March 7, 2024 • 25 mins
Join us this week on Affton Unplugged, a family-oriented podcast that celebrates the remarkable stories and individuals of the Affton School District. This special episode offers you an inside look into the world of school social workers and social emotional learning (SEL) interventionists, spotlighting their crucial roles and contributions.
This week's guests, Beckie Rainbolt and Greta Pitcher, are dedicated professionals advancing the crucial work of SEL at our schools. Felicitously timed to coincide with the upcoming SEL Day and National Social Worker Day, they offer a comprehensive account of their multifarious duties and how their work influences students' educational, emotional, and academic growth.
We explore the diverse social work terrain, the interventionist's role within it, and the direct impact they make on their students' lives. Get an understanding of how they prepare and relentlessly adapt to better connect with students and address their needs, providing them with important life skills and an optimal learning environment.
We shift our focus to the power and significance of SEL in promoting the comprehensive development of students. From collaborative problem-solving to building positive relationships, our educators share their innovative strategies for fostering an enriching learning environment, underlining that SEL is not just an add-on but a core part of education.
The conversation also illuminates the latest advancements and practices in SEL, including the newly updated Second Step curriculum. Also, don't miss the inspiring stories of community engagement and togetherness that have contributed significantly to the Affton community.
In this enlightening episode, dive into the fascinating world of Social Emotional Learning and grasp the instrumental role of these community maestros in shaping the minds and lives of tomorrow. Tune into the 'Affton Unplugged Podcast' now to learn more!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Music.
(00:20):
Welcome to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District that highlights
the people and stories that make the district great.
I'm your host, Superintendent Travis Brock, and in the Afton School District,
education is the most important thing we do.
Music.
(00:44):
Welcome to this edition of the Afton Unplugged
podcast and today we are specifically highlighting social workers and social
emotional learning interventionists throughout the Afton School District and
this is because SEL day is March 8th and National Social Worker Day is March 19th.
(01:04):
And so we have one social worker and one SEL interventionist joining us,
but we want to give a shout out to all
the social workers and all the SEL interventionists across the district.
We are very fortunate to have social worker Becky Rainbolt join us today,
as well as SEL interventionist Greta Pitcher.
(01:24):
So, Becky, Greta, thanks for joining me for this episode.
Thanks for having us. Yes. And then we'll go ahead and get into some introductions.
Part of the purpose of the podcast is to get to know some of the people throughout the district.
So take a minute and introduce yourself.
Maybe tell us kind of what is your current role within the district?
Have you had any other roles with the district? How long have you worked here?
(01:47):
Anything else you've done before joining Afton? And then certainly,
if you want to tell us anything about your family or interests outside of work, that would be okay, too.
So who wants to go first? I will. All right. So my name is Becky Rainbolt,
and I am a special school district social worker here in Afton.
And I currently work at the high school and also at Menor Primary.
(02:09):
I have worked in some capacity, though, in all four schools over my time here in Afton.
I have been with Afton for seven years, but have worked with special school district for 24 years.
Before coming to Afton, I was a school social worker with special school district
in Ferguson, Florissant for 17 years.
(02:30):
I've also spent some time working just part-time at SSM hospitals on the psychiatric ward.
As far as just my family and things outside of school, I am married and just
this past August, I adopted my stepson, but who was 22. So that was a little different, but fun.
We love watching him play hockey, play college hockey. We travel a lot in the
(02:53):
States and especially outside of the country a couple times a year and just
love being with family and friends.
Thanks, Becky. Greta, do you want to go next? My name is Greta Pitcher.
I'm an SEL interventionist.
I've been working with Afton School District since 2015, which is nine years this year.
I've worked in the Kansas City area and then Tennessee, and I've taught,
(03:16):
I've been a classroom teacher K through five.
I've had different roles in Afton.
I worked at Afton Early Childhood for numerous years in the SEB room.
I was the general ed part, and I worked closely with SSD in a classroom.
I missed that, those little kids. And then I moved to main year primary and taught first grade.
(03:36):
And then I became SEL and originist. And at that time, only a couple of years ago, I was the only one.
And I went in between main year and gotch every day. And now it's really cool.
We have an SEL interventionist in every building K through 12. So that's awesome.
My family, I have a young family. I'm married and I have a son who's eight and he's in hockey.
(04:01):
So we're busy with that and all other kinds of sports.
And we don't live in Afton, but we're always in Afton because he's in all the
Afton Association clubs.
All right. Well, thanks for those introductions. And we're going to kind of
talk a little bit about the work you guys do.
And let's maybe just start with what did you do to kind of prepare for the roles
(04:22):
you currently have? So, Becky, you want to talk a little bit about maybe you
specifically and then in general, what what does social workers do to prepare
to fill the roles that that you fill?
Sure. So in order to be a school social worker, you definitely have to have
your master's in social worker or in social work.
