"Every child deserves access to an equal opportunity to explore, foster and achieve their fullest potential."
-Simone Muschett, LMSW
Imagine a black female student who is being raised in Brooklyn, single parent home, an only child, non traditional housing arrangements, attends NYC Public School, may or may not have environmental or personal trauma.
Doesn't she deserve to have an equal opportunity to explore, foster and achieve her fullest potential? That girl was me. With the support of caring adults at school, through enrichment clubs during the school day and after school, along with free programs in the community, I was able to acquire the necessary skills to make it into college academically and socio-emotionally equipped to discover who I am, what my gifts are and how to set goals and achieve them.
As a School Social Worker, I strive to provide, refer or create equal access to opportunities that will allow my students to explore, foster and achieve their fullest potential.
Year 1 at PS 287 there was a disconnect between School Culture and safety. I was able to tackle that first hand through the implementation of Town Hall which has become a necessary staple in our school programming to this day. Additionally, a spirit of academic excellence was missing. I was tasked to develop the first Honor Roll at PS 287 where students were recognized and celebrated for their overall academic excellence.
Year 2 at PS 287 I created Trauma Informed programming. Knowing the impact of Covid-19 on top of the social issues students were facing before the pandemic, I knew that with returning to the building a more sensitive approached needed to be implemented. This is how restorative circles ( circle time), teacher advisory groups, parent support groups, morning meetings and at-risk therapeutic groups were implemented to support our students and staff to manage their feelings as it pertains to the pressures and demands of jobs, responsibilities and fear.
SY 2021-2022, year 3 was the most difficult year. This is the first time we were told all students and staff must return to in-person schooling, vaccine mandates were enforced, and the community seemed divided. Students struggled to socialize, as they had not done so in two years. This led to me having to spend a lot of time re-teaching students how to socialize and play appropriately starting with shutting down recess. Re-Introducing group games, girls group, boys group and other enrichment options during lunch such as art club and student led gaming club.
This 4th year, my focus has been to support staff in fostering Socio-emotionally competent classroom environments and access to social work support as well, similar to what the students experience. Modeling and implementing our trauma informed structures, routines and practices with fidelity.
As you navigate through this prortfolio, you will find evidence of each of the described intiatives plus some extras on the impact and growth that I have made as the School Social Worker at PS 287.