One of the things that I often forget is that, in spite of having done something 100,000 times in my job as a counselor, most others haven't. I found this particularly true for the processes of referring kids for both gifted and special services testing. I was answering the same questions week after week, month after month, year after year... I got wise and began writing out the process for teachers to have handy when they wanted to refer a student for testing, but it still didn't seem to make much of a difference in the number of repeated questions. One afternoon, I happened to look at the information I gave to the teachers; While the idea was a good one, the way I presented the information was a complete visual train wreck. I decided to create flowcharts for each of the processes. I had everything checked over by the Speech/Language Pathologists, the diagnostician, and other members of the special services group in my school. Once it was Oked by involved parties, it was passed along to the teachers. It was incredibly beneficial in cutting down on the repeated questions as well as helping to provide the teachers with the correct information to pass along to parents. Keep in mind that these flowcharts worked for my building and might not work for yours.
Ahhhhhh, Career Exploration... Probably my favorite area of focus in Comprehensive Guidance because I get to see kids really start to get excited about their future. I have cultivated my Career Exploration lessons for the last seven years, and it is a program that is super fun and solid. One of the resources I love to use with fifth graders is the "Who Are You?" Inventory. Yes, it can be lengthy for some, but it's so awesome when it comes to giving the results. This inventory not only gives ideas of what a student might enjoy in the professional world, but it also gives personality traits of those in each area. In looking at the "Who Are You" results, you will also notice that the adjectives are both positive and negative. I have the students identify their top two or three areas, and when we go over those areas, I talk about the positive and negative traits of the personality types. After being together in school for a number of years, these kids know each other well, and they get to laughing pretty hard when the adjectives describe a classmate to a T.
A word of advice: Be sure to remind the students over and over and over and over again that this is not a job predictor. It simply brings to light different ideas of what a student might enjoy doing. It's always a fun time to try and talk down a parent who's mad at you for allegedly telling their kid that "s/he is going to be an artist and not a doctor" as the parents have planned for their child... I am incredibly fortunate to work where I work. The years that I was a counselor in one school, I had a nice little budget that came out to about $1.00 per student. In spite of this, I spent a lot of time making things by hand. I have bulletin boards, books, and various resources that I free-handed, because I just couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. I thank my lucky stars that I did that, as it was preparing me for my new life as a travelling counselor where I have no budget.
Today, I started prepping for a social group session and decided I wanted to make a game. I, of course, looked on Pinterest first, and quickly realized that it would be just as easy for me to make a game by myself. Hmmmm, no game board template big enough, and my new laptop is not yet hooked up to the printer at this school... What to do? I decided to quickly draw up my own game board template. No, it's not perfect, but there's something really charming about those imperfections, right? Right?!?! :-O You can take the printed picture to your copier and magnify it to a larger size. I have mine on 11x17 paper, and it seems to be the perfect size for a small group. A few weeks ago, I was walking through the hallway with the principal at one of my schools when she happened to mention how ugly she thought a few of the bulletin boards looked. Mistake one. She then mentioned that she was not artistic at all. Mistake two. It was then the beast was unleashed, and by "beast," I mean a thirty-something, five foot four woman who sweats like a guy, and once believed she was going to be an artist. While my art dreams died more than half a lifetime ago, I still get all dizzy with joy when I can unleash some creativity on a bulletin board, so naturally, I volunteered to decorate a bulletin board. They gave me three. I finally finished the three bulletin boards today which highlight the first three of the 7 Habits. It was a large undertaking which included taking a staple to the eye, sweating so much my flat-ironed hair became curly again, stumbling back on my own shoe (they were off), and tearing my skirt up the side. Yeah, I really get in to this stuff... I know what you're thinking. "There's a lot of dead space on that last one, and the top part isn't centered!" It makes me slightly crazy, too, but being afraid I was going to sweat through my skirt, I stopped where I was. Maybe I'll fix it...someday... :)
Whew! I just got done with my first mini lesson for the year, and it was SUPER fun! There seems to be an outbreak of personal space invaders amongst kindergarteners these days- jumping all over one another, hugging a little too tightly, grabbing each other, and so on, and those are just the boys! :) I searched around on Pinterest for ideas and smashed a few of them together.
