January 17, 2021
Teaching Elementary Students About Identity, Diversity, and Social Justice
A couple of years ago, during a lesson, one of my students said, “not to be racist, but she was white.” It wasn’t the first time a student had mistakenly thought that naming race was being racist, but it was still one of the bigger wake ups I had about the need to talk more […]
Continue reading January 23, 2020
5 Seamless Ways to Add Social-Emotional Learning to the Classroom
The value of social-emotional learning is undisputed amongst both teachers and counselors. We know that kids need to learn SEL skills to succeed in, and out, of the classroom. Unfortunately, time is often the biggest barrier when it comes to adding these important lessons to a typical school day. But with these tips, you can […]
Continue reading September 19, 2019
Easy Ways to Make Individual Student Connections
Getting to know students can be overwhelming at the start of a new school year. You may have a large caseload or may be the only counselor at your school. How can you make individual student connections when this is your situation? Use Duty Assignments to Make Student Connections If you have an assigned duty […]
Continue reading September 8, 2019
- by Counselor Up
Social Emotional Learning in Academic Instruction
Social emotional learning in academic instruction is having its moment. While counselors have been supporting the whole child and taking a deep look at noncognitive skills, the bandwagon has now officially been joined. If not, here are some ways to increase buy-in. What a great time to be a counselor! In my state, schools are […]
Continue reading September 3, 2019
The School Counselor’s Role in Restorative Practices
Restorative practices are sweeping the education world and for very good reason. This approach to discipline focuses on repairing/restoring the hurt that has happened – instead of on punishing the wrong doing. I’m lucky to have worked in a school district that was an early adopter of some of these ideas. That doesn’t mean that […]
Continue reading August 6, 2019
Hosting A Social Emotional Learning Family Night
As 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 reading April 4, 2019
Teaching Conflict Resolution: Strategies for School Counselors
No matter what your school looks like, chances are you’re helping students to effectively and peacefully manage conflict. We are all human and conflict is a part of our lives! Teaching students conflict resolution is one of my absolute favorite parts of being a school counselor; it’s fun and it has a huge impact. Your […]
Continue reading February 18, 2019
- by Counselor Up
Creating Buy-In for Social Emotional Learning
Are you working on creating buy-in for social-emotional learning at your school? This post is for you to share with other educators in your building to spread the word about why Social Emotional Learning is important. Think about the best job you’ve ever had. It could be in your education career, it could be at […]
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