by schoolcounselingbyheart | Jun 20, 2013 | career, classroom lessons, Common Core
Where will YOU be in 2033? I will most likely be enjoying retirement, but my current 4th graders will be very busy professionals. As the culmination of our CareerSmarts unit, each 4th grader imagined him/herself in a future career, wrote a script, and created an avatar who talked about his/her job. They did amazing work! You can read more about the CareerSmarts unit at Creating CareerSmarts, My Multiple Intelligences: The First Stop on the CareerSmarts Journey, CareerSmarts Task 2: Web-Based Career Exploration, Coordinating Career Day, and Kid-Created Career Trading Cards. There were a few requirements for the project. First, the students had to choose a job that required at least a bachelor’s degree. In their scripts, they had to relate their career choice to interests that they currently have as fourth graders. They had to refer back to what they had learned about their own multiple intelligences earlier in the unit and describe how they use their three strongest multiple intelligences in their work. They had to tell about the degrees they earned and their college and graduate school majors. Finally, they had to say what they like about their jobs. Here’s an archivist who works for the National Zoo: [gigya width=”200″ height=”267″ src=”http://vhss-d.oddcast.com/vhss_editors/voki_player.swf?doc=http://vhss-d.oddcast.com/php/vhss_editors/getvoki/chsm=f225d1b7860f6adc7c11109f6086e7cd%26sc=8145506″ quality=”high” wmode=”transparent” allowfullscreen=”true” ] The kids LOVED creating their avatars, and they worked diligently through several edits of their scripts. Every student, despite ability level, was able to participate. Some of them shone in ways I hadn’t seen before. I am so impressed with their work, which exceeded my expectations. The avatars enabled my students to demonstrate their learning (and gave me a great way... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Jun 2, 2013 | children's literature, classroom lessons, Uncategorized
Lockdown practices have always been anxiety provoking, and are even more so since the Sandy Hook shooting brought the issue of potential in-school violence so close to home for students and staff. It doesn’t matter how many times you try to draw parallels between lockdown drills and fire drills – they are different and kids know it. In fire drills you are preparing to get away from danger; you take action to get yourself to safety and the “danger” only lasts as long as you’re in the building. In lockdown drills you prepare to hide from danger; your response is inaction, and there is no knowing how long the “danger” (even if it is only administrators checking for compliance) will last. Clear, simply stated discussions in advance of lockdown drills help, and now there’s a great resource to use when having these discussions with kids. Lucy Practices a Lockdown: Preparing Young Students for School Lockdowns by Gretchen Paniucci is a picture book that clearly and gently explains what happens during a lockdown. The book is narrated by Lucy, who walks readers through lockdown safety steps. She also explains that it’s okay to feel scared or nervous, and that she feels better knowing that the adults and children are keeping themselves safe by following the directions. The simple text is compellingly illustrated with the cartoon characters of Lucy and her friend, John, superimposed onto photos of classroom, hallway, and bathroom scenes. The book also includes discussion questions, a parent letter to send home after reading the book, and a reproducible maze activity that reinforces the safety steps of a lockdown.... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | May 19, 2013 | abuse, children's literature, curriculum, personal safety
My sexual abuse prevention unit for third grade is comprised of three lessons, which focus on body safety, trusting “yucky” or uncomfortable feelings, recognizing grooming behaviors, and the importance of telling about uncomfortable, scary, or dangerous situations. These lessons revisit and build upon skills and concepts that I cover in previous grades, but prior knowledge is not necessary, so you can use them as a starting place even if your students haven’t already had lessons about safe touch. For these lessons you will need the booksNo More Secrets for Me by Oralee Wachter, My Body is Private by Linda Walvoord Girard, and Mia’s Secretby Peter Ledwon and Marilyn Mets. You will also need some drawing/coloring pages that you will find linked below. It will be helpful for you to familiarize yourself with the foundational information about how to teach sexual abuse prevention by reading the posts Teaching Kids How to Tell About Sexual Abuse, Teaching Kids to Recognize Grooming, and Preparing Students (and Yourself) for Sexual Abuse Prevention Lessons before you teach the lessons. You can link to all my posts about sexual abuse prevention lessons and resources by visiting A Collection of Sexual Abuse Prevention Resources. The objectives and ASCA National Standards addressed in this unit are listed at the end of the post. Lessons and Materials Lesson 1 highlights the importance of trusting “yucky” or uncomfortable feelings, removing yourself from the situation if at all possible, and telling an adult that you trust. The lesson consists of reading the story “Just in Case” from No More Secrets for Me, discussion, and a drawing activity. “Just... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | May 16, 2013 | abuse
Let’s face it: it’s not easy to teach lessons about hard topics. And there’s not much that gets harder than talking about sexual abuse, even when the subject is actually sexual abuse prevention. It’s a loaded topic. It’s scary, disturbing, and anxiety provoking. It makes some administrators nervous. You have to walk the line between notifying parents and giving a heads up to someone in the home who may be abusing a child. You have to be prepared for disclosures (and you hope like crazy that they don’t happen in the classroom setting.) The lessons might bring up your own issues or be an uncomfortable reminder about things that have happened to people you care about. There might be a state mandate that you have to meet. There may be no state guidelines at all. Even if you use the terms “personal safety” or “body safety,” “sexual abuse prevention” contains the word “sex” – never a particularly welcome word at school! Your graduate program may have covered the topic only generally, or not at all. It’s hard to find good lessons and resources, and even if you do, there’s often no “how-to-do” to go with the “what-to-do.” All this can make it hard to get started, but good preparation can help you feel more comfortable as you teach your lessons. Once you have identified which lessons and materials you are going to use, one of the best ways to feel prepared is to make sure your students are prepared too. Here’s my go-to how-to for preparing kids to participate in sexual abuse prevention lessons, gleaned from stumbles in the... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Apr 21, 2013 | self care, This wacky job!
