Week 4

My first day back this week was very cool. I went with Lela to a school to obtain some records from the guidance department. The client will likely be sent to DOC (department of correction). Lela was looking for reasons to place this youth in an alternative place that centers around the child's needs instead of a purely correctional environment. She knew he had a low IQ, and his needs weren't exactly being met. She and I searched for presentable documents describing the kid's test scores in a graph form that might better show the judge where the client was in his education. Turns out, he was barely able to read at a 3rd grade level when he was placed in middle school. We met with the special education coordinator and reviewed conduct records and test results the kid had on file. The rest of my time at the agency was committed to researching cases through the QUEST system and creating files for clients who were referred to our sentencing department.
Wednesday was extremely painful to get through because I was handed lots of paperwork in the morning and stayed in my windowless office in front of computer for the full 8 hours. During my computer bonding time, I googled all the agencies of the presenters for the Children's Welfare League of America Conference. This was an interesting search because there was such a variety of presenters, and each agency specialized in an area of social work particular to a certain area of the nation. I created an information page containing the mission statements and identifying characteristics of the unveiled agencies. I was researching a couple of clients' background, and came across a plethora of interesting documents that made placement possibilities difficult. I wrote a letter to the department of corrections staff hoping to tour the facility as well.
Integration question:
HBSE/micro: Where do you think personality develops in terms of someone’s physical and emotional growth?
I think personality develops most when people are out of their comfort zones. Most of my adolescence was spent out of my comfort zone because I was just learning about my identity and limited rights as a minor. In my opinion, adolescence is when you begin to identify with particular aspects of personality. Many elders have informed me that your personality is not fully developed until you're 23 or 24.

Practice/micro: How does your personality reflect and influence how you work with clients and coworkers?
My personality is reflected by my openness with those around me and my willingness to participate in the improvement of social situations. I think people see me as a sociable and observant person with a respectable opinion. This influences clients to open up to me and feel like they have room to contribute to the conversation. With coworkers, I've found that my personality makes them feel very comfortable speaking about anything in front of me without hesitation.