National Association of Professional Woman
04 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
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What do Social Workers make?
30 Jan 2009 3 Comments
In the last few months I have received some criticism for taking my mother and sister in. The main point of concern from the one who had the loudest criticism seems to be the lack of money my husband and I bring home. This would cause my children to not be able to enjoy some of the finer things in life. I could see where this would be a concern from someone who feels that their self worth is based on a monetary value.
For my family it is not.
My director forwarded this story to us today; I thought it explained what James and I do perfectly. There have been several times James or I have missed some event with one of the kids due to a crisis at work so I know ours kids know this as well. They also know that they have been blessed to have been born into a family safe from abuse, with two loving parents and a large extended family to step in and fill the shoes of the absent parent if need be. Alot of kids don’t have that today.
WHAT DO SOCIAL WORKER MAKE
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man decided to explain the problem with social services. He argued, “How’s a person going to benefit from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a social worker?” He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about social workers-“bleeding heart liberal” To stress his point, he said to one of the guests, “You’re a social worker, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?”
Bonnie who had a reputation for honestly and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make?” She paused for a second and then began. “Well, my colleagues and I make safe places for abused children and battered wives. In the process we do our best to make them feel that they didn’t deserve the treatment they got, so they can go out and do better in their lives. “We make arrangements for the elderly to go home from hospitals with adequate care, and run support groups so their caregivers don’t burn out. “When a young widow or single mother doesn’t know where to turn, my colleagues and I make sure that she knows-whether people like it or not-what benefits she’s eligible for. And we do the best we can to make sure she doesn’t get lost in the bureaucracy. “We make plans with clients with clients so they can get jobs and homes. And this is only a start.
“You want to know what social workers make.” Bonnie asked again. She paused and looked at every person at the table. We make visits in neighborhoods that a lot of people wouldn’t go to on a bet, because we know that people there are in need. And we make friends there who invite us back to their weddings, their luaus, and the opening of the community center that we campaigned for. “We make time to listen to the elderly, the mentally ill, and the lonely. And we have knowledge and skills to help them make real improvement in their lives. “We make appointments with officials and testify before the legislature to get everyone in the community a fair shake. “Some of us teach, to make the next generation’s social workers. “And sometimes, we make plans with our friends and families-and then have to break them because there’s an accident, a fire, a disaster here or in another state or even another country, and a social worker is needed.”
Bonnie paused one last time and then continued, “So when people want to judge us by what we make, we can hold our heads up high and say, “I make a difference. What do you make?”
