Decisions, Decisions.

Today was a very interesting day.

Work, first.

I worked from 8 AM - 3 PM. Supervisor had a meeting with boss and came back to me with a surprising offer. He is offering me 10 hrs/wk - not 20 - flexibility (to accommodate my internship) AND paid tuition for the semester. I initially did not want to air that part of the deal because the other GAs work 20 hrs to get the tuition waiver. However, another GA and I were already getting a deal because were aren't full-time students, and that is a typical requirement.

However, I am not special in any way - boss made the offer for a reason. I think it is mainly because Supervisor will be having surgery at some point and will be out of the office for a short while. I am the most knowledgeable person on her staff, and I think he wants me around while she is out. He is a smart puppy, throwing that tuition waiver into the mix! He knew that would hook me. I think, at this point, it would be stupid of me to say No to that. I am pretty sure I can handle 10 hours/week. I live very close to school, so the commute does not suck out a lot of time. Hubs feels strongly that I should do it, if I think I can manage it.

Here is what I think my proposed schedule would look like. Of course, the graduate assistnaship said they would be flexible, should I need it. I don't foresee that happening too often. But when my agency wants me on a non-scheduled day for a certain reason, I'm there.

Mondays

• 8A - 1P: Graduate Assistanship


• Afternoon: At-home job, chores, EXERCISE!


• 11P: ASLEEP!

Tuesdays

• School work day: Homework, Reading, Writing, etc.


• 4P - 7P: General Practice w/ Individuals


• 7P - 9P: Field Seminar (every other week)


• 11P: ASLEEP!

Wednesdays

• Exercise before internship, hopefully!


• 9A - 6P: Internship (Do school work during lunch hour)


• Get home after 7, most likely. Night is pretty much ruined after dinner and some form of relaxing/introspection/reflection of my experience in the field.


• 11P: ASLEEP!

Thursdays

• 8A - 1P: Graduate Assistanship


• Afternoon: At-home job, school work


• 6:30P: Weight Watchers Meeting (IF I continue going. I am confident I can do the program now without attending the meetings. Hubsis my support. $40 a month is $40 a month, ya know?)


• 11P: ASLEEP!

Fridays

• Same as Wednesday


• Dinner/movie with Hubs (at home, of course. No money to go out!)

Saturday/Sunday

• Finishing up my hours for my at-home job


• School work


• Chores (with Hubs help!)


• Enjoying my husband's company


• Exercise one day


• Hopefully at least an hour (or 2!) of some sort of activity that I enjoy, such as reading or scrapbooking!

I think if I stick to the schedule/plan, I can manage it. There won't be time for frolicking and spending time with friends, but sacrifices must be made. :/

Now, School.

I enjoyed my first day of my first class of my 2nd year! Well, other than the blistering hot ass room that we had to sit in for 3 hours. I pray that it isn't that way every class. :/ The course I am taking is Generalist Practice with Individuals and it is going to be very insightful, I feel. To me, someone who has no experience in the field, really focusing on how to communicate with a client, and think on your feet, is VERY USEFUL! I think I am a good listener, but I am not so sure that I am the most articulate speaker on the block. Two of my classmates role played and I was very impressed with the 'social worker's' performance. She has no real experience in the field either and she did a really good job probing and really engaging the 'client'. We will all have to role play (Want to learn how to do this but not in front of my peers! How nerve racking!!!), and we will also be taped doing it. *falls over*

I volunteered to be a note taker for a disabled classmate. I have to go sign up at the Office of Students with Disabilities. I am not sure of her true disability, but she is most definitley epileptic and has mini-seizures. She actually had one right before class, but I didn't witness it. She told me that she sporadically blacks out, and she doesn't want to miss any of the lecture. She seems very intelligent and wants to open her own non-profit someday to assist children, and I'd like to help her get there, even if I play a miniscule role.

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?

I love to receive emails like these!!

