challenges as seen from the balcony

One adaptive challenge has been to think about the best way to communicate with the people that we (my project team at my internship) are attempting to serve. We have been designing and implementing a program to help support families in getting their children to school on time. We have had to put ourselves in their shoes as best as we can, in order to think about what might be the best way to approach these families and offer help. We learned the hard way that what we think is an effective and supportive way to reach out with families is not necessarily perceived that way by them. We drafted a letter to the parents of children who were chronically absent and let them know that someone would be contacting them from Family Service of Rhode Island in order to talk with them about barriers and solutions. However, many of the families thought that we were talking about the Department of Youth and Families and were frightened because they thought they were being reported to the authorities for not caring for their children adequately. We then had to explain to frightened and angry parents what our organization is and reassure them that we were not here to punish but rather to help them. Ultimately, we were able to remedy the situation. However, it caused some hardship that could have been avoided had we considered more carefully the tone of the letter. In drafting a second version, we consulted with a parent, some school employees, the Parent Engagement office of PPSD and some other community stakeholders. By soliciting help from numerous, we were able to revise the letter to convey our mission more accurately and hopefully foster a more trusting relationship.

A technical challenge I have faced has been developing an effective way of tracking and measuring the attendance data on the students that we served. I was given raw numbers of days absent and tardy, but needed to devise a system for storing that information in the most efficient way. This has been a process of trial and error and I have adapted and added to our database as the project has continued. As we added more information, I have needed to reorganize our data in ways that allow for us to detect progress and identify challenges that persist. I have also needed to adapt the data in order for it to be used for different purposes by different people. I have needed to provide information for press releases and news articles and have had to generate numbers that can most efficiently be used for these purposes. As new uses and needs for data arise, I continue to calculate new information and adjust the numbers in ways that will allow us to examine our project from various angles.

Another technical challenge has been trying to increase the number of parents who attend workshops at the school on attendance. This has required us to look at what stands in the way of parents attending and identify ways to increase the likelihood that they will be able to attend. This has meant that we have had to hold the workshops at several different times throughout the day, in order to accommodate people’s schedules. We learned through trial and error that the morning was the best attended, that the evening is difficult and that we need to move our afternoon session to a more convenient time, such as right after school. We also provided childcare and Spanish interpreters, to accommodate the needs to the parents who we want to attend these meetings. We realized that both of these services facilitate parent attendance, and also that we need some additional supports for refugee families who are new to the area and are facing their own set of cultural barriers. This is all information that we will then apply when we hold our next round of attendance workshops.

Reflection #1: Life Context

10/17/11

The chapter describes several components of a “life context” that are relevant to the internship experience. The ones that apply most directly to my life are academics, friends, family, and caring for myself. Most of these components have the ability to be both assets and liabilities. If I am able to create a balance among them, they will all support the work I am doing in my internship. They will be assets in helping me to have a meaningful experience and to be a valuable worker. There is also the chance that some of these components could be liabilities in that they will draw my time and attention away from my work without providing me with any benefit. I will discuss several of these components in the following entry, as well as the ways that they have to potential to be both assets and liabilities.

My academic commitments are primarily an asset to my internship experience. While my classes do demand a certain amount of time to complete the work, they are also closely aligned with the work I am doing in my internship. Spending time on class work does not detract from time spent working on my internship, since the material augments my work at the Providence Children’s Initiative and builds my understanding of the context in which I work. In fact, some of the material we are covering in class will be essential in completing my internship project successfully. In addition, since I am only able to take two classes this semester, the academic demands of classes can be fulfilled in the time I am not working at my internship.

My friends and family are also primarily assets of my life context, although there are instances when they could be liabilities as well. My friends and family are extremely supportive of and interested in my work at my internship. They are intelligent and successful people who inquire about my work and are willing and able to engage in meaningful discussions. These relationships are mutually beneficial, as we each rely on one another in order to meet the demands of our work. I have tried in the past to manage my life without accessing the support of friends and family and have not been successful. As a result, I make a point to ask for help, feedback, comfort and companionship when I feel it is necessary. The potential liability of these relationships comes from the time it takes to maintain them, as well as the joy I get from spending time with them. There may be times where I will need to sacrifice some of this time in order to complete my work. There are also times where I am unable to meet commitments to my family and friends that I have been able to in the past. This is a potential source of stress, as I will need to readjust the balance of my time. While this is a potential liability, if I am able to do this then I will be able to maintain these supportive and affirming relationships.

In my current life context, I engage in certain activities in order to maintain my physical and mental health. These activities are foundations of my life that allow me to live a productive, fulfilling life. I am able to be a student and a worker because I am committed to maintaining a level of health that allows me to function and to thrive. These activities are assets, as they provide me with tools for dealing with all aspects of my life, including work, school and relationships. The benefits that I receive from this discipline are essential to my success and productivity. In this respect these activities will enable me to be successful as an intern. The potential liability of this area is that these activities require a time commitment that needs to be scheduled around my work, school and personal commitments. This can be a source of stress and I am unable to find a proper balance then one or more of these areas may suffer. With the right balance, the time I spend caring for myself will increase my productivity and facilitate a successful internship experience. Ideally by reflecting on these areas of my life context, I will be able to maximize their ability to be assets and minimize the liabilities.