tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post8729682499819712135..comments2023-03-27T10:54:13.350-07:00Comments on Winston Smith: An Open Door and A Bleeding HeartWinstonSmith33http://www.blogger.com/profile/15780806194174659730noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-51713954421088741302011-03-19T18:07:19.598-07:002011-03-19T18:07:19.598-07:00Has Nicola read this blog?Has Nicola read this blog?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-16381852499950018642010-09-11T12:35:05.839-07:002010-09-11T12:35:05.839-07:00Love reading your stuff, Winnie - reminds me of so...Love reading your stuff, Winnie - reminds me of some of my colleagues out here in the Sandpit.<br /><br />I hope you haven't gone away though - just on hols?Suede Oasishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02932187288413488257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-4558490471773189482010-09-03T22:11:35.125-07:002010-09-03T22:11:35.125-07:00Does having an 'open door' policy apply wh...Does having an 'open door' policy apply when it comes to staff walking into the residents' rooms?<br /><br />And someone should explain the concept of metaphor to this 'Nicola'. An 'open door' policy does not literally meant that the door should be constantly open. It usually means that the staff are always available to them whenever necessary (provided they knock rielouisehttp://rielouise.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-2541392455556042892010-09-03T05:09:20.443-07:002010-09-03T05:09:20.443-07:00An office with a door! What luxury. Secondary educ...An office with a door! What luxury. Secondary education in some authorities has gone much further. We now have "agile" spaces. Not only do you have to teach in a vast warehouse with children wandering everywhere but you have to plan, mark, talk to colleagues, talk to parents and talk to visitors while everyone listens and watches. There is no privacy. There is no quiet place to think. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-49553872740187842022010-09-01T11:40:13.002-07:002010-09-01T11:40:13.002-07:00Wow! You have an office. So hot-officing never min...Wow! You have an office. So hot-officing never mind hot-desking has not reached you yet! Well, that's what's happening in the world of education. The newest schools have "agile" spaces to do everything in: teach; mark; plan; have meetings; interview parents; talk to outside agencies; eat; spend your "supposed non-contact time". The list goes on. Just be grateful you son of ranjithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903498758000243101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-30068050769873198142010-08-28T06:13:58.227-07:002010-08-28T06:13:58.227-07:00I assume that as a man you must leave your door op...I assume that as a man you must leave your door open when you have a visitor (of either sex) as they could complain of some sexual inappropriate behaviour on your part.<br /><br />These days I suppose that the women have to keep their office doors 'open' as well.<br /><br />But, I'm with you, closed door and knock, then enter when invited has to be good. A lock/keypad if away from Lesleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-49994308828165489512010-08-27T15:27:45.092-07:002010-08-27T15:27:45.092-07:00@Matthew Kalman,
Personally, I believe that it is...@Matthew Kalman,<br /><br />Personally, I believe that it is a mix of both liberal social policy and conservative policy that works depending on the issue.<br /><br />However, with regards to criminal and antisocial behaviour the liberal approach is primarily used in Britain with young offenders yet the reoffending rate is roughly around 65-70 percent so this clearly doesnt work.WinstonSmith33https://www.blogger.com/profile/15780806194174659730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-76493379431356044962010-08-27T02:56:39.095-07:002010-08-27T02:56:39.095-07:00Anyone know whether empirical research has been do...Anyone know whether empirical research has been done on whether 'bleeding heart'/non-judgmental approaches (compared to more authoritative ones) tend to keep people stuck in a more impulsive, hedonistic, irresponsible mindset?<br /><br />Research in adult psychological development seems to show that people will tend to move from being more egocentric/impulsive to more conventional and Matthew Kalmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-17612200675849357852010-08-26T11:26:24.535-07:002010-08-26T11:26:24.535-07:00Poor Nicola, I'm feeling sorry for her, will a...Poor Nicola, I'm feeling sorry for her, will anyone stick up for her? She does have some points after all about removing barriers between service users and providers. After all isn't that what the voluntary sector is supposed to be good at; being able to deal with hard-to-reach groups as it is unencumbered by the divide which separates state officials from those they deal with. <br /><Neil80https://www.blogger.com/profile/07327090565101437836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-40718631282191884862010-08-25T22:09:55.567-07:002010-08-25T22:09:55.567-07:00I don't understand why authority is a bad thin...I don't understand why authority is a bad thing. Perhaps it is different with teenagers. With younger children, establishing and maintaining authority is very important. <br /><br />Nicola seems to think that respect acts as an impediment to developing a meaningful relationship. Surely we all have had relationships with our teachers that give lie to such a philosophy. Excellent teachers whom Stealth Jewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08858120917952718365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-13666410992657551312010-08-25T13:13:30.481-07:002010-08-25T13:13:30.481-07:00It's been said before but,...
