The Latest From Class

Here you'll find out what's going on in Social Work classes at Champlain. You'll get my own thoughts on things and you'll see what current students and graduates of the program are thinking and doing, and how they're impacting the lives of others. It's a way for you to get a direct look into the Social Work program at Champlain College.

Quick Links:

May 2008: Tara Humphries

Hello Fred!
Its Tara writing from India......

Just wanted to update and let you know that I have started volunteering at a shelter here in Goa called Ish Kripa sadan and its a shelter for women and children in distress. Its verrryy small and I am conducting a painting class with some of the women there that have mental disturbances. I love it, its in a beautiful village in Goa and stuck in the trees in an old goan house. Its very basic, run by two sisters who hand write all papework and have little knowledge about social work practices.

I have written a complete program outline for them, (based on my jobs in CT and VT at different agencies) and tommorow I will sit with them and explain all the details since they are not familiar with such outlines. There is so much I would like to introduce there to them, to help them expand, grow and maximize their services. So anyways we will see what happens with it all. I am also on the look out for other organizations ( one I found called Sangath that reminds me alot of the howard center) to see where exactly I want to invest the most of my time, etc etc.

So things are going well! And we bought a house here in Goa! So that is good for us...to settle and start planning all the things we want to do here. I still hope to have my own NGO (Non-government organization) someday here in Goa......I will keep hoping and trying for that. For now I am getting more knowledge and experience.

Anyways, just wanted to pop in and say hi and please let me know if there is anything I can do for you over here!

Hope all is well and please be in touch when you can......school must be ending soon no?

Regards,

Tara Humphries

P.S. Actually I just saw my name pop up on the internet, its funny....I was just searching, Goa, India Social work and I scrolled down the page and my name popped up from the Champlain College website. Anyways it was funny to me and ironic so I thought I would just send a mail and pop in and say hi!

Fred Koch replies:

Hi Tara,

My apologies for not writing back sooner. School ended a couple of weeks ago, but I have been buried with administrative stuff since then. It slows me down from the important things--like writing to you!!

I am happy that you are keeping your fingers in the work there in Goa. There must be so many social service needs even in this more prosperous area of India. How interesting to hear that YOU are now the teacher with a group of nuns helping them understand and practice some of the values and concepts of social work. Good for you! I imagine you carry much credibility among the local population in who you are and how you present yourself. You have always had such a genuine caring and love for others from your first internships and interactions at Champlain to the work you initially did in India a few years back as an international student. I truly enjoy getting your notes, and I always speak so fondly and proudly of you--kinda like a dad--whenever the subject of India and social work comes up on campus.

Keep me informed about your endeavors. There is a non-profit foundation in Mumbai that has grant monies available for establishing NGO's. I can't think of its name and contact information right off, as I am writing from home, but I will forward it to you. I believe it gave some seed money to Ashadeep to help that agency start the women's small business entrepreneurships they had established in Mumbai. It could be a funding resource for you. You would have to submit a proposal. Perhaps there is a class in grant writing and working with NGO's that is taught at Nirmala Niketan School of Social Work that you could take as a graduate course.

How is your son, Daiwik? He must be getting close to two now. Send me some more pictures of you, Daiwik, and Nasha. Your first pictures of "the little guy" were absolutely beautiful! Congratulation on the home acquisition; you sure are making a commitment to India and your new family.

I don't know if you ever got to meet Meghan, Megan and Kate that were studying at Champlain-Mumbai this past fall. They had a very positive learning experience and managed to do well with the Fonseca's at their little housing complex. A social work senior named Alison Proctor is planning to study and do her internship in Mumbai this coming semester. She is very excited about it and will be staying with Denzil and his family. Cordelia is now running much of the housing complex as the senior Fonsecas appear to be getting ready to move into their own place. Alison will be the first social work student from Champlain-Burlington to be coming to India by herself. I have worked with the Champlain-Mumbai staff to arrange for her to have a student from the college act as her mentor when she first arrives in September. However, I am sure she would love to hear from you. Her aspirations are to work in international social work, so she too is jumping right into the mix to begin developing her exposure and experience in this area of human service. Let me know if it would be okay with you for me to give her your e-mail address and phone number.

