Summer Wear to Work Gear

Now you know I couldn't just not post about summer wear to work?  Well this time I'm teaming up with the fashionably fabulous Melanie from The Stylish School Counselor Blog and we'd love to share some summer wear to staple pieces and work outfits:

Maxi skirts/dresses:

Shirt: Old Navy, Necklace & Skirt: JCrew Factory, Belt & Shoes: Gap

Jacket: Kut from the Kloth, Dress: Groovy's

Lightweight scarves

Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: Kohl's, Scarf: Nordstrom

Shirt, Scarf & Belt: Old Navy, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: Nine West

Cardigan: JCrew Factory, Shirt & Skirt: Old Navy, Belt, Scarf & Shoes: Gap

Shirt & Scarf: Old Navy, Capris: JC Penney, Shoes: Nine West

Summer Dresses

Dress & Belt: Old Navy, Shoes: Nine West

Dress: Gap, Scarf: World Market (& yes that's NYC Times Square, summer vacay)

Jacket: Kut from the Kloth, Dress: Groovy's

Stripes

Scarf: Charming Charlie's, Shirt: Old Navy, Capris: JC Penney, Shoes: Target

Jacket: Nordstrom, Tank: Old Navy, Crop Skinny Jeans: Michael Kors 

Jacket: Kut from the Kloth, Tank: Old Navy, Pants: Express 

Dress: Old Navy, Cardigan: Gap leopard, Necklace: Francesca's 

Printed Pants/Capris

Shirt: JC Penney, Pants: Anthropologie, Shoes: Gap

Cardigan, Shirt & Necklace: JCrew, Capris: JC Penney, Shoes: Cole Haan

Shirt: Banana Republic, Capris: Old Navy, Shoes: Gap

Statement Jewelry

Statement Necklace: Kate Spade, Dress: Target

 Necklace: Groovy's, Dress: Charming Charlie

Necklace: Groovy's, Dress: Old Navy, Cardigan: JC Penney 

So many ways to dress for the summer heat and work!  What are some of your summer wear to work must haves? Pin It

Intern Advice From An Intern

As school gears up for us school counselors, graduate students will be gearing up for their internship experience.  Since I've been out of the intern scope for a couple of years, my intern from the last school year Kelly was so kind to share some tips based on her experience:

-Give a little background about yourself :

Hi, I'm Kelly and I just graduated May 2014 with a master's degree in Counselor Education from East Carolina University (Go Pirates).  I also completed my undergraduate degree in Sociology from ECU.  

Originally, I started my undergraduate studies in early education, but soon decided I wanted to focus more on individual or a small group, which lead me to sociology. One of my older volleyball teammates (I played on the volleyball team at ECU) was in the counselor education program also, and really got me interested in the field.  I went straight to graduate school after graduating from undergrad, and I have absolutely LOVED the program and am so in love with counseling!

-How did you manage graduate school and internship, without feeling completely overwhelmed?

Throughout the year, my supervisor was great about allowing me to set my own schedule or change days that I came to my internship site if there were grad school assignments that I really needed to work on. Setting a schedule was really nice for me in order to stick to days where I focused mostly on my internship, and others when I focused mainly on schoolwork. However, I know that many sites which my classmates were in, set a schedule for them to come to their sites. Many of my friends handled both their internship and schoolwork by dedicating certain days to their schoolwork similarly to me being able to create my own schedule. There were times when it was overwhelming to juggle both my internship and finishing my graduate school program, but the more I stuck to a set schedule and completed things weekly in a set manner, the more in control I felt and got through the semesters with ease!

-What's something that you learned about yourself you didn't know from your internship experience?

I was fortunate to complete both semesters of internship at the same great school, and I think I learned much more about myself being here all year then having to split semesters! I had no idea that I was going to like classroom lessons and small group settings as much as I have. I was pretty sure that individual counseling was my primary focus, so I started off my internship just wanting to talk to individual students more than leading groups or classes. However, I learned throughout the year that I am pretty good at classroom management and leading a group. Although it shocked me some, I have had so many awesome opportunities to lead by myself that I have become much more comfortable!

-What did you enjoy about your internship?

Joyner has been such an amazing school for my internship experience! I have truly felt so welcomed, and have enjoyed all of the staff appreciation events that we (as counselors) helped lead and display around the school. The nerves were definitely large at first, but after being treated like a part of the school, instead of just an intern, I was really able to excel and find out the type of school counselor I will be, and what I enjoy most/least about the position!

-What advice would you give to someone about to begin their school counseling internship?

