BootsnAll Travel Network



Sick and tired

Seems no matter how often you work with people they can’t resist the urge to revert to type. The parable of the scorpion and the frog comes to mind … (and you have to look for that yourself)

Last week was long.
Preparing for the spring course, doing demos
dealing with staff, administration and teachers
There’s always some tension between certain teachers and occasionally it comes to the surface. I can’t pick favorites or deal with it in too authoritatively. Sometimes I have to let it play out.
Sometimes I have to divert the energy.
Sometimes you just sit people down and talk to them.
Staff and administration is another matter
The sales staff are an amazing group of young women
They are bright, capable and often annoying
The sales manager is all of the above and has the not-so-pleasant habit of going behind me and trying to one-up me
It happened again at our weekly meeting
I constantly fight stupid work that exists just to fill hours
I follow three simple guidelines about work assigned to teachers
Teachers should teach so that students learn
Teachers should teach so that teachers learn
Teachers should teach/work so that the school makes money
(Caveat … Teachers are occasionally involved in marketing)
If any one of those criteria are not met then we have a pointless exercise in progress
A pointless exercise was about to happen
I let it be known
Next thing I know the sales manager is whispering in Chinese about me and the Center manager says, “and I’d like you to teach it.”
Well , Okay … NOT
I politely explained what my job was and who it was who made decisions about my schedule and teacher’s schedules
I revert to type as often as anyone
I’m territorial and protective of teachers
I’m also irritated by illogical demands and waste
I’d love to see some reason why other people revert to type, but I don’t.
I don’t doubt that my own reactions may seem mysterious and often extreme to the Chinese



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