So you can have an undergraduate.
(04:44):
I guess that path to get your MSW can look very different for a lot of people.
It can, you know, be an undergraduate degree in social work,
psychology, human service, really could be in anything.
We have a lot of teachers, counselors that then kind of transfer over and go
to graduate school and get that degree. degree.
One of the unique things I think about that is our program and that master's
(05:07):
program is 60 credit hours. So it's a two-year degree.
I don't think everyone always noticed or knows that. So it's a little bit longer of a program.
Many districts really would like you to have that practicum experience within a school setting.
I think it really helps. It's not necessary, but it is definitely helpful.
And then most districts require you to have your clinical license.
(05:30):
So So you'll see that LCSW at the end of many people's names.
And that requires lots and lots, thousands of supervision hours.
And then you take a test to pass.
So that's kind of how it is to get here. So.
Definitely lots for you guys to do. Yes, yes. We love our social workers.
Yeah. Now, for an SEL interventionist, there is no degree program for an SEL interventionist.
(05:55):
How I prepared myself was being a classroom teacher for 17 years.
I think that really gives me the empathy when I'm working with teachers to understand
I know the pressures that they're under.
I'm also a parent, so I also, that perspective is very helpful.
But I also have my EDS and school leadership K through 12.
(06:17):
So I have that perspective, too.
So that really has prepared me.
Yeah. Thanks for that. Let's talk a little bit about what are some of those
roles and responsibilities.
So where wants to go first? Give us a glimpse into I know every day is probably different.
But what are some examples of how you how you fill the roles,
responsibilities and and the work you do every day?
(06:40):
So I think there's some distinction between kind of a general education social
worker that typically works for a partner school district and then the special
school district social worker.
So, again, I am one of the four special school district social workers that we have here in Afton.
And we primarily work with students and families that have an IEP,
(07:01):
which is an individualized education plan. plan.
And those plans really ensure that each child, their education,
their emotional and academic needs are being met within our school setting.
So that can look like a lot of ways. We provide counseling. It can be individual and group.
Our primary role, I guess I want to say, is just that,
(07:26):
We are a related service, so teachers are providing that main academic service,
and we are a related service.
And I feel the best way to look at it is we provide skills, and we are removing
barriers so that students can best access their general education.
So they have to have a goal on this IEP that we can address and be working on
(07:51):
in a counseling session.
The other thing I think that's important to mention is we also provide a lot
of mental health resources and general community resources.
And we really walk families through being able to access those services.
I think many times people have a preconceived idea that you can just give a
(08:11):
family a number and kind of send them on their way and it's real quick.
And it just isn't that simple.
I think a lot of times many of us will call a number one to make sure it's still
working. that they're still providing those services that the family's trying
to access and that we can make sure that the families know how to access that service.
(08:32):
So oftentimes we will sit down then with a family and kind of walk them through
that process that by them, sometimes even they come up to school,
we'll go to the home and walk them through that.
I just think about myself and how often I even get frustrated now with my own
doctor or a pharmacy or, I mean, there's a shortage of medication.
(08:53):
And I get really frustrated. And yet I have the knowledge base,
the time, money, be able to access that and figure it out.
And many times our families just don't and it's a struggle and they just kind of give up. So.
We do part of that. We obviously participate in those IEP processes and meetings
and team meetings, behavior plans, crisis plans that often our students require.
(09:17):
We also consult a lot with our staff, mainly our special school district staff,
but also our partner district staff, because they also have our children in their classrooms.
And so we collaborate a lot as a team with the counselors and the assistants,
the paras and the SEL interventionists and the the administration and work together
(09:39):
as a team to figure out best how to partner and serve our students.
And then I think there's also something to mention at Rogers and also at the
high school, special school district provides a program.
It's SEB program. We love our acronyms here in special school district and in
education, but it's a social emotional program and it's called choices.
(10:02):
It's actually a class that they offer at those two schools.
And the idea is really to help these students gain insight on how they deal
with daily challenges and learn to really challenge and face those dilemmas
and kind of look at it more positively.
(10:22):
They really want students to be able to understand their mental health and recognize
like triggers and strategies to be able to balance that and be more successful
within school, but also in the community.
And then kind of outside, that's really what we do day in and day out,
I really feel like throughout the week.
But on top of that, we do provide a lot of other things, I think,
(10:43):
behind the scenes that people don't know.
We will provide clinical supervision for other social workers that are trying to get their LCSW.
We will participate on school teams with attendance and data teams and things
like that. We will do grief counseling and crisis teams when that need has arose.
(11:06):
We will also supervise practicum students that are learning in our school buildings.
And we also, outside of Afton, then participate on many special school district committees as well.
All right. Well, and then do you have any spare time after all?
I mean, no. But does anyone in education?
I mean, I look at, right, teachers, no one does. I'm surprised you have time
(11:28):
for a family and interests.
