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Film Review: Professor Child

6/21/2013

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Last night, I watched two fabulous educational films from Professor Child, a company created by three mothers, Rory Kidder, Jenni O’Keefe, and Sharon Richards. The mission of Professor Child is to empower children during difficult life events. As the founders explain, "children have a powerful voice that is relatable, healing and hopeful. Ultimately, we want children to know they are not alone in what they are experiencing and that much can be learned by simply listening to another child’s story" (Professor Child, About Us). 

Their documentary-style films feature a variety of children who have all experienced a specific topic. The children share their stories, what has helped, what they wish for, advice for other kids, and more. 

As an added bonus, each film comes with a free companion workbook to provide opportunities for further discussion and reflection. 

Children and Grief

In this film, children share their stories of losing a loved one. Some kids are dealing with the loss of a parent, while others with a sibling, uncle, or grandparent. Each child's experience and response to death is different, which allows the viewer to see a little of him or herself in the film. This is crucial because many children (and even adults) feel alone as they manage their grief; it is an incredibly private, yet universal, experience.

While not particularly "sad" in an over-indulgent sort of way, still be prepared to have strong emotions come to the surface as you listen to the heartfelt stories. A+

Children and Divorce

This film, while similar in structure, has a different sort of feel. There is not a huge variety of experiences or ethnicities as we see in "Children and Grief," but the stories are still meaningful and quite helpful.

The children in this film describe their personal experiences with divorce, what it means to them, how it has changed their lives, what has helped, and more. I especially enjoyed hearing the advice that the kids gave, which could have a tremendously positive impact on children at various stages of the divorce process. A

Why You Should Purchase Your Own Copies:

As school counselors, we are responsible for helping children cope with a variety of difficult circumstances. It can be a challenge to start a group about grief or divorce. Maybe the group dynamics, personality wise, are off. Maybe you don't have enough students in a particular grade level to start a group and therefore, cannot offer this service. Maybe students who could join the group feel uncomfortable speaking about their situation in front of others and would prefer individual counseling. So, what can you do to help students dealing with divorce or grief know that they are not alone? Well, I think these films are a wonderful resource to fit this particular need.

You could show the film based on the chapters that best address your students' needs or use the chapters for different group sessions as an introduction to the day's lesson.

Also, you can look forward to future films from Professor Child called "Siblings and Autism" and "Children of Military Families."

To purchase one or both of these films ("Children and Grief" and "Children and Divorce"), visit Professor Child online. You can order a DVD or a digital copy. Plus, you can download both companion workbooks for FREE. I strongly recommend these resources for your elementary school counseling practice. Check them out today!

Are you a director, writer, or production company? Do you have an educational film that you would like me to review on my blog? If so, contact me at marissa@elementaryschoolcounseling.org. I'd be happy to check out your work and spread the word to my readers.
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Stop This Train

6/19/2013

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Yesterday afternoon, I returned to my undergraduate campus, Bowling Green State University, to speak with a group of school counseling students (more on that soon). As I walked by the buildings and took in the sights, sounds, and smells (yes, smells) of my old college life, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Yes, I LOVE my job, but honestly, if I could be a student forever and make a living, I might be tempted to do so.

Perhaps these strong emotions also came from a desire to be young and free again. Of course, I recognize that I'm not exactly "old," but oldER. I remember what it felt like to be in college and know that I had an open path in front of me, full of exciting possibilities and new experiences.
Now, life is pretty set. I got my dream job, I have a wonderful husband, other doors are opening for me professionally...yet, I still sometimes have the desire to go "home" again.

This makes me think of a particularly beautiful John Mayer song (above) called "Stop This Train," which discusses what it feels like to grow up. One of my favorite lyrics says, "I'm so scared of getting older. I'm only good at being young."

Those words bring up a good point: Will I be a different school counselor 10 years from now? 20 years? 30?
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I sort of hate to admit this, but I often wonder if my students will still like me? Right now, being one of the younger staff members in my building, I have the "cool" factor. In many ways, I'm like their big sister or their aunt. We're not equals, but we have a smaller generational gap to close. I get them and they get me.

I also worry about emotional fatigue. Will I be able to deal with the stress of this career for 35 years? How will I feel about my life at that point? Will I feel like I've made a difference or will I feel like I misused the time I had during my younger years?

I guess, in the end, all we can do is live in the moment and do the best we can. We may not be able to stop the train, but we can focus on the present. After all, in the coming years, those will be our "good ol' days" that we're striving to get back to. We might as well enjoy them now. 
Looking back, in high school, I missed being the little kid playing in the backyard. In college, I missed the simplicity of high school. Now, I miss the freedom that college represented. No matter what, we mourn the loss of significant milestones, but that should offer hope.

Our future will hold great memories too. We need to appreciate our surroundings, not the track behind or ahead of us. In doing so, maybe the train won't move quite as fast.

Anyone want to write a song about that? ;)
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This is Water

6/17/2013

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As we ease into summer break and begin reflecting on the 2012-2013 school year, it's easy to think more about the stress, frustration, and disappointments we experienced than the success stories.

