Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
I loved school so much when I was little, I played "school" on the weekends. I work with kids who hate school and write about it on my blog. Good times.

p.s. I feel like a Me Monster for having a fan page, but I swear, it's about the children!
Information
Location:
San Francisco, CA
Fans

6 of 663 fansSee All

Maheen
Maheen
Erica
Erica
Mandy
Mandy
Shazia
Shazia

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

 
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog After Lice-fest 2009 today, I could use some Glee.

studentsgrow.blogspot.com
I loved school when I was little. I loved it so much I played “school” on the weekends. I work with kids who hate school. This is my blog.
Kelley

Kelley I've asked my favorite OT and now I'll ask you Dr. B and your readers: What do you say when parents ask about special diets (no artificial ingredients, gluten-free, etc.) for kids with sensory issues, ADHD, and/or spectrum disorders?

Yesterday at 5:00pm · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
I am going to get a ton of responses to this one...but I say to consult with their medical doctor before trying anything experimental. I also say "if a diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I usually quote Bryna Siegel, Autism Guru:

"If a website describes a single treatment or diet that is reported to help some children with autism make better eye contact, others to be less hyperactive, others to speak, and cures diarrhea in others—ask what known medicine can do that? There’s only one answer—a placebo."

I can see the appeal in trying a special diet, especially because it is natural and parents want to try everything they can. I just think a lot of parents get taken for a ride with expensive fancy "treatments" that are not medically proven with controlled studies. ... See More

I'd be interested in what your OT said...
Yesterday at 5:19pm
Kelley
Kelley
I'll let you know when I hear from him:) As a parent I know that I often go to the internet when I have parenting questions, and it has become an almost too-powerful source for some folks. Thanks for the quote, though, that helps without putting folks on the defensive. I've also read Paul Offit's Autism's False Prophets which is a bit of a hammer ... See Moreover the head on the science side of things, but has some interesting things to say about digestive systems in kids with Autism and some heartbreaking stories about placebo "cures."
Yesterday at 6:35pm
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, be happy. You will start itching with my tales of "lice lines" today...for those who are now curious, follow me at @studentsgrow. I hope I will not have to tweet about lice ever again.

Yesterday at 1:12pm
Susan Forrest Parvenski
Susan Forrest Parvenski
Got "liced" in 1982 teaching preschool, happens to the best of us.
Yesterday at 5:23pm
Shauna Place
Shauna Place
Ugggh! I hate lice! I'm scratching my head just thinking about it (yup, I'm a somatasizer).
Yesterday at 6:06pm
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog Every day in urban schools is like camping--do I have enough clothing to keep me warm? Do I have enough food to get through the day since there are only liquor stores nearby? Will there be electricity?

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Andrea--only if you like corndogs for breakfast. I'm serious. The food we serve our kids is awful. Our kids had a food strike last year to try and get a salad bar. We're still waiting.
Yesterday at 2:38pm
Andrea
Andrea
yea, they serve those here--the breakfast version of a corndog--sausage that's got a blueberry pancake wrapped around it--on a stick! It's like mutant food!!!
Yesterday at 3:54pm
Linda Marie Farynowski

Linda Marie Farynowski Hi Rebecca, I have recently started my Masters of Science in Education through Walden University and came across your blog in the ASCD Community Blog. I read Psychologist versus Puppy which I can relate to on so many levels, as a teacher (I teach grade 1), as a parent and wife and even as a pet owner. We all appreciate... it when we our efforts are acknowledged! I have started using more appreciation in our classroom and we often conclude our school day with a gratitude circle, where the students are given the opportunity to express what they are grateful for. I also read Mindful Dishwashing and Rainbows, how we approach a situation certainly sets the stage for how it will turn out, doesn't it!

See More
November 29 at 9:38am · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Thanks Linda for your APPRECIATION! ;) I have also recently discovered the iPhone application called the Gratitude Journal that lets you log positive things and even post fun pictures and track your day. Check it out. Or if you are iPhoneless, it's basically just writing down 5 appreciations for the day, no matter how small. I have started sharing ... See Morethem with my husband before we go to bed and it is a nice ritual.

Keep up the great work with our little friends--you are teaching them happiness habits!
November 29 at 9:51am
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog Darlings. If you have not already become a Fan of Mrs. Mimi, teacher extraordinaire, you simply must. She is my Internet BFF and has a snazzy new book out that will make you snort-laugh in public. Embarrassing, but worth it. Oh, and the 47 million FB updates are only because I actually have this week off. Stay with me, people. ;)

I'm Mrs. Mimi and I teach public elementary school in some mystery city in a crap-hole far far away. I started a blog for teachers who rock...you know, because a girl can love her job, but has definitely got to have a place to VENT!
Writer:860 fans
Jordanna Kirschner

Jordanna Kirschner Hi There. I've been reading your blog for a couple months now and wanted to say that I've enjoyed it very much! Your passion for helping children and your fun attitude is contagious and very much appreciated. :) ...I know you are very busy, but I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering for me? You've m...entioned how you have to sometimes deal with disgruntled lawyers, but am curious to know about how often do you have to deal with them? Also, how long are all those reports you have to write and about how many do you have to write each month or so?

Thanks Again! :)
Jordanna

See More
November 26 at 10:02pm · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Hi Jordanna,
Roughly speaking, I'd say 1 in 4 of my meetings have some sort of outside person (e.g. advocate, private psychologist, lawyer), but I'm not sure that's typical. I just happen to be in one school where that is the norm. At my other school, I rarely ever have anyone outside of the parent and school staff there.

