I've been training a new assistant at work. She has been a little reluctant to answer the phone so far, and I don't blame her. I remember how it felt when I first started this job over nine years ago. I never knew who was going to be on the other end of the phone and I didn't know if I would be able to do or say anything that would meet the caller's needs. Parent support can be a messy business. It gets much easier with experience.
Today I had a meeting out of the office and then went to lunch. During lunch my cell phone rings and it is New Assistant. She had taken a call today from a mother who seemed to be at her wit's end. She obviously called for a reason, but it was hard for New Assistant to determine how she could be helpful. The caller first asked for me, then Newby told her I was out of the office and asked if she could take a message. Caller said, "No"...and that was it. After a pause, caller said that maybe Newby could help her and proceeded to launch into her involved story. Caller quickly decided that Newby was not going to be able to help her as she had no idea what it was like to be a single parent of a child with special needs (never mind that Newby is actually a single parent of a child with special needs) and proceeded to berate and demean her. The call ended when Caller told Newby she needed more training and hung up on her.
Newby called me to tell me about the call and just debrief and vent a bit. I provided her with lots of support and offered to call Ms. Caller after lunch. I was curious and wanted to see if my call would have a different outcome. I left a message for Caller and she returned it around 6pm. She was docile as a lamb and as calm and nice as could be. Before hanging up the phone she thanked me for listening and called me "Sweetie". I had to laugh. I think both Newby and I had been hit in the end with a major mood swing.
Today I had a meeting out of the office and then went to lunch. During lunch my cell phone rings and it is New Assistant. She had taken a call today from a mother who seemed to be at her wit's end. She obviously called for a reason, but it was hard for New Assistant to determine how she could be helpful. The caller first asked for me, then Newby told her I was out of the office and asked if she could take a message. Caller said, "No"...and that was it. After a pause, caller said that maybe Newby could help her and proceeded to launch into her involved story. Caller quickly decided that Newby was not going to be able to help her as she had no idea what it was like to be a single parent of a child with special needs (never mind that Newby is actually a single parent of a child with special needs) and proceeded to berate and demean her. The call ended when Caller told Newby she needed more training and hung up on her.
Newby called me to tell me about the call and just debrief and vent a bit. I provided her with lots of support and offered to call Ms. Caller after lunch. I was curious and wanted to see if my call would have a different outcome. I left a message for Caller and she returned it around 6pm. She was docile as a lamb and as calm and nice as could be. Before hanging up the phone she thanked me for listening and called me "Sweetie". I had to laugh. I think both Newby and I had been hit in the end with a major mood swing.