What is a School Counselor? 1st classroom lesson

This lesson was perfect. The students got really into it and I think they really understand my job better. I think it is really important to talk to kids about what a school counselor does every single year, even if they think they already know, because it reminds them they can come talk to you if they are having a problem.

I gathered some easy to find toys and supplies that represented different aspects of school counseling and put them all into a book-bag.  For the younger students, I only used about half of the objects to keep it simple. I pulled out each object and explained how it represented my job and then passed them around so every student could touch them. With the older kids, I had them close their eyes and pull something out of the bag. Then, I had the class guess what the object had to do with school counseling. I was a little surprised how well the older kids did. They were able to guess what everything represented.

Objects:
Big heart - for caring about and loving all students
Hug Me Monkey - Helping students feel better when they are having a hard time at home, school, or with friends
Goofy glasses - I help students look at things in a different way, or from a different perspective
Magnifying glass - to look for the clues to help you solve your problems
Megaphone - to cheer you on and support you
Headphones - for listening to students
Big Eraser - for helping students when they are having a hard time with their academics
Angry Bird - I help students learn ways to calm down when they are angry or upset
Lock - represents confidentiality

Does anyone else do this activity? If so , what objects do you use? If not, how do you introduce your role to the students?

I borrowed the idea for some of these objects from one of the counseling  blogs I read, and now I can't find the post. Please leave a comment or email me if you know where it came from so I can give credit. Thanks

First Week Back

Ready it not, here school comes.... Kids don't start until Monday, and I think I'm actually ready. I shared some pictures of my new classroom earlier in the summer, but it is much more completed now.  I have a counseling space in the back of the room with 4 bean bag chairs, a rug, lamps, and a round table for lunch groups.  For my classes, I am using tables, rather than desks, to create a more open and inviting atmosphere.  On my bulletin boards I have a tree with the 7 Habits, Monster Manners, and inpriational quotes from Second Grade Shinanigans and Sweet Blessings. I labeled each spot at the table with a 7 habits name plate and a number from Teachers Pay Teachers since I will be having students from every classroom using the tables. Students will receive an assigned seat using a number which will hopefully help with classroom management.  I have also included some pictures of bulletin boards a created around the school. I borrowed the ideas for these boards from here and here.

Back to school vistaprint order

By now, you probably all know how wonderful Vistaprint is.  I bought a Groupon deal earlier in the summer for $17 and I was able to buy $70 worth of stuff from Vistaprint with it!  Vistaprint is an amazing thing.  I would caution you to only buy stuff that is on sale though, because they run fabulous sales.  Sometimes you can search for Vistaprint promotional codes to get even better deals. Here is what I got, all for only $46. (I went over $70 dollars; that's why I paid extra.)

250 business cards that I can hand out to teachers, parents, volunteers, and community members. The best part is I made the back to look like an appointment card for students.  I plan on giving these appointment cards to teachers with the student's name, day, and time I can meet with them and the teacher will just send them to my office.

250 career cafe invitations on business cards. Last year, I used post card invitations, but they are much more expensive.

2 holders for the business cards so they can sit on my desk and be easily accessible.

2 polo shirts

2 tshirts

Treat others the way you want to be treated poster

Personalized note pad

 

What stuff do you buy from Vistaprint?

Back to School Shopping for the Office

Dear Dollar Tree,
Thank you so much for selling teacher resources in your store. It is so wonderful to be able to buy posters, charts, borders, accents, school supplies, toys, stress balls, storage containers, and more for only 1$! Teachers and counselors are extremely dedicated and spend much of their personal money on their classrooms and students. Thank you for making it affordable!
Sincerely,
A counselor who likes a good deal

Here are a couple pictures of some things I've bought so far...

Isn't that blue storage tote cute??

I am going to use the duct tape for lettering on canvases or bulletin boards.

I give each student an eraser during my "Everyone Makes Mistakes" lesson.

