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

Gift Ideas for Your Counselor Interns

 For those of us that supervised interns this year, when the internship comes to an end, we usually want to get them something to show our appreciation.  Here are some gift ideas:

-Plan a celebration, this year at my school there were 3 interns so I assigned each grade level a breakfast item to bring (muffins, doughnuts, juice, flowers, plates, cups/napkins, utensils, biscuits, flowers, etc) and we had a breakfast for our interns.

JYJ Interns, congrats ladies!

Intern breakfast

-School supplies!  You know that you have extra school supplies laying around your house and counselor office.  Pens, notebook paper, folders, crayons, you name it, I probably had 3 or 4 sets of them.

-Personalized note cards, I am a HUGE fan of bringing back a letter writing campaign.  Writing notes to students, parents and staff especially when someone does something nice for you is a must for me.  I ordered note cards from Vistaprint.  Also from Vistaprint I ordered a confidentiality poster and a welcome to the school counselor's office banner.

-Personalized binder covers, I found (free) printables on Pinterest (click on the link).

-A counselor bag, of course!  I ordered a SCOUT multi-pocket tote from Amazon (I had to stop myself from ordering one for myself). 

-Where's the counselor sign (taken from a previous post, printable in the post)

 Here's the finished gift:

Intern gifts: Bag, personalized note cards & binder cover, where's the counselor sign, confidentiality poster

 Each year I'm excited to work with a energetic and excited intern and at the end of the year I'm always sad to see them leave, but glad to know that I had an opportunity to learn and them learn from me.  Congrats Kelly and to all counselor interns graduating! Pin It

School Counselor Wear to Work Series-Part III Wardrobe Must Haves

For Part III of the School Counselor Wear to Work Series I'll talk about my school counselor wardrobe must haves:

-What pieces of clothing are on your counselor "must have list"?

I am an avid fashion blog reader and especially enjoy fashion bloggers that work in education (I feel like I can relate more to them, since they also work in a school).  Something that I’ve learned from reading these blogs is when purchasing clothes is that items should be able to be worn in many different ways so you get multiple “looks”.  Meaning you buy a shirt and you should be able to wear the shirt with dress pants, a skirt, maybe a dress, layered under a sweater, etc.  Here are some of my counselor wardrobe must haves:

I LOVE cardigans (my absolute favorite type is the Jackie cardigan from J. Crew) they are so versatile and can be worn in any season. 

Some of my cardigans (yes I have more than this...hello shopping diet).  All cardigans are JCrew or JCrew Factory. 

Skirts to me are so versatile and can be really dressed up or be business casual.   If you haven't already noticed I LOVE wearing skirts, they're so fun to wear!

Shirt: JCrew, Sweater & Belt: Gap, Skirt & Tights: Old Navy, Shoes: Bass Weeguns Loafers

Shirt & Belt: Gap, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: Anne Klein

Shirt: JCrew, Belt: Gap, Skirt: Banana Republic, Tights: Old Navy, Shoes: Bass Weeguns Loafers

 

Sweater: Banana Republic, Belt: Gap, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: Bass Weeguns Loafers

*Also a good belt is a must have (notice that I wore my trusty brown belt from the Gap in all those pics). 

You can't go wrong with dress pants and button up shirts (which are great to layer) in a school counselor environment.

Cardigan: JCrew, Shirt & Pants: Nautica (Belk Dept Store), Belt: JC Penney, Shoes: BP by Nordstrom

Cardigan: JCrew Factory, Necklace: JCrew, Shirt & Pants: JC Penny, Belt: Old Navy, Shoes: BP by Nordstrom

 Fun yet professional dresses and comfy but cute shoes top my list.  I've really gotten into wearing oxfords and loafers which are both comfy and can be worn in multiple looks.  I’m not much into accessorizing (yet), I love how people wear statement necklaces and such, but I'm working on adding that (I've really gotten into scarves though).  