I will attach the lesson that I used in both Smart Board format and Powerpoint format on my Resources page, BUT here's a quick overview of what I did. I began by discussing the four different types of space that can be invaded by others: property space, hearing space, seeing space, and body space. I role play for the kids what each looks like, as well. They really liked that and thought it was really funny, especially when I kept making noises over the little girl trying to talk about her dogs during the hearing space portion. I save body space for last, so we can play a little game. I give each student a piece of paper roughly the size of an open newspaper (I didn't have any newspaper handy, so I improvised). I played the song "Wipeout" and broke it in to three different levels: Level One: On the playground (lots of space) Level Two: At your desk (less space) Level Three: Sitting on the floor or standing in line (small amount of space) At Level One, they are able to dance around and have lots of paper space to do so. I stop the song after about 30 seconds and make them fold the paper in half. Now at Level two, they have to dance as if they were at their desks with less space to move their arms and legs. After another 30 seconds, I stop the music and make them fold their paper one more time. For Level Three, they are left with about enough paper to only fit their shoes. The music goes back on, and they dance as if they are in line or sitting on the carpet. Both the kids and the teacher loved this lesson. They seemed to really understand the concept of changing amounts of personal space depending on where you are and what you're doing. We've all been in a meeting when a teacher proclaims, "I have had [student] on a behavior plan, and it's not working!" The frustration of a student not meeting behavioral expectations is the reality for most teachers at some point; however, I have found that in spite of the best intentions, teachers don't know how to effectively implement a behavior plan for a student. This is the point when we need to break out our PI skills.
1. Ask the teacher for a copy of the behavior chart. It's important to fully understand the goal of the chart as well as see what the child is seeing. Sometimes you can tweak a behavior chart here and there, and it will suffice. In other cases, our sweet teachers miss the mark completely. I usually have teachers drop a sample in my mailbox or e-mail a copy to me. Why? Well, because I'm human, and I sometimes struggle to hide my true feelings. Therefore, if a teacher gives me a three strike daily behavior chart where the kid has to try and achieve three goals, I might explode with laughter, or worse, I might scoff. Like I said, though, the teachers have the best intentions, see a child's potential (an amazing thing), and sometimes just don't realize that the expectations are a little out of reach. If tweaking or an overhaul needs to take place, give yourself time to really think it through. Your approach can impact the teacher's willingness to try your ideas. 2. Observe the student. Before you can create an effective plan, you need to know what you're dealing with. A few short (15 minutes) observations will suffice. 3. Create two plans. Based on the information you receive from the teacher and your observations of the student, you will create a behavior plan that will (you hope) fit the needs of the student. This is when you get to teach the teacher! Create a "How to" template for your behavior plan (here and on my Resources page). Explain how to fill it out, tips, etc., and be detailed! I will give teachers the "cheat sheet" and go over it with them, so they completely understand and have all the information. It sets both the student and them up for success, and that's a win-win! A few years ago, I began writing brief articles for the school newsletter. Here is one of my favorites on the age old topic of bullying...
