Translating theory into practice...

So now I have this new job that I was looking for... Now what. It is very easy to talk the talk but now its time to walk the walk. Not on my beloved mountain here at the southern tip of Africa but in the day to day walk at work. I know a lot, I have been studying for 4 years, ok, so maybe I have also forgotten a lot. But I look forward to the challenge of starting to be able to put into practice all those ideas and ways of being that are described so well in the textbooks and that I have spent hours putting into assignments that test my knowledge.

So where in actual fact do I begin. I think Carl Rogers four conditions for being person centred come into play here. Congruence, empathy, respect and unconditional positive regard. What a way to be with people! So there are also times when I might feel a bit stressed and having to meet deadlines, both for the organisation and with the end of year exams, and all might fly out the window. But I have the grounding and a few years of experience to build on, its not that its going to be a huge mind shift - like being sent to Ethiopia, its just down the road in my own city, so its not going to be too foreign.

The first week of orientation is behind me, to get acquainted with the structures and mindset of the business and all seems well. I imagine that week two is where delivery is expected and there are already a few ideas that are running around my brain/mind that may be worthwhile exploring at our weekly team meetings.

So look out for some more posts of a student social worker in the field of older persons in a changing South Africa.

Ready for work?

Every now and then a position becomes available that seems just right for the part-time student seeking part-time work that does not entail working on an ad-hoc basis in a bookshop (as interesting as this can be) or waiting on tables (as lucrative as this is made out to be by others.) So now I need to go through that checklist again for the interview as it has been more than two years since I was last interviewed.
So first the updated CV which looks pretty good with my improved computer skills and a few more years of practical experience behind me. I can already see or hear some of the questions coming from the panel regarding my lack of experience working with older people in community housing....
What to wear, oh what to wear? To dress up or dress down? Yes, even males ponder these questions every now and then. I have always shied away from suits, far too uncomfortable at the best of times but at the opposite extreme jeans and a hoodie may be frowned upon. OK, the middle path then.
The dreaded question, "what would you expect to earn?" I am not going to be a Lotto winner on this question but at least my experience with NGO's gives me an idea of what may be viable for them. I also know that some candidates have literally priced themselves out of a position by expecting too much renumeration. So lets hope that my math is right so that I get what I need and the organisation can afford it. A negotiation without any union support...
Next thing - listen to the questions and answer as fully as possible  within a short space of time to allow the interviewers to ask all their questions. Don't forget they have also prepared and want to find out about the candidate but they don't have all day to hear my opinions on government policies or knowledge of the person centred approach to facilitating change...
Fingers crossed

The joy of reading

I may have mentioned my passion for reading in a previous post, but I think it deserves further attention. To tell you the truth there is nothing more enlightening for me than reading an academic text (or novel) that is really well written and draws me into the world of experience as understood by the author. It makes studying so much easier when it seems that the person responsible for putting all the words together has such a good understanding and insight into the subject matter, combined with a passion for the field of study, that it reads like a gripping story of human endeavor rather than a university textbook. I had such an experience at the beginning of my course in social work where I had just received my study guides from the university. After opening the package I thought that I would spend an hour just browsing the material. I couldn't put the book down and I lost all track of time, so much so that I had to phone and apologise for not making a meeting that I had scheduled and had to use words to the effect of "I got caught up reading." I think it may have been the first time that the receptionist had heard that apology but I did detect a smile on the other side of the phone and was given the chance to reschedule.

Another reason that prompted me to write about the joy of reading is Alan Paton, author of "Cry, the beloved country" and "Ah, but your land is beautiful." Alan Paton describes South Africa as it was in the 1950's and 1960's using the most exquisite prose and descriptions that I have come across. In both books the harshness of apartheid South Africa are spoken about and lived by fictional characters. Although fictional and the dialogue imagined by the author, the stories of these characters is so well described it is as if I am walking alongside as the story reveals itself. Although Alan Paton died in 1988 and did not see the transition to democracy, he leaves behind two powerful stories that tell part of the struggle for a democratic South Africa.

Deadlines

I have tried to organise my life in such a way that I am able to accommodate part time work and my social work studies. The operative word in the last sentence being "tried". At times everything seems to cascade into a week of deadlines and events. Something along the lines of a final teaching day, present a workshop to 50 parents, submit a 40 page assignment to the university and a youngster that calls me dad has a matric dance. All has to be done, no postponements allowed and no extensions granted. The light at the end of the tunnel is the increase in the bank balance, work completed as required with my credentials intact and a teenage couple being ferried to and from their final school year social committments (although I don't think this is the last time I will be driving around in the small hours of the morning!).

You can imagine what this is doing to my sleep patterns - it is certainly not early to bed early to rise. Much closer to bed early in the morning and get up a few hours later. It is not all doom and gloom as most of it is now behind me and I can still claim to be pretty sane and not only enjoyed what had to be done, but also had the priviledge of meeting people who are alive and vital in their approach to life despite the hardships that they face.

This weekend will be filled with text books, reading and writing and I have politely informed friends and family that I will resurface next week once the postal service is in possession of the assignment.

Who can teach empathy?

Empathy - a definition: "a fearless exploration of another's inner world, a sensing of meanings unknown....wholly accepting of that world." - Janet Tolan, pg 18, Skills in person-centred counselling and psychotherapy.

A sub-title for this blog could have been, "how do we learn empathy?" Certainly not an inborn trait and if it is we have to learn/re-learn it in our training as social workers.

Every now and then I babysit my niece and nephew - a pigeon pair according to my mother - that is a brother and sister who are 18 months apart in age. Little boy is just starting to string words together but little girl does come up with some gems. How can you not react empathically when after supper and some telly and a bedtime story and the final goodnight and the lights off and the door closed just so, out pops, "I love my mommy, I really miss her." And that look comes into her eyes that tells me that the tears are going to flow. All I am able to come out with is "Your mom is really special." Tears no longer but a smile and satisfied look in her face that tells me she knows somebody else shares her opinion about the special place her mom has in her heart.

There is nothing like a 4 year old to express her feelings in such a way to let you actually feel what it must be like to miss your mom while she is out and one of her uncles is seeing to bedtime routines.

Children as teachers - indeed!

Full speed ahead...

My one exam for this semester is over and results are still out on this one. A massive 60 page document/assignment is on its way to the university (hopes and prayers for a safe delivery through the erratic postal service for this). Planning for the assignments that now follow for the year subjects is taking place and I have to find the time to read, read and read some more. Interestingly this year we have been "prescribed" two DVD's to watch and then answer questions with regard to the human interaction that takes place. I think that a lot of pause, rewind and play buttons are going to get worn out in the process.

Although I am studying through a distance learning university my thoughts are turning to funding for my studies for the next year. I have to negotiate the corridors of corporates, government departments and NGO's in search of funding for a social work bursary/scholarship. University education in general is pretty expensive and there is a great deal of need for financial assistance in order to pay for tertiary education. Even though distance learning is less expensive than residential universities, if you take a full year of subjects/courses, it is inevitable that a student would not be able to take up employment with such a workload. If you are like me (an older student in career change mode), these are the years where I would otherwise have full-time employment and independent. Social work studies demand a lot of attention, self reflection, volunteer work as well as reading and writing. So for full time distance learning funding is also important.

Thus far the indications are good from both government and NGO's - it seems corporate interests are not moved to fund social science students.