Category: School Staff

Don't Worry. Be Happy.

03/05/2014

At my District Leadership Team meeting this evening, we opened with this very entertaining and also VERY enlightening video from TEDx Talks. The presenter, Shawn Achor, discusses how happiness can positively impact our lives, including how successful we feel at work, home, and beyond.

I think this would be a great video to show at a staff meeting or to cut into segments to discuss with older students. I would like to use these concepts to help my 6th graders, in particular, find better ways to deal with stress, disappointment, frustration, and failure. There are some aspects of the talk that may be inappropriate for your intended population, so be sure to view and decide which sections, if any, you'd like to share with those specific individuals.

Just watch. You will be glad you did.

How would you use this video to help your
students and/or staff?

Let me know your ideas in the comments section! :)

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Updates

02/06/2014

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For the past few weeks, I've been adding content to my website. In case you've missed the new additions, here's a list of all of the new material. Just click on the numbers to visit each page.

6th Grade Classroom Lessons

Staff Appreciation Ideas

Website of the Month (Interview with Jeff Ream)

Individual Counseling (Reorganization of Page)

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Pinterest Parties

12/10/2012

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You may remember a post from August 2012 that described a school counselor Pinterest Party I hosted. Well, my school decided to take it one step further and have an all staff Pinterest Party during one of our scheduled professional development times.

To learn more, click here.

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Video Podcast: "The Color Quiz"

11/28/2012

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You may remember learning about my Career Cafe (right) last month. I spoke about my personality inventory called "The Color Quiz," which is how I organize my students into groups for our guest speakers.

I decided to create another video to focus specifically on the quiz to help explain how it works. For more information, go to this classroom-based counseling link.

Also, this year, my colleagues took the survey during our staff meeting and then met as grade level teams to review the results in greater detail. It's been a fun, but educational way to look at how we function as a team.

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Showing the Love

10/21/2012

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My school has an AMAZING climate committee that focuses on highlighting special events to boost staff morale. They pick random days, like National Pasta Day or Friday the 13th, and decorate our lounge. The staff love it! Here are some pictures from our latest special day: National "Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work" Day!

This table was in our staff lounge. All of the teddy bears received special awards, like "best manicure" or "best dressed." My little friend earned the "best monogram" trophy!

Our fabulous art teacher created teddy bear table decorations to match the theme. The Teddy Grahams were the final, delicious touch.

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Leaving Your Mark

09/29/2012

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Maintaining positive relationships with your school staff is essential for every school counselor. One way I try to show my appreciation is by writing a note to each of my school's employees on their birthdays. Of course, we must be sensitive to all religions, so in some situations, this idea may not be appropriate and, in fact, could be offensive. If you do not celebrate birthdays at your school, you could still incorporate this idea into your school counseling program, but select random dates to recognize your colleagues for their efforts.

I like to use bookmarks for my notes because they are cute, inexpensive, and functional.

On the back of the bookmark, I write about something special that I see in them - maybe it's their ability to energize their students or their compassion for others. I want to make my comments as specific as possible (as I do with Counselor Mail) to show each individual how important they are to our school family.

Do you do something similar to boost your staff's morale? If so, leave a comment and share your idea! We'd love to hear it!

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This American Life: "Back to School"

09/22/2012

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This American Life is one of my favorite radio programs. The content is always thought-provoking, engaging, and sometimes even heart-breaking.

When I heard this episode, I knew I had to share it on my blog. As school counselors, we are handed extremely difficult situations and, with other school personnel, must help our students rise up out of their challenges and succeed. "Back to School" offers great information to help with this task. Check it out!

Click here to read the transcript.

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Pinterest Party

08/17/2012

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On Thursday, August 16th, all 8 elementary school counselors in my district got together for a Pinterest Party! Each school counselor brought materials for at least one project. It was unbelievably fun and energizing! I thought I'd share some of the projects we made, with links to the actual Pinterest activities. Also, two of my brave colleagues agreed to explain a couple of their ideas on camera. Enjoy!

