Suicide Blonde

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Work is interfering with my life

So I love work. Or rather, I love to be AT work because I'm comfortable here, I like sitting at my computer with my feet propped up on the hard drive. It's nice and cold thanks to the great AC. I see all my peeps and catch up on the latest. We make mediocre coffee but we have awesome creamers that would make a cup of crap taste good.

BUT, and that's a big BUT, I have not had time to even blog this week. I have just gone in and out of my favorite blogs (and you all know who you are) and scanned the posts. I am not doing careful reading which is what I usually do. I don't have time to blog because it has been crazy, whack-o, dingaling, insane around here. Sigh.

Why do I have so much work, you ask? Even if you don't ask, I may answer: Because of all the darn procrastinators in the world. I am not the greatest organizer or planner, nowhere near it. I am happy to say that I never had a palm pilot or a blackberry, never really obsess about everything being in order. But I am not a full-blown procrastinator, the likes of which abound where I work. The stuff I have to do over and over again, such as appointments, paying bills, renewing my driver's license or auto tag, etc. I try to do on time. WHY? Because no one is going to put up with my lame excuses about not knowing about the deadline, or no one told me I had to renew my license, or any such stoopid and inane crap.

That's why it bothers me so much when stoodents come in at the fourth week of class to demand (with attitude) that they be allowed to register in a class.

Me: Are you not aware that the Add/Drop period ended two weeks ago?

Them: No one told me.

Me (Sarcasm quickly sets in): No one is going to stop you in the middle of the hallway to inform you of the deadlines, you have to print the schedule from the web.

Them: Where do I find the schedule?

Me: On our website, right where it says "Academic Schedule" in bright blue.

Them: Ok, but I have to sign up for this class, I was dropped because I didn't know I had to pay.

Me: You didn't know you had to pay?

Them: No, but I've been attending all this time (Me in an aside: They think this entitles them to be registered in the class even if the semester is over).

Me: The fact that you have been attending the class does not give you the right to register for it. Where is your Add/Drop Form?

Them: What is that?

Me: .....sigh..... it goes on and on like that. This is just one conversation, and they file through my office like busy little ants, and they each ask the same exact things or give the same lame excuses.

Ok I just took a deep breath. It helps, a little. I remind myself that each of these students is someone's baby, someone's sweet son or daughter. I remind myself how it was when I was in school and the sarcastic bitches that worked in the office would get exasperated and talk down to me, or not look at me, or not smile. So while I'm mentally pulling my hair out by its (increasinly platinum) roots, I force myself to keep breathing slowly, to smile, to make jokes (for some reason it seems to evaporate the sarcasm), and to be NICE. Why do I try to be nice? Because they are getting an education, because they are supplicants at the doors to their future. If they don't get into this class, they may be set back, if I mistreat them they may actually think that they are not smart enough or organized enough or on-the-ball enough. Whatever. It is my responsibility, in my office and in what I do, to make sure I don't put down these students. That I treat them like (young) people. That I show them how a professional advisor acts. I also remind them that they need to organize themselves so they don't ever have to go through this process of late registration and give silly excuses ever again I am burdened with the responsibility of giving a good example. And that's what I try to do. But it's not easy. Sigh. Soon I'll get back to regular postings of a somewhat intelligent nature... nah, I'll get back to posting regularly and commenting on all ya'll's blogs.

11 Comments:

At 9/21/2006 9:24 PM, Blogger Frontier Editor said...

Interesting poster - my Dutch is so weak that, for all I know, the caption says; "Operation Market-Garden is da bomb!"

 
At 9/22/2006 12:48 AM, Blogger WithinWithout said...

Good on ya, Carm. The world -- and its young people -- need a lot more people like you.

As long as those young people are respectful, they'll remember your treating them nicely.

More messages like that, we'd all be happier.

 
At 9/22/2006 1:54 PM, Blogger Zig said...

Hey Carmy I hope you're enjoying Fri eve Happy Hour, you deserve it! It's the best we can do for our future leaders, show them the respect we hope they'll show us, while mentally nailing them to the wall. I'm taking my oldest off to university tomorrow - my heart is breaking but I'm oh so proud. I sure hope she's registered on her course! If she's forgotten I shall tell her that above all else she must GROVEL to the kind lady in the office! xx

 
At 9/22/2006 3:12 PM, Blogger Carmenzta said...

FE, I thought that was German. That's how weak MY Dutch is!

WW, our world needs a lot more compassion. I try to do my best even though it may not seem like it!

Ziggi, they don't have to grovel, just be polite! Tell her I said "Good luck and hit the books." My youngest is a sophomore here at FIU and that's what I tell him. They will make us proud!

 
At 9/23/2006 5:51 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You have more patience than I, Carmen, but then, I am learning.

What gets me is when it's an adult asking these questions...which I get more often than not. Think of this level of questioning in a laboratory with dangerous if not operated properly, delicate equipment and potentially hazardous chemicals, with "trained adults" who ought to know better.

Argh.

 
At 9/23/2006 2:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think I was that student. Okay. I know I was. We'll be happy to see you back-regular-like.

 
At 9/23/2006 6:38 PM, Blogger Cherrypie said...

You have my utmost sympathy and respect. I don't think I could work in a college ( my Mum does, crazy woman) but I know how hard it is being friendly and pleasant to idiots who really deserved to be ridiculed and slapped ( and that's just my colleagues, don't get me started on some of the clients).

No wonder you were too tired for Happy Hour. It'll soon be the Christmas break x

 
At 9/24/2006 5:01 PM, Blogger tom909 said...

Carmy babe, sometimes I'm really keen on blogging, other times I cant be bothered - that's how it goes for me. Sometimes someone writes something that blows me away, and other times I'm so far up my own jacksy I don't even look at my own blog.
One thing I am interested in, I find I can only cope with doing a few blogs properly - maybe a dozen or so really. There are so many fantastic writers out there but I'm really happy with my little bunch of bloggy friends (you're all fantastic writers too, by the way).

 
At 9/27/2006 3:41 PM, Blogger Romeo Morningwood said...

To think that those entitled little darlings are the FUTURE...
ARRRGGHH!

You are so nice..I would go POSTAL within minutes.
I would have to have arm restraints on so that I couldn't reach over the counter and throttle the little bastards.

I would be self medicating every morning with 'SLAM'
aka Midazolam

Midazolam is a fairly new benzodiazapam that has become the new standard due to several advantages it has over diazepam. First of all, it is water soluble, and therefore doesn't burn on injection. In addition, it doesn't predispose the patient to phlebitis, and the metabolites are inactive, therefore making the half-life is relatively short (about two hours)...

more importantly SLAM has powerful amnesiac powers and you will
(cue Petula Clark)

forget all your troubles..
forget all your cares..

when you go down-town
waiting for you tonight
Downtown
you're gonna be all right now

yessiree I am definitely switchin' to decaf!

 
At 9/27/2006 10:40 PM, Blogger FirstNations said...

where WERE you when i needed you in high school??

 
At 9/28/2006 4:38 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

HE, is slam anything like versed? I know that gives you the same amnesia thing.

Carmy, you are an amazing woman. I applaud your patience and your committment to what you do. I know that there are many new students out there, to whom a kind face and a calm answer are a blessing. To have someone in authority go off on them can be an incredibly devastating experience.

Speaking as someone who was extremely timid in another life, I thank you for all those students who just didn't have their act quite together as soon as they should have.

 

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