Greta, why don't you talk a little bit about your role's responsibilities as well?
Well, you know, SEL interventionist, when I tell people that's my role, they're like, what?
But it used to not be a thing. We used to just call it, you know,
making friends and stuff like that early on in my career, at least.
(11:49):
But then Daniel Goldman, internationally known psychologist and science journalist, wrote a book.
Have you heard of this book, Emotional Intelligence? Why? It can matter more than IQ.
Now, this book doesn't say like putting in your work and your IQ is not important,
but it talks about like those EQ skills, which are a lot.
(12:12):
A lot of them are in the portrait of the graduate for Afton.
You know, it's things like empathy, adaptability, being able to stay positive
when things are not going your way, inspiring others, keeping an eye on the
goal without being distracted.
And look, we have adaptability, we have empathy, and communication comes with that.
(12:34):
So that really inspired like the work of SEL in the schools.
And so my role is really to develop and implement a school-wide classroom and
individual student behavior management system to make them feel connected to
school and make them more willing to take in information and learn.
(12:56):
I'm really inspired by brain science.
And so we use a lot of the strategies on how the brain works,
but I'll talk about that later.
But some of the things we do is help focus on building positive relationships
among students and adults, having time to learn social emotional skills.
(13:20):
And often K through five, actually K through eight, we use a curriculum called
Second Steps, and it teaches those skills and weaves opportunities for students
to practice and reflect.
Collaborate during academic subjects so that they can learn.
And then we partner and we do a lot of collaboration with social workers and
(13:42):
administrators and counselors and teachers and students.
So collaborative problem solving, because we want everybody to be successful at school.
All right. Well, thanks for that. And I think, you know, you definitely hit
on, I think now more than ever, schools are trying to be more intentional with the SEL work.
It's it's been there. It's always kind of been there, but really just making
(14:04):
sure that it does get the attention that academics do.
And I think you kind of alluded to that. Yeah. And I always hear like SEL is
like, oh, it's just another thing on my plate.
But really, if you start to think about like SEL is the plate that which we
put everything on, math, science, reading, you know, learning how to work with each other.
(14:26):
And one of the things I look at when I hear that, I do a lot of mental health
presentations and I to kind of, you want to think of Maslow's hierarchy as,
you know, where our students just, you know, we need our basic needs.
It's, I kind of like to tell parents and educators that if our students' emotional
needs and mental health needs are not met, you can't begin to teach them math or reading or science.
(14:47):
And I know that's frustrating because I think as educators, they just think,
well, I'm in a classroom and I've got to teach them this academics because they've
got math tests and And that's how I'm evaluated.
And while that is so true, but if we have a kid that's dysregulated and we have
all these other needs that are not met, their bodies, their brains are just
not ready to be able to grasp and understand that academic information. Very true. Yep.
(15:12):
All right. Right. Well, certainly feel free to add any more about some of the
things that you do, but we'll transition to anything you'd like to share with
us in regards to recognitions, celebrations,
kind of in the world of social workers, SEL interventions that maybe you think
our listeners would like to know about.
You know, I think one of the unique things about my job is that.
(15:35):
Well, one of the things is Afton's kind of on the forefront just because we
have one SEL InterVentures K-12.
And now we have a team of SEL InterVentures. You know, a couple of years ago,
it was me or before that it was Ms. Park.
So we have a team to really hone in on the needs in Afton.
(15:56):
And I think one of the things is SEL is for everybody.
It's for the kids and for the adults. Yeah, I think that's a good point.
Obviously, we know there's, as Becky pointed out, families that need the support from a social worker.
They definitely, you know, need those services.
And then by the same token, everyone can benefit from, you know,
(16:17):
what the teachers do in the classroom, what SEL interventionists do,
and also what our school counselors do. So I think that's a good point to bring
out is that everyone can benefit.
And I know you guys try to impact all of the students, not just not just,
you know, certain students or or ones that you're specifically assigned to work
with. And so that's a great point.
Any favorite memory or story?
(16:40):
I know there's tons. I know every day you probably get a new favorite memory or story.
But what sticks out is maybe, I don't know, a specific instance that really
made you proud or maybe working with something special that you like to share with folks?
I guess one thing I can say is I know I think this is just amazing here in Afton.
(17:02):
I will say just kind of to echo what Greta said about I do think Afton is on
the forefront of recognizing the SEL and just the importance of mental health
and the portrait of a graduate.
And they do kind of put their mouth where, you know, their actions are because
they have these programs, again, the second step.
(17:23):
And by them being able to teach that across the board, we're able then to use
that curriculum or at least know what these kids are learning and be able to
use that when the SSD social workers are meeting with kids. kids.
Another thing, though, I think that has been amazing is when I came here just
seven years ago that Afton has this wish list at the holiday time.