Stay in touch. I love hearing from you.

Fred

May 2008: Stacey Dutil and Michael Squindo to receive NEIAS Scholarships

Champlain students Stacey Dutil and Michael Squindo have both received competitive scholarships to a summer program offered by the New England Institute of Addiction Studies (NEIAS). Both students will begin the summer program, which focuses on substance abuse, this coming June 2008 in New Hamphshire.

The scholarships are sponsored in part by NEIAS, the Addiction Technology Center of New England (ATTC-NE), and Vermont Department of Health's Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (ADAP). As you probably know, there is a widening gap nationwide between the growing demand for substance abuse services and the professionals available to provide counseling. The scholarships are one method of encouraging young people to consider a career in these high-demand fields.

In addition to accruing some of the educational credits needed to eventually acquire their Vermont certification as Substance Abuse Counselors, both Stacey and Michael will be enrolled in a follow-up mentoring program with a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor (LADC). The mentoring program will last for one or two years.

I plan to work with Michael�s mentor to coordinate this mentoring experience with Michael�s college internships at local alcohol and drug prevention-treatment-and/or recovery agencies in order to build upon his direct practice exposure and supervised clinical hours in the field. Stacey is already working as a shelter manager for COTS� Family Shelter Program for homeless adults and their children. Many of her clientele have substance abuse issues, and this employment site will also allow her to utilize some of her education and training in substance abuse counseling under the supervision of her mentor.

Stacy received a full scholarship to the week-long training program that covers all housing, meals and registration expenses. Michael received a $400.00 scholarship which has since been matched by Champlain College�s Student Life Office to cover his full expenses. He has been selected as an RA beginning in the fall. Like Stacey, he should be able to apply some of his training and education from the summer program to this new role.

I am proud of the accomplishments of these and other social work students at Champlain College, and I want to keep you informed as well.

Fred

October 2007: Tara Humphries

Champlain Social Work graduate Tara Humphries recently e-mailed Program Director Fred Koch to share her experience of living and volunteering in Goa, India, where she lives with her husband and baby. Ashadeep is the agency where Tara did her senior field placement when she was studying at our Champlain-Mumbai campus. She extends a warm welcome to Champlain students who may be working in India.

Hello Fred!

This is Tara Humphries writing you from Goa, India. I was just thinking of you and the students at Champlain today and wondering how everything is going with the social work students in Bombay.

Also I wanted to let you know that I am permanently living in Goa which is south of Bombay. I was thinking maybe one of these times, if students are still attending the campus in Bombay, I would love to meet with any of the students to see how everything is going for them, how they are adjusting, offer them any support and also just hang out if they need a fellow American face! I feel like since I have been living here for some time now, I might be able to help out if any of the students are needing assistance or anything of the like. I guess I am just offering some support and maybe what little knowledge/experience that I have now here in India, as well as understanding what it was like to do an internship/classes in India from Champlain. One more thing, if any of the students are taking trips to Goa from Bombay, I would LOVE to meet them and they could even stay at my house if need be.

I don't know if I told you I went back to Ashadeep to visit and basically it had changed alot and only one nun and one of the "drivers" was still there, while mostly everyone else who was working there when I was there had transferred to another state/area. But it was nice to go, see that the center was still running smoothly, and hear about how everyone was doing. Also one of the girls there had remembered my name, so that was nice. Sad that alot had moved on, and I missed them, but still nice to go back to the center and see how things were going.