-I need your help and want you to be a part of the last installment of the wear to work series (well unless you'd like me to cover more in the future).  Here's where you come in:  send in a picture of yourself in your counselor work attire.  You can email the pics to jyjcounselor@gmail.com.  Include in your email:

• Your name (only your first name will be used)
• School level (Elem, Mid, High, or even grad student)
• City and State where you live

 The more the merrier! Pin It

School Counselor Wear to Work Series-Part II Places to Shop

Now onto post #2 on the School Counselor Wear to Work Series where today I'll talk about places where I get my "school counselor work gear".  I also am so excited to have Allison a first year school counselor from The Sequined School Counselor Blog to join in and share her fav places to shop for work gear. Before we get started I do want to revisit the fact that I am still on my shopping diet & closet challenge (very little shopping and wearing what I already have in my closet) but clearly that doesn't mean that I've done my fair share of shopping (which is exactly why I'm on this closet challenge).  So here goes:


-Where are your favorite places to shop for work clothes and shoes? 

 Allison: My favorite place to shop for everything is Target. I would say 50% of everything I own is from Target -- clothing, shoes, housewares, food. It is so easy to get everything at once and they have the cutest things. I also enjoy going thrifting. Some of my favorite pieces have been purchased from Goodwill or Plato’s closet. I love that you never know what you will find and that there are so many options. 

Andrea:  When I was shopping I’d always been a Banana Republic, Gap & Old Navy shopper and have many of my staple wardrobe pieces from there (they also have great sales).  J.Crew & J. Crew Factory offers a teacher discount, (15% off your purchase with your Work ID Badge) and they make the absolute best cardigans ever (the Jackie cardigan at the regular store and the Clare cardigan at the Factory Outlet, I have one in almost every color). For department stores Macy’s and JC Penny are on my (short) list.  Another place I find clothes is from thrifting!  I love being able to find fun vintage pieces from thrifting for next to nothing prices!  For shoes, I don't have one particular store that I buy shoes from, but I do like certain brands:  Nine West is especially great for work wear (I wear flats 100% of the time which are perfect for moving around as a counselor).  

Scarf: homemade (thanks Lynn), Shirt: Old Navy, Belt: Bebe, Skirt: Thrifted, Tights: HUE (Macy's), Boots: Nine West

Here's my first day of school pic (it's certainly not warm enough to wear this right now, sends warm/spring thoughts out):

Shirt & Skirt: Banana Republic, Belt & Shoes: Old Navy

Shirt, Sweater, Skirt: Old Navy, Tights: HUE, Boots: Nine West

-Are there things in your counselor wardrobe that you'd splurge on?

Allison:   I don’t splurge on much. I would say my biggest (little) splurges are on shoes, which I normally will pay full price for. Another splurge was when my sister convinced me to buy some True Religion jeans -- even then I didn’t pay full price! I got them at a department store in Charlotte for $50. They’re high waisted, super long flared jeans and I wear them more Fridays than not!

Andrea:  I'd like to begin with that as educators we aren't paid the big bucks and especially in my state where our salaries have been frozen for six years, therefore I rarely pay full price for anything.  I’ve been known to watch items for months until the price is right (for me) before I buy them.  I also believe that some things are worth spending a little extra on based on quality (because you’ll be able to keep it for years, hence my overloaded closet and hence the “closet challenge”).  I will splurge on shoes and bags (but again I’ll usually wait until a sale for a better price).  Last year I saw a pair of winter boots that I really liked, by the time the boots were the price I wanted to pay it was spring (that's ok, I got to wear them this year)!  See I'm totally capable of waiting for the right price.

Dress: Thrifted, Belt: Gap, Boots: Coach, Glasses: Kate Spade

-What educator/fashion blogs do you read?

• My New Favorite Outfit:  *Teacher Blogger
• Putting Me Together
• Fashionista Teacher:  *Teacher Blogger
• Franish
• Chioma's Evolution of Style:  *Teacher Blogger
• J's Everyday Fashion
• Chic on the Cheap
• Mix & Match Fashion:  *Teacher Blogger

There are also several educators that post their outfit of the day (#ootd) on Instagram where I also get ideas.  
So far 2 months into my closet challenge, it's going well.  I have NOT run out of things to wear and have become quite creative in putting my work attire together (thanks to my fashion blogs and Pinterest).  


