The end of a school year is a very sacred time to me. After every marker has run dry, after every pencil has been sharpened down to the stub, and all the homework has been turned in a graded, I feel like educators can sit back and breathe. They can breathe a sigh of relief that we have made it through another year, take a deep breath of a job well done (or at least finished with all they had), or maybe just gasp for air as they cross the finish line. Any way you look at it, I still feel lucky every year that I have a job that still has somewhat a beginning and an end. This year proved no different.
However, this year was unlike any other end to a school year I have ever experienced. First off, I didn’t get to end the school year in school. Being on maternity leave with twins that arrived five weeks early can cause that. But the other change was that I am switching school districts next year. So this year, as I returned to pack up my office with two 6 week-olds in tow, I will admit, the nostalgia was running high. This has been my only school. I have been THE school counselor here for eight years. I knew the kids, parents, and teachers; and they knew me. Things were great, and I was happy. But like everything else in life, things change. I became pregnant with twins, which no one plans on. I commute 30 minutes to work one way, and money all of a sudden became a huge factor. Long story short, you all know what happens. I apply for a job and get it. I submit my letter of resignation and life goes on. Things like this happen all the time in school districts right? But here’s the thing: i loved it at my school. Sure, all schools and school districts have their issues, but at the end of the day, I loved my job, and the second home that had been created there. As I move onto my new position as a school counselor, even with eight years of experience I have some fears and reservations. If you have ever moved to a new position, I know you have felt the same way. Or if you are moving to a new place, here are some words of advice that I have, and plan on reminding myself of in the year to come: Be patient. Good things take time. Great things take even longer. I know my new school is going to feel different at first. I am going to have to remind myself daily that it will take time for this place to feel like home. But if I give it a fair chance, it can feel like home some day. Be grateful. I am very lucky to have a job in my profession that I love! There was a moment when we toyed with me staying home with our twins, but ultimately we decided financially that I needed to go back to work. Here's the thing: I am not sad about that choice. Do I wish I could spend every moment with my boys? Absolutely. But being a school counselor is a part of who I am, and I feel that going to work every day will make me a better mom. Make connections. It can be really easy to sit in your office and wait for students or teachers to come to you. But you cannot do that. Do something that will make you NEED to talk to every teacher; whether that is creating a monthly character award where a student from each class is nominated, or creating small groups and you are looking for teacher input on students who need to attend. DO SOMETHING. Teachers are your on the frontline when it comes to helping students. You cannot know your students without knowing your teachers. Connecting with teachers will help you become more connected with the school and ultimately make you more happy. Be prepared for some resistance. People do not like change, its a given. There is going to be someone (teacher, student, or administrator) that doesn't like your new idea or wants you to do things the way the old counselor did them. Expect this. Embrace it, and try not to take it personally. We all walk into a building and have a picture of the great things we are going to do. In reality, I know I will only able to accomplished a few of them in my first year. If there is something you want to implement and try, really advocate for it! But if it requires a major role change for your position, try to find a subtle way to implement the change over a few quarters or years. I am not saying to NOT make waves, just be strategic on how you do it. And at the end there will always be someone who is still not happy with what you do, but remember it probably really has nothing to do with you at all. This is a short list of words that I hope will get me through my first semester at my new school, and I hope they can help you too if you are making a professional move of any kind. Change is hard; but sometimes it is necessary. So as I packed my boxes and said my final goodbyes, my heart ached for what I was leaving behind. Eight years of hard work, lots of wonderful memories, and hopefully some touched lives. When I look back at these eight years, I look at how much I have grown personally and professionally. This was my first school counseling job. I truly put my heart and soul into this; I gave it everything I had. And in return, what I received was so much more than I could have expected to gain. My new job and school will not be my first, but it will be new to me. And I intend on putting everything I have into it as well. That's what we do as counselors, we give it all we've got. Here's to the next chapter.
