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Book Review: Girl Power Series

1/9/2015

I recently read a book series by Erainna Winnett, founder of Counseling with Heart. The books focus on issues that girls often face, such as comparing yourself to others, dealing with cyberbullying, feeling pulled between two friends, and navigating the confusing world of back-handed compliments.

What I loved about all of these books is that the solutions weren't always easy. We tend to give students blanket suggestions for how to solve their problems, but most of the time, it's not a quick fix. The girls in these stories have to try a few things before they find a good solution, and even then, that solution might not be the fairytale ending that we crave. Sometimes, we lose friends who treat us badly. Sometimes, we have to focus on what we can do rather than how to change someone else's behavior.

Erainna's books also include follow-up activities on the last few pages, which is great for the school counselor on-the-go. It's Good to be Me even has an activity built into the story - how perfect is that?!

I would definitely recommend these books for your elementary school counseling programs. I would most likely use them in a small group setting and focus on one book per week. We'd discuss the topic and overall story, then complete a follow-up activity to check for understanding. I think these are great for 3rd-4th grade students, but you may find them beneficial for 5th and 6th graders as well.

Post a comment below to be entered into a drawing for your own autographed Girl Power book set. The deadline is January 16, 2015 and the winner will be selected at random (with a computerized tool). I'd love to hear how you'd use these books in your own school counseling program and/or the types of activities you've tried in your girl groups.

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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Happy New Year! Happy Blogiversary!

1/1/2015

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It's hard to believe that 3 years ago, Elementary School Counseling.org was born. I am so grateful for the collaboration, support, and enthusiasm from this amazing group of school counselors. This is a beautiful profession that I am lucky to be a part of.

As an extra "thank you" to my readers, I added a Frequently Asked Questions section to provide quick answers for the school counselor on-the-go. Check it out and feel free to contact me with other questions you think should be added to the list.

Happy New Year!

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Book Review: Pickles and the P-Flock Bullies

12/30/2014

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I recently read a book called Pickles and the P-Flock Bullies, a story about a young Orca named Pickles and her new friend, Stitches, a harbor seal. The pair meet a group of seagulls who invite Pickles to join their group, but ridicule and push away Stitches. Pickles is left to decide if she should stick up for her friend or join the "cool" P-Flock seagulls.

What I found exceptional about this book is the honest conversation about how easily we can be manipulated by negative forces, such as bullies. When a strong personality invites you in, it's hard to refuse and even harder to stand up and call out their bullying behaviors. When in this difficult situation, Pickles finds herself joining in with the crowd, further humiliating her friend.

Pickles and the P-Flock Bullies is a book written with beautiful detail and imagery that your students will find themselves both relating to and enjoying. I would most likely share this with my 3rd grade classrooms and conduct a follow-up activity with foam fish, similar to this one.

Students would sit in a circle, if possible, and take turns "fishing" out of the pile of foam sea creatures. There are a few ways that you could structure this activity, but I would probably number the fish so that each one corresponded with a specific type of question. Some of the questions would be about the story (summarizing, details, etc.), while others would be how the story applies to our day-to-day school lives. These could be situation-based questions to see if a student could decide how to respond to bullying or simply discussion starters to open up an honest class conversation about the topic.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book!

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Check-In

12/30/2014

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This is something new that I've started in my individual counseling sessions. It serves a few purposes - it helps me gather data on how effective the sessions are, helps students self-reflect, and works as a discussion starter.

My students have really taken to this check-in method and I've definitely noticed a positive change in their ability to reflect and process what is happening around them. My next step is to take the data from the year and see if the self-reflections match each student's behavior and overall performance.

I print this check-in page on the back of my session summary form. That way, all of my notes for the session are in one place.

Individual Counseling Check-In
File Size:	116 kb
File Type:	docx

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Session Summary (Individual)
File Size:	23 kb
File Type:	doc

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I'm Thankful For...

11/27/2014

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I'm thankful for my family, friends, and colleagues. I'm thankful for theatre, which both scares and inspires me. I'm thankful to have a wonderful school to work at each day, a school that embraces and supports our school counseling program. I'm thankful for all that I've been given in my lifetime.

I'm also thankful for all of you. I know I've been "quiet" lately - I've been enjoying my almost 7-month-old, performing in a play, and trying to be the best school counselor I can. Sometimes, you make priorities that are necessary, but difficult. I love blogging, but I knew that I needed a break to enjoy other areas of my life. I promise I'll be back - I have a ton of information to post. My guess is that you'll be sick of me come Winter Break. Until then, have a great few weeks of school! :)

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It's the Most Challenging Time of the Year

10/26/2014

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I'm sure none of us are singing a joyful tune about this time of the year. It's stressful, exhausting, and seemingly never-ending.

