money, be better athletes, own more materials than their parents. If we don't sing Christmas carols/bake more/shop more or go on spring break trips when everyone else does, we feel like we are missing out on something. I keep thinking of the things we all "should be" doing. Many of these things are being driven by consumerism and the media. I suppose this is what makes a group a society!

Do your own personal expectations or the expectations from our society stress you out?

Being Content is more of a gift than being Happy!

Here comes another Kim"ism.

"

This has been a tough one. One of those simple thoughts...but then you realize how deep it truly is!

The times we are happiest, we are at an all time high. We are able to smile, laugh and hopefully love with our fullest potential. Most people would describe happiness as belly laughs, jokes, experiencing a life accomplishment, positive interactions with people in their lives, vacations and time away from work. It was once described to me that happiness comes in tiny chunks. If you are not aware or able to enjoy the tiny moments of happiness, you are going to miss them.

How long do these things last? The way I understand it, being content is maintaining that balance and being able to experience less of a jolt when there are highs and lows. Maybe this is a good thing because biochemically our bodies are releasing good and bad hormones at a more equal rate.

We all know we have to work hard and there are going to be several moments of pain and

disappointment. Part of being content is accepting this.

As I have been brainstorming this there was a moment when my yoga instructor mentioned pain and hard poses that our bodies aren't willing to stand due to the physical pain. She mentioned something about breathing and positive thoughts towards our actual physical abilities during difficult times. She also mentioned how this was important for our actual lives.  I couldn't help but think.........hey, this is what my next blog is about!

So, the next time someone asks you if you are happy and you can't really answer with a "Yes!" Feel more confident in knowing this is okay. You are strong, well balanced and ready to face the tough stuff.

Following Up!

As a follow up to my post about what is missing in children's IEPs in today's school setting I felt the need to share some of my thoughts. I read some of the comments from the parents on "The Mighty's" Facebook page. Since I have some understanding of the parents/families perspective as well as the knowledge of what happens behind the scenes on a professional IEP team, my input maybe beneficial. I want parents to understand since schools and special education seems to be following a business model, numbers and production are important. I have read some Occupational Therapists in Michigan have caseload's of 90 children. I work with colleague's who have a caseload of 60. Even though my caseload is smaller than this, I am responsible for 10-11 buildings who request screenings, referrals, ideas and direct therapy services. In many instances a COTA (certified therapy OT assistant) is fulfilling direct therapy services and providing input in buildings that have higher needs for OT services. This is very helpful. If there is COTA support the more buildings the OT can cover to complete evaluations and give suggestions from referrals. The role of an OT is very consultative in a school setting. There is a lot of observation and consultation with school staff and parents. Then recommendations are given as to how to help the child succeed in the mainstreamed classroom. These recommendations are usually followed through by the school staff and parents. This is because the OT is working in other districts and buildings throughout the work week. Many times they are only available via email, phone and scheduled appointment due to the high levels of schools they cover. To administrators and to the business community, this is a success! I have to admit, for many children in my districts, this is working.

Someone's Power Point presentation I found while searching on Google images.

However, there are a number of children that this is not working for. I can sense the frustration while I am at work from parents and teachers. I also read the frustration in some of these comments on Facebook. It is not always the individuals on the IEP team making themselves unavailable. It's a systemic perception that rehabilitation and education is a business. Politicians and administrators have deep roots of belief that numbers and productivity are the main concern. The majority of these people have never done an evaluation for a wheelchair or set up a sensory diet. But yet they are providing us with the amount of minutes each of these roles should take. I give these two examples that an OT should be involved in because there really isn't a prediction on the amount of time it takes for these things that are ongoing. In fact, rehabilitation is ongoing.

Parents and families are tax payers and schools are public agencies that are payed for by them. This

Someone's Power Point presentation I found while searching on Google images.

means families have the right to dictate the roles of OTs and other therapists in their schools. If you feel like your school has access to an OT once a week or once a month for screens and evaluations but then again after suggestions are given, there is no help in sight...ask why? Ask why an OT couldn't just have time to give teacher in-services or only observe classrooms with nobody specific on their caseload. If you ask enough change may occur. In a business, the customer is always right. In situations like this it is important to remember to focus on the systematic issues at hand and not individual professionals.