A Profession With Heart

Happy Fall y’all, and also, Happy SPAW!

This week is School Psychology Awareness Week (SPAW)!   As such, I hope that all of my fellow school psychologists will receive a week of free lunches, treats of chocolates, balloons, or flowers left on your desks, and mountains of cards from teachers, administrators, students, and parents that display the appreciation, respect, and adoring that you all deserve. (Perhaps you will even receive that singing telegram you’ve always secretly wished for…)

But back to reality for a second…. if all of that does not happen, or even if none of it does, take heart. 

Take heart in knowing that you are appreciated by your fellow school psychologists.  Whether you are part of a team in one of our large metro districts, working “alone” in one of our rural areas, working in your own private practice, or training or studying at one of our fine universities, you are part of a superior community of professionals that appreciates you and knows the work you do every day.  Take a moment to reflect on your fellows and what they mean to you.

Take heart in knowing that you got into a truly noble, meaningful, and important profession.  During SPAW each year, I often like to think back about why I chose school psychology, and I like to ask my friends the same.  Turns out none of us got into this for the money.  Turns out none of us got into this for the fame.  Turns out, I haven’t found a soul who got into this for free lunch, flowers, or cards.  Most of us got ourselves into this, because, and simply because, we wanted to make a difference.  Take a moment to reflect on why you wanted to be a school psychologist.

Take heart in knowing that you DO make that difference.  Whether it is advocating for a child without a voice, empowering a teacher with new tools, challenging a school society with new ideas, engaging a parent in their child’s education, giving back to your community through charity or advocacy, or encouraging those around you to be the best they can be, you make a difference.  Your efforts may not live on the front page, but they do live- in the hearts of those you touch.  Take a moment to reflect on the links you have made:  with a teacher, with a student, with a colleague, with a school, with a community, with a cause.

Take heart… and take a look at the title.  It is not called “School Psychologist Appreciation Week”, rather, it is “School Psychology Awareness Week”.  NASP calls upon US to do the ones reaching out, to be actively increasing AWARENESS of how we can serve other people.  This year, NASP has chosen the theme, "Every link matters. Make a connection.”   We are asked to make connections with our school staff, with students, and with parents- linking people with purpose.    We want them to feel supported, connected, empowered, educated, and ready to achieve their goals and succeed in life.  We are called upon to print and distribute posters, to engage in conversations and activities that will increase relationships between students, staff, and communities, to advocate for our profession and key messages, and to nominate others around us to show our gratitude for what they do. 

Yeah, that sounds more like us, doesn’t it?  Leave it to school psychs to dedicate a week to our profession and rather than ask for appreciation (as most professions would), to make a concerted effort to find ways to pump up the good work we already do every day!  The purpose of the week, our week is to serve, not to be served.  To display appreciation, not receive it.  To show gratitude, not expect it.  To share the offerings we have to offer as professionals and as people, not collect offerings from others.  To open our hearts, not open gifts.  That’s how we choose to spend our week.  I love that about our profession.

Yes, if someone sends me a card this week, I will feel respected.  If someone buys me lunch, I’ll feel appreciated.  If someone happens to leave a bag of peanut M&Ms on my desk, I will be thankful.  If I get a singing telegram, I will be overwhelmed and gratified.  I’ll take the gifts, but deep down, none of those things will match our outlast the respect, appreciation, gratitude, and gratification I feel each and every day working as a school psychologist, and working with school psychologists.  Yes, I’ll accept the gifts, but I’ll take heart any day! 

Cheers, to you and your heart this week, my friends.

With true appreciation,

Erika