Back and Better Than Ever!

Wow it feels SOOO good to be back :) I am not sure what caused my 5 month hiatus... but the weirdest thing kept happening- I kept getting notifications from Pinterest, Facebook, and Blogger that I had new page views, new followers, and new likes! I would like to say THANK YOU to all who came aboard and stayed aboard even while I was napping on the bridge... ship's bridge... not an actual "over water" bridge...

Anyways...

So obviously a lot has happened in the past few months including I started my new position as a HIGH SCHOOL counselor. Now some of you may have started following because I was an Elementary School Counselor. Well, I was. Sorry... But I am the SAME counselor, just in a different role. I still have great ideas- I just implement them with teenagers :)
Also the blog got a fresh new look. I thought something a little more current would help get me back into it! I still have my Mr. Potato Heads, don't worry... they just help in a different role!

In the next few months I will get you caught up to what's been going on, including Senior interviews, Freshman orientation, testing (boo), Middle School & 8th grade transitions, scheduling, and more. But, this post is just to get me back in the swing and reassure everyone I am back for good lol. 

I do want to take a moment and complete something I started in July and that is a tour of my office. You may remember a post I did in July that showed some before pictures (you can find it here) but I'll refresh your memory...

Here is a before shot looking into my office

It was very bare-bones and cold... not very inviting

Here's looking in now :) over Christmas Break the Head of Maintenance was kind enough to patch the plaster and paint it a tan-ish color (better than the stark white!)

 You may notice some of the stuff and I want to show you it does not cost an arm and a leg to make your space apealing. The rug came from Menards and was like $29.00. An amazing buy on a public education salary. Also the chevron pictures came from Ikea and were about $5.00 for the set. The side table was one from one of my previous offices and was actually a dumpster find from Stein Mart about ten years ago!

This is the corner by the door- where people sit. The problem was people kept standing up and hitting their head on that bottom shelf :(

SO, I took a couple of the shelves off and added- yep! my Mr. Potato Heads! And it's hilarious how many of my HIGH SCHOOL students and staff members love them :) 

 The blue table came from my mom. Her typewritter sat on that table since I was a kid. I remember sitting at it in Elementary School typing reports! The lamp on the table my great grandpa lathed and the shade is half a globe one of my Elementary students and I made last year. The chairs kinda suck but they came with the office and don't look too horrible. And plus I don't have to sit in them!

Since I took a couple shelves down, I needed a bookshelf. This red beauty came from Ikea and was $25.00... and I LOVE it. Plus it helps since our School Colors are Red, White, and Blue!

This is above my desk. The middle painting came from my dad's barn, the "A" is a wine cork holder from home that we were getting rid of, and the "Keep Calm" sign I found in an empty office at school LOL My wife got me the Integrity sign (Always do the RIGHT THING even when no one is watching) to remind me of my Elementary days)

So that's it... my home away from home. And decorated and put together for fairly inexpensive. I think it is really important to create a space that is inviting, relaxing, and not too "officey". 

So if you have any questions, as always you can email me/ Facebook me/ Tweet me/ etc.

Stay tuned for more great things coming at AFellowSchoolCounselor!

-JW

Meet The Teacher Night and Occam's Razor

Last night was my Falcon school's "Meet The Teacher Night". My Wildcats' "Back To School Night" was on the evening of the second day of school- not too much to report since school had only been in session for about 48 hours :) But as always, it was nice mingling with parents, discussing what the school counselor does, and getting tons of hugs!

But tonight's Falcon night was extra special for a me for a couple reasons. First, it was my daughter's first big event as a Kindergartner. We got to "meet" her teacher (whose classroom is 100 yards from my office), "meet" her friends (who I do lessons with quite often and my wife already knew most of from church, soccer, or teeball) and "meet" her Principal (who signs my paycheck). But Kendal was as excited as can be and it was an amazing experience to see her want to share EVERYTHING about her daily routine with us.

