Blog Summary #2

Am I leisure educated? Well I believe so I know what I like to do and most of the time I do it. I love my job this would probably be where I experience most of my leisure as it is at "work" where I feel most at leisure. In my blog, I'm not sure If I have even talked about my leisure truly. It's odd but just reading over the things I've written I can't really find any examples of myself being leisure educated, this is probably a bad sign. I discussed work before and how I try to leisure educate Richard, I guess if I really looked at my job it could be concidered Leisure education. I teach Rich what is soccially acceptible and what isn't this wouldn't be concidered leisure education, although socialization is the basis of most leisure so learning how to socialize would increase ones sociability and thus hopefully increase their leisure. I do most of my leisure activities with Rich such as bike riding, walking/strolling, jewlery making, and alot of singing. These things are all concidered leisure to me and because I do them with Rich and he loves them to I guess I have leisure educated him. He signs all the time this I can not take credit for, but I did teach him how to ride a bike two years ago and he loves that now. My job is to give Rich life skills so that he can be more self sufficiant and ultimately care for himself. If I look into it I teach Rich the cleaning and regular maintanance of laundry and such, this isn't leisure, but it is a life skill. And so I guess along with those valueing leisure and learning leisure activities is also an extremely important life skill. I guess I've sort of been doing it all along and not really realizing it.

Most of my blog's talk about work and this is why my blog summary is mainly talking about my job I hope that is ok, I'm really quite lost actually but I guess I shouldn't really be putting that in my summary, I don't know. I think that I have given examples of how I leisure educate with Rich, I'm not quite sure If I myself am leisure educated, I guess if I look at my blogs I would be in terms of viewing why I do my leisure activities, to feel good about myself. It sounds selfish but that's why I love my job and that's why it's leisure to me I get to participate in different types of recreation activities and teach them to someone. This being said I do have leisure activities that I do with my friends which mainly include kicking the soccerball around or my new found love for racketball. Ohh there's an evample of me being leisure educated. If you look at my blog labled Leisure Eucation my it says that my friend has a racketball court in his office, since the writing of that blog I have been going every saturday with him. He taught me the rules and techniques and with it I have created my own values. His attitudes towards it are that it is brilliant and that it is both a great way to be active and just all in all alot of fun, these attitudes he has passed down to me and now we both enjoy it a hell of a lot. SO YES I AM LEISURE EDUCATED, nice sorry I had to put it in caps because I'm quite proud that I put it in my blog and didn't even realize that it had happened. I guess that is how it is with leisure for a lot of people. We don't always realize that the things that we talk about in class happen to us all the time, your taught a new skill or see someone doing something and want to try it, it happens in an instant and without us even noticing it, and yet we are leisure educated all the time.

My values about leisure positive and negative. Can I identify these through language I use in my blog? I believe so. I stated in my seccond blog that my intrinsic motivation to leisure is fun. This as I've learned in class is an outcome of leisure, and I would say a value of most people when they leisure. Here are my values as I see them in my blog. Socialization: Most of my leisure is done with my friends or with Rich and Ari, Caring: I like to do things that make me feel good, as most people do, what makes me feel good is helping people so I guess this would have to be one of my values. In my blog this is shown in both the job that I do and normally the basis of my blog and my new found leisure experience that I am doing as we speak the planning of the event for Dayna. non-competitive: I'm not a competitive person and you can see this because none of my leisure activities have anything to do with competition. I do love sports and play alot of them with my friends, but it's never on a win loose basis just like a good job you scored or nice shot sort of thing. Solitude: I don't know a better word, but I mean that I don't have to be socializing to be at leisure, although it is how I do "normaly" leisure. I LOVE going to the pub and watching the football "soccer" or just going and reading a book, I'm not sure if this is purple leisure I guess it would be but it's really just me trying to keep some of my culture. English: I say this because as I look at it I rarely leisure in any other language no I lie I NEVER leisure in any other language this is a "bad" thing. Well I think that's it I hope this is alright I know it's a bit everywhere and I'm sorry about that.

