Surprise Military Homecomings
Ok, now that you can't see because your eyes are swollen and snot is covering your face...here's a little update on our lives.
- Last week I had the opportunity to "intern" if you will at a camp in Perrysville, OH. This camp is called Camp Nuhop and it's primary goal is to provide a positive summer camp experience for children with behavior disorders, ADHD, and several other mental health diagnoses. This was my Mental Health Fieldwork experience for the Occupational Therapy program and lucky for me was very different from the typical lock down psychiatric unit most of my classmates experienced.
- I participated in many of the typical camp things such as canoeing, huge slip and slide, all day hikes, packed lunches, creepy ghost stories, arts and craft time, tubing, and I got to do it with kids who normally wouldn't have this opportunity. This is was the first time any OSU OT students spent a week at this camp and me and my friend Cassie's main role was to identify where OT was already taking place and how it could be incorporated better for these kids. Most of the kids already receive OT services throughout their week.
- It was an interesting week and continued to solidify my desire to work in pediatrics once my program is through.
- We have a new car!! Well...new to us...and pretty darn amazing. Dana's parents graciously gave us a Red Cavalier (I don't know anything other than that... I'm car illiterate) that has been such a blessing to us. We knew that once fall kicked in, we were going to have to start thinking about buying a car to replace Dana's but had no idea how that was going to come together. Thanks, God! And Mom and Dad Hazen.
- I officially started my Graduate Research Assistant job Today!
- Yes it's official...this is also the first time I've seen my new name on something other than a court document or the doodles of my anatomy notes.
- So what does a "Graduate Associate" do? Well I will tell you!
- I have the opportunity to work with two amazing OTs in an elementary school that is out of this world. Seriously, the staff there are wonderful. These OTs have developed a program called Write Start.
- Write Start aims to teach Kindergartners and 1st Graders the correct way to develop automatic, legible handwriting. Research has shown that to be successful in this skill, specific instruction in handwriting is needed (the OT provides this instruction). When the motor mechanics of handwriting become automatic, students are better able to focus on writing content and composition. When students are free to let their minds create (or take notes later on) rather than recalling letters or letter formation, their academic performance increases.
- MY role will be pre and post testing 2 classrooms full of kiddos using a few standardized assessments. I will be in the school ALOT for the first few weeks of their school year.
- Once the pre-testing is done, I will be assisting the OT as she implements the program 2 days a week in the school for 12 weeks. I will then be evaluating the data from those sessions weekly and then providing more thorough evaluation once the program is finished in the school (in December).
- After December, there will be lots of data analysis (this is where having a logistician for a husband comes in handy...haha) and research for the rest of the school year.
- If you stopped reading about 4 bullet points up...its ok. I'm just excited about this project and could talk forever. One of the perks of this project?? Fully paid tuition for 4 quarters as well as a stipend. Holy answered prayer. That means we only have to pay for one more quarter of college after that and then freedom!! Until I start paying loans off...
- Dana's still working away BUT he's off overtime which mean he goes in at 5:30 am instead of 4:30! Hello extra hour of sleep!
- P.S. Still trying to get Dana to update this thing...as you can see, they are becoming a little liv focused.
- Now to end this post...Health Insurance. You know you're becoming an adult when you get excited about your new health insurance including the doctors you already go to. I was seriously worried when Dana added me to his insurance that I was going to have to find all new doctors...but I don't. And I'm happy. And probably a loser.
