Securing a practicum site

Today I had a meeting with my upcoming practicum supervisor.  During the second year of the EdS program, each cohort member completes a year-long practicum in a school district in addition to coursework.  I chose to complete this requirement in a nearby district with a former professor from the MS School Psychology program.  She earned her PsyD in Clinical Psychology and is a certified school psychologist in Pennsylvania. 

I will be working in the middle and high school, but there is also an opportunity to get involved with early-intervention as well.  My supervisor also has another practicum student from another program so we will be able to work together.  This practicum, like the MS practicum, is requirement-based.  This means that I will be able to structure how and when I complete the requirements instead of having each assignment due at a predetermined time.  This makes the experience less stressful because I can complete everything on my own schedule.  I plan on spending one full day each week in the school(s), while still working part-time as a TSS. 

Here is what I have to look forward to this fall.  We are required to complete several comprehensive evaluations that include measures of cognitive, academic, behavioral, and social/emotional aspects of functioning.  I will conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment.  I will monitor student progress on several cases.  I will engage in consultation cases, which will include activities such as problem identification, problem analysis, plan development and implementation, and plan evaluation.  I will create several academic and psychosocial intervention plans, attend multiple school-based problem solving meetings, and give feedback to parents about reports.  I plan on re-familiarizing myself over the summer with the WISC, WAIS, WIAT and other measures that my supervisor frequently uses.  In addition to these requirements, I plan on getting everything I can out of this experience. 

I am very excited for practicum because I get the opportunity to apply everything that I will have learned up until this point in my educational career.  Even though I don't start until September, I might have my “first day of school” outfit picked out already…

Book chapter publication

Last year in the MS School Psychology program, several cohort members and I had the opportunity to help research and write a book with our professor.  Our professor lets us pick between many topics that he wanted to cover in his book.  I chose to co-author a chapter and familiarize myself with topics related to education, communication, identity, and mental health concerns in the biethnic and multiethnic communities.  We met every other week for about an hour to discuss recurring themes in our research.  I appreciated the opportunity to become more engaged in the multicultural conversation and more fully understand the challenges associated with identifying oneself as biethnic or multiethnic, as well as the opportunity to professionally collaborate with my professor and cohort members.  I have also referenced my research in class many times throughout the course of the MS and EdS programs.  The book is entitled “Cross-Cultural Interaction and Understanding: Theory, Practice, & Reality” and will be available for purchase on May 1, 2013.  Check it out!

http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Cultural-Interaction-Understanding-Practice-Reality/dp/1624176186/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366056734&sr=8-1&keywords=cross-cultural+interaction+and+understanding+theory

10 tips to stay healthy when working in schools

Working in a school can be terrifying for "germaphobes".  Children, and even some adults, do not have the best hygiene practices.  However, this school year I have managed to stay pretty healthy while working in numerous schools.  Here are some tips to help anyone working in schools to avoid illness.

1. Get the flu vaccine- This vaccine takes around 2 weeks to become effective and only protects against the top few flu strains that are projected to run rampant.

2. Wash your hands with soap and water- I wash my hands before I eat anything and after I touch anything deemed to be crawling with germs.  So I basically wash my hands all day, every day.  I make sure to wash my hands after touching student pencils, books, desks, etc.

3. Direct sneezes and coughs into your elbow and teach students to do the same- This helps stop the spread of germs.  The droplets from coughs and sneezes can travel 12 feet!

4. Keep hands away from face- Touching your eyes and mouth spreads germs from your fingers.

5. Stay home when you have a fever- Sick people should stay home for a week if they have the flu so as not to spread the illness.  I would rather have a sick child or teacher be miserable at home than miserable at school.  Children's undesirable behaviors often peak when they are sick as well.

6. Hydrate- Drink plenty of water and avoid caffeinated beverages that dehydrate the body.

7. Exercise, eat healthy, and get enough sleep- Easier said than done but this really helps to keep your body and immune system strong.  

8. Have a stress release- Have an outlet like exercise or journaling.  Chronic stress affects your immune system, making it less capable of fighting off infection.

9. Sip only your drink- Sharing food and drink also spreads germs.

10. Sanitize those WISC blocks- Use alcohol wipes on any frequently touched surfaces such as test kit manipulatives, doorknobs, keyboards, telephones, etc.  Some viruses can live up to 24 hours on a surface!

Bottom line: Take care of yourself or you will not be able to take care of your students!