The life of an educator

The life of an educator.

Thank God, the end of the academic year is almost here!  Let me count the days...under twenty to be exact.  I know that from the outside looking in, most of you will think the working life of those in post-secondary education is pretty slack.  Compared to the life of those of you working on the front line, it probably is.  For all of us though, working hard all year to make everybody succeed and to meet their needs, to support and encourage them, to role model for them, to teach, befriend, and take them under our wings (if they will let us...without smothering or creating dependence) is an all-consuming effort. It takes a team of like-minded, enthusiastic and knowledgeable instructors to deliver a program of excellence.  The responsibility is awesome and mentoring and socializing newcomers to the field of health care and nursing takes guts and energy like you can't imagine.   Our preceptors feel it when they take on a student for several weeks.   A preceptor is someone from the front line, such as a nurse.  The person works in the field and buddies up with a student who is on the verge of graduating from the same discipline.  The idea is to provide a transitioning period and to give the student a taste of the front line for real.  Even though the preceptor volunteers to do so year after year, they too know and understand how draining, yet fulfilling, the whole concept can be, so we absolutely identify with them. 

By this time of year then, in June, we are nothing if not bone tired. Yet we continue on.  We've already received the list of accepted applicants for next Fall and you would think that would weigh us down. Strangely enough, it does just the opposite.  We are excited again and chomping on the bit to get everyone jumped into the stream and pointed in the right direction...I guess it's because we must love what we do.  We know that without a continual influx of new graduates, into any field, the system would soon become shaky and possibly crumble.  We know that there have been more years than anyone would like to count when nurses and other health care workers  have foregone their breaks and holidays simply because there was not enough bodies to replace them.  This is the grain of truth that provides a somewhat grim reality.

This is the time of the year then when we are facing grad. Grad is a celebration of achievement and a time to give credit where credit is due.  It is a formalized time to bestow distinctions, usually for any one of the following, certificate, diploma, baccalaureate,  master's, or doctoral degree. Grad is a time for happiness, enthusiasm, and excitement.  Success is in the air for students and their families as much as for the program personnel who put them through their paces.  The idea abounds that a new world has opened for each student.  Where doors were previously closed they are suddenly flung wide open and the sky is the limit for opportunities.  Yet everybody is weary by grad, including the students.  On the one hand, the people involved in their training know what it's like to work in the real world.  We think to ourselves, "look what we've gotten them into... Real World 101!  Here they come, "ready or not".  Don't get me wrong, programs have rigorous standards and upon graduation, we are saying they are qualified to practice because they have passed every manner of testing we could reasonably throw at them.  Does that mean all graduates are created equal?  Of course not.  We all know of exceptional professionals in every field, but we also know of others  who are not quite so brilliant, not so likable, and not so reliable.  It has always been and always will be a facet of human nature, since human beings remain imperfect.

We understand what the new graduates will go through with their "graditis", after all, they've just learned the latest and most up-to-date, evidence-based information available.  Graditis or being a "know-it-all" is a condition that happened to all of us.  More seasoned professionals generally roll their eyes and bide their time until this phase passes.     Ironically, the leap is made.  From yesterday as students, to today as graduates, they now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their former trainers, teachers,and peers.  Suddenly as our new colleagues, they deserve our congratulations and respect.  We knew them only a short time and must say good-bye, but we will meet again somewhere along the line and hopefully it will be as part of their new capacity.   For now, we're off to bring forth the next group to help make sure there will always be enough of you, that new graduate who promises to forever sustain the system.
 

Trees, beavers and gardening

I was sent a forward from a friend not long ago that showed the most beautiful tree tunnels in the world.  Amazingly, many of them were made from the same trees as where I live.  :-)  Shortly after, as a I drove to work one morning, I realized the trees that canopy Spadina Crescent East between 33rd and Queen Street could rival any such spectacle in the world.  The old elms that line the street, just having budded out look pink with their blossoms overhead as you gaze upward to see the sun shining through.  I could slow down and drive at a snail's pace down that street every morning if there was nobody behind me.  You just pass the weir which is so enticing and then you enter into this tree-lined lane.  Every morning I have to fight myself not to stop and just stroll around taking pictures.  I could get so used to that.  See the photo on the right hand side?  That's somewhere in Brazil.  Well Saskatoon's is even nicer ;-).

