Holiday Season Ahead

As the calendar turns to November, we enter into a time of holidays galore. But I suppose the purpose of this blog is to remind everyone, L e t ' s s l o w d o w n.
There is enough stress and pressure throughout this time of year, we don't need to compound it all by speeding things up. And speaking of speeding things up, Christmas songs on various radio stations???? Give me a break. I am all for the birth of Christ's celebration, but in its due time. We have veterans to thank and respect, we have Pilgrims to remember and relive their tradition, we have to recall the "date which will live in infamy," and we even have "National Regifting Day" (Dec. 18, for those who really wanted to know). So, let's don't rush to get to Christmas, because if we do, we may not be going slow enough to really enjoy it and really think about its true meaning. Happy Holidays to come.

Integration Night

The Behavioral Sciences Club hosted an "Integration of Faith and Discipline" night with Christine Saladino, Richard Brewer, and myself. It was a great night of presentation and dialogue about how each of us have grown in the manner by which we integrate psychology, sociology, and social work into our Christian worldview.
I think I can summarize a few things for those who were not there.
1. There is no one way that integration is or can be done. It is highly personalized. It is led by the Holy Spirit and built around our experiences. The Bible, of course, still guides our principles and precepts, but we still grapple with where does our field of study fit?
2. It requires patience and practice. It does not come overnight. It makes us struggle, not just intellectually, but also emotionally, because the beliefs we hold to are very core to each of us.
3. It is exciting as much as it is exasperating. We love what we learn in our respective fields. We love insight, we love striving with others in this endeavor, and we love our growth in our maturity. But, boy, does require work. It requires that we read, listen and learn from others, and it requires that keep on doing it. In all likelihood, no real closure in this lifetime.
So, next time we do something like this, we would like to see more of you there. But in the meantime, try some integration on your own. You'll be glad you did!

Student Professional Memberships

One of the things that students in the Behavioral Sciences should consider is belonging to a professional organization as a student member. Whether one is going on to graduate school or not, the sheer amount of information and the benefits received from joining such a group is invaluable. Psychology students can look to the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Counseling Association (ACA), or even the American Association of Christian Counselors. Sociology students can join the American Sociological Association (ASA) and those bent more towards the social work area can think about joining the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or the National Association of Christian Social Workers (NACSW). And our Criminal Justice majors may want to consider the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA-Lambda Alpha Epsilon).
Usually, for a very nominal membership fee as a student member, you would gain access to many helpful tools to assist you in career development. Information about how to get into the field and everything from graduate school preparation to up-to-date issues can be found. Additionally, you may have various newsletters, journals, or databases that you can access, which would increase your overall exposure to the discipline.
Therefore, I would encourage each of you to speak with your advisor or your professor about such memberships and see which one is right for you. Take a serious look at your professional development even now as a student and it could open a whole new perspective for you.

Classroom behavior strategies class to be held October 27, 2009

Barbara Riedesel, Behavior Specialist from the Bolivar Exceptional Pupil Cooperative, will be teaching a Classroom Behavior Strategies class on Thursday, October 29, 2009 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Gott Education Building, Rooms 240 and 250 on the SBU Bolivar campus.

Classroom management and behavior/discipline strategies are often challenges for beginning teachers. This seminar will address strategies to help the beginning teacher determine appropriate tactics for their classroom.

The initial certificate (IPC) is valid for four years. During the valid dates of this classification, a teacher is required to participate in a beginning teacher assistance program. This seminar will help qualify the participant to advance to the next level of certification.

The cost for the seminar is $15.00 which includes a meal and drink The deadline to sign up is October 23, 2009. No late registrations will be allowed. The seminar is limited o the first 50 participants.

Registration forms MUST be accompanied by check or purchase order and may be faxed or mailed. For more information, please call (417) 328-1717.

Homecoming

Homecoming is coming! I am looking forward to seeing some alumni and some current students in and around the SBU campus on the weekend of October 10th. Please take advantage of this time to meet our esteemed faculty, the newer ones and the ones who have been here a while. Many times, I never know who I will meet and it is a surprise. It is nice to catch up on everyone's lives and stories. So, come and share. Safe travels and blessings to all.

What-if Overload

While trying what to make my first posting about, I considered many things but kept coming back to the same topic. In my first aid class we are currently going over CPR. I generally go into this topic with the knowledge that actually having to do CPR on a real person is a frightening thought for most students. Perhaps because the students are so worried about actually helping someone, they tend to ask lots of questions. Some questions are for clarification or further instruction on how to perform the skill, but others seem to be derived from the worry. Questions about situations that probably those of us who don't work in ERs will ever encounter. I try to tell my students that the what-ifs are not the focus, and if they know the basic skills they can handle almost any situation. This, however, is not the answer they're looking for and often provides little satisfaction. In these cases, I try my best to answer their questions and emphasize using good judgment and common sense.

This idea of worry about the what-ifs has me thinking about our lives in general though. How often do we worry about an event that's in the future? Or a situation that is in the past? Studies have found that what we tend to worry about things that will never happen, the what-ifs. For some of us, myself included, we have a hard time refraining from worry. One of the bad things about worry is that it is a vicious circle. If we try to eliminate worry from our lives, we worry that we aren't worried. If we focus on our worries, then we are missing out on all God has planned for our lives. I suppose there is not easy fix for worrying, but by using good judgment and following what you've been taught, you'll know what to do in those what-if situations.

GRE Anyone?

Hello and welcome back. Sorry I have been away from the blog. But here is the latest scoop from the Department of Behavioral Sciences. Psi Chi and SCJS (Sociology and Criminal Justice Society) is sponsoring the Fall GRE Prep Sessions. So, for those of you who have aspirations for graduate school and the GRE is required, then this is for you. For $7.00, you can attend all 5 sessions: Overview; Practice Testing; Essay Writing and Statistics; Vocabulary Building; and Math Review. Materials will also be provided. This has been done before and reports are that this type of study is well worth the time and effort. So, make room on your schedules for September 24, 25, 26, and October 2 and 3 for this event. You have until September 19th to register, so hurry.