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Happy Friday friends! I am on my LAST summer Friday of the year, so I am looking away from my daunting to-do list and enjoying a quiet morning with my coffee and my puppies. I have been thinking a lot about quote this week, so I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes that motivate me. I am a quote person, so the five that I list are just overall favorites, but I really am a person who searches for something that fits my mood. I hope you find these quotes helpful, or at least will motivate you to find your top five! 1. Ghandi This quote has been one of my favorites since high school. I used to have a ring with the quote engraved on it, and I was so sad when I lost it! To me, this quote speaks volumes and is a daily reminder of how I should live my life. I have always been a dreamer, and who wouldn't love to change the world?? If I want to have an impact, I must be the change. 2. Game Changer. Im not sure where this quote originated, but I first heard of. this concept a few years ago at the annual Missouri School Counselor Association fall conference. This thought has stayed with me the past few years, especially as I gain more experience in my field. I feel that it reminds me to go outside of my comfort zone, instead of staying stuck in "what we have always done". Change is the only thing that stays the same, so we might as well be apart of it instead of resisting it. 3. Humble & Kind. I am a sucker for simple statements, and this says a lot. I also use this quote when working with students, and it is a great way to integrate vocabulary with character and actions. I also feel like I need to keep this in mind as a professional working with colleagues. First and foremost we are all humans, and that is an important thing to remember, especially when we are asking a lot from people. 4. Stories I first came across this quote when I was in grad school, and I still believe this is the real reason I do my job. I like to read this quote when I get overwhelmed with my to-do list, or maybe when I feel like I have failed a student or a teacher. This quote helps me remember that I am there to listen and to support, and sometimes, that is the best gift I can give my students and colleagues. 5. Leadership and Positivity.
Positivity is quite the buzz word when it comes to education, and it is not just directed at students. We all know how hard it can be to stay positive, especially towards the end of the school year. Here's the thing: in education we all need to vent. Venting is ok and is necessary to keep our piece of mind. However, there is a different between venting and complaining, and the best thing you can do for your career is learn the difference and to practice it. I do not have all of the answers or strategies on how to do this, but I can guide to you some great resources I have used:
I hope you are enjoying what is left of your summer! Need some ideas to keep you busy for the rest of summer? Check out my post about how I become rejuvenated during the summer! Happy Friday! Happy Monday Everyone!
The weekend has come and gone so quickly again, but in Missouri the heat is here to stay. So to beat the heat, I am sticking to the indoors and working furiously on my curriculum maps. Stay tuned later this week for some sneak peeks! Curious on how I get started? Check out my post from last year on how I structured my curriculum maps for the entire year. I revise and revamp every year, because who doesn't find something new they love and want to bring it back the following year?? Summer is quickly drawing to a close for me, and this always leaves me feeling torn. Every day I start to spend a little bit more time thinking about the upcoming school year, and a little less time doing the fun summer activities. The strange thing is, I get SUPER excited thinking about the school year! I start to miss my colleagues, students, and even my office! Summer is the perfect amount of time for me to become rejuvenated and recompose my positive mentality. I feel so lucky that I get the opportunity to start over every year in my profession. I don't become motivated for every school year on my own. I use lots of different tools and resources! Here are a list of resources I have found this summer that have helped me refocus for the 2017-2018 school year:
What are some of the ways you get refocused for the school year? I would love to hear about them! Stay tuned for more details on a few of my resources listed above and how I will incorporate them into my school year! Happy Monday! Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I am changing it up a little this week; my creative post is coming to you on a Monday instead of a Friday. Why you ask? Well, last week I had lots of thoughts going through my head, and one in particular was spurred by this quote: Be fierce. Sometimes, it is scary how two words can spark such thought and meaning. I thought about these words in every capacity of my life; school counseling, marriage, family, friends, God, etc. At times, it felt overwhelming. Can one be fierce every moment of every day? What does it mean to be fierce in the professional setting? Does fierceness look different for everyone, just like leadership and teaching? These thoughts soon consumed my mind (mostly at 2AM in the morning of course) and here are some things I came up with:
Fast forward a few years later, and I have made a lot of mistakes, failed at least a hundred times, and I have learned more than I could have ever dreamed of learning in my profession. I have learned I do NOT know everything nor will ever know everything. I have also learned the daily grind is hard in education. There are days when I feel like I have conquered a mountain; and then there are days where I am lucky that I didn't fall off of the mountain. Both situations requires a person to be fierce; they command that we dig deep into our own selves and bring out the resiliency and courage to carry us through to the next point. Being fierce looks different in every situation, and it can look different for every person. For me, being fierce now is making sure I am in the moment with my students and not thinking about the ten million things I have sitting on my desk to complete. Being fierce is listening to a colleague when they are struggling and not turning it into a whining session.