Sadly though, after wearing "daddy" hat for a little bit, I had to take it off and put on "School Counselor" hat to meet/ greet all the other parents. And one experience tonight made me think of Occam's Razor.

According to this principle, when introduced with a scenario, the simplest and most expected answer or outcome is the correct one. The old adage states "when you hear hoof-beats behind you, you think horses and not zebras". Yea, both make hoof-beat sounds when running, but it's not very often you see zebras... most people are more familiar with horses. Despite it being most likely, this razor is not truth. Maybe a zebra really is running up on you!

And tonight I had a zebra run up on me! A parent came up to me who seemed very determined to talk. I LOVE having opportunities to meet with parents so this was not unusual. However, usually I get horses (my student is being bad, fix my student, why won't my student sit still, you need to see my student daily, etc.). So, I straighten my school counselor "hat" and prepared for her discussion. 

What I got was a mother determined to thank me for what I do. She was grateful for the grief group I ran last year for my 4th graders. Her son as in that group after his grandfather (the mom's father) passed away. Her and I proceeded to talk for almost 20 minutes about her son, her father's death, and the impact it had on the family. As we know, it is almost impossible to console someone else when we ourselves are grieving. What could she say to her sons while her heart was also breaking? How could she help him through the stages of grief when she didn't know what stage she herself was in? 

I prepared myself for a horse and what I got was a zebra, coming up to me with her heart in her hands thanking me for getting her son through his first family loss. Because of that group, he no longer blamed his mom for the death, his grades improved, he had a closer group of friends that were going through the same stages. That group helped heal him.

TALK ABOUT HAVING YOUR OWN BUCKET FILLED! 

I went into Counseling because my Granny passed away when I was in 3rd grade about all I remember of that loss was the Counselor at my Elementary School. She helped me and I am now able to pay that forward and help him and more just like him.

You will have people tell you that it "must be nice to sit around and play with kids all day". Or that what you do doesn't matter like teaching math or reading matters. Or you'll have people wonder why you are constantly pulling kids out of their reading block. Or get upset when you won't share what kids tell you. 

I am here to say that what you do DOES matter. It matters to your students. To their families. It mattered to that mother and her sons. You matter. So Keep Calm because you are a School Counselor and you do help!

-JW

(Second) First Day Back :)

This past week has been CCRRAAZZYY!! And it's a true sign that I have found what I want to do for the rest of my life because, despite being CCRRAAZZYY I have LLLOOOVVVEEEDDD every minute of it!

Our schools started last week and, since I split two schools, I was only able to be at one on the first day. So, the next day, I had my SECOND first day back (at my Wildcat School).

I got to pop into classrooms, do some meetings, meet some parents who just quite couldn't let go of their babies, talk with teachers, and unveil some NEW alien technology (well, more like Google Docs) that the counselor is going to use. And, I am STILL finding awesome things I want to unveil thanks to you great folks!

I will have another post coming soon, but first I wanted to show you all the results of my Wildcats Office.

This was looking in my door before.

This is looking in my door now! Notice I have a lot of the same things at one office that I have at the other office (Chill Out Corner, pictures, posters, etc.)

This is where my desk was. I probably moved it around 4 times last year because I could NEVER get it how I wanted it.

Well now, my desk isn't even on that wall! I wanted people to see a little more friendliness than the back of my head!

My giant cabinet (that I love) but it took up a lot of room right there.

So I moved my desk there. Now I can see out the door at who is coming, confidential info isn't available for someone to see over my shoulder, and I have a whole wall for a command center. This is not done (obviously) since IT had to come and give me a longer cable, and the wall is kinda blank... but that will change!

I actually kinda hate these built-ins because they take up SO much room and our Media Specialist uses most of the space.

However, she let me take one of the cabinets down and I moved the giant cabinet over there. And luckily because once I got it over there I only had about 4 inches of space to wiggle it in! Plus the Media Specialist cleaned out some cabinets and let me use them for crafty things, games, and supplies!

This is my bookshelf where I have my themed books, some games, fidget toys, etc. My board games used to be on the bottom shelf but I ran out of room so they are now in the bottom built-in cabinet.