(17:46):
And I think what is amazing is to see the outpouring of not just staff, but the community.
I am so impressed with how this community comes together.
In all kinds, you know, times of need, but especially during the holiday time
and just what we're able to do for families.
I also have a good friend. I think this is what kind of comes to mind that sponsors
(18:09):
typically a family, but also does like a little bizarre holiday bazaar at her.
She's a hairdresser, so at her salon and raises money that where I'm able to
usually be able to pay off like two or three families electric bills at the holiday time.
And what that means to the the families to be able to have warmth during the
(18:31):
holiday time is just, it's so meaningful to these families.
And those are some of the things I think that come to mind. Yeah, that's great.
I think one of the biggest, I just, just, just, just happened yesterday.
So the kids love to learn about how the brain works.
And we, we, we did a survey at Gotch and, you know, I like to know,
(18:52):
like, is the curriculum working or not? And they're like, well, this is outdated.
Well, Well, they have a new second step. It's the digital version. And it's updated.
And it teaches the kids about neurons and pathways. And they're so into it.
That's the feedback I'm getting from teachers.
But I have the three states of brain in my office.
And when I'm pulling a small group, you know, kids are like, that's the brain.
(19:17):
And so I'm like, hey, do you guys want to learn about it? And they're like,
yeah. Yeah. So I was telling them about, you know, like the first part of your
brain state is, you know, your brain is right here in your brainstem.
And that's where you're thinking, am I safe?
Am I going to fight, flight, or freeze?
And then like the adults that are taking care of you need to help get you safe first so you feel safe.
(19:41):
And then the next is the limbic system. This is where it's a little above right
here. See where it's highlighted? and that's where you're thinking, am I loved?
Like, and this is where you identify your emotions and you cannot progress to
the highest state of your brain until, you know, you're in your prefrontal cortex, which is at the,
forefront of right here on behind your forehead. And that's where you can like
(20:05):
problem solve and learn and take in information.
And so I was explaining this and they were like, whoa, I had no idea.
And then, you know, I see him in the hallway a little while later.
Hey, my prefrontal cortex is working, this picture.
And I'm like, great. I'm glad to hear that. But it was so powerful.
(20:26):
Even adults need to learn the three states of our brain because we all as humans get in all these.
And none of them are wrong.
It's not wrong for you to be in your brainstem because that is there to protect
us. So learning that is really powerful.
And I would love to spread the word more that to educators, because it goes
(20:49):
back to if you're in the brainstem or you're not feeling connected,
you're not going to be ready to learn. Mm hmm. Definitely. Yeah. Good point.
Obviously, there's usually always some science behind the things that we're
doing and can't lose sight of that as well.
But yeah, thanks for your comments about that. I know the district in 2016 put
(21:12):
social emotional learning in the strategic plan. Of course, we didn't have all
these things that you've mentioned in place, but that's where it starts, right?
It starts by identifying we think this is something that should put more time,
attention, resources to.
And certainly now that we have people specifically serving that purpose,
we've got a curriculum, as you mentioned, that wasn't in place in 2016.
(21:35):
Those things don't happen overnight. night. And so I appreciate you pointing
that out because it's always a journey.
You have to start somewhere. You have to start by just prioritizing it.
And then little by little, you keep chipping away at it and you get more strategic
things in place, more research-based things in place.
So I appreciate you kind of spotlighting that.
Anything else you want to mention? I know we've covered a lot and we're kind
(21:59):
of getting ready to wrap up. Anything else that comes to mind that you'd like to share or mention?
I don't know. I mean, the only other thing I think maybe we we haven't really
touched on is just the big, I think, primary focus, too, of our jobs is relationship,
not only with our students, but family and staff.
And I think not everyone understands that piece, that we really have to have
(22:21):
a great relationship with our students and rapport above all else.
It almost sometimes doesn't even matter what we're doing in a lesson if we don't
have that relationship, and also with our parents and staff.
But, you know, know, when a crisis or a situation arises, if we've had that
positive connection and a secure relationship with a parent,
(22:42):
that piece of communication that we need to have or the difficult conversation
will go so much smoother if we have that rapport already built in.
And I think the same with our teachers.
We have to communicate with a lot of people in the building. And.
It takes time to have all those relationships with people. So being able to
be a consistent and familiar face in a building, to have huge and to have teachers
(23:07):
being willing to come and confide in you about some of these issues is difficult.
And I do think Afton does that well as well, because we do have a lot of familiar
staff that are here year after year. And I think that's pretty amazing.
Yeah. I agree. Anything else you'd like to add?
I don't know. You know, it's SEL week, it's social worker week.
(23:30):
You know, I think this is a great week to thank those people.
I mean, the trust that people give us and families give us, we don't take it for granted.
But, you know, when you're on the ground running, sometimes you feel kind of isolated.
So thank those people that are doing those hard things.
