A Little Dab'll Do Ya

I write this in the spirit of 'ask and you shall receive' .... I have been receiving a very nice little dose of what I have been needing this past little while.

I have been fretting a lot about work lately. Should I be looking for another job? What will happen in the fall? Do I need a second job? If I don't know any of these answers, how should I make the most of the upcoming summer holidays??

Then there is the work itself. I have been beyond blessed to get a half time position until the end of the school year. I could not be working and learning in a better school. The person I am working with is meticulous and I am learning the correct way to do things. They like their newsletter to be a showcase of the school so that people who read it think 'I want my child to go to school here!' So I have had some excellent training in regards to the newsletter as well.

The unfortunate part is that I haven't been called out to very many schools lately. I have high expectations of myself, so when I am learning the correct way to do things, I strive to be perfect. This places undue stress on all of my systems (especially when it seems the harder you try not to make a mistake, the more likely you are to do so). I have been craving some kind of feedback so that I can monitor the ongoing 'where do I go from here?' dilemma.

Ask ... and you shall receive!

I worked at a different school on Friday. As always, when I run into a situation where I cannot complete 100% of what needs to be done, I left a detailed note for the secretary (admin assistant) I had replaced. I do this consistently, where ever I work. I strive to do the job that I would like someone to do for me, if I was away. Sometimes I get some acknowledgement for what I do, but more often than not there is nothing said one way or another.

Monday afternoon, I received an email from the admin assistant that I replaced on Friday. She was overly kind with her praise and gratitude. This was on top of the words of thanks from the principal and vice principal when I left Friday afternoon (it is a very rare occurrence to leave a school without an acknowledgement of gratitude). Little things. They mean so much!

Yesterday I got a last minute call to work at a school that I have worked at before. But when I arrived, I found that I was replacing the part-time secretary and I would finally have the opportunity to work with the admin assistant that I had replaced in the past. My role for the day would be vastly different as support staff (verses just trying to keep the office running in whatever capacity you can make it happen when replacing the full time admin assistant).

One of the first questions I was asked was, "Have you ever done a newsletter?" I was overjoyed to be able to answer with one simple, unqualified word. "Yes." ("!!!" I thought) And having learned from a school that strives for perfection with their newsletter, I asked almost no questions. I was on my way (and I knew where I was going!!).

The newsletter was completed, printed and on its way early that afternoon. I still had time left over to work on another job that I had been given. I worked all day and felt that I was of value. I rarely get this feeling of accomplishment in my role as a substitute. It felt a little bit wonderful.

As if that was not enough in and of itself, the admin assistant that I was working with all day told me that she would be asking for me in the future. She was grateful for all that I was trained and equipped to do, to lighten the load. Her words meant the world to me.

It was so nice to have the opportunity to get to know just a small piece of the person that I had been working with all day. She has been working at this school for 21 years ... but it has not always been easy. When she talked of the first weeks in her position, it made my appreciate the 'easy road' that I have been travelling.

Sometimes we are tested, to see what we are made of. Once challenges are overcome, the road to success becomes an option. Turning around and running the other way does not pave the way to achieving what you have set out to do.

I'm not running away. I am receiving what I need to keep me hopeful about the future. I have asked for answers to my questions. I am not receiving the specific answers that I have been seeking ... but I have been getting exactly what I have been lacking. Hope.

We all need to feel of value within our world. Be generous with your praise and positive thoughts. You never know just how much the person on the other end of that conversation may need to hear those words.

Feedback and acknowledgement. A little dab'll do ya ...