Field Placement Experience

Being Supervised in Field Placement

This week marked the first official week of being in field placement. I was excited and anxious to experience my first full day in the life of a “school social worker”. Having the opportunity to be a classroom teacher, I was comfortable with the idea of spending a year in the elementary school setting. Working with children has always been my passion and I have especially been drawn to those dealing with extenuating circumstances and require special attention. Prior to this week in field, I have been looking forward to having one-on-one interaction with students whom have social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties. This is for the reason that, my experience as a classroom teacher has provided me with

Previously, I assumed home visits were something that was “outdated” and a practice of the past. However, after spending just a few hours in my field I quickly realized the need and importance to the home-and-school connection. Our first home visit was pleasant. This mom is visited frequently by my field instructor so that the a healthy relationship is maintained between the mom and school. She was kind, appreciative, and open to having us visit for a short while. The second home visit was a different experience and by the time we left I realized just how uncomfortable I felt. As soon as we knocked on the door, a large (and scary) dog pounced up on the door barking and growling as if she was going to attack us. The mother at this residence did not know we were coming and it was very obvious that she was surprised by our visit. After grabbing the dog she frantically started cleaning and left us outside for about five minutes. Once she let us in she said she needed to brush her teeth appeared to be very anxious. We were under the impression that she had been drinking due to her body language and behavior. There were also concerns of the child’s behavior at school and missing paperwork that had been needed for several weeks. We brought resources to her for food stamps and fresh food program through the school as well as brought the student clothes. Seeing one’s home environment provides a different perspective for why people think, feel, and behave in the way that they do. I appreciated the experience that the home visits offered and look forward to going on many