(23:53):
Yeah, for sure. Well said. There's never a bad time to thank a teacher or a secretary.
Everybody in the school is doing their part. And without one of those parts,
it doesn't work. Right. Exactly.
But specifically, as you mentioned, we do want to pause to specifically recognize
our social workers, our SEL interventionists in honor of SEL Day and National Social Worker Week.
(24:17):
So with that, Becky and Greta, thanks for joining me for this episode.
Thank you. Yeah, thank you. All right, and we'll wrap up, and thanks for joining
us for this episode of the Afton Unplugged podcast. We'll see you later.
Music.
(24:39):
Thanks for listening to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District
that highlights the people and stories that make the district great.
In the Afton School District, education is the most important thing we do.
We'll see you out there. Thank you.
Music.
Music.
(00:20):
Welcome to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District that highlights
the people and stories that make the district great.
I'm your host, Superintendent Travis Brock, and in the Afton School District,
education is the most important thing we do.
Music.
(00:44):
Welcome to this edition of the Afton Unplugged
podcast and today we are specifically highlighting social workers and social
emotional learning interventionists throughout the Afton School District and
this is because SEL day is March 8th and National Social Worker Day is March 19th.
(01:04):
And so we have one social worker and one SEL interventionist joining us,
but we want to give a shout out to all
the social workers and all the SEL interventionists across the district.
We are very fortunate to have social worker Becky Rainbolt join us today,
as well as SEL interventionist Greta Pitcher.
(01:24):
So, Becky, Greta, thanks for joining me for this episode.
Thanks for having us. Yes. And then we'll go ahead and get into some introductions.
Part of the purpose of the podcast is to get to know some of the people throughout the district.
So take a minute and introduce yourself.
Maybe tell us kind of what is your current role within the district?
Have you had any other roles with the district? How long have you worked here?
(01:47):
Anything else you've done before joining Afton? And then certainly,
if you want to tell us anything about your family or interests outside of work, that would be okay, too.
So who wants to go first? I will. All right. So my name is Becky Rainbolt,
and I am a special school district social worker here in Afton.
And I currently work at the high school and also at Menor Primary.
(02:09):
I have worked in some capacity, though, in all four schools over my time here in Afton.
I have been with Afton for seven years, but have worked with special school district for 24 years.
Before coming to Afton, I was a school social worker with special school district
in Ferguson, Florissant for 17 years.
(02:30):
I've also spent some time working just part-time at SSM hospitals on the psychiatric ward.
As far as just my family and things outside of school, I am married and just
this past August, I adopted my stepson, but who was 22. So that was a little different, but fun.
We love watching him play hockey, play college hockey. We travel a lot in the
(02:53):
States and especially outside of the country a couple times a year and just
love being with family and friends.
Thanks, Becky. Greta, do you want to go next? My name is Greta Pitcher.
I'm an SEL interventionist.
I've been working with Afton School District since 2015, which is nine years this year.
I've worked in the Kansas City area and then Tennessee, and I've taught,
(03:16):
I've been a classroom teacher K through five.
I've had different roles in Afton.
I worked at Afton Early Childhood for numerous years in the SEB room.
I was the general ed part, and I worked closely with SSD in a classroom.
I missed that, those little kids. And then I moved to main year primary and taught first grade.
(03:36):
And then I became SEL and originist. And at that time, only a couple of years ago, I was the only one.
And I went in between main year and gotch every day. And now it's really cool.
We have an SEL interventionist in every building K through 12. So that's awesome.
My family, I have a young family. I'm married and I have a son who's eight and he's in hockey.
(04:01):
So we're busy with that and all other kinds of sports.
And we don't live in Afton, but we're always in Afton because he's in all the
Afton Association clubs.
All right. Well, thanks for those introductions. And we're going to kind of
talk a little bit about the work you guys do.
And let's maybe just start with what did you do to kind of prepare for the roles
(04:22):
you currently have? So, Becky, you want to talk a little bit about maybe you
specifically and then in general, what what does social workers do to prepare
to fill the roles that that you fill?
Sure. So in order to be a school social worker, you definitely have to have
your master's in social worker or in social work.
So you can have an undergraduate.
(04:44):
I guess that path to get your MSW can look very different for a lot of people.
It can, you know, be an undergraduate degree in social work,
psychology, human service, really could be in anything.
We have a lot of teachers, counselors that then kind of transfer over and go
to graduate school and get that degree. degree.
One of the unique things I think about that is our program and that master's
(05:07):
program is 60 credit hours. So it's a two-year degree.
I don't think everyone always noticed or knows that. So it's a little bit longer of a program.
Many districts really would like you to have that practicum experience within a school setting.
I think it really helps. It's not necessary, but it is definitely helpful.
And then most districts require you to have your clinical license.
(05:30):
So So you'll see that LCSW at the end of many people's names.
