February 15th, 2018

Post date: Feb 19, 2018 7:05:25 PM

The February NSA Meeting was held last night and a great crew of 5 "eventually" showed up... we just seemed to keep trickling into Dysart's!! Erin and husband Mike and Marybeth started out the meeting at 6:30 pm. It was great to meet Mike and the guy who has supported Erin for so long! This also reminded me that she is now Erin Webb, not Erin Porter!! I'm sure he learned a lot more about stuttering last night! Erin is still working on reading aloud to her class...always a challenge. Ravi arrived at 7 pm and it was good to hear that he is still working as postdoc at UM, but also looking for other jobs. This means interviews! Many are on the phone. We all agreed that we'd rather have face to face interviews. Erin and Ravi discussed job interviews. Disclosing her stuttering in the beginning of the interview was very helpful for her. Ravi has had different experiences. One interviewer was disturbed that he had talked about his stuttering because the potential employer told him he was afraid he would be called out for "discrimination" if it was discussed in the interview. This is something we had not heard of before. Then, at 8:00, as we were wrapping up and getting ready to leave, Charlie B. showed up!! He shared some of his "story" with Erin and Mike. He has been "trying" to get to a meeting for years, but his work schedule and  family requests have always hindered him. So it was great for him to meet Erin and Mike. He is looking forward to being able to attend more meetings in the future.

We reminded all about Nancy Hall's Fluency Class Presentation. April 24, 4 - 7 pm at U Maine. Please let Nancy know if you will be able to attend her class. It is great for the students to hear from us! Email Nancy at nhall@maine.edu

Also this was my last meeting until June!! I have left today for my "annual" winter escape out west! Last year you all did a great job, taking turns each month... stepping up to lead a meeting. Remember that when you are leader... you can choose date and place!!! We need leaders for March, April, and May. Three brave souls to step up!! Please email me and choose a month... and I'll put together the list and send it out to you all.