Social Work Practices at the UT Elementary School

Joy. Fear. Pain. Thankfulness. Worry. Relief

These are just a few of the emotions associated with termination, and despite the “scary” name, coming to a closing place with your students, families and staff can actually be very rewarding for the practitioner– more importantly it is a gift to the client.

Remembering the Past, Embracing the Future.
Why is termination important? Because it honors the work that has been done and acknowledges the forthcoming change in relationship. Maybe the client has mastered his or her goals and does not need one on one support any more at this time. OR perhaps he or she is moving to a new school. But even if neither of those things happen, we in the education biz, tend to have a little thing called summer vacation (hoorah) which necessitates some type of closure even if the relationship is bound to start up again next fall.

One function of termination is to help students to review and generalize the skills which have been developed with the social worker. For this reason, I like to end with some tangible reminder of our time that can be framed, kept and referred back to as needed. I have done termination stones, Strength Trees, coloring books, scrapbooks, toolboxes, mini-art galleries and briefcases. Below is a sample termination activity for a leadership group I recently concluded. The students requested briefcases for their goodbye activity, so I gathered up all of our previously used materials and came up with this closing activity in which each girl had to match the activity with a leadership concept we had learned and practiced together.

Girls Leadership Group: “Girl Power”
Leaders get to know themselves and each other.

Leaders can see things from many different perspectives:

Leaders do not show prejudice.

Leaders know how to communicate in ways that are just right (assertiveness vs. passivity or aggression)

Leaders can give good directions and follow other people’s directions.

Leaders have strategies to cope with conflict.
.
Leaders use their influence to help not to harm.

So, call me the terminator because this is just one of many fun ways that I’ve found to say goodbye to students and remind families to continue the work at home. Because if they don’t do it then the chances are good that next year (cue schwarzenneger impression) I’ll be back.

Sometimes we need to open or revisit a campus-wide conversation pertaining to cultural awareness and humility. At my campus we have a high number of students who speak spanish at home, and while we have many bilingual teachers, many of them do not speak Spanish as their first or second language. So I created the “Like Spanish for Chocolate” incentive. Now teachers can get a little of this:

For a little of this:

Chocolate

Ofcourse this is just a starting place, we want to be mindful of ways to acknowledge and lots of different languages and culture. But for now, an attainable goal at our campus is to practice learning the correct pronunciation of each student in out own individual classrooms and caseloads.

As they say: Poco a Poco Se Va Lejos. (Little by little one goes far). Our journey pursuing cultural humility is long but we get there together step by step. And a little chocolate doesn’t hurt–in fact it goes a long way as well.

Hasta Luego,
Kerri

Well, another year has passed, Spring has come and we are all getting back into the Rhthyms of elementary school life. It is group season here at U.T.E.S. which means I am having my annual ponderings about what exactly makes a “good” group.  This year I have aligned the group process with the SEL competencies put forth by CASEL. So, at each grade level I have groups working primarily on one of these areas:

I love dividing the groups in this manner because it is a continuation of what is being taught and used in the classroom and at parenting workshops.  These competencies do a great job at covering and categorizing the breadth of skills that we as social workers teach, model and support. Efficient and goal driven groups are paramount in the whirlwind-ish setting of schools– otherwise, as anyone who has ever done school social work knows, your 8 weeks of 20 minute lunch-bunch counseling opportunities will slip through your well-intentioned but data-less fingers.

But, on the other hand….

At times, we,I  get too caught up in proving that I acted as the conduit of some overnight, behavior erradicating miracle in a child’s life. Can I show that little Joel has successfully learned each of the 7 1st-grade objectives under Self-Awareness. Is it observable and evident that Luka is now using all 5 of the coping strategies from group in the classroom and beyond? Maybe. Maybe not.

And for this reason, no matter what our group creation process may be, we need to always keep a different set of categories in mind as well.

