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Hello, World!

3/12/2017

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.

I want to thank you for being such an amazing group of readers. I am lucky to have your support, enthusiasm, and professionalism in my life. Please know that while I may not be able to respond to all of your emails, I still appreciate you - it just comes down to how much time I have available to give. Now that I have 2 kids, I'm sure you can imagine how much time that adds up to. ;)

Here are some things I just added:

You can find all of these "Is it Rude, Mean, or Bullying?" lessons here.

16 Comments

Book Review: The Essential Moving Guide for Families

4/7/2015

7 Comments

My school district has a very transient population - students move between our schools, to other local districts, out of state, and back again. For some children and families, they find a way to make the moves part of their routine. For others, every relocation evokes feelings of fear and resentment.

Regardless of your school district, you will always have students who move in and out of your building. This transition can be difficult, but hey, that's what school counselors are for, right? The problem is, it can be hard to cram every strategy into a phone call with the parent or in a session with the student. Sometimes, we need to offer extra resources for the family that they can absorb in their own time.

The Essential Moving Guide for Families: Practical Advice to Ease Your Transition and Create a Sense of Belonging is a wonderful resource to share with families. The book is divided into three main sections: Before the Move, Preparation and Moving Day, and Settling in After the Move. Each part provides insight and practical advice to help your family every step of the way.

Moving is a huge change - you are truly uprooting your life and trying to grow in new soil. If not tended properly, parts of your life may begin to wilt. There may be unexpected hurdles, weeds that threaten to grab hold of you, but with the right support and a little sunlight, you can bloom and flourish again. This book is that sunlight.

7 Comments

Book Review: Chocolate Milk, Por Favor!

4/6/2015

2 Comments

Another great book from Maria Dismondy!

Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! is a story about a boy named Johnny who is angry when a new student, Gabe, arrives. Gabe comes to school in tears and doesn't speak English. Johnny doesn't understand why anyone would want to play with Gabe, especially since he can't talk to them, but slowly Johnny learns that actions speak much louder than words.

What makes this story even more special is that it's based on a real student in Maria Dismondy's class who moved to the United States just days before the start of 1st grade. As Maria Dismondy says in her book, "I believe acts of kindness are worth more than a thousand kind words. It's true; I witnessed it."

I was also impressed with a section in the back of the book called "Tips to Assist English Language Learners." This provides the readers with 10 easy ideas to help students feel welcome and supported in the classroom, such as pronouncing his/her name correctly or keeping your language short and simple.

Often, adults and children want to help, but need opportunities to discuss and practice these skills. Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! is a wonderful way to open a dialogue about helping English Language Learners feel comfortable in their new environment. I highly recommend this book for all classrooms!

2 Comments

Taking a Break

3/23/2015

88 Comments

It's been a rough year, to say the least, but also a great year. Lately, however, some of the bad has begun to outweigh the good, tarnishing the shiny bits of my life that I cherish.

So, it's with a heavy heart that I announce that I'll be taking a break from my website. I will finish the reviews that need to be published, but after that, I hope to rest. I love my site and the idea of sharing ideas with such amazing colleagues. The problem is my stress level. At this point, my family and my school need a more relaxed me. The pressure of this website has just become too much and hasn't been as fun as it used to be. Recently, I have lost sleep and had a resurgence in anxiety - my perfectionism, my negative self-talk, and my insecurities have woken up with a vengeance, like the three-headed dog at Hogwarts.

In the end, I have to do what's right for my family, my friends, my school, and myself and lull that dog back to sleep. I may be back, but I'm not in a place to make promises. Thank you for your support over the years. Best of luck to all of you!

88 Comments

Gathering Data for Small Groups

2/22/2015

8 Comments

This school year I started gathering more data on my small groups to assess how effective my sessions were for students. So far, so good!

I thought I'd share what I've created.

You can view all of my documents here. Enjoy!

8 Comments

Recent Additions

2/21/2015

4 Comments

Over the past few days, I've posted a bunch of new resources on the website portion of my site. Here are the recent additions:

1.

This is a classroom lesson for early elementary that discusses what it means to be excellent. I used the book Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, which is hilarious! I HIGHLY recommend it! After reading the book together, students filled out cupcakes with their strengths, which went on a class poster (left).

You can find the full explanation of this lesson here.

2.

This lesson is geared toward middle to upper elementary and allows for a lot of whole group and small group discussions about anger and bullying. The angry bird theme is a great way to grab your students' attention, creating a buzz of excitement that you need for a lesson that involves so much reflection.

