Diversity in Development & Learning
School psychologists have knowledge of individual differences, abilities, and disabilities and of the potential influence of biological, social, cultural, ethnic, experiential, socioeconomic, gender-related, and linguistic factors in development and learning. School psychologists demonstrate the sensitivity and skills needed to work with individuals of diverse characteristics and to implement strategies selected and/or adapted based on individual characteristics, strengths and needs.
(NASP, n.d.) |
Diversity in Development and Learning is an area that is ever evolving. It is essential to consistently be aware of the many facets that inform our decision and practices as School Psychologists. Thus far, I have not had any opportunities where I was asked to evaluate an English-Language Learner but it is something I will experience during my internship year. I am excited for this challenge! Diversity is all around us but if a person has never had an opportunity to experience it, how can they be expected to appreciate it? Providing experiences where students can learn the many layers of diversity increases their awareness of its presence within their own lives.
Having grown up in Wellesley, I was already familiar with the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities, Inc. (METCO, Inc.) organization before beginning my internship. As stated on their website, the purpose of the METCO program is to “provide the opportunity for children from racially-imbalanced schools in Boston and children from isolated suburban schools to learn together in an integrated public school setting.”
As with everything, challenges and bumps in the road are inevitable. Over the course of my internship, I have often pondered how I, as a school psychologist, can enrich the experiences of both those students from Boston and those from Wellesley. One specific issue has troubled me over the past few months of my internship. Most of, if not all of, the METCO events are located in Wellesley, as opposed to a combination of holding them in Wellesley and Boston. It makes me question the messages we are sending to our students and the climate we are building in our schools. These one sided activities creates a sense of one place being “good” and one being “bad.”
I feel a strong sense of responsibility to continually question the impact our actions as adults have on the environment of our schools and the development of our students. In my experiences working at the elementary level, the topic of sexual orientation is rarely raised. This is a sensitive topic that is challenging to incorporate into our primary grades, as each family has their own set of beliefs on this subject. It is crucial that we, as school psychologists, provide objective models of acceptance for our students. To do so, a strong emphasis on understanding how our own individual beliefs, perceptions, and morals impact everything we do and every interaction we engage in.
While one of my internship sites works with a large population English Language Learners. Looking back on the school year thus far, I wish I had taken better advantage of available opportunities to further my own education and knowledge of working with this particular population. By taking the time to reflect on my internship experiences, I am able to identify those areas of competency that I am less familiar with. Obtaining this knowledge will allow me to seek out specific opportunities and experiences that target these less familiar areas of competency. In addition, I am able to form a sense of the areas I naturally navigate towards and the areas I will need to make a conscious effort to seek out.
Having grown up in Wellesley, I was already familiar with the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities, Inc. (METCO, Inc.) organization before beginning my internship. As stated on their website, the purpose of the METCO program is to “provide the opportunity for children from racially-imbalanced schools in Boston and children from isolated suburban schools to learn together in an integrated public school setting.”
As with everything, challenges and bumps in the road are inevitable. Over the course of my internship, I have often pondered how I, as a school psychologist, can enrich the experiences of both those students from Boston and those from Wellesley. One specific issue has troubled me over the past few months of my internship. Most of, if not all of, the METCO events are located in Wellesley, as opposed to a combination of holding them in Wellesley and Boston. It makes me question the messages we are sending to our students and the climate we are building in our schools. These one sided activities creates a sense of one place being “good” and one being “bad.”
I feel a strong sense of responsibility to continually question the impact our actions as adults have on the environment of our schools and the development of our students. In my experiences working at the elementary level, the topic of sexual orientation is rarely raised. This is a sensitive topic that is challenging to incorporate into our primary grades, as each family has their own set of beliefs on this subject. It is crucial that we, as school psychologists, provide objective models of acceptance for our students. To do so, a strong emphasis on understanding how our own individual beliefs, perceptions, and morals impact everything we do and every interaction we engage in.
While one of my internship sites works with a large population English Language Learners. Looking back on the school year thus far, I wish I had taken better advantage of available opportunities to further my own education and knowledge of working with this particular population. By taking the time to reflect on my internship experiences, I am able to identify those areas of competency that I am less familiar with. Obtaining this knowledge will allow me to seek out specific opportunities and experiences that target these less familiar areas of competency. In addition, I am able to form a sense of the areas I naturally navigate towards and the areas I will need to make a conscious effort to seek out.
Evidence of Competency
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Prioritized Assessment for Intervention for ELL students | |
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