Brag Bag & Best Part of Me Lesson

Happy New Year!  During this time of the year, many of us follow tradition and make resolutions and goals that we'd like to do for the new year.  Often times the resolutions we make are to improve or enhance something in our lives.  We often forget that we have many things already in us that we can brag about and don't need to change.

I was able to do an awesome lesson on body image and acceptance with 2 super cool activities with my 5th grade classes, partnering up with the 5th grade teachers in planning and preparing this made this even more special.  Let me give a little background info...prior to this lesson I went on a field trip with 5th grade for their human growth and development unit to a health center.  Also prior to this trip I had heard several cases of negative self-talk among peers.

For my lesson, the classroom teacher opened with "give your neighbor a compliment" as we listened, nearly all the compliments were based on items such as "I like your shoes", "I like your bracelet" and so on.  That was our doorway to talk about things that we have within us that can't be purchased at a store.  I then read a short story from Chicken Soup for the Soul, Think Positive for Kids entitled "Learning to Love my Nose".  In this story the author shares how something she was embarrassed about became something she was proud about.  It was great to hear the discussion from the class on how they connected with the story.

Next I used the Brag Bag activity from the Girls in Real Life Situations book.  Students were to write 10 things that they could brag about themselves that were not materialistic.  After you wrote the brags down, you cut them out and out them in a plastic bag.  The teachers and I shared our brags with the classes and shared that it can be difficult to brag about yourself.  It was so interesting seeing the students write their brags down.  If we had time, students had the option to share (many were very willing to share).

GIRLS book (notice all my sticky notes, I love this book)

My Brags, that I shared with the students

Student works on their Brags

Cutting the Brags out and putting them in a bag

The following week students wrote a poem after reading the book The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald, where they wrote about the best part of them.  This activity was lead by their teacher, however the brag bag gave them many ideas on things that just might be the best part of them.

Best Part of Me...Eyes

Best Part of Me...Hair

I loved seeing how thoughtful and creative students were doing both of these activities.  I really loved the collaboration with the amazing 5th grade teachers.  We have already said that we would do more things like this in the future. Pin It

More Book Club Book Recommendations

If I haven't mentioned it several times before, book clubs are my favorite school counselor led group. I like the use of bibliotherapy to work with each group (books are so versatile to reach so many types of groups).  Each year I look forward to adding more books to my book club collection.  Here are some more to consider if you're looking for new books:

Brown Girl Dreaming, author: Jacqueline Woodson- This is an autobiography, written in poetry form (the title of the book says it all).

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, author: Wendy Mass- Book with a mystery that I think students will find very interesting.  This book also deals with being in a single parent home, having a deceased parent and friendship.

All of the Above, author: Shelley Pearsall- My students and I both LOVED this book!  A great book about overcoming obstacles to the fullest.

The Fourteenth Goldfish, author: Jennifer Holm- A funny sci-fi book that (humorously) discusses family dynamics, friendship and coming of age.

The Hundred Dresses, author: Eleanor Estes- This book is on many counselor book lists.  Deals with bullying and acceptance of others.

What other books have you read that you think will be a great addition to a counselor led book club?  Please share below.



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Friendship Review & Back to School Giveaway

Now that I think the majority of us are back in complete school-mode, what better time to offer a giveaway.  Youthlight was so kind to let me do a review of Brad Learns how to Take a Bite Out of Meanness, which is great interactive CD on friendship and getting along with others (I don't know about you but this topic leads the pack of reasons to visit the counselor).

I LOVE this disc because it can be used in various settings, meaning it can be used in class lessons, small group or even individual sessions (there are 5 mini lessons completely adaptable with SMART or Promethan boards and in English & Spanish).  Another cool feature is that there are printable worksheets and posters on the disc.  I consider this a great resource to add to your "counselor friendship" resources.

The kind people at Youthlight were so nice to send me an extra copy as a giveaway prize.  Please enter to win below.

What are you most looking forward to for the new school year?  I'm looking to connect with even more students because this year we have a lot of new students (hello minute meetings).

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Tips for Counselor Self-Care

Call back the search parties...I'm back!  After an extremely restful and relaxing summer it's time to get back to business and head back to school.  Although I did not blog this summer, I certainly thought of upcoming posts.

Posting about self-care is something that I've wanted to share for some time.  Often we give so much of ourselves in our schools to our students, parents and even staff that sometimes we forget to give some time to "us".  I thought of a few tips, some others told me in my career and some I've just learned from trial and error that I'd like to share with you:

-Do something (non-work related) that you enjoy:  I have several hobbies that I enjoy, my morning group run twice a week (Shout out to BGR) and going to group fitness classes at my gym (shout out to the Cary Y).  My class starts at 4:30, which makes me leave work on time.  During the fitness class, work is usually not on my mind.  After I've finished, I have a clear head and have had a great workout.