In conclusion, I throw the questions out there: What does being fierce mean to you?? How are you fierce? I hope that you think about what it means to you, and also how you can lead others to delve within their own fierceness. Happy Monday,
Happy Friday everyone!
I had a wonderful eleven days back home in Nebraska! Family time is always cherished for me, especially since it is so rare with all of my siblings spread out over the country. The visit was a little bittersweet, as we said goodbye to the home my grandparents have lived in for the past 40 years. It was a beautiful piece of property, and a lot of my childhood memories were made there. My grandmother decided it was time to downsize for simplicity purposes, so her and my mother have spent the last five months going through all of her belongings. What a daunting task; going through 40 years of memories! My visit seemed short, even though it was long compared to most of the vacation time non-education professionals have available to them. That is one of the best things about working in education; you work so hard for several months at a time, and then I do not feel guilty about taking that time away to spend with family. I was talking with my colleagues before school was out, and we agreed that we could not think of another career where you get a definitive beginning and end so frequently throughout the duration of a career. Sometimes my friends will make comments about how lucky I am to have the summer off; yes, I am VERY lucky. But I am also lucky because I get to invest myself so strongly for 10 months in a career that I love. Summer is the perfect time for me to rejuvenate, but also for me to remember every year how much I love my job. So now here I am, my first true summer Friday. I have spent this past week catching up on appointments, laundry, household chores, and sleep. Summer Fridays are always special to me; it has the anticipation of a great weekend ahead, plus it always allows for me to reflect on my week. This week I was able to go to the library, get my hair done in the middle of the day (WHAT?!?!), and stroll through a few of my favorite stores at a leisurely paces as opposed to being on a timed mission. My husband and I even attended a street festival last night, on a WEEKDAY night! Yes, summer definitely has its perks! I hope that you are enjoying your summer Friday, or if you are not quite there, then I hope you do when you get your first one. Enjoy your sweet time and do whatever you need to do to rejuvenate and get prepared for next year. Yes, eventually I am going to be spending some summer Fridays planning and dreaming about next year. But until then, I will stick to enjoying the current moment. Happy Summer Friday! Happy Friday everyone!
I hope that this week finds you well; this week we have dove head first into state testing. This time can be very taxing on both teachers and students, so I always try my extra best to stay as positive and caffeinated as possible. Nothing is better than a great cup of coffee on the way to work as I think about how I am going to rock my day. I mean, seriously, how do we survive without it?!?! This week has been a colder, rainier week than what we like Bonding with co-workers over coffee is also a fun journey. In our faculty lounge we have a Keurig, and there always seems to be a few extra K-cups that make their way into the workroom to offer a fellow colleague a pick-me-up on a rough day. During some our PBS Spirit Weeks, we have a coffee-themed day where we provide a plethora of K-cups, coffee fixings, and other options for co-workers who are not as much pro-coffee. I hope your Friday is short and your coffee is strong today! Good Morning all! It may be April, but teaching about school success is a value we embed in almost every lesson as school counselors. One thing I feel though is hard to find are handouts associated with this! Check out this FREEBIE worksheet I created for this purpose. The best part is that you can use it across multiple grades and is specifically left for you to define what "habits" is for you and your students. Also, the hearts can be used at any point in the school year!
Good Morning Friends!
