Social Work So Far, Part 1
I want to keep track of how I'm feeling at graduate school at different intervals. I published this post on Medium Chill in the beginning of September RAVING about it. I really do still feel relatively similarly, but I thought it was fun to look back and see my non-tired, non-exhausted enthusiasm.
http://mediumchill.blogspot.com/2018/09/social-work-school-so-far.html
What is Medium Chill? Ooohhhh Medium Chill. I really like blogging (hence this blog) and I wanted to make a joint blog with my sister, brother-in-law, and fiance. We're all creative, some of us like to write, some of us do crafty things. But the only person who really likes blogging is me. I don't think blogs are their inner strengths, but they have lots of others. I think instead of forcing them to blog with me about their strengths, I'll just feature them here on this blog, which is my own personal passion project.
http://mediumchill.blogspot.com/2018/09/social-work-school-so-far.html
What is Medium Chill? Ooohhhh Medium Chill. I really like blogging (hence this blog) and I wanted to make a joint blog with my sister, brother-in-law, and fiance. We're all creative, some of us like to write, some of us do crafty things. But the only person who really likes blogging is me. I don't think blogs are their inner strengths, but they have lots of others. I think instead of forcing them to blog with me about their strengths, I'll just feature them here on this blog, which is my own personal passion project.
Social Work School So Far (originally published Sunday September 2nd)
Social Work School So Far: So far, SO AMAZING.
I LOVE social work school so far. My classes are fascinating, my professors engaged, the other students as dedicated and passionate as I feel, and the very fact of being in school again fills me with sheer joy. I'm exhausted and overwhelmed after a long week, but riding on a high of LOVING it.
I'm in the honeymoon phase of loving graduate school, I'm aware - probably the sheen will wear off when I get annoyed I can't socialize as much as I want, bored with some class, or frustrated with my workload. But right now, it feels balmy and glorious. I found my field! All my passions are being realized! Discussion after video after talk after workshop on topics I'm obsessed with: public transit, systemic racism, trauma-informed care, school social work, substance abuse, healthcare, and so much more.
What do I love about it so far? I love that my the social work profession doesn't shy away from the scary, big, and important topics of our times - they are part of social work practice. Race, class, money, politics, etc. I love that it's ACKNOWLEDGED that systemic racism is a massive issue and addressed in every class, seminar, and orientation workshop I've attended so far (including an all-day one on Wednesday about anti-oppressive and anti-racism in social work). I love that we've been challenged to get to know each other, think deeply, and be vulnerable already.
I love that my professors freely say - without fear of being called a communist or socialist - that capitalism causes many of the social issues we work to address, and working within the limited system of capitalism will only get us so far. I don't mean one or two. I mean that ALL FOUR of my professors brought this up in some way; I mean that in my day-long anti-oppression workshop it was discussed numerous times; I mean that it was mentioned on the very first day of orientation last week when we had just showed up for the very first time.
LOVE. IT.
What amazes me is how much overlap there is between my classes, without any of the professors trying. In my very first Social Work Practice with Individuals class, we had a long discussion about human rights versus human needs; we also discussed how the US never signed the UN Declaration on Human Rights for various reasons. In my Social Work Macro Practice class (systems change, communities, policies, etc), the reading for this coming week includes the UN Declaration on Human Rights. WHOA. This is just one of a handful of examples from only a week in classes.
School is more than just about feeding my brain with knowledge. Getting to know fellow students, make friends, go to Zumba class and swim, get random tacos for free at a student event on the lawn, make another friend... these too are all parts of the school experience that excite me.
And seeing future nurses, doctors, lawyers, social workers, physical therapists, and business people of all races, backgrounds, religions, abilities, and belief systems wandering around the library, campus center, and the buildings, doing their thing and educating themselves to make the world a better place - wow. Seeing them wander around and realizing that's ME, a future social worker, here with them - incredible. My heart swells with joy. It's a thrilling, glorious privilege.
I LOVE social work school so far. My classes are fascinating, my professors engaged, the other students as dedicated and passionate as I feel, and the very fact of being in school again fills me with sheer joy. I'm exhausted and overwhelmed after a long week, but riding on a high of LOVING it.
I'm in the honeymoon phase of loving graduate school, I'm aware - probably the sheen will wear off when I get annoyed I can't socialize as much as I want, bored with some class, or frustrated with my workload. But right now, it feels balmy and glorious. I found my field! All my passions are being realized! Discussion after video after talk after workshop on topics I'm obsessed with: public transit, systemic racism, trauma-informed care, school social work, substance abuse, healthcare, and so much more.
What do I love about it so far? I love that my the social work profession doesn't shy away from the scary, big, and important topics of our times - they are part of social work practice. Race, class, money, politics, etc. I love that it's ACKNOWLEDGED that systemic racism is a massive issue and addressed in every class, seminar, and orientation workshop I've attended so far (including an all-day one on Wednesday about anti-oppressive and anti-racism in social work). I love that we've been challenged to get to know each other, think deeply, and be vulnerable already.
I love that my professors freely say - without fear of being called a communist or socialist - that capitalism causes many of the social issues we work to address, and working within the limited system of capitalism will only get us so far. I don't mean one or two. I mean that ALL FOUR of my professors brought this up in some way; I mean that in my day-long anti-oppression workshop it was discussed numerous times; I mean that it was mentioned on the very first day of orientation last week when we had just showed up for the very first time.
LOVE. IT.
What amazes me is how much overlap there is between my classes, without any of the professors trying. In my very first Social Work Practice with Individuals class, we had a long discussion about human rights versus human needs; we also discussed how the US never signed the UN Declaration on Human Rights for various reasons. In my Social Work Macro Practice class (systems change, communities, policies, etc), the reading for this coming week includes the UN Declaration on Human Rights. WHOA. This is just one of a handful of examples from only a week in classes.
School is more than just about feeding my brain with knowledge. Getting to know fellow students, make friends, go to Zumba class and swim, get random tacos for free at a student event on the lawn, make another friend... these too are all parts of the school experience that excite me.
And seeing future nurses, doctors, lawyers, social workers, physical therapists, and business people of all races, backgrounds, religions, abilities, and belief systems wandering around the library, campus center, and the buildings, doing their thing and educating themselves to make the world a better place - wow. Seeing them wander around and realizing that's ME, a future social worker, here with them - incredible. My heart swells with joy. It's a thrilling, glorious privilege.
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