I wanted to share the essay “Privileged”. The article was written by NBA player Kyle Korver and caused quite a bit of controversy last month. It’s a great read and you’ll be glad that you did, but if you just don’t have the time, here are some points that impacted me:

• It is an intensely personal essay from the perspective of a successful white man. It explores the privilege he's been granted as a such and how much it took for him to “get it”. He admits being unsympathetic for a long time. 
• Kyle discusses his ability to opt in and out of tough conversations whereas people of color cannot.
• Kyle Korver has tasked himself with becoming a "part of the solution" against racism and put forth some of his own efforts, including:

• "I have to continue to educate myself on the history of racism in America."
• "I have to listen. I'll say it again, because it's that important. I have to listen."
• "I have to support leaders who see racial justice as fundamental -- as something that's at the heart of nearly every major issue in our country today."
• "I have to do my best to recognize when to get out of the way -- in order to amplify the voices of marginalized groups that so often get lost."

While the essay is not the solution to all our problems, it is a great start! The article is extremely well written and what really got me is that you can tell the emotional turmoil he was having while writing it. Hopefully, this article creates a domino effect of self-awareness! 

​Every spring, as part of our continuous improvement efforts, staff from our All-in! program reach out to parents to gather their insights on the services their students receive. These phone calls are conducted with parents whose students receive individualized academic, behavioral, and clinical services. This year we spoke with over 100 parents from 22 of our school partnerships! Responses from our four quantitative questions are summarized below:


80% agreed that Seneca Staff were skillful and knowledgeable in their work with their child
78% felt well informed about what their child was working on and how they were progressing
82% felt that with Seneca services, they were supported in meeting the needs of their child
79% felt their child made progress as a result of their work with Seneca


Our program goal is to have 80% of parents agree with these statements. As the data demonstrates, we have hit the mark on two of these questions and have room to improve on our efforts to keep parents well informed about the services their student is receiving and to help parents to understand the progress their student is making. Over the summer, the leadership team will reflect on this feedback and brainstorm programmatic changes that will help us continue to improve in these areas.

In addition to these four questions where we ask for a simple “yes,” “no,” or “I don’t know” response, the survey includes two open ended questions that allow for parents to elaborate on what is going well and where we can do better in supporting their students. Responses help provide insight into the parent’s perspective of success and what is most important to them. Many parents commented on the progress and improvements they have witnessed in their student(s) as a result of the services they have received, and several parents shared appreciation for our communication and collaboration efforts.

Here are some highlights from our open-ended questions:
Student Progress“One of the things is his self-esteem and how he wants to spend more time with his friends. He used to spend a lot of time alone. Now he has more confidence and wants to spend time with his classmates.”

“My daughter stuttered before, and I can tell that she now takes more time to think about what she's going to say, and that's from the speech therapist. I see now that she voices that she's trying to say something if she is getting cut off by somebody. We play games at home, and she tells me how the speech therapist taught her to connect games to her speech.”

They pay attention to him, and talk and listen to him, and see how he is doing. I feel like he is doing well. He comes home calmer and happier, and it's easier to talk with him.

My son can open up more thanks to his therapist and I like the tools she brings in order to engage my child, for example he loves cars and they're building a car in session and that helps him open up to her.

She's more independent on some of her homework. She tries harder. I'm happy with the services that she gets.

Name: Brittany Allinger
Position: Bilingual Outpatient Clinician at Elmhurst Community Prep and Alliance Academy (Middle Schools)
 
What led you to your current position?
I was an intern with Seneca for 2 years before becoming full time. I entered my Master’s in Social Work program with the specific intention to work in schools, so my first year internship with SOAPS was a perfect fit. I loved the people I worked with and the level of support I received. In my second year I interned with All-In and I loved that too! Through both of these internships I discovered my love of working with middle and high-school students. When I graduated I knew I wanted to stay in a school based Seneca position, but I was struggling to decide between All-In or SOAPS. Luckily, they merged and I was fortunate enough to be offered a position with SOAPS that had everything I wanted.
 
Fun Fact/Quote?
I have three grandkids, and I’m also a DJ. Feel free to ask me questions about this in person!
 
What does your average day look like?
I arrive at school at 8am and spend a few minutes walking around to greet my co-workers and any early students. If I have time I get caught up on emails. I see kids individually throughout the school day, and when I’m not with them I engage in collateral conversations, offer in class support, and attend meetings such as IEPs, SSTs, and COST. In the later afternoons I spend time connecting with parents/caregivers and getting caught up on notes.  I try to leave between 4 and 4:30pm and most days I succeed J
 
Why do you do this work?
I love kids. I find them hilarious, ridiculous, brilliant, sweet, creative, and resilient beyond belief.  Also, I had a school counselor who was incredibly meaningful to me in high school, and she demonstrated unconditional positive regard towards me at a time when nobody else in my life had that to offer. I remember vividly how safe I felt in her office. I hope to provide a similar feeling of safety and trust to the students and schools I work for.  These two reasons combined bring meaning and joy to my days and that’s why I love what I do!