Garden Project-At the Farm with the Kids DAY 5

Our time with the kids is drawing near to a close. We have enjoyed ourselves this summer. This, fortunately, will not be the last time that we meet up with them. We will see them again next semester while we do our senior internships.

Today at the farm, we actually fixed the raised garden beds that were broken. We made use of unused garden beds. (We or Ms. MacArthur?) If anyone does not remember what a raised garden bed is, it is 4 boards nailed together to make a square with nothing in the middle. Inside of it goes soil and whatever plant one wishes to grow. Three of the raised beds were broken. One of them was missing an entire side, so we just threw the whole thing away. Ms. McArthur rescued the other two broken garden beds and we used them today. We poured bags of soil into the gardening beds and smoothed out the natural clumps. We poured 3 bags of soil into each bed. I wonder if that is too much… Once again, I worked with my little partner- the same partner that I worked with when we started working with the gardening beds.  At one point, her little brother was involved, but in a few minutes, he just watched.

So my little partner and I made rows to plant the seeds in, as we were directed by my instructor. We planted squash seeds, while others planted okra, and yet more others planted greens. We closed up the rows, watered the beds, and moved on. We had an opportunity to see the growth of the sunflowers seeds that planted during DAY 2.

To see the beginning stages of something, and then how it develops and progresses has always been fascinating to me. At first the sunflower seeds were tiny seeds. People would even eat them without realizing their potential beauty. When the tiny seeds were placed in the right environment- in 4 rows in the gardening beds and had frequent watering, the sunflowers are in a right atmosphere to change and to grow. This is also true for the children as well. Each child is born as a seed. As he grows, he becomes a seedling. As he grows even more, he becomes an even bigger seedling. When he is exposed to the correct environment- one that is conducive to growth, he can’t help but sprout up.

I pray this happens to all of those in our program. I hope that they are seen as seeds that need water and a conducive environment in which to work. If they keep getting fed water- which is healthy, refreshing, and brings about their growth, only good can come from it.

This next time that we come to the farm, I expect to have a good time. We will thoroughly enjoy ourselves.

Garden Project- At the Farm with the Kids DAY 4

Today marks day 4 of working on the farm! As sad as it is, we are nearing our endpoint for the semester. This summer semester is an 8 week program and we are on our 5^th week. For those of you who have joined me, I’ll enlighten you a bit. Tuskegee University facilitates a community garden on campus for local kids. Each week the children come up to Tuskegee University and work in their garden under the supervision of Tuskegee’s social work interns and their field director (aka internship teacher).

Do you wonder why a group of children comes up to Tuskegee University each week to pick weeds and grow strawberries? Well, it has been empirically proven that community gardens work as a determent of maladaptive behavior in children and young adults. Children are far less likely to be involved in negative and harmful activities when they participate in community projects such as this one.

So today marks the 4^th week of working with the kids. It’s a bittersweet moment. We have seemingly a lot of time left, but also not that much time at all. We will soon start telling the kids that the program will end soon and that there will be one next semester. To be honest, I feel as though we have not done much. I believe, however, that we have. We have made a positive influence in these children’s lives and have possibly sown seeds into their lives that they will never forget. I know many of the children by name and have spent time with a few of them. I have learned that I enjoy their company and that they enjoy ours.

But anyway, I’m skipping ahead. Let’s talk about what we did today. Today we planned a coloring and writing activity that we will most likely use next Wednesday. We walked down to the raised flowerbeds and saw that the sunflowers had grown even more! They were beautiful! The box that my little partner and I did looked amazing, as well as everyone else’s.  Last week we had little seedlings, while this week, we have even bigger seedlings!

Here are some pictures of our sunflowers and the watering experience that we had (these aren't the ones that my little partner and I planted. We watered them a bit hard and they bent over a bit- not very picture friendly!):

After we did that, we went up to the Veterinary computer lab and worked on computers with the kids for a moment. The usual lecturer was not there today, but the children had other assignments on which to work as well. The children who come and work with us on Wednesdays are a part of another community organization that meets every day. Each activity that the children work on or learn about, they write it in their composition notebook and make it into a huge PowerPoint at the end of the summer. Today the children each worked on their own PowerPoint presentations. After working on the presentations for about 25 minutes, the two young ladies with which I was working began to play online games. I hardly knew that there were cooking games for young girls online! Believe it or not, I’m excited to say that I learned how to make truffles and rainbow cupcakes today. This is all from a child’s interactive game online.