The hearts and stars will either be used as bulletin board accents or small post-it notes.

The hand clappers are my favorite. I use them as "zero-noise" signals.  When the hand claps, the class grows quiet and is ready to listen.

The buttons are going to come in very handy because 3 out of 4 walls of my classroom are magnetic.

You can't really see it from the picture but the orange foam squares are actually foam punch outs that are in the shape of different arrows that I plan on using for my bulletin board.

I got 5 storage containers with lids to use for supply storage.

The paper bags are for all of the puppets my kiddos will make this year, and the basketball and soccer ball are stress balls for students who need help focusing in class or calming down.

These items did not come from the Dollar Tree; they are actually from Toys R Us.

The game, Blunders, looks like a fun one to use for teaching manners in my social skills small group.

The wand is going to be my "talking stick" for large and small groups.  Whoever is holding the "talking stick" is the only person who should be talking.

The 2 moody faces are stress balls, and the other game is "Girl Talk" which should be a fun getting to know you game to use with girls in small groups.

What stuff have you bought this summer to get ready for the school year??

Leadership Bulletin Board

Today I went back to school to work more in my classroom. I've mentioned before that I am working on bringing the 7 Habits of Happy Kids to our school by piloting it in 3 grade levels and by teaching the habits in my guidance classes. So, this is the bulletin board I put up outside my room that includes all the habits. I got the idea for the board from here.

My Classroom!

Guess what?! I get to have my own classroom this year. While this will only be for one year, you can imagine my excitement. This means that my guidance classes will come to my room, and I won't have to travel around from classroom to classroom everyday. My plan is to use this room for my classes and small groups, and I get to keep my small office for individual counseling.

Here is a peek of the room so far...the first thing I did was get rid of all the desks and brought in 3 long tables to use for guidance classes. My hope is that this will create a more homey feel and will encourage better discussion and teamwork.

Next, I set up the back of the room as a small group counseling space. I made a sitting nook with rugs from LOWES and beanbag chairs from Roses. Close to the sitting area, I added a round table where I can have my lunch bunch groups.

Finally, I added lamps all around the room which makes the space feel much cozier. I hate overhead lighting; it's usually the first thing I change in any room I'm in. This is just what I've gotten done so far. I can't wait to share pictures when it's finally completed.

I'm Back and Preparing for a New School Year!

I have to apologize for my lack of posts.  I feel like I am a bear waking up and coming out of hibernation.  The end of the school year got the best of me with testing, award ceremonies, trainings, meetings, and packing up my office, I just didn't have the time for my blog (sadly).  But now I am back and refreshed, ready to start preparing for this school year which is quickly approaching (only 4 more weeks until we start back!).  I have been searching Pinterest relentlessly over the last couple days for inspiration, and let's be honest, just for fun. I mean really can anyone stay away from Pinterest??  Needless to say, I have found many great ideas and now it is time to actually get to work.  Below is my summer to do list.  What things are you guys doing to prepare for next year?

Summer to do list for school:

1. Write lessons plans for the 7 Habits of Happy Kids and align them with Character Counts.

2. Set up a school wide jobs/helper program where students will apply and be selected into leadership roles.

3. Recruit and plan for my Career Cafes.

4.Create a place for my individual counseling worksheets/ideas like this. I plan on using tabs to divide by topic.

Source

5. Organize my book shelf using this idea from Pinterest. I would label the paint sticks by counseling issue.

Source

6. Organize a Minute Meeting schedule.  I borrowed the idea of Minute Meetings from Danielle Schultz at School Counselor Blog.  I started these last year and the kids loved it.  It was also I great way to check in with all my students, and I definitely found out about some issues that I wouldn't have otherwise heard.  I want to make these a priority at the beginning of each nine weeks.

7. Categorize all my counseling books with my Ipod using the BookCrawler App. Danielle Schultz explains this process over at School Counselor Blog. 

8. Try to start a "Girls on the Run" group at my school.