Teasing and bullying are words that are often used interchangeably, but in reality, they are vastly different. Teasing and bullying may both include a student being made fun of or getting “picked on,” but teasing is an occasional or infrequent action. Bullying is an on-going intimidation that harms the victim in some way. Rockwood School District defines bullying as “the intimidation or harassment that causes a reasonable student to fear for his or her physical safety or property, i.e., physical actions, including gestures, or oral or written communication, and any threat of retaliation for reporting such acts.” In Rockwood and at this school, bullying is NOT acceptable! As parents, we might find ourselves feeling powerless and angry when we believe our child is being bullied by another student, or worse, when we realize our child might just be the bully! If you suspect your child is being bullied, the following strategies might help: 1. In a calm voice, ask your child pertinent, non-inflammatory questions like: a. What is happening? b. Where is it happening? c. Who is doing this? d. How often does this happen? e. Have you told anyone?/Who can you tell? f. How can I help? 2. Contact school. It is important that teachers, administration, and the counselors know that bullying (ongoing harassment) is occurring. We can’t do anything about a situation if it is not reported to us. 3. Provide non-bullying strategies for your child to use should s/he find her/himself being bullied such as: a. Walk away b. Ask the bully to “Please stop.” c. Report it to a staff member If you suspect your child is the bully, here are some strategies that might help: 1. Staying calm, explain to your child your expectations of how to treat others. It is important for them to know what respectful and responsible behavior looks like and what it means to you. 2. Talk to your child’s teacher or counselor. A positive team approach is often powerful in helping redirect a child’s negative behaviors and communicates that this behavior is not acceptable in any environment. Reports made by a parent or a student can be kept anonymous. 3. Investigate! Sometimes kids take the lead by watching others’ actions, are reacting to a stressful event in their lives, have always gotten away with the behavior, or it could be due to something completely different! Sometimes it can be difficult for a parent to talk to their children about bullying without becoming emotional (angry or sad). If this is the case for you, contact the school counselor(s). We can help you devise an action plan or provide outside resources. Soooo I’ve cried every day starting Monday. No, it’s not because I’m overly sensitive; unfortunately, I received an e-mail late on Monday telling me that, while at a daycare event, the three year old sibling of two of my students collapsed and died. With a young child of my own, this one hits a little too close to home. Death is one of those topics that I struggle discussing with students. Within the close-knit communities of the schools where I work, it’s not just the family who struggles to cope with the loss; the classmates, friends, and teachers of these families struggle, too. Inaction on the part of a counselor is just not an option. We must do something, but what?
A number of years back when I was still a middle school teacher, a teammate and friend of mine committed suicide. I was in my final year of graduate school to obtain my counseling degree, and I had been interviewing for counseling positions in the weeks prior. I was trying to sell myself to people, insisting that I was ready for this job, but when I got the phone call telling me about my friend, I crumbled. I spent the next few weeks of the school year in a complete daze. I had no idea how to support myself, let alone support the hundreds of current and former students who loved this person. What I saw happen over the following days stuck with me. Paper…foot after foot of butcher paper… That was the magic item for many of the students. Hundreds of hurting students, markers in hand, wrote words of encouragement, shared memories, and various expressions of love for their teacher and his family. Each day, more of these murals were added to the wall, and little by little, I watched the mood of the students change. The simple act of committing those thoughts to a piece of butcher paper began to free them from the pain they were experiencing. A few years later, a second grader and fourth grader lost their mother very suddenly and unexpectedly. Their classmates were very worried about them and wanted to do anything they could to support the girls. I immediately thought of my experience a few years prior and got to work on a “Caring Quilt.” I created a very simple paper template on which kids and staff could offer their condolences and words of encouragement. Many also drew pictures or decorated their quilt square. Once I collected all the squares, I put them on a piece of butcher paper. Each girl got a paper quilt created by their peers and adults who cared about them. I received very positive feedback from all parties involved, the girls included. Yes, a paper quilt is a very simple thing to do, but the expression of emotions was what the kids and staff needed to do at that moment. I think sometimes we get too focused on doing something huge and forget the power of just letting someone know we’re thinking of them. For me, being in a classroom for a counseling lesson is probably one of the best things in the world. I cannot explain how much I absolutely LOVE to teach, but the lesson is the payoff. Coordinating schedules is the true challenge. Over the years, I have tried and seen a number of methods of scheduling lessons; some have been tremendously successful, while some...are...just...wow...