The full lesson can be found here.

3.

LEGOs and following directions go so well together - why didn't I see this before?!

I created a lesson for a third grade class to help them practice giving and receiving directions, while also emphasizing WHY it's important to do those things well.

The lesson, which can be found here, includes a PowerPoint (with a short video) and interactive worksheet (left).

4.

The Best Teacher Ever is a great way to discuss "gratitude," especially in a school setting.

For this classroom lesson, we read the book, then created cards and a special video message for the classroom teachers. It's a feel-good lesson that, as a bonus, boosts staff morale.

For more details, click here.

5.

This is a great opportunity to help students self-reflect. The idea of an iceberg came from a popular Challenge Day exercise where students think about what it means to live "above the water line," and stop hiding who they really are. We want to be comfortable in our own skin, because that is where we can feel true peace and happiness.

On this paper, students write what other people see (top of the iceberg) and what they hide (bottom of the iceberg). This can be an emotional activity, so be prepared for a longer session, if needed. You could also use this paper with small groups or classrooms.

For more ideas like this, click here.

6.

Need a creative way to recognize your students' positive behaviors? Then try a photo booth! You can make a customized backdrop quickly, easily, and inexpensively.

For more information about my school's photo booth project, click here.

4 Comments

A Little Perspective

2/20/2015

6 Comments

Ohio has started a new testing program called PARCC and AIR, which involves standardized testing over the course of 4 months. School counselors (and MANY other school and district personnel) are being pulled from their jobs to coordinate schedules and complete an overwhelming amount of paperwork. We also stop all services that may interfere with administering the tests. The rules of these tests are new, so that requires additional training that takes more support away from students. Our once energetic, positive climate has turned into a frantic buzz of stress and anxiety.

It's been a huge adjustment for me. Now, I have to walk around my building apologizing to students and staff for cancelling groups, rescheduling sessions, and skipping classroom lessons. I feel like a failure and a disappointment most of the time.

Now is the time for a little perspective. In the grand scheme of things, these tests don't matter. These limitations have been placed on all Ohio schools (and other states dealing with the same tests) and all we can do is take a deep breath and do the best we can with what we've been given. It doesn't mean that we stop fighting for our students - we just have to accept those things we cannot change immediately.

Last week, my school had a Valentine's dance for 4th-6th grade students (no dates, just fun). Before the dance, I was upset about the lack of time I had to be a REAL school counselor and was dealing with the stress of being pulled in too many directions - the last thing I wanted to do was add more to my plate by chaperoning a dance, even though it was my choice to do so. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I went to the dance. It was wonderful seeing my students in a more relaxed setting, dancing like goofballs and smiling like this was the best night of their lives. I was able to enjoy the people they are and not the "data" they represent on paper. This is why I wanted to work with children - they are fun and make my life brighter with their unique perspective on life.

I figured that many of you might be in the same boat, plugging the little holes before you are engulfed in a sea of negativity, stress, and responsibilities. So, here are some reminders about the beauty of our students:

1.

I read this back in November and couldn't stop laughing. It's all about jokes that kids make that don't exactly make sense. I guarantee a laugh!

2.	This post from August 2013 definitely brightens my bad days:

3.	I have a YouTube channel with a lot of playlists, but one that is particularly appropriate for this post is "Brighten Your Day."

6 Comments

Beautiful Oops

2/19/2015

0 Comments

Beautiful Oops is one of my favorite books! It's all about looking at "mistakes" in a different way - as an opportunity for creativity and a new perspective.

I've used this with students who struggle with perfectionism and anything that is unexpected. We started by reading the book, then I picked students at random to choose a "mistake" from my table (examples below). The students had to take their paper and turn it into something beautiful. Some of my students struggled, but all of them were able to complete the task. 1 student was absent, so there isn't a finished product for the crumpled paper.

We finished the session with an overall reflection on the topic.

0 Comments

Hero vs. Villain

2/16/2015

18 Comments

I loved this lesson! I used it with a 3rd grade classroom, but it could definitely work 3rd-6th.

I went through the PowerPoint (below), which involves students thinking about why we look up to heroes and what those heroes have to overcome to make the right choices. Also, the students must participate in an interactive "choose your own adventure" part of the presentation, where they must choose the correct response to a difficult school-based situation. Typically, students know the best choice, so for fun, I go through the negative responses to show that side as well.

I ended the lesson with a self-reflection paper (left).

You could also use the self-reflection paper in an individual or small group setting. When students understand their behaviors, they are more likely to control them, rather than be controlled by them.