Oh dear.

People don't know what they don't know, of course, but once in a while my social worker positive regard slips a little and I have a "what are you THINKING?" moment.

 I wish I could quote the letter a client's mother wrote for him because, well, I read it in little bursts, unable to process entirely how wrong it is. It was at once somewhat funny and very disappointing since I really, truly can't use it, and in fact it's so off track for what you'd want to write to a judge to say good things about your kid that I don't know if I can even really call and say "could you leave in X and take out the rest?" because all of it I've read so far is unusable.

 I have a sheet of suggestions I send people home with sometimes, and I think one thing I'm going to add to it is: don't use big words, and try to write mostly in short sentences. I don't know how else to say it without coming off as a horrible snob. Of course what I mean is "don't be fancy unless you're very sure of what you're doing or you're just going to sound like a dope."

 Ok, I read the rest of it. Some of it is fine and most of it is not. And it lists a CC to the Assistant District Attorney which I hope is just another affectation and she didn't actually send it because augh.