Revisiting the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
It was another "early-to-rise" day in my household. I awoke at 2am with a raging sinus headache and a non-stop runny nose - darn expired allergy medications! I quickly realized that neither of these things would be conducive to returning to sleep, so I started my day. I picked up the house and have just finished making breakfast/dinner (sloppy joes are good any time of day!). I have played several mind-numbing games on the computer, and I have finished my gift wrapping.
Every time I am up this early in the morning. my mind goes towards the need to be occupied in some sort of task. I wonder why I need a task to work towards, but I do, so I embrace that part of myself and move along. Today, my primary tasks have been of the sorting and cleaning type, but I am pretty well finished with what I can do before the decent hour of 7am, so here I sit watching Farscape and thinking. Sorry about that.
What do I think about? Anything and everything that pops into my brain at this time of the day. Conversations on Music Therapists Unite, the banana that I have that may now be overripe, making sure that the presents get to California in time for the holiday, whether the cat has enough litter... you name it, I think about it!
Lately I have been thinking about my new intern who will start on January 2, 2014 (can you believe it is almost 2014??). This thought process starts up each time an intern starts at my facility... Will I be a good supervisor for this person? Will I be able to show her my best music therapy? Will she still want to be a music therapist after she is finished at my facility? Will she be a good intern or a problem-child? The questions go on and on.
I hope this is part of the process for every internship supervisor. This questioning keeps me looking for things that I feel are important for a student - clear communication, individualized training, and a robust learning experience. I hear that there are interns out there that do not get that type of training experience, and it simultaneously frustrates me and breaks my heart. ESPECIALLY when I just hear things through the grapevine and folks do not have the professional courage needed to go through a noncompliance process. So, we just keep bad supervisors out there fueling the problem.
I try to be a good internship supervisor. I try to show my interns the courtesy and attention that my ID showed me these 21 years ago. I try to make sure that my interns know that each one of them is an unique individual who brings something special into the world of music therapy. Sometimes it is an easy thing to do, and sometimes it isn't that easy.
Whew.
That's enough for this cold, snowy morning. Back to bed?
Every time I am up this early in the morning. my mind goes towards the need to be occupied in some sort of task. I wonder why I need a task to work towards, but I do, so I embrace that part of myself and move along. Today, my primary tasks have been of the sorting and cleaning type, but I am pretty well finished with what I can do before the decent hour of 7am, so here I sit watching Farscape and thinking. Sorry about that.
What do I think about? Anything and everything that pops into my brain at this time of the day. Conversations on Music Therapists Unite, the banana that I have that may now be overripe, making sure that the presents get to California in time for the holiday, whether the cat has enough litter... you name it, I think about it!
Lately I have been thinking about my new intern who will start on January 2, 2014 (can you believe it is almost 2014??). This thought process starts up each time an intern starts at my facility... Will I be a good supervisor for this person? Will I be able to show her my best music therapy? Will she still want to be a music therapist after she is finished at my facility? Will she be a good intern or a problem-child? The questions go on and on.
I hope this is part of the process for every internship supervisor. This questioning keeps me looking for things that I feel are important for a student - clear communication, individualized training, and a robust learning experience. I hear that there are interns out there that do not get that type of training experience, and it simultaneously frustrates me and breaks my heart. ESPECIALLY when I just hear things through the grapevine and folks do not have the professional courage needed to go through a noncompliance process. So, we just keep bad supervisors out there fueling the problem.
I try to be a good internship supervisor. I try to show my interns the courtesy and attention that my ID showed me these 21 years ago. I try to make sure that my interns know that each one of them is an unique individual who brings something special into the world of music therapy. Sometimes it is an easy thing to do, and sometimes it isn't that easy.
Whew.
That's enough for this cold, snowy morning. Back to bed?
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