Lessons from my first year

On the eve of my second first day of school I pulled out my journal from last year. It has only one entry, which I wanted to share. It is me in an extremelt vulnerable, anxious, and distraught place (I know...on the first day of school?!). I wanted to share it because I remember thinking "how will things get better?" They weren't always better, but they weren't always bad. I wanted the first years out there to know they are not alone and remind the seasoned professionals the same. I enter my second year tomorrow and I am having PTSD-lile flashbacks. I am optimistic for the best and prepared for the not so great.

August 29, 2013

First day of school. Excited. Confident. Long to do list to get prepared.

8:00 Starbucks--There's always time
8:30 Greet as many teachers as I can and wish them a great first day. Positive climate and relationships.
9:00 up to your eyeballs in kindergartners.

By 10 you're working 1:1 to alleviate behavioral aggression. PE teacher was hit. Principal too.

Mimicker arises. Almost worse by the end of the day. Running after a bolter. Trying to grasp what comes next.

Meet parents who were "waiting for the call." Feels like meeting is happening around me. To do list grows. Social stories. Token boards. PPT in two days. SPED laws you don't know yet. You barely know your caseload.

Stressed. Overwhelmed. Defeated. 

What do I so? Do I really know anything? In over my head. How do I ask for help without seeming incompetent? 

Schedule 15+ meetings. 2 initial evals. All by the end of September. 

In over my head. 
Sob at home. Sob in shower.
Anxiety attack.
Negative self talk.
Easily irritated.
Need space.

Stressed about tomorrow. What do I do first?

Exhausted and only mildly hopeful...

This journal entry sums up what it felt like to be me on that first day. I didn't want to go back but I did. The tears didn't end there. The anxiety didn't subside until summer. Kids came and went. Others flared up. Its all part of our job. Tomorrow new kids will arrive and I may not be any more ready for it than last year. That's okay. I will do my best. 

I never wrote any more in my journal. I decided to challenge myself this year and write one positive each (school) day to try and help me reframe the bad days and celebrate the good. My first entry is tonight. It involves a tough kiddo who I spoke to today. I called dad to share a major curveball for tomorrow. Dad put the student on to say hi, which shocked me. He said he had lots of his original comic book stories to tell me (94 to be exact) and said he had just done the ice bucket challenge! I was shocked that he even got on the phone period, but to share two things (and subconsciously indicate he was excited to see me) is major step! I hope it lasts, but recognize his current affections are fleeting. But for today it is my positive and I'm excited to see what other moments I appreciate along the way. 

Until next thyme, 
Erika

First Year Office

My first year as a school psychologist is finally here. I started (officially) last week for new teacher orientation and have been participating in professional development until the kids arrive later this week. However, I have been in my school and in my office for about two weeks in preparation.

Knowing myself, I knew I needed to have a physical space to match my mental space. While I can leave my apartment in chaos (which drives the fiancé cray cray!), I cannot stand having my office in chaos. I need it to welcoming, organized, and neat. (Can a Type A personality be environmentally based?) After making a thorough list of everything I thought I would need I scoured sales papers and the internet for all the best deals. As a new school psych, money is tight! In my role as PPT Coordinator my small stipend for supplies gets used up quickly for things like envelopes necessary for the PPT process. In the end it works out because the things I purchased have my name on them and come with me wherever I go.

Games/Art

I purchased some of the standard games, like Trouble, Candyland, Connect Four, Topple, and Uno. I scored Whoonu for $1.50 at Goodwill, which was the best find of the past five years. I mean, where can you get a board game for less than $10 and one that is sooo versatile!? I also got a great deal on a Cranium Brain Breaks game set ($6 in the Target clearance!). I’m not sure its full purpose yet, but I’ll keep you posted. My family introduced me to a dice game called Farkle. It is a great one to have in your personal collection at home, but I think it will be a bonus for the office. It requires math skills (!) and is a game of risk. I think some of my impulsive kiddos could benefit from the underlying principles. I also purchased a set of Rory’s Story Cubes. I think these will make a great ice breaker for groups and have many other uses.

