by schoolcounselingbyheart | Aug 6, 2013 | collegiality, technology, This wacky job!, Uncategorized
Well, the school dreams have started, and I’m feeling a new urgency to get organized. I’ve even been going to bed a (tiny bit) earlier. The first day of school must be right around the corner. Yay! Ugh! Ack! Yup, definitely experiencing some mixed emotions! One thing that has made going back to school easier over the past couple of years is the knowledge that I take an invisible host of supporters with me. No, I’m not delusional – I’m talking about all of the school counselors all over the world who share their great ideas, encourage me on the tough days, crack me up with their tales of kid hijinks and bureaucratic ridiculousness, and just all-around inspire me. Yeah, I mean YOU! Fellow bloggers Andrea Burston from JYJCounselor and Danielle Schultz from School Counselor Blog have come up with some great ways for us all to connect as we head back to school. (more…)
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Jul 31, 2013 | career, classroom lessons, Common Core, curriculum, group counseling, technology
Wow! What amazing feedback I’ve gotten after my last post, Creating CareerSmarts! Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and enthusiasm. I’m so glad that other school counselors (and other educators too!) are excited about using the CareerSmarts lessons and that people are finding the info and resources helpful. As promised, here are the lessons about multiple intelligences. They provide a foundation for the CareerSmarts unit, but could also be used on their own for a multiple intelligences mini-unit for classroom or small group use. To find the applicable ASCA and Common Core standards, check here. There’s a lot in this post, but it includes everything you need to be able to teach these lessons yourself. (more…)
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Jul 20, 2013 | career, classroom lessons, Common Core, curriculum, technology
One of the things I am most proud of from last school year is CareerSmarts, a new unit I developed for fourth grade, which I’d love to share with you. CareerSmarts is a student-driven, technology-based unit in which students learn about and connect their multiple intelligences and interests with future education and career possibilities. There’s even a fun gamification aspect – students challenge themselves to move to different levels by exploring multiple careers. While on the CareerSmarts journey, students learn about their own “smarts,” and explore and analyze a variety of careers by (more…)
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Feb 19, 2013 | bullying, children's literature, classroom lessons, Common Core, curriculum, technology
I’m always tweaking and working to improve my lessons and units – I want to make sure that they’re meaningful and engaging, and that kids are learning and applying what they’ve learned in real-life settings. Also, I am addicted to just love figuring out how to incorporate new ideas and techniques! (Which may have something to do with why my to-do list is completely ridiculous.) Most recently, I set my sights on my fourth grade bullying prevention unit. Even though this unit has been impactful and well-received, I wanted to: (1) experiment with how integrating technology and art might expand kids’ understanding about bullying; (2) see how this could help me assess student learning; and (3) increase my knowledge about how best to address the Common Core standards within the counseling curriculum. It was a LOT of work, but the outcome has been amazing! (more…)
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Jan 6, 2013 | technology, Uncategorized
Feeling overwhelmed by the out-of-control number of tasks on my plate, I posted the following status on the School Counseling by Heart Facebook page on Friday:
I need an app that will create a 3-D to-do list. Two dimensions are not enough to wrangle all these tasks into manageability! #IthinkIcanIthinkIcan
Ask and Ye May Receive! I found a solution! But first, the problem:
Now, I’m a fairly well-organized person. I am a good list-maker and rememberer. I use (more…)
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Aug 9, 2012 | technology
I am incredibly lucky to live in a lovely, peaceful spot in Vermont, and really the only downside (other than Mud Season, which is exactly like it sounds) is the unreliable access we have to Internet and cell phone coverage. It works most of the time, but sometimes . . . Yesterday I had a 1:00 appointment to talk, via Skype, to Jeff from The Counseling Geek about how I use technology in my counseling program. At 12:56, – poof! – the Internet connection disappeared. Plan B – use my phone. Jeff Skyped in and I moved to the spot outside where we tend to get the best coverage . . . Suffice it to say (more…)
Well, the school dreams have started, and I’m feeling a new urgency to get organized. I’ve even been going to bed a (tiny bit) earlier. The first day of school must be right around the corner. Yay! Ugh! Ack! Yup, definitely experiencing some mixed emotions! One thing that has made going back to school easier over the past couple of years is the knowledge that I take an invisible host of supporters with me. No, I’m not delusional – I’m talking about all of the school counselors all over the world who share their great ideas, encourage me on the tough days, crack me up with their tales of kid hijinks and bureaucratic ridiculousness, and just all-around inspire me. Yeah, I mean YOU! Fellow bloggers Andrea Burston from JYJCounselor and Danielle Schultz from School Counselor Blog have come up with some great ways for us all to connect as we head back to school. (more…)