In four of the five schools where I currently work, I split the students with the full time counselor and flip flop at semester. What this means is that I cover the lessons in three grade levels each semester and teach in those classrooms at least once per month. With all these lessons going on, it's easy to lose track of where you need to be and at what time if you don't have an organized system. If you are not one of those crazy schedulers like me or you haven't yet found your method, feel free to follow my plan. Step One: Initial Contact I like to send an e-mail out around the second or third day of school. It helps me get plans laid out way ahead of time. I should mention that most, if not all, communication and planning occurs with the help of technology (e-mail and online calendar). If you don't have a calendar through your district's e-mail provider, use one through a private e-mail provider like Gmail. There are no piles, losing papers, and the process moves much quicker. Back to that e-mail, though... I plan the entire semester's lessons in August when our kids start school. That way, I can see what conflicts might occur as well as be able to know ahead of time what my days, weeks, and months look like. In other words, in a job that is naturally high stress, it reduces the stress level tremendously. Here is an example of what I sent to my teachers this year: Hi there! I hope you all had a fantastic first day with the kids and are ready for day two! I wanted to get my lesson e-mail out nice and early this year in order to accommodate everyone’s schedule as best possible. I will be starting lessons immediately in order to have some flexibility with the crazy months of November and December. I will be in your classrooms [insert number] times this year for approximately 30 minutes to meet my curriculum standards, but I am available to teach additional lessons, if necessary. For teachers unfamiliar with how I schedule my lessons, I have you tell me a time that works for you on the particular day each month (e.g. the first Tuesday at 12:30, the last Thursday at 9:15, or the second Friday at 2:30), and I do my best to meet your request. Once your lessons are on my calendar, I will send you a confirmation e-mail. In addition, I will send you an e-mail each month the day before my lesson. I look forward to working with you and your kids this year! Let me know if I can support you in any way. Step Two: Getting the Dates On the Calendar As explained in the example e-mail, I schedule lessons for the same day/time each month. Let's pretend that a teacher responds with any Monday at 2:00. I then look at my online calendar to see if there are any glaring conflicts. This year, I have two schools with a Staff Development Day during the second week of each month on the day I am scheduled to work at their school; therefore, I avoided scheduling lessons on that day each month. Once I pinpoint the week that will best work, I input the date on my online calendar. I set up a reoccurrence and a reminder for the lesson; it automatically is on my calendar each month, AND I get a reminder that I am due in a classroom. One benefit of my district's e-mail system is that I am told how many times the lesson will conflict with other scheduled events. It makes planning a breeze. Step Three: Confirmation You've got the first e-mail out, the lesson scheduled, and now comes the follow-up and additional information e-mail: Thanks for your [quick] response! I have you on my schedule for the last Wednesday of each month at 11:00. I’m a total tech nerd, and I make use of the SmartBoard during most, if not all, of my lessons. If this will be a problem, please let me know ahead of time, so I can plan accordingly. I know I mentioned this in my initial e-mail, but I’ll send a reminder e-mail to you the day before each of our four scheduled monthly lessons. See you soon! I add in the part about my use of the SmartBoard, because I have had certain people, month after month, roll their eyes and make that throaty "Ughhhhhh!" noise at me when asked if I could use their SmartBoard. It's just easiest to get it out of the way ahead of time. Step Four: Reminder E-mails The reminder e-mail can be a couple of different things, so let's start with the issue of a teacher not responding to schedule a lesson. If there are multiple teachers on your list, e-mail them individually or blind copy all of them! There is nothing more annoying than getting a reminder e-mail sent to you and being able to see who else is on the "naughty list"! I also word my e-mail very carefully and make it nonchalant, because, let's face it, teachers are busy people just like us. Hi there! I wanted to send a quick reminder e-mail regarding scheduling counseling lessons with me. I included the times that are currently taken, so you can see what will work with your schedule. With all the beginning of the year craziness, it is quite possible that I missed your e-mail, so if you already sent me your preferred day/time, will you resend it to me? The other reminder e-mail is one that is sent the day before the scheduled lesson. Nothing fancy! It's just a simple, "This is just a friendly reminder that I am scheduled for a lesson in your classroom tomorrow. See you then!" It is amazing the number of teachers who have thanked me each and every month or asked me, "What time again?" It just helps to establish that you are a professional who is organized and making life a little easier for a teacher. See? Four easy steps to planning lessons for the school year. If there's an aspect of this that you think might tank in your school, change it! If you have any "How do I..." questions, please feel free to contact me! Don't freak out! Help is here! Remember that ASCA article I mentioned I wrote? Here it is!
