I love my happy blogs about good days. Most of my days are good.
Today I did my annual reading-week Mental Health First Aid volunteer teaching for Algonquin College's police foundations program. It is annual in theory only, since it has been two years since I have done it, and this year I almost canceled because my schedule is something something.
I do it for many reasons. My son graduated from that program, and he enjoyed it and found a place for himself there. I am worried about our next wave of police officers who do not receive training on Mental Health, and we have had incidents in Ottawa where people have acted out because of a mental health problem and a police officer has mistaken it for aggression and has shot them dead.
I also do it because after spending most of my days teaching grown-ups, I love the energy of the students. I of course have a very biased sample of students. These are students who are willing to spend two days in class during reading week, instead of sleeping in and eating pizza and watching Netflix and YouTube, which would have been my choice at their age.
These students are interested and engaged, and when they asked questions, it's to seek understanding, it's not to challenge my information or cast aspersions.
This was an excellent group! In the midst of a super Wild Work Week, perhaps one of the worst of my career, these two days have left me feeling wonderful.
After the course, students came up to thank me for volunteering my time, to thank me for the course. There was one student who told me she had driven three hours each way just to attend the course. Another had to juggle his work schedule so that he could take it. Others told me that they can't afford the regular course fee, so they very much appreciate it being able to take it for just the cost of the participant manual.
Speaking of the participant manuals, they pay in cash. I sit at a table with the class list, and they all line up and drop their crushed and tattered $35 bills on the desk. I feel like a drug lord. A conciliary.
And it's a funny class. I asked them to brainstorm on techniques for reducing mental stress, and they came up with great suggestions. A couple of groups included sexual release either with or without someone else, masturbation, on their lists. They said this out loud! In front of the whole class! Times have changed since I was in school. I did well. I nodded very casually as if I hear that answer all the time.
Another strategy that they put on their list, which also gave me pause at first, was the stress reducing activity of going to the shooting range.
Yes, guns. Of course. These students are about to become police officers, and shooting guns is just part of a relaxing job required activity!
I loved the enthusiasm with which they engaged in the activities, I loved how they asked me to do a guided meditation with them, something I have not done with any other class. Probably because I don't think other participants would be open to it.
I love how when I asked if they want an activity and then a break, or a break and then an activity, they always chose to continue working.
I decided to raffle off my $20 Starbucks gift card honorarium, for one of the class activities that I turned into a competition, because they were having so much fun. The group that won the gift card, went to Starbucks during the break and came back with coffee and donuts for the whole class. Oh my God! Grown-up participants, are you paying attention? You could learn something from these kids. Generosity of spirit.
I will come back to this post next year, when I have another Wild Work Week schedule, and I'm thinking that there's no way I can fit in two days. I will remember that the joy of this particular class will be remembered and felt, long after all the other reports, interviews, data analysis, policy development work that fills the rest of my time.
The quaint sky as seen from my car, where I wrote this blog. This slice of Ottawa reminds me of a Maritime neighbourhood.