Five!

Today is an important day. I'm certain it is on your calendar....

It's my FIVE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!

What better way to celebrate than to post a picture of a meerkat wishing me a happy day? I think that's a meerkat, anyway.

Now is the time when I reflect on my writing craft or something, right? I'll just put it this way: I cannot believe that all y'all are still reading after five years, and that I've had something decent to say for half a decade. Not to be all toot! toot! (my own horn), but I'm pretty dang proud of myself. It sounds cliche, but I truly would not be still blogging if it weren't for all my fabulous readers and "likers" on the Facebook page for the blog. You all continue to inspire me and your comments and support are like blogger crack. Can't get enough.

I remember when I first started posting into the ether, I would be fearful of pushing the "publish" button, in case someone was going to be critical of my writing. I would write, rewrite, fact check, cite others, and rewrite again. I rarely wrote about anything controversial. I could relate to kids who didn't want their teachers to read their writing. Writing is the personal made public. Over the years, I've grown to be more true to my writing and put things out there even if they aren't safe, warm and fuzzy, or let's face it, not even remotely poignant.*

I think of the evolution of the blog over the past 5 year as similar to the evolution of group therapy--at first, it's about the content, and then its really more about the process. I try to balance a bit of both, giving you all some good content through research and resources while still remaining true to the hardest part of being a school psychologist--that despite having the knowledge, good intentions, and energy, there are times when the process wears you down. But like my baby-not-so-baby-anymore who is learning to walk could teach us all, when you fall flat on your face and are laying there like an injured pancake, you just gotta get back up and try again. Each fall is a learning moment. And I thank you for being with me during my career as I share with you both the successes and pancake-like falls in my journey in the profession of school psychology.

So in the spirit of keeping you all coming back for the next 5 years, I offer to you a Blogiversary gift of another give-a-way of my book, The School Psychologist's Survival Guide! Just comment here or on Facey Face about anything on your mind--meerkats, blogiversaries, lessons from the field, how long you've been reading the blog, thoughts on the blog's next five years, the writing process, or survival tips for your colleagues. It's a free-for-all, people. I just want to hear from you. :) I'll order your comments and use a random number generator to pick us another winner. Good luck!

And seriously, thanks so much for reading these past five years.


*There is still a part of me that fears my blog will jump the shark and I will be writing to crickets. Until you all drop off the Facebook Fan Page though, I'm just gonna keep going.

Apparently, I Used to Be Fun.

 One of the great side effects of blogging is hearing from readers. Now like Yelp, I usually hear from readers who LOVE the blog and then from people who like to criticize. It's either 5 stars or 1 star comments, so to speak. My inner critic always gets a little twinge when I get negative feedback. It's probably because sometimes, there is a kernel of truth in the criticism.

Recently, a reader asked if my blog was going to be fun again. What? I’m not fun anymore?

Part of me must admit, I have far less blog content not being in the schools every day. Now that it’s summer, the material is definitely scarce. And true, stories about Baby B’s development aren’t going to cut it for weekly posts either (dang it, she’s my favorite topic). As a result, I have MAJOR writer’s block. Even Amazon Kindle sent me an email threatening to cut me off if I didn’t post something. The pressure! So, I think of a post and then freak out that 4000 people will read it and think, “Meh. She usedto be fun.” I asked people on my Facebook page for the blog to give advice, and people said to just write something. So here you go—a mediocre post.

While I suffer through my writers block, another part of me wants to whine, “Heyyyyy, you don’t think I’m still fun since I took time off to be with my baby?” I have to admit, while some readers may not think I’m fun anymore, this has been the best year of my life to date. Being a mom as my job is awesome.

I mean, I get to go to baby sign language class and learn how to sign all the animals, just in case there is an escaped lion at the zoo and Baby B sees it first and she can alert me when even though she is pre-verbal.

I get to take baby Spanish class and sing about mariposas while dancing around with scarves as my wings as Baby B squeals in delight.*

I get to take naps with an adorable tiny person on my chest.

I get to see cognitive development happen before my eyes in subtle and remarkable ways. When you know the social skills behind Peek-a-Boo, it makes it more than a silly baby game--it's significant learning! Being a mama really is the best vacation I’ve ever had from the chaos and madness of being a school psychologist in a large urban school district. This break just might be the best burnout prevention intervention ever. And while my posts may not be fun right now, I know that Baby B thinks I’m fun. Because this is my life lately (excuse the commercial in the clip):



Yep, I have my Masters in Got Your Nose and my Ph.D. in Peek-a-Boo. And I can assure you all, my Peek-a-Boos are not aggressive and do not have too much masculine energy!

