Chanting to Engage

Last week, I had great fun substituting in a 1st grade classroom.  The classroom was set-up like a well oiled machine with students knowing exactly what they were supposed to be doing for each transition and activity.  It was a pleasure to work with the students in this sort of organized, respectful, and engaged environment.  And speaking of engaged.  One of the first things students do in the morning to get the day going is a chant based on the letters in the word ENGAGE.  They do it with gestures and jumping and clapping and at the top of their lungs.  It was one of the most boisterous and meaningful morning warm-up activities.  I decided to include the entire chant on the blog for my own future use and for anyone else out there who is looking for a resource for elementary teachers that will get the kids moving and introduce ideas about responsibility, achievement, and positive attitudes into their classrooms.
Chant leader or teacher asks: What do you choose to do today?
Students answer: I choose to Engage!
One student shouts out the letters and all the students participate in the chant.

E.  I make a choice to Expect Excellence.  I will set high goals and make positive changes in my quest for excellence.  I have what it takes to be great.  The greatness was built within me at birth, but education and success are the fruits of my hard work.
N.  I accept No Excuses, just results.  There are no shortcuts in the pursuit of excellence.  I accept responsibility for the choices I make.  I will learn from my setback and keep working towards my goals.
G.  I will Get in the Game!  I will be productive and give back to my community.  I am a thinker.  I am a doer.  I am a peace-builder.  I will go to and through college.  I will not rest until my good is better and my better is best.
A.  Attitude is Everything!  Life is a gift.  I will work with passion and strive to look for the positive.  I will seek out wise and uplifting people.  I will affirm cultural values that foster kinship, respect, perseverance, and hard work.  It is my responsibility to maintain honor and respect in my family and community.
G.  I will Give Help When Needed.  I will respect others at all times, and I choose to do my part as a source of positive change.  I will communicate hope and eliminate negative influences in order to build healthy relationships.
E.  Enjoy Every Challenge!  I will find a way to achieve excellence and I choose to find joy in the experiences and challenges that life brings my way.

The chant can be finished with a brief overview of the message by having individual students shout out each letter and all the rest of the class response back with the key message (bolded).

The chanting contains within character building ideas as well as very positive and self-affirming messages.  It could be modified for the needs of the teacher or the school and the types of gestures the teacher decides to use can be as creative as they would like.

Borrowed from Hmong American Peace Academy in Milwaukee, WI

No Negatives Diet

Came across this cute little post about a Complaint-Free Diet and thought the quote the author used and the concept could be easily transferrable into school counseling work.  Starting in third grade, I have seen some interpersonal conflicts among students, primarily girls, that involve put-downs, criticisms, negative and disparaging remarks and looks.  All of these things contribute to a school-culture within which teasing and bullying can thrive.  One of the ways to help improve school and classroom climate is to focus on positive behaviors and teach students how to interact with each other in positive and cooperative ways.  I could see how this simple idea could be spun into a school-wide campaign or a classroom intervention or several activities for small group work.

Here's the quote:

"We have no more right to put our discordant states of mind into the lives of those around us and rob them of their sunshine and brightness than we have to enter their houses and steal their silverware." 
– Julia Moss Seton

Considering and really thinking about this quote with students could create a wonderful discussion about how we impact others around us and what it means to them and us.

180 Days

Yesterday, I started watching the documentary 180 School Days: A Year Inside an American High School.  Currently it's available in its full length both on PBS and on the documentary's website.  The documentary made me think about the role of a school counselor in an alternative school like DC Metro, with a population of students who have been suspended out of other schools, live in dangerous and unstable home environments and statistically have almost no chance of graduating.

At the beginning of the school year, the principal tells her incoming freshman class that 1 out of 3 of them is not going to make it through high school.  That's a terrible statistic!  1 out of 3 students will not graduate! They will give up and will end up on the streets without any means of supporting themselves and their families.  But the principal speaks to them about choices and values and how it is up to them to defy the statistics.  She also states several times that all the adults in the building are on their side.  They are here, in the school, for the sole purpose of supporting and educating the students.  Reminding students of that every day is incredibly powerful.  Showing students that it is important to the teacher on  a personal level that the student succeeds gives way for a more a trusting and emotionally laden relationship.

The counselor in a school like that has the challenge of meeting the needs of all the students but it is a challenge that can either be seen as an unsurmountable obstacle or as a opportunity to grow as an educator and an individual while helping and supporting the growth of students.  Lots of thoughts came out of watching this for me--and I think it would be a perfectly appropriate video to show to students one day as well.  It can help teach the notion that once the student has the "why" for succeeding  they will find the "how" for making it happen.  And with a supportive adult at their side that they know they can count on no matter what, the odds of achieving that goal are much greater.

coding

Today, Facebook was my source of inspiration for the post.  Indirectly, of course, as it usually is.  This morning, I saw an interesting and somewhat alarming statistic posted on Facebook by Code.org.
This is the image

Well, actually, it was the middle statistic with the two pie charts that I saw on facebook, but then I went to Code.org to see the rest of their information.

