I worked at New Alternatives for three years, with...

I worked at New Alternatives for three years, with the last two as supervisor of the boys unit on the Split shift. While I had some bad experiences, the good ones far outweigh the bad. I loved my shift, at the time the Splits was the strongest shift. The staff on all shifts were great and I didn't mind doing a double every now and again. There were some great youth to work with and others that you came up with a plan to manage their behaviors. The program director at the time was mediocre and out of touch with the line staff. Talking with my co-workers at the time, almost all agreed that their fellow staff was the reason they were able to live through the hard times and stay on as long as they did. For those who listed getting attacked by kids(even if you were the best staff), exactly what is that you think you signed up for? It is part of the important work you do. These are severely emotionally disturbed kids that in most cases do not know better or cannot control themselves due to mental illness. Heck, I had other kids come to my and my staffs defense when being assaulted by one of their peers. I had a fractured finger and still went to work. I was involved in every restraint( broken finger in all) and always supported and sought the opinions of my staff regarding everything from consequences to transports. The best part of NA 16 is the extended family I became a part of working there. Overall, I had a great experience and some fond memories of my time there.