Week 5 lectures

Today we had 20 minutes of marketing followed by what appeared to be a 1 hour side track. No wonder I haven't been able to make sense of it - as one of the other students said "most of it is common sense, wrapped up in waffle" I'm sure that's not the case really but that's definitely how it seems right now. I think reading the book and working to the assignment is the only positive way forward.

Then we had MIE - I forgot the booklet (although had read the stuff) which made my life tricky. Video of MR Prof Handy (Now my recollection is his books are readable) which was useful about the 4 org cultures (glad I did the questionnaire back in PGCE days - wonder how different the results would be now I am happy at work). Glad we've lost our Dionysus today, and we are small and task oriented and likely to stay that way. Then stuff about 2 other Management theorists. Also got assessment criteria for assignment. Not like assessment criteria I've seen before but I guess I just do my best to produce something that falls in the excellent categories and hopefully I'll succeed in getting somewhere with the results.

Had the issue mentioned previously explained - basically do you have strategies to cope with negative situations that work well by the sounds of things. Best change that then - I think I do pretty well on coping strategies, and the old mood diary is definitely a constructive tool already. (who says having 3 weeks off sick because the contents of your head was so terrifying was a bad experience then? I learned! I left! I do this now, I apply some of the self help books periodically). Tutor exhibited concern about my other weakest point (no career plan) - but we will be doing a related session, and I'll see if I manage to get more constructive and directionful - in theory at least! It's hard to have a career plan when it consists of "consolidate until Mar 2006, do this course, POS 2nd year, like to stay in current post till 2008, won't settle for less than office manager somewhere", does depend on settling of restructures at LCC as that is a possible future, I like to focus on one thing and this year it's this course - it's the first one I've done that I've really been interested in!

Finally we had Data handling - not as hideous as the bus experience had lead me to believe it would be - take it easy, apply the logic and above all remember the golden rule "algebra is a tool to cut through the words to find out the bits of information you need out of all the info you are given" which lets face it I spent 2 years teaching adult numeracy on that basis.

Work stuff is bubbling up - time management still has holes by being too available but what do you do when damage limitation between colleagues is required? Firm but supportive consistent advice (talk to them now, no matter how hard it is - it's got to be better than leaving) is all I can do. That and encourage the other party to be work focused at work no matter how much the outside work stuff sucks (oh and it does - never co parent, never have kids is the lesson from that one). In the meanwhile focus on more jobs done than jobs in so I don't become like the crazy rats in maze type manager that so much of the management theory we read today was about. Tally sheets - giving a girl a great sense of freedom!