I hate it when in order to be good at my job........

I'm a special educator and I just came from a special and eligibility meeting. The student was not eligible and it sucks because he is at a residential placement and being very successful. The only way for him to remain there is for tuition to be paid through a special ed placement. It's a sucky situation.

He was placed there by the local mental health agency and they somehow got the state to pay but they no longer will. The school was never involved in the placement so it makes it look like we are the bad guys.

Lisa D.

I haven't made those kind of decisions but I have been on the receiving end. That sucks too!!

I'm a high school theatre teacher. Due to the amount of time the students & I spend together (by nature of doing theatre), we become very close - like a family. One of my students who graduated in June is in some trouble - bail was paid, lawyers have been hired. I have talked to him when he's called me - he's scared, but I have had to remove myself from the situation as much as I want to "save" him. It's not my place. I'm not his mother, I'm no longer his teacher and we have crossed into this weird place of old teacher/friend/mentor.

I can't imagine your situation. You are a good person for wanting to say yes, but you also have to your job. That sucks. I hope you find peace with the situation that you have done all that you can.

Michelle

Thankfully I get to do the opposite and make people believe great things about themselves. Yes, there are rough days, but yours sounds heart wrenching at times. You must get to do really great things for people too, right? Maybe try to think about those cases more.

If you see that there are flaws in the system with allow people with legitimate needs fall through the cracks because their condition does not fit the textbook case or is too obscure, then one way of dealing with that frustration is to work to change the system to become more responsive and genuinely helpful. It might not be directly within your job description, but there are surely ways you can contribute to positive change. Pretty much every big system or governing agency is in a constant state of process improvement. If you personally can not contribute to that process, you can provide information to others who can, or you can direct the family or client to ways that they can continue the advocacy.

I've been on the other side of your job, Angievp -- I've been the mom going back for appeal after appeal requesting coverage of much needed equipment for my son. It sucks to get the denials, but the attitude of the person you communicate with can soften the blow. I'm sure you convey compassion. You can also convey alternatives sometimes -- other funding sources that previous people in similar situations have accessed, different programs that may be able to cover services, an outline of the criteria which will make a difference in the answer you have to give (ie - so you can't approve it now, but if x, y, and z conditions occur, then they should not hesitate to re-apply.

Ugh. I get it. By law I am required to call law enforcement in certain situations. It is always a craptastic call to make. It's a horrible conversation to have with the client. It's not always possible to advocate within the confines of the law and even when risk is shared it is still me who will lose my license to practice.

Yes, and sometimes, it feels like what I call a screw job.

Not me personally, but my husband experiences that all the time.  

He's a warranty auditor for an auto manufacturer.  He goes to dealerships and checks their warranty records.  It can get pretty ugly.  Usually, he just finds mistakes that have been made, he tells them how to corrct them and the company takes back their money (which never goes well).  However, sometimes he discovers people have been lying, padding their hours, stealing, etc.  Quite often the owner has hired friends and/or family members.  My husband says it's like going into someone's living room and telling them their family member is a thief.  It's never good.

People have been fired due to things he has found.  

One time he had to appear in court and his testimony made a lady cry.

Yeah, he's good at his job and yeah, most of the time that sucks.

I think you have to remember, that the structure you are dealt with to operate in, can be pushed. And appreciate it about yourself, that you push that limit to do the right thing. You do create change. And while that may not effect the case at hand, your knowledge and efforts do enact meaningful change for the next, or at least educate those around you to also push to take ultimate care in doing the right thing.

Rough job that requires a certain personality. Must be hard. I imagine you have to kind of disconnect the requests from actual human beings.