I am still with baby every day, which is lovely and a blessing, but I am also starting slowly to get back into my "social work." Of course I miss it very dearly, and there is so much to do here in India that sometimes it is REALLY hard to sit still. Currently I am helping a poor family out by giving them some articles to sell at the infamous flea market in Goa. I am framing some of my photos, hand painting bags and t-shirts and hats, all with art and "social messages" painted on them. So it's a small start, but it is something for some one in need here in Goa, so that's the most important part. I am labeling these articles with the name, "Birds and Buffalo", and I hope to evolve this into my own social organization here in Goa, in the future. So it's just the beginning. Unfortunately right now my main obstacle to getting back to work is my own transportation, (we are getting a car that I can drive soon) and waiting for the baby to get a bit bigger. He is one year old now. But I have no complaints, my son is a complete joy, we stay busy and this is the beginning.

I hope all is well there with the social work program, I think of it often, and I was sad to miss the alumni weekend in Sept. Maybe the next one, I hope. (we made a trip this summer to CT and VT to see my family.)

I stay in Morjim, Goa. Please let me know if there is any thing I could do for you or the students here in India. I would be happy to stay in touch with the program.

January 2007: Maggie Cafaro, '05

Champlain Social Work graduate Maggie Cafaro recently e-mailed Program Director Fred Koch to share her experience of volunteering at a counseling center and rehabilitation center in Kenya. Maggie is now applying to graduate school in Social Work.

Hi, Fred,

I hope you are well. I just got back from doing volunteer work in Kenya. It was a true eye-opener. I was there for a little more than 4 weeks and I still haven't been able to wrap my head around the experience.

I did street work for two weeks with another volunteer. We worked out of a counseling center that went to schools and promoted awareness around AIDS, drugs and sex. The center was comparable to Spectrum One Stop in that it had a clinic, free testing and other services like use of internet/lounge/TV room and even a hair salon. I know that sounds quite posh, but this place still had no water and a lot of corruption going on within it on all levels from the other Kenyan volunteers up to the director.

The first two weeks I went out and tried to form a relationship with some of the kids and tried to get them to come to the center. We got some to come in and play the games we had bought for the center, we bought some lunch or shoes and as we learned more we were able to tell the street boys where to go to get meals and even which homes would take them in to get off the streets.

I became close with three boys, specifically, two very young ones, 11and 12. One was addicted to sniffing glue and the other was just a rookie on the streets and hadn't been as affected by the glue. The third was clean and sober. He spoke pretty good English and was older than the other two (16). My goal was to find a placement for these two kids. Unfortunately I knew no one would take in the third boy because he was so far gone on the glue.

My last day of my second week I met with a man who was willing to take the boys in. He told me how to go to the Department of Children and which forms and documentation he needed. The process was quick and pretty simple. The next day I brought both boys to the home. One is still there and I have agreed to sponsor him monthly. The other was "street sick" and ran away. Before I left, I saw him a few times on the streets, sniffing glue again and looking much worse than when I had met him.

The last two weeks I worked at a rehabilitation center for street boys, which was a home and school together. The boys were from 12-20 yrs. and had all lived on the streets and had seen or been part of all the heinous things that happen there. These last two weeks went by too quick. Just when I started to make some real connections, I was leaving.

September 2006: Yumiko Iguchi

This is an e-mail that Social Work student Yumiko Iguchi sent to Social Work Program Director Fred Koch. Yumiko interned in Mumbai, India in the fall of 2006.

Fred,

Everything is new and there's so much to see and experience, and get used to...and not much time to sit down and write e-mails! I can tell you one thing, though, we are having a great time over here. We've talked how you'd have definitely enjoyed it if you came! Mumbai is full of energy. Everywhere you go, there are lots of people, lots of animals (dogs, cats, goats), lots of cars, rickshaws, cabs, and trucks, and lots of little shops selling all kinds of stuff.