So be patient, friends, I will be back in full swing with fun posts about dysfunction junction in the schools (and advice for surviving it all) in the fall. In the meantime, [shameless plug alert] you can read my new book, which is full of fun stories and information about surviving the crazy life of a school psychologist! Hey, you can’t blame me for the shameless plug, all these baby classes aren’t free. ;)


 *My bestie makes fun of me and all my baby classes. She left a voicemail the other day saying, “You’re probably at baby French cooking class, so call me when you get back.” Humph! Shows what she knows, I was at Kindermusic, singing under a parachute.

It’s Shameless Self Promotion Month!

I promise, there will only be 75 more posts, tweets, and Facey Face status updates about my new book, The School Psychologist’s Survival Guide. I can’t help it, I am so excited that my book baby was finally born! It took longer to make this book than it did to make my actual baby. I wish I was Oprah so I could (as one reader put it), give out a copy to everyone and yell, “EVERYONE GETS A COPY!” I would totally put them under people’s chairs at NASP if I had Oprah money. I would probably put it in a gift basket with other survival tools, such as pens, pencils, energy bars, coffee, margarita mix…oh wait, cancel that last one. Not appropriate for work.

I’m loving the feedback on the Facebook page from people who have received the book. It’s kind of like when you’re driving and you let someone in and you are doing it because you want to, but then they give you the “thanks! wave” and you feel even better about your deed. I wanted to write this book forever to help out newbies and folks on the edge of burnout, but to get the proverbial “Thanks! wave” from you all makes it even more amazing.*

I am so glad that school psychologists now have a reference book to turn to when they have burning questions such as:

• What do I do when a principal calls me and tells me there’s an emergency at my school and asks me what to do?
• How do I react when a kid balks at testing with me? (like the time a girl screamed at me, “Go away! I ain’t no *bleeeeeeeepidy bleep bleeping” special ed!”)
• How do I delicately explain to a parent that their child has Autism? A Learning Disability? Emotional Disturbance? Isn’t eligible even though she is not meeting standards?
• What do I do when a staff member “goes rogue” in an IEP meeting and disagrees with my testing?
• How do I handle a group counseling session that turns into a WWE wrestling session?
• What do I do if a kid tells me she is suicidal?
• How do I find a space to work in that is a) not a janitor’s closet full of toxic chemicals, b) an old elevator shaft, or c) shared with 8 hojillion people with no privacy?
• How do I handle the stress of the job? (Hint: It’s not eating stray donuts in the teacher’s lounge at 2pm every day. Dang it.)

These questions and more are covered in my book! It’s like having your own emergency go-to guide for the sticky situations we all encounter as school psychologists. And we all know it’s crazy season right now, trying to get everything done before the end of the school year, so couldn’t you treat yourself to a little something something off Amazon.com? Yes, I believe you could.

Also, know that proceeds for the book go to a good cause: Baby B’s preschool fund. Turns out one year of PreK is as expensive as all four years of my college education. Who knew!?! I just know you all support early childhood education, so order now!

*The BEST “Thanks! wave” of all is a review on Amazon.com. Um…erm… *shuffles feet and looks at floor* if anyone wants to write a review, I’ll be your best friend.

This Is My Confession*

I have a confession. I have been writing for another. I didn’t mean to cheat on you, blog, it’s just that…just that…well, I met someone else. Her name is Jossey. Jossey Bass Publisher. That’s why I haven’t been around much this past year. Just know I was going down a shame spiral when I realized it had been weeks between posts and I was staying up late writing for Jossey. Of course, there was also that business of me not posting as much as normal because I was tired from making a person too...

You know you are my first writing love, blog. You will forgive me in a hot second though. I have exciting news that justifies my shameful lack of posting the last year…wait for it…wait for it…presenting…

The School Psychologist’s Survival Guide!



Oh snap! Finally! There’s a guide for school psychologists that is practical, time-saving, and useful! This isn’t the run of the mill “What is School Psychology?” textbook from graduate school, but a resource guide for surviving in the chaos of the job once you actually get in the field. Newbies will love the advice and time saving tips. School psychologists who have been around a while will get fresh ideas and strategies to continue doing their jobs without going crazy themselves! Think you're going to tear your hair out the next time you get an inappropriate referral? Do you want to poke your own eyes out if you have to write another psychoeducational report on the weekend? Fret no more! There is help in this guide. And of course, it is written with juuuuuuuust a splash of snark to keep it spicy and entertaining. Snarky? Moi?

