I was overjoyed when I landed an internship at State Street Elementary School with the school social worker. I immediately thought of all the exciting ways that I would get to explore the field and I couldn't wait to begin my learning experience. This school was a title 1 school so there were many children that I engaged with who were from low-income families. The school social worker works mainly with children on the autism spectrum, ADHD, ADD, anxiety and any child struggling with behavioral issues. I constantly observed her engaging with the kids and helped them have a successful and positive school environment. 

       My supervisor allowed me to get a lot of hands on experience with the children so I could get the most out of my internship. I was lucky enough to oversee individualized education placement (IEP) meetings and behavioral intervention meetings (BIT) which taught me how the meetings are conducted and what type of information is discussed. I observed her one on one sessions with the children where she taught them the zones of regulations and how to cope. The children were frequently learning how to improve their mindfulness and awareness through the different learning plans. I observed her second step lesson plans where she taught 1st grade classrooms different lessons such as teaching about accidents, reducing anger, and fair ways to play.

      After observing my supervisor's talents I eventually got to help the children on my own. I was so happy to get the opportunity to work one on one in counseling sessions with children who were on the autism spectrum. I loved each moment of teaching and although there were challenges such as the children getting distracted or not listening I knew that I was helping make a difference in their lives. One of the children I worked with made my day when she told me how much she enjoyed working with me and wanted to keep coming to sessions with me every week. I took over the second step lessons plans where I got to teach the kids social-emotional skills. I taught them skills to improve their learning, managing emotions, practicing empathy, and solving problems. I loved calling up the students to perform examples of helping out a friend or having them all stand up and practice deep breathing because they got so excited when they were able to get involved. 

         I couldn't have had a better internship. I think the best way to learn is through experience and practice and I was so happy to be able to do that at State Street Elementary School. It was amazing being able to work with the kids and show them how to effectively work with their peers in order to get the most out of their learning. I was able to learn that everyone is different and what works for one child may not necessarily work for another child. The children and faculty were so supportive and friendly, making the working environment extremely positive. Communication is the key to success and this internship taught me how to communicate and work well with others in order to make sure each child was getting the help that they needed to grow and learn. I am looking forward to more opportunities where I can experience social work in other settings, so I can increase my social work skills.

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