A place of interest from my childhood is found if you drive about four miles north of Melfort and turn left off the highway (which is also west).  There you will find a very old road...It's a trail really  because the farmer whose field it is adjacent to seems to have disced it up, then cultivated it at certain points in time over the years.  I expect he had to due to flooding and a big drastic mess when somebody time after time with a 4x4 thought they could get through right after a rain.  You know those ruts...they are miserable to drive on when things dry up.  This old road too has a canopy of trees that envelope it just as you drive around a nice curve and just before you cross over a small, wooden bridge.  My grandparents always called it lover's lane and I expect that was for a reason.  The little bridge is an interesting place to hang around because of the wildlife.  Beavers generally build their big house somewhere along that little creek and they are usually hard at work trying to dam up the water somewhere.  This of course gets on the nerves of the local farmers at times and they tend to bring out the dynamite or the gun or both...at least my grandpa and some of the neighbours used to.  Poor beavers.

Have you ever seen a beaver's teeth?  If you haven't, honestly they are worth seeing.  If you can find the time, Google a picture.  Their teeth are massively long and extremely yellow.  I almost posted a picture that I found, but when I looked again, it was just too gross.  The poor things, if they don't keep gnawing on wood, their teeth will continue to grow.  These creatures are part of the rodent family and you can recognize the rodent features the minute you get up close.  I mean you don't want a close up when they're still alive and moving.  Their tails are broad and flat and actually the animals themselves can grow to the size of a small dog or larger given half a chance.  I've seen one up close that my brother trapped.  Although I felt very squeamish around him, it was a good experience..and there was no need to fear because he was stiff as a board and wasn't going anywhere..please use your imagination.  I understand even when they're still alive that they won't bother you if you don't bother them. I have never heard of a beaver who was aggressive.  One year when we arrived at the cabin, a few beavers had been busy all winter and mowed down almost every tree along both sides of the lake for probably over half a mile.  Little buggers!  Be that as it may, the Beaver is a part of our Canadian heritage and you will find a picture of it imprinted on the back of Canadian nickels, our five cent coin.  Oh, I thought I could upload a picture of a beaver on the back of a nickel, but it flopped....so you may have to find your own.

I'm amazed to see that the country leading the way this month in reading my blog is France of all places.  The blog keeps stats of the readership.  In the "for all time category" which is since I started writing  December 31, 2011, Canada is first with over 2,300, France surprizes me by being in second place with over 1,900.  The U.S. is third at over 500.  There are probably 10 or 12 countries showing up, with over 6,500 readers....so I remain in awe that somebody wants to read this stuff!  My most popular posting is "Singing the Praises of Christmas".  That seemed to whet the appetite of alot of people in alot of other countries.  They truly seem starved to know how we celebrate an age-old tradition in this part of the world. Who knew?

It's the middle of May and Spring is finally here.  Believe it or not, there are still traces of snow in places that don't get much sun.  I see the evidence of these little white patches across the river on it's banks every day.  It warmed up to 28 degrees celsius one day, but has stayed in the mid twenties for the most part.  At night, I don't think it's freezing any more but the ground still seems a little cool for planting.  Since May 24 is supposed to be when you have your vegetable garden planted, it seems risky to go ahead and plop things into the ground, even though the long weekend is here.  We get a holiday because all of Canada celebrates the British Queen's birthday.  It's called Victoria Day and we certainly look forward to the break.  May long is traditionally a time to open up cabins and for a few years became a weekend for youth to travel to lakes and campgrounds and party hard.  The vandalism and rowdiness got so out of hand that finally the authorities have clamped down and things are somewhat back to normal.

I know there are some die-hard gardeners who will be sure to plant their potatoes or have already done so...you see they are usually the smart ones.  I'm not quite done raking leaves yet and that could have been done weeks ago if the weather would have cooperated.  I won't be planting my bedding plants and flowers until the first week of June.   It's weird, I'm not done raking, yet the grass is growing like crazy and I definitely have to give the lawn it's first mowing soon.

The garage sales have started and they are a huge draw for people.  I should consider having one myself, but I have so many other things to catch up on its ridiculous.   Sleep being one of them, which I'm heading for right now.  Sweet dreams to all!