There is no longer than 5 seconds in between one honk till another. The drivers are constantly honking at each other. It's like they are communicating with each other using the horns. At first it all sounded like an angry honk, to get others out of the way. But now I'm thinking there are three types of drivers. One type is those who honk in the mean way; another type of driver honks to let you know or other vehicles that he is coming closer and they should watch out so they don't get hit, and the other ones honk just because. The last type is the funniest, they tap on their horns a couple of times when they are stuck in traffic, as if saying, "can we move yet? no? okay then." Every horn has different sound to it, and maybe it's just me, but those nice drivers' horns sounds nicer and less irritating. :)

The food is absolutely awesome! Everything is at least a bit spicy and most of them are really spicy. I love it. Almost every time I eat, I feel like my mouth is on fire, but it tastes good that way! Yes, I have had a little trouble with my stomach...but even native people do, so I guess that's also a part of being in India. Eating good food makes me happy and I've been happy over here in India. :)

We've become friends with some local people and they are looking after us in so many ways. They show us places to go, what to eat, what to do and what not to do. I've been learning Hindi from them, too, as well as from the people I've met through my internship. I thought Ashadeep was the organization which worked with children in human trafficking, which I wanted to do originally. But I guess I misunderstood. Anyways, I'm interning at Ashadeep.

So far, I've been in the classroom with over 20 children, both boys and girls, 1st grade through 8th or somewhere around that. Some of them speak very good English, some understand it, and others do not know English at all. I've never thought I'd enjoy teaching so much. I guess it's more of communicating than actual teaching that I enjoy, though. Especially when the kids don't know English, you really have to be creative to make them understand what you are saying. I love the big smiles when they realize what I'm trying to explain! They are so interested in me, what my name is, where I'm from, where I'm staying in India, where my parents are, what my family's like. The little ones are adorable. They are very shy, but once you get them to smile, they don't want to leave your side. The older ones are a lot of fun. Most of the older kids (around 12-14 yrs old) speak good English, and it's easier to communicate with them. I love seeing the little flirting and giggles between the girls and boys! I wish I could interact with them outside the classroom. I would really love to hang out with them in their homes and neighborhood. I want to know what their lives are like at home.

I visited the slums with the social workers at Ashadeep once so far. It was really great to walk through the maze-like alleys between the two-story high walls with doors on both sides. There must have been a door every 5 meters or so. The smell of the alleys did not bother me too much, maybe because I've got used to the smell of the city, or because my nose was stuffy (I have a cold...). But here and there, the smell of garbage in the alleys hit my nose. Kids were playing in those alleys sitting down, spinning small marbles. I remember wishing they would not put those marbles or their hands in their mouth without cleaning them with soap. The work that is done in the community requires me to be able to speak Hindi. I need to figure out what I could do without the language skill until I get the basics of the language. I am not so sure how I am going to get much out of this field experience at Ashadeep with the language barrier. I'm a little nervous about that. But we'll see; maybe there's something I could do in the community.

Sorry it's really long, but there's a lot of new things going on everyday! Oh, another thing! We saw an elephant walking down the street today! I'd never seen an elephant outside of a zoo...they are so huge close up! I need to take a picture of them next time.

September 2006: Heidi Redding

This is an e-mail that Social Work student Heidi Redding sent to her friends in the U.S. and that she forwarded with the note below to Social Work Program Director Fred Koch. Heidi interned in Mumbai, India in the fall of 2006.

Fred,

Life here is good, we told our teacher, Merine, that she needs to come to the U.S. to meet you. She is an incredible teacher and I feel as though I am going to learn a lot from her, not only about social work, but about the culture too.

Hope all is well in Vermont,
Heidi

The city of Mumbai is incredible, incredible in a way that is so hard to describe. Everyday is an adventure of trying to get around and communicate. Although a huge portion of the people here speak a fair amount of English, there is still a small barrier that makes it a bit difficult. We travel by a three-wheeled contraption called a rickshaw. And no, they don't use blinkers. They beep. Day and night is a constant beeping of the horn. I figure by the time I get home in December I am going to have to have someone outside beeping a car horn in order to fall asleep!