Today you can possibly call uneventful, but in all reality it was just the opposite. A lot went on today- the children learned, exhibited critical thinking skills and exhibited problem-solving skills. I love that the children who come to program are actually learning. I pray and believe that this will continue for the next weeks to come. 

Garden Project- At the Farm with the Kids DAY 3…ADVENTURES OUTSIDE OF THE GARDEN

Today is the third week of the Garden Project! Yes, yes, yes- it is exciting! Remember: each week on Wednesday s Tuskegee University Interns work with children on a Tuskegee University farm. This week was the first week that the junior interns helped out without the senior interns. This is quite understandable, seeing as senior interns are required to complete 400 hours at their respective agencies while junior interns are only required 100.

Just so you know, I am a junior intern- and I’m loving it! So, today, I had the privilege of working with a few children at the farm. My day started at 8:00 in the morning. We, the interns and our instructor, arrived at around that time and chatted for a few minutes. We sat and waited for children to show up. After a few moments- a bus full of bundles of joy drove up! Little did we know that only older children were on the bus. As unexpected as that was, it was still exciting!

One of the items on our agenda for the day was to pick peppers. We had grown bell peppers, banana peppers, and jalapeno peppers last semester, and now it was time to pick them. As we awaited the arrival of the second batch of children, we decided to pick the peppers. Our peppers didn’t look too shabby!

Here are some photos of them:

And  here’s a picture of me, just for the road:

After picking the peppers, we decided to wait and chill in the shade for a few moments. The second bus hadn’t arrived yet, so we rested at a picnic table near a shaded tree. The conversation was interesting. I had the pleasure of sitting near the kids and being involved in their conversations. I was happy to be a light and a source of positivity for the children! We sat there for a little while as a group. As time went on, even though the next group of children hadn’t come, we moved on to the next activity. This activity involved walking back and forth from where we were (the farm plots) to the raised beds that we spoke about in last week’s blog. As we were moving towards the raised beds, the second group of children pulled up. This was actually exciting- they came just in time! Within this second group was my little partner from last week and her little brother. As we completed the next activity, we also got to take a gander at our “gardening” from last week. IT WAS AMAZING!!! Our sunflower seeds that we planted last week had actually begun to sprout into little seedlings. By God’s grace- the gardening beds didn’t look bad at all!

After we finished admiring our work and once we completed our tasks for the day, it was about 10:00. We ended fairly early, so our instructor instructed (you love the play on words, don’t you) us to stay with the children for the next couple of hours. To be honest, I did not know that the children with whom we worked went other places. They actually get together on more than just Wednesday mornings. They have a whole list of activities that they take part in. After they spend time with us on the farm on Wednesdays, they go to a computer lab on campus, listen to a lecturer, and take notes!

Does this sound a bit strange to you? I’ll explain. Today after the farm I was pleasantly surprised to enter a new, up-to-date computer lab with the children. As I walked in I noticed a nice young man sitting at a chair in the front of the room smiling. There was a PowerPoint slideshow pulled up behind him entitled “Bisphenol-A.” To be honest, I did not expect him to present on that to a group of children. To my surprise, he began an introduction and spoke about this often-used chemical Bispenol-A.

To be honest, at that time I had a lot of thoughts running through my head. I thought to myself- “Are you serious? You’re speaking to a group of children and this is the topic you picked?” I noticed the content and the presentation of the slides. The slide design was completely blank: it was a solid white background with black text. I thought to myself, “these are a group of kids.” I resolved in my head that I would speak to my field instructor about the manner in which this man presents information to the children. There were no colors, no exciting fonts, and no flashing lights. I considered the fact that the presenter might have a busy life, but that he still should have put more effort into making the slides children-friendly.

In the midst of all these thoughts of mine, I looked down and to the left of me. My little partner from the farm was sitting next to me, taking notes diligently. The way she was taking notes reminded me of my freshman and sophomore year biology courses. She was copying down bullet points from “the instructor’s” PowerPoint lecture. I was blown away. This nine-year-old child was doing things that I did my freshman year in college! It was then that I realized- this man is preparing these young people for college. He’s instilling in them necessary skills for them to do well in college- at an elementary school age. They are gaining these skills now. All my thoughts changed and I shut up quick. What is also exciting to me is the fact that the children actually learned something about harmful chemicals in plastic. By the end of it, “the instructor” had brought it all together to a level where they could all understand. I even learned something new today!

