Houseparents

I'd like to spend some time paying tribute to the other houseparents. They are such amazing women and I feel like I'm learning so much from each of them. They probably wouldn't care if I used their real names, but I still feel weird about doing so without asking... so once again, the names are changed.

Caroline- Caroline has made me feel welcome in the house since the moment I set foot in the door. I feel like we have a lot in common--we're both English majors, I want to be a teacher and she was a high school English teacher before coming to Organization X. She has a positive outlook and tends to make jokes when she is stressed, as do I. Like me, she's interested in crafts and dorky obscure academic stuff, like literary theorists. I feel the most relaxed around her of any of the houseparents, so she's usually the one I go to first with questions, concerns, complaints, or if I just want to vent. I love working with her.

Maya- I think the best way to describe Maya is that she is a straight-shooter. The minute she senses that I've handled a situation poorly, she comes to me to discuss it--sometimes, she even has preemptive discussions with me because she realizes that I'm new and don't know the protocol that comes naturally to the other houseparents. Maya's direct-ness, for lack of a better word, has caught me off guard and even hurt my feelings a couple of times. At the same time, I love Maya's style because I know that everything she's thinking, she's saying to my face, rather than stewing about it or going behind my back. This level of honesty is something that I personally been working on for a while, both for work situations and in my personal life. I feel like I'm learning the most from Maya not only because she's a good role model for me in this way, but also because her honesty has helped me understand how the house works more quickly.

Cris- First, just to clarify, I should say that Cris is the lead houseparent, so technically the rest of us answer to her, even though the other 3 houseparents are pretty equal when it comes to decision-making. I was really intimidated by Cris when I first met her. If we're being honest, I still am. Sometimes Cris can come off as critical and sarcastic. She is particular about the way things are done, down to the smallest detail. But it's only because she's so particular that our house runs so smoothly. Cris is very good at her job, not only because she's detail-oriented, but also because she also holds the scholars accountable. Several of the girls have told me that they don't like Cris, but I know that that's because she is on top of them to get shit done. In the long run, they're going to be better off and learn more from her because of that. Every so often, Cris surprises me. When talking about anything other than work, she lightens up and has a great sense of humor. Also, within my first week here, she opened up to me about her personal life, and she has been through a LOT of shit in the past few years... even the past few months. I think this has a great deal to do with her attitude and her stress level--between work and her tumultous personal life, she's dealing with a lot. I really want to get to know her better because I think she's an amazing person.


Again, I'd just like to say that I think all three of my houseparents are great at what they do. They work well together as a team and are actively communicative with one another. They push me to be my best, and they make me really happy and proud to be a part of this house. I kind of feel like an outsider, but already that's starting to change...!

--Rebecca