From Professor: The grades for Assignment 3 have been posted on Blackboard. The final exam is optional. If you take it, it will count as 25% of your grade. If you do not, your grade will be what currently shows in the weighted average column. If you want your papers back, come to the classroom this Saturday at 1 p.m. I will have them with me.
Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Item Name	Details	Due Date	Last Submitted, Modified, or Graded	Grade	Points Possible	Comments
Weighted Total	Details Grading Criteria:Running Weighted average of Assignmt 1(25.0%), Assignmt 2(25.0%), Assignment 3(25.0%) Description:The weighted sum of all grades for a user based on item or category weighting.			98.33%	100
Total	Details Grading Criteria:Running total of all grades Description:The unweighted sum of all grades for a user.			59	60
Assignmt 1	Details Category: Community Assessment Description:		Jul 8, 2009 7:59 AM	20	20
Assignmt 2	Details Category: Social Movement Description:		Jul 16, 2009 3:01 PM	20	20
Assignment 3	Details Category: Grant Proposal Description:		Jul 20, 2009 1:36 PM	19	20

I AM FINISHED WITH MY FIRST YEAR OF GRADUATE SCHOOL! YAHOOOO!!!

AND I HAVE 5 WEEKS OFF FROM SCHOOL!

Teen Pregnancy, Part Deux

Next poll!

What do you think the consequences of addressing and not addressing Teen Pregnancy are? Here's what I have so far.

• Addressing:

• Adolescents will become educated about the risks associated with engaging in unprotected sex.
• Society benefits through more controlled population growth, less expenses in the health care arena, etc
• Less babies are lost due to lack of prenatal care that is common among teens [Side note: Did you know infant mortality is especially high among African American teens? Why do you think that is]

• Not Addressing: Teen pregnancy is a major factor that is affecting our society as a whole and the consequences for not addressing this national issue are vast:

• The financial cost for teen pregnancy is astounding. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009), “preventing teen childbearing could save the United States about $9 billion per year.” 9 [Side Note: Need to find out where the costs are coming from - Medicaid? Emergency room? Adoption and Foster care? Any ideas?]
• The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (2006) stated that "teen childbearing...in Florida cost taxpayers (federal, state and local) at least $481 million in 2004" (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2006, pg. 1). "Between 1991 and 2004 there have been more than 354,100 teen births in Florida, costing taxpayers a total of $8.1 billion over that period" (Ibid.).
• The social cost for teen pregnancy is enormous. According to the March of Dimes (2009), “teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school than girls who delay childbearing, [as] only 40 percent of teenagers who have children before age 18 go on to graduate from high school, compared to 75 percent of teens from similar social and economic backgrounds who do not give birth until ages 20 or 21.”
• In accordance to the lack of education, teen parents are not offered as many opportunities and may not possess the skills and/or knowledge to find and keep a job that provides enough income to support the family. This may lead the teen parents “to become financially dependent on family or on public assistance” (March of Dimes, 2009).

What do you think the urgency behind this societal problem is? All I have for this is the ECONOMY and the emotional health of teens and their children.

What do you feel the emotional appeal is behind this societal problem? [I am really not sure what the question is trying to get at, honestly. In this country, the life expectancy is much higher so teenagers are still considered children. We don't want our children having children because they are not yet prepared emotionally, mentally, financially, etc.] What do you think?

Thanks for your input!

Teen Pregnancy

So, I'm writing a grant proposal for class (HATE IT!) and I've decided to ask for money to start a county-wide program to help with TEEN PREGNANCY!

Polling the crowd: What are causes of teen pregnancy?

Here are some responses some of my colleagues and myself came up with. What are your thoughts?

· Lack of adequate and correct information about sexual health and birth control

· Lack of parental guidance and open communication on the topic of sex and healthy sexual decision making

· Lack of adult mentors and guidance on how to properly deal with peer pressure

· Drug and alcohol use

· Sex in the media and the misogynistic nature of popular music

· Biological changes, including a surge in hormones

· Low self-confidence and drive

· Religion

· Cultural differences (i.e. cultural perception of teen pregnancy)

· Low accountability for actions

· The need to receive unconditional love from a child because they may not be receiving it themselves