So, a lot happened today. I learned a lot, and the kids did as well! I’m excited to see what’s in store for next week. See you then!!

Garden Project- At the Farm with the Kids DAY 2

So, this week jumps off the second week of Tuskegee University's Garden Project. For those of you who have not yet read my post for Day 1 of the Garden Project, know this- each week Tuskegee University social work interns meet with local children and participate in gardening activities. I'm here to tell you about my experiences this week.

This week we had a slightly different group of children- some had come last week and some had not. There were about 10 kids this week compared to last week’s 7. Although there weren’t many, I believe we had a good time.

Remember- we’re here to garden! Our first task of the day was to empty potting soil packs into a group of raised gardening beds. These are four pieces of wood nailed together that make a big empty square. If you pour soil and seeds in it, not too many weeks later you’ll have a little garden! That, in essence, is what we did today.

My fellow interns and I arrived in the morning and awaited the arrival of the children. Not too many minutes later, a first batch of children showed up. I walked up to them, greeted them, and told them what the agenda for the day was. Soon after I finished telling the children what we were to do, the second batch of children showed up. I distributed this pile of beautiful gardening gloves to the children.

As we did the week before, the children decided with whom they would work. A young girl chose me. She had a little brother as well who automatically goes where she goes. She’s about 9 while he is around 4 or 6. So we got the two big potting soil bags, poured them in there, and broke down the dirt inside. This was the part that everybody loved! It was a bit exciting- getting in there, getting my feet wet and my nails dirty! My little partner (the young girl with whom I was working) talked about how soft the “dirt” was. I can attest to the fact- it’s true!

So we beat and leveled out the soil in the raised beds as much as we were able. Next, we placed white sticks in the soil and made rows for planting seeds. You can guess what we did next: we planted seeds! My internship (actually called the Junior Practicum) teacher came around and passed out sun flower seeds so that we all could plant. My little partner was very excited- she almost took over!

So we planted the seeds, covered them up, and we will see them begin to grow in no time!

This Garden Project is a work in progress. Here are some brainstorms that I drew of possible things to do outside of the gardening about quizzes:

Garden Project- at the Farm with the Kids DAY 1

Tuskegee University’s Garden Project

For those of you who do not know my name is Artisha Floyd. I am a Tuskegee University student completing her social work degree. I will graduate next Spring Semester- May 2012. I am excited and I am very thankful for these final 3 semesters that I am spending at Tuskegee University. I expect to learn so much- especially knowledge that I can take with me on to graduate school and the work force. Every day I am learning more about social work! I pray that with God’s help, I grow to be an amazing social worker!

So- for all of our new readers out there, and for all of you wonderful people who took the time out to read and actually be interested in this blog: Thank you. It’s really for you that I write this. I pray that you learn something and that this blog adds something positive to your life in some way. Thank you!

Now- let’s move on to the meat- the real content- of this blog: Tuskegee University’s Garden Project. Each Wednesday Tuskegee University’s junior and senior social work interns plant, grow, and pick fresh produce on one of Tuskegee’s farms. This past Wednesday jump started our summer session. 5 other interns and I (and Ms. McArthur- our field instructor) met up at the Farm not too far away from Tuskegee’s campus. We sat in the cool heat and discussed our prospective tasks for the day while we waited for a truckload of children to show up. We sat, spoke, and gained social work wisdom from Ms. McArthur while we waited for the children to come for the day.

Not too long later, a long van drove up- it was Mr. Tremmel and the kids! Ironically enough, the busload of kids that we expected was actually a small group of 7 children. They got out of the van and Ms. McArthur went and spoke to them for a few moments. They had parked a little bit down the road. We were originally by the field, but the van with the children was down the street. So, following a fellow intern’s lead, we, the social work interns, joined the conversation and walked over to and met the children as well. It was quite enjoyable! The great thing about this group of children is that their ages vary greatly. Out of the 7 children that came that day, their ages ranged from 4 to 12. As we met and said a few words with the children, Ms. McArthur assigned them with the task of picking a college student with which to work.

