Celebrate Diversity

I am  blessed to work in a school that is not one color.

In my school we have students and staff of all different shades.

This is not how I grew up.  I grew up in rural Missouri and everyone in my graduating class had the same skin color...unless of course he/she spent too much time in the sun in the summertime.  Then, he/she may be the color of a lobster or a dark bronze color.  The boys who worked on the farm became very dark in the summer for they worked long, hot hours.  But, you know what I mean.  My hometown really lacked (and still lacks) diversity.

I now work in a college town, which brings in people from all over the world.  To me, it is so exciting to learn about other people, their traditions, and where they come from!

Tonight my school's MAC Scholars hosted its 3rd annual Black History Month Program.  It was scripted and performed by our middle school students.  Because of the recent death of Nelson Mandela, it was a tribute to Nelson Mandela and his wife.

All I can say is WOW!  Those kids did an outstanding job!  They taught us some history about the Mandelas and interspersed the history with poetry and song.  I brought my 13 year old daughter to the program and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think what I loved the most about the evening was how diverse a group of performers we had!  While it might have been entitled Black History Month Program, we had all colors of the rainbow presenting the program.  It was so uplifting and just made you feel good!

I know sometimes race becomes an issue, but if you could have only seen these middle schoolers delivering this powerful message tonight, you would have felt hopeful for the children of tomorrow.  :)

Way to go Lange Leopards!

Social Skills Lesson Plans for Middle School

Thanks to Laura Asinger for sharing this awesome website!!!!



This website has numerous links to lesson plans on social skills for the middle school level.  All I can say is WOW!!!!



How might you use this resource?



Social Skills Lesson Plans for Middle School

Happy

Wanted to share this awesome video.  Such a GREAT song that embraces a happy spirit!

What music lifts you up?

Something personal

Facebook has this new feature where it will create a short 1 minute video of your posts.  I thought I would share my movie on this blog because some of the posts features show my journey from a teacher to a counselor.  Fell free to use the link to create your own vidoe.

You might wonder why there is a treadmill picture featured!  :)  Last year I had my husband find me a piece of laminate for $2.88 at Menards.  I put that on my treadmill so I can walk and work.  I think it is funny that it showed up in the video.  A good reminder for counselors that self care needs to be a priority!  :)

my fb movie

St. Clair High School (Missouri) - All Kinds of Kinds - 2014

I love this video that a small school near my hometown created!  I especially like the wall at the 5:31 mark.  :)  Wouldn't this be a great introduction for incoming students?  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!

Toolkit & Resources for The Dove® Movement for Self-Esteem

Toolkit & Resources for The Dove® Movement for Self-Esteem



Dove is on a mission to improve self-esteem and allow women to see their own self beauty.  They have some inovative videos and ideas for lessons, both valuable for parents and school counselors.  Check out the website!  :)  (I LOVE free!)

Dealing with mean kids

I hate the word bully!  I feel it is overused.  I just found a very relevant article basically saying rather than fighting bullying, we need to teach victims how to stand up for themselves.  I couldn't agree more!  That is actually how I work with students who are dealing with mean kids.  (Yes, I think most of the time they are dealing with mean kids, not bullies).

Check out this article and let me know what you think!

Education World: Ending Bullying By Teaching Kids Not To Be Victims

National School Counseling Week Link Party!

Next week (February 3-7) is National School Counseling Week!  What are you doing to promote your program?

We are heavy into enrollment right now, presenting classroom lessons to our 6th and 7th graders on Monday and Tuesday.  Tuesday night we are presenting that information to parents.  With all the concentration on enrollment, I honestly have not thought much about National School Counseling Week.  I want to do something educational, yet inexpensive.  As busy as I am, a time consuming, cute project will not work.

Here is what I am thinking to do:  School Counseling questions in the daily student announcements with prizes (cookie at lunch) given to a winning student from each grade level during lunch Tuesday through Friday.

I would also like to do something for the adults in our building.  I'd like to keep it simple.  Since it is so cold, I am thinking of thanking them for their support with hot cider and/or hot tea.  (Pour the cider in a crock pot and add a cinnamon stick to the mixture, bring a hot pot and assorted tea bags--will smell good and keep them warm).

I feel like my ideas are simple enough to accomplish at this busy time.  I would LOVE to do way more, but since it is my first year I feel I need to start small.

What are your thoughts?  Any suggestions?