School is going well. It is a very small business school with only about 150 students. The building itself is literally set right in the slum. It is very dirty and very crowded, and everyone, and I mean everyone, stops, stops whatever they are doing and stares. My teachers all speak English and so do the students. They speak with such a thick English/Hindi accent that I really have to pay attention. I guess that's not too bad, but it is tough sometimes.

I started my internship last week. The boys' orphanage where I originally wanted to be placed had too many volunteers (which I guess is a good thing) but it kind of put us in a pickle, so we instead found a shelter for girls, St. Catherine's. It takes Marla (my fellow Champlain friend and roommate) and me an hour to travel to. We first have to get on the train, which is so incredibly crowded sometimes you are literally hanging out of the door.

While traveling to the stop, I watch out of the window a lot (I like to observe if you didn't already know) and there are people that live on the tracks. All of their laundry is laid out to dry, they are making food, or searching through trash and kids are running through the tracks. We ride in a women's compartment of the train, they too stare (everyone stares. I'm slowly adapting to it) but the women on the train are a lot of the time coming from markets and the other day a woman was doing the beginning preparations of her evening meal. There was fish in the basket and greens on top and she was just sitting on the floor of the incredibly crowded train starting her evening meal. Meanwhile I was sweating my brains out thinking how awful it smelled and how I wish I was in my car listening to music with the AC on.

After we get off the train and figure out which way to go because nothing is marked clearly, we have to make our way to the bus station to go to the last stop. St. Catherine's is a gated haven. You walk in and it is like a forest of trees and birds and for some reason very little sound. All of the girls smile and in their best English try to say hi and what is your name or just watch. We work in a house at the top of the road with girls who are under protective custody of the country and have been rescued from the red light district from working as child prostitutes. Unreal. Each girl is between the age of 12 and 16 and have such deep eyes, it makes you want to reach out and keep them forever. But instead we talk. They have been taught English and know very little but we are going to go four times a week and work with them and just see what we can do.

One of the first things my social work professor told me the first day in class, is that every relationship has an ending and mentally you need to start with that in your work. I cannot already imagine leaving these girls. They get so excited every time we come, they want to touch our hair, feel our skin and try to ask us so many questions about where we live. The language barrier is so frustrating! But we are slowly learning a few words in Hindi. We'll see how far we get by the end of three months.

The girls live and go to school in house, there are 20 of them, they love to dance and sing and just be kids and it gives me goose bumps to watch them interact and poke fun of each other because imagining their lives before is just plain unfathomable.

They are taught to cook and clean. They all have rotating chores. The other day we had lunch and they sit on the floor and eat with their hands, so I did as well. They were all laughing at me because of course, I had it all over the place.

I haven't gotten out of the city much yet. I know it has only been two weeks, but I have such an itch to go all over this huge country, it's just not that safe to do it alone, and I would get so friggen lost, who knows where I would end up?

I did see an elephant walking down the street the other day. Apparently you can pay to ride them. Don't worry, I'll take pictures. I was so excited to see it, I almost jumped into the street. There are cows and goats and dogs and cats ALL over the place.

May 2006 : Fred Koch

Often the person who needs something the most is the one least likely to get it. I was once again reminded of this phenomenon while bringing our annual E-Pal Project to its end for the semester.

The E-Pal Mentoring Project is a classroom activity in which Champlain College social work students act as mentors and are paired with middle school students from a rural area in the southwestern part of the state, some 95 miles from Burlington. The middle schoolers volunteer to enroll in the mentoring program as a course elective. While the social work students at Champlain are learning about professional relationships, problem solving and motivational psychology, the middle school students are learning how to focus on an area of concern or interest they have and then how to establish goals and activities to reach them. Since there is considerable distance between both schools, most of the weekly communication together occurs via the Internet. However, at least twice during the mentoring experience, the students from both schools meet in person -- once at each site, both at the beginning of the relationship and as it comes to an end in the spring.