As a school counselor with seventeen years of experience, I can tell you: It does get easier, but it never stops being hard. I’d like to say that my month-long absence from the blogosphere was because I was on a fabulous around-the-world voyage, but in actuality I’ve been off on a storm-tossed odyssey unlike anything I’ve experienced in my entire career. You know that critical issues class you take in grad school that covers just about everything that can go wrong for kids and families? It was like that, except for real, and squished into the space of three weeks instead of scheduled into tidy, interesting presentations over the course of a semester. Whew! Here, in a nutshell, is what was going on: homelessness, domestic violence, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, missing drugs, suicidality, threat of harm, full day in court, multiple icky reports to child protective services (in two states), threat with weapon, strange van that flashed a gun at students, ambulance chase and ER until 7:00pm, crisis evaluation, police, probation and parole, disappeared family, plus all the usual school craziness. And in the midst of this, Career Day (17 guests x 44 kids x three interviews each). And oh yeah, the neuroscientist who brings brains to Brain-O-Mania (our huge family event at which “real brains” are the centerpiece) had to cancel. You would think that that mess of issues could have at least included zombie attack so that I could have gotten some brains, but no-oo! But there’s always validation, and a laugh, around the corner. After Career Day, as I was sorting the thank-you cards the kids... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Mar 20, 2013 | bullying
I am so proud (and a little teary) about a new bullying prevention video, Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander, that came out today! This public service announcement features my town’s police and fire departments, current and former students, and my awesome colleagues Franklin, a fifth grade teacher, and Amy, my counseling partner (and amazing first-year school counselor). Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander would be great to show students anywhere, but could also be an inspiration for your school and town to do something similar. In the video (4:24), our current students give information about bullying prevention, and middle and high school students (some of whom attended our school) hold signs with messages about how they have been bullied. Seeing what they have gone through is heartbreaking, but their courage and determination to stand up to bullying and to help others is so inspiring! Amy, Franklin, police officers, and firefighters give advice, speak out against bullying, and encourage students to stand up and get help for themselves and others. Our school resource officer – who (ahem) I remember as a little girl – talks about how she addresses in-school bullying and cyberbullying. The video ends with each of the kids and adults sharing the message “I will stand,” strongly communicating a wrap-around feeling of safety and support. The background music is Charleigh Gere’s bullying prevention song Stand. Charleigh is a student at our middle school, so this video is truly a hometown collaboration. I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder to live here! P.S. Did the bulletin board behind one of our students look familiar? Just one of... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Mar 19, 2013 | This crazy job!
Guest blogging today is our old friend, SuperCounselor, who scolded me mercilessly about not posting more frequently graciously offered to cover for me while I try to keep up with everything that’s been going on at school. Hello, Fellow School Counselors! SuperCounselor here, to share with you my top ten list of resources that no school counselor should ever be without. Oh, I know, I know, where would we be without our social skills games, bullying books, sandtrays, and bulletin boards? But here are some handy tools that I just can’t do without! Um . . . well . . . er . . . actually, I often do do without them, because I’m not quite sure where to purchase them. (Except for one, which I carry with me at all times. P.S. It’s free!) The items are listed in no particular order, except for the last one, which is always number one. Their rank changes, moment to moment, depending on whatever situation is currently vexing me. If you find a source for them please contact me ASAP! 10. Invisibility Cloak. You know, like the one Harry Potter has. This cloak is perfect for getting from Crisis A to Potential Solution B without people stopping you for Not-Actually-A-Crisis-Even-Though-They-Think-It-Is issues C,D,E,F, and G. 9. Catheter. You know why. SuperCounselor is amazed that there isn’t a bladder-exploding epidemic among school counselors. Correction: Having just searched images of catheters, a traumatized SuperCounselor now recommends an en-suite, private bathroom. (And a memory eraser for anyone who has seen pictures of catheters.) 8. Roller Skates. See also Teleporter. Because sometimes fast walking is not... read more
by schoolcounselingbyheart | Mar 7, 2013 | abuse, children's literature, classroom lessons, personal safety
My sexual abuse prevention unit for second grade consists of three lessons, which revisit and build upon the skills and concepts covered in first grade. For these lessons you will need the books Scoop by Julia Cook and I Said No! A Kid to Kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Private by Zack and Kimberly King, as well as scenarios from Teaching Kids How to Tell About Sexual Abuse and some coloring pages (linked below.) It will be helpful for you to familiarize yourself with the foundational information about how to teach sexual abuse prevention by reading the posts Teaching Kids How to Tell About Sexual Abuse and Teaching Kids to Recognize Grooming before you teach the lessons. You can link to all my posts about sexual abuse prevention lessons and resources by visiting A Collection of Sexual Abuse Prevention Resources. The objectives and ASCA National Standards addressed in this unit are listed at the end of the post. Lessons and Materials Lesson 1 covers several personal safety concepts: being safe around people you know as well as around strangers, checking with a parent or caregiver before going anywhere or when asked to help with an adult problem; trusting the “uh-oh” or “yucky” feeling; maintaining personal space, and pairing up. The lesson consists of reading Scoop; reviewing and practicing the “Say or show NO, GO, and TELL” and “Check First” scripts; and coloring No, Go, and Tell and Check First papers. Scoop highlights the skills that kids need to be safe through a gentle story about a girl talking with her mom about being safe. One thing that I especially... read more