My morning run group (awesome ladies)

-Keep a folder (or even a drawer) of positive notes, cards, drawings from students, parents, staff, etc: When having a rough day(s) it's very reassuring to know that you're truly making a difference in your role.

Notes like this can totally brighten your day.

-Don't respond to voicemail or email messages when angry or upset:  Guess what kind of response you give when you angry or upset? Yep you're right angry and upset!  Take some time to calm down and get your emotions in order before you respond, as my students sometimes say "don't get all up in your feelings".  Usually by the time you have calmed down you can rationally respond to your email.  Also word to the wise, keep those emails short and sweet.

-Eat lunch away from your computer:  Each year, my intern and I make a rule to have lunch together and not in front of a computer.  What a difference that makes.  We really need that non-work time to connect.

-Even if you're alone as the counselor in your school, you're NOT alone:  Connect with other counselors in your district or nearby.  Thank you social media for allowing so many of us to connect!  If you haven't already joined the Elementary Exchange Facebook group, you sure are missing out!  Ask a question, share a resource or even a little vent on the FB group and you'll have a multitude of support.  I'm so thankful that this blog has allowed me to connect with so many of you.

I never feel alone thanks to this amazing PLT (Professional Learning Team)!

-When needed, take a mental health day:  Any form of burnout isn't fun.  You're no good to yourself or your students when you're not "yourself".  If you need to take a day to rejuvenate and refocus it may be in your best interest.

Do you have any other tips that you'd like to share for self-care?


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(Free) School Counselor Printables

I know many of you wonderful school counselors are on Pinterest. How do I know this?  I follow lots of you and you follow me.  One of my favorite boards is my School Counselor Printables board because A.) I like printables, I actually have a folder that I save all these goodies called "Pinterest stuff to Print". B.) I don't want to re-create something that's already been made. So friends I'm going to share my favorite Pinterest School Counselor Printables along with their links (all of these are free).  Enjoy!

Shhh We're Testing Sign

Binder Covers 

(yes even my binders have to have a little style)

Fill in the Face Printable

I Am Poem

Mean Stinks Posters 

(this is also a great anti-bullying resource website)

Behavior Think Sheet

All Quotes Coloring Pages

If you'd like to follow my Pinterest board of School Counselor Printables, click the link and follow me (most of my pins are freebies, free is my favorite price). Pin It

Dressing Interview Ready on Budget

After working at my district's career fair recently, my fashion forward co-worker and I began to chat about how it felt to be on the other end (the person looking for a job) and all the emotions and feelings that you feel being at a job fair...nervousness, excitement and especially feeling overwhelmed.  One of the things we discussed was dressing for an interview and how as college students funds may be limited to spend on new clothes.  So hark, a blog post idea came on sharing budget friendly and simple ways to dress appropriately for a school counselor interview.

I thought back to my first rounds of teacher interviews fresh out of college (I was a teacher before becoming a counselor) and I wore the "unofficial interview uniform"...a black dress suit.  Not just any suit, this said suit I thought was quite snazzy (for 12 years ago).  This two-piece suit had a dress and a black long-sleeve jacket to go over the dress accompanied with black pumps AND off-black pantyhose (gasp)!  Did I mention that I did my interviews during the summer months...in the south (HOT)!  Since then, my interview dress has been a little more relaxed and I don't think I've worn a suit to an interview since then.  There are ways to dress professional without wearing a suit or breaking the bank.

I'd like to share some affordable ways to dress for your school counselor interview.  I stuck with basic clothing pieces and things that most people are likely to already own (or have a friend they can borrow them from).

So here are Basic Clothing Pieces to start with:
-Black or Navy dress pants
-White Button-up Shirt
-Basic Black Dress
-Black  pumps

Pants: JC Penny, Shirt: Nautica  Pumps: Nine West

Black Pants: Banana Republic, Navy Pants: JC Penny

Dress: Old Navy

Here are some ideas on how simple pieces can update your look, while looking professional.

Black or Navy Pants + White Button Down Shirt + a Statement Necklace:  

Statement Necklaces: NY & Co (Left), Gifted (Right)

Black or Navy Pants + a Stripe Shirt + a Statement Necklace:

I added brown pumps since it's great compliment color with navy pants. 

Shirt: Old Navy, Necklace: NY & Co, Shoes: Naturalizer

Black or Navy Pants + White Button Down Shirt + a Stripe Blazer:

Blazer: JCrew Factory

Black or Navy Pants + White Button Down Shirt + a Stripe Blazer+ a Statement Necklace:  

Basic Black Dress + Belt:

Belt: Gap

Basic Black Dress + Belt + Cardigan +Statement Necklace:

Cardigan: JCrew, Necklace: Belk

Basic Black Dress + Belt + Cardigan + Scarf

Scarf: Old Navy

See there's potential awaiting you in your closet as you prepare for your upcoming interviews!   Veteran counselors these looks work for us to, just for a regular school day.  I loved writing this post, I plan to share more shopping and outfits that are school appropriate and budget friendly. Pin It

Book on Celebrating Diversity with Empathy and Giveaway

Teaching empathy is something we school counselors do oh so well and what better way to model and show empathy to our students than through books.  Author Maria Dismondy's newest book Chocolate Milk, Por Favor is a fantastic book to use to show empathy AND teaches accepting others through diversity.  

