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

It happens to the best of us...

We all do it. We all have a situation come up..., a plan, a goal, a strategy- call it whatever you want to. We all, at some point in life, have a commitment we have set... And then we stumble. Maybe we don't "crash and burn" but we forget and then think "why bother".

Maybe it's keeping track of personal counseling student records. And we forget to write down who we saw or what we talked about. And then tomorrow we let it slide because "well, I didn't write down yesterday's". And then how long do we go before we finally say "okay! I have GOT to write these down!"

Or maybe it's organizing that lesson we need to take care of. Who cares if it's a week late... Or two. Or three. No one really notices.

Or what about that drawer (come on - you know you have that drawer). The one you throw papers in because you're going to file them tomorrow. Or the next day.

Well, it happens to all of us. So don't feel down if it happens to you. Because guess what... Last June I heard two AMAZING people speak at ASCA in Philadelphia about blogging. And I thought- I have a voice... I have concerns... I have ideas and Pinterest and cool lessons I do. I'm going to blog. And I'm going to blog every week.

And I did.

And then January happened. 11 snow days. Several delays. Family illnesses. Meetings. Clubs. Programs. More meetings. And I realized I forgot to write a blog post. But I have so many good ideas I want to blog about... I'll get to it next week. Then next week came and went and I thought... Well it's been this long. What does it really matter. Who really notices.

WE NOTICE! We are School Counselors and we notice. We care. We advocate for our jobs. We communicate. We do Professional Development. And we LOVE reading about new ideas and struggles and concerns and new ideas and office pictures and data. DATA!

So as I am sitting in the hospital because my beautiful baby girl was born yesterday... I open up Blogger and see my blog hit and exceeded 10,000 views. Exceeded it. And I was too busy thinking "who really cares".

Well, as I watch my little girl laying in her bassinet, I know who cares.

The people who are School Counselors. The ones who in six years will be counseling this future generation. And I LOVE IT!

So I will be blogging. Because that's who I am. I am A Fellow School Counselor. And I have ideas. And I fail. And I Pinterest. And I have students who I think "what else can I try". And how will I know if not for people like you reading this :)

So I sit here, on my iPad, and wanted to type out this message for all you reading this. For those of you who have messaged me and emailed me and commented on my Instagram pictures I say THANK YOU :) and I look forward to many more blogs to come!

-JW