Catching Up

It has been awhile.  Looking back, I should have expected my blogging to fall off when the school year started.  I mean, I started my first position as a school counselor, in a new school, in a new state.  It is okay though- while a ton has happened since I last wrote, personally and professionally, I am back on the figurative "blogging horse" and will catch you up on some of the stuff I've been up to.  No real tips here today, more of a re-introduction:

Professionally-

I count my lucky stars each day I get to work with the fantastic student services team at my school.  In total, there are ten (I KNOW, TEN!!!) school counselors within my high school.  Nine of us have caseloads of a few hundred students while one works as the "transition counselor"- a very important individual who gives extra, extra support to students who may be struggling academically.  We have two school psychologists and one social worker.  Want to talk about spoiled, we have a host of other professionals that specialize in specific areas of serving students, a registrar, transcript assistant, assessment coach and student information assistant.  In combination, this group works like a well-oiled machine and, thankfully, when I've had questions I always have somebody available to ask.  

Of the ten counselors, four of us were new to the building this year.  Another and I were total greenhorns, while two others transferred from other schools within the county.  I have a mentor who is one of the most organized, productive and kind individuals I have ever met- best of all, her office is right across the hall.  Pretty convenient while acclimating to the regulations and little details of working in one of the largest school districts in the country!  

Speaking of offices!  Here is a short Vine of mine.  Be warned, I took this video back in August- I promise my desk is neater now (don't worry, mom!)  I've also hung my diplomas on the wall, right next to some of my Wienermobile memorabilia...

One of the best parts of being a new school counselor is integrating the fresh knowledge I have, just out of graduate school, to the tried and true methodology of a productive team.  Did I mention that my mentor is our American School Counselor Association RAMP coordinator?  I love me some data and ASCA-aligned comprehensive school counseling!  We don't apply again until next spring, but, as a team, we have already begun editing our department's vision and mission statements.

The first year as a School Counselor is a bit like trial by fire.  I wrote 50-ish letters of recommendation and advised students through the college application process. I hold 504 Plan meetings, attend IEPs, complete academic advising meetings with each student, plan conferences, crisis counseling, goal setting, classroom lessons, lunch duty, register new students, field parent phone calls, answer emails upon emails, and on and on and on.  Other school counselors out there know how far that list extends... After the challenge of graduate school, it is nice to know it is real.

Personally-
I mentioned at the end of my previous post that I got a dog.  Maple is a Pointer/Pitbull (I pronounce it: pibble) mix.  Here is a Vine I took after she won a dog cookie in a Howl-o-ween costume contest:

On another personal note, my Music Teacher Lady and I are engaged.

It has been a crazy but very rewarding year.  I hope to continue blogging and have a few posts with some tips and personal practices brewing in my mind.  Til then.

"Model" First-Year Educator

In my last post, I mentioned that my girlfriend, Emmi, is a music teacher at an elementary school here in Maryland.  She bravely moved across the country with me when I decided to enter the School Counseling Fellows at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.  When we moved, she had few professional contacts or job prospects, but she threw caution to the wind, networked her "bass clef" off, and basically landed the teaching job of her dreams a week before the school year started.  Before the first day of school, I asked Emmi if we could take a picture of her EVERYDAY before she leaves for work to document her first year as a full-time teacher with the intention of making a video at the end.  Well, we are well over 100 days into the school year and still going strong.

Emmi approved all photos.

Emmi is a tremendous "model"... both in the pictures and as a first-year educator.  Her love for introducing young children to the wonders of music grows everyday and I hear her exude excitement and growing confidence everyday at 5:00pm when she gets home.  Since I am still a student, I feel that watching Emmi both succeed and fail in her first year as an educator is something of a "test run" for me.  No day is the same for her, much like a school counselor.  So, today I asked her what her three most important lessons as a first-year education professional were.  Here they are:

1.  "The first year is all about failing and THE WAY you learn from your failure."

To Emmi, you have two options 1) you can let your failure freeze you and prevent you from growing or 2) you can pick yourself up, look at what you did critically and let it prepare you for next time.  For counselors and teachers alike, there is no prescription for how to complete an objective and sometimes we make the wrong decisions.  We can wallow in our failures or we can use them as motivation to try something different and serve our students  best.

2.  "A lesson plan is only a plan.  You can think through and write up the most elaborate lesson with great introductions and transitions-but you have to factor your audience."

As a counseling intern, I already have some experience with this piece of advice.  Emmi said, "you may have a great plan for the day, but you cannot prepare for what Susie or Tommy are bringing with them."  She makes a great point.  Unlike accountants or factory workers, our "products," (the students) are dynamic, carrying their homes, neighborhoods, and communities to school with them.  We need to remain flexible and understand that everyday is new and every child is fluid.  She clearly plans and maps out her objectives, but she has learned to be "okay" when things go off-track... a skill and attitude I am still developing.

3.  "An effective lesson is one that gives students the chance to use their voice."

Emmi teaches children between the ages of 3-7.  She loves to offer her students the opportunity to share music and express their own, unique points of view.  I watched Emmi develop an after school "bucket band," in which the older children played rhythmic music on empty paint pails.  I agree with Emmi.  Giving students the chance to voice their opinions, concerns, and views is a powerful exercise.  Personally, I like to pull students into my counseling lesson planning, which changes the focus from the product to the process.  When counseling, I always remind myself that students are the experts on their own lives.  Lessons in goal setting and self-efficacy can help them take control and teach others.   

Bottom Right=Pajama Day at school.

Watching Emmi this past year certainly makes me proud... and a bit anxious to start my own educational career.  As I move forward, I will reflect on the anecdotes and lessons she shares.  Ultimately, I am left in awe realizing how fast a year goes.