My National Treasure 2 obsession influences my work life!

Week 4

The real learning experience for me this week has been seeing how various people deal with their frustrations surrounding coworkers, employers, procedures, and staff.  Some people vent to anyone and everyone, others come to their boss with every little frustration, and there are some people who never tell anyone their issues until they resign (or blow-up).  Every one of my jobs has afforded me the chance to see how people deal with the stress associated with their job, and this position has been no different.  The real success story for me is when people can put aside their frustrations (or realize the real reason for their frustrations and deal with that issue) and move forward to accomplish a goal.  I look up to people who encourage this trait in others.  It is important to realize the difference between being someone who people just come to so they can vent and being an individual who uses active listening to help a person under stress realize how they can deal with that issue.  I need to make sure I am always striving for the later.  (Advanced Interpersonal Skills FCS 355 at its finest)

Star Service Training

The first two days of this week were spent in Star Service training.  This is a Navy-wide training that every service provider must complete in order to develop his or her “front-line” skills.  Having sat through MANY trainings recently, and having been on the training side of things a few times, I was honestly more focused on how the training was conducted than what I learned.  This training is pretty interactive and includes a variety of media (videos, readings, etc.) and as a whole I was impressed by how it encouraged me to think about my interactions with parents and staff on a daily basis.  The information was presented in a way that was welcoming to students who have been in a service provider role for years as well as those who are new to the career field.  But I could have really used some music as I entered the very cold room every morning!  My team (aka half the group since there were only four of us in the training) won the trivia and participation contest held throughout the training, and my knowledge of the fact that rhinoceros horns are made out of the same protein as hair made all of the difference!  I now have a new MWR mug as a memory of the training.

Ms. Nadera playing during the training

Chill Factor (my team) won!!!

Tuesday night CDA meeting was, um, informative to say the least.  One thing I have learned throughout my short time here is that there are policies and procedures outlined in the OPNAV and SOP, but then there is the way it REALLY happens on a daily basis. Because Main Base has been without a training and curriculum specialist for most of the past few years, correct completion of the Navy Child Care modules has not always been implemented.  The ramifications of this can be long lasting, and I felt for some of the teachers who were being told that they might have to redo their modules even though the correct information had not been given to them.  Thursday’s info meeting out at Hario went a lot smoother, not only because all of their staff have correctly finished their modules, but also because we were able to answer a lot of the questions that came up during the Tuesday training I felt as though we were more prepared.  I have high hopes that there will be about eight Sasebo staff members with a new CDA credential by this time next year!

The view in Hario, the picture does not do it justice.
Seeing the mountains rising up from the fog is amazing!

This whole week has also been focused on training for the CDC, SAC, and Pre-teen center staff.  Three SAC and Pre-teen staff members have been going through orientation the past two weeks, and it has been good for me to sit in on these sessions, and offer my two cents, as it gives me a good overview of the basic training necessary for any new CYP staff member.  Oh, and let me just say that the Blood Borne Pathogens video we had to watch is not for individuals who have a weak stomach.

My Friday workday started a little bit later than normal, because I was planning on staying for the Pizza and Movie night for the teens and preteens.  When I got to work Jessica was already meeting with the Preschool teachers, talking with them about the CDA program (because both of them were unable to make the meetings).  Both of these teachers are very excited about the program and are fully committed, so I hope that the rest of the staff will slowly get on board.  I also completed a project that involved cataloging the preschool literacy kits and coming up with a new way to track which child has them checked out.  I spent some time with SAC today, checked in with the Parent Involvement Night at the CDC, and was back in time for the birthday party being thrown for a teen at our center.  The movie ended up being National Treasure 2 (one of my favorites).  I also learned that the center cannot show DVDs, only 8mm film that is checked out from the liberty center; just one more policy to remember.  I love that I learn something every time I walk into this center.  There was a center full of kids tonight, and I enjoyed seeing them all interacting and having a good time.