And that requires lots and lots, thousands of supervision hours.
And then you take a test to pass.
So that's kind of how it is to get here. So.
Definitely lots for you guys to do. Yes, yes. We love our social workers.
Yeah. Now, for an SEL interventionist, there is no degree program for an SEL interventionist.
(05:55):
How I prepared myself was being a classroom teacher for 17 years.
I think that really gives me the empathy when I'm working with teachers to understand
I know the pressures that they're under.
I'm also a parent, so I also, that perspective is very helpful.
But I also have my EDS and school leadership K through 12.
(06:17):
So I have that perspective, too.
So that really has prepared me.
Yeah. Thanks for that. Let's talk a little bit about what are some of those
roles and responsibilities.
So where wants to go first? Give us a glimpse into I know every day is probably different.
But what are some examples of how you how you fill the roles,
responsibilities and and the work you do every day?
(06:40):
So I think there's some distinction between kind of a general education social
worker that typically works for a partner school district and then the special
school district social worker.
So, again, I am one of the four special school district social workers that we have here in Afton.
And we primarily work with students and families that have an IEP,
(07:01):
which is an individualized education plan. plan.
And those plans really ensure that each child, their education,
their emotional and academic needs are being met within our school setting.
So that can look like a lot of ways. We provide counseling. It can be individual and group.
Our primary role, I guess I want to say, is just that,
(07:26):
We are a related service, so teachers are providing that main academic service,
and we are a related service.
And I feel the best way to look at it is we provide skills, and we are removing
barriers so that students can best access their general education.
So they have to have a goal on this IEP that we can address and be working on
(07:51):
in a counseling session.
The other thing I think that's important to mention is we also provide a lot
of mental health resources and general community resources.
And we really walk families through being able to access those services.
I think many times people have a preconceived idea that you can just give a
(08:11):
family a number and kind of send them on their way and it's real quick.
And it just isn't that simple.
I think a lot of times many of us will call a number one to make sure it's still
working. that they're still providing those services that the family's trying
to access and that we can make sure that the families know how to access that service.
(08:32):
So oftentimes we will sit down then with a family and kind of walk them through
that process that by them, sometimes even they come up to school,
we'll go to the home and walk them through that.
I just think about myself and how often I even get frustrated now with my own
doctor or a pharmacy or, I mean, there's a shortage of medication.
(08:53):
And I get really frustrated. And yet I have the knowledge base,
the time, money, be able to access that and figure it out.
And many times our families just don't and it's a struggle and they just kind of give up. So.
We do part of that. We obviously participate in those IEP processes and meetings
and team meetings, behavior plans, crisis plans that often our students require.
(09:17):
We also consult a lot with our staff, mainly our special school district staff,
but also our partner district staff, because they also have our children in their classrooms.
And so we collaborate a lot as a team with the counselors and the assistants,
the paras and the SEL interventionists and the the administration and work together
(09:39):
as a team to figure out best how to partner and serve our students.
And then I think there's also something to mention at Rogers and also at the
high school, special school district provides a program.
It's SEB program. We love our acronyms here in special school district and in
education, but it's a social emotional program and it's called choices.
(10:02):
It's actually a class that they offer at those two schools.
And the idea is really to help these students gain insight on how they deal
with daily challenges and learn to really challenge and face those dilemmas
and kind of look at it more positively.
(10:22):
They really want students to be able to understand their mental health and recognize
like triggers and strategies to be able to balance that and be more successful
within school, but also in the community.
And then kind of outside, that's really what we do day in and day out,
I really feel like throughout the week.
But on top of that, we do provide a lot of other things, I think,
(10:43):
behind the scenes that people don't know.
We will provide clinical supervision for other social workers that are trying to get their LCSW.
We will participate on school teams with attendance and data teams and things
like that. We will do grief counseling and crisis teams when that need has arose.
(11:06):
We will also supervise practicum students that are learning in our school buildings.
And we also, outside of Afton, then participate on many special school district committees as well.
All right. Well, and then do you have any spare time after all?
I mean, no. But does anyone in education?
I mean, I look at, right, teachers, no one does. I'm surprised you have time
(11:28):
for a family and interests.
Greta, why don't you talk a little bit about your role's responsibilities as well?
Well, you know, SEL interventionist, when I tell people that's my role, they're like, what?
But it used to not be a thing. We used to just call it, you know,
making friends and stuff like that early on in my career, at least.
(11:49):
But then Daniel Goldman, internationally known psychologist and science journalist, wrote a book.
Have you heard of this book, Emotional Intelligence? Why? It can matter more than IQ.
Now, this book doesn't say like putting in your work and your IQ is not important,
but it talks about like those EQ skills, which are a lot.
(12:12):
A lot of them are in the portrait of the graduate for Afton.
You know, it's things like empathy, adaptability, being able to stay positive
when things are not going your way, inspiring others, keeping an eye on the
goal without being distracted.