I recently read a hilarious blog post about this period of the school year and what you are feeling is known as DEVOLSON, the Dark Evil Vortex of Late September, October, and November.

Once I discovered DEVOLSON, I knew I had to share it with my staff. Here are some pictures and free downloads from this special week.

Signs (PDF)
File Size:	478 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Cute Pictures (ZIP)
File Size:	1985 kb
File Type:	zip

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Notecards (PPT)
File Size:	215 kb
File Type:	pptx

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Product Review: The Career Game

9/27/2014

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Those of you who follow Carol Miller's blog, The Middle School Counselor, you may remember her post about The Career Game. While I may work with a different age group, I think this suits my elementary kiddos as well.

I've tried to expose my students to lessons about career exploration, but sometimes, it's hard to find engaging ways of introducing this topic to students who are so young.

I think that this game is a perfect option for elementary students, particularly 4th-6th graders.

I love the student workbooks! For my students, I think the best way to introduce them would be in a small group. This way, we could work on the pages session by session and spend time discussing each topic. However, I still think the books would lend themselves well to classroom lessons if you have the time to properly teach the material.

An extra feature is each student's web ticket, which allows them to convert their workbook scores into a list of jobs that match their interests. I still need to try that aspect with my students - we've been so engaged with the workbooks, we haven't moved on to the tickets...YET! :)

Additionally, as the school counselor, you can view each of your student's workbook scores online, see which educational goal they chose, and view the jobs that were recommended for them. It's a great way to document the work you are doing with your students. Let's face it - many of us are working in districts that are financially struggling due to lack of funding and a struggling economy. We NEED to advocate for ourselves and the work we do for students so that we are deemed essential, not a fun "extra" in our buildings. Tools like The Career Game can help us teach a domain that may not typically be addressed in elementary school and show students, staff, administration, and parents why school counselors are necessary.

Check it out today! :)

Do you have a product 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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Film Review: Children of Military Families

9/6/2014

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You may remember a film review I wrote a little over a year ago about Professor Child's wonderful films, Children and Grief and Children and Divorce. I recently watched another film called Children of Military Families.

This production is just as great as the other two! The film stars real children discussing the real struggle of having a parent in the military serving overseas. There are a variety of age groups and ethnicities, and feature both male and female children. The advice and stories feel truly authentic, not scripted or forced the way many resources can be.

I have numerous students who struggle with the stress, fear, and confusion that can come with a parent who has been deployed (or will be deployed). It can be difficult to find quality materials for these individuals and their families; I am so excited to share this new film with my school community!

I highly recommend that you check out these films at Professor Child's website and consider purchasing your own copies. Trust me. They are worth it! Although the topics are intense, the films are hopeful and remind you that you are not alone.

You can purchase a digital version of the film (available for immediate digital download) or a DVD. Additionally, Professor Child offers a FREE workbook that includes over 50 pages of thought-provoking discussion questions and creative exercises. The workbook is divided into 12 chapters that correspond directly with the film, which makes things even easier for busy school counselors. Plus, did I mention it's FREE?! ;)

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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Kicking Off the School Year

8/26/2014

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Here's a quick summary of how I've started the 2014-2015 school year at my building:

Open House

Our staff decorated our building with a "Surfing into a New School Year" theme. Here's a sample bulletin board introducing our staff to students and parents.

My Office

Very similar to last year's office. Here are some pictures and a video of my space.

Intro Lesson

I used a LEGO theme to introduce/reintroduce myself to my students. The students loved it, especially because of The LEGO Movie. Check out additional beginning of the year lessons here. Make your custom LEGO icon here.

LEGO Lesson (PDF)
File Size:	32013 kb
File Type:	pptx

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Interested in the videos from the lesson? Contact me. I can tell you where I found them on YouTube.

Want a "Building Better Futures" t-shirt (different from the one above)? Click here.

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So Long, Farewell

6/30/2014

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Transitions are difficult. I spend a lot of time throughout the school year working with my 6th graders on building their self-confidence and important life skills. You can find some of my lessons here.

After one of my lessons, I asked students to complete an exit slip (which I use often to determine what they learned and what they want to learn more about). This time, I used the information to determine which students might benefit from additional support with the transition to 7th grade. This could definitely be used with other grades, though.

We used this mood scale in an earlier lesson, so my students were familiar with what each cat meant in terms of their stress level.

I ended up with 8 students who were in the high stress category.

Once I knew how many students could use transition support, I contacted the school counselor at my students' future school to schedule a time to visit. He was AMAZING! My students got a free pizza lunch, met the principal, and spoke with current students who were stressed about moving to junior high, but now feel great. Everyone was able to ask questions and by the time we returned to our school, they felt much more prepared for moving forward. This meeting took place during the students' lunch, recess, and a small portion of class time. My principal and I walked with the students since the junior high is a short distance from our building.