I also got some markers, crayons, color pencils, and drawing paper. I had copies of coloring pages from previous years, which can be found here. I also have the necessary standby: Playdoh. I also have some mini jars I got at the Target dollar bin last year in my counseling materials.

I bought a handful of dolls and plush toys at Ikea, as well as bins to hold them. I had to buy the bulldog in honor of my Yale connections :)

Bibliotherapy

After I spent a lot of money on the various items for my arsenal, I realized I had neglected my bibliotherapy library. However, after collecting some ideas for books I realized that I have a few free options at my disposal, including my school library, teachers, other school libraries, district town library, and my town’s library. I’m hoping to increase my library over time, but I have a few books to get started.

• Off to Kindergarten: I thought could be a book to read during my intros to the new kinder students.
• Oh, the Places You Will Go!:’nuff said
• Psychology for Kids: It includes some “tests” to help kids think about themselves, their learning style, and their outlook/perspective.
• How to take the Grr Out of Anger! & Stress Can Really Get On Your Nerves!
• In addition to these items I purchased a two books from SocialThinking.com: You’re a Social Detective and Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum.  I also got these funky rubber chickens (dog toys with the squeaker removed) to use along with the curriculum. (You must have seen Michelle Garcia Winner's rubber chicken moment video at some point!)

(Also, how adorable are my book ends?! I love giraffes and I think they are too stinkin’ cute. Thanks to the fiancé for getting these for me for my birthday this year!)

Counseling Materials

Just as I expect my students to develop an arsenal of skills to be successful, I had to develop an arsenal of supplies to help them on that road. Over the past year I have been “pinning” like crazy for this very moment. I had a solid supply of stress balls, mini containers of play doh, and fidgets from the past few years.

In order to take it to the next level I engaged in some DIY projects. I made “Calming Jars” for my students to shake and settle. I’ll use this in conjunction with my nifty Coping Skills Tool Belt and Coping Skills Wall. In the kit I already have bubbles, bubble wrap, and a red paint chip that students can use as their thermometer for anger. I grabbed both red and blue for students to create their own gradients using their own feelings vocabulary. I need to go back to the store and get green and yellow to align it with the RULER Approach that my district uses. You can see the Mood Meter in my office décor pictures below!

I also create a rice box scented with lilac. I bought two bags of rice at the dollar store as well as a long plastic container. I added a few drops of an essential oil and some glass rocks (for floral arrangements). As students move the rice around the scent becomes more pronounced and is soothing. The Worry Box is something I also saw around Pinterest. I'm hoping to use it with students to help them "lock away" their worries. Sometimes writing it down and putting it outside the mind helps to alleviate anxiety. 

Office Décor

There is A LOT to show you in this area. I’m going to try to highlight all my things I love, which is basically everything J I really wanted to make my office a cozy space. I’ll be spending a lot of time here and I want to like where I work. I tried to incorporate bright colors to mimic my sunny personality, but also make it a warm and welcoming place. So far, I’ve received some compliments. Go me!

I “borrowed” an idea Scrapbook of a School Counselor and used bulletin board border to line my windows at my office. I also attached my “Take What You Need” sign to the window in an effort to create more privacy. As an aside, privacy window film is pretty expensive! I only have these small windows, but didn’t want to spend $30. I’m hoping this will help create some privacy as it hangs at the right level. My office is also down a small hallway, so the window is not directly accessible to the public eye. I also chose to decorate my door with a “Where is Ms. Johnson?” sign. I had seen this on Pinterest and wanted to tailor it to what I believe my needs will be based on my experience last year. I’ve gotten some positive feedback from other school psychs on Twitter, so feel free to copy!

I purchased some cushions at IKEA (in fun colors) for students to get comfortable in my office. They can be used on the floor for play therapy or on chairs when we have a group. The school chairs are not the most forgiving when you’re sitting for a long time, so I wanted to have a preventative solution to this. Also, sometimes students just need something to hug, right? I’m sure it goes without saying, but that fantastic chevron pillow is for the facilitator ;) The bin is also from IKEA and is the same as my stuffed animal one.