And look, we have adaptability, we have empathy, and communication comes with that.
(12:34):
So that really inspired like the work of SEL in the schools.
And so my role is really to develop and implement a school-wide classroom and
individual student behavior management system to make them feel connected to
school and make them more willing to take in information and learn.
(12:56):
I'm really inspired by brain science.
And so we use a lot of the strategies on how the brain works,
but I'll talk about that later.
But some of the things we do is help focus on building positive relationships
among students and adults, having time to learn social emotional skills.
(13:20):
And often K through five, actually K through eight, we use a curriculum called
Second Steps, and it teaches those skills and weaves opportunities for students
to practice and reflect.
Collaborate during academic subjects so that they can learn.
And then we partner and we do a lot of collaboration with social workers and
(13:42):
administrators and counselors and teachers and students.
So collaborative problem solving, because we want everybody to be successful at school.
All right. Well, thanks for that. And I think, you know, you definitely hit
on, I think now more than ever, schools are trying to be more intentional with the SEL work.
It's it's been there. It's always kind of been there, but really just making
(14:04):
sure that it does get the attention that academics do.
And I think you kind of alluded to that. Yeah. And I always hear like SEL is
like, oh, it's just another thing on my plate.
But really, if you start to think about like SEL is the plate that which we
put everything on, math, science, reading, you know, learning how to work with each other.
(14:26):
And one of the things I look at when I hear that, I do a lot of mental health
presentations and I to kind of, you want to think of Maslow's hierarchy as,
you know, where our students just, you know, we need our basic needs.
It's, I kind of like to tell parents and educators that if our students' emotional
needs and mental health needs are not met, you can't begin to teach them math or reading or science.
(14:47):
And I know that's frustrating because I think as educators, they just think,
well, I'm in a classroom and I've got to teach them this academics because they've
got math tests and And that's how I'm evaluated.
And while that is so true, but if we have a kid that's dysregulated and we have
all these other needs that are not met, their bodies, their brains are just
not ready to be able to grasp and understand that academic information. Very true. Yep.
(15:12):
All right. Right. Well, certainly feel free to add any more about some of the
things that you do, but we'll transition to anything you'd like to share with
us in regards to recognitions, celebrations,
kind of in the world of social workers, SEL interventions that maybe you think
our listeners would like to know about.
You know, I think one of the unique things about my job is that.
(15:35):
Well, one of the things is Afton's kind of on the forefront just because we
have one SEL InterVentures K-12.
And now we have a team of SEL InterVentures. You know, a couple of years ago,
it was me or before that it was Ms. Park.
So we have a team to really hone in on the needs in Afton.
(15:56):
And I think one of the things is SEL is for everybody.
It's for the kids and for the adults. Yeah, I think that's a good point.
Obviously, we know there's, as Becky pointed out, families that need the support from a social worker.
They definitely, you know, need those services.
And then by the same token, everyone can benefit from, you know,
(16:17):
what the teachers do in the classroom, what SEL interventionists do,
and also what our school counselors do. So I think that's a good point to bring
out is that everyone can benefit.
And I know you guys try to impact all of the students, not just not just,
you know, certain students or or ones that you're specifically assigned to work
with. And so that's a great point.
Any favorite memory or story?
(16:40):
I know there's tons. I know every day you probably get a new favorite memory or story.
But what sticks out is maybe, I don't know, a specific instance that really
made you proud or maybe working with something special that you like to share with folks?
I guess one thing I can say is I know I think this is just amazing here in Afton.
(17:02):
I will say just kind of to echo what Greta said about I do think Afton is on
the forefront of recognizing the SEL and just the importance of mental health
and the portrait of a graduate.
And they do kind of put their mouth where, you know, their actions are because
they have these programs, again, the second step.
(17:23):
And by them being able to teach that across the board, we're able then to use
that curriculum or at least know what these kids are learning and be able to
use that when the SSD social workers are meeting with kids. kids.
Another thing, though, I think that has been amazing is when I came here just
seven years ago that Afton has this wish list at the holiday time.
(17:46):
And I think what is amazing is to see the outpouring of not just staff, but the community.
I am so impressed with how this community comes together.
In all kinds, you know, times of need, but especially during the holiday time
and just what we're able to do for families.
I also have a good friend. I think this is what kind of comes to mind that sponsors
(18:09):
typically a family, but also does like a little bizarre holiday bazaar at her.
She's a hairdresser, so at her salon and raises money that where I'm able to
usually be able to pay off like two or three families electric bills at the holiday time.
And what that means to the the families to be able to have warmth during the
(18:31):
holiday time is just, it's so meaningful to these families.
And those are some of the things I think that come to mind. Yeah, that's great.
I think one of the biggest, I just, just, just, just happened yesterday.
So the kids love to learn about how the brain works.
