Blog 9: School in Session

This week I went to an AISD school board meeting. I was sitting there waiting for the meeting to start and all the sudden a women walks in and sits in the superintendent's chair. PLOT TWIST. And she was sassy, in a good way.

Anyways, this meeting was so interesting. There was a lot of talk about trying to revamp the lower performing schools. There were a lot of people who were respectively angry with the school board. But the most disconcerting thing is that it didn't feel like the voices of the community were actually being heard. During the public hearing and the citizens comments, the school board seemed largely disinterested in what the people were saying.

Another thing I noticed was that it was kind of confusing to get to the meeting. The meeting was downtown in the AISD office buildings. There website did not give good directions. It was almost as if they don't really want people to come to the meeting. (Something we talked about in class before).

All in all, I highly suggest going to AISD school board meetings, it was about an hour all said and done and was very enlightening for those who care about the schools in our communities.

Observation: I read an article that stated 5 companies cut 50,000 jobs this last year.

Blog 8: A right turn for community

I was listening to NPR on Friday while I was in my car, driving home. 

The segment on NPR was about women in Saudi Arabia who are a protesting the fact that they are not allowed to drive.  WHAT?  I mean there I was driving, listening about women who are forbidden to drive in their country.

I am not big on feminism or women's rights, but this really hit me hard. There are so many things that I take for granted as a citizen of America.  There are so many rights that I completely take for granted. I started thinking about what my life would be like without being able to drive. I wouldn't be able to drive to work, I wouldn't be able to drive home to see my family, and I wouldn't be able to be free.  

Driving is a simple, but huge freedom. These women are fighting against laws and social norms to do something that I do every day. They did this by getting a community of women to protest together by getting in their cars and driving. It is kind of amazing to think about how much change can come from a group of people with one goal. 

Communities are a powerful thing. They can change the world as we know it. I can see the importance of macro practice in ensuring that all people can achieve the rights that they deserve to have.

Here is the link about the protest. 

Observation: There is talk of building a terminal connection across the US/Mexico border between the Tijuana and San Diego airports.

Blog 7: It's All Relative

I mentioned in class that I no real desire to do solely macro practice. The conversation drifted to not being able to NOT do macro practice.

I felt myself getting defensive in the midst of people's comments, though it wasn't really warranted. I love counseling. After taking classes, I have found that counseling is where my passion is. I find it interesting and completely beneficial, to the point that I considered going to grad school to a counseling degree instead of my MSW. I could even see myself doing private practice, and I have no shame in that.

The reason I am still on track for social work is because of advocacy. I want to see change in the world and American culture for children with varying developmental abilities. I know this involves  macro level ingredients such as policy and educational systems.

Being informed and interested in things going on at a macro level, does not mean that I am doing macro work. I believe that advocacy can be done well at an individual level, and that is where I feel my calling. I will GLADLY support the people who feel their calling to the macro levels in these areas. I admire their desire to help people in a way that seems daunting to me.

Observation: Over 3 billion dollars in government services were lost during the partial government shut down according to this article.

Blog 6:Helping Judgements

Dr. Brene Brown said, if you can't ask for help without self-judgement, it is impossible to help others without judgement.

I love this quote. I had never thought about things this way. I am a mess, I am one of the first people to tell others that I am a mess. I go to counseling, and I am not ashamed that I go to counseling. Heck, I need counseling, I don't know where I would be if I didn't have that in my life. And I see no judgment in that. Usually mental health is something that most people don't have control over, and I see no shame in needing guidance and someone to talk to.

However, the more I thought about it, I realized it applied to more than just counseling. I know that I would judge myself if I had receive SNAP benefits. I would look down upon myself if I had to receive other forms of public assistance to make ends meet. So what does this say about me? Am I judging the people who do need these services?

In a way, I think yes, even though I hate that thought. The American culture that we live in is all about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and making your own success, I tend to see people who need public assistance as people who just aren't "trying hard enough". And yes, I do cognitively know that previous statement is false and ridiculous. I also know this attitude isn't something I can change over night.

Shame is when the reality of who you are does not meet the expectation you have for yourself/who you think you should be. So I think that I take the shame I would feel and create a judgement of myself. I then portray my expectations onto others, not the same expectations that I have for myself though.

It will be a continual battle to fight against judging myself and others. Knowing that only then, can I truly help others.

Observation: AISD created a tip line (connected to the school police department) for students and staff to report bullying.

Blog 5: Perspective

I was browsing through Pinterest, and I saw this. It completely melted my heart with it's sincere, heartwarming (highly idealistic) truth. I know that in the privilege centered culture we live in, having a disability or label makes life very difficult.

This week in class we were creating our own communities. It got me thinking about what my ideal community would actually look like in a perfect world. In my ideal community, the only disability would be a bad attitude. The people who want opportunities would have access to them.

I know this ideal community is impossible to achieve on this earth, at least in my lifetime. But that is why I am choosing to become a social worker. I want to spend my days making opportunities available to people who want them. Providing people with information and the means to achieve goals they might have never thought were possible. I choose to be a social worker because I want to break down those barriers (ability, skin color, sexual orientation, class, or whatever they might be) and help people to be the best version of themselves and for them to achieve their goals and dreams.

And because I don't live in that community right now, I want to try to make that community wherever I go.

Observation: The U.S. Federal Government shut down this week, and a large part of the American people were seemingly unaffected.