Story of the Day 3/18/2010

I keep being asked if the interpreter situation has improved.
It has.
Sort of.

If you were going to weigh things, the two interpreters that Sarah has had most often are both “negatives”, and the one that she has had the most often is the more “negative” of the two.
If something is negative, and you have less of it, that is an improvement, right?

So, the fact that Ms. Doubly Negative ( also known as Jenni) leaves early must be a good thing.

Sarah has told me that she is often getting up in the middle of class, during the lectures, and leaving to go to the bathroom or to answer her phone.
Okay, Sarah doesn’t want her to squirm around in her seat in discomfort, but how many times in a day does the phone call take precedence over the fact that she is leaving and the student she is interpreting for is now missing part of the lecture?

And then, starting a few weeks ago, Jenni started asking Sarah if it was okay if she left for a bit. You know, took a break.
The break being half an hour, so that she can leave the HS.

And if Jenni is scheduled from 7:30- 1, and class goes until 1:09, she always gets up and leaves at 1.
Of course, If she is supposed to be the one starting at 1, she does not show up in the class that goes until 1:09, she meets Sarah in her next class, several minutes later.

But, this week, she has added a new twist; she has taken to leaving early, and not even telling Sarah that she is leaving.
Sarah was, in fact, surprised the first time that it happened.
But less surprised the second time.

Well, the school has been rather more patient with these interpreters that I am feeling they should be, but I wonder if the fact that I have now notified them that they are paying a terp to be interpreting and she isn’t even in the school will affect their response time.

Any bets?

In the meanwhile, despite the fact hat it means no interpreter is around for part of the day, I can’t help thinking that less of Ms. Doubly Negative can still be considered an improvement.