So this is home away from home half the time. On piece of advice that has saved me a TON of time. I have a lot of books that I need available NOW. And when they were all just chillin' on my shelf, I never could find the one I needed. Our Title I department gave me about 20 cardboard banker boxes. All I did was wrap them in colored paper, make a label on the computer, and sorted the books. There's also a picture on the labels so kids know what's in them.

So, those are my offices. We don't have a lot of extra resources in our district... we have a very high poverty rate, VERY high F&R Lunch rate, etc... but our offices don't have to look like that! It's not an excuse to make your office a dungeon lol- I want my offices to be a safe, warm, inviting place for students to come and lay their burdens down. I hope you do too!

Well, have a great day!

-JW

First Day Back!!- and an office full of pictures!

Today was my first day back at Falcons... and it was FANTASTIC! Maybe part of it was seeing my little girl walking the halls in line, with "duck tails" in back and a "bubble in the mouth" :) But seeing ALL the little girls and boys (and not so little 5th and 6th graders!). 

Most of my day was spent just helping out where needed (helping Kindergarten with pictures, drying tears and consoling parents, popping into classroom to say "hey", collaborating with teachers about setting up lessons, doing "Car Rider's Duty", etc.). I LOVED seeing the kids and I loved having them see me! While that sounds a little conceited, I think having some consistency is very important for them and giving a ton of hugs, hi-fives, and fist bumps was very encouraging. 

However, I did get a chance to snap some pictures of my finished Falcons office! Well... I say "finished" loosely because I always end up adding things but all-in-all I am pretty happy with how it ended up! Here's some before-and-afters for your enjoyment LOL

Looking in the door- remember this is after Maintenance moved everything in so most the furniture was put where I wanted up

This is looking in the door AFTER! 

Here is a close-up of my book shelf and filing cabinet. My books are sorted by topic, making it easier to find what I need. I usually tun most metal cabinets into faux bulletin boards :) On my filing cabinet is my "ABC's of Emotions" that I bought at ASCA in PA!

This is my meeting area BEFORE...

And After--- Maintenance hung my cabinet so I have crafty stuff, paper, colored paper, markers, crayons, etc. in it. This stuff I use most often in sessions.

This table has floated around our house for YEARS... so I confiscated it and brought it in for a touch of home. Don't mind the missing lamp shade (I actually found the lamp in our old boiler room at the school covered in dust and debris)

My cabinet with binders, lessons, counselor books, etc. Before-

And after... My door says "COUNSELING" and has my "Where's Mr. Allen" map on it. The orange sign says "CONNECT". I also now have a sign regarding confidentiality on it (but took the picture before I hung it up)

And behind the door... You can also see my "Chill Out Corner" with ideas posted on the wall of things students can do when they need to "chill out".

I really liked this :)

Here is my command center

Along with my bulletin board with useful information on it!

So there you have it! My office is done and full of color thanks to influence from all of you and my wife (who bought most the stuff for me). 

Tomorrow is my first day back at my Wildcats school... so I will be posting again later this week with stories and pictures of how that office turned out! If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know!

-JW

Treat Them Well...

So tomorrow is my first day back to school. Later this week I will be writing posts showcasing my finished offices, about my first day back, etc.

However, I have something more pressing I wanted to blog about. Something very important. Tomorrow is also special because it is my daughter's first day of Kindergarten. In our Corporation we have probably around 300 students starting Kindergarten this year. Last year we had the same. Just like the year before that and the year before that. Next year... yea, it'll be the same. Every year we have new students start our school and we view them as students. But this year, I am seeing first hand having a child starting school. 

A few years ago, around "back to school time", I heard a radio DJ (Kidd Kraddick- RIP) read a poem on air. While reading it, I could hear the emotion in his voice and that poem has always stuck with me. Today, I want to share it with you. Not to make you sad or emotional, but to help you realize our students are somebody's sons or daughters, grandchildren or nieces/ nephews. Take a moment and read this, and try to place yourself in a parent's shoes.