This was really alarming to me, because I never thought of computer science as a field that was lacking in qualified job seekers.  When I was getting my undergraduate degree in Anthropology, a lot of people I was friends with or knew from high school or through other friends, were going to school for computer science.  It seemed like a lot of people in my circles were getting that degree then, and finding jobs with it as well.  I didn't realize that this was such a concern for the industry these days.

I think, perhaps, that as a school counselor I won't be pushing students into the field, but I think it would be appropriate to highlight for students the variety of jobs out there that are in demand.  If a student is interested in maths and sciences then why not encourage that student to look into compute science and engineering and perhaps job shadow someone in the field or do an internship with a company.

Computers are going to be a part of everything in our lives from now on, and I feel that i'd be disservice not to share that with students and not to encourage them in that direction.

Of course, encouraging them is one thing, but supplying them with opportunities for that experience is quite another.  In a lot of schools, computer science and programming classes are not counted towards math and science requirements, but are only seen as electives.  I feel that it could be beneficial to start conversations at the high school level about the availability of computer programming classes to students and starting to count them towards math graduation requirements.

In addition to my thoughts, here's an interesting article from New York Times about Microsoft's answer to the foreseen shortage of technical talent in their industry.
Fostering Tech Talent in Schools

Reading ASCA

Yes, so I've slipped, and have not blogged the last couple of days. My excuses? I have been a bit down about not getting a position I interviewed for last week, and also have been working on new resumes and cover letters, which sucks up a lot of brain power and energy from other endeavors. Today, after finishing a new version of a cover letter for a position I really want, I decided to pick up the newest copy of the ASCA School Counselor magazine. This issue presents five outstanding school counselors from across the country who have been honored this year at being named the best in their profession. Reading their stories has been very inspiring and motivated me to get back on my blog wagon and keep doing what I am doing. The post will still be short, but I wanted to share a quote from one of the articles in the magazine, "Meant for Mentors."
                 "A school counselor who decides to stay isolated
                  will be rehashing the same lessons, struggling with the same concerns
                  and possibly making the same mistakes.  But to the school counselor who 
                  decides to seek out a positive, nourishing relationship, so much good is possible."
                               Anthony Pearson (a school counseling mentor)

I think it's so very important in our profession to seek out others' ideas and inspiration to keep ourselves motivated, to create better and more challenging and effective lessons, and to continue to inspire, lead, and advocate for all our students.

Source:
Pfleger, N. (2013, April). Meant for mentors. School Counselor, 50(4), 27-30.

what to say and to whom

I was perusing through the May/June 2012 issue of the ASCA School Counselor magazine that I receive as part of my membership.  This issue focused specifically on ethical and legal questions that many counselors come across during the course of their time in the profession.  The first half of the issue was written as a Q and A with questions grouped into themes, such as: reporting suspected abuse/neglect, confidentiality/need to know, case notes and subpoenas, etc.  While I am never fully satisfied with the answers that are given in the ASCA magazines--they always seem to me to just hover on the surface and never get to the meat of the question or offer specific courses of action, I did still find the Q/A section on Confidentiality/Need to Know very relevant for me.

Sharing with teachers and administration information a counselor is privy to through the course of their work with individual students is always a sticky subject.  How much to share?  At what point is the information "need to know" and when is it more important to maintain strict confidentiality to which we are ethically bound?  A couple of suggestions and guidelines seemed relevant to me, as I consider starting out in a counseling office, perhaps as the only school counselor in the building.  There is a concern that administration and teachers will expect the counselor to break confidentiality even when the counselor thinks the information does not comply with the "need to know" guideline.  Refusing to give the information would be considered insubordination, but breaking confidentiality when it is neither in the students' academic interests or their well-being would be to lessen the value of the relationship that the counselor establishes with the student.  The writers suggest to "early on establish a trusting relationship with your teachers and administrators by letting them know you will immediately involve them in information affecting students' safety and well-being," (Stone, Hermann & Williams, 2012) in effect setting up an expectation that you will share about students' matters only under those circumstances.  They also suggested deflecting the teachers' request for information by asking the teacher to fill you in on the student's behavior that they are observing, and supporting their concerns without giving away information about the student that you do not deem "need to know."

So, I think for me, it is important to keep the "need to know" rule in mind, which basically "requires school counselors reveal sensitive information only when the recipients of the information have a need to know and is in a position to benefit the student if they have the shared information" (Stone, Hermann & Williams, 2012).  I think that last bit is crucial, "is in a position to benefit the student," meaning that if a student shared about a matter that  an administrator or a teacher will not be helpful with, then there is no reason to share that information with those personnel until their involvement becomes essential in ensuring student's safety, educational reasons, or well-being.

Source:
Stone, C., Hermann, M. A. & Williams, R. (2012, 06/07). Asked & Answered. School Counselor,   
49(5), 6-13.