My newest Leisure experience

So I guess I haven't been the best blogger, but none the less I do enjoy it. Who wouldn't enjoy writing about themselves it's quite eye opening actually. This said it isn't hard to find the time, but it is annoying lol. Seems that I've put it off for two weeks ohh god and now my things due woops well hope I still get an all right mark. K so my newest leisure experience. I was having trouble of thinking of something to try which is normaly the case for me, but then I had my diversity class which is by far one of my favorites, we sit in a circle and discuss things it's fun. So yeah I was in my diversity class and the teacher brought a guest speaker in whom has a dissability. Her name is Dayna and she has Cerebral palsy, not sure if that's how it's spelled. Yeah, so the lady came in to talk to us I shaln't tell you her story but I well tell you that it is heart wrenching. After class I was compelled to do something for this lady I thought about writing a letter, but alas as you can see my english is not really up to par so that would have been a joke. So I thought about something I could do for leisure and still be helping out/doing something. SO I have decided to plan an event where Dayna can come speak to a larger amount of people. First I had to find an auditoriam or just a place, so I went to my old highschool and they agreed to let me use the gym. However, there is a catch I need enough people to fill the gym so now this is the problem. How do you get people to come to listen to someone, I have asked friends and there family members to come and they have agreed so right now I'm at about 50 people. I think I need around 100. The problem is the school wants to know I have enough people before they actually give me a date when I can use the gym. It's like a circle of barriers I can't get people to come without giving them a date for when it well be and the school won't give me a date untill I have enough people to come. AHHHH. All this being said I do see this as a leisure experience. I am having fun, I feel good about myself for trying to help out, and although it is a lot of work it's work in a different sence. Ohh I also need like a reason, so I have to go talk to dayna to find out what would make her life better she told me some shocking things about how she is cared for so I'm sure that something can be done if people try. Even awareness is a good enough reason I think but I'm sure getting a bit of funding from the people that come like charging say five dollars to hear her speak would go a long way. So I hope I can get this off the ground and that whom ever reads this would be open to coming along and listening to Dayna's story. She is also a brilliant public speaker which is good too cus I think that well help the "cause" I'm not sure if that's the right word but meh.

Leisure Educator???

Ok, so I know that I need to have these things in order for something to be leisure education; knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills.  However, I don't know if I have a thing of which I am that adamant about.  In class that girl I'm not sure who it was but she met a guy who loved squash.  I love scotch I can tell you about that and all but I don't think that is the "best" type of leisure education.  I'd like to have something like squash or you know just something that I can be proud of loving that has to do with leisure.  I love working with my boys that to me is the thing in which gives me the most enjoyment in the world, but could I Leisure educate someone on how to play with a 21 year old with Autism??? that's not going to be leisure to most people... This is what i meant before I just don't seem to be grasping the concept.  As one can see thorough my 65% on the summary, woops.  Hopefully it'll all come together when we do programs.  Here I'l try. So I work with Rich he is 21 are day is usually spent singing songs like three little ducks and let's go fly a kite.  Then we'll walk to the park and watch the bus', this is his favorite thing to do by far or take the metro, you should see his flapping it's by far the cutest thing, just the look on his face makes your heart stop. I wish I could be that excited when I saw a bus.  Then we work on speech and writing/spelling.  Not his fave but he tries.  Then we do laundry or cook or make jewlry or just some type of life skills thing.  The whole time we'll be singing and dancing.  Then around 8 he'll get nackered and try to go to sleep.  I can tell you that he test's everyone he meets, by this I mean he well hit n scratch, just to see what he can get away with. He's a smart man but because of how he carries himself he gets away with a lot of things from people that don't know him.  I don't know That's my leisure experience that I love the most, I do it ever week and it is the reason I wake up every morning just to go n play with Rich, I get payed to leisure and I love it.  I don't know if this really gives it justice, you'd have to be there for me to really explain how much fun it is.  Sometimes I have to deal with stubbornness or just try to understand what He's trying to tell me.  Rich's speech is extremely limited I'd say his speech comprehension is that of a 10 year old, but his actual speech is that of a 2-3 year old.  Although the guy know's more french then I do.  Knowledge: Rich is a 21 year old with autism.  He needs constant reminders, A picture schedule, Sameness: in the sense that I am one way and one way always tone is extremely important and the words I use in certain situations let Rich know how I'm feeling.  Values: Safety is always important Rich has drop seizures so constantly being close to him is important to make sure he doesn't fall too hard.  The main value would be Rich' fun and education the goal is to get rich to be self sufficient so getting him to do things himself is extremely important.  And his happiness if Rich is happy so am I so anything that well make him happy without babying him is extremely important.  It is the best feeling when you realize you have taught someone something Rich now always says please and thank you.  This was a huge step for him and took a very long time for him to understand, but now he always does it.  Attitudes: Be happy, and always be the same. A positive attitude always works and constant positive reinforcement works the best.  Don't be angry when he doesn't listen sometimes he want's to be in his own world, just like everyone else, although on a much different level.  Skills:  Positive reinforcement, Being able to act like a kid and yet still be some what of an authority figure, Sameness, Counting, Coppying, and finally CONSTANT POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.  This is my leisure and I hope that this worked as a leisure education.  My job=Leisure.  WOW this was way to long woops got caught up in it.  And it probably makes no sense, well I tried I hope you learned something and could follow along atleast a little bit and get what I was trying to do. Prob no but such is life.  Thank you for reading if you got this far lol.

