Working Out All the Kinks

I am slowly realizing that there are some things that are actually much harder than doing therapy in a school setting: scheduling being at the top of that very short list. I never imagined how hard it is to find time in a regular school week to see 50+ kids for however many times a week they are each supposed to come. Assuming that we would fit them however we liked and letting their classroom teachers know is apparently not a very realistic option. Instead, for the last week or so, we have been talking to all the kids' teachers and figuring out what times the kids go to "specials" and what times lunches are, etc etc.

So long story short (which, this is already long as it is, so I probably shouldn't say that), we finally figured out the master schedule and should be seeing everyone on it by Wednesday. After hours of pouring over IEPs and class rosters, every one of our kids has a slot with their name on it.

Daily funnies:

• When asked what you put on your feet, one of my students responded, "CHEERIOS!"
• Our lunchroom served slices of kiwi with the skin still ON and I tried it. It tasted like a big hairy monkey going down my throat. Disgusting. And I'm pretty sure the face I made further proved to my mentor SLP that I have some tactile issues of my own.

Oh, and also, I am required to attend all the meetings that my mentor teacher is required to attend and this afternoon we had a meeting at the middle school to train on a new computer program. And I totally rock at it.

Seriously?

Seriously.

Second Days Are Not As Exciting

Because my first real day of my internship was such a wonderful day, I fully anticipated that the next one would be as well. But as it turns out, like most things in life, the hype tends to settle down. My second day was just your average day--nothing hysterical or even remotely interesting to report. I have yet to meet my general ed kids because today I had to take a little hiatus from the internship scene.

As most of you know, or will eventually discover, there is this little thing called a "required meeting" that all the interns are required to go to right before all the student teachers leave for their field experiences. The administrators, caring and thoughtful as they may be, don't really care how long you have to drive in order to attend this meeting and don't seem to mind any prior obligations that you may have. For me, it was about 600 miles worth of driving (round-trip) and two full tanks of gas. And while it was good to see all my friends from the program again and eat at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants for what may have been the last time, I am sad that I missed out on an entire day of hanging out with some of my favorite kiddos at the elementary school to attend a meeting that wasn't, well, necessary.

On the flip side, here are my daily funnies:

• My friend Lauryn (who is staying with me for the weekend) and I both admitted (out loud) to loving Miley Cyrus's new single. Don't judge.
• Afternoon naps make for hideous cowlicks.
• Wearing patent leather high heels to school will cause fourth grade boys to open doors for you.

Seriously?

Seriously.

The First Real Day of School

I thought maybe Open House night might count as the first day of school. And as nice as it was to meet all my students' parents, that's really all it was: a meet and greet.

I was asked to come in the Friday before school started for pre-planning. It was not without its interesting moments! I sat through an hour-long meeting on the Code of Ethics (which had its perks because the lawyer giving the lecture was young and handsome and without certain jewelry on his finger). But mostly the day consisted of swapping stories with my mentor SLP (who is really great) and learning my way around the school. I also got to meet a lot of the faculty on Friday and I think I am really going to enjoy working with them this semester.

So I was completely geared up for the first day of school. Alas, it didn't really feel like it after nine hours of being there. I didn't get to see any of my students. However, I did get to read a lot of their IEPs and eat lunch in the school cafeteria for the first time in years. It is amazing how the smell will completely bring you back! All the food looks, smells, and tastes exactly how I remembered it. I probably enjoyed my chicken nuggets, applesauce, and carton of milk much more that I care to admit.

Today was really the day that made me realize that this profession may be exactly where I belong. Our school is very fortunate in that it has two entire classrooms of children who receive A.B.A. on a one-on-one basis all day long. So this morning, I got to introduce myself to each of the children in these classrooms and help them decorate their "speech folders." I have got the GREATEST group of kids. Most are on the autism spectrum, but some have some problems that were due to overcrowding in utero (I think it's so wild that I have a triplet as well as a quadruplet!) Although I haven't seen my students from the general ed classrooms yet, I am expecting my caseload to be around 50.

After lunch (again in the cafeteria and let me tell you--those hamburgers taste exactly the same as they did 15 years ago!), I got to go to a meeting for all of the county SLPs at the Board of Education. It was so weird to sit in a room full of people that were professionals in the school system where I was working and know that somehow, I am a small part of that. The meeting was to discuss the new RTI protocol for the school system, which I found to be very easy to understand! I received my own manual and it is chock full of what to do at every single tier as well as the referral and evaluation steps at each level for each area of children that we serve. I am so excited to put what I learned in the meeting to good use.