A 10-yr.-old sweet girl picked me. I was pleasantly surprised and a bit flattered. I gave her a high five, and we made our way to the field! As we walked over to the crops, I thought to myself- how will I tell her our task is to pull weeds? On our agenda for the day was exactly that- we were to pull weeds today so that the field could be clear enough to plant new produce the next week.

When we got over there and I told my little partner what we were to do, she surprised me. It was fairly warm outside and our task was to pull weeds from a garden. I handed her a glove and she didn’t complain once! She was a bit quiet- perhaps on the reserved side when it comes to new people. This girl was definitely a team player! She went for all the big weeds- and pulled them out, too! I asked her a few questions about herself. I asked her things like where she’s from, what she wants to do when she grows up, and what her favorite color is- and she politely answered all of my questions. I very much enjoyed working with this young lady and I pray that we get to continue in our “getting to know each other” process as the summer goes on.

Working in the farm with the kids this past Wednesday taught me a few things. As I watching my little partner pulling weeds, and standing there in the heat, I wondered a few things. I experienced a plethora of thoughts at that moment. I thought to myself- ‘man, she’s probably hot in this weather…’ I wondered to myself if she even wanted to be here- or if she was forced to come and do something that she didn’t want to do. All those thoughts were resolved with this one realization- she could enjoy this program in ways greater than she can ever express. This just could be one of those programs that are near and dear to the children’s hearts- the kind that they would never want to end. I pray that this program is just that; and that we pour into the children’s lives in ways greater than we can ever dream.

DSM IV-TR Review

Abstract: The DSM IV TR states all of the diagnostic criteria for every mental disorder known to the United States of America. It is divided into 3 specific sections, includes explanations for each disorder, and includes differential diagnoses for each disorder. Here we will distinguish the difference between 4 different diagnoses.
Opening thought: The DSM IV-TR is a manual that gives criteria with which to diagnose mental disorders. Here, we will talk a bit about what is found inside of this manual.

Factual paragraph #1: The DSM divides mental disorders into 3 different sections: mental disorders due to a general medical condition, substance related mental disorders, and primary mental disorders. Mental disorders due to a general medical condition are mental disorders that are directly caused or affected by a medical condition. Substance related mental disorders are disorders that stem from the use of substances, and primary mental disorders are all the rest.

Factual paragraph #2: Before diagnosing a disorder as a primary mental disorder a social worker must rule out the possibility that a client’s symptoms are caused by a general medical condition or by a substance. Only then can a person be sure that mental disorder is not due to a medical condition or use of a substance. Exclusion criteria in the DSM are criteria that speak of a mental disorder that only shows symptoms while another disorder is present. These instances cannot be diagnosed as a primary either.

Factual paragraph #3: With every disorder comes specific symptoms. Not every disorder has the same system, but some do share symptoms with other disorders. There are specific symptoms associated with certain mental disorders. Hallucinations are sensory perceptions occurring without external stimulation of the associated sensory organ. They are different from illusions, where stimuli are present but misinterpreted by the affected individual.

Factual paragraph #4: Let’s explore differential diagnosis beginning with the mood disorder. First, Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymic Disorder differ in level of severity and persistence. More specifically, Dysthymia includes chronic depressive symptoms that occur more often than not for at least two years, while major depressive symptoms are more severe and not as long-lived. Dysthymia is less likely to include vegetative symptoms such as sleep, eating, and psychomotor disturbances.

Factual paragraph #5: A social worker must know how to distinguish between major depression and bereavement. Bereavement can include a major depressive episode, but it cannot include any of the following symptoms- feelings of guilt unrelated to preventing loved one’s death, thoughts of death other than normal, survivor feelings, morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, significant psychomotor retardation, prolonged and significant impairment in functioning, or hallucinatory experiences other than the occasional thinking that he has seen or heard the deceased person. The presence of any one of these symptoms shows the social worker that the client is suffering from at least one depressive disorder. Major depressive disorder usually is not diagnosed if the symptoms are not still there 2 years after the loss.

