Denise Mckinley: A Case Study

One of my goals in life is to become a third grade teacher. Teaching is something I always dreamed of being as a little girl. For this reason, case study number two is most relevant to my area of interest or work. Having the opportunity to be a leader in a child’s life guided them to a lifelong learning experience and using what I had been educated with to help all students achieve. The barriers preventing the individual from fully participating in work, school and/or society are being physically or mentally

By working in a public school setting, I hope to integrate aspects of assessment, counseling, research, and skill training to create individualized intervention plans, and provide an optimum learning environment for all students. After receiving the opportunity to work with children with exceptionalities at Camp MATES and the social skills groups, I was stunned to discover how underserved that population is. I was appalled by the obscene amounts of money parents pay for their children to receive services tailored to them and their exceptionalities and how difficult it can be to get into those programs. As a School Psychologist, I hope to make academic success more attainable for all students despite their socioeconomic background. My goal is to assess students who are struggling academically to find an educational method that suits their individual differences and be able to refer them to community resources if needed. My dream is to bridge the gap between home and school and promote supportive environments in both that migrate seamlessly. I hope to provide students with strategies, such as social skills training, they can use to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. I aim to learn more about Learning and Intellectual Disabilities and interventions that improve the academic success rate of students with those

Having discovered my calling to work with nontraditional students, I took a position with St. Charles Youth and Family Services as a Teacher of Experiential Education. This position allowed me to interact with urban students from MPS who were expelled, court ordered or Special Education students who were deemed best suited to self-contained program. I loved the challenge every day. Every student was so different, but they all wanted and craved the same thing… acceptance and unconditional love. I wanted more.

Mrs. Alice McLoughlin-Doro is a Special Education teacher at Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, Illinois. The community is known for its excellent school districts. According to the 2010 census there were 47, 833 people living in Downers Grove with approximately 19,000 households and 13,000 families. The racial makeup of the school was reported to be 88% White, 3% African American, 5% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 5% Asian, and 1.6% from two or more races. About 1.7% of families were below the poverty line. The school district report card reports the following racial/ethnic background for the school: 68.1% White, 10.3 African American, 11% Hispanic, 7.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, and 3.2% two or more races. The elementary schools, middle schools, and high school all perform very well academically receiving above state average scores on standardized tests. She has been working there for 10 years and is currently a Case Manager of 17 students, all with an IEP, all with different needs and goals in the LD department. She co-teaches two general education classes in English intervention, all freshman. Although she is a Special Education teacher, she works with all the students. She also teaches a READ 180, Tier 3 reading and english intervention. This is where we will be focusing on for this

Examining the information obtained in the interview and the roles and functions of the school psychologist in Burr Elementary School, I would first like to investigate the client basis in Mrs. Montgomery’s practice. With the client focus centered on the children and teachers, as well as the social system, it can be seen through Mrs. Montgomery’s open door policy that she puts herself out there so that students and teachers know they can come to her for guidance and support. Not only does Mrs. Montgomery’s spend time with a student in a 1-to-1 setting, she also meets with students through the many instructional, social skills and outreach groups. For example, she incorporates small group meetings during lunch, to confer with students on various grade levels. This allows Mrs. Montgomery’s to cycle through students who are not on her caseload. Spending observation time sitting-in in classrooms, Mrs. Montgomery is able to consult and collaborate with teachers and administration about students who are struggling or who need extra

I recently left a position at a small Early Childhood Education center in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school consisted of children ranging in age of 6 weeks to 6 years. I worked there for eleven years in a variety of age groups. Most of my experience was in Preschool, with children who were three and four years old. The school was located in Point Park University located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, in one of the University’s dorm buildings and took up two floors. Each classroom was between three and four dorm rooms combined in size. The rooms were long and narrow with partial walls knocked down and converted into doorways between the rooms. Because of the classrooms

Social workers play a crucial role in many professional realms. With the focus on social workers in educational settings, I interviewed Erika Bougdanos who is a Dean of Students at Niles North High School, located in north suburban Skokie, Illinois. Bougdanos has been working at Niles North for over ten years as a Dean and holds her MSW degree and Type 75 certification (Illinois Administrative Certificate). Bougdanos mentioned that although the high school is highly ethnically diverse, the majority of the student population is White. While Bougdanos interacts with many students throughout her work week, she mentioned that the students she primarily sees in her office are those from low-income or minority backgrounds.

This interview was conducted with Wes Jensen the current principal of Mountain View Middle School. He has been the principal at his current school for two years, and was vice principal of the Blackfoot High School for two years. Before he became an administrator he was a classroom teacher for seven years, giving him 11 years of experience in education. The school has a very diverse population comprised of many different ethnicities including Native American, Hispanic, and Caucasian. The economic situations range from wealthy to highly impoverished. As the principal of this school he is a very professional man who holds high expectations for his staff.

