For a variety of reasons, I’ve always felt a kinship with Matthew Perry’s “Chandler” character from the show “Friends.” He is intense and emotionally volatile without wanting to be, has a sarcastic edge to his communication that is not very warm and fuzzy and often misconstrued, and struggles to maintain healthy relationships despite a colorful history of family dysfunction. We’re a lot alike, he and I. Another commonality we share is that we have to explain what it is we do for a living. It is a running gag on the show that no one can quite understand or remember Chandler’s job description. I run into the same thing, especially with my extended family, all the time. People know I do something with speech, so they automatically assume I am a speech pathologist working with the communication-impaired. When I try to explain that I don’t help people with speech disabilities, but rather instruct people who can already talk communicate more effectively, they stare at me blankly. So, I just say, “I’m a teacher,” much like all the Friends default to, “Chandler does something wi
th numbers.” I think most of my relatives are just glad I finally get paid to do what I always did best: talk. In Jimmy Thomson’s The Koala Who Bounced, no one understands what the springy little eucalyptus-muncher is all about until he finds his niche. I teach Public Speaking, Chandler does the W.E.N.U.S, Karri bounces. It’s what we do, but some people just don’t get it.http://www.bookworm.com.au/Book/The-Koala-Who-Bounced-Pocket-Edition-9781740518932.aspx
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