I just do not like meetings.
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I just do not like meetings.
@NicksWorld Well… Spoiler! Nobody does. OK I lied the meetings I have with my colleagues that run the business with me are great, but that is because we worked for a really shitty boss at a really shitty company for way too many years and we went to way too many terrible shitty meetings and during those shitty meetings while we were plotting our exit strategy, we made a solemn vow that our meetings would not be boring and that we would hold them in a place with either strong spirits or strong coffee and we have been running the business now for approximately nine years. The IEPs on the other hand are enough to make me want to day drink, but i'm not in charge of those.
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@NicksWorld Well… Spoiler! Nobody does. OK I lied the meetings I have with my colleagues that run the business with me are great, but that is because we worked for a really shitty boss at a really shitty company for way too many years and we went to way too many terrible shitty meetings and during those shitty meetings while we were plotting our exit strategy, we made a solemn vow that our meetings would not be boring and that we would hold them in a place with either strong spirits or strong coffee and we have been running the business now for approximately nine years. The IEPs on the other hand are enough to make me want to day drink, but i'm not in charge of those.
@pawpower Don't get me started on stupid IEP meetings. IEP meetings were nothing to me but execute Nick meetings and I hated all of them.
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@NicksWorld Well… Spoiler! Nobody does. OK I lied the meetings I have with my colleagues that run the business with me are great, but that is because we worked for a really shitty boss at a really shitty company for way too many years and we went to way too many terrible shitty meetings and during those shitty meetings while we were plotting our exit strategy, we made a solemn vow that our meetings would not be boring and that we would hold them in a place with either strong spirits or strong coffee and we have been running the business now for approximately nine years. The IEPs on the other hand are enough to make me want to day drink, but i'm not in charge of those.
@pawpower So you basically do business and then get buzzed? Sounds interesting, for sure.
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@pawpower Don't get me started on stupid IEP meetings. IEP meetings were nothing to me but execute Nick meetings and I hated all of them.
@NicksWorld Yes, the way that many of my students are treated in IEP meetings makes my skin crawl. Teachers and parents talking about the student not to them, and if I need to say negative things about a student, I try to frame it as diplomatically and as kindly as possible, and not as a moral failing, but as a skill that we need to work on. Then I say a lot of good things because I will never forget how it felt to be a student and one of those. Like I was worthless and never going to amount to anything but a bunch of mistakes and unachieved goals. I would leave and honestly wish that I were dead for days afterward.
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@pawpower So you basically do business and then get buzzed? Sounds interesting, for sure.
@NicksWorld Typically, we save the meetings with alcohol for the end of the semester. Usually we meet at our favorite bagel place and yes, we drink a lot of coffee. But usually we have to go to work after the meeting so sobriety is the order of the day.
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@NicksWorld Yes, the way that many of my students are treated in IEP meetings makes my skin crawl. Teachers and parents talking about the student not to them, and if I need to say negative things about a student, I try to frame it as diplomatically and as kindly as possible, and not as a moral failing, but as a skill that we need to work on. Then I say a lot of good things because I will never forget how it felt to be a student and one of those. Like I was worthless and never going to amount to anything but a bunch of mistakes and unachieved goals. I would leave and honestly wish that I were dead for days afterward.
@pawpower I wasn't the best student in school and while I worked hard, its hard when parents have high standards and its hard to even pay attention in class.
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@NicksWorld Typically, we save the meetings with alcohol for the end of the semester. Usually we meet at our favorite bagel place and yes, we drink a lot of coffee. But usually we have to go to work after the meeting so sobriety is the order of the day.
@pawpower Do you find its easier running a business because you have friends? Like, what I'm asking really is does it feel different from being an employee in that you're just yet another employee? Did you care about your fellow colleagues when you were not running a business as much as you do now with being an owner?
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@pawpower I wasn't the best student in school and while I worked hard, its hard when parents have high standards and its hard to even pay attention in class.
@NicksWorld And the adults act like they've never made a mistake in their entire lives. I think the reason I've always wanted to be a teacher is that I had so many really awful teachers. And you could argue that their hearts were in the right place, but they did an incredible amount of damage. The one thing I always want my students to know is that I am human, I fuck up and make mistakes, when I was young, I made a lot of really dumb ass mistakes! The mistakes I make now are different, but I still make them. I have been irresponsible, I have been thoughtless, I have been dishonest, I have done many things in my life and it does no one a favor to try and pretend that I am always perfect. I want them to understand this because I used to feel really discouraged that I was not as perfect as the adults in my life, and as the adults made pains too seem as though they were perfect and never made mistakes and like they didn't understand what it was like to be a teenager. I will never forget what it was like to be a young insecure teenager. It's one of the reason that middle school and high school are my favorite grades to teach. There is not a lot of understanding and compassion there and if I do one thing, it is my hope that I can bring those things to the table with my students.
