July 21, 2004
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Summer has ended for me. This is my second week back at work teaching my class for unemployed people. It takes awhile for the class to settle in and form the group who will hang in there until the end. This group looks very promising. We have lost several of the ones who were there the first day, but the ones who remain seem very interested in learning.
We have been talking about labeling and the damage it does. When someone gets labeled in the workplace, it can be very difficult to overcome the image that has been created. It may even be necessary for the labeled person to leave his/her job. I think just about everyone is guilty of labeling and I find that very sad. I wonder why we think we need to do that to each other?
Class discussion is such a wonderful thing. It provokes thought and lets your mind see things differently. In our labeling discussion, I came to realize that even good labels can hurt people. I was reminded of a teacher we had in our school district years ago. He coached an extra-curricular activity and tended to favor students who participated, especially if they were very successful. He labeled those students as his “best” and gave them high grades even if they did not do much of his actual class work. The result was that the other kids did not like those students and they complained a lot about that teacher.
I have always felt that many people get by on their reputations. You know, they get labeled as being particularly good at whatever they do, and after that, they do little or nothing and nobody seems to notice. Then there are the people who are labeled as lazy or undesirable for some reason. They can do outstanding work without ever getting the recognition they deserve. I guess it’s part of what people are talking about when they tell you that “life is not fair.”
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I had some interesting questions on my last blog. englishjuls wanted to know what the Volunteers of America will do with my old car. If they can get it to run safely (and I think a really good mechanic could), they will give it to a low income person. If not, they will use it for parts. I personally hope that someone gets to enjoy it for awhile longer.
leafylady wanted to know what kind of car both the old and the new one are. My old car was a Mitsubishi. I have never had a more reliable car and I don’t know many people who have. The new one is a Hyundai Elantra. I bought it from a Mitubishi dealer who also sells Hyundai. One of the big factors for me in choosing a car is the seats. I have chronic back problems and I have to have very good, supportive seats that allow me to sit with my knees and hips at 90 degree angles. Another thing I need is a stick shift. I absolutely never drive automatics. I am very bad at it. Surprisingly, the new car cost less than the old one did 12 years ago. Price was important to me. I cannot afford a big car payment.
BLB wanted to know if I am hand feeding the baby robin whose picture was in the last blog. No, I’m not. My husband has several bird feeders, so we have a lot of birds in our yard, but I try not to encourage the birds to make friends with us because of the cats we have. One of our cats (the black one in my profile picture) never goes outside, but the other one does occasionally. I have tried very hard to explain to him that he is well fed and does not need to hunt, but, although he is not a very good hunter, he does sometimes catch something. I would like this little bird to grow up to have baby birds of his own.
We have lots of little animals in our yard. I have a squirrel feeder because my husband does not like the squirrels eating out of his bird feeders and he has bought a feeder that will not hold the weight of a squirrel. We also have a lot of rabbits. I love watching the baby bunnies! One of them kept me company while I was pulling rhubarb a few weeks ago. We have a squirrel and a young rabbit having breakfast together on our front porch this morning. The squirrel is eating bulbs from our flower garden and the rabbit is eating marigolds. No, I do not mind.
Comments (8)
People are very quick to put labels on other people you are very right . Its good that your class can have a discussion like that it will give them confidence . Thanks for answering my question about your car
Hey there – I have really missed chatting with you. I have eben pretty busy – work is definitely getting the best of me. I wanted to drop by and at least say hi!
You have squirrels and bunnnies and robins. I have mongooses, ground lizards and egrets. I like them all
I have a squirrel proof feeder but I still put out corn cobs for them when they come by. Don’t see as many as I used to. Had one we could hand feed.
Never have I hand fed a bird and I know people do it all the time.
good luck on your teaching job.
I’ve just read this somewhere: music for oldies -
Herman’s Hermits — “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Walker”
I’m in the work force and I don’t think I have noticed a labeling problem in our department. I work in Sales and do the Sales Support portion. From my observations people tend to have a work style and stay pretty true to it even if they are given correction by their superior. Maybe that is what you mean by labeling. They may attempt to change for a short time but then go back to their “old ways” after a period of time. There are some who do strive to improve and are constantly working at it. Those are the ones I enjoy the most.