Well, my first year field placement at the elementary school has finally ended, and boy it was a roller coaster of a time. My field instructor's old DSS buddy called school social work, "the champagne of social work." Here's why:
--You have a manageable caseload.
--You get holidays and summers off :)
--Your days are short.
--You're typically not on call.
--You get to work with individuals and families.
--If you have school-aged children, you are on the same schedule as them.

My most favorite part was the pre-K class (pictured above). They were so loving and excited (most of the time) to be in school. Even when they where snotty-nosed and angry, they could still bring a smile to my face. I will miss hanging out with them the most!

Farewell elementary school--hello.....??????

Posted by Carmen at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

….plays music at the beginning of every class,
…shows pictures of his children,
…prepares very interactive powerpoint presentations,
…and even brings in food on the last day of class!
If you want a class where you will be both challenged and entertained, then you should consider taking a class from Prof. Kunz. He makes policy (yawn!) very exciting—and even makes you think that you could be the next President of the United States…or the next Barbara Mikulski! He really cares about his students and tries to engage them in classroom discussions. He's also the only professor that has given us a mid-semester evaluation (one that he created himself), so that we can give him feedback.

But don’t be fooled by the cute pictures of his kids—he’s expects a lot out of his students. In his SOWK 600 class, there are several papers (no tests), a group presentation, and a requirement to communicate weekly with your classmates online about policy issues. He will definitely challenge you—but it’s most definitely worth it.

I’m realizing more and more that my professors have shaped the majority of my experience here. If you are a first-year or an incoming student, please ask other student about the professors. Your professors really can make or break your view of social work and your experience at this university.

Every person that I asked about Prof. Kunz had nothing but glowing things to say.

Posted by Carmen at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Remember the parent that I had to report to CPS in the Fall. Well, a lot has happened since that report was made, and we tried to make it work with intensive in-home family services, but there was not a lot of change. One of the children was hit by a car, and the parent said that she couldn't do it anymore. She wanted to give her kids up.

The DSS Social Worker found places for the 5 kids to live, but she had to split them up. One of the boys (age 9) brought a few packets of cocaine to school and was suspended. He told a few different stories of how the drugs got in his possession. The school officials have not told us if he will be expelled from Baltimore City Schools.

I feel like we did everything we could to keep the family together and to get them help, but now one of the kids is in serious trouble.

It is important to know that as social workers, we are to do our jobs to the best of our ability and with integrity...but even if we cross all of our "t's" and dot all of our "i's," we may still end up with a messy situation.

Posted by Carmen at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)