College and Career Readiness

An important part of children’s development is their ability to apply themselves today because of their hopes for tomorrow. Many children grow up with parents who nurture this development by setting an example of a person who enjoys a fruitful career. Other parents did not have the benefit of going to college or pursuing their dreams themselves. A simple way to get children interested in their own futures, is to ask them what they want to be when they grow up. A counselor’s resource center could include a bin of costumes and puppets that children can use to role play. Guidance lessons encouraging exploration of the child's interests as linked to various careers may be excellent tools for intermediate children.

Having a career day on your campus can be an exciting way to involve your teachers, other staff members, parents, and community members in an exciting event that promotes lasting impact. During my studies at Dallas Baptist University, we developed a plan for a fabulous career day that could serve as a template for any school’s similar program. Click on the links below to access documents, timelines, and schedules which can be modified to suit your school’s needs.

·        Career Day Class Schedules

·        Career Day Long Range Planning Timeline

·        Career Day Master Schedule

·        Career Day Presenter Invite

·        Career Day Presenter Letter and Instruction

·        Career Presenter Thank You

·        Career Day Presenters and Expenditures

·        Career Day Press Release Promotion

·        Career Day Press Release Follow-up

·        Career Day Teacher Schedule and Instructions

·        Career Day Volunteer Invite

·        Career Day Promotional Poster

Behavior and Norms

Kids have to know what you expect of them, and this is best achieved by having a school-wide system of behavioral policies. I attended a CHAMPS training this summer and it got me really excited about promoting more success in my classroom this year by having good classroom management. When I am a counselor, I will definitely help teachers institute a campus-wide program so that kids will know what's expected in any classroom throughout the school This is the foundation of behavioral management -- conceptualizing and defining your expectations. Since I now teach bilingual, I refer to my class as Team "B," which I call Team Bravo because of my military background, and I used the letters of the title to make this mnemonic, which will be posted prominently.

Goals and Accountability

It is critical that a counselor sets specific goals for the year across the student population, ensuring each grade level and needs group is met. In planning for the year, I have done my best to anticipate the needs of the students in the school, and developed a statement of measurable goals and objectives with evaluation procedures.

Statement of Overall Goals and Evaluation Procedures

You and Your Learning Style

I often marvel at what an amazing world we live in, and our world is like that because of the many unique, wonderful people that fill it. Everyone is so different, and yet we all share many things in common that connect us and help us to learn and grow from each other and our relationships. The process of self-discovery begins at birth and continues forever, as long as we are willing to learn. Yet, sometimes, learning is a struggle. There are plenty of people who don't enjoy learning in the classroom because they would prefer to be outside learning from nature. Others need to move around in order to get their brain working, and yet others like to hear things in a song, or create a piece of artwork in order to help them understand the meaning of new concepts. Do you ever feel like teacher just do not understand you? Do you find yourself daydreaming about the outdoors when you are stuck inside at a desk? You  may be a naturalistic or musical learning style person. Click here to take a short assessment that can help you learn a little more about yourself and your learning style. Please print out your results and study them. Finally, talk to your teacher or counselor about helping you find some ways to enhance your retention and understanding of the things you are learning in your classroom every day. As educators, we are more than happy to help you, especially when you know what you need in order to be successful!

Teachers, click here for a guidance lesson for test anxiety that incorporates this learning style questionnaire and adapt it as needed for you classroom use.  

Responsive Services

Counselors must be available to respond to a variety of issues throughout the school day in order to address the needs of students and concerns of family members. Below you will find some of the useful forms needed for documenting your work in order to maintain accountability for your time and continue to be an advocate for yourself.

Use this form to help students set behavioral goals for success in the classroom and monitor their own progress:
Behavioral Goal Form

Teachers can print this form from their desktop and email it to me to allow the student confidentiality and anonymity:
Counselor Referral Form

Suicide prevention is real, even in elementary. In the sad case that you have a young student who seems capable of self-injury, use this form as part of your immediate response plan:
No Harm Contract

Here is a list of community agencies that provide counseling services. Please contact the various agencies for your health insurance provider to find the practitioner who is right for you and your family.
Referral Sources

Year at a Glance

A counselor has got to have a good plan in place in order to fulfill the requirements set forth by the state and the district and avoid becoming an assistant to the assistant administrator. With all the demands on those principals, it is understandable that they would look to you for help, especially if they don't understand, or more importantly, don't VALUE what you do. A good plan should include an outline for your guidance curriculum, and at least a few of your lessons already developed. You should know how you will plan to reach and respond to parents, and effective ways in which you can assist teachers and administrators (without becoming one of them). Finally, you must have a system in place to evaluate your own programs so that administrators and other stakeholders can see how effective you really are! Remember, the kids at your campus need you, and it is your job to be there for them. It is critical to take a proactive approach -- implement programs and curriculum on your campus that will enhance engagement, foster a spirit of unity and motivation, and include all the families involved. Click on my year for an overview of the many programs, lessons, and groups I will initiate in 2012-13. Click on my calendar to view my plan for presentation of guidance curriculum and educational programs for parents.

