I finished my full time job last Friday. It was absolutely bittersweet because I had such great co-workers, but it is time to focus on my internship and I am very excited about the next two quarters.
Now that I am at the school 4 days a week, I can finally feel like I am doing something effective. I am more focused on not just what I am doing, but what I want to be doing. As I sat down last night to re-write my goals for class I realized that my previous distractions were an excuse not to put in the hard work that is required to actually do what I want to be doing. Instead of talking about a group I want to start, I am working on the lessons plans and already set up a time to actually start it (deadlines are a must for me!). Instead of talking only to students about their academic goals, I have gone to their teachers and collaborated on a potential solution to the problems at hand (ASCA anyone?). I am very lucky to have a supervisor that pushes me out of my comfort zone because those steps have made all the difference.
It doesn't take much for me to get comfortable doing a task, I think of myself as a fast learner. However sometimes it takes a little push and shove to get me past my initial anxieties. For example, today I twice walked by a classroom pretending to do other things before I approached the teacher inside. He happened to be talking with the very student I needed to consult with him about. As if on queue the other teacher I needed to speak with about the same student came in. It resulted in a very constructive and effective meeting because we were able to better understand what was going on with this student and a good way to start getting him what he needs.
Sometimes it takes me a couple tries to do something that intimidates me but so far I haven't found myself ill equipped at all. I even ran an IEP meeting today and think I did a pretty good job although it tool a lot of encouragement and a little gusto.
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