When grouping students, it's important to vary the structure of each group. Otherwise, students will often choose the same friend over and over again. 

To divide students, try asking them to make "appointments" with each other. You can use a clock (12:00 partner, 3:00 partner, 6:00 partner, 9:00 partner) or any other object, such as a pizza. For example, when using the pizza sample (below), if someone had a blank cheese spot open, they can only schedule with a student who also has a blank cheese appointment; the toppings must match when scheduling partners. 

When you are ready for students to work with their partners, all you have to say is: "Now, it's time to meet with your 'cheese partner' to discuss __________."  This is an easy way to do a Think-Pair-Share. 

I was being lazy on the couch this afternoon and stumbled upon an HBO documentary called One Nation Under Dog: Stories of Fear, Loss and Betrayal. This film deeply affected me; in fact, I have spent the last few hours crying and thinking about my own childhood dog, Cookie.

This is the reason I want to incorporate a therapy dog into my school counseling practice. Of course, I need to wait until I get a house with a yard, but I have been planning this in my head for a while. Having a trained dog at my school could motivate students (imagine earning time to walk, feed, or play with the dog) and provide an even more calming office environment. Of course, I need to talk with other school counselors about how they dealt with students or staff with a fear of dogs, especially if a student had been attacked by an animal in the past. Any thoughts? 

This July will mark my 3rd year volunteering with Camp Quality Ohio, a volunteer-run summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. I work as a companion, which means that I am paired with one child for the entire week. My job is to be my camper's friend and mentor, but most of all, my job is to make sure that he or she has FUN!

When thinking about children with cancer, we often picture little kids with no hair, hospital beds, and IV's. We tend to forget about the other kids who suffer: siblings. I wanted to share two powerful videos to help remind all of us to treat all students, even those who are struggling more indirectly, with kindness and understanding.

Within the next few days, I plan to post my resources for both illness and grief. These will go in my individual and small group counseling sections. Stay tuned!

To view and download the forms discussed in this podcast, click here.

Before I highlight this awesome resource, I want to apologize for being relatively non-existent for the past few weeks. My web presence has been lacking, to say the least. Now that I'm a bit more rested and rejuvenated, I will be updating my site regularly.

I plan to:

• Make more video podcasts
• Post ASCA standards with ALL of my lessons
• Finish my Storybird audiobooks
• Post about my documentation system
• and MORE!