Ms. McGinnis is an 82-year-old female, with history of Alzheimer dementia, diabetes, and hypertension. Her primary caregiver is her son, Michael McGinnis. Mr. McGinnis has admitted to the ER doctor, multiply employees at Senior Care and to DHR worker on the phone that he gave his mother methadone. Ms. McGinnis is not prescribed Methadone and is mental unable to consent to taking methadone.

Debra Kaylene McKee related she related she worked at Grillsmith at Brookstone, 2000 Piazza Avenue #100, Wesley Chapel, Florida 33543, from 1110-1500 hours. McKee said she then went home and then went to Ybor city about 1730 hours and went to the Bad Monkey Pub at 1717 E 7th Avenue, where she had one “Johnny Vegas” on the rocks. McKee related around 1800 hours, she went to the Carne Chophouse at 1536 E 7th Avenue, where she had dinner and one “Johnny Vegas” to drink. After diner at Carne, McKee related she went back to the Bad Monkey around 1930 hours and had one “Fireball” to drink. McKee said she left the Bad Monkey about 2030 hours and drove to Chipotle at 12827 N Dale Mabry Highway. Mckee related she left the Chipotle about 2215 hours

I interviewed several service providers in my school, Stephen Knight Center for Early Education, that included the psychologist, special education teacher and a general education teacher. I interviewed Ms. Iris, the school psychologist, Ms. Kathy, the special education teacher, and Ms. Hilary, a general education teacher. Ms. Iris’ responsibilities include working with students who have social emotional needs. This can include behavior challenges, learning new social skills, managing grief, etc. She works directly with parents and teachers to provide resources regarding the child’s well-being, and ensure good attendance by setting up plans. Ms. Iris works with children in general education, counseling groups, and one-on-one situations, including special education minutes. Ms. Hilary is a general education classroom teacher. She is responsible for the well-being of her students academically, socially, physically and developmentally. Ms. Hilary also advocates for families and students to receive the support that they need to feel successful in their first years of school. Finally, Ms. Kathy is the staffing

For the purpose of this assignment, the leader I have chosen Ms. J, the principal of a charter school in New Orleans charter school named Harriet Tubman Charter School. Ms. J was also a founder of a school network that oversees 3 elementary to 8th grade schools. Founded in 2011 the schools now serve over 1700 students in the New Orleans area. Tubman Charter school has a staff of eighty. Ms. Lauses role is to oversee eight staff members that ensure that the school produces leading results for the state as well as promising scholars that will path their way to college. As the principal of this school specifically, Ms. J has large obstacles that go beyond the walls of the school. Harriet Tubman Charter school is within a neighborhood that struggles both economically and educationally. Almost 100% of the scholars qualify for a free lunch and are black or Latino and the kindergartens scholars that arrive on the first day know only one or two letters of the alphabet. Historically before Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on 38% of public school students graduated high school (quote). While most people see this as a place where most people see extreme challenges, Ms. J see’s it as an opportunity for change and promise.

Currently, I am student teaching at Alfred E. Zampella PS #27 School in the district of Jersey City. The school is located in a busy city, next to John F. Kennedy St. which is especially busy in the morning and during rush hour. This results in several late students on a day to day basis. On the other hand, this school is also highly accessible and as a little over a thousand students. The school has grade levels from kindergarten to 8th grade, and has a mix of general, special, and inclusion education classrooms. Typically, families that enroll their students into this school are of lower-middle socio-economic class, and tend to be majority Hispanic, Indian, and African American, with few Caucasians and Asians. This school provides a variety of special programs for their ESL students and special need students. Students may be offered speech language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, ESL programs, reading recovery, and counseling.

Over the course of the past few years, I have been very blessed to have professional experiences that reinforced my interest in social work. In 2014, I worked as a guidance counselor and learning support intern at St. Pius Elementary school in Greensboro, North Carolina. In the guidance-counseling department, I assisted with counseling appointments with children in grades K-8. We often discussed topics

The agency where I am interning is Partnership with Children. “Partnership” as it is called, works to strengthen the emotional, social and academic skills of at-risk children to prepare them for success--academically, socially, and in life. “Partnership’s” programs aim to bridge the gap between those who have a vested interest in working within New York City’s highest-need public schools, and those in need. “Partnership’s” goal is to transform the overall culture of many of the city’s struggling schools by helping students cope with the extreme stress of living in poverty. Helping students thrive in safe and supportive schools that encourage