When I want to keep track of specific behaviors during my group sessions, I use ClassDojo (previous Website of the Month). You can use it K-6, but it may need to look differently at each grade level. Not only does ClassDojo keep excellent data for me, it also helps my students set goals and identify the target behaviors they are demonstrating in each session.

With ClassDojo, I can organize all of my groups and archive them at the end of each school year. I love being able to look back at how individual students and groups performed, because I can use that information to better facilitate future small groups.

Another great ClassDojo feature is that each group can focus on customizable target behaviors. Since the focus is on the positive behaviors, I don't include many negatives (where students lose "Dojo points"). The only negative I use is "disrespectful to others" because I want to show that I will not tolerate hurtful words or actions in our group sessions. I've never had to use it, but the students know it's there. I think it's important to show that in order for our group to be successful, we MUST be kind to one another; our group needs to be a safe space to communicate our thoughts and feelings.

I am lucky enough to have a SMARTboard in my room, so I project the ClassDojo screen and add points through that board. It helps students to see their progress throughout the session. Then, I reset the points at the end of the group (which doesn't delete the data) so that we can start fresh the next group time. If you don't have a SMARTboard, you can use your desktop computer, a tablet, or smart phone.

What Do You Do With An Idea? is a wonderful book that explains how ideas can be exciting and scary, all at the same time. In the story, the main character likes their idea, but is worried about what other people might think or say.

Often, we spend so much time stressing about putting our thoughts and feelings on the table that we keep potentially AMAZING ideas to ourselves. Our students are no different. My goal is to encourage my creative, enthusiastic elementary kiddos to be confident and assertive; I want them to know that their opinions matter and that without them, the world would be a boring place, full of the same old ideas and the same old conversations.

You could open this lesson by showing the "Ideas Are Scary" commercial from GE. It grabs your attention and gives a clear symbol of how ideas enter the world, grow, and flourish.

Then, after reading the book, have a discussion with your students about why ideas are scary. Have they ever felt like they needed to keep their thoughts or feelings to themselves out of fear that someone might judge them? I wanted to focus this conversation on ideas that could make our school a better place - ideas that may seem impossible or silly at first.

This is a fun lesson about loyalty!
Check it out here.

Check out this lesson on "dedication" here!

I just uploaded information about my school's peer support program called Wolf Pack.

When school life gets stressful, this program re-energizes me! It's been amazing!

For more information, click here.

I just posted information about this classroom lesson in the "Identifying and Expressing Feelings" section.

It's based on The Color Monster, an AMAZING pop-up book about understanding your feelings.

Check out the lesson details at the link above.

I heard about Mind Yeti a little over a year ago when one of my colleagues tried it out. Her K-2 students loved it, so I thought I'd learn more. Once I began exploring the features, I was hooked!

For school counselors, this resource can be used individually, in small groups, during classroom lessons, and for the moments you need to close your door and "reboot" after a rough school moment. That's the beauty of Mind Yeti!

Mind Yeti provides both a free resource and paid premium service. Through Mind Yeti, you get guided mindfulness sessions to help kids calm down, focus their attention, and transition to new activities. As I'm sure you've heard, mindfulness in the classroom can help create a happy, calm and positive culture. When you have a tool like Mind Yeti, it's easy to integrate mindfulness strategies into your day.

Session categories include: Calm Down, Focus, Get Along, Reset, Create, and Go to Sleep.

I've used Mind Yeti in a variety of settings, but my favorite has been during a 6th Grade classroom lesson. I have a "Relaxation Experiment" for the students and I incorporated Mind Yeti sessions. The students love the calming voices, soothing music, and overall content of the sessions.

I'd love to hear about it in the
comment section below!

Hello, fellow school counselors! I can't believe how long it's been. I've quietly added to and organized parts of my site over the last 2 years, but for the most part, I've been absent.

So, what have I been up to?

Well, I have an almost three-year-old and a fourth-month-old. I started my 8th year as a school counselor. I acted in 5 plays: The Heiress, Blithe Spirit, The Birds, Circle Mirror Transformation, and Steel Magnolias. I took some much-needed "me time." Overall, I tried to heal from my website-related anxiety. I became so worried about everything I posted that it truly hurt my quality of life. Now, I feel like I can come back, even if just once in a while, and actually enjoy the process.