Factual paragraph #6: Major depressive disorder can be difficult to distinguish from a psychotic disorder if the depressed client’s symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, and catatonic features. In Major Depressive Disorder, the psychotic symptoms occur exclusively during periods of mood disturbance.

What is most interesting about this podcast? The most interesting part in this podcast was the differential diagnosis between major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder.

What can you share with other students about this podcast? Upon listening to this podcast, I would tell students to be sure to learn the differences between similar diagnoses of mental disorders before going on with any interview.

Concluding Sentence: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel outlines different disorders. It is the duty of the social worker to learn the difference of differential diagnosis and be cognizant of the possibility of diagnosing anyone else as wrong.

References:

Clinical Diagnosis & the DSM-IV-TR. Association of Social Work Boards, Audio.

            

Human Diversity

            Abstract: Diversity is used because many worldview differences are the result of factors other than person’s country of origin. In America than are many sub groups than view things differently than the mainstream or dominant culture. Discrimination is negative behaviors based on certain external features such as race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation

Opening thought: There have been many minority groups that have faced discrimination because of their diverse background, ethnicity, or heritage. Learning about diversity in society can better help social workers maintain a level of care across the board regardless of the clients or the counselor’s ethnic orientation.

Factual paragraph #1: Prejudice is a negative attitude that may not include behavioral manifestations. Social workers have to work with everyone. It is a prejudgment, an assumption made about someone or something before having adequate knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy. But if you have a basis you can refer them to someone. For example, support of a gay couple. The National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics prohibits any social worker from discriminating against any person because of their sexual orientation. According to that standard, homosexual couples are qualified to raise a child just as much as heterosexual couples. A counselor with a prejudice or bias should refer the client to another, better qualified, counselor.

Factual paragraph #2: Rigid preoccupations involving a group. A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions, most often untrue.

Factual paragraph #3: Studies that looked at cross culture matching between client and counselors in terms of culture, race, or ethnicity have produced contrary results. These studies show that matching may produce premature drop out rate but it does not have a predicted effect on the outcome. It has been found that a client’s cultural background is not as important as his degree of acculturation. This is defined as adopting the traits of a new cultural.

Factual paragraph #4: This is a sense of collective identity based on a perception that one has relations with common ethnic heritage with a particular group. Different theorists believe that the question of whether a white social worker can work effectively with a minority group member.is largely related to the clients stage of racial or ethnic identity development. Studies show that the stronger a clients identification with a cultural or racial background, the more likely she is to prefer a therapist of similar background or cultural. A client with high acculturation and low ethnics identity usually doe not need moderation of the workers practice. In contrast those that are the opposite usually require a stronger cultural sensitivity for effective treatment.

Factual paragraph #5: The Americans disability acts states that physical or mental impairment that substantial inhibits a person’s ability to function. Any treatments must be taken with special care. One should not associate all her problems with the disability. There can be many factors that determine disability but a caseworker must not give special treatment to the client because of the disability,

Factual paragraph #6: Counseling with HIV clients can be different from counseling non-infected individuals. HIV infection in humans is considered a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Most untreated people infected with HIV-1 eventually develop AIDS. These individuals mostly die from opportunistic infections or malignancies associated with the progressive failure of the immune system. HIV progresses to AIDS at a variable rate affected by viral, host, and environmental factors; most will progress to AIDS within 10 years of HIV infection: some will have progressed much sooner, and some will take much longer. Treatment with anti-retroviral increases the life expectancy of people infected with HIV. Even after HIV has progressed to diagnosable AIDS, the average survival time with antiretroviral therapy was estimated to be more than 5 years as of 2005. Without antiretroviral therapy, someone who has AIDS typically dies within a year. With this information on the life expectancy of a clients different methods and assessment must be used

What is the most interesting thing about this podcast? The most interesting part about this podcast is the details it gives about diversity. With knowledge of diversity a worker can be used as effective tool to intervene in different kinds of people.

What can you share with other students about this podcast? What can be shared with other students are the key points brought out by this podcast that say the need for people to diversify themselves both to help in treatments and to be treated.

Concluding Sentence: In conclusion there are multiple ways of treatment for individuals with dysfunctions. Each individual has different needs and each situation will be different. A social workers love and willingness to critically and selflessly help an individual of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities is what social work is all about.

 

References:

Human Diversity. Association of Social Work Boards, Audio.