Edited by Vikki Atkinson, Tuesday, 29 Jan 2019, 09:29
A year of anticipation, a huge workload in the
run-up to departure, plus three disabilities which would individually have most
people on permanent disability in the US and the UK have all led to, hopefully
briefly, crash and burn. I’m not at school today because between my lung
disease and Sjögren’s Syndrome (on the Lupus Spectrum), I’m not fairing
quite as well as I must in order to maintain the required stamina to get
through a rigidly scheduled workday. This is the principal reason why I work for the
Open University. At the OU, I have the autonomy to set my own schedule around
my health issues and people do not regularly witness my weaknesses.
I’m not sure if the OU intentionally subscribes to capability theory,
something we’re covering in E309 (International and Comparative Education), but
I can tell you that it encourages students to find their strengths and that I,
though a lecturer, am a clear illustration of this theory. The overall idea is
that, regardless of the disabilities, in many cases, there is something that a
person can do (Sen, 1999, cited in The Open University, 2018). In my case, I
can think, I manage my time well, and I am self-disciplined. These are all
characteristics needed to be an OU lecturer and my job gives me the agency
required to illustrate such a theory (Walker, 2005, cited in The Open
University, 2018). When I consider the possibilities of other jobs, there are
always roadblocks that will prevent me from succeeding, mainly those which
require a much more rigid schedule. It’s why I no longer teach/lecture in a
face-to-face setting on a daily basis. I simply can’t. I can imaging that I can
do it, but when it comes right down to it, my health wins out for the majority
of the time.
Today I am home from school instead of teaching. If I taught, the
children would see there was a clear problem and I did not want to worry them.
However, I can’t help lamenting that the children will think that perhaps I am
not taking my work or them seriously enough. It is a situation with no clear
right way for all parties, so I finally had to decide that if I want to
continue for two-and-a-half more weeks, I will need a bit of time.
It was bound to happen...
A year of anticipation, a huge workload in the run-up to departure, plus three disabilities which would individually have most people on permanent disability in the US and the UK have all led to, hopefully briefly, crash and burn. I’m not at school today because between my lung disease and Sjögren’s Syndrome (on the Lupus Spectrum), I’m not fairing quite as well as I must in order to maintain the required stamina to get through a rigidly scheduled workday. This is the principal reason why I work for the Open University. At the OU, I have the autonomy to set my own schedule around my health issues and people do not regularly witness my weaknesses.
I’m not sure if the OU intentionally subscribes to capability theory, something we’re covering in E309 (International and Comparative Education), but I can tell you that it encourages students to find their strengths and that I, though a lecturer, am a clear illustration of this theory. The overall idea is that, regardless of the disabilities, in many cases, there is something that a person can do (Sen, 1999, cited in The Open University, 2018). In my case, I can think, I manage my time well, and I am self-disciplined. These are all characteristics needed to be an OU lecturer and my job gives me the agency required to illustrate such a theory (Walker, 2005, cited in The Open University, 2018). When I consider the possibilities of other jobs, there are always roadblocks that will prevent me from succeeding, mainly those which require a much more rigid schedule. It’s why I no longer teach/lecture in a face-to-face setting on a daily basis. I simply can’t. I can imaging that I can do it, but when it comes right down to it, my health wins out for the majority of the time.
Today I am home from school instead of teaching. If I taught, the children would see there was a clear problem and I did not want to worry them. However, I can’t help lamenting that the children will think that perhaps I am not taking my work or them seriously enough. It is a situation with no clear right way for all parties, so I finally had to decide that if I want to continue for two-and-a-half more weeks, I will need a bit of time.
Reference
The Open University (2018) ’13.2 Capability theory and the role of values’ E309 Week 13 Session: Inclusion and Inclusive Education [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1366928§ion=3 (Accessed 29 January 2019).