I'm Plain Old Tired...

I am frustrated, frustrated, and frustrated with things going on right now. Staff members at work are just simply not doing their jobs when it comes to music therapy, so, I get to be really strong and assertive today. Seating charts for all!! Well, not for all, but for the class full of staff members who cannot seem to understand that it is their job to actually sit next to students and help them do what the therapist asks them to do!

Today's post is going to be a rant. Be warned!!

The following list of grievances contains what I am currently struggling with (it's just a rant, so please know that things will get better):

1. I am tired of teachers shouting to each other during my sessions - especially when I'm trying to run things like, I don't know, calming TMEs.
2. I am VERY tired of being cramped into a very small space with two other people. I cannot spread out.
3. Incessant humming all the time!!
4. Staff members who watch children engage in inappropriate behaviors and do NOTHING!
5. Classroom groups that are constantly changing and yet, someone always forgets to tell those of us who do therapy with those groups.
6. Did I mention the cramped space?
7. How about the humming?
8. Administrative staff who have no idea how to include therapists into discussions about classrooms. "Everyone will have specially targeted questions to guide their self-study." "Oh, we couldn't think of how YOU would implement this into music therapy." Really? You couldn't make the transfer? Ya think this might be part of the problem with the other things??
9. The humming!!

I am really hoping that this is pre-AMTA jitters and just regular frustration that will be easily alleviated by some assertive behavior as well as some frank discussion with the hummer. As for the space, I may be trying to stay in my dirty, dusty, and unfinished music room in order to make some room for me.

It's time to stop ranting and start getting ready to go to work. The concept of a seating chart will not be easy to explain to the seven staff members that need to follow the chart. They will resist and probably flirt along the edges of insubordination, so I will take care of that situation as it occurs. There will probably not be much music therapy that happens during the session as I have to take time to tell people what to do in their jobs. Hopefully this will alleviate several of the issues that have been occurring in the session lately. We will see, but to me, I would think that staff members should be sitting with clients instead of chatting with one another. In addition, maybe those same staff members should be interacting through the music??

Gotta get ready for work. Here I go.

Ugh...