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@NicksWorld And the adults act like they've never made a mistake in their entire lives. I think the reason I've always wanted to be a teacher is that I had so many really awful teachers. And you could argue that their hearts were in the right place, but they did an incredible amount of damage. The one thing I always want my students to know is that I am human, I fuck up and make mistakes, when I was young, I made a lot of really dumb ass mistakes! The mistakes I make now are different, but I still make them. I have been irresponsible, I have been thoughtless, I have been dishonest, I have done many things in my life and it does no one a favor to try and pretend that I am always perfect. I want them to understand this because I used to feel really discouraged that I was not as perfect as the adults in my life, and as the adults made pains too seem as though they were perfect and never made mistakes and like they didn't understand what it was like to be a teenager. I will never forget what it was like to be a young insecure teenager. It's one of the reason that middle school and high school are my favorite grades to teach. There is not a lot of understanding and compassion there and if I do one thing, it is my hope that I can bring those things to the table with my students.
@pawpower My dad is great in that he never makes me feel less than for making mistakes, but sometimes, the teachers I had to deal with I feel didn't always fully understand me, and part of it is that I had to also deal with my dad's very high standards which ultimately I couldn't live up to in the academic realm but could do well outside of academics.
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@pawpower Do you find its easier running a business because you have friends? Like, what I'm asking really is does it feel different from being an employee in that you're just yet another employee? Did you care about your fellow colleagues when you were not running a business as much as you do now with being an owner?
@NicksWorld So here is the story, I was working for many many years at one of the blindness organizations in our city. I had a lot of wonderful colleagues that grew to be very close friends and are still very close friends. We had a terrible supervisor she herself was blind, but she had an inordinate amount of privilege, money, and help from the people in her life, all of whom could see. So she had a lot of unrealistic expectations about the demographic we were serving e.g. newly blind, largely poor older people. So I cared a lot about my clients, and I cared deeply for my colleagues, but one by one they all left and or were driven away by the harsh conditions of management and the poor leadership of my then boss. Eventually, I left as well and one of my colleagues who used to work at the first job with me and I formed the business and then we brought on my sign language interpreter. I care about them both very much and they are both very good friends to me and they have been for many years and the interesting thing is even though many of my other colleagues for my first job have moved away to find opportunities elsewhere. We are all still very good friends and stay in contact via text and we visit if we happen to be in the area. The boss on the other hand has had no contact with any of her people that she's supervised and is now in the executive level of management at that organization. So we each took from the experience what we valued. I took away friendships and community and she has taken away money and surface level success.
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@pawpower My dad is great in that he never makes me feel less than for making mistakes, but sometimes, the teachers I had to deal with I feel didn't always fully understand me, and part of it is that I had to also deal with my dad's very high standards which ultimately I couldn't live up to in the academic realm but could do well outside of academics.
@NicksWorld Yep, same thing with me. My dad had very high standards and I never was able to meet them. But you know someone's gotta be the disappointment in the family lol may as well be me.
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@NicksWorld Yep, same thing with me. My dad had very high standards and I never was able to meet them. But you know someone's gotta be the disappointment in the family lol may as well be me.
@pawpower you're not a disappointment. Think about it, you live in New Orleans, have a good job as a teacher, have friends and dogs who care about and love you very much, and a house to live in that's yours. If anything, you can't get better than that in 2026, and all that while also being deaf-blind and having lung issues.
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@NicksWorld So here is the story, I was working for many many years at one of the blindness organizations in our city. I had a lot of wonderful colleagues that grew to be very close friends and are still very close friends. We had a terrible supervisor she herself was blind, but she had an inordinate amount of privilege, money, and help from the people in her life, all of whom could see. So she had a lot of unrealistic expectations about the demographic we were serving e.g. newly blind, largely poor older people. So I cared a lot about my clients, and I cared deeply for my colleagues, but one by one they all left and or were driven away by the harsh conditions of management and the poor leadership of my then boss. Eventually, I left as well and one of my colleagues who used to work at the first job with me and I formed the business and then we brought on my sign language interpreter. I care about them both very much and they are both very good friends to me and they have been for many years and the interesting thing is even though many of my other colleagues for my first job have moved away to find opportunities elsewhere. We are all still very good friends and stay in contact via text and we visit if we happen to be in the area. The boss on the other hand has had no contact with any of her people that she's supervised and is now in the executive level of management at that organization. So we each took from the experience what we valued. I took away friendships and community and she has taken away money and surface level success.
