The Ramblings of a Social Worker

Between assisting LEA (law enforcement association) with drug raids (two), working 9 or 10 hour days, completing assignments for school, managing my hectic caseload, going to church, studying for the CSET, and commuting…I’ve had a pretty hectic October/November.

Assisting LEA has been very interesting. I’ve only been a social worker for 11 months, and it’s interesting to see how rapidly my caseload has changed. I first started out with basic general neglect referrals (dirty homes, no water, no electricity) and gradually progressed to receiving more intense referrals (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse). I can’t go into much detail about the nature of drug raids, but let’s just say that carrying a can of pepper spray is not going to cut it! One home had machetes, brass knuckles, pistols, and rifles, in addition to the meth they working cooking in the presence of children.

As far as the school and full time work goes, that’s not a big deal. I’ve been working and going to school full time for the past three years, so it’s pretty much what I do. I think it was much harder working and obtaining my Bachelor's degree. Thankfully, the Bachelors process took 4 years and is behind me. However, I’m attempting to get my teaching credential and meeting Californias regulations is the proverbial thorn in my side. Regulations for teachers have tightened in the past few years and all teachers/potential teachers must pass several main tests. I passed the CBEST almost two years ago because I thought I was going to be a substitute teacher. I found the CBEST to be very easy and didn’t study. BUT!!!! The CSET: California Subject Examination for Teachers was more intense. It has three subtests, and the subjects include English/History, Science/Math, and Physical Education/Human Development/Art/Music. It’s hard to study, because there’s no guarantee that anything you study will be on the test. I decided to quit worrying and pray. I got discouraged because MANY people me that it was impossible to pass all three subtests on the first try, and said that I should just take one at a time. I signed up for all three subtests, took the test on November 1st, got my results on November 24th, and I passed all three! I was so happy, I yelled out, “THANK YOU, JESUS” at work, cried a little, and nearly ran around the cubicles.

It’s 5:24 AM and I should be finishing a 5 page paper due this evening at 5pm. I barely started last night, but I am on my 5th page…I’m not too worried about finishing. I had plans to be with family in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day, but those plans have since changed. Our church has foot washing and communion on Thanksgiving Day. I know most churches have FW/C on New Year’s Eve, but our church has been having FW/C on Thanksgiving Day for centuries (ok, decades). I always think of my new year as Thanksgiving Day, because I always start my new year with God after FW/C. As a child it was easy to crack jokes about washing feet, toe jam, etc. FW/C is now a very special time for me and I have been looking forward to it for a few weeks.

Ok. So there you have it. My mini update. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!