Collaborate Discussion: Development of Values in School aged Children

This week’s collaborate session covered school aged children ranging from 6- 12 years of age. During the discussion, we weighed the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling a child. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that a homeschool setting doesn’t provide the social environment that children need to socially develop and build relationships. One of my peers made a comment of how a child may not learn how to interact with peers of the same age range and have the tendency to be antisocial. In my opinion, a child that is homeschooled may have issues collaborating in groups or working with a team later in life. Homeschooled children do not have the opportunity to work with other kids their age and will likely show difficulty in accepting and utilizing information that others have to offer. They may depend more on independent thinking and lack the insight offered by others. Another classmate mentioned that the benefits of homeschooling could depend on the urban or suburban area of the school. A co-worker of mine has decided to homeschool her school aged daughter because the school system in her area is not academically successful and does not foster further education.

Ugly Ted

Another part of the discussion was on the three common values among children (ages 6-11). I think that these values encourage children to bully others or accept bullying behaviors from others. Its interesting to think how a child won’t express to an adult figure that they are being bullied to avoid being called a tattletale. In some cases, children who speak up about their mistreatment from a peer or peers face harsher bullying than before they told an adult. I like the idea of using an “Ugly Ted”  teddy bear to teach children about tolerance, acceptance, and the differences among them. I think a child becomes more aware of how their behavior affects others when they are asked to put themselves in another’s shoes. I think this is a useful technique when working with adults as well.

Children aim to be similar to their peers but it is obvious that there are some apparent differences that might separate a child from their peers. This made me reflect on my adolescents and the friends I made at school. It is true that children, at such a young age, begin to identify themselves with peers of similar backgrounds. They also begin to call the friends that they share the most interests with as their best friend. I remember making clubs with girls in my class where we shared a common in boys, the Spice Girls, and glittery pens.  

Collaborate Discussion: "What does it mean to be a Social Worker"

Social Work is a profession devoted to helping people to solve and cope with the challenges they face in their everyday lives. Professionals in this field are dedicated to facilitating change and shaping healthy social environments for individuals, families, and communities, particularly those who have been underserved and underrepresented.  Overall, Social Workers provide versatile, creative, and culturally sensitive service in a variety of settings and with diverse populations.

All exceptional Social Workers share the same values of service, social justice, respect, human relationships, integrity, ethical principles and competence while interacting with others.  Social Workers treat each person in a compassionate and respectful manner, being mindful of individual differences and cultural diversity. Keeping this in mind, a Social Worker provides services and assistance to empower, connect, and advocate for groups in society.

My passion for strengthening human relationships is an important principle of Social Work. I encourage people to collaborate their efforts with those who share similar beliefs and interests in the change they wish to accomplish. To me, Social Work is a broad profession dedicated to maximizing the well-being of society. As a Social Worker, I contribute to the increase of positivity in our surroundings. I work to alleviate the struggle or pain confronted by various groups in our society. A Social Worker is a person who possesses the appropriate empathy and rational thought and experience to help those in need!

Click here to see my post on "Why Social Work"

Collaborate Discussion: The Miracle Question

This week's collaborate discussion reflects a course session focused on the factors that give life meaning and how we can promote healthy development through adulthood. The messages we receive from our family and friends during our early development help us to define ourselves, as well as depict how we are perceived and valued by others. 

My professor mentioned, and I agree, that we can only be resistant to the ideas of others, not our own. Elanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”. We are in control of how others make us feel. If we choose to believe the ideas of others then those thoughts will manifest through our behavior and self-esteem.

During this session, my professor asked us this: "Suppose tonight, while you slept, a miracle occurred. When you awake tomorrow, what would be some of the things you would notice that would tell you life had suddenly gotten better?" 
This Miracle Question really made me think. The way I interpreted this question was that by learning to cope with factors that cause us negative thoughts, we can learn to dissociate a thought as a problem.  I related this discussion to some challenges I came across during my internship work as a School Mental Health Counselor. I work with a student who was sexually abused by her uncle. Her anger and resentment is causing her feelings of stress and depression. She has explored various coping skills and practices the ones that help her relieve these feelings. It was at this point that I found myself at a steadfast with a client and reached out to my advisor for advice. My advisor explained that the harmful thoughts of her experiences would never go away. With that being said, she proposed that I begin exploring with my student on how she can take better control of her thoughts before they cause her the negative feelings she wishes not to endure. I encourage her to utilize positive self-talk, which promotes self-awareness.

Collaborate Discussions

Part of becoming an MSW is to collaborate, discuss, and share ideas and knowledge with our peers and professionals in this field. As an MSW Student, I have contributed to various discussions pertaining to the material covered in each course.

These discussions give us students the opportunity to reflect on what we have learned. I wanted to bring the discussions we have in class to you all! I will be sharing the thoughts and ideas that I have shared with my class in a series of posts. Look for the "Collaborate Discussions" tab to find this collection!