My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: My Youngest Grand Daughter is a Preteen

Thursday, April 2, 2015

My Youngest Grand Daughter is a Preteen

Me and my 11-year old Grand Daughter, Carenna Katague Thompson

My youngest grand daughter is a preteen. According to the latest article on this subject Preteens worry about bullying, fitting in, making friends and perhaps thinking about the beginning of the whole dating scene. Preteens are still not prepared to handle many social pressures without their parents assistance and guidance.

In general, preteens understand that they can come to their parents with questions about bullying, peer pressure and other social problems that might be bothering them.

Here are excerpts from the Facebook page of the mother (my daughter -Ditas) of my preteen grand daughter, discussing some issues about her moving to a new school this Fall. The move will be from a small private Catholic to a public school in the Sacramento School District.

"Bittersweet today as I enter the first full week of my 50th year on this earth. I struggle with being joyful for finally finally becoming comfortable in my skin and then at the same time my heart aches as I watch my beautiful 11 year old daughter struggle everyday with her trials and tribulations of being a preteen with no friends (so she believes). For those who heard her original song "Start to Fly", the opening lyrics of "I wish I could be a hero, instead of being treated like a zero", break my heart and she is so hoping that when she leaves her current small private school that she will find a place and friends that have similar interests, background and outlook as her. What she doesn't understand right now is how very special and original she is - yes, she is different - and kids these days are cruel. I wish some how I could instill in her the confidence in herself, that she is so amazing and that it shouldn't matter what her classmates think or how they treat her".

Here are some comments (empathy) from some of Ditas Face Book Friends:

1. As parents we always want way more for our kids than we can give. Having two girls myself I understand the pain of seeing insecurities rise early as they don't completely understand the world yet and yes kids can be cruel. But take heart that our stead etc....

2. She is so very blessed to have you there when she needs reassurance. Keep on keeping on, lady. !

3. She's a great kid with a great mom.

4. Hugs to you, my friend. The teenage years are tough.

5. I was also "friendless" and picked on as a pre-teen. It was because I was tall and awkward, had come from Mexico and didn't understand New Mexican culture, had no sense of what the style of the 80's was (I was still wearing A-lined denim skirts, etc...

6. A friend of mine told me that kids naturally gravitate toward what is good for them. Keep being the rock she needs. You are too close to see how much she already leans on you. Your days of joy are coming.

7. So so sorry your daughter is going through this. She sounds like a wonderful, creative kid--I'm sure she will find her way esp. with such a great mom to guide her!

8. I feel your heart. Sending you & your daughter love & big hugs!

9. Those lyrics broke my heart when I read them. Keep being supermom, Ditas! You are amazing and your instincts are spot-on. Sometimes small, private schools are just too homogenous. A larger pool of kids may be just what she needs to grow her wings and fly!!!

10. Ditas - I hope Carenna finds a warm and friendly environment in her new school. You and Carenna are amazing and talented. are there any after school interests, activities and groups that Carenna can join to build friendships outside of school? i find that is helpful to balance the school social dynamics?

11. I'm seeing Carenna grow and find her place of confidence as you gently find the right school and/or other activities for her. She will survive and be a stronger and even more empathetic person as a result of this current misery. But as a mom, I know how hard it is to watch your child suffer.

12. Hang in there Ditas. Although kids can be cruel in so many ways, your daughter has learned to express herself. Just keep listening and helping her reach her personal goals. My own daughter found her voice through robotics team. She tells me now that she knows the struggles have made her as strong as she is today.

Personal Note: Carenna loves to sing and play the guitar. She also writes a few of her songs. Just recently she was the leading child actress in the Sacramento Theatre Company presentation of the Velveteen Rabbit. Her current private school( not-tuition free) do not offer courses in music and drama. Her future public school will have music, drama and speech classes according to her Mom from for free and part of their elective courses.

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Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like:

Thursday, April 2, 2015

My Youngest Grand Daughter is a Preteen

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