Stay tuned for Part III.  Please share some great places you find your wear to work gear.  Pin It

School Counselor Wear to Work Series- Part I

Yes, you're reading the title correctly this post is about clothes, fashion, style and of course school counseling.  I'm an avid reader of fashion blogs and Pinterest boards and I thought "I haven't seen much about fashion in the school counseling world" so I checked with another source (blog bestie Danielle from The School Counselor Blog and newbie school counselor Allison from The Sequined School Counselor) and they both agreed there's just not much fashion fun for school counselors out there.  So I decided that a series of posts on school counselor work fashion wouldn't hurt and would be something both fun and different to do.   When I did a Google image search of "school counselor" this is what came up:

Well I am excited that "school counselor" is being used (not the "G" word, yay).  However, I haven't seen too many counselors that resemble this.  I am in no way a fashion expert, although I LOVE reading and seeing fashion and getting ideas to wear for myself and I'll share with you some of what I wear to work.  From reading these fashion blogs, I also decided that for 2014, I would go on a shopping diet and do a closet challenge, which means I can only wear clothes that I already have in my closet (that's the challenge, gasp).  I know I'm not the only one that looks in my closet and says "I don't have anything to wear"!  I'll say that this closet challenge has really made me take time to put something together and has actually been fun.  

In the first of four posts about school counselor fashion I'll be giving a little background about my style at work. 

-How would you describe your school counselor work fashion style?
I’d consider my style preppy with an edge, meaning I like classic looks with just a little something “extra” in it.  I love to wear color and prints and am certainly not afraid to do so.  I feel that you should feel comfy and confident in what you wear  both in and outside of work.  

-What's the staff dress code like at your school?
Dress at my school is very relaxed, staff can wear jeans any day of the week.  I wear jeans only on Friday’s, so Monday-Thursday I dress professionally.  It’s just a personal choice, when I taught high school, I was often mistaken for a student and dressing professional was a way not to be mistaken for a student ( I don’t have this “problem” anymore working at an elementary school). 

-What you wear in the following settings? I have pics and I'll tell you where I bought the outfit from (I love when other bloggers list that info)! 

• School Open House/Parent Event

Shirt & Cardigan: J. Crew Factory, Belt: Old Navy, Skirt: Banana Republic, Tights: HUE (Macy's), Shoes: Nine West

Shirt & Sweater:  Old Navy, Pants: Calvin Klein (Macy's), Shoes:  BP by Nordstrom

• Day to Day School 

Cardigan:  J. Crew Factory, Shirt: Thrifted, Belt: Gap, Skirt:  Thrifted, Tights:  HUE (Macy's), Boots:  Nine West

Shirt: Old Navy, Vest: Charter Club (Macy's), Belt: BEBE, Skirt: Old Navy, Tights: HUE (Macy's), Boots: Cole Haan

• School Spirit 

Shirt:  Staff shirt, Scarf: Gifted, Jeans: Old Navy, Shoes: Converse

Spelling Bee Day (stripes, get it) w/ my fab School Speech Pathologists.  Shirt & Pants:  JC Penny, Shoes:  Nine West

• Professional Development/Conference/Workshop

  Shirt & Sweater: Banana Republic  Skirt:  Charter Club (Macy's) Shoes:  Nine West

Shirt: Old Navy, Belt: Gap, Skirt: Banana Republic, Tights: HUE (Macy's) Boots: Nine West, Necklace: Charming Charlie's

Stay tuned there's more to share in this series and you'll be able to share your school counselor fashion style in an upcoming post!  

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Great Way to Get Books for Your Counselor Library

Books, books, books!!!  How many times have you gone to a book store and find yourself wondering in the children's/young adult section to find books to use for work?  I certainly have.   I use books for many things: classroom lessons, resources for parents & students, my book clubs and our character ed book bucks cart.  I love the joy that reading brings and encourage students to read regularly to take on the joy of reading.

Copy of character book bucks. 

