Organize. Organize. Organize.

If you can do one thing to make your life easier during internship and future years practicing school psychology, it is to organize. Yes, of course, this seems obvious and no one would ever intentionally walk into a school year thinking they would do otherwise. But make this a goal and a priority right off the bat.

Try, Try Again

Be prepared for your first few organization strategies not to fit just right, and keep trying. After around 7 months of my internship year, I finally got into a groove of how I wanted to organize all my documents, notes, paperwork, counseling forms, etc., and my only wish is that I would have streamlined my organization faster.

Have Your Bases Covered

Documentation is key in covering all of your legal and ethical bases. Keeping these documents/notes organized will make your life so much easier. Here are a few simple tips to do so!

Tips:

1. Keep both digital and hard copies of ALL important documents (per your district policies). Keep documents in a locked file cabinet that is organized to fit your needs.

2. Digital Tips: Make Google Drive (or other online servers that your district uses) folders for each school that you work at. Within each schools’ main folder, create a folder for EACH student on your caseload. This is where I upload all evaluation documents including observation notes, IEP reports, re-eval, annual evals, and progress monitoring information.

3. Always write your reports in a separate working document that is safe from being deleted by your district's special education services database. This will save you a lot of time and energy, I promise.

4. Save all your work! Whenever you plan for a group, or for suicide prevention, create an easy to replicate/follow powerpoint that you can use each year and modify as needed. I especially encourage you to make a streamlined plan for your suicide prevention curriculum that makes sense to you. Get Creative!

You’ve Got This

This was one of the most intimidating aspects of the job to me starting out. Now that I have learned the systems, the way my district works, and how I function best in terms of paperwork, it is so satisfying to organize! Have fun and do your thing!

Best,

Amanda Hartman

One of the greatest lessons I have learned this year as an intern is the importance of growing comfortable during uncomfortable conversations. We learn this during our graduate training, and it truly is something to sit with and practice every day. As school psychologists, it is our utmost responsibility to advocate for our students. Our students with disabilities, students of color, LGBTQIA+ identifying learners, newcomer students, multi-lingual learners, and every other learner in our buildings are relying on someone to be comfortable speaking up and telling others “no.” Sometimes, the culture of a school building makes it difficult to push back. Though it is difficult, this is an opportunity to practice our advocacy skills rather than defaulting to the culture’s status quo.

Best,

Amanda Hartman