Any middle school has a mix of children with different needs and desires. Among the 24 mentoring pairs we developed this semester some of the middle school students stood out for my students and me. As a professional social worker with years of experience working with children and teens, the unusual child or special circumstance is what catches my attention. One fourteen year-old adolescent wore a Playboy Bunny pennant around her neck during our visit to the middle school. Hmmm -- unusual enough! However, I was struck by the goal of another 13 year-old student as he initially worked closely with his Champlain mentor to discuss his concern. He wanted to not follow in his brothers' footsteps, but stay out of jail; indeed, he wanted to eventually work on the side of the law and pursue a career in criminal justice.

Okay, so that is the goal of many young people, but this kid proved to be different. First of all, he was very clear and focused on how he wanted to use the mentoring relationship right from the get-go -- kind of unusual for an eight grader. He was also quite articulate and personable with his mentor, both in person and with his subsequent written messages. (She often remarked about his sense of humor, thoughtful comments and playfulness.) His mentor did not have to pry to learn about his special circumstances; he was open and forthcoming -- lots of moves from one town to the next, under-educated parents with sporadic employment, a family history of criminal activities, a trouble-maker label that followed him into every new school, limited opportunities to develop healthy peer or adult relationships, and emotionally absent and inattentive parents. The list went on; he recited it matter-of-factly, rather than as a means to garner sympathy.

I wonder how many people recognized the strengths this youngster presented...how he was fighting against the odds to become someone different from what the storyline predicted. I know his mentor did; that was what I was training her to see as a future helping professional. His E-Pal instructor also did; she sought him out during registration for the course. And so did his principal, as he anguished over the decision to follow through on expected behavioral consequences for the boy's truancy. Yeah...truancy. As much as the youngster expressed the desire to be in school and take that road less traveled by his family, there were too many barriers and obstacles and not enough resources to counter their forces. The school surely tried, and there was such a spark of encouragement and hope within the mentoring relationship as the boy mapped out his strategy to control his fate. But then he disappeared. My student wrote numerous follow-up notes and was very disappointed when her partner couldn't join his classmates during our last face-to-face visit at Champlain College. The family moved -- again -- whereabouts unknown.

Poverty and oppression come in many forms -- not just monetary, racial or culture -- but in one's circumstances and spirit. This youngster was not impoverished, as perhaps his family was, given his persona and aspirations. Yet, the battles he has to fight appear to be substantial. I wonder how well he can start over again...another time, in the next town, at the new school.

Fred J. Koch, MSW, ACSW
Program Director

August 2006 : Emily Miller

Emily Miller, a Social Work major, graduated from Champlain in May 2006 after spending a semester abroad in Mumbai. While there, Emily combined her interest in social work and journalism by keeping a journal of her experience as an intern for a social service agency. An excerpt of her personal story follows:

Introduction

The agency I interned for, Ashadeep, is a social service agency that helps families, women and children in the slums of Mumbai. The poor make up nearly half of Bombay's thirteen million residents. Most live in shanty homes without toilets or sewer connections; some live on the streets. Although overcrowding and poverty are a large problem in the city, social work agencies and women's empowerment movements are making progress.

One of these agencies is Ashadeep. Ashadeep means "lamp of hope" in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. Ashadeep helps families in the slums in the surrounding villages of Mahim with a variety of different needs and services. The agency organizes money-saving systems called credit societies, where families can keep their money in an account with other families without having interest taken out by government banks, and so be eligible for loans. The agency also helps with assistance in terms of educational aide for children, aide for finding employment, loans for medical problems and house repairs.

As an intern there, I did a lot of observing and learning. On some days, I helped children in classrooms with their English homework and other days I went out with the social workers when they did home visits to clients they provide services for.

Journal Entry, Ashadeep in the field

I love how they play music through the villages and there are so many young children. Sometimes I don't really feel like I'm in a slum. There is so much of a community here, so much love; too much for a label like that.