How I spend my time

It is critical for school counselors to advocate for themselves, and this is best done by maintaining a highly professional profile and making an obvious, pronounced impact in your school. As a school counselor, especially in the elementary grades, counselors set the tone for the school year. It has been said that a counselor is the heart of the school; she can bring a sense of purpose, unity, tolerance, and even joy to the school that she works in. As a counselor, I will strive to fill this role by developing responsibility, tolerance, and understanding in kids through my guidance curriculum; responding promptly, professionally, and empathetically to concerns of parents and students as well as teachers and administrators, assisting families and students with planning for future events, and being a reliable member of the faculty.

I will maintain accountability for my work by keeping records of my assessments and their outcomes. I will maintain that a measure of the school's overall success rating should be linked to my programs, and develop a method of measuring the various domains in which I have direct control and influence.

Click on this link to see my daily schedule. 

Keep checking my blog to see my plan for the year! This will be a look at the entire academic year, and my plans to keep our kids learning about themselves and the world around them while developing the self-confidence that is critical to their success!

The Listener's Voice: A Communication Guidance Lesson for Secondary Students

Something about the presence of hormones raging, pressure from peers, parents, and teachers, the future looming ... and who knows what else, but teens have a hard time communicating. Some feel they are not heard so there's no point in talking, some feel they can never say enough. Most feel misunderstood, and few are wondering how others around them feel about what they are communicating. This is a challenging guidance lesson you can implement in your classroom if you feel students are not listening and understanding one another, and it's getting in the way of cooperative learning efforts. This lesson can be modified to fit all levels, even in special education.

College and Career Decisions for Elementary

It is never too early for children to start thinking about their future. Part of the joy of growing up should be the process of discovering who you are and what God intended you to be. Some of the best days of my youth were spent working with teachers and mentors on my personal development. Once, in second grade, I wrote a song, and my music teacher spent hours working with me on the music for it. We then taught it to my class, and they even published an article in the newspaper about me. I was chosen in fourth grade to attend a leadership conference in a neighboring city. These were impactful, important moments for me, moments in which I saw myself as the adult I was to become. They gave me an idea about what career paths might suit me, how I could make my footprint on the world. Here is a lesson to help kids think about who they are and what they might like to do with their lives. Click here for the link to the powerpoint. Feel free to save and distribute. I am all about helping kids in schools wherever they are, and would be lost without all the wonderful ideas and lessons I have downloaded and used.

How to Use Your School Counselor

I remember that when I was growing up I had no idea there was a school counselor in the building who was there for me. Well, come to think about it, maybe there wasn't one! I want the students on my campus to know me, and know that I am there for them. While I firmly believe that word-of-mouth and building relationships is the best way to advertise my services, I created this pamphlet so that students and parents can learn a little more about me and what I can do for them.

Assessing School Needs

Every school has areas in which some work could be done to create a more positive environment for the students. Many times a student is feeling lost in a void where they are pushed to achieve with minimal or no support at all. Things are going on at home which are confusing or painful. Worse yet, things are going on right under our noses which are painful or confusing. In our drive to churn out fabulous test-takers, we lose sometimes lose sight of the needs of the students and their families. Why should we try to address these issues? Because healthy kids do better work, make better friends, and encourage better behavior for their peers. Furthermore, teachers need to be included in assessing school needs. After all, they are the ones who spend the majority of their time with these precious packages, and they are in this position because somebody trusts them to mentor and educate these young ones. Click school needs assessment for an example of a needs assessment I created for a school where all the kids have unusual or extraordinary issues. Creating your own sample based on this one should be easy.

Conscious Counseling Defined

The dictionary defines conscious  as being fully aware of or sensitive to something. Another synonym for conscious is cognizant. All three words mean to have an individual sense of recognition within or without oneself. Awareness implies sense perception; cognizance refers to a a level of recognition more on the level of reason or knowledge.
For me, having consciousness in counseling student's means being aware of each child and their needs, and ready and willing to respond to all levels of need, be it academic, emotional, mental, material, or spiritual. American children are born into a competitive world, and often confronted with a host of issues. The school counselor is in the unique position of being equipped to address those needs and advocate for the child so that they may continue to achieve and succeed.
I hope you'll find my blog to be a place where you can access advice, ideas, inspiration, and resources for helping yours to achieve, too.