Also known as “how to C.Y.A so you don’t get S-U-E-D at the YMCA.”
Basically, we had the Readers’ Digest Condensed seminar on how to spot abuse, how to question a kid (or not) to find out for sure if it’s abuse or just a bad teeter-totter experience, how to restrain and otherwise deal with a kid who’s bent on destruction (self or otherwise), and how to do all this while making sure you never put yourself into a position where you can be falsely yet plausibly accused of bad things.
Since my tour with kids in a hands-on situation is essentially over with (although who knows what errant opportunities will surface randomly between now and graduation), I have to say I didn’t exactly devote my entire brain to the training.
Also, since I spent most of my childhood getting on-the-job-training in this particular topic, it’s not exactly new material. Actually, I spent most of the time reading over the list of symptoms and indicators of abuse and making mental check-marks by examples that reflected my own personal behavioral quirks and issues (now and as a kid). Let’s just say that I wouldn’t be hard to pick out of a psychological line-up. ‘Nuff said.
Anyway, that was the morning. The afternoon was spent tidying up all those records and stuff I didn’t get done yesterday, so I could turn them in and be mentally clear for my three-day weekend and the mediation training and Americorps Summit events that will be taking up all of next week. Mission accomplished. I got it all done, printed, tallied, totaled, sorted, stuffed, mailed, stapled and turned in today. Dropped by the school to get my time sheets signed, and then clocked out until Tuesday.
So if you don’t hear from me for a few, I’ll be at the White Squirrel Festival. No, really. One of my favorite local bands, the Firecracker Jazz Band is featuring – seriously hot swing jazz that’ll knock your socks off. And, yanno, lots and lots of white squirrels.
Technorati: americorps, child abuse, CYA, YMCA, white squirrel, Firecracker Jazz Band
