I love books as much as the next elementary counselor (maybe more?), but there’s lots of other “things”/”stuff” that I rely on daily. Some things are handy props, some things are organizational gold, and some things just make my life easier. Of course I use crayons and balls and board games – but so does […]
Must Haves – Books – The Trudy Ludwig Edition
This post contains affiliate links. Counselors in my district get a small budget each year (same as teachers) to spend on instructional materials. Like others, I spend about all of it on books. My co-counselor and I’s motto is generally “GET AAAALLLL OF THE BOOKS!”. We use books in about 2/3 of our lessons […]
Types of Conflict Lesson
“SHE BULLIED ME.” You know the problem. Your sweet, sweet students using the word “bullying” to describe any kind of conflict that results in their hurt feelings. Too much TV? Well-meaning but overbearing parents? Who knows. The struggle is real though. A couple of years ago I stumbled upon the concept of the “rude moment” […]
Size of the Problem Lesson and Activity
I don’t usually start the year off with a traditional “meet the counselor” lesson but I do have a lesson I love to use as my first of the new school year. My kickoff lesson for 3rd grade two years in a row now is to incorporate a size of the problem lesson. It sets […]
The Power of the Annual Agreement
The annual agreement is an ASCA national model document that helps counselors and their admins get on the same page in regards to program plans and goals. I have to admit that it took me a couple years to get on board with the importance of this…it seemed like a useless piece of paper that […]
Mistakes are for learning?
My students when I told them it was impossible to put toothpaste back in a toothpaste tube. I’m not awesome at discussing my failures, but sometimes you just have to go for it – especially if it may help someone else prep better. This year my kick off lesson with 4th grade was introducing them […]
SMART Goals for Counselors
Like thousands of others, I’m a member of the Elementary School Counselor Exchange on Facebook. I often see posts on there surrounding the topic of goals, student learning objectives, etc. It was something several of my colleagues in my district struggled with too. With our jobs often on the chopping block (or at least our […]
Responsive Classroom and School Counseling
This post contains affiliate links. A few summers ago I was lucky enough to be able to attend a week long training on Responsive Classroom. Besides sharing what I learned with other faculty and staff at my school, I try my best to implement these practices into my Life Skills lessons. Some key facts about […]
College Week Reboot – Everything Else
Besides the college week Morning Meetings, my co-counselor and I coordinated a few other things. 1. Morning Announcements (updated and non-city specific ones are included in this College Week Morning Meeting Activity Pack!) Monday: This week is College Week and each day this week you’ll learn something new about college. EVERY student at this school can go […]
