Sesame Street: Bruno Mars: Don't Give Up

I found this video on youtube.  This would be a great motivational song for elementary school.  Might be a bit juvenile for middle school, but I really like it!  :)  What are your thoughts?

Trying something new!

Ok, so I have got to share what we did at Lange Middle School yesterday! It was a shorter day, with the kids getting out at 12:05. We also had an assembly in there. So, our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Support) Team decided that we needed to stress the positives in our school by doing fun activities. One thing they came up with was a "Switch Day". 

Students were given a punch card that listed their 4 core classes and 2 electives. Yesterday, students could go to their classes in any order. They had to attend core classes on their team, but they could choose when to go. As for electives, they were able to choose any elective class to try for the day. 

When students came to class, the teacher punched their cards and closed the door when class was full (28 students) and hung up a red sign. 

What a creative idea!!! I really applaud our PBIS team for the courage to try something so out of the box! 

When I asked the kids their opinion on the day, here were some of the comments I received:
"BEST day ever!"
"Awesome!"
"Just another day of school."
"It was like the Hunger Games trying to get to the elective class I wanted."
"It was like Black Friday."
"Chaos."
"Kids were running to get to class."

The crazy thing is, the hallways were EMPTY in between classes. Kids were excited to be with their friends and try something new. Let me say this again, "Kids were running to get to class!" When does this happen?!

Awesome job Lange Middle School!!!! 

Almost Free Samples - The Career Game by Rick Trow Productions

Almost Free Samples - The Career Game by Rick Trow Productions



If you are looking for mateirals for middle school career exploration, check out the link above!  Several samples.  All you pay for is the shipping!



Who's going to try this with me?

Future Puerto Rico Trip

In June, I am taking 4 students and 2 adults on a trip to Puerto Rico!

Puerto Rico 2014

I started planning and organizing this trip while I was a Spanish teacher.  Now that I am a school counselor, the purpose for the trip is more global.  Not only do I want the students to appreciate another culture and practice a different language.  I want them to be able to see how they each grow personally and socially from their experiences on this trip.

We are a small group, so we will be paired with at least one other group.  We have no control over who that might be.

Another interesting thing about this trip is that each student enrolled is from a different school.  None of them know each other.  I am excited to get everyone together and get to know each other!

I am interested to know if you have ever traveled with students.  If so, how did it go?  What was your purpose?

Also...if this trip looks like something you might be interested in, check out the Puerto Rico 2014 link at the top of the page.  I would LOVE to travel with another colleague!

Awesome Blog!

Are you familiar with the blog entitled, "School Counselor.com Must See Videos"?  As is true of most of my internet experience, I was playing around and stumbled across this fabulous blog!  The title describes it perfectly.  It is a blog filled with videos pertinent to our area of practice.

I'd love to share the newest video on the blog with you.  It speaks to the kindness of strangers.  Please, check it out:  SchoolCounselor.com Must See Videos: Man's act of kindness to autistic girl on plane go...:

Enrollment Presentations

Today was another exciting day in the world of school counseling!  Today the high school counselors came to talk to our 8th grade students about enrolling for high school classes.  The students were attentive because this is IMPORTANT information to them.

One girl said, "I don't know why I'm getting excited about going to high school?"

Another student:  "Now THESE are the classes I want to take!"

I love seeing kids get excited about their future!

Some students have really blown off middle school and are not excited about moving on because they see an even rougher road ahead.  We are so fortunate to have a new program called AVID available to students who need that extra support to succeed in high school and college.  (If you are unfamiliar with AVID, check out this link:  AVID).  Today some AVID students shared their journey and their successes with our 8th graders.  It is truly an exciting program with high expectations!  Our school district's goal is that all students in the AVID program select a college they want to attend and earn a full ride scholarship!  I am excited to see that happen!

Speaking of AVID, I just checked out their website and found an article about Battle High School in Columbia, MO.  That is the school we feed into!  Look up December 30th, 2013 under News.  Wow!  So proud of those AVID kiddos!

Odd job

I certainly love the freedom of being a school counselor.  At first, it was difficult to get used to.  For 19 years my work life revolved around a bell schedule that had 4 minutes passing time.  Having the freedom to schedule myself is so exciting!

Before winter break, my principal asked if I would drive 2 of our students to the board office for their monthly meeting with the superintendent (they are on a middle school advisory council).  I agreed to do it.  

So today was the day to play taxi.  One student remembered, and the other forget.  I called her classroom to remind her to come on down.  When she got to the office, she said, "I just got so carried away with Algebra!"  I knew at that point that I was in for a ride!  :)

The kids and I chatted the whole trip there and back (about 15 minutes one way).  I thought maybe it would be slow going for conversation, but I was pleasantly surprised...and impressed!  These two kiddos, who I really did not know before our trip, even made sure to offer me a fortune cookie when their meeting was finished (they had Chinese for lunch).  I told them I didn't realize that I could have joined them.  Their response?  "Next month we're having Italian!"

It is so refreshing to me to see a different side of kids that the classroom teacher does not always get a chance to see.  This was a perfect example of that!

We discussed how fun it was to get out of the school building.  It sure was fun to hang out with some really awesome kids today!

That's school counseling!  You don't always know what your day will look like until you are in the moment.  So much fun!!