Are the students at your school confused about what bullying really means? Do they refer to any mean act as bullying? Maybe they keep serious bullying under wraps because they don’t think it’s a big deal? Teaching kids the definition of bullying will help you cut down on the confusion. It will also help students […]
Continue readingAs counselors, we know that parent engagement and involvement is important. We also know that it can be tricky to find ways to get parents involved in their child’s social-emotional learning. One way to help bridge this gap is by hosting a social-emotional learning family night. I have found that hosting a night like this […]
Continue readingAlthough our work as school counselors can be very rewarding, it can also be frustrating! One of the things I have always found most frustrating is working with children who don’t seem to care at all about how their behavior affects others. They just don’t seem to realize that their behavior can have such a […]
Continue readingHalloween is coming! Which at my house means there is a lot of excess candy lying around that I can’t (shouldn’t) eat all by myself. If only I had access to a school full of kids who would love to help me eat it … Oh, wait. I do. While I don’t usually love pumping […]
Continue readingAre you frustrated with anger management? Teaching anger management strategies to kids used to leave me frustrated. Ironic, isn’t it? For years, I felt like I taught coping skills to my students until I was blue in the face, only for them to leave my office and have an outburst minutes later. I didn’t know what […]
Continue readingIt’s almost back to school season! While I find back to school to be an incredibly exciting time, full of new ideas and fresh starts, it can be chaotic. Especially when those doors open on the first day and the students are officially back. Personally, I’ve found that you never really know what is going […]
Continue readingMindfulness is popping up everywhere nowadays. As a school based counselor, teaching students to focus on the present moment and acknowledge their thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental way seems like a dream. Better yet, there is research to prove that it can decrease behavioral problems, decrease symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, and increase […]
Continue readingAs a school counselor, teachers frequently come to me for advice on classroom management. Almost always, they are looking for self control strategies for students struggling in their classrooms. They have students in their classes that are blurting out, having anger outbursts, or constantly getting out of their seats. I also have had these same […]
Continue readingBeing a school counselor or school psychologist can feel a little like you’re on your own island. You’re not a teacher, you’re not part of administrative staff; it can often seem like you don’t quite belong. To make things more difficult, many school counselors or psychologists often split their time between campuses, and are only […]
Continue readingClassroom management is challenging. It can be even more difficult to perfect when you only see the students once a week, at most. As school counselors, we often don’t have the time to implement intricate classroom management strategies when we are doing small groups or classroom guidance lessons. Here are some of my favorite tips […]
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