I've talked about our character ed book bucks reward incentive program previously, but I'll mention it again.  When students are showing good character by showing one or more of the character education traits (respect, responsibility, good judgement, perseverance, kindness, integrity& self discipline ) they may be rewarded with a character ed book buck from a teacher, staff member or school safety patrol member.  On Friday's students may trade in book bucks for a book, 5 book bucks = 1 book, 10 book bucks = 2 books and so on.  Our book supply had gotten quite thin and were mainly younger children's books.  So our main "customers" were Kindergarten - 2nd grade.   

Book bucks cart before new books were added...I know kind of thin

Every week students would ask "do you have any chapter books?" and I'd have to say "well there are a few, but they get gone quickly".  So here's where the awesome opportunity comes up.....our county library has an annual book sale, however before the books go on sale to the public there's a special day where educators can come and get as many books as they want (they even provide the boxes).   I feel like I had the ultimate opportunity of a lifetime on getting books for an awesome price....free (my favorite price)!  The literacy teacher and myself went with a plan....to get as many chapter and children's books for the character ed book bucks cart at our school. 

We arrived at the library sale bright and early, dressed in our comfy clothes, tennis shoes with a hand truck in tow ready to book shop.  There were rows and rows of tables full of books.  Thank goodness they were separated into groups (Children's, Young Adults, Adult Fiction, etc.) so of course we headed right to the children's section, which by the way everyone else was in too.   Since we were there fairly early, we had plenty of time to look through the tables of books.  At times I will admit it was a bit overwhelming with all the books but I after a while I got in a rhythm of choosing chapter books from popular children's series (Harry Potter, Magic Tree House, etc).  I also realized that a lot of our students (both male & female) are really into science fiction so I began choosing books based on book cover appearance that looked like they might be science fiction.  Any book with a dragon, ghost, knight or warrior I picked up and put in the box!   As stated before before our goal was to get chapter books but if we saw books to go in our professional libraries we wouldn't pass on them either.  So after 2 and a half hours and 28 boxes of books later we felt quite successful in our task of book shopping.  Once we arrived at school, we sorted the books  and I "updated" the book bucks cart. We now have a side of the cart for young children's beginner books and a side for chapter books.

This is only half of the book sale area, see why I was a little overwhelmed!

These educators are on a book mission.

Books we collected...28 boxes worth

 I'll use these books all year to refill the cart as needed (parents also donate books throughout the year).  I highly encourage you to make use of your local library book sale (check with your library about it).  As you can see, this was so like hitting the jackpot!  On book buck day, we had an astounding number of students coming to get their "new" chapter books (I guess the news traveled fast).  I know that I heard "wow" at least 10 times as students searched for their books.  After finding "the perfect book" the students looked like they had hit the jackpot.  Their faces told it all, I even saw a few reading their books during carpool.  Seeing their excitement shows me that all of us hit the jackpot!

Children's Beginner Books Side

Chapter Books!

Searching for the perfect chapter book!  This is before the large crowd came.
 

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Make A Back to School Counselor Wish List

Of course every school has a meet the teacher/open house event.  This not only is a great time to introduce yourself to parents and students, tell them why the school counselor is so awesome but also a time display your "counselor wish list".  All the teachers at my school have a wish list of items outside of their classroom door that parents can donate to the classroom.  Well this year, I decided to join in and make a "counselor wish list" for counselor things that will be used for students (not to mention that fact that our salaries have been frozen yet again, for a 6th year but that's another post).  On my wish list, I asked for gift cards (in any dollar amount) to stores where I can purchase many counselor goodies from (Target, Walmart, AC Moore & Michael's).

To make my wish list, I typed "JYJ Counselor Wishlist" in Word and made little tags of the items on my wish list, that parents can take off the board.  You could also just write your wish list items on post-it notes (several teachers do this at my school).  I put them on a piece of colored paper right outside of my door.  My office is in the main hallway and gets lots of traffic.

Wish list sign (made in Word)

Wish list take away tags (also made in Word)

Tags on colored paper

Finished Product

Having these wish list items will be a great way to have more supplies for counselor ideas and lessons that myself and the counselor intern can use throughout the school year.  This counselor wish list may or may not be ideal based on your school population (always do what works best for you).  I am very fortunate to work at a school where parents are extremely supportive with providing needed items and supplies for all staff. 