The guide covers many different topics, including:

• Finding where you belong in the schools and successfully navigating your role
• Dealing with “Bureaucracy Monsters” that ruin your work flow
• Organizing and being strategic about your assessment caseload
• Tuning up your skills in individual, group, and crisis counseling
• How to be preventive when you have no time
• How to navigate changing policies around Response to Intervention
• How to deal with people with…uh…erm…“challenging” personalities
• Preventing burnout and increasing job satisfaction

There are time-saving reproducible worksheets, letters, spreadsheets, and organizational tools that are ready for you to Xerox and use tomorrow. Be still my nerdy heart!

I am SO excited to share this resource with you all and I hope you will find it useful as you start out in the profession or revive and improve your practice as a school psychologist. Know that this survival guide was a true labor of love for me to write**, and it was inspired by all of you readers with your great questions, comments, and posts on the Facey Face page for the blog.

You can pre-order it off of Amazon.com by clicking here. If you pre-order, I believe you get a better price. The book will arrive right in time for the spring freak-out when everyone refers kids to you and you can’t imagine how you will do all your work without going cuckoopants. Hey, maybe the book will even come on your spring break, and you can relax on the beach with it? Erm, maybe it’s not exactly a beach read, but you get the idea.

Now I can relax and not feel guilty about my lack of posting on the blog, right? I mean, you guys can now have hundreds of pages of school psychology fun at your fingertips! Wheeeeeee!

I sincerely hope you like mama's other baby!


*For those of you who read “This is my confession” to the tune of R. Kelly’s remix “Confessions” you get extra points.

**Labor indeed. This book and my baby were both due in August. I spent my final weeks of pregnancy frantically trying to finish edits while Baby B kicked (punched?) my gut. She was really helpful in the motivation department, giving me a kick start when I needed it. Get it? Kick start? Oh, nevermind.

Yes, I Still Have a Blog.

Friends,

I have been going down a shame-spiral for not posting lately! The weather is hotter, the kids are crazier, and yes, I am STILL working in the school district even though the official first day of summer was yesterday. I spent yesterday in a room that had a temperature roughly the same as the surface of the sun doing professional development.

The previous weeks were full of trying to tie therapy bows on all my counseling kiddos (FAIL) and finishing up assessments with kids who wanted to be there as much as I did. I also got a few crises thrown in the mix, because we just can't hold it together in June, can we? Sigh.

Soon, friends. Soon I will be able to start the summer recharging process...will this be the summer I actually meet my goal of learning how to reupholster vintage furniture? Will I write meaningful blog posts again? Will I finally learn how to post resources on my blog for people to download, like I've been wanting to for 4 years? Stay tuned...

One thing I can say I have been doing regularly (not posting, clearly) is keeping up with the Notes From the School Psychologist Faceyface Page. I am loving the dialogue and tips from people across the country. Also, loving the commiseration of folks who are making up snow days right now and feel my pain. Come join the awesomeness.

I should also note that I am on twitter too, and if you follow me, I promise you I don't tweet what I had for breakfast and stuff. Mostly I re-tweet interesting articles every week or so. And yes, articles on the Onion count as articles.

It's Here! It's Here!

My book, The Teachable Moment is available on Kindle! And if that weren't fancy enough, it is FREE until January 17th, 2011. I know, free. You can either go to Kaplan's website or straight to The Teachable Moment on Amazon.com.

If you're like me, and Santa didn't bring you a Kindle (did he get my list?), but you have an iPhone, you can download the Kindle app to your iPhone and then download the book to your your iPhone.

Enjoy the free inspiration! Oh, and if you like the book, feel FREE to post a review on Amazon.com. Thanks!

Free inspiration!

I fear this post will go to everyone's junk mail, because it is an offer of something for FREE with no strings attached! My publisher, Kaplan, is offering my book, The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn for FREE this week on the following e-readers: Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iPad, and Sony eReader! So if you got one for Xmas, load it up!

So sorry, the book is not available on Kindle yet, but feel free to tell Amazon.com you want it on Kindle here. Just click on the lower left hand corner text box requesting it to be made available on Kindle.

