Index Self-Defense Leadership and Policy Development Conclusion Works Cited Growing up I always loved going to school. As a child growing up in a Nigerian family, education was always a priority. My experience in elementary school was positive. I always stayed out of trouble and did my homework. Most of my teachers at the time were very helpful, caring and supportive and made sure each of their students were up to standard when it came to our academics, I remember one teacher in particular who was very critical and closed minded . He never hid the fact that he had students whom he selected as favorites in class. I remember sitting in class listening to him lecture about how important it was to do our homework and how our future depended on it, otherwise we would become nobodies and no one would want to hire us. He had a student he despised. You could tell from her behavior, from the way she talked to him, telling him that he would never amount to anything, she would make fun of him or laugh at his work in front of us, and when she did her homework she would have the courage to tell out loud “Wow, you really did this by yourself? I didn't expect this from you." I felt so sad for my classmate because he was afraid to come to school. I saw him cry every day during recess. I did everything I could to make him feel better. I told myself that I would never belittle or make people feel like they weren't good enough. By the end of the year our teacher was replaced. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Middle school was supposed to be one of the most difficult times as we experience puberty, become in tune with our emotions, and find the need for social interactions and making connections with our peers. I pointed out that my academics are going from having just one teacher to having multiple teachers. Stressing about my social life, craving to find out who my real friends were, and trying not to disappoint my parents at the same time. In middle school it was very important for me to have at least one teacher who became my mentor. I felt I needed to be cared for by adults and peers and, in general, to feel important to the school. I was very active and practical. My teachers were very open-minded when it came to building meaningful relationships between students and teachers. This made learning so fun and interesting. When I think about my high school experience, it was clear that the role of school was to educate me to become someone, so that one day, when I went into the "REAL WORLD" as we called it, I can be productive and be a functioning member in society who can work and educate others. This finally hit me, even though my parents lectured for countless hours on why education was so important in previous years. I've had good and bad memories, mistakes, heartbreak, lessons and drama, all while having fun. I learned the value of hard work and became independent in many ways. For example, making sure my homework was turned in on time. Taking responsibility for my actions and becoming a responsible teenager overall. I made so many friends, I played sports and was on college teams, I went to summer school just to get ahead. In high school I had the best time of my life. I wish we learned more about the other aspects of becoming an adult, such as learning to save money, how to buy a house or a car, how to build ourcredit. Learning real-life responsibilities would have a big impact on my high school experience. What I know now as an adult and working as a school social worker is that there is enough flexibility in the school system, especially today, for school social workers to impact and significantly change the lives of students. My experience in elementary and middle school helped me the most in this sense of working with students. I wanted to help silenced children be heard. My passion came from seeing my closest friends being abused and neglected at home and having no one to talk to or give them the resources they needed to cope or deal with the trauma they were experiencing. My work practices and perspectives stem from the understanding that changing the world starts with helping and being there for that person, being able to empathize and be aware of what they have gone through. I grew up in a home with very involved and loving parents, but as I grew up I realized that not everyone was lucky enough to have an experience like that. Not everyone had a mentor or had that one person at school that they felt safe talking to. I make sure my students know that I have an open door policy and that I am here to guide them in the right direction and to be there to support them, no matter what. Students are willing to be themselves when they have a meaningful connection with a trustworthy adult. Self-advocacy School social workers play a fundamental role in schools and educational settings. Advocating for the best interests of our students is what we strive for, as is advocating for ourselves and the role we play as educational leaders. Social workers must become their own marketing agents if they want to gain visibility and recognition throughout the school community. Self-defense is not always a cultivated skill in social workers. To get involved and advocate for myself, I know I have to trust myself to believe that whatever I'm doing or asking for is what I want. they deserve and what the school and our students need. I have learned to never ask for less to increase my chances. My self-defense is for people to see the value in my role. Communicating what you believe can be difficult, but I believe in the power of showing something, whether that's going into every classroom to present my role as a social worker. or presenting to the administration what positive changes I can make to our campus and how I would implement them to holding workshops for students, teachers, and parents to come together to see how my role benefits the school. The way we show up and present ourselves can really change the way people treat us and view us as social workers. If I'm ever in a space where I have to stand up for myself, I feel like people will believe in me, if I believe in myself. The more I talk, the more I believe it, the more others will believe it. Whether it's organizing a food pantry for our students and their families or teaching parenting classes, I have the voice and the power to try to make it happen. Times have changed and my role as an educational leader is to provide resources, be a catalyst for change, mentor, serve on district committees, work side by side with faculty and staff to improve the well-being of the population we serve and the students with whom we work. Through mutual collaboration and meaningful, consistent school-wide community service practices, it will ultimately improve the learning experience for all students. So far the use of evaluation data in my practice has me.