Every counselor wants to provide their kids with an amazing education on the world of work, but let’s face it; we can’t always have helicopters landing in our school yard! OK, it’s true, this actually happened at one Career Day I held, but that’s neither here nor there. :) The point is that even doing a small Career Day can change the course of a child’s life, and that is what it’s all about. It’s all in how you prepare and plan. If you are like I was in the beginning and feeling a little lost as to what you should do, follow these 10 steps for a successful Career Day. 1) Start preparing early Each Spring I look at the master calendar for the following school year and figure out what days are available for Career Day. I have found that with my staff, mid January is a great time to hold my Career Day. It avoids testing times, holidays, and times of high stress. Before I commit to the date, I ask all teachers whose schedules will be affected if the date works for them. A little bit of consideration goes a long way. I begin actively searching for presenters in September or October. This gives me enough time to scope out some really interesting professionals and enough time to find a back up if a scheduled presenter falls through. It also gives potential presenters enough time to request time off with ample notice and prepare what they are going to discuss and/or show the students. 2) Limit the age group While I teach Career Exploration to all grade levels, I limit Career Day to fourth and fifth grade students. It’s a great age, because they have begun to think about pursuing careers based on their strengths, have a greater understanding of the content shared by the presenters, and sometimes even ask some insightful questions about the careers being discussed. 3) Cover all career areas Making sure that all six of the career areas covered is important. Having kids see only professions that fall in to the Business Path and the Helping Path is limiting. Through Comprehensive Guidance, we teach all six paths, so why not present an occupation from each path? Choosing a profession from each path will also reach more students or spark interest in an area a child had not previously considered. 4) Think outside the box I don’t remember my school counselors ever talking about not going to college, but the reality of life is that many kids throughout our country decide to take a path that does not include attending a four year university. Not every person grows up to be a teacher, lawyer, or a doctor yet many career fairs are littered with individuals in these occupations. Kids, even young ones, need to be informed of their post-high school options that include college, technical schools, and training programs. Last year’s Career Day included a presenter who did concrete stamping after laying sidewalks and driveways. I must admit that I was worried as to whether the kids would like it or be remotely interested, but they loved it! It was a job that was out of the ordinary, and it requires employees to have knowledge of science and artistic ability, which the kids ate up. I have had dog trainers, Invisible Fence installers, a Ferrier, real estate agents, artists, musicians, and other careers that don’t require a four year degree. I’ve always felt it’s critical for kids to explore and be exposed to a variety of occupations, and the kids are always most interested in the occupations that are unique. Important points I try to drive home is the fact that every career plays a vital role in our lives and attempt to do away with the stereotype that glamorous, high paying jobs are the most important. 5) Know your audience When choosing presenters, consider your audience! What interests them, and how can you pull in kids who aren’t interested in that profession? It’s not possible to please everyone with every presenter, but if I can excite a child about a career, I’ve done my job. I choose presenters based on at least one of three criterions: a) Is there a large group that would be interested in this profession? b) Would the indifferent student be interested?; c) Would I be interested in watching this presenter? At my school, we have a number of young ladies very interested in fashion and the latest trends, while I have yet to meet a young man who is a budding fashionista. If I went with a clothing designer, it could severely limit the interest, so this is another place to think outside the box. I ended up finding a student’s father who owned a business that designed uniforms for area sports teams. It drew in the fashionistas, the artists, the business-minded kids, and sports fans. If a kid didn’t fall in to any of those categories, he/she was impressed anyway, because they knew the son of the presenter. 