Uhm, it was a hiatus...yeah, yeah

Ok, it was more like exhaustion and laziness. The past few weeks have been very busy. Without trying to cover all of the things that I have done, I'll try to just give the highlights:

• Arguing over the price of a neuropsychological evaluation after the agency doing the evaluation gave me one price at the beginning of January and then getting a call a week before the evaluation that the price is now even more.
• Testing and report writing.
• Arranging psychiatric evaluation for a student that made a threatening/intimidating statement regarding a teacher.
• Attending eligibility conferences.
• Testing and report writing (yes, I know I put this here twice).
  
• Risk assessments, ye gads, the risk assessments.
• Counseling.
• Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.

Nothing too exciting, aside from the argument with the vendor and arranging the psychiatric evaluation.

I'm very sorry for my absence but I've been emotionally and intellectually drained by the end of the day.

Now for today: Tuesday, February 2nd (Groundhog's Day)
Well the groundhog came out and saw his shadow, so 5 more months of school.

Anyway, I get in this morning after being out sick on Monday (yes, I really was sick). Surprisingly, there was only one phone message...but 16 freakin' emails. Fortunately, about 6 or 7 of those were immediately deletable. Following a review of the emails and a few responses, I get ready for a meeting with an LD and the teachers of a particularly sensitive case to get the information about what exactly the student has been able to do. While waiting for the meeting, I call an out of district school to arrange an interview for another student of mine in need of a placement. I get a date, now I just need to arrange transportation and call the parent.

Just before the meeting is about to start, one of my supervisors comes to me and starts off with those fateful words, "There's a kid in the middle school..." A risk assessment. When asked, I express the importance of my being in the meeting with the teachers. My supervisor accepts this and tries to find another person for the assessment. My meeting begins and we start getting information from the teachers.

About 10 minutes after the meeting starts, my supervisor comes in again and has been unable to find anyone else. So off I go to the middle school. The student supposedly threatened to do bodily harm to another student using a weapon. I do my thing and determine that the student didn't say that he wanted to use a weapon. He just wanted to fight the other student. Apparently, another student started the weapon rumor. This other student has a reputation of trying to stir up trouble between other students.

So I get back to my meeting which is now in full swing. My only issue about missing out on a good portion of the meeting is that I received this student toward the end of last year and everyone else (by which I mean the LD assigned to the case with me, my supervisors, and the transition/assistive technology coordinator) has years of experience with this student and the family. They've all known the case forever. I'm the newcomer and I feel like I have to play catch-up all the time. Fortunately, I'm a quick study.

Anyway after the morning meeting, I prepare paperwork for my two out of district annual reviews on the 3rd.

I also learn that I was assigned a new student who just moved into district. The student has been in out-of-district (OOD) placements in the past and will need to go to one again. I contact the place the student went to before moving from NJ to NY. They tell me they have a placement but the director really didn't feel the student fit into their program. This is a heavy duty psychiatrically based program. For them to say that...oh boy.

A little bit before this, I get a call from another OOD school that I sent an application packet to for my third student that may be in need of an OOD placement. They tell me that they don't think this student is the type that would work well in their program. I agree, it was a long shot anyway but I was looking for an OOD placement that would benefit someone of unusually high intellectual abilities and thought of them. But the acting out behaviors would be too much for them.

Before the end of the day, I make several phone calls confirming appointments and trying to speak to DYFS caseworkers before heading home for the day.