@pawpower I'm glad you found your people. That kind of stuff matters, it makes even the crazy days better when you know you have others willing to support you when you need it.
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@NicksWorld So here is the story, I was working for many many years at one of the blindness organizations in our city. I had a lot of wonderful colleagues that grew to be very close friends and are still very close friends. We had a terrible supervisor she herself was blind, but she had an inordinate amount of privilege, money, and help from the people in her life, all of whom could see. So she had a lot of unrealistic expectations about the demographic we were serving e.g. newly blind, largely poor older people. So I cared a lot about my clients, and I cared deeply for my colleagues, but one by one they all left and or were driven away by the harsh conditions of management and the poor leadership of my then boss. Eventually, I left as well and one of my colleagues who used to work at the first job with me and I formed the business and then we brought on my sign language interpreter. I care about them both very much and they are both very good friends to me and they have been for many years and the interesting thing is even though many of my other colleagues for my first job have moved away to find opportunities elsewhere. We are all still very good friends and stay in contact via text and we visit if we happen to be in the area. The boss on the other hand has had no contact with any of her people that she's supervised and is now in the executive level of management at that organization. So we each took from the experience what we valued. I took away friendships and community and she has taken away money and surface level success.
@pawpower At the end of the day, we value different things. The supervisor lady gets what she wanted, money and power, not altogether a bad thing, money equals choices, a lot of money equals a lot more choices. You however, have connections which is great for you. All this to say, you both ended up winning in the end, even in a round about manner.
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@pawpower you're not a disappointment. Think about it, you live in New Orleans, have a good job as a teacher, have friends and dogs who care about and love you very much, and a house to live in that's yours. If anything, you can't get better than that in 2026, and all that while also being deaf-blind and having lung issues.
@NicksWorld Oh no, I don't feel like I'm a disappointment. I am really happy with my life and I am grateful every day to be where I am and do what I do. I am immensely blessed, but I just meant that in my father's eyes and probably in the eyes of my family I am that family member! You know what I mean. But I am also 100% OK with that. It used to really hurt that I was always disappointing my parents and then I realized that I could either strive for what is probably impossible or I could strive for what I actually want and be truly happy with myself and so that is the course I chose and I have no regrets.
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@pawpower At the end of the day, we value different things. The supervisor lady gets what she wanted, money and power, not altogether a bad thing, money equals choices, a lot of money equals a lot more choices. You however, have connections which is great for you. All this to say, you both ended up winning in the end, even in a round about manner.
@NicksWorld Well, it helps that I'm not exactly poor! But even when I was at my most poor and most terrified when I first left my job to form the business, I was still grateful for the opportunity to at least try doing something different and to work with people who are affirming and kind
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@NicksWorld Oh no, I don't feel like I'm a disappointment. I am really happy with my life and I am grateful every day to be where I am and do what I do. I am immensely blessed, but I just meant that in my father's eyes and probably in the eyes of my family I am that family member! You know what I mean. But I am also 100% OK with that. It used to really hurt that I was always disappointing my parents and then I realized that I could either strive for what is probably impossible or I could strive for what I actually want and be truly happy with myself and so that is the course I chose and I have no regrets.
@pawpower Oh, I see. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm also dealing with after lecture brain so forgive me if I'm slow on the up-take.
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@pawpower Oh, I see. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm also dealing with after lecture brain so forgive me if I'm slow on the up-take.
@NicksWorld Well, my reply wasn't exactly very clear so I totally see how you could read into that. I hope you have a good time tonight with your fellow attendees. Have you met any cool people?
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@NicksWorld Well, my reply wasn't exactly very clear so I totally see how you could read into that. I hope you have a good time tonight with your fellow attendees. Have you met any cool people?
@pawpower I have. Most are older than me though. It's an interesting time but right now I'm in my dorm room. Most of the people here that I met have been here for months or this isn't their first time attending any of their training sessions. I don't really feel awkward though. I'm just not really the best at sitting still for hours and hours. I'll admit, I was browsing Mastodon while doing it because I just couldn't keep still and I just checked out before the interractive activity.
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@pawpower I have. Most are older than me though. It's an interesting time but right now I'm in my dorm room. Most of the people here that I met have been here for months or this isn't their first time attending any of their training sessions. I don't really feel awkward though. I'm just not really the best at sitting still for hours and hours. I'll admit, I was browsing Mastodon while doing it because I just couldn't keep still and I just checked out before the interractive activity.
@NicksWorld I know that's the one bad thing about tactile sign language, you can't really scroll on your phone during meetings without it being obvious, although I have mastered the art of receiving sign language with my left hand and reading braille with my right, but it still is pretty obvious!