My office serves as the home of the special education files for students in our building. I have a locked filing cabinet that the team has access to by key. It is situated near the door and table, and is pretty plain. I purchased a chalkboard decal to use as a quote board. I’ve pinned plenty of quotes to last me the whole year, but I am particularly fond of my first one.

I feel fortunate that I also have a bulletin board in my room. I’ve decorated the border with some awesome Dr. Seuss flair from the Target dollar bin! I decided to put a few posters, a sign my dad bought me (“Kids Rules”), and my confidentiality sign.  It is close by my table I’ll use for groups which is perfect for the confidentiality sign and referring to my Unthinkables poster for social skills groups.

On the front of my desk I managed to hang a bedside storage “thing” I found at Walmart. It’s meant to hold magazines, books, and other miscellaneous items for college kids. I thought it would be perfect for any materials I need for groups or individual counseling. I also have my Coping Skills wall from internship on one of my cabinets. I laminated the papers and attached magnets so they can be moved. It also works to stick to my white board for brainstorming and is close-by for counseling references. Kids can even grab one off the “wall” and take it with them to have a reminder during the day.

I have some other odds and ends around the office to add personality, including my Wizard of Oz bookmarks, a college poster, and some frames. I’m not sure what I’ll put in the frames just yet. I’m thinking it would be great for my school’s emotional literacy charter. Something visible and accessible for reference and reminders. I also got these great magazine racks at the end of last school year (Target dollar bin) and I have dedicated those to holding evaluations that are in progress, reports to be written, and IEPs to be written/finalized. I’m hoping this will declutter my desk area and help me maintain my zen.

Phew, I am exhausted after this tour! I didn’t realize how much stuff I had and how many uses I have for it!

If you see anything in my photos that you want more info about (or know where I bought it) let me know! I’m hoping to go into more details with a few items, including my binder system, once things get underway.

Until next thyme,

Erika

Back to School

A week ago I started to conquer my final obstacle between now and graduation: the internship. In my third, and final year, I am to complete a 1200+ hour internship at an approved school/supervisor. During this internship I am to make every effort to learn all the nuances of the job, complete evaluations, run groups, provide individual counseling, serve on student support teams, communicate with families, become a positive member of the school community, consult with teachers, and [single-handedly] work towards a preventative model to support students (rather than “wait to fail”). After thinking of all the hats we wear as school psychologists, I have one phrase for you: oy vey!

Sidenote: The recent increase in my use of the phrase “oy vey” is the result of a summer spent with a child who used it to express his displeasure of group activities/ expectations…which happened constantly.

With the long list of tasks to accomplish that I listed above, I thought it would be a genius idea to move to a new state entirely and try to learn their way of doing things. I have always been somewhat of an overachiever. Why not torture myself during what should be, theoretically, the easiest year of grad school?

After arriving at my placement, a high school, I was informed that things are much “slower paced” and “more laidback” than the things I was used to at the elementary level. Man, my supervisor wasn’t kidding! She said it would take a few weeks to get ourselves up and running, but I had no reason to believe her. In my other placements we were off within a day or so of kids arriving. This year I have had time to settle in, get acquainted, and take it all in. I set up my office, organized my belongings, and actually had time to familiarize myself with the state specific laws/processes (can you believe it!?).

For example, today I spent time on the State Department of Education website to peruse their use of RtI and the special education process. I spent yesterday typing up some fabulous forms from The School Psychologist’s Survival Guide by Dr. Branstetter (see my review here).

So, as I look over the list of evaluations we have for the year (under 20!) I see I will have plenty of time on my hands. Now comes the challenge of using the many other hats we have as school psychologists, rather than simply being “The Assessor.”

I should say that I don’t expect this downtime to last. I know I’ll have vistors knocking on my door, plenty of parents to call and meet with, lots of data to collect, etc., BUT for now I am enjoying the free time ☺

Until next thyme,

Erika