Day 3: Things That Make You Uncomfortable...

Perhaps it is working with middle school students for 10 years, but I like to think of myself as tolerant, patient, and generally workable, but there are 3 things that make me cringe.

1. Confrontation-For those that work closely with me, you will know how I loathe confrontation.  I generally don't point out a person's misspoken word or correct someone, because it usually just makes them feel self-conscious, and we all  knew what they meant anyways.  I have found people in this world who make it a point to correct people at every given error, and I just don't understand it.  It makes the person who spoke feel badly, and generally, the point is not changed due to the error.  In my non-confrontation loving self, though, I would never point this out to someone!  Even if I am not a part of the confrontation I am witnessing, I am incredibly uncomfortable.  I have thought this might improve with age, and while I am more outspoken now than in my younger years, it is certainly something I like to avoid if possible!

2. Chaos-I am a teacher, and I like my world nice and neat and pretty.  Well, then I had children, and I had to come to accept that my normal as I knew it would never be returning.  While I have embraced a new sense of cleanliness, I still much prefer my life to have order.  This stretches out to any environment with a great deal of "stuff" in disarray in it.  I just can't think!  This would be one reason why I can't visit Alex at work very often.  He does not have the same need for order that I do, and his office would be an unworkable environment for me.  We recently went to a local inside playground establishment in town, and I found the noise level and small children flying by me to be much too stimulating for me.  I actually thought I might need to sit down at one point due to the mass chaos surrounding me!  Stuff and noise make me uncomfortable:-)

3. Phone Calls-I HATE making phone calls.  This is one of those tradeoffs that you make in a marriage, and I gave phone calls away in a heart beat.  In fact, I don't make any phone calls for our children-I delegate those out to the hubs.  Now, he does have easier access to a phone as he works in an office, and I just can't answer a phone call at any moment of the day. Can you just see it, "Excuse me kids, I have to take this phone call for my son's pediatrician.  Just hold on for a moment".  I don't see that making the "good pedagogy" poster any time soon;-)  There is something about not being able to see someone's face on a phone and the uncertainty of who you are going to be talking to, that makes it difficult for me.  I much prefer to talk to someone in person, and then there aren't any unknowns:-)  Thankfully, Alex doesn't complain, and he bravely does the phone calls for me;-) 

I could add to this list heights, snakes, and small spaces, but those are simply fears and not uncomfortables!  I'm simply petrified of those items, and I have managed to work my way through my 3 "uncomfortables":-)