A woman invites us into her home and we sit down immediately. She speaks English well and I listen intently as she tells us of her troubles. She tells us how her brother is injured and out of work. He is sleeping soundly in the corner with a small blanket. I can tell she is excited that we are there to have someone to talk with. She offers tea and I accept. As she stirs the sugar, milk and tea in a small saucepan, she begins to speak to me directly.

"I know what people think when they come in here. It's so small and we haven't much and it's dirty outside, I know it's dirty. But I know something else. I know I have something to give. I am glad you said you will have tea, because it reminds me of this. I tell you, I've been through a lot and the most important thing I've learned is rather than compare yourself to others, consider yourself with others. It's so easy to look up and see what you don't have, but better to look down and be thankful for what you do have."

I leave her house with the feeling that I may never see her face again, but knowing that her words will always remain with me.

Next, we walk into a small home where a woman is cooking lunch for her little girl. She makes space on their only bed for us to sit down. I can tell she doesn't know English, so I sit quietly and look around the room. Just then a man walks into the house and sits down next to me. This man begins to talk and as he speaks, he sounds like a foreigner, but he's native to this land. He speaks as though he's not a part of it, for he has moved away, but the fire in his eyes tells me that it's still very much a part of him; that it always will be.

He has come to Mumbai for his grandmother's funeral, and will stay only for a few days. He tells me his story and tears form in his eyes when I tell him that I can see the beauty in this city; it is there if you look for it. He tells me that he wishes he could see the beauty, but it's been washed up with hateful words and corrupted hearts that have given up hope that the government and the humanity in this country will change in our time, which make it hard to believe that it will change in any time.

"If I had met you before you came here, I would tell you not to come to Mumbai," he tells me. "Now I ask you, why are you here?"

I had no words for him then, but the words are clear to me now. When first entering the city of Mumbai, it is easy to get consumed by the amount of people, the crazy driving, the stares, the street children, the bargaining, the pollution and the intense heat. But beyond the struggle of this country, I got to see the beauty that it truly is. There is beauty in honesty, in truth and in humanity. In India, I learned how important it is to always be true to oneself, to be patient and to hold family as the highest priority.

January 2006 : Fred Koch

One of my objectives in each of my Social Work classes is to create a safe environment in which each member can openly share their reflections, opinions and feelings about the topic at hand.

Recently, one of my classes achieved that goal in a manner that threw all of us -- students and teacher -- off balance.

We had just finished watching the movie "Stand by Me," a classic depiction of young adolescent boys' friendships. The credits were rolling, and I found myself sobbing. Not just a few sniffles and watery eyes, but real sobbing. In the darkened room, my students didn't quite know what to do. Becca, a young lady sitting closest to me, reached out her hand, but stopped just short of mine. When I choked out a request for a tissue, she appeared relieved to know that she could do something and she quickly handed me a whole package of them. A full minute must have ticked by in the silent classroom before I was able to compose myself somewhat and get up from my seat to turn off the computer and camera.

I had completely lost it...in class...the professor!

Surely the safety of the classroom that the students and I had worked so hard to develop contributed to my reaction. Ironically, though, here I was trying to impart a lesson to my students, and I was the one who had the most profound reaction! The story was a perfect medium to demonstrate the significance of early adolescent peer relationships on later identity development and self esteem. The drama ends with a closing, typewritten quote by the narrator, who himself is writing a story within the story. It goes something like, "I have never again had friends like the ones I grew up with...Jesus, does anyone?"

The movie triggered some old issues of mine. The quote took me back to my own boyhood friends and confidants. We grew up together and were inseparable. All four of my buddies joined the Marines during the Vietnam War, the war of my generation, and all four were killed. I went to college instead of joining the Marines -- the only one in my neighborhood to do so. I have done considerable personal and professional work over the years to resolve the survivor's guilt I have felt about this loss. But sometimes it just sneaks up on me out of nowhere...as it did this week, in class.

