I agree with Wade’s description of the challenges of management. More or less without setting out to do so, I’ve spent much of my working life so far managing an organization and supervising staff. It’s difficult work for an introvert like me! Kaston’s right about it being a lot like babysitting and Wade is right about your attitude affecting the whole place. Sometimes it’s really REALLY hard — like yesterday, when my boss and I had to fire one of our staff. Sometimes the responsibility is overwhelming, like having to meet a grant application deadline last week, knowing that if I missed that deadline, 20 people including me would be out of a job. But being a boss who is generally viewed as fair and caring and knowledgeable — and who is willing to jump in and do the dirty work (as I’m sure people who work with Wade view him) — is rewarding too.

Kaston, I’m sure that whether you’re in this job for 6 months or 6 years, you will learn a tremendous amount — things that you’ll never learn in school. You’re still in a steep learning curve, and you’re also at the mercy of what kind of leadership is above you. But when you do go back to school one day, you’ll have a lot more real world experience and self-knowledge to build on.

“For 17 years running, Planned Parenthood of Central Texas (PPCT) has sponsored a half-day, low-cost comprehensive sex education seminar called “Nobody’s Fool” in Waco. Attendees — boys and girls from grades five through nine — learn about abstinence, anatomy, contraception, peer pressure, puberty, sexual development, and STIs in a safe, fun, respectful, and supportive atmosphere. Abstinence is a major point, but questions about birth control methods and STIs are answered honestly and accurately. The teens are broken into groups according to age and gender and are then given age-appropriate information. Parents are invited to preview the course matter the night before — an opportunity for them to join in the fun and perhaps learn something in the process. ”

I am volunteering there this year and it will be Wednesday, July 25 and I can’t wait!

car’s don’t get knocked over as easy as bikes - fyi

Dean has a almost rare deal in having a good job he really likes. The rest of us have to learn to deal with work being work most of the time which involves working for an assortment of people that range from idiots and assholes to every now and then someone decent.

being a manager takes experiencing a lot of stuff to learn how to deal, being a good manager means going through all that and thinking of how all the hourly people felt going through the same stuff and then finding a way to get everybody thru it feeling better about it the next time…you have the intelligence and the compassion to be good, it’s just gonna take time. Most importtant thing I can pass along is I find that my attitude is the attitude of the rest of the store. If I am upbeat, try to make people laugh and have some fun while working, giving out the “atta boys” - then everybody is upbeat. Some days that requires a fake it til you make it approach.

what’s a PPH- nobody’s fool?