" A breath of fresh air", by Susie MallettExcept today I was not cycling for thirty minutes through the countryside to go work, but I cycling the same route to attend the annual meeting of the Association of Conductors working in Germany, that took place in my very own work-room.
Whatever the reason for the ride, it was lovely nevertheless. With plus-two degrees, new warmer gloves, autumn leaves on the ground, no cars on the roads, and a stream of planes coming in really low over my head to land at the Airport, I enjoyed every minute.
Most of the rest of the people going to this gathering had gone by car from just around the corner from where I live, but having been sitting down all day yesterday I was really happy to be out on my bike in the fresh air pedalling at a fairly fast pace.
The meeting was short and sweet
With very few members present it could all proceed quickly, and we had time for a coffee and a sandwich and a chat at the end. Everyone wanted to get home to all corners of the country, to enjoy just a few hours of the weekend before work tomorrow. Many have just had a half-term holiday so they really do need a getting-ready-for-Monday Sunday evening.
For several years now our Association members are not only conductors. This means that present this morning, as well as the Petö Institute-trained conductors, all of us now living and working in Germany for between ten to fifteen years, were also a multi-disciplinary therapist (trained at the Keil Institute in Vienna) and also PtKs (Pädagogische, therapeutische Konductoren, trained at Pfenning Parade, Munich) from Thuringen, Munich and Nürnberg.
We voted out the old committee and voted in a new one. For the very first time in the eleven- year existence of the Association, one of the committee members is not a conducto: a PtK who works at Pfenning Parade/Phoenix in Munich was voted on board.
I was asked to stand but I refused. Maybe next time!
There were a few more bits of information to give out, all political stuff, as always to do with spreading the word further and further until we get enough notice taken of us that someone decides to provide the money to pay the clients' bills and also to train the conductors.
All in all it was actually a very relaxed and interesting meeting. I think that all we conductors were feeling glad to be in our own company after the Congress yesterday, when we had been presenting our work to outsiders. At the Congress the hours had been spent attempting to convey in a very short time why we are so passionate about Conductive Education's being an accepted part of the provision for children and adults with disabilities in Germany. The fight goes on but this morning we just enjoyed not having to convince anyone. We were all in the know.
We all do very different jobs but we are all conductors and most of us have worked in teams with the each other at some time in the past. There was in fact only one conductor there with whom I have never worked. I have also worked, very successfully I might add, with two of the PtKs.
So after the cycle home along the quiet “Sunday” roads and a quick forty winks I am now ready to write a posting, or maybe two, about our conductive, taking-part-in life Congress, and my very much taking-part-in-life last two weeks!
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