My advice is to keep an open mind and be willing to try everything…even if it isn’t specific to the counseling position! I attended many workshops, conferences, and trainings which were offered by the district, my school, and counseling associations! I truly put the most into my internship experience to get the same in return and be prepared for my first year as a school counselor!
Thanks for sharing Kelly!  Are there any other tips former interns would like to share?

Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing Kelly!  Are there any other tips former or recent interns would like to share?

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Hello From Across the Pond

Hey school counselor friends, I hope that your summer so far has been fabulous.  I've been a little MIA for a while, like missing the ASCA conference (which still hurts, but Phoenix look out), #scchat Twitter chats and such, so just in case you were wondering....I'm actually in England.  I'm participating in a educator summer study abroad course and it's been so much fun.  I'm the only school counselor in the group, but that's no different than in my actual school, so I fit right in.  Here's a few pics of our adventures throughout England.  We'll also be traveling to Norway later on this week!  Don't worry I'll share how I found out about this educator travel abroad opportunity in a later post.

Highclere Castle (yes from Downtown Abbey), Tea and Scones, London Bridge, Big Ben & Parliament

Another plus is that I completed my summer homework for staff by taking my photo in my school shirt (oh yeah)!

Summer homework done at Guildford Castle in Guildford, England (beautiful place).

What exciting trip(s) have you been on during your summer break? Pin It

Just a Little (More) About Me...

Since I was #notatasca14, I have no #asca14 recap post  (sad face) so to try and think of an ASCA theme for this post...A few months back I saw in the ASCA School Counselor magazine a showcase on the 2014 school counselor of the year candidates (Congrats to Robin Zorn).  I liked reading fun facts about the school counselor of the year finalists and thought "hmmm how would I answer some of those questions?" So now that school's out and summer is in full effect I thought that I'd take a chance to answer those questions (I also used some questions from other counselor bloggers for the Liebster Award):

-Share 10 things about yourself that most of your readers wouldn't know:
1.) I'm a morning person and wake up early even on weekends and days off.
2.) Breakfast is my favorite meal, I can't function without it. 
3.) I almost never wear any makeup.
4.) I like to drive with my shoes off (yep, even when I had a 5 speed).
5.) I usually have several things in my various online shopping carts, on "my wish list" or under "save for later".
6.) I'm very passionate about recycling and taking care of the environment.  
7.) I like dressing up, but would definitely opt for yoga pants/workout gear anytime.  
8.) In college I was in the marching band (Shout out to the NC A&T SU BGMM) & joined a sorority.
9.) I enjoy live music and musical theater.  I secretly wish that I could sing, dance and act...all at the same time to make it on Broadway.  
10.)  I have no idea why I put my hands on my hips when I take pictures.  

-What's your favorite thing about your job?  Well taking that it's summer the schedule certainly is a plus, but I love being able to make lasting connections with students, parents and staff as a school counselor.

-What would you be if you weren't in the School Counseling field?  I'd either be a corporate trainer/recruiter, travel blogger or museum curator (I love museums and history). 

-What do you do for self care?  I LOVE group fitness classes at my gym and go most days right after work (which makes me leave work on time).  Group fitness is fun and it doesn't require me to do a lot of heavy thinking.  I just listen and follow the instructor and in an hour I've had a workout!   I also try to plan for pedicures or massages as needed.  

-What books are you currently reading?  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (it's a great read so far).  I've also been enjoying books on tape (audiobooks).  The public library has them (for free, my favorite price).  I just load them on my iPod and listen to them while I walk or if the book's really good in the car.  Just a side note, make sure to turn off "shuffle" on your iPod when listening to audiobooks.  

-What's your guilty pleasure TV show?
 I can't just limit myself to just ONE show.  Thanks to the likes of Netflix and Hulu I've gotten into binge movie/tv watching. I just finished season 2 of Orange is the New Black (awesome!)

-If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?  The beach is always ideal but I'd compromise and just be willing to live where I have the freedom to travel and see the world.

-What are your top 5 tech tools?
Smore
Dropbox
Google Docs
Pinterest
My iPad (of course)

So that's a little about me!  On a side note, I am really looking forward to reading the #ASCA14 recap posts from other bloggers that were there.  I was able to be a little bit in the loop from social media, but I can't wait to hear from them.  So now I know that I must make plans to be at #asca15 next year in Phoenix.

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Summer Time

Forget Christmas, summer break is the "most wonderful time of the year" for me!  Another busy and productive school year completed.  Whether it's your 1st year or 21st year, I'm sure that you can now sit back and reflect upon how your school year went.  I certainly can!

