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Taking Time for Gratitude
As we fully enter the holiday season and move toward the end of an eventful year, I have been thinking about gratitude. In the face of dire workforce shortages, an ever-looming pandemic, and an unfortunately hostile political climate interfering in classrooms across the country; school psychologists are still taking time and energy out of their days to advocate for their schools, their students, and themselves.
I am particularly grateful for our members’ advocacy during this year’s National School Psychology Week (NSPW). During that week, we had advocates from 48 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, respond to NSPW action alerts. I want to specifically shout out Texas and Tennessee for having the most actions taken of those 48 states. In total, 808 advocates sent almost 2,800 messages to their elected officials during NSPW.
Additionally, 1,708 messages were sent to members of the U.S. Senate and House asking for Congress to take immediate action the shortages of school psychologists as part of NASP’s federal action alert. Senators Cruz and Cornyn from Texas each received 54 messages about the importance of school psychologists, with Senators Padilla and Feinstein receiving 53 messages each in a close second! As a former legislative correspondent in the Senate, I can tell you firsthand that receiving over 50 messages about an issue was sure to get the interest of a Senator’s legislative team.
Lastly, I am thankful for the joyful noise our #NASPadvocates made on social media. From sharing videos made by our partners in advocacy, which you can find here, to tweeting out links to action alerts and reasons why you love being a school psychologist, the energy online during NSPW was impossible to miss. Some of our advocates even made it on to the Today Show! That is some impressive advocacy so early in the morning.
As we start gearing up for the holiday season and winding down the rest of this year, I think it is important to take time for gratitude and celebration before turning our attention to what all we hope to accomplish next year. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and stay tuned for more NASP advocacy as we finish this year strong and prepare for a busy and productive 2022!