As the long rays of the summer sun dwindle and I begin to hear the squawk of a bird that in my mind signifies the end of the cicadas' summer party, I think about getting back to work. I think about this prospect with enthusiasm and excitement (even after 23 years on the job!!) That's because I happen to have one of the most rewarding and exciting jobs on the planet! I am a school psychologist.
To many people, the school psychologist might be someone who shows up to meetings in fancy clothes and goes over reports regarding "Intelligence Quotients"
and "Standard Deviations". Believe me, I like dressing up as much as the next gal, but if that was all I did, I'd be missing out on so much of what this job has to offer! On a daily basis, I am amazed, challenged, frustrated, educated, and loved!
Unlike my colleagues in the classroom who can and usually do follow a pretty prescribed schedule of daily events...8:20 -Science, 9:15 -Computers, etc., my schedule may look like this: 8:20 - Observe Johnny in Math, but at 8:00 I might get a call from a frantic parent who can't convince their child that coming to school would be a great idea today! Now we need to come up with a plan to help reduce the child's anxiety, reinforce coming to school and provide the support that the distraught parent needs to get through this harrowing event! So I wind up catching up with Johnny a little later after our School-Resister has stopped hyperventilating and their parent is fully convinced that we will be able to provide the safety and security that their child needs to feel comfortable at school. Mission accomplished!
After that, I get to engage with Kindergarteners to teach the importance of being Mindful and how the different parts of our brains are responsible for our emotional reactions and our memories! Heavy stuff, but you would be amazed at how excited they are to learn about it! Next, I might get a call from a teacher regarding an on-going struggle between three girls in her second grade class. Could I do a mediation with these ladies to get to the bottom of the problem and encourage more positive interactions between them? Of course I can! Allowing these young ladies a safe forum for sharing their feelings of insecurity and loneliness enables them to get a deeper understanding of each others’ perspectives and a healthier relationship emerges! A team meeting may follow which enables all the service providers, i.e. Speech Therapist, Learning Center Instructor, Reading Specialist, and me, to collaborate with a classroom teacher to construct behavior modification plans to help improve a particular child's attending skills or reduce impulsive/disruptive behavior. Strategies are shared, data is reviewed and we walk away with a better understanding of the student's needs and what we will do to address them. One of my favorite parts of the day is lunch time and not just because I'm a food-junkie! It is because it is my chance to work with students in small groups to improve social skills, build communication skills and encourage friendships all while eating and playing games! When an impulsive group of first graders remembers the group rules for not interrupting each other and compromises to solve the problem of what game to play with win-win results, I'm like a proud momma watching her children "play nice" with each other!
Of course it's not always a smooth ride and there are times when all my best efforts and practices are not enough to make an immediate difference for a child who has lost a parent, for example. But knowing that I will be there to support and listen to this child as he or she processes the loss is something I can do over time to help the healing begin.
My day might end with another lesson in the Kindergarten classroom using a program called DUSO (Developing Understanding of Self and Others) in which I use a Dolphin puppet to tell stories and teach children valuable life lessons. I leave the room with the most adorable little people shouting, "Bye DUSO, see you next week!" They may even run up to give me a hug as I leave the room. I truly feel that these hugs have a life-giving force and I sincerely can't get enough of it! So I say goodbye to the summer days of sunbathing on the bow of our boat on Highland Lake because I must get back to my happy place, my job as a school psychologist.