This is the Resiliency Wheel. It captures  6 common themes identified in the lives of individuals who in their young lives might likely have been considered to be ”at risk” but who have somehow surpassed others with similar obstacles.  Resiliency is a framework that investigates lifetimes of mitigating and resiliency-building factors. It does not necessarily produce “better behavior” at the 9 weeks check-point, but if we can put those expectations aside it might just behoove us to think of groups, whatever the goal, in this way.

Boundaries: Am I offering a group in which students feel safe and are permitted to act autonomously?

Care: Have I created a group in which my persona, manner, tone and actions indicate genuine support for the students served?

Meaningful Participation: Am I giving the students in my groups activities that allow them to make decisions, plan, evaluate, and implement?

Bonding:  Do I encourage and support rapport-building, laughter-filled, collaborative groups in which children are encouraged to get to know and connect with others?

Standards: Have I created an environment in the group which indicates that this is a space with high expectations according to and maybe even perhaps slightly surpassing the individuals ability and comfort level?

Tools: Am I providing (through explicit teaching and through modeling opportunities) the students with Social-Emotional and practical tools that they will need in their various environments?

In the long run, maybe it is these standards that truly make a “good” group.  In fact, maybe it is these standards that make a good program. 

Want more info on Resiliecy? Check here and here!

Do you think about resiliency in your role at your school? If so, how and when? Share your thoughts, use your words!

At our last monthly parenting workshop we discussed a simple do-it-yourself project to help kids with emotion management.

It goes by many names: Break Box, Breathe Box, Calm Down Kit or whichever cute and appropriately alliterative name that you so choose.

It  is useful in  many locations: Home, Car, Classroom, Grocery Basket, Church .

It gives kiddos many coping skill options

Bubbles can help kids (and adults) breathe deeply. So can counting to 10…that’s what the “counting straws” are for!

Somt imes when kids (and adults) are  all filled up with emotions, our bodies seem to have  extra energy.  Playdough, a bouncy ball or a smooth stone for rubbing can help  get out that extra energy without harm to self, others or property.

And other times we all just want to be heard.  A notepad, some pencils or crayons and an envelope let us write or draw our feelings so we can talk about them later.

Lots of materials, one easy to carry box and…

Voila, everything fits and material can be switched out or in as desired.

Want a few more ideas?

Now add your own!

Social Workers have a lot of roles…

but only a limited number of hands…

If only there were a way to have an apprentice of sorts. Someone who could be invaluable in terms of output/production measures and who could, concurrent to lending his or her hands, offer additional eyes, ears and perspectives to the work that we offer our clients and communities.Guess what?  We not only have this opportunity as school social workers, we also have this responsibility. It is, for my money, one of the more important of our varied and asundered professional roles.So, if you haven’t already, check-out the School Social Work Standards found on the NASW website and take a gander at out numero 28:

School social workers shall contribute to the

development of the profession by educating

and supervising school social work interns.

U.T.E.S. housed social work interns even prior to housing a full-time Social Worker. Their work lives on through resource manuels crafted for class projects, mentors they  have referred for our 4th and 5th grade students, and of course most profoundly through the lives of the children who still tell me anecdotes  about Mr. or Ms. so and so from a few years back.  As the program supervisor, I have, at times, been guilty of fretting over the hassles that come naturally when you share your space and license with another human.  But at the end of the day, I am always reminded of an ancient agricultural truth that a parent shared again with me just yesterday–we reap what we sow.  So,in what ways are you planting, watering, caring for the next generation of social workers?

In preparing for this post, I decided to do a brief survey of current literature on the topic of “Professional Use of Self”.  During this process, a miracle occured. I found an article that I believe says everything about the topic in a way that is useful and that makes complete sense to me. You see, part of mypersonality (a key component of my profesional use of self) is my love of language, so it is somewhat rare for me to find a piece of writing that I don’t want to edit or tweak in one way or another. I am never one to deny or ignore the miraculous, so I will not spend the next hour rewriting what has already been said so well right here.  

The artice was originally written for students in their field placement, but I think it is good for each of us to pick up our old intern hats from time to time in order to get a fresh perspective on our work.  So, who are you?  What traits, stories, experiences, do you  bring into the thereapeutic relationships that you establish and maintain each day?   

