I like having people look me in the
eye when we’re talking. It annoys me
when the person I’m talking to seems more focused on a toy, tablet, or another
device. For years I just thought of it
as rude. Yet over the years, I have
learned that some people pay better attention when they seem focused on
whatever they may have in their hands.
Jenna is one of those people who pay
better attention when it appears that she doesn't seem to be focused at all. She gets annoyed with people who don’t
realize that she’s paying attention when she is. I have already created a post about her
ability to talk and listen at the same time.
It boggles my mind that she is able to do that.
Nobody ever learns at the same
level – though it didn’t seem so obvious when I was a youth as it does
now. Some kids need the fidget spinners or to doodle in his/her notebook while the instructor talks. It’s frustrating as a teacher to feel like a
student is not paying attention – and surprising when that student can
participate even though it appears the mind is elsewhere. Jenna may be participating in class
discussions while doing origami, but what about the students sitting near her
who seem to be more interested in what she is doing than what the instructor is
saying.
Within the learning environment, we run
into distractions all the time. How do
we handle these distractions while trying to create the feeling of equality
though none of us will ever feel equal?
We’re not. We are all different
people learning at different rates, sharing our likes, sometimes tolerating our
dislikes or not. We fight to be equal
but can’t seem to accept that we’re not.
Schools seem to be short-staffed, classes too crowded, school too small.
. .
I had experienced with different
titles for this post. The title I chose
came from the topic given by one of the counselor’s of the stake president who
had come to speak to our ward today. He
gave examples of pupils who would whine “I
CAN’T learn math”, “I CAN’T understand these vocabulary words”, “I CAN’T pass
the physical”, “I CAN’T get a job”. . . . but he told us to ponder these things
and realize we can make these things happen. “I CAN’T learn math . . . Yet”, “I
CAN’T understand these vocabulary words . . . Yet”, “I CAN’T pass the physical . . . Yet”, “I CAN’T get a job . . . Yet”
On Friday I had a job interview at the
Wild Life Safari. I met with two of the
accountants and the director of human resources. Roland and I had gone over some possible
questions that they might ask me and some questions that I might ask them. I wasn’t able to hear all the questions as
the fan seemed to be louder than the person sitting across the desk from
me. It was the shortest interview that
I have ever had in my entire life. I
know I didn’t do well. I know I had
missed some of the questions.
Aside from working with unpredictable children
and possibly animals (although the position I was applying for wasn’t directly
related to the animals), I don’t generally allow myself to become distracted when
I am working a job the way I do when I am at home. However, in the exact moment, I was asked if I
ever get distracted, I was – enjoying the
air but not the noise of it. I
definitely need to get my hearing checked.
I answered yes because I obviously had been distracted at that moment. If I had said no I think I would have come across
as dishonest.
I thought I was there for a payroll
position but it was for accounts payable which I have never done before in a
professional manner. I’ve paid my own
personal finances – which ironically is partly why I had picked the accounting
major to begin with – so I could better keep track of my budgeting so that
bills would get paid on time. Of course,
I didn’t think of that until just now. I
didn’t consider any of the methods that Roland had suggested after the
fact. I wish I had the same confidence
in myself that he has in me. He is
always disappointed that no one company has hired me on the spot. That's not even realistic for me at this point in time.
The thing with Wild Life Safari is I
had responded to an ad that had been posted only an hour before and was contacted
that same day for an interview. That was
exciting. Wild Life Safari is a non-profit
organization. I was really excited about that – being able to work for a
non-profit than a for-profit organization.
The questions I asked had to do with the organization itself. I did ask one accounting question. I forgot to ask how many are staffed at Wild
Life Safari. Or approximately how many accounts I would be dealing with. Or why the position happened to be open. I really would like to be a
part of their team, but I think I blew it.
I still have a job through the school
district. I have already had a personal
request to fill in for one of the aides at Coffenberry. Just nothing in accounting . . . yet. And that’s okay. My job hunting and interviews are only a
learning curve. One day I’ll get better
at it and maybe have the desire and confidence that Roland does. Maybe one day I will be able to do payroll
with the school district. Just not YET.
