Give Yourself a High Five in 2012!
Now we all have our New Year resolutions. Some people want
to lose weight, others hope to get better organized and many desire to spend
more time with their families and friends. Everyone has areas of their lives
that could use some restoring and most have the instinctual need to simply
become more balanced.
For the past two years, I have started off the beginning of
January with a New Year post designed to not only motivate, but to also support
those of you who have made personal and/or work related resolutions to achieve
a more purposeful and productive existence. Here are two previous posts from
2010 and 2011 that you may find still find inspiring in 2012:
So, after two very relaxing and enjoyable weeks off from
school, I am now preparing to return to preschool and the demands of work life.
I already have my "to do" list written, with evaluation reports and IEPs to
write, quarterly progress notes due next week and meetings scheduled over the
next several days.
Although there are the immediate responsibilities that wait,
I do not want to lose sight of the areas of my work life that often are rushed
or pushed aside. So here is my high-five list for the workplace in 2012. Each
addresses an area that empowers me to be a better therapist and coworker!
- Get My Space Straightened! Simply
put -- clean my office space! I tend to move from session to session, not
always cleaning and straightening the way I should. When my space is
neater and I have my supplies readily available, I am more efficient!
- Be Proactive with Paperwork! Procrastinating
with paperwork causes much stress, so my goal is to get moving on it as
soon as I return this week. The less stress I cause myself, the better!
- Parley with Parents! I do speak
regularly with many parents, especially those I see often in the hallways
or for whom I have consultative time; however, there are others I barely
get a chance to touch base with monthly. When I send notes homes and take
the time for phone calls, I see the child begin to do better because the
parents and I are working as a team -- my goal is to have this happen with
more children!
- Co-treat with Coworkers! The PT,
OT and I began doing this more through the month of December and it went
well. I want this to continue!
- Systematize my Sessions! When my caseload increases and the
demands of paperwork increases, my therapy planning time often decreases.
I need to make this a priority. The more appropriate and purposeful my
sessions are for each student, the more progress they make!
Happy New Year everyone!
May 2012 be a year of growth and opportunity, peace and joy for you!