Many if not all of us have attended workshops on cultural competence.  One presumes that we should  have collectively learned quite a bit by now about different races, cultures, genders, classes, ages, abilities, orientations, etc.  But the word competence with regard to the unique configuration of these descriptors, is troubling for me. Troubling because it assumes that I need to learn the truth about others, when really, I have found that it is even more useful to learn the truth about myself.   This is a notion that I am continually trying to revisit with myself and with teachers and families in our collaborative educational endeavors.  Here are a few conversation starters that could be used at teacher trainings, parent workshops or as a part of a student diversity group in a secondary school:

1. Diversity Bingo

This can be a fairly lighthearted activity for students to get a group thinking about issues of difference.

Next is:

This adult version of Colored Corners or Tug of War, starts what I have found to be a much needed conversation about the neutrality of values.  Many of us go through life having heard that individuals either have values or they don’t.  In fact the truth is we all have values and more often than not they are logical and credible, once one is able to step out of a culturally normative evaluation system.  Having members of a group choose one value over another and then give a rationale to the group can be a real eye-opener!

And Finally,

The Culture wheel is an activity that I created to encourage sel- honesty. Once I realize why and how I came to have certain values I can better begin what I call the 3 E’s:

So, if I am being honest about it, the words Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) do not have a history of making  my heart go pitter-patter. On the contrary, this has been a concept that at first eluded me and eventually troubled me as a student of Social Work . 

Was EBP an elitist attempt to turn SOCIAL work into something algebraic so that we can all feel smarter, more self-important and less bleeding heart?

Was EBP a fancy way of saying, “You are being watched” so stick with the status quo?

Not to mention,

After the referring and crisising and consulting and meeting and interventioning and  counseling and observing and  assessing and preventing and developing, when exactly do I have time to do the  Evidence-Based researching?

Truthfully, I still experience some tension as I ponder each of these issues, but a few professional development workshops and a good book or two down the line and I am seeing the integrity that working from an Evidence-Informed-Perspective offers.

Evidence-Informed-Practice Means, THIS!

It can be utilized through websites like the ones found here!

And, for all of my comprades out there, from those of you who investigate and Implement Evidence Informed practices happily to  those who do so begrudgingly Please check out these books!

And at your schools??? How do you collect data? Choose your interventions? Maintain the Integrity that we hope is a hallmark of SSW practice? Let us know!

sys·tem  noun \ˈsis-təm\

• regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole <a number system>
• a group of interacting bodies under the influence of related forces <a gravitational system>
• an assemblage of substances that is in or tends to equilibrium <a thermodynamic system>
• a group of body organs that together perform one or more vital functions <the digestive system>
• the body considered as a functional unit
• a group of related natural objects or forces <a river system>
• a group of devices or artificial objects or an organization forming a network especially for distributing something or serving a common purpose <a telephone system> <a heating system> <a highway system> <a computer system>
• a form of social, economic, or political organization or practice <the capitalist system>

Huh?

 I happen to be a lover of definitions.  But for those, a bit more visually inclined, let’s revisit the graphic from my original, “What is School Social Work” post.

 I appreciate that Broffenbrenner captures, not only the micro, exo and macrosystems but also the interplay between the individual’s various systems (mezzosystem) and the interplay between the individual and time (chronosystem).  As Social Workers we take all of these systems into consideration in order to get the most comprehensive picture of what is happening in the lives of our students.

A systems approach to Social Work expands our ability to intervene in ways that might otherwise be overlooked. Here are a few examples of systems level interventions taking place at U.T. Elementary :

School System Intervention: Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

 What is SEL? A GREAT GIFT TO  OUR STUDENTS! Find out more at https://blogs.utexas.edu/utes_sel and at www.casel.org.

