“I’ve always been in the medical field. I used to work in assisted living homes, helping elderly patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. For the past nine years, I’ve worked with kids who have mild retardation and adults with autism.”

What’s the most important skill for that type of work?
“Patience. I didn’t used to have much patience. I had a very low tolerance level. I was a distant person, too. But working with people who have these kinds of challenges, you learn to be more patient. You learn to deal with people better. Honestly, I think it’s helped me more than I’ve helped them.”

— Tria Hodge

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“Answering 911 calls can be very horrifying and breathtaking and everything else. You’re talking on the radio. You’re talking on the phone. You’re dealing with officers, paramedics, firefighters, and citizens who are very upset.

“What helps me is PCP: patience, compassion and professionalism. You have to use all three of these for every call. You always have to be patient. You need compassion to realize that while the person on the phone might get angry with you, they’re going through something really difficult. And you have to be professional because these are your customers, and you’re expected to take care of them and meet their needs.

“That’s the job. And I believe that as long as I use my PCP, I’ll be able to handle anything. PCP, that’s my drug of choice.”

— Nancy Worley

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“One of the jobs I had for a few years was watching handicap children on school buses, making sure they were OK. I won’t lie, it was hard at times. You quickly learn that you can’t raise your voice to these kids because they can get upset very easily.

“I had kids choke me. I had kids try to bite me. I had them kick me and slap me. You just learn to deal with it.

“It may not sound like it, but I enjoyed it overall. You had to stay calm and show patience. I’m a person who’s very patient with a lot of things. So I just kind of dealt with it, although I did have to grit my teeth at times.”

— Judith Shinn

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“I’m a firm believer that if you don’t love kids, you shouldn’t be teaching. There are times when they’re going to test you. But if you work from that basis, you can kind of overlook all those things and use your energy to find ways to overcome some of the obstacles they throw at you.”

What sorts of obstacles?
“Some kids don’t come from the same background as say a person who’s more educated. Some of the basic values that you and I understand, these kids don’t. They don’t understand something like it’s not normal to throw things at your teacher. A lot of people have a really hard time with that, saying these kids should know this and know that. But the number of things they really don’t know is shocking.

“I believe an important part of our job is to help them understand right from wrong and to not be frustrated that they don’t know. That’s kind of why we’re there, to teach.”

— Audria Courtney

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The post ‘If you don’t love kids, you shouldn’t be teaching’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“One of my biggest challenges is overcoming the distance between my girlfriend and me. We’re not allowed to see each other because her parents are really strict.

“Right now, we’re just texting. I wouldn’t say I’m angry about it, but I do feel disappointment toward her family for not letting her out and go on dates. But that’s life and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t change their minds.

“I’m being patient. I’ll wait for her to graduate high school, when she can make her own choices. She’s worth waiting for.”

— Scottie Sonnier

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