If you're anything like me, you store all of your mistakes (big and small) inside yourself and during those difficult school moments, begin playing them on a loop in your brain.

Then, when you're sufficiently on edge, all of the unexpected crises that pop up throughout the school day become more and more difficult to handle. I am a patient person, but even I need to take significant breathers when this occurs.
In the spirit of this type of self-reflection, I thought I'd share a video (above). It does a wonderful job explaining what the "real world" feels like. No one can prepare you for what it's really like to be on your own as a school counselor, including how to deal with outside stressors while still performing your many school counseling duties.

For those of you who have yet to join the profession, please don't think I mean to scare you away from, in my opinion, one of the best jobs there is. I am, however, trying to give you the heads-up that may prevent you leaving the field once you're in it. We often have an idealistic view of the helping professions, thinking we can save the world. Well, I still am quite the optimist, but I now know that saving the world shouldn't be my barometer for success. You have to accept the failures to appreciate the little victories. You have to go to work each day knowing that things probably won't go as planned, that a student may make a bad choice, that a co-worker may be struggling and take it out on you, that a parent may believe their child's story over their teacher's and call you to express their anger.

It's easy to let these unexpected events drag you down. Why is this happening to me?

Well, those who are frustrating you may be saying the same thing to themselves. When we're stuck in traffic, we are angry at those in front of us for not moving quickly enough, almost as if we're not part of the problem - "they" are. If we take a step back, we might realize that those cars behind us are probably feeling the same way...about US.

So, watch the video. Remind yourself why you want to be a school counselor. Recognize that kids and adults who act out are probably responding to difficult circumstances. Take a moment to appreciate your success stories, forgive the missteps, and remember..."This is Water."
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ASCA 2013: Blogger Meet & Greet

6/12/2013

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Book Review: Flood

6/11/2013

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Like many early childhood educators, I adore picture books...well, maybe it's more of an obsession, really. I consider myself well-versed in what makes a good children's book and can quickly determine if an author truly understands kids (or not). Many authors unknowingly belittle children by oversimplifying storylines, leaving their work quite hollow. This is especially true with children's books that cover difficult topics, such as death, divorce, and illness. We often underestimate what children comprehend and what they can handle, so we take the reigns and present a cute little story with a cute little ending. Life does not always feel so cute. Life can be scary. Our children deserve stories that address what they are thinking and feeling. By creating those books, kids may feel less alone. 
When I heard about Flood by Alvaro F. Villa, I was intrigued. In the U.S., we've had a number of natural disasters within the past few months, so this story felt particularly relevant. What makes Flood unique is that it's a wordless picture book; no matter where you are from or what language you speak, your children can understand this story, which is quite beautiful.

Flood is the story of a family who must abandon their home when a violent storm approaches. The gorgeous illustrations show the family during various stages of the process, including the moments during the storm itself, as the family anxiously waits for the flood to subside. The story ends as the family returns to their broken home, rebuilds, and begins a new, more peaceful chapter of their lives. It's clear that Alvaro F. Villa understands kids.
As Roxanne from Books That Heal Kids explains, "this is a really smart and non-threatening approach to help children open up about their feelings and fears after a traumatic event" (Book Review). Kids need to know that they are not the first to experience such tragic events.

I strongly recommend this book to all elementary school counselors and educators. Not only do you get this exceptional story, but you also help Capstone make a substantial donation to Save the Children's domestic emergency fund, which, as Capstone states, will help "children and families during times of severe crises and natural disasters with food, medical care, and education." Plus, at the official Flood site, you can download a free copy of the Reader's Guide (right) that has tips for reading and discussing the story. Enjoy! 
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Are you an author? Do you have a book that you would like me to review on my blog? If so, contact me at marissa@elementaryschoolcounseling.org. I'd be happy to check out your work and spread the word to my readers.
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Best and Brightest 2012-2013

6/10/2013

10 Comments

 
Last week, the elementary school counselors in my district organized a "Best and Brightest" event where each of us shared our favorite individual, small group, classroom, and school-wide counseling strategies from the 2012-2013 school year. Needless to say, it was AMAZING! We typed up our notes for our records and provided each other with hard copies and electronic copies of our resources. I highly encourage this event!

Due to the success of my own district's "Best and Brightest," I thought I'd host the same event with all of you! This time, I picked my 10 favorite tools from this year (not including my ultimate favorite, Tim...that's for another blog post!). Enjoy!

Get My "Top 10"

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Share Your Favorites

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To participate in the Linky Party:
Create a blog post titled "Best and Brightest 2012-2013"
Place the Linky Party logo (left) in your post.
Describe your favorite strategies from 2012-2013
Submit your blog post link (below). Be sure to link to the actual post, not your homepage.

If you do not have a blog, just share your strategies in the comment section.

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    Author

    My name is Marissa Rex and I am a 1st Grade teacher and an elementary school counselor from Ohio. I hope you enjoy my site!

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