Interviewing tomorrow.  Wish me luck! (I tell myself, as I am the only reader of this blog :) )

Resources: surveys and research

Got an e-mail today from Counselor's Room.  Not sure how I got on their mailing list, but then it's one of those things--I could have filled out something two years ago and only now do I get a random e-mail from them or their related companies.  Anyways, the e-mail was actually about one of their products, Plan Smart, which is a product a school counseling department can purchase for their building or district.  The product offers 33 surveys (and they claim more is on the way) that are written exclusively for school counselors to evaluate various aspects of school counseling program and its delivery.

The surveys can assess the needs of students and teachers, as well as get feedback from them about the current aspects of the school counseling program.  With the giant push towards data driven programming and accountability, it's no wonder there are products out there that will make it easier for counselors to evaluate the effectiveness of their current practices and will also help with development of new curricula and interventions.

Speaking of accountability--research based school counseling programs are the goal of current counselors and administrators.  While exploring Plan Smart materials, I came across University of Massachusetts' Center for School Counseling Outcomes Research and Evaluation and of course, they have a wonderful resource page for school counselors filled with research papers, evaluations, data-driven practices, and accountability measures.  Lots to look at and think about.  Sites like these, I feel are useful to have when one has a specific goal and objective in mind already, otherwise the amount of material available can be more disorienting than not, at least to me.  So it'll be linked to my resources tab, and I feel I will be accessing it in the near future for research-based inspiration and ideas.

Parent Resource: "Taking Back Childhood"

I heard about this book on NPR, can't remember which program it was on, but it caught my attention.  Taking Back Childhood: Helping Your Kids Thrive in a Fast-Paced, Media-Saturated, Violence-Filled World by Nancy Carlsson-Paige seemed exactly the type of resource I should have on my book shelf once I am a counselor, so I got a copy from the library and have been perusing through it these last couple of weeks.  So far, I have found several interesting ideas that would be helpful to me as a school counselor and teacher.  Nancy writes that all children need several key factors for healthy development: creative play, security, and positive relationships.  Of course, parents and guardians are the first and best providers of these elements in children's upbringing, but the school is a place where children spend a lot of their time, interacting with peers and adults, and providing access to these three essential factors in their development can also be done there.

I haven't read through the whole book as of yet, but I have found several key points that will be important for me to keep in mind as I work with students, especially in the elementary school setting.  One of those is power and being ever conscious of its role in our relationships with children.  We learn, as counselors, that the relationships we build with our students are the most important factors in how successful our work with them will be.  In order for students to feel comfortable and safe with us, they need to be able to trust that we will be fair and non-judgmental and that we will not hold our "power" as adults over them, but will work with them as equals, allowing them to be the experts of their concerns and problems.  Remembering to do that can be difficult sometimes when we have to work under time constraints of the class room or an individual session, or we have a hard time with a child who is being willful and disobedient.

Nancy writes that, "Often when kids 'act out' or 'misbehave,' they're hoping we will interfere to restore for them the sense of security they need us to provide."  This does not mean that we will step in to punish or judge the child immediately.  What Nancy is promoting is a sharing of power with the child--this means in this case, giving the child an opportunity to face their actions and misbehavior and to see the impact of what they did.  She writes also that this type of parenting/education allows the child to develop appropriate social skills, such as cooperation, control of impulses, ability to work things out with peers and adults.  Insisting on obedience alone through use of punishment and cajoling will not lead to children (our students) being able to self-regulate themselves appropriately.  Obviously, as educators, we cannot control the type of environment and parenting that our students grow up with, but we can control our interactions with them, and keeping in mind some of the ideas from Nancy Carlsson-Paige's book would be a good start.

Source:
Carlsson-Paige, N. (2008). Taking back childhood: Helping your kids thrive in a fast-paced, media-saturated, violence-filled world. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Hudson Street Press.

Teaching Tolerance

I received a renewal notice from the Teaching Tolerance magazine, which I had subscribed for last year.  I learned about this magazine from a professor in a school counseling course, and it took me a year to remember to subscribe to it, but I'm glad I finally did.   This is a wonderful FREE resource available to educators at every level of the school system.
The magazines publishes 4-5 feature articles on relevant and interesting topics such as, "Found in Translation: Ensure school environments are welcoming to English language learners (ELLs) and their families" and "The School to prison pipeline: Policies and practices that favor incarceration over education do us all a grave injustice."
There are also a few opinion pieces and short pieces that briefly but thoroughly address current decisions that counselors, administrator and teachers have to make in their buildings, such as whether or not to establish a school uniform in the school.
The magazines also has several activities for all the grade levels that are centered around ideas of inclusion, friendship, prejudice, multiculturalism, etc.. So for a counselor, this magazine can be a great resource of ways to teach these sometimes difficult topics in a way that encourages open and non-judgement filled discussions.
Anyways, I will be renewing my subscription to this magazine, starting with the digital copy, which promises to have more multi-media ways to explore the magazine's topics and ideas.
Happy Friday!  One week of posts! Whoohoo!!