"Its amazi...It's been said before but,...<br /><br />"Its amazing how people who want you to listen to their opinion, rarely want to listen to yours".<br /><br />Sounds like your Nicola is one of these, and extends that metaphor to personal behaviour.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-81636129650400809942010-08-25T07:55:46.449-07:002010-08-25T07:55:46.449-07:00Nicola should be a senior police officer. She has ...Nicola should be a senior police officer. She has all the right philosophies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-56348458419258901582010-08-25T04:27:17.194-07:002010-08-25T04:27:17.194-07:00@Phatboy
In the project that inspired this piece ...@Phatboy<br /><br />In the project that inspired this piece the open door policy was literally a wide open office door. I refused to practice this and the manager was ok with this but I explained it to the young people that I was there to talk to them and help them but they just had to knock and wait to be invited in like in all other spheres of life.WinstonSmith33https://www.blogger.com/profile/15780806194174659730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-18726433672721219422010-08-25T04:24:24.539-07:002010-08-25T04:24:24.539-07:00@Anonymous above,
A manager and friend of mine in...@Anonymous above,<br /><br />A manager and friend of mine in Supported Housing once said to me "we must be one of the only professions that if we do our job correctly we will do ourselves out of a job."WinstonSmith33https://www.blogger.com/profile/15780806194174659730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-18302477432378990912010-08-25T01:34:52.568-07:002010-08-25T01:34:52.568-07:00"It is difficult to get a man to understand s..."It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it"<br /><br />The entire social care system depends on having a large supply of utterly dependent 'customers' to justify its existence, which seems contrary to their assumed goal of teaching these people independence and so on.<br /><br />Is this ever acknowledged at an official or Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-18675876165714513102010-08-24T15:00:42.389-07:002010-08-24T15:00:42.389-07:00When working in supported housing I encountered a ...When working in supported housing I encountered a few 'Nicolas'. In my opinion their ethos promoted favouritism, as some of the clients would 'hang out' in the office and this deterred others from availing themselves of the support to which they were equally entitled.Nellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14527285652038975147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-64857606188812285892010-08-24T13:35:51.906-07:002010-08-24T13:35:51.906-07:00Simple question: Nicola, if I want to enter your ...Simple question: Nicola, if I want to enter your room do I have to knock?Red Birohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15652058876758615023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-57382362088479775192010-08-24T12:19:50.583-07:002010-08-24T12:19:50.583-07:00It sounds a bit as if Nicola actually gets off a b...It sounds a bit as if Nicola actually gets off a bit on being 'needed'. It must be lovely for her ego to feel she has so many 'friends' who want her help, but she is really doing them no favours. I hope she takes them all home with her to live when their time is up there, because she certainly has not readied them in any way for the real world.Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-32781626232789098052010-08-24T11:50:14.378-07:002010-08-24T11:50:14.378-07:00Winston, your Nicola is just as dysfunctional as t...Winston, your Nicola is just as dysfunctional as the kids. She won't ever help them to straighten out. That isn't what she wants. She actually wants them to stay just as they are now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-79131049736267180102010-08-24T11:48:46.226-07:002010-08-24T11:48:46.226-07:00In my days in residential care there was always at...In my days in residential care there was always at least one Nicola. To argue the point with her is trying to reason with the unreasonable. I know because I've tried it many times. But I also practised a "closed door...please knock" policy when I was running a residential unit, and I'm totally with you on the reasons why this is the only way to encourage respect. I too was Ayakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16903896106779269050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-38635695281463386382010-08-24T10:22:21.545-07:002010-08-24T10:22:21.545-07:00Spot on.
It saddens me that people are so unaware...Spot on.<br /><br />It saddens me that people are so unaware that this misguided (and no doubt well intentioned)pandering is actively harming those which it supposedly seeks to protect. <br /><br />As you may imagine, it also exists in teaching. Obviously both sectors must do everything possible to meet the very real needs of the young people for which they exist but we do such youngsters NO Seeking Sirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708212799471960487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-10378449444828701822010-08-24T09:35:01.391-07:002010-08-24T09:35:01.391-07:00The youngsters should collaborate on building thei...The youngsters should collaborate on building their own support, and not just supporting on it to be supported by it.<br /><br />That is, self education and all of that.Oscarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09045372992850102004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-14902349381706713402010-08-24T08:46:59.677-07:002010-08-24T08:46:59.677-07:00Another brilliant post Winston. I have recently un...Another brilliant post Winston. I have recently undertaken an unpaid work placement working with 16-19 year olds as I am unemployed right now. I thought this was a good way of keeping my CV current and also utilising my skills. The current placement I am at is run by two ex Army types and the cirriculum is a mix of physical education (football, basketball, timed mile and a half run every week) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-52509601868713498372010-08-24T07:06:59.867-07:002010-08-24T07:06:59.867-07:00This is probably a stupid point, but "open-do...This is probably a stupid point, but "open-door policy" doesn't literally mean that the door must be open at all times. We have an open door policy at my office, meaning if you want advice or help you are free to pop into someone's office and ask for it.<br /><br />Everyone knocks even though few wait to be asked in.<br /><br />I think you're right Winston, teaching them phatboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224377669164135329.post-40220127278976497712010-08-24T06:56:19.161-07:002010-08-24T06:56:19.161-07:00What is Nicola's background?What is Nicola's background?the fly in the webhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04563871975125538755noreply@blogger.com