Smart and Sassy School Social Worker

Technology is ever changing.  The latest and greatest new thing to make our lives easier.   I am not one of those people who love getting new tech.   Seriously... I had an antenna until last year when my husband made me get rid of it on the upstairs t.v. (which had a VCR). So, all the new technology stuff that is out there to make our jobs easier is not my thing.  But Social Workers are agents of change and I am embracing technology. My blog dabblings have been abysmal, once a year I post on this page. However, I have been a bit more speedy with using my ipad, Google and other forms of tech in my practice. I am going to share some of my favorite things techy! It goes without saying that Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers are great resources.   I enjoy the One Stop Counseling Shop that is run by a School Social Worker.  Go Social Workers!!!     One Stop Counseling Shop     I use her Tab books often with my groups for coping...

Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers are my go to online resources when I am stuck for ideas. This school year I am all about Inside Out!   I love the movie and was thrilled when it came out this summer. Here are some links for Inside Out themed ideas for small groups. Size of Problem using Inside Out Inside Out card game Inside Out Mixed Up Emotions Game If you search in Pinterest and TPT, you will find tons of Inside Out ideas. The store, Five Below, has two posters from the movie.  At least, as of August 2015 they did.   Wal-mart and Toys-R-Us had toys from the movie also. School has been in session for 6 days and my students really like the characters. Happy start of the school year!

IEP goals are my least favorite thing to write!   Seriously!   I write them all the time and every time I struggle to write a S.M.A.R.T. goal that truly speaks to the work I hope to accomplish in my group or individual time with my students. I do use goal setting with my students all the time. We scale, rate, measure, self reflect, set personal goals, etc..  This does not easily translate into an IEP goal, at least not for me. Our IEP goals are written for a year and I see students weekly.  This is how it works with my school's schedule. I've heard from other social workers that they write short term goals or write IEP minutes so they see the students on a varying schedule. That is great to have flexibility.  With my non-IEP students, I am more creative and flexible in my service delivery. My intern is learning to write goals, so I have been researching everything I can to be a good supervisor.   Goodness knows I need all the help I can get :) ...

What is School Social Work? After being in the educational field for 15 years, I still don't have a simple answer.  My answer varies as my role changes with the needs of the students, families, staff , school and community. One reason I decided to enter into the tech world and blog is to promote what I do in the schools. Many people hear Social Worker and think of foster care or government case managers.  Social Workers cover many environments and systems and our direct practice varies. School Social Work is a unique field. The School Social Work Association of America , SSWAA,  has a simple but comprehensive summary of the many roles School Social Workers have in the educational system. School Social Work Association of America also has many resources for parents, administrators and school social workers.  It's a great organization for school social workers. Thank you for taking a look at my blog.  My hope is to have a variety of information relating to...