Editor's Eye

 

 

 

and more!

 

What does a life in social work look like? You might look at it as a series of “sideways” stories! “If life were black and white, we’d have no need for social work.” Read Ogden Rogers’ collection, Beginnings, Middles, & Ends: Sideways Stories on the Art & Soul of Social Work. Available on Amazon.com (print and Kindle), Google Play (e-book), directly from the publisher, and other bookstores. Do you know a social worker or social work student who loves to read? This book is a welcome retreat from academic textbooks.

 

Job Corner

 

 

Featured Excerpt

 

Before I began my MSW, I worked as a pre-school teacher. I remember watching children who didn’t handle transitions well, standing in line pushing, talking, and even crying. In my first semester as a graduate student in the School of Social Work at Spalding University, I had internal and external conflicts that felt very similar to those of the preschooler who pushed, cried, and talked in line.

 

The beginning of any life-changing event is difficult. For a distinct period of time, everything feels chaotic. Graduate school is certainly a life-changing event. Urdang (2010) writes, “When I was teaching master’s-level social casework, I would say to each class: I don’t think most of you realized what you were getting into when you came into this program; no-one ever disagreed” (p. 523). Taking the steps to achieve a master’s degree in social work is a process that involves embracing what drew me to social work in the first place and being willing to develop my professional self. Urdang writes about this strain: “Students generally do not anticipate the psychological stress and the changes they will undergo in developing a professional self” (p. 523). 

 

I want to offer a few simple tips that I learned through this process that may help other students succeed in the first months of graduate school. These tips will help during the transition period, build a foundation for the rest of the graduate school experience, and support a healthy professional path. 

 

My graduate degree process started before I attended the information session at the university. I spent months in prayer and meditation making sure that returning to school was, indeed, the next right thing to do for me and my family. The process included applications, personal essays, interviews, acceptance, orientation, and classes. Remembering that graduate school is a process has helped me stay in the present moment. Where I am today is the most important place. If I am striving to be somewhere else, then I am missing an opportunity to be the best I can be here and now. 

 

Sometimes, I find it difficult to be present in a process. I want the end result and I want it fast. This need/want for immediate results does not resonate with the reality of processes, which are often slow and arduous. The MSW program at Spalding University dedicates a day to orientation before the fall semester starts. A survey regarding the skill set of a professional social worker is distributed, and students are required to rate themselves at that time—not where they think they will be at the end, but where they are at that very moment. This experience was powerful for me. I realized that who I was right then played an important part in who I was going to be at the end of the process. I just needed to be present and participate in the journey.

 

Willingness goes a long way in making the transition to graduate school easier. Resisting the process leads to internal and external conflicts. There is room for “agreeable disagreement,” and there is even more room for willingness to participate. I have watched cohort members resist ideas, assignments, boundaries, and the process—in ways that made it more difficult for them. The resistance creates internal tension and it often comes out during in-class, online, and one-on-one interactions. 

 

Don’t misunderstand. I believe conflict is natural in human relationships. I feel safe calling and expressing my discontent about graduate school with a couple of cohort members I trust. I believe this discontent is normal and healthy. This discussion is always followed by centering on the solution of being willing. 

 

Read the rest of this article at:

 

 

Read more articles from the Fall 2015 issue of The New Social Worker. A few highlights:

 

 

Bonus: Check out our recent web-exclusive articles:

 

News & Resources

 

 

Any social work student, faculty member, or alumnus from a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education may participate in the National Poetry Contest for Social Workers.  The deadline for submission is January 1, 2016. Poems should speak to hopes, dreams, fears, and experiences related to social work.

 

The purpose of the contest is to acknowledge the creative talent of social workers and to draw attention to social work as a profession. “Hosting the national poetry contest here in Iowa City is a natural extension of what the School of Social Work has been doing for decades," says faculty member Mercedes Bern-Klug, a founder of the poetry contest. "We have a 23-year track record of offering a Creative Writing Seminar for social workers, and the University of Iowa is known as the 'writing university.' Iowa City is a UNESCO City of Literature. Writing is in the air."

 

There is no cost to enter the contest. One submission per social worker is allowed. Entries will be judged by a panel of social workers, writers, and poets. The top three submissions will be awarded cash prizes and all submissions that meet the requirements will be published in an electronic chapbook on the UI School of Social Work website and in THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine.

 

For more information or to submit a poem, please see: http://clas.uiowa.edu/socialwork/resources/creative-writing-social-workers

 

 

 

 

 

I am seeking a limited number of articles for THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER website. Is there an issue that you are passionate about that corresponds with an upcoming “awareness” month, week, or day? This is a good way to identify a topic for a timely article.

 

Our style is conversational and educational, and web articles typically run 500-750 words. We want positive articles that social workers can use to help them advance in their careers.

 

I also welcome submissions of poetry, photographs, illustrations, artwork, videos, audio, and other creative work depicting social work and related topics.

 

Please contact Linda Grobman, editor/publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, at: lindagrobman@socialworker.com

 

Submit articles to Linda Grobman with a subject line that says “Submission—(insert title or topic of submission). Attach your submission as a Word file.  Please include in this file: title of submission, your name as you want it to appear with your article, body of your submission, a brief bio about yourself.  I will then review your submission and let you know if I need anything else or if it is accepted for publication.

In Print

White Hat Communications, publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and the Social Work E-News, has published several books about social work. These books make great gifts (for graduation, holidays, or other occasions) for yourself, or for your friends, students, and colleagues in social work!

 

We also publish books on nonprofit management. Want to start your own agency? We have a book for that.

 

 

All of our books are available through our secure online store at:

 

Most are also available at Amazon.com.

 

You can also view and download our catalog in PDF format.

 

Reminders

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