Leisure Education

I had quite a funny day yesterday.  In class we talked about implementation of knowledge and creation of programs.  That is BY FAR my favorite part of the program and why I'm in the class.  I took program planing and design last semester and had a blast and I hope we do something to like that in this class.  I've been told I have reflection to do this is ENTIRELY true it is quite hard to reflect though I seem to know nothing like fine I can study for the exam and I'l probably pass "knock on wood" but I'm not sure if everything is actually clicking I think I need to reread the chapters.  Well I had an interesting weekend I tried racketball for the first time on Saturday, Bloody brilliant I sware the most fun I've had in a long time. Who new hitting a ball against a wall could give me hours of satisfaction, but it did.  My friend works for his dad in the feld and he has a racketball court in the office, I would get no work done. So yeah we can go any time well I can only go weekends but still I think I shall make it a reg occurrence.  I was def not intrinsicly motivated at first, but wow was I ever by the end.  I played for like 30 mins against myself cus mi mate had, had enough. ohh I am completely horrid at it though I lost everytime, but that's half the fun I think. It's quite dangerous though I wacked myself a few times by trying to hit the ball off the back wall to the front. None the less LEISURE EXPERIENCE most definitely.  

Summary #1- here it goes

After looking through my past blogs It seems that I haven't been able to differentiate between leisure and recreational activities. Although I know the difference that leisure is a state of being or mind where one feels free and is experiencing some level of enjoyment and recreation is the specific activity that may or may not even be leisure itself. My problem is not knowing the differences it is a problem with being a leisure educator, I can't explain it in real life terms. I bring this to light because I was asked yesterday what it is I'm studying by a friends parent. I told them I was in Leisure Sciences, as is common practice to tell the truth although I hate it, because per usual the next question asked is almost certainly; "and what exactly is that?". I began trying to explain what it is I do, although there is no concrete correlation between being a shadow/ caregiver I find people always seem to or at least pretend to find this an adequate enough explanation. I stated that I plan leisure programs for my kids where we well try and participate in any such activities be it jewelery making to reading a short story. I then try to find whether or not they found it to be leisure and if so then try to plan more activities based on the same principal, but with a higher level of participation or a better challenge-skill match. Well I explained this and then she said yes well thats all well and good, but what is it that your studdying. So I picked up an idea sorry about this whomever's statement it was but I liked it. I told her I studdied everything that is fun and what makes it fun. This little story was just to show that there are things I need to do in order to become a better leisure educator. I would love to tell you I know the answer and that this and this are what I need to know in order to better educate people, however I don't really know what the problem is.

Leisure in my life concists of the regular student criteria, I love to drink, I love to read, my favorite pasttimes although that would probably be a bad word to use because passing time is not the object of leisure what so ever. My favorite things of which to do that cause me to be at leisure are having a coffee while smoking a ciggarette reading a good book and going to work and being with my boys. I have talked about these things in my blog and I feel that I am quite open with sharing what I do for my leisure.