As for report writing, it really depends on how old the student is and how complex the situation is, but in general, my reports are between 10 and 20 pgs long and they take about 4-5 hrs to write each. I like to write a lot of qualitative information and recommendations, so I don't know if that is typical. The number of reports varies as well. Some months, I have only 1 or 2, and some months, I have up to 6 or 7. Oh, and I'm part-time (3 days/week).
... See More
Anyone else have some figures for Jordanna? :) Maybe someone full-time?
November 27 at 6:33pm
Becky
Becky
I think it really depends on your population. I work with High School students ages 17-21, so that age group is not up for re-evaluation as much, and I do not get nearly as many initial referrals from teachers. I write about 1 report per month, and that's a busy month!
November 27 at 8:25pm
Jordanna Kirschner
Jordanna Kirschner
Thank you for your comments! ...It's nice to know little things like this (in my opinion) to get a better understanding of the field :)
November 28 at 10:44am
Samantha

Samantha Hello, I absolutely love your blog! Reading it makes me very impatient to start grad school for School Psych next fall! :)

November 25 at 7:12pm · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Thanks! I hope you'll share your experiences when you start your program. :)
November 27 at 6:33pm
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
studentsgrow.blogspot.com
I loved school when I was little. I loved it so much I played “school” on the weekends. I work with kids who hate school. This is my blog.
Masha

Masha Hello
everyone... any SLD RTI criteria decisions in your district yet? ..an
example of a RTI SLD criteria created by the Naperville/ Indian Prairie
district in IL is interesting. They are in the eight year of rti implementation, so based
on year's worth of data trend analysis they have derived the following 4
point SLD/rti... criteria to meet an entitlement to an IEP under this category: 1. below standards on ISATs 2. must fall within the lower 10th percentile on local CBMs norms 3. must fall below 16th percentile on nationally standardized achievement test in specifed area of concern 4. must meet less then 70 percent of teacher expectation in a project w/ out accommodations ( or grade C for higher grades )

How about your district and/or state - any decisions made yet? Happy happy T day to all fellow school psych folks!

See More
November 25 at 2:25pm · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

Notes from the School Psychologist Blog In the spirit of T-giving: I am thankful for all of your support and comments and even those precious little "thumbs up-like" thingies! Yea readers! You inspire me to keep writing...thanks.

November 25 at 1:52pm
Patty Navarrete Ortega
Patty Navarrete Ortega
I love your blog and I'm always amused by your status updates! Thanks for taking the time to write them!
November 25 at 7:41pm
Sonya Kalyan

Sonya Kalyan Rebecca...What grade levels are those Reading Interventions directed towards on your website?

November 25 at 11:59am · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
They are probably best for 5th-12th middle grade students, but can be adapted down as well. If using for younger grades, I do many of them orally or in picture (drawing) form.
November 25 at 1:29pm
Sonya Kalyan

Sonya Kalyan How is the Job Market in California in regards to School Psychology?

November 25 at 11:57am · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
I'm not sure, but a good measure is to check edjoin.org, which posts most education related jobs. I know that in large, urban districts, there is usually more demand because sadly, the burnout rate/turnover rate is pretty high. I'm hanging in there though!
November 25 at 1:31pm
Sarah

Sarah Hi! I'm an undergrad senior and I know I want to do school psych (inspiration partly comes from your blog!) but I'm not applying to be admitted immediately after I graduate because I don't have the experience, grades, or other awesome things to boost up my applications. I had ALWAYS thought I'd be a teacher, so I neve...r went above and beyond to do the things to be on track for psych grad school. Anyway, I'm planning on taking a year or 2 to boost up my candidacy for a program (most likely Ph.D). I'm looking into starting a Masters in Early Childhood Ed. program right after I graduate, and then find an internship related to school psych the year after that. Do you think that type of experience will help me get into a program? Should I just do the internship or do you think the Masters in ECE will help also? What do you think were the experiences you had that made you a good candidate for Cal? Thanks! P.S, sorry for the essay! :)

See More
November 25 at 8:10am · Report
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Notes from the School Psychologist Blog
Don't be sorry for the essay! If you like to write, you'll love school psych. :) Cal's program is a combined M.A. and Ph.D. program so I don't know if another Masters will boost your application or not. That being said, a few of my classmates had M.A.s coming in, and that gave them both experience and research, which was probably a boost.

I think ... See Moremost Ph.D. programs are looking for a good match in research interests. I wish there was a magic formula! I'm not sure what Cal saw in my application that was the most appealing. I'd like to think it was my shining personality in the interview, but I think it was the research and writing experience. :)
November 25 at 1:38pm
Tanya Perez
Tanya Perez
Hi Sarah, I saw your post and I am almost finished with my first semester as a school psych grad student. Like you I was pretty worried about grades and not being a good candidate for a school psych program. I am currently a student at Chapman University in Orange and I will earn my M.A. and Ed.S. degree and they do offer a Ph.D. in school psych ... See Morethat we can apply to and will take some of our credits as master's students and apply them to the doctorate degree. Maybe you can consider that route?? In my experience talking to my classmates many did not have strong research backgrounds, they worked mostly with kids, as teachers or aides or subs. I on the other had had a pretty strong research background and only recently began working with kids. Hope this helps =)
November 25 at 3:31pm