What I really like about this book is that this story is very relatable because it's Maria own story of a new student (Gabe) at her school who's an non-English speaker from another country and how another student (Johnny) goes out of his way to be unkind to him.  Throughout the students differences Johnny learns that those differences make people special or unique.  He learns that these special differences don't mean that you can't be kind and learn from others that may be different (and in this case, speak a different language than you).  This same story happens in many of our school buildings with (initial) non-English speaking students.  I can see this being shared with many of the classes and teachers in my school.  This is a great addition to my school counselor book library.

As an added bonus super fantastic Maria already has Chocolate Milk, Por Favor Reader's Guide with worksheets and ideas to use with students (thank you Maria).  Maria has been so kind to give an autographed copy of the book away.  Enter below.  This is a win-win situation...book and activities, what more can I say!



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Clear and Bold Writing Aid...Hemingway

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you...this IS a new post!  I am so glad to be back in the blog world and share more counselor tools with you.  With that said, let's roll:

How many times have to typed a document or email for school and thought to yourself "does this make sense" or "I hope that this is fairly easy for people to understand".  I can gladly say that this is me.  I've been known to type something, reread it multiple times and even have a second reader proof it for me.

So I have a cool web tool that was shared by one of the fabulous teachers at my school and it is Hemingway (like the author).  What exactly does this tool do?  Well counselor friends, it does oh so much, it's like the friend that you ask to check your writing but on your computer/tablet.

To get started, just type or copy and paste your text on the page

As your written text appears, Hemingway identifies grammar tools (such as adverbs, passive voice) and gives you suggestions to update it.  Hemingway also gives you a readability level AND breaks down your writing to let you know sentence/phrase difficulty.

I am so excited to use this tool.  I may just sound like a "true writer" now, so if my blog writing seems a little more "polished" it just may be due to Hemingway (actually, I'll probably use this more for school related stuff, blog posts will be "just me").

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Liebster Award

Fellow blogger and fashionista school counselor friend Melanie from The Stylish School Counselor nominated me for the Liebster Award so here's my questions to answer:

1. What are your top 3 favorite life moments to date?

I try to make all my moments in life memorable so there are too many to name.

2. What are some stores that are your go to places to shop for you?

I love to shop (especially for a bargin) so my usual shopping spots are: JCrew, Old Navy, Gap, Macy's, Banana Republic and recently I've gotten into Athleta.

3. How would you describe your style? (Bonus: share some pictures)

I'd say that I dress very preppy with a little edge.  I love to mix prints and colors and love dressing up for work...dress for success (I know it sounds cheesy but it's so true).  

4. What is your occupation? If you didn't do that, what would you do?
School Counselor, oh yeah!  If I weren't  a school counselor, I'd love to be a corporate trainer that traveled all over the world training others.  

5.  What is your favorite room in your home and why?

My living room...couch, Apple TV ie..Netflix, enough said

6. What are 3 things on your wish list right now?

-Silver Birkenstocks for Spring

-Track Jacket

-Gift card to Athleta to buy said Birkenstocks and jacket

See these are actually on my wish list!

7. What has been your favorite vacation to date?Vacations are always awesome, I loved my cruise to the Bahamas 2 years ago and I loved my trip to England and Norway last year.  Could I possibly go for a three-peat by going to Central America this year in Costa Rica & Nicaragua?

8. If you could share one of your best organization tips (whether at home or at school) what would it be?

Pick out your clothes/outfits for the week ahead of time and make/pack your lunch before you go to bed...will save you so much time.  This works oh so well for me!

So.....now I would like to nominate the following bloggers for the Liebster Award and to join in on the fun! Simply link back to this post, answer the questions below, and nominate some of your fav bloggers!! 

Traci from The Extraordinary School Counselor

Rebecca from School Counseling By Heart

Vanessa from Savvy School Counselor

Angela from Life on the Fly Counselor

Carol from The Middle School Counselor

Questions:

1. What can always be found in your handbag or schoolbag?

2. Do you pack your lunch or eat school cafeteria food?

3.Why did you decide to start blogging and why?