So now that summer's here what will I be up to?  Well I'll be doing quite a bit of resting, relaxing and traveling.  If you aren't quite sure how to rest and chill during the summer, I'll be glad to show you!  I will continue to blog, but it may not be as frequently (maybe twice a month) during the summer.  It's not because I don't want to but because I just want to fully enjoy my summer (and unplug just a bit).

What are you summer plans? Pin It

Staff Summer Homework & Bulletin Board Idea

For some of you, your summer vacation has or is just about to start  (whoot whoot, I get out on Thursday and can't wait).  Here's one small homework assignment that you can give to your staff over the summer...have staff members take pictures of themselves on their vacations or trips over the summer in their school shirt.  Those pictures can be used for a back to school bulletin board, that way people can see what fun you had over the summer and while even showing a little school spirit.  Here's an example....Ms. Burston visited the Grand Canyon!

Well clearly I wasn't at the Grand Canyon (this is actually me at the park at field day in a school shirt) but it would go along that route.  I've made a mental note to pack a school shirt with me on a summer trip for this "homework".

We did this last year with the theme "Oh the Places You Can Go" and it was a hit.  It was such a hit that we'll be doing it again!  I'll post a finished product of the bulletin board later on. Pin It

#ASCA14 1st Timer Tips

I've been seeing and hearing the buzz via social media from other school counselors about going to the upcoming ASCA conference in Orlando, FL.  The exciting part is that many of the counselors sharing the buzz are 1st timers going to the conference.  Now that got me "buzzing"!  I had absolutely no idea what to expect my first time attending the conference either.  So here are a few tips that I've learned to share with first timers or even tenth timers at the conference.

-Attend the reception events where you'll have an opportunity to mix and mingle with other counselors in a non-presentation style setting (meaning you can talk more).  I actually met a lot of counselor friends that I still keep in touch with at the first timers reception, dance and tweet up (all are fantastic opportunities for networking and fun).

-Bring plenty of your business cards to share, which is another way to stay connected with other school counselors.

-Pack comfy business casual clothing and shoes. It's usually chilly in the session rooms, so a sweater (or in my case cardigan, I love cardigans) or light jacket will help to keep you warm.

-There's usually food (lunch and snack) at the conference, but I always pack my own snacks just case.  

-Take some time to see the host city!  But of course especially since it's Disney (that's a no brainer).

-Make a shopping list of things that you'd be willing to purchase at the conference.  The vendors section can be overwhelming because there's so much to choose from and you'll just want it all (ok maybe that was just me).

-Download the conference app.  Having a conference app is awesome, you have the ability to take a look and get an idea of the sessions you'd like to attend.  Some fabulous school counselor blogger & Twitter friends will be presenting this year and I 'd like to mention their sessions for you to consider attending:

Monday 06/30 9-10:15am- Brand and Market Your School Counseling Program (Jeremy Goldman & Jeff Ream)

Monday 06/30 9-10:15am- Build Your Professional Community With Social Media (Lisa Savinon, Carli Segal, Carol Miller)

Monday 06/30 11:15-12:30pm- Help Girls Unlock Their Leadership Potential (Julia V. Taylor)

Monday 06/30 1:30-2:45pm- Going Gaga for Google (Russ Sabella)

Monday 06/30 3:45-5:00pm- Wi-Fi to Sci-Fi: Motivate anad Teach Students via Technology and Literature (Angela Poovey)  

Tuesday 07/01 11:15-12:30pm- Empower Girls Using Narrative Theory (Lee Grimes & Natalie Spencer)

Tuesday 07/01 11:15-12:30pm- Professional Development in 140 Characters or Fewer (Danielle Schultz & Erin Mason)

Tuesday 07/01 1:15-2:45pm- Create a Data-Driven Anti-Bullying Action Plan (Raychelle Lohmann)

Tuesday 07/01 1:30-4:30pm- Creating Magic Through Group Counseling (Matthew McClain, Rhonda Williams)

Wednesday 07/02 9-10:15am- Teach Students to Recognize and Report Sexual Abuse (Rebecca Lallier)

Oooooh, as I type these sessions I'm getting so excited!!!  Unfortunately I will not be attending the conference this year.  I have an amazing opportunity to participate in an educator study abroad program in Europe so I'll be following the conference through social media (use the hash tag #ASCA14). Please tweet, post and share your experiences so those of us that aren't there can "be there" via social media.  I look forward to seeing what others share from the conference this year.

What other tips would you give for 1st timers attending the conference?



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