"I Trust You'll Treat Her Well"

Dear World:

I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long.. and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine.

Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school-bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy 'cross the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friends is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and father and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest man in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer.

Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.

So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well

Author: Victor Buono

This year, you may have Kindergartners who are scared to be at school. They may not know how to make friends, how to stand in line, how to sit quietly, or how to listen. They may not know how to trust. I implore you to be patient with them and help teach them. 

So, I trust you'll treat them well.

-JW

Back to School- Back to Connecting!!

The FANTASTIC Franciene Sabens at School Counselor Space created the Linky Party for Back To School! SO I will be answering some questions and hopefully reading everyone else's responses :) 

Let's Begin!

1) When Do You Head Back To The Office?

Our first Teacher Work Day is Monday, August 5th (work day?... yea right, more like "Teacher Day-Full-Of-Meetings Day). The students start back two days later, on Wednesday the 7th. I've already spent a few hours at each School and am hoping I get in this week to finish decorating and setting up my office (and then posting my Second Office Tour post!)

2) Share 1 Thing You Want To Accomplish This Year.

Just 1?!?! Well, this is going to be an interesting year! This is my second year so I won't be flying by the seat of my pants :) We have TWO new Elementary School Counselors starting (there's three of us total) so I want to help them to get acclimated and start implementing some Corporation-Wide Data forms to keep track of what we do. I would like to have a few more groups going and try to systematize my day so I'm not just always putting out fires. But, we'll see!

3) Top 3 School Counseling Tools I Can't Live Without.

a: Halfway through last year, I stole commandeered my wife's iPad  It has been AMAZING in record keeping, Counseling apps, etc. I would LOVE for out Corporation to provide iPads for Counselors, but I'm not holding my breathe! 
b: My office. I know it sounds weird, but I love having an office that is safe and warm and inviting for students to come and feel comfortable in sharing their fears, secrets, worries, etc. 
c: IMAGINATION! Being a School Counselor on a limited income can be a challenge sometimes. I LOVE finding new ways to implement techniques, ideas, etc. Last year, I incorporated Post-It notes, Duct-Tape, flour, writing with lemon juice, etc. into my lessons. Sometimes it takes a bit of Imagination to keep the kids interested and engaged!

4) How Do You Introduce Your Program To Students At The Beginning Of The Year?

Well... I don't know :) Last year was my first year so it was more introducing myself than the program... also because I didn't really have a program yet. In our District  we meet in EVERY classroom every month. So August is dedicated to "Meet The Counselor". This year, I am excited to do the Minute Meetings! with my students - I am hoping it proves to be successful (I'll let ya' know).

5) What Has Been Your Most Successful Method Of Sharing Information With Parents And Other Stakeholders?

We implemented a lot this past year and hope we will implement more electronically this year. Last year we created an Elementary Counselor Newsletter. All three counselors and the Social Worker wrote a column and we compiled them and sent it out to EVERY parent monthly. It would showcase what we did in the classroom last month, this month, what was coming up, community happenings, tips for connecting with your child, etc. We also hosted a Parent University once per semester. We invited ALL parents to an evening of free workshops, free meals, free childcare, free door prizes... did I mention FREE?!?! Our PTA, Administration, Title One, community business, and others were vital in helping with this and I hope it expands even more this year,

6) Share 3 Tips For Delivering School Counseling Curriculum.

a: Keep it engaging! Don't just stand up there and drone on for 45 minutes. Get the kids up, moving, doing something hands on- change it up, change location, change tools, etc. 
b: Keep it at the same time. We meet 1x per month so they know after a month or two that my time is SET! I value my time... If The teacher gives me 10-10:45 on Wednesday, that's when I'm coming!
c: DON"T MAKE THE KIDS LATE FOR SPECIALS OR LUNCH! They won't forgive you :)

7) How Do You Stay Organized?

... Organized? What's that?? I'll be posting more on that as the year goes on :)