I'm so excited that I was able to have my own "wish list" this year and have the opportunity to bring new supplies to my school counselor program.

Do you use a school counselor wish list at your school?


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My Top 10 Counselor Must Haves

I see this question all the time: "what things are counselor must haves"  well the answer certainly depends on the school counselor (please always do what works best for you and your students) but I'll be glad to share my top 10 counselor must haves (I have more, but keep this post from being super long, I'll keep it to 10).

Here's my list (in no particular order)

-Kimochis:  My favorite cute feelings friends.  My students LOVE these and they are great conversation starters on how students are feeling.  Many students have "multiple feelings" with these fun toys.  I have several sets and also have 2 mini sets for parents to check out and use at home (they are machine washable just in case you're wondering).

Kimochis

-Board Games/Puzzles:  Students love playing games and not to mention it's another way to re-live childhood memories for me (I loved board games as a child).  Games that are very popular with my students are Uno, Jenga, Checkers, Mancala & Perfection.  As for puzzles, I took an idea from Pinterest and put my puzzles into cloth mesh bags to take up less space.

-iPad/VGA Adapter:  This also falls on my counselor tech list, but this combo is great to have.  You can do so much with an iPad in your school counselor program!  The VGA adapter is the perfect addition to take your iPad to another level by connecting to a LCD projector, SMART or Promethan boards.

-Trevor Romain DVD Series:  These are the BEST!!!  Need a video about friendship, bullying, facing fear, organization, healthy eating, grief or even divorce?  These are an absolute must have.  Each time I've shown a video to a class without a doubt someone will ask "can we watch it again" or "where'd you get that movie?"  The students love, love, love these and they have a great way to tie in an important morale and lesson that is completely relatable to children.  I ordered these from Amazon.

-Art Supplies:  What counselor can't function without a good supply of paper, glue, markers, crayons and other craft goodies?  I try to keep all of my counselor craft supplies in a bin so that it's easier for students to find.

-Composition Notebooks: These can be used for any and everything under the sun.  Students having problems communicating with their parents, what to express themselves without actually saying them, want students to keep track of group events/activities or even want to draw positive thoughts a composition notebook is a must!  I've given out so many "fill in the blank" journals to students and they have had such a great effect on them.  My school supplies the composition books, but you if have to purchase your own, wait until back to school time starts and catch them on sale.

-Dry Eraser Boards & Markers:  These are great for so many things, individual sessions, group sessions, notes to yourself, the list goes on and on.  I go all these items from the $1 Spot at Target.

Dry erase markers, glue a pom pom on the cap to add a built in eraser.  

Dry erase boards (these have lines, like notebook paper)

-Counselor Treats:  I always have counselor treats on hand (sometimes for myself too, we need treats too).  I usually have smarties as my candy of choice students (it's not chocolate, no allergies, no gluten, etc).   My personal "counselor treats" include my favorite snack(s) of choice (I have a serious weakness for sweets).  This counselor's treat box was given to me my 1st year as a counselor by the previous counselor.  I've been asked several times where to get one, but I have no idea where she got it from.

-Vista Print Goodies:  Where do I begin with all the awesome counselor goodies you can create via Vista Print?  Banners, posters, note cards, t-shirts, polos, business cards and more!  Sign up to receive notifications so you'll know when they have sales.

-Thank you notes:  Without a doubt, someone (staff member, student or parent) will do something nice for you throughout the year.  Writing a handwritten thank you note is such a personal way of showing your appreciation.  I have several sets of thank you notes (including some created from Vista Print).

-Also worth mentioning: Cleaning Wipes (like Lysol), Room deodorizer, mailing labels (address and mailing sized), storage bins, counselor bag, play dough and books of course!

-Some of you may question where's my sand tray, well I don't have a sand tray and I'm a bit of a germaphobic at times.  Although I work in an elementary school, my education career started out in a high school.  Younger students tend not to wash their hands as well/often as older students and because we've had multiple cases of lice, ring worm, flu, stomach virus, etc. I'll trust my high school teacher intuition and pass on the sand tray, but again do what works for you!

What are some of your school counselor must have items?

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