If you have gone back to work since the holidays, I hope you have found a positive groove for the new year! New years can be difficult; sometimes I feel a lot of pressure to pick a resolution or set goals that I deep down know I will never reach. But this year is different. A lot has happened in the last few months, and I felt compelled to start this year with something different. So, instead of racking my brain and trying to come up with something completely off-the-wall, I decided to borrow an idea from a co-worker. Every year she picks one word that she hopes she can live by this year; sort of like a mantra or quote. So this year, I decided I was going to do that! One word, how hard can that be? The word just came to me. I was sitting here in the morning, typing in my journal, thinking about what goals I wanted to accomplish this year, and all of a sudden there it was: Purpose. It sort of flashed before my eyes, and that was all it took, i was hooked. So that is my word this year: Purspose. But what do I do with this word? Well, the best part is, whatever I want! I decided I really want to be more purposeful with my life, and really think about if everything I am involved in and take apart of is for the greater good of me and my family. For example, what purpose is all the time I spend on Facebook, or any other social media outlet? So many times I am looking at all of these posts and I end up feeling negative or in a sour mood because of what I see, the exact opposite I want to feel. Yet for some reason, I keep checking Facebook multiple times a day. So, this year I am going to be more mindful of my feelings when I am doing certain activities or events, and really try to focus in on the actions that bring positive vibes and thoughts to my life. Another area of my life I want to bring more purpose to is my finanial situation. Sure, everyone has goals about saving money so they can buy the house, car, or vactation that they want. My thoghts aren't going to be goaled towards the larger components, but rather twoards the small components. I am a terrible impulse purchaser. I see things, and if it is under $5, I usually go for it (the dollar wall at Target gets me EVERY time!). But this year I really want to think about those pruchases, even if they are on sale, or only "just a dollar". Do I really need the drink or coffee from the gas station every time I fill up with gas? Now, there are some days, I do need it. The goal of "purpose" is not self-deprivation, it is going to be self-regulation. Balancing the need and wants of my life to maximize it to its fullest potential. What would be your word for 2017? Do you have a special way you make sure you reach your goals? If so, I would love to hear them!! Have a great week, Happy Friday!
I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend with your family, and are recovering and settling back into your daily routines. We enjoyed a long weekend in Nebraska with my family! It was full of fun, family time, and of course, delicious food! This time of year always makes my heart happy, and this year I feel truly blessed about what 2016 has brought for our family. This next week is always one of my favorite times off of school. I really take this next week and indulge in the joys of life that I love but forget to make time for during the busy school year. Between reading, baking, organizing, creating some fun things, and Netflix binging, I really do feel like a new school counselor going back to school in January. I also use this time to reflect on this past year on a professional and personal level. I think about the highlights of the year, and the things that I would like to do more of or less of for the next coming year. To me, reflection is an important part of growing as a person, and I truly believe it makes you more aware and grateful of your life as it currently exists. The quote above from C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite quotes to reflect upon. At first the quote may seem like something you use when you are going through a difficult time, or have made a big life change or move. Through the years, however, I have learned to use this quote to assist with personal growth. I feel that it models the idea that no matter how good something is, there is still something greater that will come. This can be hard to accept, especially if wer are comfortable with how things are going. But I think it also helps us remember that refreaming our thoughts sometimes is necessary in order to see the good in a situation or event. I hope you take some time to reflect in the next coming weeks and explore what joys 2016 has held for you, not mattter what sort of year you have had. Best Wishes, Happy Friday friends! I hope you are all staying busy and getting into the holiday season! This time of year is truly joyful; gathering with friends and family to celebrate the season, shopping for gifts to put under the tree, and staying up to date on all of the festivities and parites. I wanted to share with you a fun freebie I found while looking for a holiday destop background. Yes, I am still one of those people who change my desktop background to reflect the season or my mood. While searching for a festive backdrop, I came across Flipsnack. I will be honest, I had never heard of this website before. However, after exploring the site for a bit, I realized just how great it was! You can create very detailed and engaging flipbooks for your website; a great thing for any online business! I even am thinking of ways to use this in the education world. Student projects, online portfolios, or parent communication handouts are just a few things I have thought of! If you use Flipsnack for any education purposes, I would love to hear about it! Check out the Flipsnack FREE December wallpaper here: Can't get enough of December freebies?? Check out some of my favorite printables: 1. All is Calm-FREE Printable
2. Merry Christmas-FREE Printable
3. Joy to the World-FREE Printable
The three printables above were created using Canva, one of my favorite designing websites!
I hope these printables help you get your office, classroom, or home in the mood for the holiday season! May your season find you and your family well and blessed. Happy Holidays, |