Staff System  Intervention: Teacher Time

Teacher time is an idea that I got from a Social Worker  back when I was doing my very first internship in SSW.  I have been eagerly anticipating putting this concept into practice, ever since that time. After all, teachers (at the elementary level) spend 6-8 hours a day with our students, which for some kids is more time than they spend with members of their own family. For this reason it is imperative that teachers feel acknowledged and supported. A healthy, happy teacher who shows up to class with a full bucket, affects an entire classroom of students. At my school Teacher Time is a monthly gathering in my office. It can be done in many ways to suit campus needs. Teacher Time might have a “happy hour” feel, designed so that teachers can kick back, relax and chat with friends. It could also look like  a more formal group opportunity to process the every day stressors that teachers might otherwise face in isolation. It could include treats like free hand massages (if your budget allows) or wellness activities like yoga or meditation. You know your campus best, so use your professional judgement and try something out.

Family System  Intervention:  Parenting Workshops

Parents and families are, of course, the key to our students’ academic and social-emotional successes. That is why I offer monthly parenting workshops that align with the SEL concepts the students are learning here at school. Giving parents a place to voice their concerns as well as the opportunity to practice concepts consistent with the students’ learning is one of the many ways to foster a spirit of collaboration between home and school.

By now, you know what is coming next. What about you? How have you assessed and/or participated in systems level interventions on your campus? What is quick and easy? What is difficult and hard to maneuver?  Speak up! How many Social Workers does it take to revolutionize school systems throughout the country…Well, it is simple, as is almost always the case with our kids, our parents, our teachers– it takes a village!

One obligatory post on Strengths will not satisfy most School Social Workers, because we all know that this concept is at the heart of everything we do in each realm and level of service that we offer. So let’s just call this our first dip into the strengths pool, okay? Do you remember the first time that someone identified and honored one of your strengths?

I certainly do.

 I was in third grade when Ms.McCracken waded through my “chicken scratch” only to find that underneath the scrawling, sprawling and shall we say “non-traditional” cursive penmanship, I was quite the storyteller. She carried my work of genius from room to room like it was the latest dead-sea scroll discovery and I don’t want to put anyone to shame here (lest any of my old classmates are reading), but after that day it was clear in my mind that I was being groomed for U.I.L. greatness.  

In a matter of moments, I went from:

 Powerless to overcome my handwriting demons,

to

 Powerful and ready to conquer the world with my clever repartee (or at that time my Rudy Huxtable inspired Tales from the otherside of the Rainbow).

Powerless to Powerful.

That is the beauty of the Strengths Perspective. Strengths are the all-too-often unnoticed, untapped, unacknowledged, and unutilized SUPERPOWERS in the lives of our students, their families, and our school staffs. These powers comes from many different sources:

• Talents
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Resources
• Opportunities
• Relationships
• Structures

But I know, I know, I am preaching to the choir here, right? The question then becomes, how do we bring this framework to a world that all-too-often prefers and practices from a deficits model?  My approach is two-fold:

1. Make it Known: The more we keep exposing our campuses and communities to strengths-based language and practice the more comfortable and useable they become.
2. Make it Meaningful: No one wants to hear our canned strengths mumbo-jumbo if it does not connect with their own philosophies, agendas, and practices. So we have to brush up on language and concepts that strike a chord in each of the various  groups with whom we enjoy the pleasure of collaboration. To a teacher whose concern is primarily academic success, strengths might be connected with the idea of differentiation, to a parent the concept of self-esteem might be of first importance, and for an administrator the efficiency of strengths-informed hiring practices could be just what the doctor ordered.

 Check out three simple ways to incorporate strengths across our campuses.

One way to have students and parents identify their own strengths is to draw a simple “Strengths Tree” like this one:

One way to support teachers as they think about individual strengths in academics is through identification of student capabilities and talents using tools such as:

One way to utilize strengths throughout your school system is to get a common language using a resources like this http://www.oprah.com/money/Take-Control-of-Your-Career-and-Your-Life-Workshop-Session-1-Video or this…

So these are a few of my conversation starting tools with regard to strengths— the gateways to an ongoing discussion.  How do you Make it Known and Make it Meaningful on your campus?