Random musings of a 2nd grader?

So, Grace has a school journal and she has to write one entry per week, about anything she wants. The teacher corrects her spelling and grammar (which pisses Gracie off), and asks some questions for her to answer. Anyway, the first entry was about our trip to Boise and the teacher asked what else she did on the trip so the next entry she talked about the water park. I told her to go ahead and answer UNDER the journal questions and then write a totally new entry about whatever she wanted. I have provided for you, a verbatim excerpt of the journal.
This is the question and answer:

Mrs. B: I love to swim. Are you a good swimmer? Did you go swimming a lot this summer?

Grace: Yes I did. Did you have a good summer? And yes, I'm a very good swimmer.

Journal entry 9/28/2010

Today at school at math time I did 4+4=8 8-4=4. I also learnd 6+3=9 9-3=6 9-6=3 but, I like math it is fun at my school. But, sometims it can get a little boring. Mrs. B, was your school ever a little boring?

Grace.

For some reason this cracked me up. All of it. Especially how she has decided to ask the teacher questions. Sarah thinks she has a future in litigation. I think she has a future in police interviews. Grace, however, wants to become a veterinarian.

How social work is like selling cars, and other life lessons.

Sarah called tonight upset about her "intro to case management" social work class at the community college. She said the teacher was talking about how social work involves "selling yourself" or "selling the agency you work for". Sarah said told the class she didn't enroll to become a used car salesman and the teacher inquired why exactly she did enroll. Um, to be a social worker? To learn how to do "case management"? This is why social workers A. have a bad wrap and B. are morons. Because 65 % of that class is listening to this bullshit like it's gospel.

Social work IS about selling. It's about selling people the fact that they can make good choices. That they can meet their own goals. You are "selling" them tools. Tools to help them "get better" or "recover" or whatever ridiculous social work-y buzz word you want to use. On a macro level it's about selling social justice, social change and fighting for the underdog. If you want to be a marketer or a salesman you should definitely go do that, but don't be a social worker. Marketing will make you more money and it won't be as hard.

The real jist of it is, if you are a good social worker, you don't have to sell yourself. Being good at your job and what you do IS the sales tool. Be yourself, be honest, work hard and have strong ethics and boundaries. However if you are an asshole social worker with your own agenda...then I guess you better get your marketing strategy ready, because you are going to need it. Or you could teach at a community college in Ohio.