Class dismissed

Today marks my last OBB training before my end of service. I'm only in Dayton, but because we moved further south into Cincinnati it took me about 40 minutes longer than usual to get through traffic to the training site this morning.

And for some reason, I have the most detail-oriented group today--and that's NOT a good thing. They are picking through every little thing about each benefit, each hyperlink, each element of the OBB. But instead of providing clarity, they are getting overwhelmed and confused. And when I try to reassure them "This isn't important information" or "You don't need to be an expert on benefits to use the OBB" they just don't believe me! So needless to say, it's taking a while to get through all of their questions and fretful glances.

Oh, and the internet at this computer lab is on the fritz and blanks out for no apparent reason every 20 minutes.

AND this lab is a million degrees.

I guess what I am saying is, this is a good training to go out on. I was afraid I would get nostalgic and sentimental today, but this training has been so exhausting that it is almost a relief this is my last one.

Still, I am glad to have gained more public speaking and teaching experience as an OBB Community Trainer this year. Since June of 2009, I have taught 154 counselors how to use the Ohio Benefit Bank; some on taxes, some on benefits, and some on both! Every counselor has been different, with their own personalities (some friendly, some grumpy) and set of skills (some weak and some strong), and it has been challenging to find a style that works for everyone. I am proud of the work I have done, though, especially in training good, quality, counselors to help our community members access much needed public benefits and free tax assistance. At least, that was the goal!