6) What to tell the presenters Before I was a school counselor, I taught Language Arts. Every once in a while, I would tell the students to write about anything they wanted, and hands would immediately fly up. “What do I write about?” “Anything you want.” “But, like, what? Like, my dog?” “Does that fall under the description of “anything”?” “Yes, but…” The freedom was way too overwhelming for them, and the concept of “anything” left them clueless. I approach presenters with this in mind, so instead of asking them to tell kids about their job, I’m very specific. I tell them to explain how/why they chose their profession, what schooling or training was necessary for their job, and any academic skills they use in their job (e.g. public speaking, writing, math, etc.). It takes the broad topic and narrows it down for them. They know exactly what I want, and it avoids the “deer in the headlights” moments after they have given a brief description of their job. Kids also like to be involved as much as possible. During my Career Days, students have been able to pet dogs, look at babies and broken bones on a mini ultrasound machine, sing along to songs, dance, and wear various pieces of uniforms. I encourage presenters to get the kids involved, because that is how they truly learn and experience that profession. 7) Make the schedule foolproof for teachers/staff—Less work=Happier teachers My fourth and fifth grade colleagues have started to look forward to Career Day, because I take care of everything. We have always had six presentations but eight classes, so two teachers are “off” each year. I rotate who is relieved of their class, divvy their classes up in to the remaining six classes, and provide them with a list telling them where each child goes. Involved staff members receive a schedule of events at least two weeks ahead of time that covers who is presenting in each room (presenters stay in one classroom), the time of each presentation, and which teacher will be in the teacher’s room should Career Day conflict with Specials (music, art, or PE). The teachers know what to expect, and they get to stay in their classroom while groups of kids rotate through their rooms to see the featured presenter. I even go as far as to give presenters a two minute warning prior to the kids needing to rotate to the next classroom, so the teachers don’t have to worry about watching the clock. Chaos is not fun on days like this, so I avoid it at all costs. 8) Don’t overwhelm the kids I could probably talk about what I do for at least an hour, and that would be just scratching the surface. However, no one, specifically fourth and fifth graders, wants to sit through an endless discourse of my occupation. My first Career Day had six different presentations that were twenty minutes each. By about minute 15 of each presentation, most kids were starting to get that glazed over look and doing that weird slouched body-head laid back-mouth open thing in their chairs. I started making the presentations shorter, limiting them to 15 minutes, and it has helped everyone. More kids stay interested, and it aids in avoiding the possibility of presenters running out of things to say after they’ve covered the highlights of their profession. 9) Expect and prepare for the worst There is nothing worse than having someone call up the day before or the day of Career Day to tell you they can’t present anymore. It’s one of those times where, outwardly, you’re sympathetic and understanding, but, inside, you’re channeling Nancy Kerrigan screaming, “WHY ME?!?!” I have learned to expect the absolute worse, and that has helped me to prepare for a Career Day catastrophe. Last year, I was still three presenters short of the needed six two days before Career Day. I called my mom and my husband who couldn’t present but had colleagues that could, and I went through old e-mails and found a name of a lady who owned a dance studio in town who had been recommended to me by a parent two years earlier. Colleagues also can come through in a bind. Some are married with working spouses or relatives, some have kids who are working, or even they can come through for you. There are so many people who would drop everything in an instant for this opportunity. You just have to knock on the right doors… 10) Reflect and get ready for next year! After each Career Day, I have promptly walked back to my office, plopped down in my chair, and exclaimed, “Holy cow (OK, not “cow”…)!” After I have decompressed from the last few hours of running around like crazy, I start to reflect upon what was awesome and what was not so awesome about Career Day. I talk to the kids and the teachers to gain insight on what the day looked like from their perspective. I make notes and print off e-mails to put in my “Career Day” file for next year, and I then let it go. I don’t dwell on the kid who asked the police officer if she had ever tasered anyone or the one who turned to her friend and said about the male presenter playing the guitar, “He’s hot!” It’s all over with until the Fall when I start planning all over again. Career Day sometimes feels like a huge task, but it can be both easy and fun. It is one of my favorite times during the school year. It has always been worth the stress to see both kids and staff excited about the presenters who have come to speak. Of course, every school is different and needs to have the above tips tweaked to fit their population. If you would like to take a peek at my letters, schedules, and other resources, feel free to contact me! |