Well it is the weekend and I am glad of the rest from that thing you have to do in a new job- smile constantly so that hopefully you look approachable and friendly ( though in my case I can look a wee bit deranged!) , try and remember new names ( and it is surprisingly difficult for me when they are names I have never heard of or where the mix of constanants and vowels is completley different than in English)and try to figure out where I can fit in and be of most use in the operation.
But before I embark on about my extensive social life(not!) a wee bit of reflection on the team meeting I went to yesterday.I need to emphasise I am not judging anything just thinking aloud. So there was a sports day event for the under 10's to enable them to have fun whilst working towards achieving gross and fine motor skills. Lots of gorgeous wee kids running around doing musical chairs, obstacle races and brilliant leap frogging and children with disabilities doing exercises to strengthen their grip or help with their balance ( egg and spoon- sitting races to see who could fill a bottle of water with a cup the quickest).
I noticed that some staff stood around watching as other staff struggled pulling tarpaulin sheets around or setting up tables, chairs, banners etc. I just thought perhaps people are very clear here about what each person does and doesn't do ( I even wondered if it was a caste thing- don't think so) After the event there was a staff meeting where the 2 Technical Directors ( founder of charity and main manager) asked the staff to reflect on what they thought went well and what didn't. There was such a long period of silence that I nearly jumped in myself ( staff meetings and all conversations at school are supposed to be in English- they aren't and at times I feel left out but only for a second as I remind myself, "how about you learn their language lazy gal and join in!").
After a while one person spoke so quietly and submissively that no one could hear. Like a small nervous child in front of a bully of a headmaster. She whispered that it would have been better if something had been changed round.She said that she had not mentioned this to anyone becauseit wasn't her 'place'. 3 other people said similar things and the general consensus was that the day could have been better. But my thought was that this was not a conversation. The directors were nearly begging the staff to reflect and critically evaluate. They were mostly teachers or occupational therapists and there was no conversation. They all just looked down. Admitedly when no one talked the director was firm in her approach and told them off but there was something that seemed strange. It links with another facet of school life that I have observed- there is an awful lot of sitting around for the children as they wait for something to happen. The teachers often seem content to wait to be told what to do by someone else in authority rather than problem solve and get on. This links with something that a Welsh expat oil exec said to me (at a wee meet and greet social drinks thing I went to- I'm trying to make friends) and he was probably being racist or certainly making a sweeping statment but he said that he interviews people all over the world for jobs like geologists and researchers etc and that in India he notices that graduates are fantastic at technical taks where there is a predictable list from 1 to 10 but they are useless at problem solving and thinking of the bigger picture and general empathy with other taks/people.
Ok so that is a semi formed ramble that I will surely come back to when I have experienced a wee bit more!
I am trying to load photos but whilst I think I can do empathy I am in need of an Indian IT graduate!
