Description of paper: Reflect on your personal experience in school (pre-k through 12th grade).
Discuss how those experiences will impact your work with teachers, administrators, children, and families as a social worker in a school setting. Respond to the following questions as you reflect on your experiences:
– What type of school did you attend (public, private, boarding, homeschool, etc.)? How did that influence your current feelings about school placements? How will your experience of public/private/boarding/homeschooling influence your work with teachers, children, and families in a public school setting?
– Describe either a difficult school experience or a positive school experience, and explain how that experience impacted you. How will those experiences influence your work with teachers, children, and families within a school setting?
– Describe how being part of either the “in-group” or the “out-group” affected your school experience. How will those experiences influence your work with children and families within a school setting?
– Who were the key individuals in school who made a significant impact on you? Describe the person’s role within the school (teacher/principal/classmate/etc.). What was the impact (positive or negative)? How will your experiences with those individuals affect you in your current work in or with schools?
– How did your gender impact your experience of school? How will those experiences affect you in your current work in or with schools?
– How did your sexual orientation impact your experience of school? How will those experiences affect you in your current work in or with schools?
– Describe any experiences of inclusion or exclusion that you experienced in school related to your socioeconomic, cultural or ethnic background, your physical appearance, physical or
learning disability, sexual orientation, or other factors. How did that influence your experience of school? How will those experiences influence your work with teachers, children, and families
within a school setting?
– Did you participate in before or after school activities? If yes, what were the activities, why did you participate, and what was your experience? If you did not participate, why not? How will
those experiences affect you in your current work in or with schools?
Be sure to describe how your personal school experiences will affect you in your future work in schools!