Anyway, long day. But I am so fortunate to be a part of this school system and working with the people that I met so far. Here is my daily list of funnies:

• I wore plastic "jelly" shoes to school today = BIG blisters.
• One of my students' reinforcers is to give him his shoes back!
• I witnessed a child EAT a crayon.... and I'm pretty sure I gagged every time I heard it go "crunch" inside his mouth.
• Apparently, I am a hug magnet.

Seriously?

Seriously.

Starting Things Off

First night in new house....

Key gets stuck in lock.

Dog darts out of door.

Chase dog down.

Syrup is too tall to fit in the pantry cabinet.

It's hot in here?

Can't find knife to open boxes.

Use keys to open boxes.

Sweat. (Is it getting hotter in here?)

Go upstairs to look at thermostat.

Thermometer says 86 degrees.

Move all possible knobs on thermostat.

Nothing happens.

Call maintenance guy.

Maintenance guy replaces broken fuse.

AC still not cold.

Maintenance guy replaces freon.

AC is FINALLY working.

Maintenance guy invites me to spend the night with him at his place if the AC breaks again.

Seriously?

Seriously.

The Valdosta Conclusion

So.... I did it? (Question mark for emphasis on the fact that we won't get final grades until next week and one of my classes is a little... well... questionable.) But other than the one questionable grade, I am finally done with classes. Maybe forever!

All of my things got safely moved to Augusta this weekend without any major damages. I have never seen at 17 foot moving van so packed with "stuff" in all my life. My dad repeatedly reminded me that I "had more stuff as a graduate student than he and my mother had after five years of marriage." What can I say? I'm a pack rat. And I like my stuff.

I'm so excited to finally spread out for the first time in my life. I have two whole bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an entire downstairs all to myself. But you want to know what my favorite part of it all is? I get an entire refrigerator to myself! Is that weird? But think about it. All my life, I have had to share space in the fridge. Growing up, my family (clearly) shared one fridge and I had to poke around to find what I really wanted to eat. Then, in college, the fridge situation got a little more complicated--because everyone had double or triples of everything. So for the first time in my life, the entire contents of the refrigerator belong to me.

Seriously?

Seriously.

Life's decisions will simply have to be postponed...

In response to the previous post, I have been doing a lot of soul-searching. I think a much needed vacation from my hectic life in grad school was a much needed remedy to some "generalized anxiety" problems.

During a weekend with my family, I have come to realize a lot about myself. My parents and brother opened up about a lot of things they had been keeping to themselves for several years. These things, in a way, helped me realize that my plans and dreams are not what defines me--that there is Something much bigger than myself that makes me who I am.

The most important thing for me to do at this point is to focus on what is going on in my life right now. I am moving in two and a half weeks: I can focus on packing and I can focus on getting set up in my new digs. I am starting work in a school system in a month: I can focus on brushing up on the knowledge I will need to work in that capacity. I am taking comprehensive exams and my national certification exam this fall: I can focus on studying and passing.

Further than that? Nothing is pressing. There is nothing that really really needs to be planned out between now and then. Everything else (i.e. if I will pursue another degree next year, what school I will attend, when I will attend it, where I'm going to live two years from now, etc.) is another problem for another time. The problem is trusting that it will get taken care of in time. So thoughts and prayers for that are appreciated.

So I think I am finally going to put all my "plans" aside for a while :)

Seriously?

Seriously.

This just in....

Can grad school give you a neurological condition?

I submit that it can.

Granted, I probably know more than I should (like any good hypochondriac) and the internet certainly tends to glorify medical disorders. You should really try google-ing "causes of anxiety" and see how many results pop up. Or I will save you a trip. 2,670,000. Approximately.

Seriously?

Seriously.

But I'm not done yet. I know enough psychology majors to know that in order to diagnose someone with a problem, you have to look it up in the DSM and qualify for a number of things off a list. I don't really know how it works, but I looked up "General Anxiety Disorder" in the DSM and found out that you need to qualify for three things out of six. I'm pretty sure I have 5. And I'm also pretty sure that grad school gave them to me.

Okay, seriously?

Yes. Seriously.