Starting off this week I felt like I got a little confused because I only went to one class the week before. Missing consistent practice under the blindfold and exploring the area made me feel under-prepared. This made me think about how my future clients will need a lot of practice in an area, and that their skills could also become rusty if they are not using them regularly.
On Tuesday when I got confused on Park, it took everything I have learned to get me to re-orient myself. I had to listen to traffic, try not to move around too much, listen to people around me, try to head toward the street, as well as the use of cardinal directions. Sometimes it is really hard for me to take what I think I know and throw it away. I was standing there hearing one way traffic, thinking I was facing Duval. It made sense traffic was moving from my right to my left. So I based my world around that. When I realized that when facing the moving cars that Bronough's traffic would also move from my right to my left...it was like an epiphany. My mind was blown completely. Because of this realization I was able to force everything in my head to shift and fit with what was really there. I'm very grateful to have had that experience and that Katie gave me enough time to figure it out. I know sometimes I need help, sometimes I get too frustrated and I can't get out of it, but because I had this chance to do it, it's like I proved myself to...myself. I know I did it once so I can do it again. Katie was a really great teacher. I know for sure any struggles she has under the blindfold have only made her a more understanding and helpful teacher.
Teaching each other can be difficult. When to give information, how much to give, how to deliver comments. I have noticed this a lot when out with Amanda because she does O&M with adults. These people are, for the most part, competent independent adults. It's so much harder when giving directions and critiquing their skills because the teacher-student relationship is totally different. For example when I teach Katie or David I feel awkward when telling them what to do or that they messed up. I try to do things the way I have observed Mickey and Amanda doing with us and their clients. I feel bad about what happened when I was trying to cross Bronough. I think I got really distracted by people talking to me, and after veering, it was too much and I stated doubting myself. It was like I was half-way disoriented. I knew the general area I was in, but really wanted to line up with the curb cut, which is not very defined at that particular corner. I shouldn't have started doubting myself so much, I kept feeling like I needed to check it just one more time. I wanted more time, and I needed to hurry. I guess I felt a little irritated when I was told the reason I needed to hurry up was because other people were hot and sick of waiting on me, when I feel like I wait 3+ traffic cycles for others to decide to cross with out saying a word. I take my time under the blindfold seriously, and to suggest that I was just playing around wasting time kind of hurt my feelings. That on top of being very tired and stressed made me kind of snap momentarily. I needed to be pushed and told to go, a good teacher would do that. I got over it in about 5 minutes and knew it wasn't a big deal. It was no ones fault, and I'm glad I experienced it. Now I know what my students may be going through if I don't understand why they are doing something and accidentally hurt their feelings. I now understand the fine line of giving enough time to orient, while also pushing the student to make a decision and go with it. This class is definatly teaching me a lot more than just mobility skills.
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