I Hear Quacking

You may have heard this saying before: If something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

I really like it. To me it's about cutting through the nonsense that people spew to distract you from their bad behavior... or to get you to sanction it... or something...

I have written before about the phrase "trust me."

Well, this week I have heard two more to add to my list of warning phrases.

The first was said by a teacher about a child whose needs are not being met in his classroom:

"But we LOVE Bobbie!"

Quack! (Then do what he needs!!)

The second?

"This isn't political."

This was said...

 in NY.

By.  A.  Politician.

I know, I couldn't stop laughing either! Quack, quack, QUACK!!!!

I don't know the ins and outs of that situation, but it seems that one net effect will be removing a large group of people with disabilities from a person-centered model of care and putting them into the medical/agency model.

The only good thing is that these people have been empowered by years of self-determination. They may be in a position to push  these agencies to drastically improve their services--I hope they will accept nothing less!

Picture by Alexander Kinks from here.

Show Me, Don't Tell Me

When I was a teenager my mother pointed out that there are things that people say that work (or should work!) as a warning for the attentive.

The phrase she was talking about at the time was "Trust me!"

"Never trust a person--a guy--that says trust me," she said.

She, was not wrong...

People only say 'trust me' when it is too late--when someone already doesn't trust them. Usually for good reason!

Years later there are some other phrases that I have added to my danger list...

These phrases may be appropriate among strangers for a minute, but among people with longer associations they are warning beacons.

Phrases like "I'm in charge here!" for example.

A stranger may need to ask who's in charge. Your employees or children should know. True leadership should be evident without a repeated say-so.

If it isn't, there's a problem.

After hearing the play-by-play of one of my dearest friends' IEP sagas I have developed a new one:

"We have your chid's best interest at heart."

Yeah, right.

I think they should wonder why they have to keep repeating this.

I think their good intentions should be obvious.

I think they should look at their failure to read the child's evaluations before the meetings, their failure to honor regs and timelines, and their horrible disinterest in strategies that make the child successful in other venues among other atrocities for the reason they're not.

Don't you?

Anyone have other danger phrases??