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

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

WHERE'S MR. ALLEN?

There's a lot to be said for good ol' fashioned Microsoft Paint!

There are HUNDREDS of new photo editing tools, picture generators, and online design programs. But man, I LOVE Microsoft Paint.

Earlier, I had posted on Twitter, Facebook, and the Blog's Facebook page to see what people use to indicate where they are during the day. I've seen half-wheel signs, dry erase signs, flip charts, crayon signs, etc. But I wanted something unique.

So here's the basis for my post... if you want something creative, don't be afraid to BE creative!

Last year I used a Pirate Map theme. I scanned a copy of our school's floor plan (that we use for drills, evacuations, parents, etc.). Here's my Falcon school's map:

I took off the "Administrative data" like name, address, schedule, etc. and just kept the map

So after I had the image, I added teacher names and room numbers (since I was new and forgot names easily). After that, I Google Imaged a picture of a Treasure Map and opened it in Paint. I copied/pasted the School image onto the Treasure Map, added other locations I might be at and viola!

I printed it on tan paper, tore the edges and laminated it. It looked JUST like a treasure map!

I had a small red "X" that I would affix to where I was that day. I loved it... however it looked really busy and sometimes people weren't sure how to read it. 

This year, I wanted something cleaner and a little more fun :) Talking to my wife she suggested "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego" (which I LOVED... and maybe you did too :) However, my students are young and I'm not sure they remember AWESOME cartoons like we had. But it got me thinking about "Where's Waldo"! 

So again, I used the same School Map and opened it in Paint. I added a few places I might be in the day, colored the background blue and added my own "WHERE'S MR. ALLEN" "postcard":

I enlarged the "map" part, and only added major locations I might be at.

But I was missing something... Oh yea! Something to put ON the map indicating where I was. A simple X wasn't going to do. So I found an Image of Waldo, opened it in (yep) PAINT, and removed the head and the Hat. I opened my ASCA Headshot in Paint, took just the head and put it on Waldo, adding the hat for a nice finishing touch:

My own traveling "WHERE'S MR. ALLEN" :)

I'll print it, laminate it, and hang it on my door. I'll probably use Sticky Tack to adhere my "body" to my "map". 

And there you go. My own "WHERE'S MR. ALLEN". SO I encourage you to be creative, find new ideas, Pinterest, and don't stop until YOU are happy :)

Have a GREAT day!

-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 :)

Do I really want my first post to be titled "Welcome"?...

I guess it's true... the first post IS the hardest!

Since you're here, let me start by telling you about myself. My name is Johnathon Allen and I am an Elementary School Counselor. In 2007 I graduated with my Undergraduate Degree in Psychology and Criminology and I worked in Community Mental Health for about six years. In 2010 I began my Graduate Degree in School Counseling at Indiana State University and graduated in 2012. After graduating, my wife and I (along with our two kiddos) moved across the state for my career in School Counseling.

In our District, we have six Elementary Schools and three Elementary School Counselors. So, as your "Everyday Math" would leave you to deduce, I service two schools. Both schools have just over 350 between the seven grade levels. Once school is the Falcons  and one school is the Wildcats, and that is how I will address each school in these posts...

Oh yea, your probably wondering why I'm blogging to begin with. Well, I got to spend four AMAZING days at ASCA's Conference in Philadelphia, PA. While there I was lucky enough to meet Danielle Schultz and Andrea Burston, who lead a Meet & Greet and a Breakout Session all related to Blogging. I also found out why I couldn't find any blogs featuring male Elementary School Counselors... because there aren't any! And I also knew that if I was searching, I probably wasn't the only one... so, instead of just sitting and waiting for someone to blog about what I need... here I am!

Coming up: I'll be posting about coming into a new town, having a new career, and my journey this past year in finding my self, finding my place, and finding ANYTHING in my new offices :) So add me to your RSS feed and hopefully you will be pleased with what you find!

-JW