Yes I do value my leisure. I have yet to find the ballance between work and leisure that we all must find my seccond blog disucusses the issues with trying to juggle school and leisure and how I normally choose to do the latter. Today for instance I have spent quite a long time writing this because knowing myself I need to leisre while I work in order to stay on track, thank you ADD. So I have been taking periodic breaks to go read and have a smoke outside. I am working in the coffee shop down the street as my internet is broken so taking a break has been quite easy. This is one way I have found that I can do my work constant "leisure breaks" in which I can give myself a bit of possitive reinforcement, that is to say that I'll tell myself I can go for a smoke after I finish this paragraph and I'll go read and smoke for ten minuites and then come back to it.

Yes my leisure is constrained. Everyone's leisure is constrained, the qestion is not whether their leisure is constrained, but rather what are the constraints and do they get in the way of ones leisure. The book discusses the three types of constraints; structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. I discussed in my last blog what my constraints were and found that most of them after some self reflection are intrapersonal. I am quite stubborn when it comes to my leisure and need to learn how to be more open to leisure differently. I leisure regularly as I have already addressed I normally don't let interpersonal restraints get in the way I have no problem doing things by myself. For instance I well go to the pub regularly by myself, all my friends find this odd, being English this is quite a socially acceptable thing to do as where here it seems that it is a bit of a fau pas. This does not stop me going to the pub and watching the footie or having a read, or just a chat with the other people that call orchard monkland their local. Well I'm not quite sure what else to say other then thank your reading my summary and I hope this suffices for a semi decent mark.

Am I happy with my choices? Yes I am. What barriers do I need to overcome? Manny.

I need to figure out how to become more open to new leisure activities. And find some things to do outside of the summer time. During the summer I work at a summer camp for kids with special needs. It is the light of my life and I love it so much. I pretty much get paid to undertake leisure activities all day, asides from dealing with some behavioral problems, but most of it is fun and games. I run Canoeing, which although as stated in earlier blogs I am not at all a woodsman in any means I love to canoe. Well I digress, but I talk about canoeing because it was something that I worked past my barriers and found that I actually loved it. Now I need to learn how to do that with other things, easier said than done. K, well at camp we have basketball courts, boats for waterskiing and wakeboarding, floor hockey, Football pitch, baseball diamond, volleyball net, a lake, kayak's and canoe's, and all this other stuff that makes it so easier to participate in recreation activities. So I guess the reason I don't do these things in the city or in other words my constraints in the city would have to be lack of resources. Although I'm not even sure if thats it cus It's not like it'd take all that much money or time to go get a basketball and play in a park. So maybe it's the fact taht at camp you can match scheduels with other player's alot easier, seeing as everyone's on the same schedge. I don't know I shall ponder and get back to you.

Intrinsic Motivation

What is my intrinsic motivation to leisure? Well, fun really. I love to leisure my favorite activity would be sitting at my local having a pint reading a book or chatting with my mates. Depending on whether I want a social leisure experience or just time to chill by myself. I am a highly unmotivated person lol. That sounds horrid, but I have quite a bit of trouble getting things done. In terms of school stuff, thus this being only my second blog entry. However I have no problem being motivated to leisure, but I guess that's the point really. We all love to leisure be it having a pint or going on a hike or camping. I use these two examples becuase I in no way would find these to be leisure at all and am amazed when people say they love to camp. well I have run out of things to blab about so thus ends today's first entry I shall prob write another one today so that I catch up with everyone else. Once I'm done reading this very interesting book. So I'm putting off work in order to leisure haha not sure if that's good or bad really I guess it could go both ways.

first try

Hi I'm Rory and my main source of leisure is through my job. This is not a usual statement as I have come to understand through classes etc. However for me my job causes me to do most and almost all of the leisure activities I participate in. I am a shadow, "although I despise the term" for two Autistic boys aged 21 and 19. Most of the time we just go to films and play football outside or what have you. Although after coming back from vacation we have gone horseback riding, sailing, rock climbing "horrible experience for me at least", and other outdoor activities of which I would not have ever thought of doing myself. Well I'm not quite sure If this suffices. However thus is life

Cheers RORY