Honestly, I didn’t know squat about National School Psychology Week until last month. Seriously. It just wasn’t on my radar. My school counselor buddy mentioned it off-hand, something like, “Hey, we gotta plan something for that psych week thing soon.” I was like, “What week? Why?” Felt kinda out of the loop.
So yeah, step one was just basic Googling. Typed in “National School Psychology Week 2024”. Figured I needed to at least know what it even was before pretending to care. Found out it runs November 11-15 this year. Okay, good start.
Then I dug a little deeper on the official NASP site. Lots of jargon at first, kinda overwhelming. But the main point seemed clear: it’s all about shouting out to the school psychologists and showing everyone why what they do is so damn important for kids and schools right now. Think mental health help, learning support, crisis stuff – all that messy, vital work.
Knowing it was about appreciation and awareness, I started brainstorming simple stuff we could do in my building. Talked with our actual school psych – a quiet guy named Mark who never toots his own horn. He shrugged, said maybe just some info in the staff newsletter? Man, no way was that enough. These folks are buried in work! We needed to show we get it.
I pitched these ideas to our principal:
- Simple thank-you cards for staff/kids to sign for the psych team. Seriously, just recognizing their grind.
- Short morning announcements all week – each day hitting a different point: like how they help stressed kids, support teachers in tough classrooms, deal with crises – real stuff.
- A dedicated bulletin board near the front office with basic info: “Who Is Your School Psychologist?” “How Do They Help Us?” Just pictures, names, and plain English about what they actually do every day.
Principal liked it. Got the green light. Then came the scramble. I made a rough schedule for announcements, drafted the blurbs (kept ’em super short and relatable – no psycho-babble). Emailed teachers asking them to nudge kids about the thank-you cards and point out the bulletin board. Printed stuff out. Grabbed markers. Threw that bulletin board together the Friday before – looked a bit janky, but hey, it had hearts and bright colors. Good enough.
Week rolls around. Monday morning announcement kicks off. Saw a few kids actually signing the cards – mostly simple stuff like “Thanks, Mr. Reynolds!” or “You helped my friend”. Small, but real. Teachers started commenting after the announcements, like “Oh, I didn’t realize Mark handled that too!” or “Makes sense, my room was a zoo last month and he stepped in.” A couple even emailed Mark directly. Little lightbulbs clicking on.
The real payoff? Chatting with Mark on Friday. Dude looked genuinely surprised and kinda touched. Said “Feels like people actually saw us this week.” That right there? That’s why this week matters. It’s not fireworks or a big party. It’s making sure these vital folks in the trenches – drowning in assessments, crises, and meetings – feel seen. Felt like we scratched that surface. Schools run on these hidden gears – NSPW just shines a tiny, important light on one set.
