Revelation alert!!! Just in the past week since I started my evening job doing adaptive recreation, I have realized why I don't love my day job. First off, let me say it's only been a week but I've had a blast with the new job. It's fun, easy, and the big thing is that I'm getting to spend time with the kids doing what THEY WANT to do. My job all day long, while it is beneficial to them, is not what THEY want, it's what myself, the teachers, and parents have all decided they need. Can I see the benefit? Yes. But it's amazing how much more fun it is to do things with them that they are actually excited about and happy to be doing. In my day job it seems we're so focused on their weaknesses that we can't see their strengths. We're so busy correcting the problem that we don't appreciate what they are already capable of. In the evenings and weekends I get to see their true personalities--not the behavior we're trying to fix, or the stressed out kid, the kid just having fun with their friends.
Ok yeah, we have a lot of fun in OT, but the truth is I'm just tricking them with fun into working on a skill they need. And I'm not having as much fun as I could with them either because I'm trying to make sure they're doing it the 'right' way and seeing what their skills are.
So it's made me realize (thank God!) that I don't need an entirely new profession. I can still stay in the field of working with special needs people and use all my experience to do it well; I just need to look at the options in that arena.
Last night was the kick off to the Special Olympics fall season. So every SO team from the entire state of Arizona was here in Surprise for the opening ceremony. My job last night was to give them their new t-shirts, help them get their dinner, and just hang with them until it was time to march around the baseball field; then hang some more as we watched the opening performances. After that, there was a big dance on the baseball field. It was so much fun to watch and be a part of. And of course, inspiring, motivating, all of these things. And they were all so proud of themselves and each other, so excited. And I was too.
I know not every job is all fun & games all the time. I know my supervisor has to deal with the headaches of logistics and safety and working long hours, whereas I get the fun part of the job. But I still think with all the behind the scenes work, it's still something that I would feel more passionate about, you know?
For now, I am already taking from what I feel on the night job back to the day job. It's made it easier for me to talk to parents already; since I'm seeing them all the time rather than just once a year at an IEP meeting. I'm trying to have more fun and be a little bit more free too. And I'm just hoping that in the future I find something along these lines for a permanent job. I know the city has been in the early stages of looking into a major adaptive recreation center which I would definitely want to be a part of. So we'll see. For now I'm just enjoying finally getting to know my kids!
