Last Day at Practicum

Most graduate programs in school psychology are two years of coursework and a third year of internship.  I'm finishing my second year of coursework which includes a practicum component in the public schools.  I have really enjoyed my time at practicum -- it has been great to have some hands-on learning!  I am typically at my schools two days during the week, and I've done a lot in that time!  This year I have led a counseling group of 7th grade girls, conducted academic interventions in Math for middle school students, individually counseled a handful of students, and conducted 8 comprehensive assessments on children to determine eligibility for special education.  I've worked with all ages -- pre-school to high school students, and I've enjoyed learning more about every single one of them.  Most recently I did a behavioral consultation on a student in 6th grade who's exhibiting some oppositional behaviors in class.

I really love the field of school psychology.  I didn't know about it until I began researching graduate school programs, but it's a perfect fit for me.  I enjoy the one-on-one time I get to work with students and the fact that I'll be based within a school district.  I love being in schools and being an advocate for students.  I have learned so much since going back to school for my Ed.S. degree, and I know I still have a lot more to learn!  School psychologists are trained to do lots of things, and if you're really interested to know more about what we do then you can click here!

Today was my last "official" day at practicum.  My school district will take their Spring Break starting Friday and on into next week.  After that I'll take my finals at Radford, and be done with the semester!! :)  I had a meeting with my supervisor and one of my professors out at the school today, and it went very well.  It feels good to have that taken care of!  And in honor of my last day, my supervisor gave me a gift...

I couldn't believe she had given me these four books!  In addition to the books I received a brand new stopwatch that has two separate timers -- school psychologists use stopwatches for observations and testing.  This gift meant the world to me, and I am so grateful for the experience I had this year.  I will enjoy reading these books over the summer and adding them to my ever-growing library of school psychology books.  It's hard to believe that another chapter is coming to an end, but I'm excited to keep on going forward.  On to the next chapter! :)