The book will be available from January 4-10, 2011 at www.FreeKaplaneBooks.com. There are also another 129 titles for free, so browse around.

Go get yourself some free inspiring stories of reaching the difficult-to-reach child for FREE! Or as my yoots say, you can have it all for "Free.99."

Happy reading!

Trapped.

We all dread the question.

We dread it the most on public transit.

We dread it more on an airplane when we are trapped.

That's right, the question, "So, what do you do for a living?" can be a dreaded question for psychologists. When I say I'm a school psychologist, I get:

-Wow! So you teach? What grade? ("School" must trip people up)
-Whoa! What am I thinking RIGHT NOW (um, psychologist, not psychic)
-Are you analyzing me right now? (Yes. Unless I'm tired.)
-I have a daughter/son with X problem......
-That must be so rewarding (Erm....most days...)
-I totally need a psychologist (Darn. My expertise ends at age 18, unless you are super immature).

and my favorite (someone really asked this):

-What is your favorite kid problem? (ooh! ooh! I love when they can't read!)*

It is sometimes hard to say what exactly it is that a school psychologist does, because we have 8 hojillion hats to wear, but I usually go with "It's like a child psychologist in the school setting. If there is a student who isn't learning, I try to understand why, and I provide interventions or recommendations. I specialize in what gets in the way of learning (e.g. emotional problems, behavior problems, disabilities) and what helps learning. I do some prevention activities, but mostly I do interventions with kids, like testing students for disabilities, counseling, and consulting with teachers and parents." I'm sure NASP has a better definition, but that is my "elevator speech" about my job. But sometimes, after the job description, you get trapped in a very long and unwelcome discussion about your profession...

In case you missed me posting this on my Facey Face page, I recently did this interview for the New York Times about psychologists trapped on airplanes in uncomfortable situations. Enjoy. In a schadenfreude kind of way.

Cornered: Therapists on Planes.**


*Like my friend Beth, I really wish there was a universal sarcastic font.
** I love this article. I love all of it. The only thing that made me have a Dr. Evil moment was reading "Ms. Branstetter" instead of Dr. Branstetter. (In Dr. Evil voice): "I did not go to 6 years of evil graduate school to be called Ms." But who am I to criticize the New York Times? THE New York Times. I feel lucky to even be referred to incorrectly in it at all. And in true Me-Monstery fashion, I got a bunch of copies when it came out in print. Stocking stuffers, maybe?

Whatcha Doin' on Sunday?

Friends, for those of you in the San Francisco Bay area, I am hosting a book reading for The Teachable Moment book I edited! Joining me in reading a little sumthin' sumthin' will be two of my favorite school psychologists/contributors to the book. Come one, come all, this Sunday, August 22nd at 3pm to hear yours truly read from the book and schmooze with other fabulous educators! I would love to meet readers of the blog.

The event is at Diesel, A Book Store in Oakland at 5433 College Ave (Rockridge area--by the Rockridge BART for you SF peeps). As an added incentive, husband is baking his world famous chocolate chip cookies.

For those of you not in the Bay Area, go on and charter your jet and come for a long weekend. San Francisco is lovely this time of year (you know, cruelly RIGHT when school starts)

More deets are here

p.s. What should I wear? Channel Shoshona Shauenmbaum, therapist from United States of Tara, or Nicki, second sister wife from Big Love? ;) Or maybe sport one of my power IEP school psychologist costumes?

Special Education, IEPs, and Due Process, Oh My.

For those of you who missed it, here's my appearance on Learning and Laughter with Louise on the topic of special education. I did this radio appearance at 6:00 am on my summer break, since Louise is on east coast time. That means I had to get up at 5:30 to make a coffee the size of my head to be somewhat normal by 6am. I did it for the children.

We talked about a variety of topics, from the basics of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to warning signs for Autism. At the end, there is a Q and A with parents who want to know if their child's behavior is typical, or a sign of a disability.

Also, may I note that I never want to hear myself laugh on the radio again, even if it is on a show called Learning and Laughter. I checked the url to make sure it was the right episode and I managed to skip right to the part where I laugh at my own joke. I die of embarrassment.

Enjoy!

Click here to download the episode onto iTunes. I tried for 2 days to embed a media player in this post so y'all could just listen here, but alas, FAIL. I guess if I were one of those fancy Web2.0 education people, I could do it. And if I even knew what Web 2.0 was, that would be even better.