I am seriously not liking my job

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
I am totally burnt out being in the attendance office. I posted earlier about my new boss being a hard *ss and wanting us to make more phone calls. We made a bunch of calls on Thursday to a bunch of parents with kids with attendance issues. Now it's only Monday and I was given another huge list of more parents to call this morning. So now it's turning out to be even more than once a week that I have to make these dreaded phone calls. This morning my list was huge. 47 kids. I spent nearly three hours non stop on the phone. Left a bunch of messages. Talked to some parents. Some were nice, others were not so nice. I will be getting lots of return phone calls tomorrow I'm sure, so I will have another stressful day on the phone.

I just joined a social anxiety group on facebook last week. I posted my first question wondering how many other people out there absolutely freak out being on the phone. i was stunned at how many responses I got. I had about fifty people respond and tell me their phone anxiety was crippling. I got a lot of empathy from a bunch of people. In one way it's good to know I'm not alone. Another part of me is sad that so many others are suffering like I do. One girl called me brave for being in the line of work I'm in with having huge anxiety issues. She's right, I am pretty brave, but knowing that is not helping my stress level much. I am starting to hate a job I used to love. When I was enrolling easy child at his new school last week, the registrar asked me what position I held at the high school. When I told her I work in attendance, she smiled and said something along the lines of, "Well how fun. i bet you love your job."

Three years ago I would have said yes. Now not so much. i wish I was doing anything but attendance. I am sick of high school students. I can't even motivate my own kid to go to school. How in the heck am I supposed to help other difficult children who resent having to be here? What am I supposed to tell their parents when I don't even know the answer myself? I am sick of setting up meetings with these parents and kids with the principals and having the kids still refuse to go to school. They promise to do better. They promise to go to class. But they don't. Consequences don't mean anything to them. I wish to God I had found a job at an elementary school where attendance isn't much of an issue. I am sick of high school. I am keeping my eyes and ears open for any new positions that may become available in the near future. Unfortunately open positions at the school are few and far between. The schools offer good benefits and pretty decent pay, and most people stay here until they retire. I am hoping and praying another position becomes available soon. I really hate coming to work every day and it sucks, to put it mildly. I love working for the school district, but I hate my job position. Lord help me.
 

Castle Queen

Warrior in training
CB,
I have severe social anxiety too and having to use a phone has plagued me for years. Email/texting has been a godsend! I guess I need to join that FB group too. I wish you luck in finding another position that isn't so stressful. I think if you found a job you enjoyed some of the other issues you have reported would lessen. You are very good at writing and putting your thoughts down...perhaps something in that arena?
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
I love texting! I thank God every day for that intervention. I don't even like talking on the phone to people I know much less virtual strangers. My mom and boyfriend know to only text me unless it's an emergency. My last boyfriend insisted on calling me several times a day because he said texting wa too impersonal and he wanted to hear my voice. I dreaded those phone calls. Sometimes I would ignore his calls because I couldn't bring myself to talk to him. i seriously started to resent the hell out of him. He ended up breaking up with me about six months into the relationship thank God!!
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I know this is off topic but it seems silly to start a new thread. How is your son doing with all the recent changes? I just picture him being so much like my grandson difficult child and the relocation has triggered my heart. DDD
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
He is handling it like a trooper. He has every right to complain but he doesn't. He said he made a new friend on Wednesday but he didn't talk to the boy again on Thursday or Friday. easy child is like me. He doesn't have the courage to start converstations with other people so he waits until spoken to. I am trying to encourage him to speak up but it's I know it's hard for him. I am going to enroll him in an after school program so I am hoping he will make new friends there as well. So far he's been an absolute angel at home.
 

1905

Well-Known Member
You can't quit because you make good money, the benefits are great, you can retire from there one day. Can you have a little speech prepared that you just say to everyone, so you don't need to think much when you make the calls? You know your mouth can be saying it, but your mind is on top of a cool mountain eating a Peppermint Patty or something. Also, keep thinking about how you just 17 pounds, write little mantras all over you desk that you can see while you're on the phone....funny or inspiring things for your eyes only. Put pictures of your kids on the desk to remind yourself constantly why you are forcing yourself to make the calls. You are brave, truly. Feel good about yourself after each call. Do you get e-mails all the time about job postings in your district? I do , if you do, check out other things that may open up that are still in the school system. You never know, you could become the cafeteria manager or 1:1 for a student.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
CG. you may not think you are brave, but I think so. It is HARD to have anxiety and do something anyway. You are awesome.

Is there any way you can possibly, possibly get another type of assignment?
I should join that group too. Can you post the link?
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
There are only two of us in the attendance department and unfortunately there's no way to get out of making those calls. I don't call and I get fired because it's a huge part of my job description. My supervisor and I split up the alphabet. I get A-L and she gets M-Z. I swear I get more bad kids than she does every year. And of course most of mine barely speak English which makes it harder. I get emails from the district any time a new position opens up. Unfortunately most of them are for part time with no benefits or bilingual only. I do have two ladies who work in my office who are not bilingual and are near retirement age. I would love to have either one of their jobs. One is the secretary for one of the vice principals and the other lady runs the front office. Both are better pay and they are eleven month jobs, which is exactly what I am looking for. Having the ten month job I do now is way too hard on me financially. Each year I struggle badly in September till I get my first paycheck on the 24th. I would love to have only one month off in the summer to spend with my kids and I wouldn't struggle so badly to survive. I wait every year to see if either one of them are going to retire but so far they keep coming back. There are other positions at other schools as well and I'm hoping somebody is close to retirement there. All I know is I don't like this job anymore and my stress level is incredibly high lately. I just got back from summer vacation and I am already counting down the days till the next holiday.
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
Oh by the way the group is on facebook and it's called Social Anxiety Disorder. I am computer illiterate and I don't know how to put up links, but if you just type in their name it will come up and then you can request to join the group. It's quite a big group with several thousand members. I don't feel so bad knowing there are so many other people out their who have the same struggles as I do.
 
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