It amazes me to think about the ways in which the educational process works. The ways in which we learn our lessons are as varied as there are people in a class. And, in the end, a lesson about our own vulnerability and humility isn't such a bad thing for a classroom full of tomorrow's helping professionals.

Fred J. Koch, MSW, ACSW
Program Director

December 2005 : Lucy Cronin

Lucy was an exceptionally bright social work student with critical advocacy and community development potential. She moved to Washington, D.C. recently after tiring of bartending and yearning to reinvest in her passion for serving people in a more altruistic endeavor.

Hi Fred:

I just wanted to let you know how much I love my job at Arlington Street People's Assistance Network. When I first started I was served up an immediate crisis that threatened our Homeless Bagged Meal Program. This is a program that has provided food for Homeless Residents in Arlington for the last 15 years. It was frightening to think that what I did or did not do to resolve the crisis could potentially jeopardize the program and leave the 60 plus individuals who rely on our program each day hungry. In the process I have learned a lot about County Government, the generosity and committment of volunteers, and my own skills and abilities.

Just prior to my starting here, there was a citizen who issued a complaint to the Environmental Health Buereau regarding food safety regulations for the Homeless Bagged Meal Program. His agenda was basically to shut us down so that the county would be forced to create a soup kitchen. What he did not understand (and didn't seem to care about), however, was that to shut our program down while the county considered a soup kitchen would leave lots of people hungry. Many chronically homeless individuals have real issues going "inside". Our program is the only program in Arlington that provides food for people who won't go "inside" anywhere, not a shelter, not a soup kitchen, not even a shower or a bathroom. Since January we have served over 12,000 meals at two outdoor locations just over the Potomac River on the Virginia side.

It has taken months of negotiations with individual volunteers, churches, schools, and county officials. I have made thousands of phone calls, made dozen of person visits, and addressed several groups and organizations, all the while questioning my own ability to tackle the issue. But in the last couple of weeks the fog has begun to clear and as I look at our upcoming calendar filled with volunteers scheduled to prepare the Homeless Bagged Meals in their now fully inspected and commercially certified kitchens under the supervision of their now licensed Professional Food Safety Managers, and for the first time in the three months that I have been employed with A-SPAN, I can breath a sigh of relief.

I am also grateful and amazed that our Executive Director issued her confidence in my competencies and guided me with just the right sway.

Lucy Cronin

November 2005 : Maggie Cafaro

Maggie Cafaro was a bright light in the Social Work department. She took full advantage of her internship, immersing herself in what proved to be a great opportunity for her. Here's her story.

Getting educated in the field

Maggie Cafaro '05 completed her social work internship at Northeastern Family Institute (NFI) in St. Albans, Vt., a community-based program that helps young people with their life skills.

"We take at-risk kids and help them from needing higher levels of care," Maggie explained at the time. "I always wanted to help people out," she said, and she found the people at NFI welcoming. "I'm not the intern. I'm part of the team, which helped me to learn better. The internship experience has been awesome. I've learned so much. Getting my supervisors to feel confident in me working with these kids is a confidence builder."

Maggie's work at NFI changed her. "I came in thinking that I knew everything, but I was blown out of the water by what I didn't know and issues I didn't know about. There's so much more to learn. You can't get that experience without meeting the kids and getting to know what they're going through.

"My favorite professors were those I could relate to, especially those in my field," Maggie said. "Fred Koch (Social Services program director) and Michele Champoux and Mary Clay Thomas (Social Services faculty) all have great stories from their backgrounds that have not only encouraged me, but made me determined to get my MSW," she related. "They were always available, sometimes giving me their home numbers and even their addresses in times of need."

Maggie became connected to the network of professionals in her field. "I've gotten to know a lot of different agencies," she said, "potential employers who will recognize Champlain College and NFI, and that I have a year and a half experience in the field. I have a level of confidence higher than others who haven't had these experiences."

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