Meeting Sima

Well I didn't manage to keep my mouth shut at all. On the upside, I think the reason for this was because Sima made everyone feel very comfortable and we were very easily able to engage in honest open dialogue with her straight away. Unfortunately I was very honest about all my particular difficulties, and she might now think I'm "struggling", which I don't think I am. But maybe I'm just being paranoid.

I noticed one thing in particular today; Sima misunderstood my meaning a few times. I used to think I was a good, clear, concise communicator, but I am beginning to suspect I am not as good as I thought I was. How does one improve this though? I still think I'm pretty good at it, and the holes in my communication are not obvious to me. I think I will just have to keep an ear out for misunderstandings in general and try to work out why they are occuring.

Class consisted of basically introducing ourselves and then discussing the director's role - going off on a lot of tangents along the way. I remember how frustrating it was in the first couple of years having to discuss over and over what the director's role was. I used to think things like, "don't they know anything else to teach us?" But after two years of attempting to fulfill the director's role (and watching other people make the same attempts), I am beginning to understand how important those discussions are. It reminds you of the magnitude of the director's power and responsibility, and that these things must be taken on with 100% commitment and seriousness.