4. What is your absolute favorite food?

5. If you weren't a school counselor, what career path would you choose?

6. What is the most played song on your iPod?

7. What's the last book that you read?

8. What's your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?

9. What's your favorite TV show?

10. What's the last movie that you saw?

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#NSCW15 Friday Giveaway

On the last day of #NSCW15 and one last giveaway.  Enter below to win a $20 giftcard to Walmart to use towards your next school counselor project.  I hope that you had a fantastic week celebrating all that you do, it is certainly appreciated!


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#NSCW15 Thursday Giveaway

#NSCW15 Thursday Giveaway is a copy of What Shoes Will You Wear book by the fabulous Julia Cook.  Raise your hand if you have a Julia Cook book in your counselor library?  Well here' s a way to add another to your collection.  Enter below to win a copy of What Shoes Will You Wear  which is great book to use with students to explore careers options.  I ALWAYS find myself looking for resources and ways to expose younger students to careers.  This is going to be an excellent resource to add to my counselor career resources.


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#NSCW15 Wednesday Giveaway

#NSCW15 Wednesday Giveaway is a copy of The Body Image Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help Girls Develop a Healthy Body Image in an Image Obsessed World (An Instant Help Book for Teens) by Julia V.Taylor.   Raise your hand if you own the super helpful G.I.R.L.S. book (I do, love them).  Well here's a way to add another book to your counselor library.  Enter below to win a copy of The Body Image Workbook for Teens, which is great book to use with students & parents. This is going to be an excellent resource to add to my counselor career resources.


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#NSCW15 Tuesday Giveaway

#NSCW15 Tuesday Giveaway is a copy of The Anti-Test Anxiety Society book by the fabulous Julia Cook.  Raise your hand if you have a Julia Cook book in your counselor library?  Well here' s a way to add another to your collection.  Enter below to win a copy of The Anti-Test Anxiety Society, which is great book to use with students as testing season approaches.  I ALWAYS find myself looking for resources and ways to calm testing nerves with students and parents.  This is going to be an excellent resource to have on working with testing worries.

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Celebrating #NSCW15 & A Week of Giveaways!

Fabulous school counselors our week of celebration is here (although I think we should be celebrated each and every day)!  I've been thinking  how to celebrate National School Counselor Week at my school for a quite a while.  I can honestly say that at my school, we (counselor intern Victoria & I) are constantly reminded how much parents, staff and students appreciate what we do as counselors (we do A LOT!)

So here's how we'll be celebrating National School Counseling Week:

-My school district will host a morning celebration for all the school counselors to celebrate...us and what we do!

We're so excited to celebrate.  Use the hashtag #NSCW15 to post your pictures.

-I made this great banner from Vistaprint to hang outside of my office to celebrate and to let everyone know that it's National School Counselor Week. On a side note I got a sweet deal on this bannery on a Black Friday sale, for only (are you ready for this) 99 cents!

Celebration banner

-I put daily announcements on our live morning television school news show on things that school counselors do and how we are here to help all students.  Both Victoria & I even plan to be interviewed during the show on Tuesday (this is really a stretch for me, I'm more of a behind the scenes person).

-My principal included a little reminder on her phone message that it was School Counselor Week and also our PTA sent out a shout out to us to the parent list serve (great school counselor PR).  

-To include staff, I made a little note to everyone (I used Avery business cards) that said "Being your JYJ Counselors is worth at least 100 Grand.  Celebrating National School Counselor Week from Andrea & Victoria".   I attached a 100 Grand candy bar to the note.  To get more ideas check out Pinterest and look under teacher appreciation.

Treats for staff & counselors in my region.  To print your own copy of NSCW signs click here.  

-To include school counselors in my school district Victoria & I made a treat to give all of the counselors in our elementary region. It says "For being a part of our super STAR Central PLT, happy school counseling week!" and we attached it to Starburst candy (another Pinterest idea).   I love that I've been able to be a part of such a wonderful and fun region (shout out to the Elementary Central Area PLT)!

-To include other school counselors, I sent notes to a few school counselors that I've met from this blog, conferences, professional development and even counselor friends in my district.  I used post cards & envelopes that I ordered from Vistaprint. I can't say it enough how this blog has allowed me to connect with so many amazing school counselors.  Thank you for reading and sticking with me.  Who doesn't like to receive a little note celebrating what you do?

Notes to school counselors, you just may be receiving a note from me!

-I also have another way to celebrate us by having a giveaway a day for the rest of the week!!!
Here's what's on tap for the week's giveaway:

-Tuesday: Win a copy of The Anti-Test Anxiety Society book by Julia Cook
-Wednesday:  Win a copy of The Body Image Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help Girls Develop a Healthy Body Image in an Image-Obsessed World (An Instant Help Book for Teens)  by Julia V. Taylor
-Thursday: Win a copy of What Shoes Will You Wear by Julia Cook
-Friday:  Win a $20 gift card to Walmart

Don't forget to enter each day

I'm very excited about our week to celebrate our fantastic profession!  What are your plans for school counseling week?

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