Finals are a' comin.

Well, I guess I should say Final because I only have one. 73 questions, mind you. It shouldn't be that bad: I'm taking a break from making my study guide now, and I am meeting with my cohort this Saturday for a study session. These are VERY helpful.

This Saturday is also a party at my internship for the adoptive families and foster children. I was going to teach dances, but some logistical issues have prevented that from happening, so I will be helping with a Cranium-type game. Should be loads of fun for the kiddies.

Tomorrow, I will be presenting my internship agency to a Women's Clinic, along with my supervisor. She wants me to talk about the History of the organization, as well as the Safe Haven Law. I am a terrible public speaker (mainly because of my nerves!) but I've done it before and lived, so I just need to deal. It is part of being a professional.

Other than that, I'm too busy to write lately. 2 weeks left and I will be FREE for a month. Well, at least from school/internship. I am leaving my Graduate Assistantship, as well, which really sucks (I've made some close friends there and they pay my tuition!) but it must be done. I am not a robot/super hero and need a BREAK! Working 3 part-time jobs plus school is a bit much. I also want to put more into my internship next semester. And, I plan to start full-time next school year so I can finish in 3 years instead of . I've never, ever gone to college full-time and I'm a bit freaked out. :/

I will still have my at-home job, for as long as they need me. Hopefully that doesn't go away too soon. It will not be a pretty day in this household when we're both not working. We already struggle. I'm trying to figure out how to SAVE some flippin money when we go grocery shopping. We go to a farmer's market for produce, which is AMAZING. We come away with loads of fresh fruits/veggies for under $20. We spend roughly $100/week on food though. Hubs and I have big appetites and we gain weight easily. Therefore, we do our best to eat fresh foods, lean meats and whole wheat products. This is way more expensive to do than just buying all the boxed crap.

Any suggestions out there in blog land? I would be a crazy-frugal-coupon-crazed-deal-seeker if I had the time!

Field Seminar

So, I must admit that I am BEYOND excited/nervous/curious/happy/anxious to start my internship next Wednesday. I had my first Field Seminar class and I really like the professor. I think he is going to be a good facilitator and really aid in my learning experience.

The Field Seminar class is not assignment-heavy - thankfully! We have to do 2 presentations: One on the agency (think marketing) and the other on a case we are helping w/ at agency. We have miscellaneous paperwork to do throughout the semester, such as mid-term reports and evals, etc. However, our biggest assignment is the Educational Learning Plan that we must create with our Field Instructor. This is our learning bible, of sorts. Of course, we need to think of all the things that we want to learn - it is our education, of course - but our Field Instructor will most definitely come up with all the things that we must learn at this stage in the game, I am sure.

The things I have down so far:

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  Develop knowledge of the child welfare system, including parental rights, statutes regarding adoption, the foster-care system, safe haven laws, and shelters for runaways, etc. How? Review any information pertinent to working within the child welfare system. Research resources, programs, and services provided to these populations. Attend trainings, programs and events.


• 
  
  Develop competence in the NASW code of ethics and values. How? Read the NASW Code of Ethics. Review agency policy and procedures manual, and any other pertinent information. Discuss experience with ethical dilemmas with field instructor and how they handled the situation(s).


• 
  
  Develop client interviewing and consulting skills. How? Observe 3 client sessions per week. Co-facilitate 2 client sessions per week.


• 
  
  Demonstrate an understanding of the dual responsibility of the child welfare case worker to protect children and to provide appropriate services to enable families to care for their children, including pre-placement preventive services. How?


• 
  
  Expand knowledge base regarding local, state and/or national-level policy or policy changes that affects the field agency’s clientele. How? Consult with field instructor regarding policy issues. Do research for information on policy and implication for client base. Consult staff member within agency who handles macro-level work.


• 
  
  Develop appropriate social work documentation skills. How? Review agency case notes for clients that are similar to the clients that I will be working with. Attend any training and review any material provided by agency on appropriate case note documentation procedures. Complete in Field Seminar class an oral bio-psycho-social presentation on a client I work with. Submit case notes to Field Instructor for feedback and make changes, as necessary.


• 
  
  Observe the legal side of the child welfare system. Accompany Field Instructor to court for such cases as termination of parental rights, etc. Review Florida statues regarding the adoption / foster care / family systems.

This is all I have so far. This isn’t easy to come up with!

I'm ready. I am strong. I will survive.

I think.

My 2nd year of graduate school starts on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I am walking into a battlefield and don't remember signing up for a war! Let me explain.

I am in a 4-year part-time graduate program because I have to work. I have to work because Todd is in medical school and cannot work. I currently work 2 jobs:

1. I work part-time (20 hrs/wk) as a graduate assistant . It's fabulous because they pay for my tuition, which no one can complain about. However, the pay is less than desirable but I do NOT complain about the money. I am lucky to have a job, and I will leave it at that.


2. I also work part-time (16 hrs/wk) from home for the company I worked for in Tampa for 6 years. I help them track client activity to ensure all services are being billed. It is a bear of a job but it fits nicely with my current schedule/situation. The pay FAR surpasses that of assistanship, but obviously less hours.

Now, I shall add a THIRD job to that list. I will be starting a 16 hrs/week internship mid-September. This internship is required for my MSW and it is the first of 2. I am VERY nervous/excited/scared/happy about my very first experience in the field, but I am also DREADING working 52 hrs/week (add in travel time too!) and keeping up with my school work!

I am not a freakin super human and I am not trying to act like one. At this point, I don't feel up to it mentally or emotionally. I want to get all I can get out of my field experience and I am not so sure that will happen if I am constantly on the move and can't really take in the experience. Once I get home from my assistnaship job, or my internship, I will have to work my other job, or do homework/reading/writing/studying. My weekends will no doubt be full of working and school work.

No time to relax.

No time to mentally catch up.

No time to enjoy my husband.

No time to focus.

No.

Time.

To.

Live.

Is it worth it? Can I succeed?

Boo.

I just got my first reaction paper back from my Social Welfare History/Policy class. Needless to day, I bombed it something terrible. It is no surprise that I am not a conceptual / theoretical / analytical / critical thinker. Unfortunately, I best get with it because critical thinking is EVERYTHING in Grad school. You have beyond common knowledge and are expected to supply your own thoughts/arguments with appropriate evidence, of course. I can do that on a semi-ok scale, but it's not good enough yet. I also suck at writing and my thoughts just don't come out properly. It really blows and I REALLY hope that I get better. *le sigh*

Off to do homework...

My first night in class

Soooo. Wow - Grad School is HARD. My syllabi are each over 20 pages long. Thankfully I only have 4 books between 2 classes, but that doesn't mean squat. There are also numerous journal articles and chapters from other books that will be provided for my reading pleasure. Woohoo! The workload is intense, as expected. And we have to think critically, which isn't a strong point of mine up until now. However, I think I am on my way to be better at that. I question things more now, especially since this subject really interests me.

My Human Behavior teacher started out class by showing us this video: http://wherethehellismatt.com/. It celebrates the diversity of humans, and points out how every similar we are. It just makes you smile. :)

In other news, I obtained a graduate assistnaship. I get to work 20 hrs/week and receive a tuition waiver! While the pay isn't high, the tuition waiver makes up for it. There is also a chance to continue working there after this semester. If they like me and the need is there, I can stay thru my entire stay! Fabulous. I really like the people in the office, at least the ones that I met. :)