Love is in the air! One of my favorite holidays, Valentine's Day, is just around the corner. While I could easily spend all day googly-eyed over my adorable sons and handsome husband, I also get warm and fuzzy feelings from celebrating the holiday with my students. Y'all know any reason to theme up my counseling sessions and classroom lessons is a win for me! Luckily, my kiddos love it as much as I do, and we have so much fun not only celebrating the day, but learning the true meaning behind ... VIEW POST
Valentine’s Day Counseling & SEL Ideas
Bullying Prevention Story Books
"He's bullying me!" As educators, this is something that we hear all.of.the.time, but how often is the behavior actually bullying? This word is thrown around so casually, and so frequently, that one-time, mean choices are often labeled as "bullying." My fear here is that real bullying behaviors may go unnoticed or undetected, while educators and parents overwhelm themselves with small, no-big-deal issues that children can solve themselves. This can have very serious, even life-threatening, ... VIEW POST
Winter Ideas for Counseling & SEL
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Family time, cozy fires, hot chocolate, gingerbread houses, sledding...I'm here for all of it! Y’all know that I LOVE incorporating a seasonal flair into my counseling sessions and classroom lessons, and find that it leads to increased student engagement, buy-in, and fun! Just like us, our students are excited about the winter season and love when we use winter-themed stories, games, and activities with them. In this post, I'll share my winter favorites, ... VIEW POST
Teaching Peaceful Problem-Solving Skills with I-Messages
Teaching students how to use I-Messages was one of my most important lessons as a school counselor. I wanted my students to be peaceful problem-solvers who could confidently address issues themselves rather than turning to a teacher (ugh tattletaling!) or making a sad choice. I loved how I could teach my students how to use I-Messages in class or group, and they could leave my room with a new practical skill that they could use that very same day with their friends and family members. ... VIEW POST
Teaching Growth Mindset
Growth mindset, for good reason, has become one of the biggest buzz words and theories in education today. The concept comes from Dr. Carol Dweck's studies of thousands of children and their attitudes towards failure. In her research, Dr. Dweck noticed that, when faced with failure, some children felt devastated and helpless, and quickly gave up. Other children, on the other hand, seemed to bounce back, learn from their mistakes, and move forward with optimism and hope. So, what is the ... VIEW POST
