My mom who has been a teacher since I was in grade school, gave me some small words of advice that were perfect when I first started out.  The first, was to have a bowl of candy in my office to share.  The second, was to offer a hand to others to help.

The first day the staff arrived, I put aside setting up my own office to help move around furniture in several others.  It helped me get to know them, and bonded us within the first few days.

We are School Psychologists.  Which, for my position in my school, means lots of interactions with students and teachers.  And there is no better way to get to know students and teachers than to walk the halls and be present in your school.  When I didn’t have anything to do my first year (or rather, I didn’t know I should be doing anything), I would pop into a classroom or walk around and see what was going on.  It helped, a lot.  I also spent (and still do spend!) a lot of time at lunch and recess.  It helps the kiddos to get to know me, and me to get to know the kiddos.

My first year, my office was located in our main office, so I got a LOT of traffic.   I always kept my door open when I could, which encouraged people to say hi, to stop in and chat about a student, or to vent.

 

Repeat after me:  “It’s my first year, and I’m not supposed to know it all.”   It’s so true!  I embraced this my first year, and you should too!  We went through lots of schooling that gave us background on the work we are doing. We did an internship where we shadowed a school psych, but we didn’t really get to see the inner workings.  Now, we have a whole new position to learn!  Embrace the fact that you are making mistakes because it means you are learning.

Let’s be real-no one likes a know it all.  Especially when they are a newbie.  Do a good job, and people will notice and appreciate it.  No reason like you need to act like you know everything (because you probably don’t-but you’re not supposed to!)

When you think about the position, being a School Psych can be a lonely job- there’s usually only one of us at every school!  But, you are not alone.  You have your special education team, your leadership team, and other psychs in your district to reach out to, and you should.  I have a few psychs who I  started off with, and they are still my go-to gals when I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.

Let’s face it, writing reports is a big part of our job.  And you will, undoubtedly, write a lot of reports. Save yourself a lot of time, and within the first few months, get set up with a report template that you can use.  You can (and should) change it over time.  I update mine throughout the year and a big one at the beginning of the year, but having a go-to is a lifesaver.

Everyone has their own style-I used to be a paper girl all the way when I was in graduate school and in my previous jobs, but I have found that over the years, electronic is the way to go for me.  For a calendar, I use outlook on my computer/phone and iPad, and I plug EVERYTHING in.  I also use the app Wunderlist and it is a lifesaver.  My first year, I lost track of so many things because they were post-it notes lost in the abyss.  If paper and color coded meetings are your thing though,  go with it.  Just have a system that works for you.

 

What advice do you have for someone starting out?