Tear-Off Posters

The "What Can I Do?" Can

Pool Noodle Stress Balls

Positive Reinforcement Buttons
Stephanie Moore

Rumors (Glitter Hand Sanitizer)
Renee Stack

Staff Morale Tear-Off Poster
Stephanie made one for each of us!

Quiet Spray

Flower Pens

Beginning of the Year Intro Lesson*
Stephanie Moore

As you can see, we accomplished a LOT in one afternoon and decided that we definitely want to continue having Pinterest Parties.

Have you ever hosted an event similar to this one? If so, please let everyone know what you did and how you organized it. As school counselors, we can sometimes feel very alone; we need to collaborate and support one another through this wonderful, but challenging job.

*I apologize that the video is sideways!

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Back to School

08/13/2012

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I went back to school today and let's be honest, I was a little nervous about my summer vacation officially ending. While I feel more confident with each passing year, I am still a bit apprehensive about jumping back into the countless demands placed on a school counselor's shoulders.

Ready or not, I started the day with a district meeting. As I walked through the doors, I saw my fellow school counselors. Everyone was excitedly talking about new ideas, plans for the year, and other fun updates to their programs. Then, one of my colleagues handed me a beautiful picture (left); she made one for each elementary school counselor. Talk about a fabulous way to start a new school year!

I love having a close group of school counselors to bounce ideas off of and to lean on when things get rough. We have been through a lot together - I am lucky to have such a great group of friends.

To top it off, we decided to have a Pinterest craft party this Thursday. We'll be making some of our favorite Pinterest projects together so we are ready to start the year. In order to keep my lovely web followers in the loop, I'll be taking some video of the party so you can see how everything turns out. I hope we don't end up with items suitable for "Pinterest Projects Gone Wrong." Stay tuned!

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Tips for New School Counselors

07/26/2012

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Recently, I have been receiving a lot of questions from my readers regarding the start of the school year. Whether you are getting ready for your very first year as a school counselor or are just starting at a new building, it can feel overwhelming. Where do you begin? What should you focus on? Well, here are a few of my ideas:

Building Relationships

Without positive relationships with your students, staff, and parents, you will not be able to accomplish much. School counselors are a resource for EVERYONE. Your school family must feel comfortable coming to you with their concerns and should look to you for support.

I recently posted a video podcast (left) about building relationships. In the video, I share a few ways that I have formed strong bonds with my students, staff, and parents.

For additional ideas, check out the following links:

Bulletin Boards

Students of Character Club

Adventures with Tim

Organizing Counseling Materials

I have found it helpful to have a routine, especially with my individual and small group counseling sessions. Students know the expectations, but have some freedom to choose how they wish to express themselves. Here are a few of my favorite and most used materials:

1. Sandtray

2. Puppet(s)

3. Art Supplies

4. Happy/Sad Cups

5. Stress Balls

Documentation Prep

Documenting can be one of the most stressful parts of the job, simply because we often must push it aside to handle more pressing concerns. Then, we may let it go until there is a huge pile of paperwork to manage.

Just like with counseling materials, you should have a routine for your documentation. In June, I posted a video podcast (left) about how I record my session data.

For additional ways to document and promote your efforts, check out the following links:

Annual Report

Award Opportunities
(Bottom of Resource List)

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Don't Worry. Be Happy.

How would you use this video to help your
students and/or staff?

Updates

Pinterest Parties

Video Podcast: "The Color Quiz"

Showing the Love

Leaving Your Mark

This American Life: "Back to School"

Pinterest Party

Back to School

Tips for New School Counselors

Building Relationships

Organizing Counseling Materials

Documentation Prep

Author

Archives

Categories

How would you use this video to help your students and/or staff?

Building Relationships

Organizing Counseling Materials

Documentation Prep

Author

Archives

Categories

How would you use this video to help your
students and/or staff?