Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

and number 249: listening to a woman berate you because you don't do anything, get paid the big bucks, and that you don't care about children. couldn't be more backwards!

#250: Playing hangman with an emotionally disturbed student who says that the hanging man represents you, the psychologist, and draws a pit of ferocious crocodiles for you to fall into after you "die" because he keeps changing the word you're supposed to guess!

try "fa shizzle, my nizzle!" That should render kids speechless. :)

I hear it is "sick". So I said, "oh that is sick", one day, and the high school student I was with "yeah, sweet!". But I meant gross--as in actually disgusting.

With the RTI model, many of my reports are shorter-giving me more time in classrooms.

But, because balance must be maintained in the universe, my state testing accommodation paperwork has exponentially grown!

So did you buy one?

these days you gotta start young, before all the jobs are gone!

I would need an intervention!

You need an M.A. and Pupil Personnel Services Credential (usually a 2 yr academic program and 1 yr internship). Good luck!

Typically, school psychs do not work in summer, unless they are on year-round school schedules. If you are on a normal schedule, your do not work over the summer and the pay is prorated.

Many work more than a usual 10-month contract though. Could I also add that teachers often do professional development and planning during the summer, so it's hardly "free" for anyone!

I went to graduate school and earned my M.A. and school psych credential (2 yrs) and then went on to earn my Ph.D. (3 more yrs), but one does not have to have the Ph.D. to practice as a school psychologist. I work in several schools and it is rare to have only one school, unfortunately. Not impossible, just rare. :)

Check out this entry for how I found school psych: http://studentsgrow.blogspot.com/2007/10/psych-101.html

Welcome! ;)