And we, we, we did a survey at Gotch and, you know, I like to know,
(18:52):
like, is the curriculum working or not? And they're like, well, this is outdated.
Well, Well, they have a new second step. It's the digital version. And it's updated.
And it teaches the kids about neurons and pathways. And they're so into it.
That's the feedback I'm getting from teachers.
But I have the three states of brain in my office.
And when I'm pulling a small group, you know, kids are like, that's the brain.
(19:17):
And so I'm like, hey, do you guys want to learn about it? And they're like,
yeah. Yeah. So I was telling them about, you know, like the first part of your
brain state is, you know, your brain is right here in your brainstem.
And that's where you're thinking, am I safe?
Am I going to fight, flight, or freeze?
And then like the adults that are taking care of you need to help get you safe first so you feel safe.
(19:41):
And then the next is the limbic system. This is where it's a little above right
here. See where it's highlighted? and that's where you're thinking, am I loved?
Like, and this is where you identify your emotions and you cannot progress to
the highest state of your brain until, you know, you're in your prefrontal cortex, which is at the,
forefront of right here on behind your forehead. And that's where you can like
(20:05):
problem solve and learn and take in information.
And so I was explaining this and they were like, whoa, I had no idea.
And then, you know, I see him in the hallway a little while later.
Hey, my prefrontal cortex is working, this picture.
And I'm like, great. I'm glad to hear that. But it was so powerful.
(20:26):
Even adults need to learn the three states of our brain because we all as humans get in all these.
And none of them are wrong.
It's not wrong for you to be in your brainstem because that is there to protect
us. So learning that is really powerful.
And I would love to spread the word more that to educators, because it goes
(20:49):
back to if you're in the brainstem or you're not feeling connected,
you're not going to be ready to learn. Mm hmm. Definitely. Yeah. Good point.
Obviously, there's usually always some science behind the things that we're
doing and can't lose sight of that as well.
But yeah, thanks for your comments about that. I know the district in 2016 put
(21:12):
social emotional learning in the strategic plan. Of course, we didn't have all
these things that you've mentioned in place, but that's where it starts, right?
It starts by identifying we think this is something that should put more time,
attention, resources to.
And certainly now that we have people specifically serving that purpose,
we've got a curriculum, as you mentioned, that wasn't in place in 2016.
(21:35):
Those things don't happen overnight. night. And so I appreciate you pointing
that out because it's always a journey.
You have to start somewhere. You have to start by just prioritizing it.
And then little by little, you keep chipping away at it and you get more strategic
things in place, more research-based things in place.
So I appreciate you kind of spotlighting that.
Anything else you want to mention? I know we've covered a lot and we're kind
(21:59):
of getting ready to wrap up. Anything else that comes to mind that you'd like to share or mention?
I don't know. I mean, the only other thing I think maybe we we haven't really
touched on is just the big, I think, primary focus, too, of our jobs is relationship,
not only with our students, but family and staff.
And I think not everyone understands that piece, that we really have to have
(22:21):
a great relationship with our students and rapport above all else.
It almost sometimes doesn't even matter what we're doing in a lesson if we don't
have that relationship, and also with our parents and staff.
But, you know, know, when a crisis or a situation arises, if we've had that
positive connection and a secure relationship with a parent,
(22:42):
that piece of communication that we need to have or the difficult conversation
will go so much smoother if we have that rapport already built in.
And I think the same with our teachers.
We have to communicate with a lot of people in the building. And.
It takes time to have all those relationships with people. So being able to
be a consistent and familiar face in a building, to have huge and to have teachers
(23:07):
being willing to come and confide in you about some of these issues is difficult.
And I do think Afton does that well as well, because we do have a lot of familiar
staff that are here year after year. And I think that's pretty amazing.
Yeah. I agree. Anything else you'd like to add?
I don't know. You know, it's SEL week, it's social worker week.
(23:30):
You know, I think this is a great week to thank those people.
I mean, the trust that people give us and families give us, we don't take it for granted.
But, you know, when you're on the ground running, sometimes you feel kind of isolated.
So thank those people that are doing those hard things.
(23:53):
Yeah, for sure. Well said. There's never a bad time to thank a teacher or a secretary.
Everybody in the school is doing their part. And without one of those parts,
it doesn't work. Right. Exactly.
But specifically, as you mentioned, we do want to pause to specifically recognize
our social workers, our SEL interventionists in honor of SEL Day and National Social Worker Week.
(24:17):
So with that, Becky and Greta, thanks for joining me for this episode.
Thank you. Yeah, thank you. All right, and we'll wrap up, and thanks for joining
us for this episode of the Afton Unplugged podcast. We'll see you later.
Music.
(24:39):
Thanks for listening to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District
that highlights the people and stories that make the district great.
In the Afton School District, education is the most important thing we do.
We'll see you out there. Thank you.
Music.
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